12 hours, 17 minutes to go...

STUDIO 48 -- OK, so it is Saturday January 21st, I have little-to-no agenda for today outside of a basketball game and maybe catching up on some reading. I‘ve had a lot going through my head lately (as shown in previous Blogs), So, perhaps a day like this one with hardly anything to do will be good for me.

I would like to start off with an apology. It is no secret that I haven’t been my usual jovial self lately and the reasons for this attitude change are very obscure, random, and yet complex. So I am going to make an effort to start worrying about today and not so much about tomorrow and yesterday. I think that by looking at the here and the now, you will stop worrying about the things that you can't change anyway. That doesn't mean don't plan for the future, or even for tomorrow, just don't dwell on it. There is no use in worrying about what will happen tomorrow because you don't know what will happen tomorrow, you might think you know, but you don't know for sure. You can't know for sure. It’s not your place to know what will happen tomorrow. I’m trying to take this lesson to heart.

I got to spend some time with my dad yesterday as he was in town for JanFest. (Have I mentioned how nice it is having zero responsibilities with JanFest this year?) It was nice getting to see him and allowing him to purchase a couple of meals for me. He has some upcoming difficult decisions regarding his career and how it is going to conclude. It was nice to help him forget about all that, even if just for one night. My parents are currently on the road to Nashville, TN for my great-uncle Lewis’ funeral. I didn’t know him all that well, but from all accounts, he was a great guy. He is leaving his body to Vanderbilt University, which I think is kinda cool. Mom and Dad will be back in the classic city tomorrow for the conclusion of JanFest and to take yours truly out for his birthday.

I learned the other day about someone who had feelings for me throughout the fall, but never said anything to me regarding these feelings. It is frustrating because, apparently, I led her on even though I didn’t know how she felt. I’m not sure how things would have been different if I had known or if they would have turned out differently at all, but I never like having someone hate me because they thought I “maliciously ignored their feelings”. I take a lot of pride in being a gentleman who never leaves a girl with ill feelings towards me. But this time, that didn’t work out too well. This entire situation just reassures me that I have no idea what women are thinking, I don’t understand them at all, and that I am somewhat dense. If you are the individual of whom I speak, I apologize sincerely for hurting you however unintentional it may have been.

So, umm, yeah. Tomorrow is my 21st birthday. I usually don’t like to make a big deal about my birthday, because as the proverb goes: “birthdays are like @$$-holes, everybody’s got one”. But this year, it seems impossible to avoid. So I’m going to confess my intentions to both of you reading this here and now. I have never had more than a sip of anything alcoholic. I made a commitment when I came to UGA not fall in to peer-pressure when it comes to drinking. To make decisions based on what I wanted and not what everyone else wanted me to be. My grandmother made a pact with me when I was twelve years old that if I could look her in the eye on the day I turned 21 and tell her that I had never had a drink, that she would cut me a check for $1,000. Friends, it has not been easy, but tomorrow, I cash in! That money will go along way in the ‘Matt goes to China fund’.

When it comes to my drinking habits post-21, I will be candid. I am not as conservative as I am often accused of being, and I don’t think that drinking is a sin. After all, Jesus drank wine. I think all things can be erroneous when abused... and drinking is no different. I do intend to have the occasional drink now that I am legal. I do not intend to go anywhere for the specific goal of getting blitzed, hammered, wasted, tipsy, or any other adjective that UGA students use to describe their over-indulgence of alcohol. A drink every once in a while is ok, but getting drunk is just not for me. Now that my intentions are known and that is all cleared up, we can move on.

We are in the middle of the craziest week of the season for basketball. I have to work four games in six days. Let me just say this, no matter what you may have heard, the basketball band is as clever and witty as it has ever been. It matters not who is the director or how good or bad the team is, the band is going to have their fun. This season is no different. Today the men play Ole Miss and tomorrow the women get #3 LSU in Stegeman. I’m not picking Georgia to win either game, but I’m also not counting them out.

More to come....
P.S.: Thanks for the Birthday wishes!