The ship has sunk

"The ship is sinking" is a phrase that my AP Stats teacher, and renowned One Day, One Room hero Ms. Trenholm, often said to me during my final weeks as a senior at Watertown High School. It was referring to the general wheels-falling-off of her classes, the students in them, and the work that was (or wasn't) being produced. I remember her telling me that I somehow found a way to keep my own ship afloat, which surprised me, because I felt that I had absolutely nothing to fear or care about in my waning days as a high school student. Now that my last day (singular) as a college student is tomorrow (well, last class, at least), I've come to the conclusion that the ship has sunk. And it did a long time ago. I don't remember when, I don't remember how, but I can wholeheartedly say that I've just lost it. I mean, this is my 17th year of schooling! I couldn't tell you three things I've been doing for 17 years.

Three years and three days ago, I blogged about the last two weeks, and how we shouldn't just let the wheels fall off. I'd like to completely rescind that advice. Maybe it's being a senior, but it's totally time to just screw it. (Actually, I definitely think it's the whole senior thing. I've never felt this way until this year.) The last couple of weeks are upon us, the days will (hopefully) be bright and sunny and warm, and the time between now and May 18 will (hopefully) be filled with nothing but the best times. Everyone said that college was the best four years of your life - I've never really contemplated whether or not that was true, but I definitely want to make these next 18 days the best 18 days I've had in a while. (And for the record, every 18-day span should be the best in a while, but maybe this one can be extra special.) And for that to happen, the ship has to sink. Starting with (ironically enough) watching Superbad tonight. Good start to the beginning of the end.

The Earth is not a cold dead place / Boston Strongest, pt. 4

I have a confession - after having lived in Watertown since I can remember (age 3, if you're keeping score at home), and having gone to Red Sox games with my dad for almost just as long, I went to my first Patriots' Day game today, and went to see the Boston Marathon for the first time ever. Two events that I would have loved to experience before today, but also two events that I want to experience every year after this. It's just so special to be in Boston on Marathon Monday, and I've always known that today was a sacred holiday in Boston and Massachusetts, but it was so much more the case this year. The world seemed to stop for a little and focused in on Boston, and a year removed from last year's Marathon, today was all about celebration. It was as nice a day you could ask for. The Red Sox represented with their 'BOSTON' jerseys, starting what will hope to be yet another tradition every third Monday in April. The winner of the men's division of the Marathon was the first American to finish first since 1983. Fenway went nuts when he was shown on the Jumbotron, and Fenway was nuts all morning/afternoon long. It felt like an October game because of all of the energy at the ballpark and in the city, and as much as I had thought about the tension on this day, on the potential levels of being scared, it all went away when you were just there, standing on the railings. The number of runners moving past you stopped no more than their own legs did, always moving one step closer to the finish line.

As much as Boston Strong has kept up, as much as the Red Sox and the city have supported each other, as much as we were all anticipating the 118th Boston Marathon, I think we can close the book on this chapter. It's certainly something that will never be forgotten, and every Marathon Monday and Patriots' Day game will be special, but today, one year removed from last year's events, was even more special, even more surreal because of the love and strength that was shared between everyone. The Earth is not a cold dead place.

Boston, this is for you

What a year.

I know that the one-year anniversary of the 2013 Boston Marathon is tomorrow, but it's close enough to a year and I feel too strongly to wait until tomorrow to blog. One year...

I've lived in Watertown for as long as I can remember, and I've always considered the town to be right outside of Boston. And it is, I mean I don't live in Boston, I live in Watertown. But four days after the Marathon, five days, one month, six months and fifteen days, one year minus one day, I've felt that I'm part of Boston, that we're part of Boston. This is our city, as David Ortiz said, albeit with a modifying adjective that I've excluded. It's just been a special year to have been from the city, to be at Fenway Park and the TD Garden and on Boylston street. It's hard for me to even find any words that can adequately explain the pride that the city has, that I have, because I think it's something you can't put into words. All of the response to the Marathon has been through actions, with the National Anthem at the Bruins game, with Nava's home run, with all of the stories of runners helping those injured, with all of the efforts made by the city to come together as one. And for the next week, we'll remember those lost, honor those who played their role, and continue to grow stronger.

