The last 12 hours or so have been very upsetting for me... for reasons I won't go into. I'm at a lost now. I literally feel like a "lost soul swimming in a fish bowl." I just want things to go back to being the way they were, but I know they won't. I don't know where to turn from here. I feel like I've reached an all time low, the bottom of a barrel, if you will, and I can no longer climb myself out.

I wish I was elsewhere... anywhere... with my friends. I hate being here in this place that means nothing to me, and where I know no one. I'm at a loss for words. I'm frustrated with myself... and with life. I'm simply devastated.

So, I've decided I finally want to start updating my blog again... and that's just what I plan to do. So be sure to check back often, I already have some cool things to show (and talk about)!

Yesterday night at work we had our Ride Night. It's the night when we stay open late for all of the other employees to come over and ride. Typically there's also a theme of some sort. Ours was "Supervision and Management," and thus, we dressed as so. It really was a great time.



I got home late last night; about 1:30am. We were set to leave for my orientation at 3:00am to get to Oxford on time. I didn't actually sleep until we got rolling sometimes around 4:00am or so, and didn't get much after that. That being said I'm running on very little sleep.

I was a little uneasy about the whole orientation thing. But so far, so good. I've basically planned out my classes, and I go to register tomorrow morning. I hope I get what I'm interested in. I'll keep ya' up to date.

I go back to work Thursday afternoon.

I figured since now I'm out of Westlake (at least for the most part) It'd be worth brining bak my blog to keep everyone up to date with what's going on. Be sure to check back daily for updates and pictures. More to come very soon... hopefully.

It's hard for me to believe that in less than two days I will be 18; legal; an adult. I sit back and think of when I was in elementary school, middle school, and even entering high school, and thought this day would never come. It would be a day so far in the future that it would seem like an eternity. But that time, which feels like it has been much shorter, has finally grown very near.

I don't know what I'll do. Not too much will probably change, at least not right now. I'll still get up each morning, go to school each day, work on something each afternoon and go to sleep each evening. But even with a very much similar schedule, there is a sense of freedom that seems to overcome you, as if you could do whatever you please.

My birthday will be like any other day. I will wake up in the morning, head to school, work out in the afternoon. A few twists include helping my cousin with a short video, and attending NHS inductions for next year's members. And while the day will be majorly the same as any other, at the end of it, it will have been a different day; a day that will set a trend for all future days of my life.

I'm leaving for Florida tomorrow! See everyone in a week!

A U.N. climate change report released April 6 details the possible effects of global warming -- food shortages, more hurricanes, more wildfires, coastal flooding and more. Find out what steps you can take to help save the environment and stop global warming.

1. Reuse Your Bags
Paper or plastic? Neither -- bring a reusable bag. According to 'An Inconvienent Truth,' it takes 12 million barrels of oil to produce the plastic bags Americans use each year. In addition, about 15 million trees are cut down to produce paper for paper bags. Help reduce oil consumption and save trees by bringing your own bag on your next trip to the store.

2. Pay Bills Online
Start paying your bills online to help reduce the amount of fuel needed to ship mail and save trees. According to a recent TIME magazine article, if every American household paid bills online, it would reduce solid waste by 1.6 billion pounds and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2.1 million tons each year.

3. Get an Energy Audit
An energy audit will tell you how much energy your home uses each year, and provide tips on how to reduce your consumption. The average American family can cut its CO2 emissions by 1,000 pounds each year. As usual, the best things in life are free -- most utility providers will audit your home free of charge.

4. Get More MPGs
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help stop global warming by getting more miles per gallon. Switching to a car that gets 10 more miles to the gallon can save over $1,000 dollars a year! Hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius get an estimated 60 highway miles to the gallon: Properly inflate your tires, drive 55 mph on the highway and change your air filter regularly. Driving 55 mph can save you over 20 percent on your gas bill.

5. Change Your Lights
Replacing your old incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) will help increase your energy efficiency. Replacing one old bulb with a CFL can save you up to $30 per year. CFLs use two thirds less energy, give off 70 percent less heat and last up to 10 times as long as conventional bulbs. You'll help stop global warming by reducing air pollution caused by power plants.

6. Efficient Appliances
Your inefficient appliances are costing you more than you think. The typical household spends $1,900 a year on energy bills. By upgrading to Energy Star qualified appliances, you can save 30 percent, or more than $600 per year. Replacing your refrigerator alone can make a big difference because they use more energy than any other appliance. Energy Star qualified fridges use 40 percent less energy than models produced before 2001. Decreasing your energy demand will help reduce greenhouse emissions and stop global warming.

