Question of the Week: Mistakes

If we learn from our mistakes, why are we so afraid to make a mistake?

Mistakes can be viewed as a failure of sorts. And I think it's natural to fear failure. But I'm not sure that the majority of us actually learn from our mistakes. Even people with a great deal of common sense have a tendency to make the same mistakes over and over again. Einstein said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. How many of us are guilty of that? I'm not going to give any personal examples at the moment. I'm not in a self-deprecating kind of mood. As far as I'm concerned, the real fear is not that a mistake will be made, but that I won't learn from it.

Mastering My Decisions

I've said for a while now that my ultimate career goal is to become a teacher. No. I want to publish a novel. But until I make time to write one of those, teaching is a little more practical. I've been wondering what route I should take to achieve this goal. It seems a new route has been dropped into my lap.

It's seemed that the most logical option would be to take advantage of the career switch program that's offered by the local community colleges. From what I've read about it, it's not a bad deal. I've already got the bachelor's degree. I've been in the real world for more than 5 years. So I'd just need to take a few classes, jump through a few hoops and then I'd be a certified teacher. The only problem is that I would not be certified to teach elementary school. I'd work toward teaching history on the secondary level. I'm sure it's something I could pull off, but I'd prefer teaching the younger grades.

Last week, I got an email from a teacher letting me know about a masters in education program. There are a lot of really great incentives to apply. It's all online. And I'll be done in a year. Oh, and it begins October 6. If I don't start then, I don't get those incentives.

So I kind of have an important decision to make and I need to make it quickly. I have an appointment to speak with an admissions counselor on the phone tomorrow afternoon. I have no idea if this is the right path for me or if I'll be able to receive financial aid or if I'll even be able to get through the obligatory red tape in the next two weeks.

What would you do? Go for the masters degree beginning in only a couple weeks? Or wait a few months to begin the less intensive certification process?

Of course, it may all be a moo point after speaking with the official guy on the phone tomorrow. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Question of the Week: Six Words

Can you describe your life in a six word sentence?

I sure can.

"Believe it or not, I'm awesome."

That was easy. What six words describe your life? Let me know in the comments below.

The Adventures of Lois Lane - Chapter One

About 2 years ago, DC Comics decided to reboot their entire line of comic books. In doing so, they started most of their characters' stories from scratch. As a fan, I wasn't thrilled with the sudden change, but decided to give it a chance. For the most part, it wasn't horrible. But I hated what had happened to Lois Lane. For whatever reason, the powers that be decided to make her, basically, a non-entity in Superman's life. A decades long relationship that had resulted in the marriage of Lois and Clark no longer existed. I could get behind that part. After all, if you're starting the story from the beginning again, you need to reintroduce these characters to each other. I thought it would be fun to watch these two legendary characters fall in love all over again. And then they decided that Superman would fall for Wonder Woman. Lois wasn't even a reporter who worked directly with Clark Kent anymore. Someone who has been as important to the story of Superman for 75 years as Lois Lane has been should be playing a much more active role. I don't know what they'll do with her story in the future. And I won't find out anytime soon because I decided to stop buying comics a couple months ago. But I know how I would like to see her story go. So what follows is the first part in a planned series of short stories about Lois Lane. It should go without saying, but I don't own any of the characters related to Superman. They belong to DC Comics. Basically, this is fan fiction. If you like it, let me know and I'll get cracking on chapter 2.

            “Lois! Calm down!” shouted Margot as her roommate moved around their apartment with no discernible direction.

            “Calm down?” cried Lois, “You calm down!”

            “Mature response,” Margot said calmly.

            Lois stopped moving and stared at her roommate. “How can I possibly calm down? I’m two months from graduation and I don’t have my job lined up yet!”

            “Yeah, you’re two months from graduation. And you’re at the top of your class, not just in the journalism program, but all of Met U.”

            Lois rolled her eyes and began frantically moving around the living room again. She was looking for something, though Margot had no idea what it could be. She watched as Lois shifted magazines around the coffee table and riffled through the junk mail that sat by the door. “What are you looking for?”

            “It’s probably best if you don’t know,” said Lois hesitantly.

            “That sounds promising.”

            “You can keep a secret, right?” she asked. Margot gave Lois a look that made it clear it was a ridiculous question. “I had a fake ID made.”

            “Why? You’re 22.”

            “It’s a specific ID. I need to be able to access areas of LexCorp that only employees can reach,” Lois said, knowing that she was about to face her roommate’s disapproval.