I hope they televise everything they possibly can in prison so Dzhokhar Tsarnaev can see just how strong the city is, so he can see National Anthems being sung and sports games won and most importantly, people running and completing the marathon. I want him to see that life goes on, even if it may not for him. I want him to see that all of the love that will be shared in the next week, all of the love that has been shared in the past year, is infinitely greater than the hate he spread last April 15.

It's going to be a special week, one filled with lots of emotions. When it all comes down to it, the pervading theme is strength, and it's because of the pride that everyone has for Boston and what it means to them. It's just special. I probably only said half of what I wanted to, but just take all of this in for yourself. Videos about the Marathon and what has happened since just reinforce the notion that this is our city and our home.

The Great Flood

Yes, I know I haven't blogged in a long time. No, this post doesn't have anything to do with any actual floods - just the sense that the Great Flood lasted 40 days, and there are 40 days until graduation. Not that I'm counting, but I'm just aware. (Strangely enough, I'm aware of the number every day....maybe I am counting....) So here are 40 thoughts (and you thought 10 was a lot) about having 40 days left until graduation, in no particular order, with way more brevity than I would have had this only been a post with 10 thoughts. OH wait I have an idea. Continuous stream of thoughts! To hell with lists of 40.

[1] Forty days doesn't seem like a long time, but [2] if you think about it for a while, it kinda does. [3] What's scary about it is that classes end in 23 days, and [4] that doesn't seem like a long time. [5] Especially not when I have a major assignment in each of my four classes remaining. But I guess that's okay because [6] to date, I don't think I've had any major assignments in any of my four classes. Which means [7] I've had plenty of time to do absolutely nothing this year, [8] and that's really awesome. Some words on my final end-of-a-Stonehill-year blog post - [9] I know what the title is already. [10] And I might have mentioned that before, but either way, [11] I know that's going to be an incredibly emotionally-charged post. I mean it kinda has to be, [12] considering that that's likely my last post ever from Stonehill. [13] I wonder how many times I've blogged at Stonehill....[14] probably a lot.

[15] One thing I've thought about this year is how I'll stay in touch (or not) with people throughout my class. [16] I have almost no contact with the Stonehill Class of 2011, running-into contact with the 2012ers, and every-once-in-a-while conversations with those who graduated last year. [17] But what about my own class? I think what will happen is that everyone will drop down a level. What I mean by that is [18] there are the people I know of in my class, that I don't talk to a lot, and I probably will give them a passing hello if I ever see them again. [19] Then there are the folks who I talk to every once in a while, and will have catchup conversations if our paths cross. [20] The people who I hang out with (but aren't my closest friends) I'll keep in touch with - probably [21] to the same extent that I'm in touch with the Class of 2013. And then [22] I'll keep in solid touch with those I've been close to for four years. [23] But what's interesting about this is that none of us have ever communicated with each other as Stonehill alum. [24] That's a cool thought, to be an alum. [25] I remember in high school thinking that it didn't really mean a lot to me, [26] but then my friends and I visited (as alum) and it definitely felt a little different. [27] I'm guessing Stonehill will be the same kind of thing, but perhaps a little more amplified.

[28] I haven't freaked out about graduation yet. [29] I'm not sure if I'm supposed to or not, but [30] there are honestly some things I won't miss about Stonehill. [31] Real small petty things though, like email and struggles in the cafe and other things that really don't matter in the grand scheme of things. [32] Stonehill has still been more than excellent to me, [33] and I've done what I can to return the favor. [34] Being aware of that give-and-take with Stonehill is something that's been going on since freshman year ([35] at least, I'd like to think it's been that long), and [36] will continue after I graduate. [37] But I'm not looking ahead to the end ([38] despite what this blog post may imply). [39] Right now is all that matters, [40] and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Play ball

It's the first game of the season for the defending World Series Champion Boston Red Sox, and they begin 2014 with hopes of repeating another title. Can they do it? Here are my predictions for the 2014 season, including division champs and individual awards.

AL East: Boston Red Sox. The expectations were low in 2013 for the Red Sox, as many picked them to finish fourth or fifth in the AL East. Not much has changed from the World Series winning team, except for the departure of Jacoby Ellsbury, and the warm arrival of Grady Sizemore to the big leagues. The bullpen added depth with Edward Mujica, and the starting rotation remains intact, and the Red Sox repeat atop their division.

