Sorry guys... no posting on Myspace.... Look for me... I am at myspace.com/edwardhamilton or at least I think that is correct... let me know what you think!

I really don't know why I don't do much upkeep on this thing. I used to enjoy writing in here so much and now I just don't have much to say. I read and check up on everyone as part of my morning schedule at work, but I just don't take the time to write about what is going on in my life. Class' aren't fun, I have decided I hate Physics, my Stats professor is very closed minded and I like Digital Systems, just not sure how well I will do in the class. Work is going great, not stressful and the guys are awesome. The little cold snap we had a few days ago kind of got me a little sick, just the sniffles and such, but still, not fun. I will be going home this weekend, taking Donald and Ben with me, will be a crowded Mustang, but at least everyone will get to see their families. I have a couple of friends I want to get a hold of, drop in for a visit but I just don't know what their weekend's hold. Ash may be doing something with the family as they just moved, Dawn looks to be going to a concert, and I will have to leave kind of early on Sunday as I have to take Ben back to UNT which will add about 2 hrs to my 6hr drive. Friday will be a long day as I work from 8-1, have a lab that starts at 3:30, no idea how long it will last, and then from there I drive home.... Probably get in pretty late Friday night. Well, take care... Aaron

School, School, School…. School is just kind of there. Next Tuesday I have two exams, physics and digital systems. I am really enjoying my digital systems class as well as my probability class. I am enjoying my time with friends, think Tracy is a bit upset because I am spending a lot of time with friends but really, I need free time to just hang out. For a while there all I did was spend time with Tracy and now I need more time with my own group of friends, not always having her around. We are doing good now, I have time with her and time for myself and it seems to be working out great, well, for me at least. Work is going great, my boss planned a big party at his house this coming weekend for some big game on. Tracy and I will be going, free food and drinks,… I have to be there! I also heard back from my ex boss about a big poker party he is having a week from Saturday. He wants me to “bartend” for him. I will be giving out beer and maybe a few bourbon and cokes or something of that sort… not much to it and he is paying me $60 and thinks I can get some tips as well… not a bad way to spend a Saturday night…. Want to move this summer, thinking about my senior year and how I would like to be around friends more. I would like to be in a 2 bedroom apt off campus but my friends don’t have cars so it might be possible to move in with Jeff and Bo and get a 3 bedroom apt. Rent would be lower as well as splitting utilities…. Would help me out a lot! Well, studying and the like this weekend, have a great one! Aaron

I hate that I don't update like I used to, but things are so very busy around here! My laptop is in the shop getting some little things done to it before the warranty runs out so I really don't have the time to do much with the loner I got from work. The laptop I am on right now will only run for 30 mins before it overheats and I have to shut it down to let it cool off. Sorry I haven't gotten online much and I sure haven't updated, I will try to do better! The guys at work want me to get a cheap set of golf clubs so I can learn to golf with them, if you happen to know of a set that I can pick up for next to nothing, please let me know, I don't really have money to throw around, but this could be fun! Donald got a job; he will be working as a student manager in the student union. He has no idea exactly what he will be doing, but is glad to start out at $8.50 an hour. Work is going well; school starts on the 18 of this month so I guess it is about time to find books!!!! Hope everyone is doing well, take care! Aaron

