My First Entry: Wonderful people in my life.
Sometimes I am overcome with emotion. Thoughts and memories come flooding in and I remember how much I love the good people in my life.
Due to the importance of midterm exams, the necessity of last minute cramming (due to my own procrastination), and the dryness of my International Environmental Law readings; I felt it was essential to aid my studies with caffiene. I had a cup of coffee (followed minutes later by a SoBe energy drink to get rid of the foul aftertaste of the coffee).
So I layed awake last night, well past 2:30am. Unable to sleep, my mind self-directed itself (sometimes I feel like my mind has one of its own) to those people that have made a positive impact on my life.
I thought about my Dad. I realize that I sort of feel detached from him somehow. When I call home I usually need to talk to my Mom. She handles all the the financial transactions in our household. My primary reason for calling home is usually financial, and so my conversations with my Dad are usually brief. We talk about surfing mostly: which is a passion we share in common. My Dad taught me how to surf, and took me to the beach pretty much everyday for years, and so surfing is probably a deeper bond than just some activity we both enjoy.
I love my Dad deeply. The love comes from respect. My father has always been my role model. He is honest, warm, full of integrity. He is a jokester, and a beautiful singer, and is well liked by his peers as well as my friends. And he is an excellent father.
Lately it seems as if he is not as happy-go-lucky as he used to be. My Grandma was a great fan of my Dad aand I. I used to joke that my Grandmother was "Pro-Kellen": but she was also "Pro-Rocky". My Dad's mother was not around much during his childhood. My Grandma was a loving mother figure to him. The death of my Grandma hit my whole family hard. While my Mom and I mourned, my Dad did many of the day-to-day things that needed to be done. I didn't see him cry until the day of the funeral, almost a week after she passed away. My Dad was never able to give a eulogy for my Grandmother because of church-imposed time constraints. The allotted time went to immediate family members: her children and grandchildren. It is a shame that there are time constraints on remembering someone's life; I would have liked to hear what my Dad had to say. I suspect he is healing a little slower than the rest of us. In any case I want to tell hime that I love him. My family uses "I love you's" sparingly. Initiating the "I love you" can be awkward and a little scary for me. Hopefully I will get the nerve to call him and tell him.
I also thought about an elderly man named Dale. During high school I worked at a coffee shop in town. We had many friendly regular customers (and some not so friendly) but nobody was like Dale. Dalw was in his late 70's, but you would never know it by his youthful energy, enthusiasm, and optimism. The first time he came in he introduced himself and asked us, the workers, our names. Everyday he would come in whith a big smile on his face and he would greet us by name. He was happy to see us and we were happy to see him. He tipped us well, but we made sure to let him know that, although it was greatly appreciated, we did not expect a tip and that it was not necessary. He would inquire about our lives, and tell us about his. He would bring us articles of interest and inspiration from newspapers and magazines.
On our breaks we would sit and talk with him. Dale was an inspiration himself: he wrote symphonies in his spare time. He had attended USC in the 1940's and majored in music. He took a job with Hilton hotels and rose through the ranks. He managed Hiltons all over the world. He shared my interest in traveling and delighted in seeing pictures of my trip to Kenya & Tanzania. Dale was a true friend in every way.
The coffee shop I worked at came under new management and I was laid off without any advanced notice. It was simply "Do not come to work tomorrow, you do not work here anymore." After seeing Dale almost daily for years, I didn't see him anymore.
A month or so later I had an interview at a Starbucks nearby. The manager took my aside and asked me all the usual interview questions, she went over my references and extensive work experience in retail coffee. I thought the interview went really well, and was sure I'd be getting a call to come back and start work. As I was leaving the store I noticed a familiar face sitting in the corner. It was Dale! We were both pretty happy to run into each other. I explained to him that I had just had an interview. Without saying a word he grabbed me by the arm and motioned me back over to the manager. He proceeded to give the manager the most glowing report on what a good worker I was. He explained that he was a regular customer at the coffee shop I used to work at and that I was dependable, friendly, honest, hardworking, etc, etc, etc. I figured I had the job clinched for sure after that. Dale and I said farewell thinking we'd see each other in a week or so when i started my new job.
A week went by and I had not heard from Starbucks. I called them to followup my interview. The manager told me the she regretted to inform me that she would not hire me. What a stupid bitch. I had 3 years of experience in every possible facet of the retail coffee business plus a glowing report from a real customer at her store. I have not seen Dale since then. Its been about three years now. I still think about what a great guy he was. I wonder if I'll ever run into him again.
I thought about my crew of guy friends from high school. Each one of them unique and valuable to me in different ways. We are all friends and all interconnected in certain ways. And I am grateful for the impacts and contributions they have made to my life.
And of course I thought about Amy. I've been thinking about her a lot over the last few days. Our current situation is a little odd, but may be the best situation for the time being. Regardless, she has been the most influential and appreciated girl in my life. Amy has always been true to me, in a different sense than is usually used in relationships. She is genuine. She has fulfilled my expectations of love beyond my wildest dreams. On top of that, she has been my best friend. She is a warm and giving person. She is thoughtful. She showed her thoughtfulness in a million different ways an it always seemed like a heart warming suprises were always just aound the corner. I never knew it would be this good, and for that I am more than grateful.
I could go on and on, and I might some other day. But for now, its past midnight, I've written a whole lot more than I set out to. Midterms tomorrow and I need my sleep.