AL Central: Kansas City Royals. Yeah, you read that right. You probably didn't know it, but the Royals had 86 wins in 2013, finishing 5.5 games back of the second wild card spot. Kansas City returns a young core of talented players, and if their pitching, led by ace James Shields, can stay solid, the Royals will be crowned AL Central champions.

AL West: Oakland Athletics. The Rangers and Angels made some noise this offseason, and the Mariners did as well with their signing of Robinson Cano. But the team that has figured it out is the Oakland A's, led by now-famous GM Brad Pitt Billy Beane. A young and talented team, Oakland took the Tigers to five games in the ALDS last season, and are determined to make a deeper run in October this season.

AL Wild Cards: Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays
AL MVP: Mike Trout
AL Cy Young: Yu Darvish
AL Rookie of the Year: Xander Bogaerts

NL East: Washington Nationals. The Nationals have been injury-plagued for the last couple of seasons, but I believe that this is when they put it all together. Led by dynamic duo Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg, Washington hovered around .500 at the All-Star Break, but managed to finish in the playoff picture, four games back of the second wild card. Everything goes well for the Nationals this season, including what may be a very deep playoff run.

NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals. I see no reason that anyone will dethrone the Cardinals atop the NL Central. Despite the division having three separate winners in the past three years, The Cardinal Way has remained the paradigm of success in terms of a franchise. St. Louis returns to October with another strong season.

NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers. I'd like to see someone else win the division, but with the players that Los Angeles has, I can't see anyone doing it. Maybe the Giants if their pitching has a fantastic season, but the Dodgers can hurt you too many ways to miss out on the postseason.

NL Wild Cards: Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds
NL MVP: Paul Goldschmidt
NL Cy Young: Stephen Strasburg
NL Rookie of the Year: Billy Hamilton

World Series: Washington Nationals over Boston Red Sox. Yeah, yeah, say what you will about me picking the Red Sox to lose the World Series, but I'm speaking partially in terms of superstition here. There were absolutely no expectations for this team in 2013, and they went all the way. If everyone takes the Red Sox to repeat, where is there room for error? How can they exceed expectations? Only one of the 30 MLB teams can win the last game of the season, and while the Red Sox are certainly capable of doing so for the second year in a row, the Nationals' firepower and youth will win out in the end. But let's hope I'm wrong.

10 letters about March Madness, pt. 3

This is the earliest into the tournament I've done my "10 letters" post. In 2011, I wrote letters before the final weekend; last year, it was during the Elite 8. For those without a Twitter and any knowledge of college basketball, the Sweet 16 starts tomorrow night, and as such begins my second of two "best four days of the year" in March. And with that, here's my third (of who knows how many) "10 letters about March Madness."

1. Dear anyone who thinks the First Four is a good idea,
In 2011, you had VCU in the Final Four. The year after, South Florida upset #5 Memphis to make it to the Round of 32. Last year, #13 La Salle made the Sweet 16. This year? #11 Tennessee is in the Sweet 16, but had to beat an overseeded UMass team and a 14th-seeded Mercer team. The First Four is still terrible.

2. Dear Duke,
I'm getting this out of the way early in this post. You let me down. Where was the defense?! Hey, maybe Jabari Parker will stay one more year.....

3. Dear Creighton (and by Creighton I mean Doug McDermott),
You were my only Final Four team to lose in the first weekend, an embarrassing blowout against Baylor. I'm convinced that you all forgot you were supposed to win, and stuff like that.

4. Dear Florida, Virginia, and Louisville,
You three are my other Final Four teams. DON'T LOSE! For once, my bracket actually looks in decent shape after the first weekend. Could be better, but it could also be a lot worse.

5. Dear T.J. Warren and the rest of the N.C. State Wolfpack,
The only thing you can do at the free throw line that's worse than missing is to make the free throw but commit a lane violation. You're telling me the ACC Player of the Year is supposed to go 6-for-14 at the free throw line (violation not included)?

6. Dear every head coach with the ball in a tie game while the shot clock is turned off,
Don't start your offense with 6.5 seconds remaining. It's a high ball screen, your guard dribbles around to the wing, gets double-teamed, and puts up a terrible look. It happens at the end of every half and at the end of every tie game. Run your real offense with 11 seconds left, leaving you a much higher probability of scoring, while still leaving an opportunity for an offensive rebound if need be.