I didn't end up making it home this past weekend because the parents said the weather was pretty bad and there is a lot of drama going on at home. My family was staying out at the lake and the trailer leaked in two locations (one of which is from the skylight dad replaced... go figure). We also have a dog that is nearly 13 that has diabetes which requires two insulin shots a day. Well the dog was sick and making a mess all over the place so with that and the leaking trailer in the constant rain out at a lake where you can't even sit outside to visit, they decided it wouldn't be a good weekend to visit. My aunt Debbie is going though some rough stuff right now; she has some kind of spinal cancer. A few months ago she went in because she was having a lot of back pain and they found some spots. She said they actually told her it was the slowest progressing cancer that was the most treatable she could have gotten and that they had high hopes; hopes so high that they didn't even cancel their trip to Colorado for the 4th of July. Well, while in Colorado she had to go to the emergency room because the pain got so bad and also was sick to her stomach every day they were gone. The week she got back from Colorado they went to Houston to get information and treatment for it. The doctors are now saying that the tumors on her spine doubled in size and that if she had waited another week, they could have created so much pressure that she would have been paralyzed. She started chemo. She was told that all she would have to do is a week of chemo and then wait a while as the chemo was going to shrink the tumors; the tumors didn't shrink. The next step was going to be 10 days of radiation however they then decided that the tumors were too large and too close to major nerves that they couldn't do radiation. She is now on a cocktail of 3 different kinds of chemo waiting for a head specialist to see her today, Monday. Debbie and I aren't super close but we are a lot closer than I really realized. I didn't think this would bother me, I mean, I never went to their house except to fix their computer, the family seemed to not really do a lot with theirs and I don't know, they just always seemed distant..... But I feel it now, that connection, that despair knowing that she is in pain. Her cancer is painful, almost debilitating and then chemo takes everything from you, all your energy. It just looks like she is headed for the worst and I hope it turns around. Please help me in praying for her health and her family as I know they need it during this time. A friend of mine seems to be having a rough time right now, some people problems. I don't know exactly how she takes me as it has been a while since we have been close, but when we were close it was really close and I just hate to think of such a wonderful person going through such tough times. She seems to doubt that good people still exist in this world; I know what she means at times I guess, I mean sometimes it seems like your world come crashing down, but I want to urge her to look toward the future. You never know what is just around the corner and never know who will fall in love with you at a glance. She has so very much to look forward to, so many beautiful things in her life and such a vast array of friends that she can't possibly think the good people she once saw don't exist any longer. I want to reach out and tell her I am still here, that I care for her yet all I do is write about her hoping that she reads this and understands. I said I would care about her forever and I won't take that back, she is a great person and sometimes forever isn't even enough when it comes to friendship. I just want everyone to know, to think about this for a second, think about someone they love that they haven't talked to recently, someone they care about that might have gotten a bit distant in the past few months or years. I want you to understand that it is always a good idea to hold those people close, those friends that you can't afford to lose, the ones that might have once driven you crazy, the one that might not be around forever. You know the person in your life that I am talking about, let them know you love them, let them know you are thinking about them. Life isn't forever, not every day is given to each and every one of us. My aunt might not see another year, any of us could be in the same boat, I guess I want.... I guess I want to tell her I am sorry for being so self absorbed that I couldn't have spent more time with her previously, that I had never had negative feelings toward her and that I care for her and I hope she gets better.... I can't be there for her now, I am so far away but through my family she knows I care. Don't let it wait, don't let it get away from you, let the ones you love know you love them for you never know when tomorrow won't come. "Last night I had a crazy dream, a wish was granted just for me, It could be for anything. I didn't ask for money or a mansion in Malibu, I simply wished for one more day with you." Sometimes we don't get what we wish for, so make the best of every day given, don't take that friendship for granted. Aaron

Ok, another look into my exciting life.... We won’t dive into the little things because the big things are REALLY big! Ok, so I work for an insurance company, Great American Insurance, here in Richardson. The headquarters is in Cincinnati and we are just a branch. At this job I am the help desk guy doing basic computer repair and software trouble shooting... I love my job! Ok, so to sit here and do what I actually enjoy doing, I make $10 an hour but only get 20 hrs a week.... anyhow, here comes the big news... I work with 2 guys, Andrew and Tom, and have a boss named Chuck. A few months ago Chuck was asked to be an expert witness for a big case against Microsoft. Chuck has written 8 security books and has several (like 3) Masters Degrees. Ok, so Chuck asked our divisional president if he could take this expert witness thing on the side and the president said sure, no biggie.... well, he thought it was just going to be a temporary thing, and has been working like 10 hrs a week or so on the side for this group of lawyers doing this thing. He makes $200 an hour doing this expert witness gig and in the past few months has already made $100,000 just on the lawyer thing. The lawyer group said they are really liking his work but their only problem is that he isn't giving them enough time, the case goes to trial in 45 days and they want him on it like full time.... said they would guarantee him $135,000 for his work over the next 45 days!!!! He couldn't pass this deal up as that would mean that in 4-5 months he would make 2 years worth of his pay at Great American. He went to the president and asked if there were some way of taking a leave of absence or something as he didn't think the lawyer job would last very long and he wanted something to come back to, something steady. She said they don't really do that for a management position and said she would see what she could do. She came back to him last Friday and said he had a leave till October and he was excited... could have his cake and eat it too!!! Well, Friday evening when he got home he found that he already had 3 other cases in which people wanted him to expert witness.... most going rates on expert witness are from $300 to $500 an hour.... Long story short, Chuck resigned. Chuck is now on a cruse and will be back on Monday, his last day is the following Friday at which time Andrew, the guy I work with, will become my new boss. Andrew is AWESOME and has already set me up with 29 hrs a week instead of simply 20.(there isn't a budget for me to go full time and part time ends at 30 hrs) So, Andrew got a promotion to management and Tom got a consolation prize of a monetary promotion and I get more hours... All is well! I am going home this weekend, spending some time at the lake with my family. Tracy is coming with me so that will be fun. I might be able to say hi to some old friends, hope to see Ash and the baby.... Not sure exactly what we will be doing but it really isn't much of a trip as I have to be back to work on Monday morning so really only Saturday and Sunday morning, not much time on Friday night. Well, hope all are doing well and sorry for having not updated more recently!!! I will try to keep up with it a little better... Take care! Oh, and Chuck is giving me his LEATHER couch on the 23 so that makes me happy.... how could I say no to a basically new black leather couch!!!! Aaron

