Eric Hamm

So, I am sitting in my lovely new Ikea bed (named "Malm;" all Ikea objects have names provided by the company, as you may or may not know), and going over again in my head the story of how I acquired Malm, Ramberg, my dresser or Sultan Lillåker, my uppity bed slats (if Ikea can give them names, I figure I can give them personalities).

The story has since been called epic( Epic Story )

Well, early August means debate camp, for anyone who was wondering. I am really excited about the direction the team is taking. We have a new assistant who is at least enthusiastic and eager to learn (better than the type who thinks she knows it all already, but I wouldn't name names...; ). Further, last year's freshmen are really committed to debate, and I can say for the first time that I do not think the team will collapse when I leave.

That aside, I have to go to work now. Good to be home, but excited for school.

It has been a little over a week since my surgery, and I am still resting. I would not say I am bedridden, though, as I do get up for a couple of hours every day. Tomorrow will be my real challenge as I go back to work, if only for four hours.

I kicked the Vicadin a few days back, and it had really improved my mental capacity to have done so. I am now able to read my book, and I have almost finished my latest--The Count of Monte Cristo. I am still watching plenty of TV (read: too much) and seeing the occasional movie. Usually this occurs at home, but I did feel I had the strength to go see Pirates yesterday; I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Also, I have a real incentive to get better soon--this weekend I am going to D.C. to visit Marianne. I am not going to wax romantic here, but I am sure you all know how important she (and consequently the trip) is to me. :)

I imagine I will be a more regular poster again, but it is not now my post surgery status that keeps me from as often as I have previously; it is that I am doing so little with my life that I have nothing to say. However, me having nothing to say usually hasn't stopped me from talking in the past.

Alright, I am going to go on hiatus until I am not in serious pain.

Got sliced up. On Vicodin. I'll talk later.

Well, even with the internet as bad as it is, I think I have been especially bad about posting lately. In all fairness, this week has been busy. I have been seeing a new chiropractor to try and fix my back. I have been helping my mom prep;are for her knee surgery (and been anticipating waiting on her while she recovers). I had a job interview today with an investment firm in Minneapolis. I want that job. I really really really do.

Without the job, things go like this:
~I have my surgery (hernia repair--it could wait...heck, it already did for eighteen months, but I just don't usually complain about it)
~I am immobilized for six weeks from fun summer activities
~I leave for Seattle in two weeks to work biotech for little money
~I go to debate camp
~I don't see my girlfriend

If I get the job, things look like this:
~I start work on Monday
~I work up until debate camp, making crazy money
~I go to debate camp
~Over fourth of July weekend I cash in my frequent flier miles to get my sweetie out to Wayzata for the weekend
~I get great experience and possibly a post-graduation job offer (they mentioned this in the interview)
~I get to run and play and whatever, postponing my surgery until Christmas break

No brainer: I want this job!

So, this week has been spent writing up a resume, talking with potential contacts and preparing a writing sample. I have also spent some time with a few MN friends, got a new cell phone, recovered from jet lag, have been reading Count of Monte Cristo and generally loving the summer.

I'm at home. Remember what that means? Our internet is horrible. To be honest, posting is going to be limited at best. Besides which, it is Sunday; I got home Tuesday. Somehow I am not unpacked. Although, that could facilitate more extraneous activities rather than fewer. All I know for now is that I had better get out of bed, and get dressed for church. And I know I wish I didn't have this headache I now have...

...but I'm back in Minneapolis where it's 3:50

"You can depend on the trust of the collective."

Duration: Today
Situation: My packing

Umm....

What is quorum for a posse? Anyone? I'm saying 8...

It's so nice to drop books off at the library, especially since I have had these particular books since the beginning of the term, and have just been renewing them every week, I would be writing more, but I honestly have little to say these days. When something happens to me, you'll all know.

I should elaborate.

Me being sick means the following things:
-Watching "Murder, She Wrote" while curled up on a couch under my snuggle blanket and pouting.
-Working on and off on a paper (I am still at Oxford; I can't be fully sick).
-Listening to comfort music...like techno-remixes of eighties music, or eighties music in general.
-Making my favorite foods, which today will include chicken parmesan and fruits of various kinds.

