Ask and you shall receive

Well today I had an interview for another town job. The job is great, its after school until 5 and its taking care of kids. You really can't find a better job, for me at least. I think I did well and I really liked the few kids that I got to meet. Things seem to finally working out. If I land this job then I will def. make enough money for the trip.

In case any of you are interested I am selling my kayak and all the stuff that anyone would need to go with it. Hopefully, I'll be selling it soon and that will be another $450 in the bank. If you live in CT and are interesting in the kayak, post a comment and I'll get back to you.

Planning, Phase Two

If you read Planning, Phase One then this entry will make more sense to you. Today I started phase two. Phase two consists of taking all my rough drafts, random pieces of paper and notes and turning them into readable tables, graphs, etc. As of right now my final budget is at $506 without airfare. The best airfare I can find is around $1000. I have our mileage down and GPS files uploaded. I also got my waterproof map in today from the UK. All we need now is for time to pass and the money to start collecting.

"Assume nothing.
Plan for everything,
then plan some more."

Catch ya on the flip side.

Long time, no see...

Well, its been a while since I posted. Not much has happened since my last post. I've been busy with the typical school related chores and shit. Wait...unfortunately, my grandmother's cousin died this week. She was a kind old woman who for the past few years has been incapacitated. It was not the funeral that I am used to. The only funerals that I've ever been have been a direct and close relative so this was interesting. I helped to carry the casket and for the first time felt like an adult. I don't know if something happened or what but I was treated with a new respect and I have to say it was nice. The best part of this funeral was the fact that we got to meet up with family that we haven't seen in a long time or in my case, ever met. I met alot of nice people that I am proud to be related to even if it's only a distant relationship. I guess its what my grandmother's cousin would have wanted. It was great to see everyone and I have to say I had a good time at the reception after the funeral. I'm starting to realize the whole, the whole "you always have your family" thing.


R.I.P Patricia McGurk

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His Hand.

I would walk 500 miles...

I imagine many of you have heard this song. Many view it as a love song but to me its a song about true friendship. When I hear this song I think about people in my life that I would walk 500 miles for. I concluded that there are many.

Yesterday, I got some bad news and I didn't know how to handle it so, I raced over to my best friend' house. After talking for a long time I started back home and this song popped into my head. It occured to me that I would walk 500 miles to be with my friend, I would walk a more then that if need be.

I know its kind of random but I think its a good thought to reflect on. Would you walk 500 miles over mountains, across seas, and through deserts to get to that person? If the answer is yes then you know that you are a true friend and vice versa. In my opinion its hard to find true friends these days. My suggestion find those people that you would walk 500 miles for and find the people who would walk 500 miles for you and hold on to them. You'll need them for the journey.

Catch ya on the flip side.

Snyder's Laws

Laws to live by...

I've created these "laws" over the past few years, you may think me pompous but I believe them to be true and pretty funny. To me they are common truths. I live by them, for the most part.

Snyder’s 1st Law: Trust only yourself.

Snyder’s 2nd law: fear profits a man nothing

Snyder’s 3rd law: nothing ends unless you let it end

Snyder’s 4th law: We're all like tops, spinning around bumping into each other. Its amazing how the slightest touch can make such a difference.

Snyder’s 5th Law: With God your never truly alone.

Snyder's 6th Law: False hope is mans greatest enemy, we have instincts for a reason false hope only debilitates them.

Snyder’s 7th Law: Death comes to us all, the only thing that matters is how u meet him.

Snyder’s 8th Law: life is like a long kayak trip, no matter what the current will get u to your destination, regardless of how much u paddle. The question is how fast do u want to get there?


Many of these have popped into my head while camping or working through a hard time. My favorite is #6. I've told others about this law and I truly think that it is good advice. I've heard several stories of survivors who die because they have hope that someone will come and find them. Instead of trying to survive they wait for someone who is never going to come. That is false hope and that is why it makes you weak. #7 Is actually a Viking saying that I changed alittle but it has the same theme.

You may think me stupid but I think that every person should have their own laws, their own rules that they live by. As I've told many people, I forget who told me, "You have to know who you are, before you know where you are going." I always like to tell the people that I take backpacking this because if you don't know your strengths, both mentally and physically, then how do you know how far you can go?

Unemployed no more!!!

I got a job!! At last, I got a job and maybe another one on the way. I will be working at the local teen center every friday. Although I might not start for another month or so I will start in December full time. According to what I've figured I will make just enough, if I save every penny I make. Hopefully Christmas and birthday will take care of all the gear that I need get to upgrade my equipment.

School is going great and I finally can relax alittle. I'm so pumped cause as of now nothing is going to stop me from going to Scotland. I hope all of your lives are going as well as mine is right. Remember life is all about enjoying the good times and thanking God for them. Good luck to all of you.


Catch ya on the flip side.

Choices

I wanna start this post with a survey. If you know me personally and see me regularly and happen to read this blog please tell me. Naturally I will treat this blog differently if I know people from town are reading it.