Ok, so I don't really save much money from each paycheck. I think I just like to do more fun things than my budget allows and I can't really that middle ground where I can do what I want to do and still save money so still working on that. Well, on Friday Tracy, Donald, Josh and I went to a water park. We spent quite a few hours there and I didn't even get burned!!! Saturday morning Tracy left for Lago as it is her birthday today (Sunday) and she is spending it with her family. She actually has the entire week off and will be home with her family till Thursday. About half an hour after we said goodbye the cable guy showed up... I now have cable to watch!!! Anyhow, Saturday night a group of us went to see System Overload, a local band we are friends with. It was their CD release at the Hard Rock cafe in Dallas. It was an awesome concert and we got out around 12:30.... well, we went to the cars and they weren't there... apparently we were parked in a parking lot that wasn't open for parking yet not blocked off.... after a while we saw the sign saying all cars would be towed and called the company and found out where it was. The place was about a 20 min drive from where we were and we had to take some form of transportation and flagged down a taxi. There were a total of 8 of us that were in 3 cars that had all been towed, all of us were UTD students. The taxi said it would cost $37 to take us and then a limo pulled up and said he would take us for $40... so we took a limo to get our cars out of the towing yard. When we got to the place we found that it costs $142 to get each car out and we had to pay cash, no credit or anything else was accepted. So, now I am pretty broke as I was not planning on spending that kind of money for a stupid mistake, but such is life! So, saving for now..... Hope everyone else had a better night than I! Take care, Aaron

Ok, so I have been told to write about work and the woman.... well, they are both work;) So here it goes!!! Work is awesome, I have been pretty busy doing all the little things, fixing a printer, installing software, setting up workstations for new employees and burning cd's. See, they have this program they do in Vegas every year and they are trying to get a bigger showing so we are burning a short video of what all goes on in Vegas and distributing it to all the branches across the nation. So far, in 2 weeks I have burned over 550 of these stupid cd's and labeled them as well as packaged them to be sent out. Now, it isn't hard and as long as they want to pay me $10 an hour to sit there and burn cd's I am fine with it but it does get boring to just sit there and do the same thing all day long. My first check was over a week and a half late, got lost in the mail and had to have another one issued to me. My second check was direct deposited to me but there was a mix up in that I didn't get paid for Memorial day even though it was a closed holiday for the company and everyone gets paid for their shift.... someone is looking into that for me so all is good. Now, work can't be all good, here is the little bit of stress I am going through. I work with two guys, both older than I doing programming instead of the computer repair junk that I do. Well, here is what is going on with them. Andrew, the guy that hired me, is on his honey moon with his wife for till the 20th (out an entire week) and Tom, the other guy, is expecting his wife to have their baby early next week and then he will be out. Well, when they are out they want me to keep the ship running. Doesn't sound so bad until you realize that I don't know any of what they do. They program and while I have done programming in my life, they are writing in several different languages that I haven't ever looked at. They are working on programs that if I screw up could take out our entire division until someone gets them up and running. I also have to deal with direct calls from potential clients checking on the status of their online submissions for forms trying to become insured. In short, my life will be crazy... They tried to help me in that I got a 2 hour crash course in both positions yet they have been working there 5 years doing what they do and I got it all in 2 hrs! There is a supervisor, the head guy in charge of technology but he doesn't really like to be bothered so I hope he understands that I will be giving most of the programming stuff to him! Ok, now on to the woman, we are good yet have our moments. She works for Foley's and doesn't make a lot of money, doesn't enjoy the job and comes home with a lot of stress. It isn't that she takes any of it out on me, just that she wants to talk it all out with me. This I understand and it doesn't bother me one bit to talk it all out. The thing that gets to me is that for quite some time now, money has been a big issue for her, not being able to make rent, pay for food, gas, whatever because she isn't paid much. Well, she is still in the same boat but I guess doing a little better through help from her family. Well, we go out every now and then, looks like at least 2 times a week now, to a movie or dinner or both and I always buy... It isn't as if I am in any kind of financial trouble now with the job, but it doesn't feel good to ALWAYS buy. I know in the past I wouldn't ever let the woman pay, but it was more of a want for her to offer than to actually do it. Well, her is the entire story, she was flat broke for my Christmas and not really interested in me, I got her a present but she got me nothing... then jump to my birthday, we had been together for four months and she still didn't do anything for the bday, no card, no present, no dinner out, nothing.... well, she made a cake and that was sweet... Now we go out all the time and it is always on my tab, once I had them split the bill and it created a huge argument between us (the splitting the bill was before I got a job). Ok, so this is how it all gets to me... last night I heard again about the money problems and we decided to go to eat and see a movie. I had no problem doing this as I wanted to go out and see this movie but once we got to the theater, after hearing about her limited funds, which if she has any money at all it needs to pay off her credit card, she goes and buys $4 scoop of ice cream. Ok, I know I am over reacting, but it pissed me off that she has NO money and she still spends it on stupid things, I just want her to show a little self control and not spend everything, money she doesn't have, on stupid things. Ok, outside of all that junk, we are great. She makes me smile all the time! She will be going home for an entire week for her B-Day and I am not sure if I will visit her at home or just wait for her to come back up to Dallas. I think the time apart might help us, but then again, it will be strange to be away from her for so long..... Oh well, things are going good....what more can I ask for.... Take Care, Aaron