Sick'd

Part one of my story: Marianne left yesterday; she was here from last Thursday. Isn't it odd how the hole in my journal posting corresponds exactly with the days of her visit? Who would have thought? Anyway, her visit was fantastic; we had lots of fun, despite the rain, and it was really good for me to see her. I miss her so terribly. I have been told by so many people, people who haven't even seen us together, that we are a very cute couple; I can only imagine this is because we talk about each other so much. I hope this isn't annoying for everyone else.

Now, to help me with the pangs of loneliness, I am going to be making dinner for Di and Allison (also Hillsdale students), whose company has also been a great help to me. I have reason to believe Gray and I are going to be going out to coffee some time today, too. Anyway, I should go; I have to get started on my marinade.

I downloaded Mozilla Firefox this morning. It isn't because I don't like Mac Safari, and I would wager I still get fewer pop-ups than any of you pretentious Mozilla users, it's just that google has released Google Calendar, and it isn't available for Safari yet. Google junkie that I am, I have to have it, so, I have downloaded Firefox; I bet I will switch back when Google Calendar is open to Safari, but that doesn't mean I don't intend to give Fifefox a fair shake while I have it. In fact, I know it is good, as I use it on my PC back home, but I am not sure it can replace Safari in my heart as best browser.

Only time can tell.

Yep. I watched cricket today, and not like one watches curling to laugh at it and avoid understanding it at all costs. I genuinely enjoyed it, too. I am starting to understand how it is played. Honestly, but for the length of the games, I think I get most of it. You know what? It is a really dignified, respectable game. It looks like the kind of game I would really enjoy watching for a day with a blanket and a picnic basket out on the lawn. I wish there were cricket somewhere on the lawn somewhere.

...to encourage anyone who reads this to have a listen to a musical anomaly: Gnarls Barkley. I have heard the hype for a while, and I was resistant, as hip-hop is generally not my thing. However, I got the album "St. Elsewhere" and...wow...

Since I last posted on Wednesday night, I had the pleasure to host a good friend of mine, Hilary, for a few days. She just went back to Paris this morning, where she is studying this term. In fact, she is done with that studying and is soon going back home.

While I did have a tutorial on Thursday (which will probably show up in the autopsy under "cause of death") and a debate workshop on Friday, the two of us had a great time! Besides the inevitable catching up on all the Hillsdale gossip that we had missed from each other, we ate well, saw London and had our share of meaningful conversations.

I am really glad she was able to come up to visit, but I did feel bad I never saw her in France, although the past month saw me in Paris twice. Our schedules were incompatible at the times of my visits, though: we checked.

Another added benefit of the Hilary visit, of course, was how quickly it made the end of the week go. It isn't that I wanted my time with Hilary shorter, by any means, but the ends of the week can sometimes drag on, especially when your girlfriend is coming the next week, and now there are only four days until Marianne comes!

Let's hope I am still alive.

I am so on edge. So stressed. I feel like I have one million things to do. My room is a mess (very unusual for me). I have been slowly descending into a madness of sorts over the last two weeks with the amount of work I have to do, and I feel it swallowing the years of my life, one by one.

Oxford is great, don't get me wrong. But when the stress comes, it comes like a flood.

The least stressful thing I have done lately is eat an apple this morning. It was actually quite relaxing. It isn't that I am not trying to relax, too. I will take a study break to watch a movie, talk to Marianne, or play a quick game, but I for some reason can't get off of this stress high I seem to be on. It is almost as though I am trying too hard to relax, and thus it isn't working.

I think a large part of it is how isolated I have (out of necessity) made myself this term. I quit debate (which is killing me--not doing debate); I have made sporadic appearances at my Bible study/church, but even that has been in drastic decline lately. I don't know what it is I need to do. I think I am going to clean up my room today and hope that helps. I should go out for coffee today. I need it.

Alright, I am sure you can tell by how poorly structured this is that my thoughts are a mess. I am going to go eat lunch now. At least it is a healthy meal, because this stress level I have if paired with improper diet could give me a heart attack...

Really. I do.