            “Tell me you’re not still trying to get an interview with Lex Luthor!”

            “Okay, I won’t tell you,” she said as she moved down the hall toward her bedroom.

            Margot followed, hoping to talk some sense into her. “Lois, we’ve both heard the stories about Lex Luthor! At best, he’s conniving. At worst, he’s dangerous.”

            “That’s the thing, Marg! No one really knows anything about him!” Lois yelled over her shoulder as she searched through her chest of drawers. Moving to the nightstand she screamed in frustration. “What did I do with the thing?” Suddenly, an idea hit her. “You didn’t wash my dirty clothes, did you?”

            “Not yet.”

            Lois brushed past Margot and ran to the closet that housed their washer/dryer combo. There sat a basket full of Lois’ dirty clothes from the past couple of weeks. Feeling that this was the last possible chance to find the ID card, Lois searched through every pocket of every article of clothing that had pockets. “AHA!” she screamed when she came across the laminated access card.

            “How do I look?” she asked as she handed the card to Margot.

            “Glasses?” asked her roommate, seeing Lois’ disguise in the ID’s photo.

            “Yeah, I was hoping I could borrow yours for the day tomorrow.”

            “I guess I won’t be able to talk you out of this,” Margot said in a defeated tone, watching as Lois simply shook her head. “And I know you’ll just swipe my glasses anyway, since you obviously did when you had this picture taken.”

            This time, Lois simply nodded her head.

            Margot walked into her own bedroom and soon returned with her reading glasses. “Just be careful, okay?”

            “I’m Lois Lane. My middle name is careful.”

            Lois went to bed that night, hopeful that the next day would set her destiny in stone. Lex Luthor was the world’s youngest billionaire. His rise to power was the stuff of legend, but no one knew the whole story. He had arrived in Metropolis just three years before and suddenly held 38 different patents, most of which supplied him with tens of millions of dollars each. Aside from being a brilliant inventor and innovator, he was a genius businessman. His company, LexCorp had become a technological giant, nearly monopolizing the way people use computers, smartphones and tablets. Ask nearly anyone in America, when they surf the internet, they’re using LexCorp’s Internet Lexplorer. It was predicted that in only a few years’ time, people would be asking, “Remember Google?”

            That seemed like a lot of valuable information to have on young Lex Luthor. But he had yet to grant an interview to anyone anywhere. Lois was determined to be the first person to get that interview. She was certain that an exclusive interview with Luthor would land her a dream job at the Daily Planet.

            From her bedroom window, she could just make out the globe that sat atop the Daily Planet building. Every morning, she would step to the window from her bed and stare at it. She told herself over and over again that she would be working there as soon as she finished her degree. But she would not be content with starting at the bottom. She was far too valuable as a reporter to be pushed down to the mail room. No, Lois Lane needed to make a splash.

            Lex Luthor was her ticket to the newsroom.

            She had a hard time sleeping that night. She tossed and turned, worried that her plan may not work. Luthor was rarely seen in public, so she had to find a way to get to him. LexCorp headquarters was located in Metropolis’ largest skyscraper. Lois would have a lot of ground to cover. The employee identification card that once belonged to Tess Mercer would only take her so far. But she knew she should not be too concerned. Lois Lane was nothing if not resourceful. The General made sure of that.

            Lois shook her head. Thinking of her dysfunctional family would not help her fall asleep. And she needed sleep. Resourcefulness could only be an asset if her mind was fully aware throughout her self-assigned deep cover operation.

            She was unsure of when she actually fell asleep. She just hoped the sleep she was able to get would be enough to carry her through the day. Lois had no idea how long it would take her to explore LexCorp. All she knew for sure was that she would not leave that building without a pad full of notes from her interview with Luthor. Or under arrest. She had to admit to herself that being arrested was a real possibility.

            It was 7:15 as she sipped her coffee in the kitchen. Margot shuffled in from her room, stifling a yawn. “Still gonna do this, huh?” she asked as she grabbed her own coffee mug.

            “Of course.”

            “You definitely look the part,” Margot said, appraising Lois’ smart business attire.

            “Well, if I’m going to blend in at LexCorp, I need to look like I belong there,” she said, “Actually, I need to look like I belong on one of the higher floors. The closer I can get to the executive suite, the better.”

            “Well, good luck,” Margot said as she turned to go back to her room. She stopped and turned back to Lois. “I meant what I said yesterday. Be careful.”