The best part of the day is waking up and knowing that I have something to do. I enjoy work and I actually get there early and stay late while not claiming it on my time just because I don't have anything else to do. Some of us seem to be caught in a job that isn't where we see ourselves; mixed up in the politics of shitty management having to deal with customers that assume they are the only important person you will ever meet. There are certain things in life that you can't get around, you have to eat, you have to sleep and you can't seem to get away from love. Once you find it you seem to be captured by it. You know love when it hits you and you will never forget the warmth even if it leaves you. Some things in life are free and one might argue that love, the true down to earth love we all search for, is free but it really isn't. It may be in the sense that you don't purchase it and you can't ever ask for a refund if you aren't satisfied with its outcome but you pay for it in the end with your heart. You get all the good memories and you are allowed to hold on to them forever yet you are never allowed the chance to out run your mistakes. Sure we all learn from the mistakes we make but shouldn't we be able to resolve the mistakes before they tear us apart and away from the ones we love? I have made my fare share of mistakes and will be the first to note that the taste of my foot isn't always so great as I pull it from my mouth after each stupid and petty thing I say. The greatest ability man has is the ability to think before he speaks yet the single aspect of a man that can lead to his downfall is the inability to actually take the time to think. I have loved and lost and know what love is; I have found someone that makes me happy and I will remain happy while in this state of love. She smiles when she sees me and enjoys the time we spend together. It seems that we as humans seem to crash together and stick in that state just long enough to drive us apart; some make it a bit longer than others, some make it forever. I think it is simply the crash, the idea of emotions and thoughts, bodies and minds colliding that keep us going back for more of this "love" that we seek. I don't understand why we struggle to obtain this state of euphoria that love seems to impose while knowing that it might not last forever yet the crash into love seems to be worth it. "The streets were wet and the gate was locked so I jumped it, and I let you in. And you stood at your door with your hands on my waist and you kissed me like you meant it. And I knew that you meant it..." "In your eyes, love, it glows so I’m bare boned and crazy for you When you come crash Into me, baby And I come into you" Crash into me.... Aaron

... not much unlike any other day. Well, then again it is a day unlike most others in that I am taking defensive driving. That sucks. It isn't that it is hard or long but that it is so stupid. Yesterday I got through half of the program, so just 3 more hours to go! So, I thought my DVD burner went out as I couldn't burn anything at all on the brand new disks my mother bought me. 100 new disks and not a one would work... I reformated my computer to make sure it wasn't a software problem and still no luck. I then pulled out an old DVD-r so as to see if it was just the disks and the old one worked fine! I was so pissed as there went 100 dvd's and all the money spent on them just to find out they don't work... Anyhow, I complained to Donald about it and he thought it was stupid that they didn't work and it was a long discussion of sorts and at midnight I kicked him out. On his way back home he called me and said he was standing at the dumpster by my building where he had found what looked to be 2 more 100 count dvd's the same as mine, asked if I wanted him to pick them up for me as none of them had been used. I told him to get them because if we couldn't get them to work we could always sell them on ebay. yesterday I went to his apartment and looked at them and they were both just a little different than the ones I had, I tested them and they work!!! I now have 200 dvd's that can be burned on... now if you don't know, I had been pricing the 100 sets and they were running on average at about $75 pluse shipping.... so I just got a great deal! So now I get to waste my time burning dvd's and all that fun stuff! The job is going great, the guys are great and my position was supposed to last only 6 months as a test run, well they have decided they like me quite a lot and have already told me they want me to start at 30 hours a week in January! I really lucked into this job. Take care and leave a comment;) Aaron

Ok, so my life has been pretty stressful as of recently. The last time I wrote I was going to work at UPS and it was still around Finals week. Well, finals weren't the best, here are the final letter grades for my classes. Music was an A-, Physics was a B-, Physics Lab was an A, Politics was an A-, and Differential Equations was a C+. Now, that C+ looks pretty bad but I wasn't expecting to pass the class and with that C+ I was able to get a semester GPA of a 3.096 which allows me to keep UTD's scholarship for next Fall. The down side is that my cumulative GPA needed to be a 3.0 to keep my outside scholarship and since I had dropped below the 3.0 the previous 2 semesters (slightly at best) my cumulative GPA is now a 2.994!!!! I can't freaking believe how close that is and it gets me nothing! Ok, so done with school for the summer...... Ok, now UPS: I started on the second of May, this past week has been all about training. We learn how to do our particular job, how to use the equipment, how to lift without hurting ourselves and how to handle packages and such. Well, each day we also spend time out actually doing our particular job in what is known as the HUB. The HUB has all the belts and trucks dropping off packages and such, just a big warehouse with lots of noisy equipment and no air conditioning. Here is where I feel I luck out to some extent. I was placed on the Primary Sort. My job means I take the packages off the main belt just as the unloaders are sticking them on the belt from the other side. When I take a package I decide which belt it then needs to be placed on based upon its state and zip code. This job is not as hot as the job of loading the trucks. The down side is I have to know the first 3 numbers of every zip code across the US so that I know which belt the packages are to go on and when we get to Texas, I have to know every zip code in north Texas because they freaking all go to a different location than the package before!!!! I don't understand how it all works or where all the packages are going, but I know that the job doesn't seem that bad, I am always busy so I don't have time to think about the heat or getting tired. Now, on the morning of my first day at UPS I got a call from the insurance company I applied with nearly a month ago. At the time I applied I was told that the company would contact me within the week. Anyhow, she wanted me to come in for a formal interview in which I could actually sign all the release forms for drug testing and background checks and such. Well, yesterday morning I got the call back from her that they want me to work for them if I am still interested. I took the job and plan on working mornings to mid afternoon at the insurance company fixing computer equipment or printers or any job the feel I should do, making $10 an hour and around 20 hrs a week, and then working 5:30 to 9:30 at UPS making $8.50 an hour (until I pass my test over the zip codes were I get a dollar raise) giving me around another 20 hrs of work. Now, if I can hold them both at the end of the summer I am quitting UPS and continuing on with the insurance company as the job is better suited to my degree and would be a better mix for taking classes again. Well, that is my life for now, work.... work.... work... Ok, so I better go study my zip codes some more.... if you only knew how many zip codes there were across the US!!! ~Aaron

