"What a long, strange, trip it's been..."

Many of you know that this Friday, August 6, 2010, I will be turning 21. Ironically coinciding with the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. But that's not the point. I will have hit a milestone. Over a decade of my life will have been lived. I will have hit the last major birthday in my life until I turn 40 (hooray for a prostate exam). But fingers up the ass aside, I took some time to start reflecting on how far I've come in these last 21 years. I shall elaborate on such, in the simplest terms, and the most convenient definitions.

RELIGION
Having attempted to write this part of the blog, going on three times now, and I've discovered that I can't do so without writing a full discourse on my views of religion, so stay posted folks, I'm working on a new post.

For now, I'll leave it at: I am Roman Catholic, a bit of a spiritualist (in the sense of personal prayer, and personalized faith), and I believe in intelligent design. More to come.

ACADEMIA/LIFE
Academia. What a title. I guess here is where I'll post my academic history, my hopes and dreams for the future in school, and all that. I'll be concise. I'm a member of the Fordham University Class of 2011, set to graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry, hopefully with American Chemical Society accreditation. I intend to pursue a Ph.D in organic chemistry somewhere. I just don't know where yet.

When it comes to subjects outside of the classroom, I'm a bit of a Jack of all trades, as my friends will attest. I have a mildly encyclopedic knowledge of music from the 60s through 80s (and if I don't know the answer, I will go out of my way to discover the answer to it). I'm a certified New York state Emergency Medical Technician, recently certified. I study politics (I'll get into that later), as well as philosophy. I may not be the best in some of these fields, but I'll never back down from a good debate on something. Overall, rather than say I'm a brainiac, a nerd, stupid, or weird, I'm just going to say that my interests are me.

POLITICS
When it comes to politics, I indentify myself as a moderately conservative Republican. The more I watch the world's politics, the more I feel like those who run the country either understand sociology or understand politics. I mean there are people who have figured out ways to help people, but they lack the drive to follow their actual goals. Or they have the drive, but not the ability to properly accomplish what they wanted. Politics is fucked up. I stick to my views, I won't force 'em down your throat, unless you open your mouth, and start spouting propaganda bullshit. If you do, be prepared for a shitstorm, the likes of which you'll never wish to endure. So be prepared.

FAMILY
Through these last 21 years, I've developed quite a rapport with my family. Although I may call them crazy, or even not wish to associate with my extended family at times, there's one thing that will always hold true. Family comes first. I'll defend them no matter what, however crazy they may be. And it always will. There are some friends of mine who I consider family, hell closer than family. They know who they are, and I want them to know that I would do anything for them.

Of course, this post has been altered several times over before this final posting, so if this product seems incohesive, that's why. I wasn't going on to rant about something that's been bugging me, or a personal burning passion. Rather, I've been wanting to do something like this for a while: a sort of out of body soul search and a look back at who I am. If I didn't post it on here, I may have just cut it out, or decided I wanted to keep it personal.

On that note, I'll close this out saying, here's a toast to all those who have come along on this 21 year journey. What a long, strange, trip it's been, and here's to the next legs of the journey. To life!

**Please note that the title/theme of this blog was taken from Robert Hunter's lyric in "Truckin' ": "Lately it occurs to me, what a long, strange trip it's been." (taken from the album American Beauty, by the Grateful Dead)