            “I will.” Lois drained her mug and set it in the sink, then headed out the door.

            So far, so good. Lois was feeling pretty good about herself as she made her way through the 20^th floor. She was a little surprised at how little attention she had drawn to herself. For all of her big talk and overconfidence, deep down she knew it was mostly for show. She had never done anything remotely like this before in her life.

            Lois had been rebellious as a teenager. Living the life of an army brat, it was hard not to be a little rebellious now and then. But she was nothing compared to her sister. Lucy must have been going for some kind of record when it came to getting expelled from private schools. Despite the rebellious streak that ran through the Lane girls, neither of them had attempted to sneak into a compound as secure as LexCorp before.

            From what she could tell, the offices on the 20^th floor were solely for accountants. And these were low level accountants. None of these people, she was sure, had ever even met Lex Luthor. She found her way to a break room, hoping she could grab a cup of coffee to re-energize her.

            “Who are you?” asked a guy in a bad suit as he twisted the cap off his Soder Cola.

            “Uh… Tess,” Lois responded, “I’m sort of new around here. Is this coffee fresh?”

            “Tess?” the man said, clearly not buying into Lois’ false identity. “I don’t remember anyone hiring anybody named Tess around here.”

            “I actually don’t work on this floor. I just came down because we’re out of coffee up on 25.” Smooth, Lois, he just might buy this.

            “Ah, 25… Hard to believe any of you geeks from R&D would even think about slumming it with the nerds in accounting,” he said as he approached Lois with his hand extended, “Otis Berg, Miss…?”

            “Mercer,” said Lois as she shook Otis’ hand, “Tess Mercer.”

            Otis pulled Lois closer. “You’re not Tess Mercer.”

            Lois tried to pull away but Otis tightened his grip. She knew the jig was up. To get away from the overweight accountant, she stomped on his foot then kneed him in the gut. Lois ran down the corridor and pushed the button to call the elevator. Looking back, she saw Otis stagger out of the break room.

            “Security!” he shouted as he caught his breath, “Stop that woman!” He pointed in Lois’ direction as she headed for the stairs. She burst through the door and ran down the stairs, skipping steps along the way. When she reached the door labeled 16, she calmly walked through it.

            She looked around the 16^th floor and saw that no one had raised an alarm down here. At least, that’s how it looked. Lois walked casually toward the elevator and pressed the button to go down. She had no problem coming back another day. Now she was just trying to avoid jail time.

            The elevator opened and she stepped aboard. She breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator car traveled down to the ground floor. When the door opened again, Lois would be free to leave. Or so she thought.

            The doors opened again and Lois met two large security guards. “Ms. Mercer, I presume?” said the Secret Service wannabe on the right. The two men stepped aside, revealing a tall, severe looking blonde.

            “Really? She looks nothing like me,” she said, “Take her to Interrogation A. I’ll be there in five.”

            Lois sat in a small room with a large mirror in the wall. Obviously, there would be someone watching her on the other side. “Are the cuffs really necessary?” she shouted at no one.

            The door opened to reveal the same severe looking blonde. “The cuffs are absolutely necessary. At least until I can determine how dangerous you are Ms. Lane.”

            “Oh good, you know who I really am,” Lois said, “So, are you going to turn me over to the police now? I’m sure you can charge me with trespassing and then send me on my way, right?”

            “I was thinking we’d start with industrial espionage.”

            “How do you figure that?!” Lois asked. She could feel herself becoming hysterical.

            “For starters, you attempted to steal the identity of the one person who is closest to Mr. Luthor,” said the blonde as she sat in the seat across from Lois, “That would be my identity, in case you’re not keeping up.”

            “You’re the real Tess Mercer?”

            “Personal assistant and bodyguard to Lex Luthor himself.”

            “Wow, I really didn’t do my homework,” Lois said, mentally kicking herself.

            “Are you telling me that picking me out of the LexCorp employee list was just coincidence?” Tess asked incredulously.

            “Complete coincidence.” Lois leaned forward. “You want the truth? I’m a journalism student at Met U. I’m about the graduate and I want to get a job at the Planet. To do that in a big way, I wanted to get an interview with Mr. Luthor.”

            Tess threw her head back and laughed. “Never gonna happen, sweetheart.”

            Lois laughed, too, though hers was sarcastic. “Never tell me never. Sweetheart.”