Well, you know that feeling when you loved someone and then they find someone new.... I mean, it doesn't even matter if you have moved on or not, there will always be that feeling of uncertainty or something.... you know what I mean? Well, here is how it goes: As of right now I am in love with a woman. She is my everything and she makes me so happy on a daily basis that I don't know exactly what took me so long to find her. We were friends for quite some time before we started dating, in fact, I was with 2 different women, in 2 very serious relationships during this period in which me and my new love were friends. Well, shortly after me and her got together, my most recent ex found someone new. I didn't really care to know much about him as I knew in my head he wouldn't be good enough.... she, despite all the bad things that happened between us, is a wonderful person. We had fights, but we loved each other... or so I think.... Anyhow, no one would ever have been good enough for her; I was wrong. I still don't know this guy, but he seems great. He makes her happy, he can still make her mad but I had experience with that and know it couldn't have been his fault;), and they just seem to be so happy with each other. He has the means to take care of her should need be. He doesn't push her to do things she doesn't want and everything seems to be going well for them. He may hate me, he might not be able to stand me based upon stories he has heard from her, and I know that a meeting with him would be all around strange... yet in itself, he seems like a guy I strive to be. Now, in saying all this I want you all to know that I do not know him personally... I only know what he is like through her and through different things I have read of him.... but still, what a cool guy. I am very glad she finally found a winner! ;) Ok, so as of today I reworked my entire schedule for next semester as I found I might want to work for UPS. It sounds so stupid at first, why would I want to do a job moving packages around a warehouse and putting them on a truck... but once you hear the details it all becomes clear. Ok, so about the schedule, I had one created that left all morning through 4pm free on most days so as to have a large block of time open for working at an office type job. I searched for a technology position, tech support, computer repair, data entry, help desk... you get the idea. I had two interviews and nothing panned out. Well, I checked UPS and found that they have some attractive ideas for college students. Here is the rundown... UPS starts you out at $9 an hour working roughly 20 hrs a week, as a student you can qualify for up to $1,500 a semester in tuition reimbursement, and you can also qualify for $8,000 in loans from UPS, loans they will forgive if you meet certain requirements in the future (probably gpa and other educational requirements). So, you see, the deal is getting sweeter... well, they only list 3 shifts, one from 3am to 8am M-F, one from 10:30pm to 3:30am Sunday-Thursday, and then one from 5:30pm to 10:30pm M-F.... I wanted to work the last shift listed as it isn't in the am hours of the day... the down side was that my schedule I had created for school basically started my school day off at 5pm! I had to lose one class as it could not be placed anyplace else and add another class in its place. I now have a working schedule that can accommodate evening shifts and register on Monday. I registered online with UPS in the Dallas area and actually already have an interview with them on Monday... it was nearly instant as I just registered with them online on Saturday... interview on Monday.... YEAH!!! So, that looks good and the extra cash sure would help out. Finals are coming up.... April 26 is my first final... a friend from El Paso is coming to visit this next weekend so we might be doing something then, but nothing toooo big as it runs us into finals week.... As of right now, things are looking pretty good. Take care and sweet dreams as right now it is 5:30am and I can't seem to get to sleep. I have so much I need to get done tomorrow; I should have been in bed half a day ago! Love you all! Aaron

Well, I got a lot of phone calls and messages from so many people that love me! I want to again thank all that remembered my bday and helped to make it a special one. Jeff and Bo were cool with the drinking thing as they didn't force me to do anything and allowed me to try different drinks if I wished. I bought my own green apple twisted Smirnoff and had another watermelon one of Bo's, that was really all I had all night. I had a sip of vodka with orange juice and a sip of Shiner beer yet that was so nasty I don't think I will ever have beer again! Anyhow, it is about 12:30 and I have been up most of today going on very little sleep from last night so I think I will be heading to bed. All in all it was a great bday! Aaron

