Merely Being

AUDIENCE OF ONE — RISE AGAINST

I can still remember
The words and what they meant
As we etched them with our fingers
In years of wet cement
Days blurred into each other
Though everything seemed clear
We cruised along at half speed
But then we shifted gears

We ran like vampires from a thousand burning suns
But even then we should have stayed

But we ran away, now all my friends are gone
Maybe we’ve outgrown all the things that we once loved
Run away, but what are we running from?
A show of hands from those in this audience of one
Where have they gone?

Identities assume us
As nine and five add up
Synchronizing watches
To the seconds that we lost
And I looked up and saw you
I know that you saw me
We froze but for a moment
In empathy

I brought down the sky for you but all you did was shrug
You gave my emptiness a name

But you ran away, now all my friends are gone
Maybe we’ve outgrown all the things that we once loved
Run away, but what are we running from?
A show of hands from those in this audience of one
Where have they gone?

We’re all okay, until the day we’re not
The surface shines, while the inside rots
We raced the sunset and we almost won
We slammed the brakes, but the wheels went on

We ran away, now all my friends are gone
Maybe we’ve outgrown all the things that we once loved
Run away, but what are we running from?
A show of hands from those in this audience of one
Where have they gone?

Happy Autumn, everyone.

I know it’s been six months since my last update. College started becoming hectic, and there wasn’t much to update about. Since hardly anyone reads this anymore, I won’t speak much about my summer, apart from the general assertion that it was very productive (read seven books, earned enough money for a new laptop, etc.).

I have continued to update my opinions column page with my latest published articles. This semester is looking to be a wonderful semester for opinions writing. I wanted to call attention to a few new links you may be tempted to click on. The first is an article that I co-wrote with two other Herald Opinions writers, editor Alyssa Ratledge and columnist Dan Davidson. It concerns the issue of prohibiting possession of firearms by students on college campuses in a general sense. The general goal of the articles (of which there will be more, by myself and other Herald opinions columnists) is to promote open discussion and friendly debate on the new Daily Herald Blog site, http://blogdailyherald.com.

The other new links are the UWire articles. UWire is a website that publishes a large volume of articles, columns and other news pieces from university publications across the nation, especially campus newspapers. If and when my columns are featured in UWire, I will archive a link on my Opinions Column page. To date, two of my columns have been published on UWire, links to which can be found in the column archive.

On a slightly different note, two friends of mine — Thad Parsons and Shane Itram — have recently had their comic published in the Brown Daily Herald. Check out their site for more information about their comic, appropriately named Dot Comic.

More stuff to come this semester, so stay tuned!

It’s been entirely too long since my last update. Much has happened since then, but not much that I would consider to be noteworthy.

Last night, I was lucky enough to grab a seat at the midnight screening of Watchmen. It was spectacular, probably the best movie of the decade (and considering the movies that have come out since 2001, that’s saying a lot).

In other news, I will be turning nineteen around 7:30 this morning. Before I roll a year closer to the top of the proverbial hill, I have a few pieces of wisdom that I’ve gathered from the past year to share:

• - Live for the present. The future is full of cloudy days, but at the present moment it’s always sunny somewhere.
• - Enjoy your time alone. No lie, everything else is going to take priority over it, so it’s nice when it happens. Alone time is never scheduled, and you never know how long it’s going to last.
• - Tell jokes with a straight face. People will laugh more often.
• - Praise your friends publicly. They’re your FRIENDS, dammit—the only things in the world worth bragging about.
• - Always let someone else read your papers. You’ll have looked at them so long, you’ll be sick of the good parts and fond of your mistakes.
• - High school kicked ass. Never forget it. College kicks twice as much ass. You might forget high school because of it.
• - Stick your neck out. Now stick your arms out. Now stick your left leg out. But don’t stick your right leg out, or you’ll fall.
• - Give 110% of your time and resources. The righteous few will give your 10% back.
• - Strive for excellence. You’ll feel more satisfied with what you’ve done.
• - Never compromise. Not even in the face of Armageddon. Mad props to those who recognize the reference.
• - Be sure your debts are always paid, once for every simple trade, but twice for freely given aid.
• - What you can do, do with friends. What you must do, do alone.
• - Be bold. You never accomplished anything by sitting on your ass in the dark… Except for writing this list of birthday wisdom.

Damn, to where did all of my youth-filled years escape? Here’s to nineteen more!

I have some amazing news, everyone!

First and foremost, I have now been offered the position of Opinions Columnist on the university newspaper, the Brown Daily Herald. I’m extremely ecstatic about it. My first column appeared in the Op-Ed section of the paper last Friday. I wrote about the declining number of comics appearing in the Herald lately. The full story can be read here.

Also, I have also decided to draw a webcomic: Awkward Third Wheel. The full story can be found on the comic’s page. I will be posting comics anywhere between frequently and sporadically, but never on weekends.

Good evening, one and all.

I’ve finally returned to my normal college routine, which I might comment on when I find it convenient. For now, I’d like to introduce a few awesome webcomics that friends and acquaintances of mine have drawn.

The first is Fizzle Pop, which really needs no introduction. This masterpiece of hilarity has graced the comic section of the campus newspaper, the Brown Daily Herald, since the beginning of school. Most of the published Fizzle Pop comics from the BDH can be found there, as well as some additional material from when the writer gets bored from studying.

Another is not so well known, but equally funny. Serengetti Dreams is a relatively new webcomic featuring an abundance of wit, academic and scientific humor. Seriously, it’s hilarious if you know what the author’s talking about. And if not… Well, that’s okay. Even I don’t get some of the jokes, but they’re funny upon explanation.

Last, but certainly not least, is WTF, written and drawn by a very close friend of mine. Most of the jokes are inside jokes that will seem outrageously shocking to your ordinary bystander, but perhaps that is a virtue in its own right.

With all of this peer pressure, I might be inclined to write a webcomic of my own. Further details will be published here with discretion. In the meantime, enjoy some damn good cartooning. Until later, folks.