A day off...well worth it

So today was basically a day off for me. Both of my classes this morning were cancled and I was commanded not to come into clinicals today. Nothing was wrong, my clinical instructor just knew that I was feeling the buildup of stress from the past two weeks and she wouldn't let me come in today. She made me take the whole day to myself and go have some fun. So with no class or clinicals, I had my normal work this morning and I'm working tonight but I had all day free of any obligations. Sarah and I went and saw Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist. It was enjoyable. Nothing too exciting but nice to relax and see it. Then I went grocery shopping for some things. After that, we went shopping for a while and then cooked a nice dinner before relaxing and then work. No super special stuff today but it was very nice to be free for a day. I love clinicals with the soccer team but this last couple of weeks has been pretty rough. It was lots of fun but very grueling. Today starts my last week of work in the dorms. I really can't wait for this to be over with. That's all I have to say on that subject.

Wow....he can play

So the concert was absolutely unreal. Sarah and I were in this music hall/bar thing called The Basement, and it was exactly that. It was a very small, packed in crowd because that's all that would fit. And since we were packed in, I was about 5 feet from Jon McLaughlin throughout the whole concert. Not only is his voice absolutely incredible and so chill to listen to but he is a phenomenal piano player. His energy level while he plays is unmatched. It was almost like he was running around the stage even though he had to stay in front of the keys. On top of that, his hands move faster than any keyboard/piano player I've ever seen before (check out this link to watch his hand... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlO78wuP9v0. Halfway into the second song, he had sweat dripping from his ears, chin, and nose. Not exactly the most appealing thing but somehow it added a lot to the performance. It looked like he was pouring everything (literally) into his music which made the concert that much more special. After about six songs the band left for a little bit and just left him sitting at his keyboard with his voice. The two songs he played like that were unbelievable. He was really able to show off how good his voice really is and it was sooo relaxing. Once the band came back out, they played a few more songs and finished the set with an absolutely ridiculous musical bridge. The two guitars and drums added in with the base and his keyboard sounded like something out of an orchestra. It was that good. Jon came back out for an encore, played a song on his own, took a picture of the crowd (which will be on his MySpace..and I'm in), and then played his big hit "Beautiful Disaster". It was the perfect way to end the show and the night. I'm so glad I got turned on to his music. He is by far my favorite artist right now and top 5 in my life. I plan on having his cd's playing over my iPod for a long time.

And seriously, go watch him play the piano. He reminds me of Schroeder off of "Charlie Brown" when he is leaning over his piano and standing up while he's still playing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlO78wuP9v0

Change of plans

So this Thursday, I was planning on going to a haunted house with the Athletic Training club at OSU. However, as I was fiddling around on my computer today, I saw that Jon McLaughlin is going to be in Columbus that night. On an impulse, I bought my tickets and changed my plans just like that. I'm really excited. His new cd is amazing and I've heard that he puts on a great show. I can't wait. The haunted house and things can wait until next weekend.

Ouch...thats gonna hurt

So this was not a good weekend for the soccer team. We traveled to Penn St. for a game that should have been an easy win on the road and bumped us in the standings. We were 7-2-2 and #14 in the country in RPI. Penn St. was 2-7-2 and #166 in the RPI. Not only did we lose, but we were up 2-0 early in the first half and gave up 3 goals before the end of the half to go on and lose 3-2. Not what we wanted at all. Now we have to recover in time for West Virginia this Wednesday. Playing on such short rest has physically and mentally drained the team. Half the guys are playing hurt and their focus is not there. They really need some help right now.

In other news, I only have about a week left of working at the desks. It's kindof bittersweet b/c I was able to work evening and night shifts after clinicals and still put 30 hours a week in. That was good and bad. I have another job lined up, but the hours are normal business hours meaning I can't work as many. But it also means I get regular relaxation time at night as well as sleep...the most important thing. I've had some good times here but I think I'm ready for it to end. The dorms have become entirely too young for me and I'm just thankful not to be living here again. Life goes on though. I'm sure I will find something to take up that free time...like a girl or playing tennis or something.

Round 1...complete

So I made the short trip to Chicago and back with only a couple of casualties. It was a very hard fought game that ended in a 0-0 tie. While ties aren't great, it was still positive because it was against the #6 team in the nation at their place in front of a record crowd. That should bump us up in the standings just a bit. Leaving the hotel at 4 am this morning was killer, and going to class at 1030 on top of that sucked. But I got through it. The view from my hotel room window looked straight down the middle of the Chicago river and the Sears tower was only about 300 yards away. Being on the 17th floor allowed me to see far into the city so that was pretty sweet. I leave tomorrow evening for Penn State for the weekend. Hopefully we can finish the weekend off at 1-0-1. That's all now....I have some homework to catch up on so I better get on that.

Crazy next 2 weeks

So tomorrow starts quite possibly 2 of my craziest weeks of college to date. Besides the normal work, school, and clinicals everyday, I am traveling a lot. Wednesday at noon, I leave for the airport to go to University of Illinois-Chicago. We play that night and then fly out early Thursday morning so we can be back for class on Thursday. Then I leave Friday afternoon for a Penn State game Saturday and drive back early Sunday morning. Then I leave on Tuesday afternoon for a Wednesday night game at West Virginia. We leave after the game and arrive back early Thursday. Then we have a home game on Saturday night against Wisconsin. Then I can breathe. Hopefully, I don't fall too far behind during this time.

Blah...

So I feel like death right about now. I don't know if it was the quick change in temperatures the other day or what but I've come down with something and it has completely wrecked my days the few days. Sore throat, stuffy nose, runny nose, headache, disgusting coughs, lack of sleep, etc., etc. I feel awful and can't wait for this crap to be gone. It makes everything in your day suck even if everything else is great. Oh well...what can you do but deal with it and move on.