Ok, so first off, tomorrow is my birthday, the big 21. As of now, nothing feels different, but I think that will change when I buy my first drink, and well, if it doesn't change then, I know it will change when I drink my first drink. I feel really great about myself in that I have never had a drink. Not only did I make it through high school having a great time without alcohol, but I have made it through nearly the first 2 years of college without having a single sip. Now, to my family this would probably not seem like a strange thing as no one in my family really drinks, but in this whole college arena, I seem to stand out pretty well. My close friends don't really drink, some might drink a little, but never around me. I think it is cool that my friends respect my request to keep the alcohol out of my apartment and away from me. I know that tomorrow I will be able to purchase alcohol and drink at any point, but I really don't see myself drinking much. Alli has already said she wanted to get me drunk as it is a right of passage for the big 21 but I told her I didn't think that would happen. I really don't think I will mind sipping on something but as for taking shots, or drinking anything that is intended to get me drunk, that won't happen. I will be looking for something that tastes good, not looking for that buzz or light-headed feeling. I think my choice beverage will still be Dr. Pepper or Mt. Dew. Alcohol will always take a back seat. Well, I will keep you updated on all the wonderful birthday stuff! Aaron

Well, I got the laptop fixed and I signed up on thefacebook.com. This is a pretty cool site where it allows you to "network" with friends around the world. It allows you to search via your college and your high school so you can keep up with all your friends. It is really cool and if you haven't checked it out, you might should. Everything is going great and nearly 21, the big day will be on Tuesday. That will be fun, maybe.... Well, off to bigger and better things! Aaron

There are so many things going on as the semester is winding down that I don't really know where to start. Let's start of with the thing that is bothering me the most.... my laptop. Okay, so here is the background information. We bought the laptop from CompUSA and at the same time, purchased a $400 3 year warranty. This warranty is to cover everything from the battery to replacing the screen. Well, I have had the battery replaced and apparently the motherboard as the sound card went out, not quite sure if they were able to get the part in for that or just replaced it all. Ok, well now there is a new problem with this $1500 Toshiba Laptop... the Hinges went out. Now, anyone that works with a laptop knows that the screen is really only visible at a particular angle and thus this poses a major problem. I went in and had CompUSA order the parts and they said no problem. Well, the next day the lid fell shut as there is no tension in the hinge system to keep it open. When the lid fell shut it broke the latch off that holds the lid closed when the laptop is closed for transport or something of the like. Well, I called CompUSA to see if they could just order the latch and install it at the same time as the hinges. This is where I start to get the runaround. I was told that this latch was a cosmetic aspect of the laptop and thus would not be covered by the warranty. Above that, they said the part could not be ordered even if I wanted to purchase it and have them install it. Well, I got frustrated and called Toshiba, found a parts dealer that sells factory direct parts, got the part number of the latch and took it to CompUSA. Upon getting this information, their story changes and the $5 part can now be ordered and installed free of charge... The hinges are on back order though. Okay, so it has been 2 weeks now and they got one hinge in early on this week however can't get the second one in. It is such a big, stupid problem that I am about done with CompUSA. As of now, I have a string tied in a loop that I slip around the laptop and then when I open the lid, it holds the lid in the right position for viewing. This looks rather stupid but it allows me to use the computer so it is all good. I think the parts are to be in by tomorrow, but with the way it is all going, who knows. So, that is about all that is really bothering me with the computer, classes are hard as usual, Differential Equations is really killing me. I am hoping to simply come out of the class with a C at this point. My Physics Lab is now over, that is nice, Physics class isn't going bad, but I can't say it is good. I hope I did well on my last test, so far the grades have been in the C+, B- range. Politics is currently at a B- and the final is structured to replace the lowest grade if higher and thus my grade can only go up from there. I had one test grade of 62 in there so as long as I do better than the 62, my grade will go up. Music is kind of up in the air. I should do fine but not sure if it is going to be the A I was counting on. Some of this theory is getting a bit hard to remember while dealing with so many other tough classes. I am excited that classes are winding down and soon to end. I am looking for a job so hope something works out soon! On a good note, my 21st birthday is coming up soon, April 12. No big parties or heavy drinking as I am still in school and besides that, I am not really into the drinking mindset. I feel I have gone 21 years of my life having a great time most every day without alcohol so why should I start now? Oh well, off for now, will let you know when something new goes on in my life. Aaron

