homecoming

i went snowboarding for the first time in about five weeks. it was 50 degrees so there was abundant amounts of slush. i don't really care anymore about snowboarding. the year is winding down, and the mountain is only open for about another week or so. i'm not bent on lockin down some new hard trick this late in the season, i only ever get hurt. some people finally coaxed me into going today even though i wasn't that interested. they promised we could go and get treats after at seven eleven, so that clinched it for me. surprisingly after that long of a period i stepped right back into my comfort zone. the problem with me is that i can't just take it easy. its very difficult to stay within my means because i see other people pushin it, and i wanna make my mark too so i end up throwin up unrealistic airs. i tried a rodeo today in the park and sort of jacked up my shoulder. nothing too serious but its really difficult to lift. actually, after last nights sleep its much more sore. might be a minor sprain or something. after that i decided to lay off inverts for the day (i had planted a front flip earlier, which are easier for me). i threw one or two 540 attempts, i knew i could do it but it wasn't workin out clean. so near the end i threw one up but was sittin backseat a little too heavy and i under-rotated 90 degrees. i do them backside so that means the last rotation is blind. i landed on the knuckle straight on my heel edge, pitched it back onto the landing and smacked my head real good. i didn't lose conciousness or forget where i was, so it couldn't have been that bad. just a sizeable headache. shook me up. didn't surprise me. i'm fine. but its just a nuissance.

my lil buddy hunter is doing great from what i hear. he's still just a munchkin that can't do much i don't think. he'll be 3 or 4 months by the time i finally see him. probably works out best that way since i don't like fresh babies. give em a few months to develope physical characteristics and i'll warm up to em. i'm still pretty sure i'll be attracted to this little dude more than the average baby i encounter though. me n him are gunna go goooolf someday, i'll teach em to skateboard, we'll play video games, go fishing, play all kinds of sports i'm sure...whatever else, i don't even know. that'll be cool by the time he can do that stuff though. since i won't have kids i'm sure i'll still be active and fit enough to keep up with the kid. i've got a fairly avid ambition to be a good uncle, and i think that staying single will allow me to relate and stay relevant easier. i'll probably get into as much trouble with mom and dad cornies than Hunter will when i hang out with em. hah.

sometimes i wish that i could play music in a more mainstream and functional manner. i would need another person though. i'm confident in my ability to learn music, and i'm confident enough now perhaps in my voice but not by myself. i don't like the music i write for starters, and i get bored with my guitar ability too. if i had another person though to help write, and then carry the music with me in a creative way so that even simplicity would become more appealing and impressive, and then of course throwin in some harmonies or lead some of the songs too? that could be a lot of fun. not much money in it, but you can't buy an experience like that.

i'm goin to a baseball game this weekend. one of the staff here (murdoch) is the most intense sports fanatic i've probably ever met. he's a phillies fan. they won the world series last season. it was crazy around here while the playoffs were going down. the 2009 season just started and the phillies are about to enter a series against the colorado rockies. murdoch got like 12 tickets, so a bunch of us are goin down there and sittin in "the rock pile" at mile high stadium. tix were like 4 bucks. i feel guilty but i've actually been moderately excited about baseball. i discovered that i actually know about 70 percent of the tigers players. top four teams would go as follows...tigers, rockies, jays then phillies. betting on games for free through centsports goes a long way. its not much, but being invested in the outcome helps. and i like how it keeps me on top of whatever league is going on. i knew who was good and who wasn't in every mainstream professional sport this past year. its a good social tool to be aware of whats going on in sports. no matter what sport someone is partial too, you will be at least reasonably informed about it to carry a conversation, or stear educated questions toward them so they can take over and lead through the response. breaks down barriers quick.

you are probably all aware of my legal complications being here in america. i have to be out of the country by april 30th. my options are to either get all my documentation assembled on short notice, drive to denver, and then talk to an official pleaing for them to have mercy and give me an extension. they aren't very tolerant or sympathetic people so to go to all that work and still likely have thrown in my face? its not really my first choice. option two is to fly home before the end of april, and then drive out for the last couple weeks, pack up and then head home. we're not sure though if they will let me back in when i try to drive back, since i had been in america for so long and that it had only been a few days or whatever. so i'm risking spending more money to get home, and then having to ship all my stuff back and costing me even more. the last option is to just go home early, period and thats what we're leaning toward. i'm hopin that my mom and sister will road trip 'er out here, i'd love to spend some time with them. i know it'll all work out, even coming home early. i'll find a job or some opportunity will arise because of how this is playing out. i can't get stressed and start to panic because i'm not in control at the moment.

i'll keep ya posted.

J.R. Whitfield