7. Dear anyone who doesn't know what I just talked about,
Try this article on for size. It might not make any more sense than what I just explained (if anything, it's probably more complicated), but it presents this idea very well.

8. Dear winner of #11 Dayton / #10 Stanford,
Have fun losing by 30 to Florida, whichever one of you makes the Elite 8.

9. Dear Warren Buffett,
You're the real winner of March Madness. Everyone knows about your brilliant plan to award $1 billion to whoever comes up with the perfect bracket, and to my knowledge, everyone is out of the running. Must be nice to have billions of dollars to throw around like that. Spare me some?

10. Dear March Madness,
Despite all of the things I may want to change about you...don't ever stop.

Because you are reading

I just need to write right now, and this is one of those posts that will just have a bunch of thoughts written down sporadically. It'll be very similar to this post, and will have a reflective, melancholic mood to it, much like my three end-of-a-Stonehill-year blog posts (here's my most recent one).

This morning, I took a test that I had studied a total of two hours for. Two. And at that, that's probably two more hours than I would have liked to have studied for it. But because of the huge inertia that has been with us for our 17 years of being students, we feel this immense guilt if we don't study for a test. So after doing some math and realizing that I watched approximately 26 hours of college basketball between Thursday at noon and Sunday night, I studied for one hour before bed, and one hour at breakfast this morning. I think I did well on the test, which is a scary thought, because I'm now wondering if I could have always done relatively well in school with a lighter study regimen. Imagine all the time I'd have on my hands.

I almost just wrote "Actually, we have no time on our hands," but I'll rephrase this. We have plenty of time on hour hands, but we don't know when it's going to end. If we all live a life as long as we're supposed to, then we have plenty, plenty, plenty of time. But life doesn't happen like it's supposed to. Sometimes planes get lost at the bottom of the ocean, sometimes the driver of a car isn't paying attention...sometimes it just happens. We don't know when, and that's scary. I talked about appreciating everything that's ever happened to you. Appreciate everything that will happen to you, too. Again, not in some predeterministic, "everything happens for a reason" sort of thing. Maybe appreciate life because "everything happens" or something pithy like that.

Hearing about MH370 having no survivors is terribly sad, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me think about music. One of EITS' songs is about a Russian ship that was at the bottom of the ocean for six days. So I immediately thought of that. I turned on some news channel and they showed a map of where the plane might be, somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Some 1,200 miles from Perth, Australia, the source of another important song to me.

Speaking of Explosions in the Sky...I learned today that The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place (you know, the album that is literally a part of my soul) has an answer to the question of why the Earth is not a cold, dead place. On the vinyl, you will find the words "because you are listening, because you are breathing." After what happened at the Boston Marathon last year, I was pretty quick to believe that, well, the Earth was a cold, dead place. Two days later I changed my mind, but I'm really glad that I ran into this message. We're here. You're reading this, some amount of time after I was typing it, listening to music, staring out my window.

I'm glad that I'm here, and I'm hopeful that I will continue to be here for a very long time. I'm also glad that I've continued to blog for over three years, now, and if you haven't figured it out by now, there's one reason (among a few others) that I've continued to blog. So thank you.

7 reasons spring semester is way better

1. Warm weather! It's supposed to be 50 degrees this week. That's a lot of degrees for this time of year. And pretty soon it'll be warmer and warmer and the days will be longer and sunlight and all that fun stuff and everyone will be outside hanging out together having a great time and we'll have so much fun! (Editor's Note: I think I just packed five reasons into one. Hopefully this doesn't ruin the rest of the list.)

2. Double vacation! I'll see you a Spring Break and raise you an Easter Break, non-religiously-affiliated colleges. Can you say five entire days between classes? Thanks, Jesus!

3. Mumford & Sons. Specifically Sigh No More. I remember listening to this album in each of my first three springs at Stonehill, so it seems only fitting that I continue to listen to it one last time.

4. March Madness. Even if you know nothing about college basketball, you're aware that there's a relatively important tournament that starts tonight but should really start on Thursday because play-in games are stupid.

5. JAMnesty. Specific to Stonehill (not that I ever intended this to be applicable to all colleges), JAMnesty is essentially a social justice/coffeehouse extravaganza on the quad, which is totally fun. I remember my freshman year (maybe sophomore year) that me and my friends all had pizza delivered to JAMnesty and we ate it in front of O'Hara. That was fun.

