AD ASTRA PER ASPERA

It has been quite some time since I have had the kind of visceral experience that only the town of Lawrence has to offer. I know that moving into Overland Park was the best financial decision that I could have made, but it is safe to say that I miss living in Lawrence. There is something to be said for downing a bunch of whiskey with two of your closest friends, sneaking beer out of the bar and running from rooftop to rooftop above Mass. Street. Sadly, I fear that those nights have long since passed. My friends no longer call Lawrence home, and there is very little to tie us to the town altogether. Don't get me wrong. I have a very good time with my new friends in Kansas City, and there is much fun to be had here. However, Lawrence has a certain panache; A certain guttural attraction that knows no bounds. It is hard to pin down, but I certainly miss it. On several occasions I narrowly avoided arrest, assault, alcohol poisoning, or some other situation of discontent. During one such incident, the driver of a Jeep Cherokee in front of me sprayed my windshield with his washer fluid, simply because he thought I was following him too closely. I responded by calmly pulling alongside him and motioning for him to roll down his window. Upon doing this, I hurled the orange juice that I had in my car through his open window, drenching him with a pulpy orange mess. Needless to say, a short car chase ensued, but his bulky Jeep was no match for my nimble monument to German engineering. Was my reaction a bit rash? Perhaps, but that fucker had it coming. His sideways visor and the Dave Matthews Band sticker on his rear windshield convinced me of that much. Fuck that guy.
Lawrence itself is an enigma. It is the only town in all of Kansas to consistently vote Democrat. It presents itself as a progressive environment, yet there are many reasons why it fails to live up to that standard. It is expanding in all directions, and the new construction is very reminiscent of Johnson County. The town has implemented a smoking ban that mandates that bars and restaurants are strict smoke free environments. For such a progressive town, It sure presumes a lot. More legislation insists that a certain percentage of a businesses profit must come from food sales, if it is to be allowed a liquor license. This is an effort to curb the ever growing number of bars in the downtown area. Both of these mandates take power away from the small business owner, and keeps them from deciding how to run their own business. Yet, in spite of its faults, Lawrence remains to provide all of its inhabitants and patrons with a blast of a time. Even if you don't get your jollies from hiding from police officers behind air conditioning units like me, there are plenty of other, more legal means of entertainment. The bar scene is top notch, and because of this, many many great bands are drawn to this little corner of earth. There is something in this town for people from all walks of life, and for being in the middle of the bible belt, it isn't half bad. I wouldn't mind living there again, but for the time being, it is not so bad Living in Kansas City. Even though the experiences that I have had here are pale in comparison to the debauchery and sinister glee that Lawrence provides, it is just a short jaunt down K-10, which is close enough to experience on any given night.

STAGNATION

Those of you that know me also know that I am in a transitional period in my life. Everything around me is changing at a pace that is becoming rather difficult to keep up with. This is happening on a personal, social and even global scale. Friends that I have known for years are graduating, moving to far off lands, getting worthwhile jobs, getting married, getting pregnant, and otherwise perpetuating the cycle of human life. The world is changing as well. Why is this so difficult for me to partake in? For years, I have been dreading this transition. I adopted an apathetic and sometimes morose attitude towards my own future. I felt that there was little for me to look forward to. I think that it played a rather large role in my inability to muster the stones to graduate from The University of Kansas. And only now, as my graduation seems to be an inevitability, am I realizing that I have payed a price. My fear induced apathy has caused life to pass me by. It hasn't passed completely, thankfully, but I have put myself into a position of distinct disadvantage. I have lost friendships, opportunities, and potential love with my ineffectual disregard for the changes going on around me. I know that there are many people that may not even have an inkling of what they would like to do with themselves. But I ask you which is worse; a person that truthfully does not know the path they would like to take, or a one that knows what they want out of life, but lacks the proactivity, ambition, or gumption to achieve it? While I must admit that it is rather refreshing to see this in type, even if only to have a concrete perception of what is actually wrong with me, I have done little to change this current trend. I suppose graduation is a large step in the right direction, but what is next? In this world, very little is certain. It is a dark and politically correct age that we have entered, and much to my own chagrin, I fear that it is far from over. As a nation, we are burning bridges faster than we can cross them. There is no common ground. No compromise. I'd like to say that I have turned over a new leaf, and that everything will turn out splendidly in the long run, but I suppose that only time will tell. Ask me in six months.