Man, I seem to lose track of time on here, nearly forever since I last posted! There is a lot to say, I suppose, but I just don't have the time to do so. I have had 2 tests since I last posted, got one test from before Spring Break back and done so much since the previous post, I don't know where to start! Well, the test I got back was Differential Equations, and it was better than I thought, but still not good enough for me to post. The first test I took this week was for music, it was a little more challenging than I thought it would be, who knows how that went. I then took a Politics test and I feel pretty confident about that, but with this professor, who knows what the grades will be like! Tracy and I are good and everything seems to be going well. I am now looking for a job, I have put out at least 4 resumes and hope to get some feedback. I have an application filled out for CompUSA and plan on taking that back in today, I wouldn't mind working there, the service department could sure use someone who knew what they were doing;). Looking forward to this weekend simply because it means a break from class, not going home for Easter as gas prices are a bit to high for yet another trip home, not to mention the prices for speeding tickets like the one I got on my way back to Dallas ending Spring Break. Oh, yeah, that means I have to take Defensive Driving again which SUCKS! It does however cut the price of the ticket in half by taking the course and keeps it off my record so that is nice. Well, about out of things on my mind, I will post again when I think of more to say! Aaron

Okay, the rundown: Traveling back in time we come to Friday, March 4. This officially started my Spring Break as I don't have any Friday classes. I took Tracy out to see a movie, The Pacifier. That was a cute, funny movie and we had a great time together. We haven't really had much time alone lately and I think it is kind of starting to get between us. I love Tracy and I want us both to be happy yet we are having some very stupid arguments. The good thing is we can always get over them in under an hour, nothing extremely bad or overwhelming, but it is kind of weighing on my mind. I think the biggest thing is that I am afraid of losing her, she means so very much to me. She is a one of a kind woman, the best in quiet some time! Anyhow, Spring Break was starting! Inching forward to Saturday, March 5. I don't believe I did much on Saturday, it was just another day I do believe. I think I might have started helping Tracy clean her apartment, maybe not quite yet, but nothing big on Saturday. Next in line was Sunday, the 6th. Again, not an expressly eventful day. It was rather nice to not have to worry about Physics homework due, or reading assignments or anything else due to school. I know that Sunday was spent cleaning Tracy's apartment as I remember taking out the trash and all that fun stuff. Folding lots and lots of laundry.(do women really wear like twice as much clothing as men, or do they just feel the need to collect it?!?!?!) Now, Monday started things off. I decided that since I wanted to see Tracy after she got off work, I would get her key from her and go finish off her cleaning, do the rest of her laundry and such so that she didn't have to worry about any of that after work. I spent nearly 3 hrs doing the rest of the stuff. I did 2 loads of laundry, I made the bed, I vacuumed, I rearranged the living room, I cleaned the kitchen, did the dishes, as well as sweeping the bathroom. It was a sweet thing to do, I think, and I did it cause I wanted to spend as much time as I could with Tracy without her having to worry about getting her apartment clean. See, the mad dash to clean the apartment was because her friends were coming over on Tuesday to do a class project and needed a place to sit, or at least a path on the floor to walk on! Anyhow, got it all done and I think I did a good job at cleaning, it seemed a lot better. Oh, I also took Tracy with me when I drove Josh and his female friend to her flying lesson. That gave us a little over an hour driving around with each other. I enjoyed spending the alone time with her. Tuesday was the source of an argument between me and Tracy as she stayed at home to do her group thing and Josh, Donald, and I went back to the lake for a day of hiking and such. My argument was that I wanted her to be with me, yet since she had made plans, I wanted to do something other than just sit in my apartment. Her side was that she wanted to be with me at the lake instead of doing school work, yet couldn't bring herself to bail on her friends. I respect her for that, yet was still sad she didn't get to go with us. We had a blast at the lake! We hiked, walked trails, did it all. We took lots of pictures and really enjoyed ourselves. I got to see Tracy for a bit and had a really great time with her. We discussed our problems with not really getting to see each other much on the week off from school and I understand all that is going on. It really helped to talk with her and figure things out. Oh, and note... I think I found some Poison Ivy at the lake, it isn't bad, but it is really bugging me. I have some on my forehead, behind my ears and a little on my nose and cheek. Wednesday held nothing special, about the biggest thing was my showing up to surprise Tracy as she was walking out to her car at 10 pm after work. I had a rose and a smile on my face. It really seemed to light up her face and I just love seeing her smile. We were together till about 2 when she left and I got to bed around 3 when Josh and Donald went home. Thursday was sure to be a long day and sleep was well needed. Thursday at about 11:30, Donald and I loaded up in my car and headed out of town with Tracy hot on our heals as we were heading to Houston for the Rascal Flatts concert. We made it to Houston around 4:30 and met up with her Great Grandmother. We got lost and then found our way back to the stadium for a great evening. Tracy is very afraid of heights which wasn't great as we were in the top section of Reliant Stadium. After a while she got accustom to the height and all was well. We watched the rodeo and the concert. It was a lot of fun. We got out of the parking lot about 10 till midnight and had a bit of a drive home. Tracy followed me once we got to Sugar Land as we were in my part of Texas, not her Austin area. We made it to Edna about 1:30, got something to eat at Whataburger. I dropped Donald off as he was really tired and took Tracy back to my home. We ate and watched a little TV and then it was bedtime. She slept in my room and I got the couch. All was good until she woke me up at 8:30 cause she was awake and thought I should be as well! And that leads into today, the 11th. I drove Tracy around town and showed her all I could think of. The lake, old homes, the city park, friends’ homes, the schools, everything I could think of and it still took less than an hour! We then ate lunch with my parents, grandparents and sister. Everyone really likes Tracy and they all tell me she is a sweet girl. I had to say goodbye to her at 3 so she could drive her home in Austin. She made it safe and I am thinking about stopping by to see her as I head back to Dallas on Sunday. I took a nap and watched a movie with my family. I hope to see Ashley and her family, JD and the baby, tomorrow. I have to call and see what they are doing. As for now, I think sleep is the plan. It is about 20 after midnight and I am very tired. Seems like I have done nothing but go, go, go the past week and it was supposed to be a spring BREAK! Anyhow, that was my week so far! Take care everyone, and Tracy, I love ya! Aaron