6. Opening Day. Literally the best day of the year. I should do a blog post where I talk about all of the days that I award this title to. Duke/UNC at Cameron, Opening Day at Fenway...probably only those two, but I'm sure there are others.

7. Reflecting. I'm a little upset that this last reason has a lot of meaning to it, because everything else on this list is about super-fun stuff that's awesome. But reflecting is always good, and especially so in the spring semester. Especially especially so in your last spring semester. In related news, I know what the post title is going to be for my fourth and final end-of-a-Stonehill-year blog post. No teasers yet, but it's going to be the best title of the four.

Alright, more fun spring stuff now.

Choosing the mascot bracket

The March Madness bracket is out, and instead of offering some opinions on the seeding and brackets, I figured I would let you in on the method to my first bracket. Unfortunately there is a 0% expectation of this bracket doing well, because I pick the school whose mascot would beat the other's in a fight to advance. I go through all 63 of my picks (don't worry, I'll be quick) and give further explanation on the tougher choices. Enjoy!

Round of 64

• In the South region, Florida moves on because I think play-in games are stupid. Colorado (Buffaloes), VCU (Rams), and Tulsa (Golden Hurricane) move on in the top half of the bracket, joined by the Ohio State Buckeyes, Western Michigan Broncos, New Mexico Lobos, and Eastern Kentucky Colonels. The Broncos have a favorable matchup against the Syracuse Orange (and this will be the only time you'll ever read those words in that order) because it's pretty easy for a large horse to defeat a fruit.
• In the West, I face my first tough decision - Arizona Wildcats vs. Weber State Wildcats. Always run into this problem when I do this bracket. Weber State's wildcat looks tougher, and it's always fun to take the 16 seed over the 1 seed, so they move on. Oklahoma State (Cowboys) advances, but Oklahoma does not. Not really sure what a Sooner is, and research didn't help at all, so their opponent, the North Dakota State Bison, will advance. San Diego State, Baylor, Louisiana, BYU, and American advance.
• The East region features two trends of Mascot Bracket selections - humans usually don't fare well, and weather usually wins out. The George Washington Colonials go down to the Memphis Tigers, the UNC Tar Heels defeat the Providence Friars, and the Iowa State Cyclones take down the NC Central Eagles. Other winners in the bracket include Virginia, Cincinnati, Michigan State, UConn, and Villanova.
• Over in the Midwest, there's our second Wildcat battle - Kentucky against Kansas State. To be honest, neither team really deserves to move on, but let's give it to Kentucky. Their wildcat looks like the lesser of two evils here. Wichita State advances on the same play-in terms that Florida did, and is joined by Saint Louis and UMass under similar circumstances. The defending champions (Louisville Cardinals) move on, as well as Duke (no bias, I promise), Michigan (Wolverines) and Texas (Longhorns).

Round of 32

• Same regional order as last round, and Florida continues to roll over the Buffaloes. So do the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes, Western Michigan, and Eastern Kentucky. One of the few brackets where you'll see the 13, 14, and 15 seeds all make the Sweet 16, but hey, that's the Mascot Bracket for you. I'm still unsure as to whether or not a Golden Hurricane is any more or less dangerous than a regular hurricane.
• In the West, the Oklahoma State Cowboys move on over the Wildcats - cowboys can shoot stuff and stuff. The San Diego State Aztecs move on over the Bison, because, well, I'm not really sure. Aztecs just seem really old and powerful and something like that. In the matchup between the Baylor Bears and the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, the Ragin' Cajuns advance on being ragin', and more exciting and badass than bears. The American Eagles advance and probably should just be declared the winner based on patriotism right now.
• Over to the East region, and the Virginia Cavaliers take down the Memphis Tigers on account of being good at war and having various skill sets like that. The Michigan State Spartans advance as well, and I can already tell this will be a great Sweet 16 matchup. The Cyclones continue their torrent (bad pun intended) and will square off in the next round against the Villanova Wildcats.
• The Kentucky Wildcats, fresh off their win over fellow Wildcats from Kansas State, move to the Sweet 16 past the Wichita State Shockers. After googling exactly what the hell a Billiken is, I've decided that Saint Louis probably should have packed their bags in the first game, even against a playoff team. Louisville moves on, as well as Duke. Again, no bias, but it was certainly a closer contest against the UMass Minutemen for the Blue Devils. The Michigan Wolverines advance over the Texas Longhorns to complete the Sweet 16.

