July 2001 archives
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Tuesday, July 31, 2001
The days and nights of Brandon German
Right now, my sleeping habits are completely out of whack. I have been going to bed anywhere from 3 to 5 a.m., and getting up anywhere from 10 to 12 a.m. This is not good for someone who needs to get his body used to an eventual 10-11 p.m. to 6-6:30 a.m. sleep schedule.
So last night, in an effort to gradually get myself to that point, I voluntarily go to bed at 1 a.m. I fall asleep quickly (for me, anyway).
So when do I wake up today? 11:45!
Obviously, my body is missing the clue here. I'd go to bed at 10 tonight, but I'm afraid I might not get up until the next afternoon...
Monday, July 30, 2001
Quick 'n easy anatomy experiment
For you who like science experiments in your own backyard, run a gas-powered Weed-Eater for the first time in at least a year without gloves on. It's finger-swellin' fun, I tell ya!
passing through the gates of time
NW 5th and Robinson.
I'll never forget that intersection.
My cousin Hesper and I made our way into downtown Oklahoma City that Monday afternoon. We went to Bricktown and ate at a wonderful Italian restaurant. Then we walked around the canal for a little while and went over to Bricktown Ballpark, the minor-league baseball stadium.
Then Hesper asked, "Do you want to go see the Memorial?"
We drove up to the intersection of NW 5th and Robinson. I noticed the rubble on the other side of the street where the YMCA had once stood, not yet cleared.
As we walked up to the Memorial, the first thing that I noticed was a huge granite pillar with an inscription on it:
WE COME HERE TO REMEMBER
THOSE WHO WERE KILLED, THOSE WHO SURVIVED AND THOSE CHANGED FOREVER.
MAY ALL WHO LEAVE HERE KNOW THE IMPACT OF VIOLENCE.
MAY THIS MEMORIAL OFFER COMFORT, STRENGTH, PEACE, HOPE AND SERENITY.
Then I walked through the entryway, and passed through the gate of time.
Inscribed on the back of that pillar is "9:01". On the other side of the memorial grounds, a similar pillar simply states "9:03". They stand, twin bookends forever for that moment in time that we shall never forget.
There were a few people around the grounds that day. Many were standing by the reflecting pool that ran for most of the way between the gates of time. I found out later that this area was where NW 5th Street originally was before the bombing. It was closed off for use in the memorial grounds.
Then I took a look to my left, and saw the chairs. All 168 of them. I learned that they were placed in honor of the location of the fallen in the building. There were nine floors in the building; nine rows of chairs echoed the loss.
We walked around to "the fence". This was where people had left items in remembrance of the victims. Most of it has been taken down, but a section remains for people to leave things. It was still full, with everything from letters to flowers to ribbons.
The museum was not open, so we came back around to the grounds and walked up to the Survivor Tree, the symbol of the memorial. It was an American Elm that endured the blast and rubble and still stands today. Surrounding it was a terrace with a vantage point of the entire memorial. I saw the tree and the inscription written on the wall surrounding it, then took a long, slow look out at the entire memorial grounds, again to the 168 empty chairs, the reflecting pool, both gates of time.
Then, I said "Okay" to Hesper, and we headed back towards the "9:01" gate of time to her car.
Passing back through the gate, I knew that I had just done something very important. The goodness of people is often disputed in today's world, but seeing this memorial firsthand brought to mind the people that died and a nation that sought to comfort the survivors in any way they could. I would later learn that people came from all over the country to help these people, and didn't ask for anything in return. The memorial stands as their tribute as well.
If anyone cares anything about being an American, they owe it to themselves to one day take a trip to Oklahoma City. Go to the intersection of NW 5th and Robinson. And pass through the gates of time themselves.
At long last...
A thought from the Oklahoma trip, passing through the gates of time.
Saturday, July 28, 2001
Wedding day update
I've updated Ricky and Tammy's page to include wedding day information. I'll write more on my own site later, but for now I'm off to bed - I'm exhausted.
Thursday, July 26, 2001
The world I've missed
I now have access to the Internet at my grandparents' house. This provides closure to my downtime, and reveals some things that are actually quite interesting to me, though I really should have known for quite some time.