Man, didn't realize it had been so long since I last posted. Sorry to all the avid readers... Anyhow, I guess I have just been rather busy as all the professors seem to think that they should pile up the work just before Spring Break, tests and homework alike. Well, that was last week... today was my first day of freedom, yes Spring Break is upon us at UTD. Well, I had a Politics test, got it back and got an 85 on it. That makes me happy. Took a Physics test, no idea what that one is like... yuck, Physics! After Spring Break I have a Differential Equations test and an Fundamentals of Music test. Lots of fun. Today, as it is about 3 am, I will be taking Josh and Donald back to that lake we went to before. It should be a fun day. Tracy is doing some kind of group thing with some of her friends, disguised as a class project in order to get them all together, then watching movies the rest of the afternoon. I really wish she was going with me, that would just make it all that much better. See, she has to work most of spring break, so Tuesday was really her only day off and she is spending it away from me, that kind of sucks, but such is life. Anyhow, as I said, it is late and we are leaving for the lake at 10, so not much time for sleep.... Love you all, take care! Aaron

Wow, so it has been a long time since I have updated! I have been so busy with school and friends that I haven't had the time to get on here. Okay, so Sunday we did our little trip to Lake Texoma. It was so very beautiful. We got to the lake and made some food, burgers, hotdogs, and Donald made some ribs. Everything was good and we all had a great time talking with each other. After eating we decided to go walking. Upon making our way to the beach, we found that there was a lot of hiking trails, climbing up rocks and all, and we spent a few hours climbing and taking pictures and all that fun stuff. Donald has some of the pictures of us up on his website and at the end of this entry I will post the link and everyone should look at them! So, after we were done hiking we decided to go for a little road trip. We were that close to Oklahoma and none of us had been to Oklahoma, so why not go? Well, we drove into Oklahoma and decided to just drive for a while so as to see what it was like a little deeper into the state. After a little while and some talking and such, we decided to stop and get an atlas. After looking at everything, we made the decision to drive to Arkansas just for the hell of it. We took pictures at the Oklahoma/Arkansas state line, it was getting kind of dark and stupid me forgot to turn the flash off. Well, those signs are extremely reflective and so, all that came out in the pictures was the signs themselves. So, just know that we were there, with the signs, yet we can't be seen so the picture was edited and just the signs now appear. After leaving Arkansas, and Oklahoma, and heading back through Texas, we decided to stop at a friends place in Greenville. Andrew was very excited to see us and couldn't wait to tell us all about his band and their great progress. If you get a chance, check them out at Systemoverloadmusic.com. On their site you can click on music and then download 3 of their mp3's they have been working on. Anyhow, after that stop we headed back to Richardson where I helped Donald clean up his apartment. We were cleaning because his grandmother was coming and the apartment was a mess. I did the dishes almost all of which had been sitting in the sink, submerged by water for almost 2 months. It was bad, the smell, the feel of the algae growing on the dishes... just yuck. So after spending an hour washing dishes, I got to go home and sleep! Then I had a regular week of classes, had a lot of Physics homework to do by its due date on Wednesday. I also had a Politics test on Wednesday so that came first. I think I did well on the Politics test, but we will see when the scores come back. Now, on to this weekend, haven't really done much yet. Have a lot of Physics homework looming over my head, 2 chapters due by Monday night. Have to do as much as I can today and tomorrow as I will need to spend Monday’s study sessions working on problems that I can't understand and getting help on examples so as to do well on the Thursday test. That is right, a freaking Physics test on Thursday... but then again, Friday starts my Spring Break as I don't have any Friday classes! Nothing definite for Spring break other than heading down to Edna on Thursday March 10, stopping in Houston to see Rascal Flatts at the Houston Livestock Show. I can't wait for that, Tracy will be with me and it could stand to be a fun time. I will spend that weekend with my family, but have to head back to Richardson early that Sunday as I have a meeting with my advisor early on Monday morning. Well, enough for now, sorry I haven't updated in a while, will try to do better, so long as I don't spend the rest of my life working on Physics! http://www.utdallas.edu/~dlp033000/lake/lake.html Check out our pics at the lake. If you want to look at the rest of his site, go here: http://www.utdallas.edu/~dlp033000/new/index.html He has a lot of new movies and such, things he does in his free time... He is doing some pretty cool things!