Sweet 16

• In an upset only in this bracket, top-seeded Florida moves on over 13-seeded Tulsa. My reasoning is that gators can just go underwater while the hurricane passes, so Florida will find its way in the Elite 8. In the other matchup in the South region, between the Western Michigan Broncos and Eastern Kentucky Colonels, the Broncos advance because colonels ride on them. Might be flawed reasoning, but welcome to the Mascot Bracket.
• Took a few rounds before I googled what an Aztec is, and in relation to San Diego State, I'm not sure there's any viable explanation. So they fall to the Cowboys, who are making the equivalent of a Cinderella run in this bracket. They'll face the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana, who pull out the win over the American Eagles. Tough game to pick though.
• Great matchup between the Virginia Cavaliers and Michigan State Spartans. I think I'll go with Sparty, because they usually perform well in the Mascot Bracket, and I think they eke out a win over the Cavaliers. Close call though. No contest between the Iowa State Cyclones and Villanova Wildcats, though. Weather moves on to the Elite 8.
• In a rematch of a regular-season contest, Kentucky and Louisville square off, and I think I'll go with the Wildcats over the Cardinals here. And I SWEAR that there's no bias, but I'm going with the Blue Devils over the Michigan Wolverines. It's the devil! Lucifer is pretty tough to beat. I'm not even sure the Wildcats can do it.

Elite 8

• Florida Gators against Western Michigan Broncos. Not even a close call here. The Gators continue to roll through their bracket and find their way to a Final Four. Pretty sure I don't need to say more here.
• The Ragin' Cajuns keep surprising the country as they make their way into the Final Four themselves. A close-fought victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys puts the Ragin' Cajuns another win closer to a national title. Of being a cool mascot.
• The East region features the toughest Elite 8 matchup to pick, as the Michigan State Spartans and Iowa State Cyclones meet. These two teams are almost always making deep runs in my Mascot Brackets, and it's a shame that one of them goes home before the Final Four. But as it's been, the weather makes for the stronger case, and the Cyclones will head on to the Final Four. Another team that usually makes a deep run is the Florida State Seminoles, but they did not make the tournament, and Michigan State remains the lone warrior until their defeat.
• Duke has never made it this far in my Mascot Bracket, and with a few of my suitemates as witnesses, they continue their surge into the Final Four over the Michigan Wolverines. Seriously, I could care less if Duke advances far in my Mascot Bracket (I would much rather see them go deep in the real one), but it's all about the matchups, and they'll head to the Final Four.

Final Four

• GATOR NEEDS HIS GAT! Florida to the finals! The Gators trounced the Golden Hurricanes in the Sweet 16, so why not stave off another weather-themed opponent? This might be a historic run for the Gators, as not only are they one of a few non-warrior, non-weather teams to make it to the championship, they're also one of the few 1-seeds to advance this far. Great run for Iowa State, but the Gators move on.
• In the other national semifinal, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns take on the Duke Blue Devils. A well-fought game, I'm sure, but the Ragin' Cajuns move on. Not sure if it's because they're ragin' or if they know how to handle the devil well, but Duke's spectacular run ends here. Which sets up a phenomenal Florida Gators, Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns national championship. And the winner is...

CAN'T STOP THE RAGIN' CAJUNS!

With wins over the Creighton Bluejays, Baylor Bears, American Eagles, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Duke Blue Devils, and Florida Gators, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns are the Mascot Bracket Champions. Tremendous run by the Gators, but they were stopped in the championship against a team that knows very well how to handle gators. Congrats to Louisiana on the victory - likely the only one they'll get this March.

Your soul you must keep totally free

Someone once told me, some time ago, that I always had to put meaning to everything, that everything mattered and it required meaning to be attached to it. Well, that person turned out to be right, and that fact has just as much meaning to me as anything else that has ever happened to me. Because what's life worth living if you can't appreciate what's happened to you? I'm not saying to live life with no regrets, I'm not saying to buy into the "everything happens for a reason" theory, and I'm not saying that you have to have an obscene relationship with Explosions In The Sky for your life to have meaning. All I'm saying is that you got to where you are, in this moment, because of every single thing that has ever happened to you. And that's worth remembering and appreciating.