I've got to say, life after college has agreed with me so far. My days off from work are just that, days off. I don't have to wait for a work day off to coincide with a school day off to be able to schedule something out of town or simply lay around the apartment and not do a damn thing. On my last two days off, see picture below, I went to Clayton and hung out with my dad. We even checked out most of a concert ... before the rain made it too damp to enjoy.
Oh, and staying up until 4 a.m. -- which, admittedly, I've got to eventually stop doing -- isn't followed by that sense of guilt knowing that my time would be much better served either sleeping or studying. Especially considering my staying up until 4 in the morning involves one of (or a combination of) three things -- drinking, watching TV or playing games (video or card/drinking games).Another thing I'm enjoying is the sudden absence of required reading. Not that I hate reading, quite the opposite, actually. But now I get to read simply for pleasure and only books of my choosing. I've just finished Bill Buford's Among the Thugs -- a look into the world of Great Britain's football hooligans. I actually got the book with about two weeks left in the final semester, and I'll admit I had a struggle of a time putting off really getting into it. I had quite a bit of academic reading I had to get through first.
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In an unrelated topic, I'll take this time to put into writing my current wish list. I've recently used my extra free time to broaden my sport fandom, and I have recently included soccer to the list of sports I follow. Growing up, I played the beautiful game, and made some of my fondest sports memories while on the pitch. I'll never forget the sweet one-touch goal in what turned out to be a 5-1 losing effort. I made a side-by-side charge with a teammate with one defender and the keeper to beat. The back stepped in the direction of my teammate who had the ball. After the pass was sent my direction, the keeper charged in to attempt the save. The ball was fed into space, right between the keeper and me. I had to slide in with my left foot extended to make sure I got to the ball first, and I sent a slow roller just inside the left post with the keeper looking helplessly back. I had a decent basketball career, and even nailed a few big-time shots from 3-point land. I scored a game-winning touchdown once while playing football (I even received a 15-yard penalty for spiking the ball after the score). But I've never felt the rush of excitement equal to that which hit me when I scored that goal on the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base soccer field.
Getting back to my, I guess you'd call it, re-interest in soccer (or football as it's called when talking about my Premiership team Everton), I'd like to build a diverse collection of jerseys to go along with my fandom. I really like soccer jerseys. They're not as bulky and baggy as football jerseys. And unlike basketball jerseys, they actually have sleeves. Hockey jerseys are OK, but they're more like wearing sweaters, and it's just too hot in North Carolina to get much use out of them. I'll include here my top-5 wish list for soccer jerseys. I've already procured enough Everton FC jerseys to satisfy my needs for that team. I would, however, like to get a few player-specific jerseys from that club. Without further adu, the list (player, league, team, kit):
1. David Beckham, MLS, L.A. Galaxy, long-sleeve home white
2. Landon Donovan, international, U.S. National Team, short-sleeve away Navy
3. Benjani, EPL, Manchester City FC, home blue
4. Joleon Lescott, EPL, Everton FC, long-sleeve home blue
5. Clyde Simms, MLS, D.C. United, short-sleeve black home