            Tess stood and walked around Lois. She unlocked the cuffs and helped her to her feet. “Go home, kid. My advice to you: forget about Lex Luthor. That interview isn’t going to happen. Not today. Not tomorrow. Find another way to make your splash at the Daily Planet.”

            Lois walked to the door and then stopped. “You know I won’t give up, right?”

            “Oh, I’m counting on it. Just be aware, next time I won’t be so polite.”

            “And next time, I won’t fail.”

Lock It Down

Turn on the national news at 6:30 on any given evening. Chances are, the top story will regard some sort of crisis somewhere in the world. Too often, those crises involve schools and children.

Tragedy can strike seemingly anywhere. People are generally able to stay wrapped up in their own worlds. They feel safe. They believe that the disasters and horrors they see on the nightly news won't happen to them. But the sad truth is, no one is immune. No one is safe. While we don't want to think about the unthinkable happening, reality tells us that it's best to be prepared for these terrible situations.

Yesterday, my elementary school practiced its lock down procedures. With school shootings bordering on trendy, it's vital that faculty, staff and students know how to respond in the event that a dangerous intruder makes their way into the school.

The false emergency was scheduled to begin at 9:30. At the time, I was meeting with my supervisor in our counseling work space, one of the least secure places in the school. Our instructions were to move quickly to the nearby kitchen to lock ourselves in the pantry with the cafeteria workers. The announcement came and off we went. And there we were, locked away in Lunch Lady Land.

Early in our lock down, someone in the pantry mentioned that they had heard that it took an hour to complete the drill at another local school. Knowing that was a possibility, we settled in. And I wished I had grabbed a deck of cards before the drill began.

As it was, we were only locked away for about 20 minutes. The drill was deemed a success and we were allowed to continue our day as normal. Though I'm not sure I'd call the whole thing a success after hearing some of the behind the scenes details.

When the drill began, one of the teachers took on the role of intruder. She found a place inside the school to hide, a place that had been decided upon by the principal beforehand. The sheriff's office was called, as they would be in a real crisis.

Deputies arrived in their riot gear and searched the school for our dangerous intruder. It's a fairly small school, so it only took four officers about 12 minutes to search. Except they never found the intruder.

She was in one of several very good hiding places that the deputies just didn't check. Part of me worries that they were unable to find her. But I also realize that's why we have these drills. Now, those deputies know to look in those hiding places they didn't check. Now they'll check those spots when we have our next drill.

The kids did surprisingly well, from what I've heard. There were no panicky situations and they were able, for the most part, to sit quiet and still, as if really hiding from a bad guy. I can see now how the drill could be deemed successful.

The Two for One Special

Believe it or not, there was once a time when I liked chocolate. Now, I've never really had an overactive sweet tooth. More often than not, Halloween candy would sit in my closet to be thrown away a few weeks later the next year (like I ever cleaned out my closet). But I did enjoy the occasional slice of chocolate cream pie from the KDub (that's K&W for those not in the know). I also liked to have a Kit Kat or Twix every now and then.

And that's where we begin our story. With a Twix bar.

In those chocolate eating younger years, the Twix was probably my favorite candy bar. Chocolate and caramel with a cookie crunch. Not too shabby. And you got two of them. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

I'm not too sure how old I was when this story takes place. It was around that age when the baby molars are ready to fall out to make room for the permanent molars. See where this is going yet?

I was sitting in my room, eating a delicious caramel Twix bar. Suddenly I felt a strange sensation near the back of my mouth. One of those molars had gotten stuck in the caramel and popped out of the bottom gum. I spit the tooth out of my mouth, cleaned it off and got it ready for a visit from the tooth fairy that night.

I remember thinking it was odd that the tooth had come out. In the days leading to the Twix incident, the tooth had not felt loose. There was no wiggling. So I thought nothing more of the strange occurrence and continued eating my candy bar.

Then it happened. The molar on the opposite side of my mouth got stuck in the caramel and popped out, just like its twin had done only a few minutes earlier. Again, I cleaned off the chocolate and caramel, facing the reality of becoming two dollars richer, rather than just one.

I wasn't traumatized by losing two teeth on the same candy bar, and this isn't the story of how I came to hate chocolate. But I did make the decision to throw the rest of that Twix away that afternoon. Why take unnecessary chances?

Why How I Met Your Mother Might Just Be a Delusion

In less than a week, the world will begin watching the ninth and final season of How I Met Your Mother. We finally saw the title character in the closing scene of last season's finale. This year, we've been promised much more of this woman. After eight years of wondering, we'll finally know the mother.