To other readers, there are some things that you all need to know about me. I've had a pretty active high school career. Boy scouts, lacrosse, band, student council, church and football. I starting playing football in my sophomore year. We had a great coach and good things were on their way for our team. Last year our coach's girlfriend moved to Colorado. He is now on his way to marrying her and also in Colorado. We now have a coach from the area. Nice guy, I don't know him that well but he seems like a good guy. I don't agree with some of his coaching decisions but I cant complain because I quit the team to raise money for this trip.

On Friday night I went to the scrimmage. The team is down to 14 or 15 true varsity players. Their offense is getting killed and their defense is flat. On the football team I'm known as Preacher. I used to miss a few practices every year for church related stuff. Coach was my boy and he respected me. Therefore everyone knew me and I kinda picked up a persona. So after the game and in school I have several guys every day come by and beg me to come back. I tend to think that they need me more for mental support then physical.

So here is my choice, stick with the plan, keep hunting for a job and go to scotland or help my boys on the team and lose scotland. Of course its not forever, scotland will be there next year and the year after. I haven't mentioned any of this to John yet but its still early. Its hard because if any of you know the story of Robert De Bruce, one of the kings of scotland... briefly, he passed up the chance to join William Wallace in order to keep his ass safe. I kinda feel like that when I see my boys getting their ass beat all over the field. At the same time I have a dream and a goal, go to scotland for the adventure of a lifetime. The downside of that choice is that I have yet to get a job. I've applied all over the place and I'm beginning to lose hope.

I don't know what I going to do but I think I'm going to stick with scotland. We'll see.

In happier news my good friends Nick and Oliver are coming over tommorrow for football all day. Hell yea!! GO JETS!! Good luck to all you other suckers cause the Jets are on the hunt and their coming for you!! haha

Braveheart?

Well, I just finished my favorite movie, Braveheart. Its a sad movie but I like movies like Braveheart because they make you think. I live in America, where I am free. I can go anywhere I want. I can buy just about anything I want. I can do just about anything I want. I think we, Americans, forget how lucky we are. If you look back in history you will see that few people live as we do. We are very lucky and privileged to have such power.

My other thought from the movie is a simple one but yet a very difficult thought, How will it end? How will your existence here on earth end? Will you die an old man/woman in bed? Will you get hit by a car? Will you die in a distant land fighting evil? I often feel like people are running from something, I can't put my finger on it but I think that people are running from this question. I think people are running from death. I think people are truly afraid of death. Why? Is it the possibility of pain? Is it the fear of the unknown? To answer these questions I quote the great Peter Pan, "To die will be a great adventure". I think if people could only think like that they would be so much happier. I have another favorite quote "Fear profits a man nothing". It is so true.

Think about it, people spend their whole lives running from death, keeping themselves busy with other things, avoiding the topic completely. It is a hard thought to accept but we are all going to die. It is coming, you can't run from it. I think people today will do anything to keep it off their mind. They stay focused on material things like homes, cars, careers, etc. When they are missing the point of life. They skip over things like family, love, adventure, freedom.

So many people today work to achieve the norm. At 18 I must go to college where I will train for my career. At 30 I will get married and at 32 I will have a child, I will buy a house in the suburbs. I will become a member of the PTA and a Little League Coach. At 65 I will retire to Florida where I will die of some illness that will take several years to full kill me.

PLEASE SAVE ME FROM THIS!!!! Its like some sort of math problem with all the variables already filled in. Whats the point in that? People prefer a life like that because they know what is going to happen tomorrow. You might think me crazy but THAT IS NOT LIFE. Why do you think so many people are depressed these days? Its because there is nothing different about tomorrow or the day after.

I think that if people could accept that they are going to die and lose the fear of death then they would find true FREEDOM. Believe me I know, as a child I was afraid of everything, from the wind to the strange bump in the night. I lived in the fear of the end but I've discovered that living in fear is not living and I discovered that trying to push it back into my brain only makes it worse. Its like a beehive in the side of your house, you don't cover it up and hope for the best. You go in there and gas the little buggers.

But like many have said to me before, "What do you know your just a kid?". That's right I'm just a kid but maybe only someone as simple as a kid can show you what is right in front of your face.

Still interested, I'll tell you how I found true FREEDOM. I answered those questions, I became comfortable with the fact that death is imminent and I found comfort in the fact that although I have to leave this life, God will meet me on the other side and so will all of you. Call me a Jesus freak, call me a fool, call me whatever you like but I am the one smiling.

Today I leave you with my favorite prayer, " God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference."

Catch ya on the flip side.

Changes...

Well there is one more thing that I wanted to touch on. After writing yesterday's post it has been I my mind so I guess I'll share it with all of you. (all 3 of you, haha) I joined scouts 7 years ago this March, those 7 years have been the best years of my life thus far. I learned so much and grew alot. When I joined the troop I was a quite, frustrated little kid who was afraid of just about anything. I can remember my first campout without my father, I almost had a mental break down before I left but that weekend as Big Man says, we cut the cord and since then my father hasn't been on a campout. Scouts became a slight addiction for me and I was nicknamed Super Scout, mostly because I never missed a meeting or campout for years on end. I was a leader, a bad one at times, for a long time. I befriended adults and boys, I taught many but learned from more.

