Fries and Fried

It's 9:48
The hours seem to be getting late
You can sense the omnipresence of fate
The inevitability of the weight
the stress
the pressure
the uncertainty
It's makes us wanna
scream
panic
fear
The reason? Is clear.
---->The "American Dream" is near
And our fates it holds dear

We wish to make a difference
.....After we get that job
......After we get that debt paid
.......After that promotion
-----> Those afterthoughts are such a commotion!

We lose our clarity
We lose our vision
We lose ourselves

9 weeks ago, we had a plan
we had courage
we had resolve
But in that time,
we lost our mind
we lost our way
We lost it All.

Sure, someone will get that job but not me
Sure, someone will make a difference but not me
I'm just trying to survive
I'm just trying to not fail.

But, avoiding failure isn't what you are about.

That. Right there.
THAT is what you should SHOUT. 
Right here. Right now.
Shout it--
SCREAM IT!
But, most of all. believe it

Believe you can make that difference
that you can do it
that you WILL do it

That vision is still there
unleash it.
go on a tear
I dare you. 

Why I go to Parties.

Why I go to parties, you ask?
not so that I can take a swig from a flask
and have to wear a fascade and mask
of stupor, inebriation, and intoxication
I go to parties for the same reason as a vacation
To relax, to enjoy, to savor the moment!

But, another reason I go I hold dear
one that is the idea of preventing tears
--it is truly every mom's worst fear
that their son or daughter
will be caught in the slaughter
and after that there is no laughter

because lives are lost or friendships ripped apart
amid all these broken parts
it is the bottle that rips them apart

FOR WHAT?
lucidity, nerves, or the taste
it just become a disgrace
that men become boys and women like girls
this is a thought that makes me want to hurl

What happened to happiness or peace
or the idea of those with the most are those with the least?

SEIZE and end the nonsense before it is too late
I don't want to have to remember this date
because of its association with hate

I want to remember a great day with some of my mates
We chose our own fates--it is important to be social and relate
So drop the bottle if what it creates
the things that your momma would hate

New Year!

It's been quite a while since I've written an entry. While much has changed since I have returned from my Summer in the District of Columbia, I still think of it often. In fact, it made several appearances in the law school applications that I wrote and am nervously awaiting hearing about...
But, in the meantime I have made 2 'New Year's Resolutions'
1. To not drink Soda. That's right, quit cold turkey.
2. To read 12 books. For those that think I read, well...I have fooled you.
Seeing as it's January 9th, I'm doing pretty well. I haven't had soda (one day was really tough, but otherwise I'm managing) and I finished my first book. It was "To Timbuktu" and recounted travels of a couple that traveled to Thailand, Morocco, Laos, Vietnam and worked in China and Mali. Basically, it just reignited the travel bug I have fought on and off since my time in Sheffield in 2011. It was a light read that had illustrations by the guy while the girl wrote. I would recommend it for a plane ride or something.
Both of these resolutions are going to be difficult to keep throughout the year. I'm actually more hopeful for the soda one than the book one. But, these are the other 11 books I hope to read by years end.
1776 by David McCullough
My Journey by Tony Blair
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Globalization and its Discontents by Joseph Stiglitz
Keynes by Robert Skidelsky (I read this book a few years ago, but seeing that I have now taken 3 economics courses since then, I figure that I would have a different perspective)
Smoking Typewriters by McMillian
The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross
The Healing of America by T.R. Reid
Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden
America in the Age of Decline: Time to Start Thinking by Edward Luce
and, the last one that I have started and hope to finish by the end of the month: The Future of Freedom by Fareed Zakaria
I hope those of you who made resolutions are able to stick with them! Those of you who didn't, keep on keepin' on.
-Tim