working outdoors is treating me well.  i like the sun, even if it is rough on my skin at times.  i've finally got a handle on the heartburn/stomach situation, and am feeling pretty good.  maybe working so much has my mind on other things, or maybe the medicine is actually working.  the summer is, eh, boring to put it simply.  my parents are my friends and i go to bed way too early.  i'm not drinking, not smoking, and playing video games all too often.  the square habit seems to have taken over once again, for which i have much regret, but being outside in the nice weather all day makes it hard.  excuses...

i miss my friends who dot the earth's landscape - colorado, iowa, afghanistan, illinois, south africa - places like that.  i hope everyone is doing well and loving life.

i haven't practiced enough since returning home, which i kind of foresaw, but i need to keep my chops up to par so i don't go back to school sounding like a chump (goal for the summer: use 'chump' more often).  I've been working out a little bit, but coming home after 8 hours of manual labor makes me skip it more often than not.  the work i'm doing is exercise enough.  excuses...

note(s) to self: lay off the soda, be barefoot as often as possible, practice, and wear my cowboy hat regularly.

peace be the journey.