7. Control the Temperature
Up to 20 percent of heating and cooling energy is lost due to poorly sealed or insulated ducts in your home. Make sure your ducts are properly insulated and install weatherstripping around windows and doors for a better seal. Tax credits on efficiency-increasing heating and cooling equipment make now a great time to upgrade. Get a $300 credit on central air conditioning units and up to 30 percent on solar water heaters.

8. Landscape Smartly
Use strategic landscaping to help reduce your heating costs and cooling costs. Planting trees or shrubs can help provide shade during the summer that will reduce your home's temperature. Similarly, planting windbreaks on your property can help shield your house from frigid winter winds. Both methods can help lower your energy bill and stop global warming by reducing the demand for power.

9. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reducing your garbage by 25 percent will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1,000 pounds per year. Recycling aluminum cans, glass bottles, plastic, cardboard and newspapers can reduce your home's impact by 850 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. Decreasing carbon dioxide emissions can help stop global warming.

10. Conserve Water
Purifying and distributing water takes lots of energy. You can make simple changes to reduce the amount of water you use. Replacing an older toilet can save about 7,500 gallons of water a year. Fixing a leak in a toilet can save as much as 200 gallons a day. Use low-flow shower heads and turn your water heater thermostat down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. These steps can add up to serious savings on your water and energy bills.

11. Buy Green Energy
Many electric companies offer renewable energy products that can be purchased as a percent of total energy use or in blocks of kilowatts. Buying green energy helps support the development and use of renewable fuel souces. These sources produce fewer greenhouse gases and can help reduce fossil fuel use and help stop global warming. Another option is installing solar panels, either to heat water or to provide electricity. These systems can reduce your power bill and help stop global warming.

12. Buy Carbon Offsets
There are a range of organizations that offer "carbon offsets." These donations are used to invest in renewable energy projects, energy efficiency projects and plant trees to offset emissions you've caused. Making up for your emissions probably isn't as expensive as you think -- you can offset the emissions from two flights for under $10.

Officials at Six Flags (Over Georgia) and radio station Q-100 apologized Thursday for a stunt that caused a massive traffic jam and left thousands of people angry.

The promise of free admission to Six Flags backed up traffic during the morning rush hour Thursday on I-20 and surrounding roads.

Carloads of people hoping to get into the park for free began lining up at the Six Flags parking lot before 5:00 a.m. The "Ditch Work" promotion offered free admission to the amusement park between 6 and 9 a.m.

Traffic began backing up in both directions on I-20 before 5:30 a.m. Frustrated drivers let passengers out of their vehicles to walk along the Interstate to the park.

Those pedestrians, many of them children, wanted to get in line at the park entrance. But Six Flags workers turned them away, telling them admission was limited to people in vehicles. That caused even more problems when those walkers began trekking back to their vehicles, wandering on the interstate searching for their rides.

There were reports of fights near the park's front gates.

Once Six Flags officials opened the parking lots at 5:30, they filled up quickly. Park officials decided to end the free admission promotion at 5:55 a.m., turning away thousands of people.


I'm really not surprised. Many schools were on Spring Break; they should have known that such an offer would be huge.

Expect the site, not including the blog, to go down for maintenance sometime in the next couple of days. I'm not sure exactly how long it will be down, but hopefully I can get the main page back up pretty quickly. Until then, keep checking back for details. I'll keep you up-to-date here on the blog.

I absolutely despise any car ride over 1 hour in length.

It's finally coming to an area near... me! I've been waiting forever to see this show, and in May Vicki Lawrence will be bringing it to Youngstown. Not real close, I know, but closer than most other places. I want to go so bad!

Yes, tomorrow is the first full day of Spring, and apparently that means it's the day to give away free things. Rita's Italian Ice will be giving away a free small ice to all guests today! On top of that, Dunkin Donuts will be giving away free ice cofees all day! Horary for Spring and things that are free!

We had a big rainstorm... and it rained in the storage room at the PAC. The result was some wet, and likely now rusted instruments, and some ruined couches, among other things. We had to throw out a lot!

Thanks Andrew... Now my car smells like stew.

Don't forget to update your Windows to take care of the change in Daylight Savings Laws. Those of you running Windows XP SP2 will find this link helpful.