On Winter's Rare Appearances .

For the natives of South Carolina and the south in general, snow is something pretty much only talked and dreamt about and never really seen. Also, what is considered a "good snowfall" down here is usually somewhere between a dusting and 2 or 3 inches, whereas where I am from, a good snowfall means 10-12 inches, or maybe even multiple feet of snow. The cold, though is the one thing I severely miss in winter down here in South Carolina. Lately it's been 50 or 60 degrees outside (that's in Fahrenheit for all your foreign readers out there), warm enough to wear a T-shirt and be comfortable without a hoodie or jacket.

Now what the heck. It's January! This should be the coldest month of the year!! I can only dream of the day I move out west, where I will have a winter season that lasts nine months out of the year. Yes please!

The Final Chapter .

At midnight tonight, I leave for South Carolina for the final time. This is the last semester of my undergraduate collegiate career, and I can hardly believe it. The time has flown by and it's truly amazing how fast it has gone. Looking back on the time, I can still remember the friends I made in my first freshman semester English class (who oddly enough ended up living in the apartment below me a few semesters ago). Life has a way of sneaking up on you, and rushing you through some things you want to enjoy.

More importantly though, it is almost certainly the case that the things around the corner will be even more extraordinary than you can imagine. A new setting, job, or experience will surely take the cake of your life's happenings.

For in all honesty, this is only the beginning. The close of one volume, and the start other a new one. I look forward to taking you friends through the next semester, and continue into life. I feel like we all know each other as close friends and will continue that through and through. Thanks for sticking with me all this time, and wish me safe travels over the next day.

church, southern eating & table rock .

Sunday was a fun-filled day for the two of us. We started off with an early mass at St. Andrew Catholic Church in downtown Clemson on Sloan Street. It's where I usually go on my own at 8am on Sundays. I was thrilled that Courtney not only decided to come with me, but wanted to; she is Jewish and I am Catholic, so it meant a lot.

Greenville and a lunch .

So I'm behind on writing these, but it matters not. On Saturday Courtney and I made our way to Greer to visit my boss, Carl T. Smith. Carl actually is an author, and I do some marketing and PR work for him. I knew he'd been wanting to get together, so this was a perfect opportunity for him to not only meet my woman, but to go into downtown Greenville and visit Falls Park. It just so happened Greenville was having their Fall Festival that day, so Main St. was closed and there were people a-plenty.

why autumn is the best .

The way it seems to work in South Carolina is that it randomly just starts being Fall. A week and a half ago, we had a big storm and it poured and after that the temperature has just sort of settled. It's 50's and 60's in the morning, and heats up to around 85. Oddly enough, the humidity makes all the difference. When it's 85 and humid, it feels awful. But it's quite temperate when the humidity hides its face.

My brother texted me the other morning with the news that it was 37 degrees in the morning when he was walking to his 8am in Blacksburg at Virginia Tech. Yet later in the day, it warms up almost 30 degrees! The huge swing in temperatures throughout the day is nuts.

how to handle the heat of the south .

As you all know, I live in the lovely state of South Carolina, and to be perfectly frank, it's fucking hot. It's humid, it's sticky, it downpours pretty regularly, and it is like sitting in an oven. BUT. The best thing is, it's beatable. I would know; I've been doing it for almost four years. Here are my tips to you on how to beat the sticky humid heat of the south.

back on the bike .

The last few weeks of summer I've been a lazy bum when it comes to riding. I haven't been out on the bike for quite some time and I finally had the chance to. Let me just say I felt so out of shape. Biking is not one of those things that you can drop and just pick right back up again. Maybe riding a bike in general, but certainly not riding at a competitive pace where you can push yourself. I about died. But it's time to focus and get back into it.

Southern weather .

So today there were some heavy storms in the forecast. Funniest part about my school? If it starts thundering or lightning all of a sudden a bunch of sirens go off for like 5 minutes straight and then there is this voice that thunders (pun intended) all around campus saying "Warning. Warning. Lightning in the area. Please seek shelter immediately." The best part is that everyone completely ignores this. I mean, let's be honest, you can't exactly just blow off class because it's raining. And because the sirens happen often even when it's not even storming that bad, it makes people just ignore it to begin with. It's basically like the siren that cried lightning.

modern day marvels .

So today I am in the midst of embarking on a trip to Boston to see a close friend and celebrate her birthday. I'm going all the way from my home via public transportation, with the exception of my mother driving me to the train station in the morning. The ride into New York's Penn Station via NJ Transit is one of the most awesome experiences I think a person can have. Granted, I never travel during the morning rush hour, which may very well affect my feelings toward the trip.

driving .

It's been a real treat getting to have my own car on campus with me this year. One of the best things though is being able to just start or end my day by listening to my own music on the way home or to school. While commuting may be a little bit of a pain what with traffic and loads of gas money (especially since now that South Carolina's ppg is on the rise... sad face) it all is made up for by me being able to jam out on the way there.