One Week Down!

GAINES-VEGAS -- One week down! It was perhaps the hardest, busiest, most difficult, most stressful first week of a semester that I have ever had and that includes four years of high school and my three years here at THE University of Georgia. I will say this: It started decent, went down the crapper to a state in which I assumed that I was doomed to suffer harshly for an entire semester and that it may cost me my very life, and then made a steep return over Thursday and Friday. Thanks to April Longsinger, who is my new best friend in the Speech Comm. Dept., I got the class that I spoke of earlier and, in the process, soundly defeated OASIS and the filthy nerds who created it for, at least, one more semester. In the immortal words of Leonard Pope, “I is on track of graduating”. Thank you Jesus that Mr. Pope is turning pro early and will never possess a diploma with both his name and that of THE University of Georgia on it. The value of my future degree still holds some weight.

As I read the AJC and took ten minutes to chill out this morning on the second floor of the SLC, a few individuals stopped by to chat and hang out briefly. I respect these people and enjoyed their company a great deal. To be honest, their visit was all it took to make today a good day. I hope that our path’s cross again at around 10:00 AM on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays! ;-)

I am at home tonight to watch the region-leading West Hall Spartans (my alma mater) play basketball against Flowery Branch. I rarely ever take the opportunity to come back and see them play, but decided that I would be a good brother and support Ryan as he continues to battle back from the broken leg. I’m not sure how much he will play because he is still considerably slow and the plate in his leg causes significant swelling if he runs on it too many minutes at a time. No matter his minutes it will be cool to see another Phillips donning the navy and silver. Plus I hope we pull out a win.

I’m taking a mini-road trip tomorrow with Kevo, Stevo and his new lady-friend. I’m looking forward to meeting her because he has alluded that he “really likes her” and (those of you that know Steve know that) those are serious words from Steven Pett-it. Stevo’s tract record with women is even more sporadic than mine. We once had a contest to see who could date a girl the longest. It’s not that we were being shallow, but that we both wanted to “settle down” a little bit and be a little less picky when it comes to women. I know, I know… keeping scores or records when it comes to women and relationships is wrong. So, needless to say, I’m looking forward to meeting this girl and judging her as harshly as I possibly can (just kidding, but not really). I would expect Kevin and Steven to do the samefor me if I ever find a girl that I “really like”. What are friends for?

I’m speaking at Lakewood this Sunday for the first time in a year and a half. This time, it is not in front of high school students (who thought I knew what I was talking about just because I was in college), but in front of my fellow college students. I never get nervous when speaking in front of groups (since that is what I want to do with my life), but I’m definitely a little more urgent and purposeful in my preparation for this particular engagement. I’m speaking on “Waiting Faithfully on God and His Will”. I’m using the story of Moses and how he became impatient with God as the he and the Israelites wondered through the Sinai Desert for forty years and some scripture from the first chapter of James. Maybe I’ll teach myself a lesson as I strive to get it across to everyone else.

Ok, well, that should about do it for today. I won’t write another entry until I return to the Classic City on Monday afternoon. Have a great MLK Day everybody!