For at least a couple of years now, the Net has been my primary source of information. By this, I mean that I usually get my news, sports, weather, etc., online. With the prominent exception of SportsCenter, of course. Even so, I normally go to espn.com at least a couple of times daily to read articles and find information about players and sports. The Net is the only place that I can find information on Aussie Rules Football or rugby. This and other ecclectic interests are not found on TV (easily, anyway), the radio, or the newspaper. What's more, I can find information on how to improve my golf or tennis game free online instead of buying a book. Don't know a definition? Go to dictionary.com instead of lugging out the Webster's.
It's become one of my main means of entertainment. I don't watch a lot of TV...in fact, there are only a couple of shows that I really care about at all. There are a lot of people who have posted things on the net that interest me, from online games to stories. They tend to be better than what I could find on the television.
It's become one of my primary methods of communication. E-mail is a way of life for me. There are plenty of times when I don't need to get in touch with someone immediately, but I want them to know something, and e-mail provides the perfect solution. This site, and other ones that I maintain, are themselves a means of communication with the world. You can leave your mark on this site by commenting now. I've had people say that reading this site is like peeking inside my head. It's the same with other sites that I frequent; those of friends and those who I do not know but whose lives are interesting just the same.
So now that I have finally come back online after a five-day hiatus (except for brief instances over at Ricky's), I feel back in touch. Not that I don't mind spending time in the real world - in fact, I've done more of that this summer than I have in a long while - but I need the wired world as well.
Monday, July 23, 2001
Hey from Ricky's...
I realize that I haven't been updating a whole lot since I've gotten back to Birmingham. I don't have Internet access anywhere but when I come over to Ricky's. That should change soon, though.
Things have not gone well in the job search. I went to Kindred today, and found out that they had hired someone else for the position that they had originally offered me. So we're back at square one, unfortunately...
Anyone out there interested in hiring me? Jump to the résumé.
Thursday, July 19, 2001
More trip notes
For road construction, nothing beats western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. There were nine different construction areas in Arkansas west of Little Rock alone...
I-40 is not a bad little interstate to drive in terms of scenery. A lot of farmland, and a decent amount of cities to break up the horizon...
While tubing, I tried to perform a trick where you intentionally flip the tube one full revolution as you swing wide to one side. I nearly got my shoulder dislocated for the trouble...
There are more "4th and Broadway" intersections in central Oklahoma than there needs to be. Hesper (my cousin) will get that, if she reads this...
I got sunburned on the first day, per the norm. It's not as if I wasn't trying to keep myself from it happening. I distinctly remember putting SPF-50 on at one point...
My golf game is about the same, whether I play in Alabama, Florida, or Oklahoma. I did have my worst score ever on a hole however: a 14...
More to come.
Wednesday, July 18, 2001
Stats about the trip
For you number-crunchers out there:
- Miles driven: 1,586.6.
- States: 5 (Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma).
- Wrong turns taken: 2 (both were in Memphis transitioning onto and off of I-55).
- Cities visited that fellow MBAs now live in: 3 (Birmingham, Memphis, and Conway, Arkansas).
- Stadiums visited: 2 (Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, the University of Oklahoma's football stadium, and Bricktown Ballpark, the home of the Oklahoma Redhawks minor league baseball team).
- New things tried: 2. I drove a boat and tubed for the first time. I almost tried skiing, but we ran out of daylight.
More a little later.
Monday, July 16, 2001
And we're back...
Well, it's about time I updated, isn't it? I've been out in Oklahoma for the past couple of weeks, and I didn't have much of a chance to update while I was out there. I've been back for a couple of days, but I can only update for now when I'm over at Ricky's. The trip was a blast...there's a lot to tell. I'll do that later this week, because tomorrow I will be going back home to get my things that are down there (including my computer). I'll be down there for a couple of days, and I'll tell all about the Oklahoma trip then. Look for a lot here, and at least one or two thoughts to come out of the trip.
After that, I'll come back up to Birmingham, set up camp, decide once and for all on my job situation, do the groomsman thing at Ricky and Tammy's wedding, and start looking for places to live.