It’s been seven years since the two of us last hung out. The first thing I wanted to do, when she friended me online was to meet up face-to-face. We did so on Thursday.

I won’t go into any details here, but I was somewhat aware of what she had been up to via a run-in with one of her former friends at McLean Bible Church about a year ago. But I wanted to hear it from her.

We met for dinner at ATR in Reston Town Center, and we caught up on the past seven years. I told her about our mutual friends on my side, and she told me about our mutual friends on her side. Practically everyone we talked about had gone through some major changes (marriage, engagement, relocation, etc.). She, herself, had experience great changes in her life.

Everyone had changed, except for me. I am very much the same person I was seven years ago. I’m single, living in northern Virginia, working at an Internet company, and doing off-the-wall projects in my spare time. I’m a bit wiser and more self-confident now, but otherwise still the exact same person with the same values, living in the same circumstances. No big life changes for me, other than much success in my professional life.

During our discussion, Maria filled me in on some behind-the-scenes dirt that happened between our friends when we had all been hanging out. Things I knew nothing of. I’m still shocked at how oblivious I apparently was back then.

I’m definitely glad to have the chance to hang out with an old friend again. While a lot has happened in the past seven years, I still consider Maria a friend and I enjoy her company. And she’s the only one from “the old days” I can still hang out with.

Thinking of how everyone I know has gone through major changes in their lives this past decade, I find myself wondering if it’s a good or bad thing that I haven’t experienced the same evolution. And will I only experience those changes if I put everything aside and focus on making those changes? Or should I just wait for things to change by happenstance?

There are so many other things I want to do with my life, I can’t imagine focusing on just one thing. But maybe it’s time to start.

Since I enjoyed watching the US teams compete in the Olympics, I thought it’d be fun to go see Olympic stars like Nastia Luikin and Shawn Johnson perform live. The half-price tickets were only $14, so it was just like going to see a movie.

I purchased two tickets and was able to convince my pal Briana to accompany me. I hadn’t seen her since the spring, so I was excited to hang out and catch up with her again.

We met in DC at 6:30 PM, then had a quick dinner across the street from the Verizon Center. We made it to our seats right at the 7:30 PM showtime.

I have to admit that the show was pretty boring for the most part. We were seated so far up, it was hard to tell who was performing without the announcer’s audible assistance. Other than Nastia, who has a distinct form and style, I couldn’t tell who was on stage. Alicia Sacramone did make a surprise appearance.

There were some cool sets, like one involving a song from Moulin Rouge, a couple involving aerial acrobatics, and the finale, which featured all the gymnasts.

All-in-all, I probably wouldn’t pay to go see it again, but it was definitely a unique experience and a great date activity. Much more interesting than a night at the movie theater.

Here’s a pic of me and Briana. Video highlights are below.

Not only had I temporarily joined the ranks of the Young Republicans, but the next evening I was sitting in the dingy offices of the Fairfax County GOP headquarters, volunteering my time to enter hundreds of mailing addresses into an Excel spreadsheet.

All of this to help get George W. Bush elected President for a second term.

It was a success (inasmuch as such trivial efforts could be of any help), and for a short time, I was highly elated in the days following the election.

But nothing changed. After eight years of having President Bush in office, my life was the same as it ever was. Any improvement in the quality of my life was caused by my own personal victories and learning from my mistakes.

My life became better, when I became a better person. When I started putting 100% effort into my job. When I sought and obtained more training and education in skills that were not only of interest to me, but also highly marketable in my professional life. When I changed bad or limiting behaviors and learned to be a better man.

The positive changes in my life this past decade didn’t come from government policies, laws, or tax relief. Nobody handed me an instant solution to all my problems. I changed and became a better person, because I had enough personal motivation to step out of my comfort zone and make substantial changes in my life.

I actually become angry when I hear and see the “victim” mentality that is dominating this country. People calling for the Government to give them more money, or bail them out of their troubles, or give them more rights. I don’t hear many calls for people to take responsibility for their own predicaments or accept their situation and work towards ways to improve their lives without the Government’s assistance.

I would choke if one of the Presidential candidates blamed the current economic crisis on the greed of the people who bought homes (or other items) they couldn’t afford, using credit recklessly given to them by predatory and irresponsible lenders. Heaven forbid the American people are to blame. Let’s blame corporations, Wall Street, and the Government instead.

The decision to buy on credit lies with the individual. The buck – or should I say credit card – stops there.

A government bailout of any kind doesn’t solve the problem. It only treats a symptom. The reason why the bailout was a bad idea is because it doesn’t teach people how to live without credit. It doesn’t cure the envy in the hearts of those who purchase things with money they don’t have.

And that means we’ll have the same problem later down the road.