In scouts if your still active after your freshman year of High School your a relic and thats what I became. I learned to sit around and talk with adults and other older scouts. (Imagine a bunch of old men sitting around talking about random things and times gone by) It was during this time in my career that I started reading and researching backpacking. Like I've said in earlier posts when I find something that I like, I learn and research as much as humanly possible, If only I felt that way about my studies. That year I suggest that the troop take a trip to the White Mountains in early august and that we take a few practice trips before then. I can't tell you how many trips that I've been on since I made that suggestion. We learned from our mistakes and we became somewhat effiecent. In august we went on the trip that I had spent the year planning. It was great and had a few minor problems but it was great. To me this was the highlight of my career, outshadowing my eagle scout project by far. This past year we took the troop on two backpacking trips and taught our skills to the new kids. Big Man and I have even taken other groups on trips that we've planned. It's become an important aspect of my life and I hope to spend the rest of my life taking groups out backpacking.

So as you can see I owe alot to the Boy Scouts of America but there comes a time in your life when you know its time to step a side. Something that Big Man often spoke of and something I thought would never happen. Well here it is and I am ready to step aside. The troop will keep moving and if I'm lucky they will ask me back to help with a backpacking trip. If by some chance any of the members of Troop 86 should stumble across this blog, I want to thank you for changing my life, whether you know it or not.

Catch ya on the flip side.

Summer is over

Well, summer is over and the new school year begins. Hopefully my last year in the public school system. FINALLY!!! When I look back at all the things that I've ever worked hard for, eagle scout, lacrosse, church, etc, school challenged me the most. I don't know if I'm just slow or lazy or what. It just seems like no matter how hard I try I always manage to mess something up. I can't wait to be done with the general studies and start working towards something that I actually am passionate about.

Its funny because if you asked me "Are you ready for college?" when I was a sophmore I would have told you that I was gonna stay in high school forever. I have to say I have a mild case of Peter Pan syndrome or maybe I just don't like change. Either way for the first time in my life I'm ready for that change. I'm ready to unfortunately leave behind my safe childhood and start the long journey to adulthood. I always compare life to hiking. For the past several years I've been hiking this one mountain and now that I'm at the top and I've had my rest I'm ready to start the next one.

Of course all of this is easy to say. In fact just thinking about leaving my friends and my comfort zone is scary to say the least. I have so many friends now that I don't want to leave. Some old and some young but I can't imagine life without them. For a while, I thought I was never going to leave vernon because of that one reason. But I know that whether I see them again or not they are still my friends and I know that I will see them again some day. I have a question that I like to ask people when I bring up this subject. Think back to a time or a place where you were comfortable and happy but you never returned to that place ever again. Think about the people. I always think about when I used to work at Maneley's. I had so many co workers that I know I will never see again. We had a ton of fun but I know I won't see them again, at least in this lifetime. Do you remember a time like that in your life? Do you ever think of those people?

I think that we are all ment to meet and befriend as many people that we can. In school I am proud to say that I have friends of all walks of life, jocks, punks, nerds, ghetto kids, etc. Its amazing even if you don't think you have something in common with someone if you just sit down and talk to them, I bet you will find something. And thats why I know we will all be fine when we leave this place.

So, on Tuesday I start the last chapter of the first book of my life. They say the end is the best part. I guess we'll have to see. I like to think of our/my trip to Scotland as the first Chapter of the next book in my life. I think its gonna be great but I need to get so much done before I get there. Most importantly a job. Speaking of the trip, I got some GPS maps from my friend, Little Man aka Kevin Cyr. They aren't as detailed as the US maps but I got coordinates from Google Earth and Transfered them into mapsource. I think that will make the parents alittle more comfortable with our trip.

I had a hard time sleeping last night. So as I always do, I thought for a long time. I kind of analyzed last year in my head. I've been on a few retreats and mission trips over the years. On one that I helped run we had a focus on how when things turn dark look for the light. When you think of it no matter how Korny it sounds, its so true. So I guess my goal for this year, besides to graduate, is to look for the light when the dark tries to swallow me up. My last ancedote for today, when I joined scouts I used to always have a flashlight on me at all times. I would often sleep with them on in my tent. If you backpack then you know that often even in summer the dark tends to sneak in on you early. The woods can be a very dark place, so I started carrying Tealites. I light a few and leave them on rocks around my tent and put one in my little lantern. Everytime, the boys come to me and ask, Why do you light candles? Are you scared of the dark? My response is always the same, "I'm not afraid of the dark, I just prefer the Light." My tealite trend caught on and the campsite looks like a small village these days.


I leave you with one of my favorite quotes "Everlasting your light will shine, when all else fades." Candles or not I always have a light. ;)

The Blog

In case any of you are reading, I thought I should let you know that this blog will contain the thoughts and events that occur over the next year. The blog will conclude with our trip to scotland in June and July. So if your interested keep reading if its boring for you tune in sometime in late June.

Evil Scotsman

Well, while surfing the Internet the other day I found this great video. I don't know how I found it but I did. This song perfectly describes my personality, just about. Warning it does contain offensive language, but its great. Enjoy!!