-Kellen
Due to the importance of midterm exams, the necessity of last minute cramming (due to my own procrastination), and the dryness of my International Environmental Law readings; I felt it was essential to aid my studies with caffiene. I had a cup of coffee (followed minutes later by a SoBe energy drink to get rid of the foul aftertaste of the coffee).
So I layed awake last night, well past 2:30am. Unable to sleep, my mind self-directed itself (sometimes I feel like my mind has one of its own) to those people that have made a positive impact on my life.
I thought about my Dad. I realize that I sort of feel detached from him somehow. When I call home I usually need to talk to my Mom. She handles all the the financial transactions in our household. My primary reason for calling home is usually financial, and so my conversations with my Dad are usually brief. We talk about surfing mostly: which is a passion we share in common. My Dad taught me how to surf, and took me to the beach pretty much everyday for years, and so surfing is probably a deeper bond than just some activity we both enjoy.
I love my Dad deeply. The love comes from respect. My father has always been my role model. He is honest, warm, full of integrity. He is a jokester, and a beautiful singer, and is well liked by his peers as well as my friends. And he is an excellent father.
Lately it seems as if he is not as happy-go-lucky as he used to be. My Grandma was a great fan of my Dad aand I. I used to joke that my Grandmother was "Pro-Kellen": but she was also "Pro-Rocky". My Dad's mother was not around much during his childhood. My Grandma was a loving mother figure to him. The death of my Grandma hit my whole family hard. While my Mom and I mourned, my Dad did many of the day-to-day things that needed to be done. I didn't see him cry until the day of the funeral, almost a week after she passed away. My Dad was never able to give a eulogy for my Grandmother because of church-imposed time constraints. The allotted time went to immediate family members: her children and grandchildren. It is a shame that there are time constraints on remembering someone's life; I would have liked to hear what my Dad had to say. I suspect he is healing a little slower than the rest of us. In any case I want to tell hime that I love him. My family uses "I love you's" sparingly. Initiating the "I love you" can be awkward and a little scary for me. Hopefully I will get the nerve to call him and tell him.
I also thought about an elderly man named Dale. During high school I worked at a coffee shop in town. We had many friendly regular customers (and some not so friendly) but nobody was like Dale. Dalw was in his late 70's, but you would never know it by his youthful energy, enthusiasm, and optimism. The first time he came in he introduced himself and asked us, the workers, our names. Everyday he would come in whith a big smile on his face and he would greet us by name. He was happy to see us and we were happy to see him. He tipped us well, but we made sure to let him know that, although it was greatly appreciated, we did not expect a tip and that it was not necessary. He would inquire about our lives, and tell us about his. He would bring us articles of interest and inspiration from newspapers and magazines.
On our breaks we would sit and talk with him. Dale was an inspiration himself: he wrote symphonies in his spare time. He had attended USC in the 1940's and majored in music. He took a job with Hilton hotels and rose through the ranks. He managed Hiltons all over the world. He shared my interest in traveling and delighted in seeing pictures of my trip to Kenya & Tanzania. Dale was a true friend in every way.
The coffee shop I worked at came under new management and I was laid off without any advanced notice. It was simply "Do not come to work tomorrow, you do not work here anymore." After seeing Dale almost daily for years, I didn't see him anymore.
A month or so later I had an interview at a Starbucks nearby. The manager took my aside and asked me all the usual interview questions, she went over my references and extensive work experience in retail coffee. I thought the interview went really well, and was sure I'd be getting a call to come back and start work. As I was leaving the store I noticed a familiar face sitting in the corner. It was Dale! We were both pretty happy to run into each other. I explained to him that I had just had an interview. Without saying a word he grabbed me by the arm and motioned me back over to the manager. He proceeded to give the manager the most glowing report on what a good worker I was. He explained that he was a regular customer at the coffee shop I used to work at and that I was dependable, friendly, honest, hardworking, etc, etc, etc. I figured I had the job clinched for sure after that. Dale and I said farewell thinking we'd see each other in a week or so when i started my new job.
A week went by and I had not heard from Starbucks. I called them to followup my interview. The manager told me the she regretted to inform me that she would not hire me. What a stupid bitch. I had 3 years of experience in every possible facet of the retail coffee business plus a glowing report from a real customer at her store. I have not seen Dale since then. Its been about three years now. I still think about what a great guy he was. I wonder if I'll ever run into him again.
I thought about my crew of guy friends from high school. Each one of them unique and valuable to me in different ways. We are all friends and all interconnected in certain ways. And I am grateful for the impacts and contributions they have made to my life.
And of course I thought about Amy. I've been thinking about her a lot over the last few days. Our current situation is a little odd, but may be the best situation for the time being. Regardless, she has been the most influential and appreciated girl in my life. Amy has always been true to me, in a different sense than is usually used in relationships. She is genuine. She has fulfilled my expectations of love beyond my wildest dreams. On top of that, she has been my best friend. She is a warm and giving person. She is thoughtful. She showed her thoughtfulness in a million different ways an it always seemed like a heart warming suprises were always just aound the corner. I never knew it would be this good, and for that I am more than grateful.
I could go on and on, and I might some other day. But for now, its past midnight, I've written a whole lot more than I set out to. Midterms tomorrow and I need my sleep.
-Kellen