Election Day is a week from now, and I don’t care who wins. I’ll still vote for the platform I most agree with (which happens to be the Republican platform), but neither man nominated will affect my life much after they win – despite the hyperbole spouted by both sides. All my dreams won’t come true, if John McCain wins. The world won’t come to an end if Barak Obama wins.

From a Christian’s point of view, will the country collapse if more liberal judges are placed onto the Supreme Court? Will the morals of the county instantly fall into the gutter? Will religious freedom be squashed by the hedonistic, amoral “San Francisco” ethos?

No. I don’t think so.

As a Christian, I do believe there is a higher power, who is sovereign and in total control over everything on this planet. To think His plans for this country would be somehow thwarted by a man (albeit a Commander in Chief) is absurd.

It says in Romans, “there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”

The Presidential election doesn’t determine the fate of this country or the fate of the world. The President is just one man, who presides over a tiny span of this country’s history. The President doesn’t cause life-changing events to occur.

Could the President stop 9/11? Could the President stop the dot com bubble from bursting? Could the President keep the housing market from plummeting? Maybe you could argue that he could in hindsight. But what about now? What’s the next unforeseen disaster? Can the President keep all possible tragic events from happening? By stopping some, won’t that distract him from dealing with others? And what can he do anyway?

The President doesn’t cause things to happen in this country. Bill Clinton was not the cause of the economic boom of the 90’s. George W. Bush was not the cause of the current market crash. These men were simply presiding over these times, good or bad. The next President will simply preside over the next four years. And will be blamed or praised for however God sees fit to bless this country.

Don’t put your faith in the Government. Neither the President, nor the Government can save you. Take responsibility and ownership of your own life and do what you can to improve it.

The only one who can change your life is you.

If you’ve been reading my blog for the past couple years, you may remember an occasion in the winter of 2006, where I dabbled in the world of pickup artistry in the hopes of becoming a more social person. Learning how to approach strangers and engage them in meaningful conversations was a skill that could have both personal and professional benefits. It was a skill I badly wanted.

After falling hard for one of the women I met during that time (and subsequently lost), I became apathetic to the whole idea of pursuing women. Two years have passed without any serious intent to meet anyone new. Sure, I’d use some of the skills I learned at work, networking events, and the occasional happy hour, but I had my life squarely focused on other things (like video production, excelling at work, finances, and other side projects).

Once the opportunity to delve back into the subject of love and dating presented itself, I was immediately captivated. The timing was perfect. I’m currently in-between video projects (no podcasts currently in production), I’m taking improv classes again (which coincidently uses many of the same skills as pick-up), and I’m starting to experience cabin fever from the countless nights alone in my condo.

It’s time to go out and start interacting with complete strangers again. I miss the mini challenges I set up for myself at every venue I enter. I miss the anxiety of approaching someone at the bar, or a group of two…or three. I miss the predictable rhythm of each interaction…disabling the obstacles…expressing interest…time bridges.

Not only is “the game” fun to play, but I also enjoy writing about it. And to write about it professionally is a dream come true.

But it’s not just about the game. I want to produce online videos for AOL (partnering with the Washington Improv Theater?) on the topic of love and dating. There’s so much that can be done with that topic. I want to write a column on dating, have an illustration/photo series on body language, and so much more. My mind is flooded with ideas.

I’m about to embark on my first true dream job. Profession and passion are about to meet.

Ready…set…go!

So, my weekly schedule for the fall is almost solidified…

Mondays: Walk/bike ride, Gossip Girl, Heroes
Tuesdays: Improv class
Wednesdays: Walk/bike ride, read/Netflix
Thursdays: Walk/bike ride, Smallville, The Office
Fridays: Open
Saturdays: WoW, Comic project
Sundays: Tennis class, Bibleicious project, Redskins

So, imagine my surprise when I entered the venue today at 3 PM to find it packed with loud, obnoxious WAKA kickball players. There’s a Saturday kickball division? And they’re all here? Today?

As I walked through the crowd of players to a table out on the patio, I started to recognize a bunch of them. In fact, I recognized the vast majority of them. They were all players I knew from the 2005 seasons in Vienna and Reston. I hadn’t kept in touch with any kickballers since “retiring,” so I definitely didn’t feel comfortable being in their presence now.

I grabbed a table as far away from the crowd as possible. But they were everywhere. I saw one girl, who I had a huge “kickball crush” on in 2005, and she (like me) had put on a few pounds since the last time I saw her. She was surprised to see me and flashed a smile of recognition as I passed her, but we didn’t talk. I think she has a kid now, who is running around from table to table. How many years has it been?

I see lots of folks I remember. I see couples, but they’re not the same couples. One girl, who used to be engaged, when I knew her in Vienna is now on the arm of a guy who was dating another kickball her when I knew him. It’s the same players, just different teams.