A final season is bittersweet. Part of me is excited and thinks, "It's about time!" Another part of me is sad that it's coming to an end. Sometimes it's hard to let go of something you've come to enjoy week after week for so many years.

But that's one of the beautiful things about Netflix. Even after the end of a show, you can still go back and relive it over and over. I've kind of been doing that with How I Met Your Mother. there are so many movies and TV shows available at the touch of a button, but I find myself continually drawn back to reruns I've seen a dozen times.

So I've seen the stories a lot. Before we met the mother, I developed my own theories about who this legen... wait for it... dary woman would be. I still say she'll end up being the woman that Ted stood up near the end of the first season.

But I have another theory. What if the whole thing is an hallucination? Hear me out...

We've been privy to Ted's delusions before. Way back in the first season, when Ted was suffering through a long distance relationship with Victoria, he imagined not only seeing her but having real conversations with her while dealing with the guilt of trying to hook up with Robin. Sure, we could chalk that up to Ted's exhaustion. After all, nothing good ever happens after 2am.

More recently, Ted spent an entire episode in conversation with two future versions of himself and two future versions of Barney. Then he ran to his future wife's apartment and had an imaginary conversation with her.

So I can't help but wonder, what if the entire series is a delusion? What if the kids that are listening to the story don't really exist? What if all of Ted's friends are just figments of his imagination? What if they're just his way of making sense of his scarred psyche?

Think about it psychologically. Marshall and Lily represent the ideal picture of love that Ted so desperately desires. Barney is the id, that primal urge to just seek pleasure. Robin just might be the best of both of those worlds for him. That may not make sense. It's been a long time since I studied Freud.

I don't know. I just don't think we should be too surprised if the series finale reveals old Ted in a psychiatric hospital talking to two therapists instead of two kids.

Is it, Barney? Is it?

Question of the Week: Change the World

What is the one thing you would most like to change about the world?

Gravity. I like how it keep everything from flying off into space. That would be kind of a drag. But I'd like it to be a little less strong. Or maybe slightly optional. Flying would be pretty awesome. And I'm pretty sure a person can't do that while gravity is doing its job to its fullest extent. I mean, do you ever jump in the air and just feel like the earth has attached an elastic band to your feet. As soon as you get a little bit into the air, you're just pulled right back down. Would it really be so bad to let us go a little higher? Maybe hang out there for a while?

Really? Just One?

On Tuesday I put out the invitation for you guys to ask any question you wanted and I would freely answer it. Only one person had a question to ask. Or, what seems more likely, only one person actually read that post. So I'm answering that one question right now.

Diane asks:
Music is a big part of my life, writing is too. Writing helps me to release and music carries me away. When you are feeling the weight of the world what do you do to collect yourself? What would be your top 5 on your song list?

I can safely say that music has always been a big part of my life as well. According to my parents, I was singing as soon as I was talking. My first solo in church came at the age of three. I still remember the song too. And that's how I unwind. I sing. Well, I drive and listen to music. It doesn't matter how hard my day has been, that hour in the car is always enough to make it go away. I don't worry about taking work home with me. I'm able to leave it behind.

As for a top 5 in my playlist, that's hard to say. My mood changes and so does my taste in songs. What sounds awesome enough to listen to on repeat one day may bug the crap out of me the next. At any given time, the top 5 will always include songs that I can sing along with. At the moment, the top 5 are, in no particular order:

• "Dream On," Aerosmith
• "Barton Hollow," The Civil Wars
• "Don't Stop Believin'," Journey
• "One Day More," Les Miserables
• "The Woman I Love," Jason Mraz

Okay, based on the fact that Diane is the only person who asked a question, evidence tells me that she's the only one who actually reads my blog anymore. Sure, Google Analytics tells me the number of people who view the blog every day. But for all I know, these people are clicking over, browsing the headline, then clicking away.

That being the case, I think I might quit. I've always said that the things I write here are more for me than anyone else. If that's true, why am I not just collecting my thoughts in a private Word document?

I know that I haven't exactly been keeping up with this thing on a regular basis like I once did. But I don't think that's the root of my lack of responders problem. Comments on my blog have been few and far between since I started it nearly 9 years ago. And I know that reading comments from readers should not be the end all and be all of blogging, but it's how I know that people are actually reading what I've written. It's how I know who's enjoying it and if it's even worth continuing.

