Hello All,

Yep, this was the one I had actually planned on writing, and there was a reason I had saved it till now. I had hoped to have some news in my life that would bring me a measure of calm, but that didn't quite happen. :lol: A bit long probably, but it is a wrap-up of the past while.

College has finally hit full swing, which means I cannot merely skate through it. I am going for an AS degree in networking...but far more importantly, for CCNA certification. It is recognized in most of the modern world as a certification meaning you certainly know your stuff and are safe to hire...because of this, "John1918: CCNA," may soon be coming to a country near you! :P Right now I am buckling just a tad under the new influx of work, but it will pass with time...most consuming of all is likely the capstone project I am working on right now with a man named William. It has us going in and redoing the entire network and computer systems of a business...while maintaining the lowest possible cost and ensuring many other variables are satisfied while still doing everything the course normally wants as well...though the 1000-odd page book I'm supposed to know by heart is also a bit...um...scary. :lol: Oh, I also am fearing the snow starting again...because once it does I may not be able to make it to cl@ss.

On the gaming front I have happened to aquire a few new playthings, such as the original Halo (nope, never played it). This adds to my collection of stuff I don't really have the time to play...but I literally got the stuff for a song...no pennies left their John. :wink: A sad thing for gaming, however, is my current lack of time to really play all that much...and, for some reason, Dawn of War still seems to draw my time, likely because I can play it for extremely short bursts while I am trying to keep my head from exploding because of work.

Now that good thing I wanted to be able to tell you about. :? I get funding for going to school, money paid to me for my 'seat-time,' which is one reason I try to take a rather full schedule. However, mess-ups with this stopped it from firing up with the new semester, and I was forced to sit out the first month while I fixed it. The first of October I was supposed to get a check again...this time having it all fixed, however, I got nothing whatsoever that day in the mail. Today, the second, I am hoping against hope that it is late, but I whole-heartedly expect it to not come till at least November. My main problem here is that I started the semester with very tight funds, and those funds are essentially gone, despite being extremely careful and spending very little on myself personally.

I now am getting a temporary loan from my family (yes, I pay them back as soon as possible and hate to take small loans from them) so I can continue to afford gasoline for the car, without that, I would not be attending cl@ss. I am considering that I may have to get a job in addition to a full board of cl@sses, 12 hours each week spent driving, and the many little things I must do here to keep things running smoothly. However, there is the slight problem of tiny places having very few free jobs, especially with the small number of hours I will actually be able to devote to working. If I end up finding and taking a part-time job, then I will likely inform you all that I will not likely have any free time for the internet or gaming...

That there has shoved me from feeling down to teetering on mildly depressed, and at times I've even found it hard to laugh...odd for me as I always do my best to joke and laugh through anything.

As you might have heard me muttering as I wandered through the halls of GS, my sleeping hours have been the hardest hit of all my 'spare' time. I have not fallen asleep before 3 AM for about two weeks, and mostly have done so after 4 AM, right now my eyes are not red-lined, but rather an unhealthy shade of pink...they also get these nice circles under them after I've been up for about 14 hours. I'm guessing this is why my back has been hurting for about 5 days, and probably explains the headaches and overall tired and sore feeling.

Um...some good stuff would go good here. I am pulling A's out of my cl@sses, and I am the top of the hardest and most technical course. I've found some good guys at college, and actually half-way fit in with the people there, which is surprising for me as I do not always fit...some of you have noticed I possess 'mild' intelligence, and that can be a real drawback for fitting in. I've also been considering trying out for next year's football (american version) team because of going to some games at the high-school and deciding that it could be fun to play on a team with equipment other than a ball and training other than "hit 'em." :D I used to play a fair amount, but nowadays I might be too small for a team to want me. :lol:

Sadly I've only done a few fun things down in the city because of lacking money, but the library is pretty nice at the college, and it doesn't cost anything to talk to some of the nice young women there...of course, they are all taken, but that does not mean I cannot say hello. It is also really funny to watch boyfriends puff up their chests if they notice me saying hello. :lol: Right now I'm looking for other things to do that are free, and though my list is short, it should give me something enjoyable to do till I have no time to do anything. :wink:

I was going to reply to my old blogs here, but it would likely pass me over the word-limit...so that will be a separate thing appearing soon probably...if any of you even give a damn. :lol: I think I am going to go to sleep...god only knows I need lots of that. :D Best wishes to all of you, maybe your days be bright, and your life be merry. :)

-John1918

A friend is a story held not in the hand,
that flitters from mind into soul,
each day a new chapter springs into life,
and this way our stories are told.

Each of your stories are dear to me,
uniquely a small piece of you,
for these I am happy for the passing of days,
and to share my own chapters with you. :)