Weekend Update

*dusts off blog*

Wow, haven’t been here in a while. While school and lab and having a life have kept it difficult for me to keep up with my blog (and the other blogs I lurk at), to be honest I haven’t had anything to say. I mean, there are topics that I’ve thought about writing a post on, but nothing that I’ve really wanted to write about. Nothing that I feel compelled to write about. *shrug*

However, while I still don’t have anything that I feel compelled to write about, I all of a sudden had the urge to write. So for your reading pleasure, I give to you this update of what’s going on in my life:

1. The School of Engineering here at Pitt does not have an organization for the minority graduate students. Something that is, in my opinion, so necessary hasn’t been established yet. There are about 700 graduate students in the School of Engineering here at Pitt: 14 are listed as Black and 17 as Hispanic. I’m basically surrounded by Whites and Asians most of the time. And not to say that Whites and Asians aren’t cool or anything, but there are different experiences and different issues that each race faces. Sometimes Whites and Asians can’t be sensitive to your experiences as an African American man or as a Hispanic woman. That’s when this kind of a community is needed. So the Associate Dean of Diversity Affairs asked me to help him start this group. I’ve already had one planning meeting with other graduate students who are also passionate about getting this organization off the ground. In the end, if we do this right, this can be something that has a huge, positive effect on the community years after we’ve graduated.
2. I’ve started spending more time with Izzy. For those of you who are wondering, Izzy is my guitar. I decided that I needed to learn how to play an instrument and the guitar was the obvious choice for me. The sound of a guitar just jumps out at me whenever I’m listening to a song. And since I love to sing, I figure once I learn the guitar I’ll be able to serenade any woman’s panties off of her. However, I bought Izzy a little more than 2 years ago and have barely learned anything smh. Blame it on the alcohol my laziness. But not to worry, for the fire has been reignited. I’ve started working on scales and simple chords again to improve my finger dexterity (word to all you dirty-minded people). I’ve also given myself the task of learning Slow Dancing In A Burning Room by Christmas. I’ve got the first four notes so far, so we’ll see how that goes lol.
3. The Cowboys are living large at the bottom of the division and could quite possibly finish the season with a worse record than the 4-12 Redskins from last season. And with the Redskins looking like they’re headed in the right direction as a whole, this could end up being the best season I’ve experienced as a Redskins fan thus far (sad, but true). #teamshanahan
   (10/31/10 Edit: Unless the Redskins turn into another team in the second half of the season, scratch that “best season I’ve experienced as a Redskins fan” talk. The Redskins are an average-to-mediocre team. Still moving in the right direction as an organization, but not making any statements as a team other than that they are AWFUL on offense and seemingly regressing every week. Losing to the Detroit Lions like that, ugh. Our interior offense linemen might as well not even played. Holes to fill this offseason: C, G, NT, ILB, and WR. This bye week is much needed.)
4. My apartment doesn’t look like it came from an episode of Hoarders anymore. I’m not a dirty person, just a lazy one. I had papers, boxes, clothes, etc all over the place. No one ever visited my apartment *BBM sad face* so as long as I was okay with walking over a large pile of clothes to get to the bathroom and shuffling papers to find room on my dining room table to eat, I didn’t bother tidying up. But eventually, enough was enough. I spent an entire day cleaning, washing, folding, moving, and decorating to where I could look at my apartment with pride. Miracles do happen.
5. Some of the artists and albums who I’ve recently been listening to a lot:
   • The Beast & Nnenna Freelon – Freedom Suite
   • John Legend & The Roots – Wake Up!
   • The Foreign Exchange – Authenticity
   • Bruno Mars – Doo-Wops & Hooligans
   • Kanye West (every G.O.O.D. Friday track)

   I’m really looking forward to the release of J. Cole’s and Kanye’s albums (no comment on Runaway).

6. I’m feeling a lot more comfortable living in Pittsburgh now. Last year (my first year in this PhD program), I didn’t adjust very well to my new environment. I spent a lot of weekends driving back home. I was new to the whole “living on your own” thing (undergrad doesn’t count at all) and I didn’t know many people here. It was a little rough for me. But this year, I didn’t feel the need to go home a lot and a big part of why was because I established a group of friends here that I enjoy being around. Everyone needs a crew to have Game Nights, Wing Nights, flag football games, housewarming parties a year after moving, and big, gay kickball cookouts with. They make the time that I’m not in lab or class bearable.
7. My relationship with God is getting better. I began backsliding for a while, but am slowly but surely making progress in the right direction. There are still plenty of things to improve upon as I continue this walk and try to be a better man of God, but I can at least look at where I could have been & be thankful. I actually had a friend from undergrad call me out today on my cussing. She reminded me that I’m an example to people out there as to what a Christian should be. It’s something that I’m mindful of in some aspects of my life, but that I conveniently ignore in other aspects. Just something else I need to work on. I’m glad I have people in my life who inspire and push me to be a better man of God (without having a “holier-than-thou” attitude).

Well, that’s all for now. Zip it up and zip it out.

-TDA