This isn't me trying to throw myself a pity party. I don't want anyone to start leaving comments because you feel sorry for me or because you think I'm feeling sorry for myself. But if you're not commenting because you're not moved to respond or because you're not enjoying my random thoughts, then I have to question whether or not I'm wasting my time by posting things.

I don't expect to be an overnight internet sensation, like The Bloggess, who receives thousands of responses to her posts on a daily basis. But a few would be nice to see. A little affirmation now and then is good for everyone.

The Politics of Facebook

It happens every year. Sure, it's more obvious every four years when the presidential election comes around. But the fact is, every year is an election year. Every November, someone somewhere is running for some kind of office. And, depending on the weight the office being sought carries, Americans are bombarded with television ads trying to convince us to cast our vote for one candidate or another.

It's almost inevitable that someone like me will make some kind of sarcastic comment about these obnoxious commercials then post it to Facebook. that's when the proverbial doo doo hits the fan and the social network becomes a warzone of words being fired like ammunition from people on either end of the political spectrum.

This morning, as I watched the news, I again saw ads for both of the men competing for the office of governor in the Commonwealth of Virginia. For months, I've seen what they've each had to say about themselves and each other. For months, I've been utterly unimpressed. And I nearly said as much in a status update on Facebook. I even had it typed out, ready to click POST.

"The more I see ads in this year's gubernatorial race, the more I think, Really, Virginia? This is the best we have to offer?"

But I didn't click POST. I deleted the entire thing. As neutral as I intended my statement to be, I knew for sure that the majority of my Facebook friends would see my words very differently.

I estimate that approximately 45% of my friends are conservative and would view my status as a complaint against the democratic candidate. About 45% of my friends are liberal and would probably think my words were a rant against the republican nominee. I assume the other 10% are about as middle of the road as I tend to be and would understand that I was complaining about both of the lame gubernatorial prospects. Republican or democrat, I think they're both lousy options.

But I decided not to say anything at all. I didn't want my status to be considered the first shot fired in a heated passive-aggressive political debate.

I get it. Facebook is an open forum where people are free to say whatever they want. I love freedom of speech. I guess I just don't like when people use something I've said as a springboard for their own agendas. I would love to exercise my right to free speech without that speech being hijacked. It's happened before. It'll happen again. Sometimes I'm okay with it, but not every single time.

PS - Don't forget to go back here and ask me a question!

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Me But Were Afraid to Ask

It's been nearly two years since the last time I attempted an interactive activity like this. And when I did this back in 2011, I only had one response. Granted, it was a quality response from a quality friend, but it didn't really do my ego any favors.

Okay, so the idea is that, in the comments below, you, the readers of this here blog, will ask questions that you want me to answer. They can be questions about anything. This is your chance to find out anything you want to know about me. Don't be shy. The thing is, I have 56 followers on the blog and 61 on the Carp Dime Facebook page. So I'm hoping for more than a few questions this time around.

So, come on, do me a solid. Ask me some questions. Because it will give me something to write about for the next couple days. And you'll get to know me a little better. Who wants to play along?

Question of the Week: Life Lessons

What has life taught you recently?

I don't necessarily think that this is something that life has taught me recently. I think it's something I learned a long time ago. Life has just managed to reiterate the point. And that point? Don't worry. More often than not, I don't. In order to drive the point home, I'm going to have to be honest. It's been a rough few months. Mostly, it's been rough on the financial front. I'm sure I've explained before, when there's no school, there's no pay for me. This put me in a bad starting place as summer began, simply because of all the snow days we were forced to endure in the winter. Kind of depleted my savings account. That savings account was supposed to be there to help me out during those weeks of the summer when I didn't have any work. At the beginning of each month, I would look at my budget and wonder, "How is this gonna work?" Somehow, it always did. Sometimes I relied on friends and family to help me make some of the ends meet (to whom I am eternally grateful and, I promise, someday I'll pay you back). Other times, I relied on what, to the outside observer, would appear to be chance or coincidence. To me, it wasn't chance. It certainly wasn't coincidence. As someone who believes in and puts his faith in God, I know that some of those "coincidental" instances in my life this summer were put in my path to get me through a more difficult moment that was on its way. There are a lot of people who look at me and see a laid back kind of person. Not a care in the world. No, that's not always the case. But I really try not to worry. Because I know that, no matter what comes along, God's got my back. And if something doesn't go the way I want it to, that's not too bad either, because it just means He's got a better plan.