It seems this has been an unending life for these people. Season in, season out. Go play kickball, then come back to Carpool for drinks. Spring, summer, fall… Spring, summer, fall…

Do I really miss it? Do I miss this life?

Now that I think of it… no. I don’t miss it. Kickball reminds me of a time when I lacked the social skills I gained in the years that followed. I miss the instant social circles that kickball created for me, but I can now created more customized, targeted social circles of like-minded friends and networks.

I was intimidated when I entered Carpool today. But as I prepare to leave, I’m quite content with the realization that this is a group where I no longer belong.

When I get sick of technology (like I am right now), I reach back to more organic art forms, like writing and drawing.

During the first half of the week, I built the infrastructure of a new creative blog called Bibleicious. It’s a tongue-in-cheek gossip blog about the events in the Bible. While it’s inspired most recently by the show Gossip Girl, it is also a modern spin on an old writing idea I had in college, where I began writing diary entries for angels and demons. I’m really excited about this idea, because it’s one of those projects with multiple goals. I wanted to do more creative, fun writing, and a fake-ish blog was something I’d been considering for a while. Doing a daily blog means forcing myself to read through the Bible regularly each day/week. (I intend to write all six entries for the week each Sunday.) I’ve built the site and have done everything to get it up and running. All I have to do is start writing. And I can do that anywhere. I plan to find a nice, cozy place on Sundays to bring my laptop and write.

The second project for the fall is creating an indie comic. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and since I have no other distractions in my life, I figure now is the time to get it done. Even though I have no artistic abilities, I’m still going to do it. Lack of talent has never stopped me before. If there’s anyone who can get something done strictly through force of will, it’s me. I’m going to do it, even if I have to outsource the art. Every other aspect of comic creation (e.g., writing, printing, marketing) is something I can breeze through. I’m hoping I can will my way through the art, as well, because there are so many other benefits to having drawing skills outside of this project. As for the story, I’ve been working on that for a while. Without giving it away, I’ll say it merges a few of my big interests. And it’s a very clever use of existing characters. In fact, once it’s complete, I’ll be pitching it to the company who owns the characters to see if they want to publish it!

I spent a large part of the week simply reading. I read and read and read, and got it out of my system. Previously, I’ve rarely had the time to sit down and enjoy a good book. I was determined to indulge in a reading marathon during my vacation.

I only went to the AOL gym once during my time off. I couldn’t bear to even think about work while on vacation, so I stayed away from the AOL campus. Instead, I spent time hanging out with various family members. I spent one day hanging out with mom, one day with dad, and had lunch with the Milligan’s another day. I didn’t go out for drinks with friends, like I had wanted (except that first Friday night), but I did sign up for another improv class with some of the boys from Reston, so there will definitely be some drinking later this fall.

There were other things I did this week, like get the taillight on my car fixed. I busted it on a parked Jeep, while barhopping with Keith on Friday night. The Jeep was fine, by the way. Due to a mix-up with the dealership, they didn’t charge me for labor, so my little mistake only cost me $190. Lame.

I had been mulling over doing a new video podcast for a local comic store (Laughing Ogre in Lansdowne, VA), but I want to step away from video production for a while. All of my podcasts are currently in a holding pattern. With the exception of a few DC Tech episodes (already edited) and some coverage of Baltimore Comic-Con and the Small Press Expo later this month for my friend Doug’s site (popculturegeek.com), I don’t have any plans for additional video work this year. I feel like I’ve already conquered the podcast medium, and I want to learn other skills (see writing/drawing above).

So, that was my vacation. I stepped away from technology and the stress from work and decided where I wanted to go from here. There’ll be some changes this fall. And some things will remain the same. But I’m going to enjoy the things I do. That’s for sure.

Through the AOL kickball league, I met a couple of interns named Marybeth and Stephanie, who were interested in helping out with the podcast. The three of us got together for the early morning launch of the iPhone 3G on July 11 and filmed the first episode.

The episode got generally good buzz in the office, so we continued to plan other shoots, including a Back to School session with several of the other AOL interns and a shoot at Fair Oaks Mall that I had to do a lot of pre-planning with our legal department and the marketing folks at the mall.

After a total of seven episodes, I exhausted all the usable footage shot during the summer. And given the facts that the interns went back to college at the end of August, the videos weren’t monetizing well, and I had less and less time for fun projects at work, I decided to let go of the series.

So, ShopLogic was a podcast I had a lot of fun doing, but ultimately was just a summer fling.

Episode 1: iPhone 3G Launch
Episode 2: Back to School Essentials
Episode 3: Back to School Laptops
Episode 4: Back to School Fashion
Episode 5: Best Ways to Stay in Shape
Episode 6: Cell Phones While Driving
Episode 7: Childhood Games