Author: James Hogan

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Being back in Tampa is great. Even though it’s so weird not being able to see most of my friends on a daily basis now. I love eating my mom’s food again and being able to lounge around at home. So wonderful after always being stressed in classes, just to relax and be with my family, not a care in the world…

Saw Spiderman 3 tonight with Chris and Dream – was definitely a fun movie, although it was all over the place. Three villains, crazy plot..but I liked it for the popcorn flick it was.

I sort of want to write a poem or something, but I currently lack the inspiration. Ah well, maybe another night.

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SCHOOL’S OUT!!

Finally, my last exam of my last class is over. Math stats exam was at 7:30 this morning – I feel absolutely wiped out right now. I’m not even going to say how late I was up last night studying. Before the exam, I got two large cups of coffee and went in and dominated. I think. We’ll see in a few days, but either the test was easier than I thought it would be or I just remembered more than I thought I would. But for the grace of God…

I was so happy when the exam was over…no more school for the summer! I was singing and praising God…here’s the song I was singing:

Ah Lord God, Thou hast made the heavens
And the earth by Thy great power
Ah Lord God, Thou hast made the heavens
And the earth by Thine outstretched arm.

Nothing is too difficult for Thee
Nothing is too difficult for Thee
Great and mighty God
Great in counsel and mighty in deed

Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing
Nothing is too difficult for Thee

So glad all my classes are done…as I’m sure all of my readers can tell. I think my grades turned out ok – I will update when I’ve found out my final grades for the whole semester(Oh, I did find out one grade – I aced my last Operations Research test!) Now, I will crash and get a little much-needed sleep. After the exam, I stopped by work and I was starting to get dizzy from lack of food and sleep. I went to breakfast afterwards, so I have food. Now I just need sleep.

Leaving Gainesville tomorrow!! Bittersweet..

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It’s getting late and I’m tired. But I must last only 3 more days and this semester will be over!!

I have to say, I’m going to be sad going back to Tampa though. As much as I can’t wait to see my family and Tampa friends, I’m going to miss everyone up here. Today(or rather, Sunday), went to Creekside for the last time this semester…sad saying goodbye to everyone. Had a sweet lunch at Red Onion Grill before working on my project for 3 hours. Then Rob and I went to play disc golf with the Lebos and his mom…a good break from work, I must say. After that, went out with Dream and Laura and Heather(Laura’s sister) for our last Ben and Jerry’s run of the semester. Ahh, good times…I will miss my mint chocolate chunk goodness.

Ok, so it seems that I did lots of things besides working today, but I really did get a lot done. Yet, there is so much more to do. I’m working on my AutoCAD project right now(well, technically I’m writing this entry, but shhh) and I have my Math Stats final on Wednesday at 7:30am. And then I’m DONE. Hopefully my grades will turn out ok. I should have an A in Intro to ISE and Financial Accounting(depending on the curve for the final) and Operations Research. Math Stats depends on the final. And AutoCAD, I’m not expecting an A…but we shall see. Anyway, I can’t wait until I don’t need to worry about grades for the whole summer. I will be working in Target over the summer instead, since I need to rebuild my badly depleted bank account.

Well, this was a nice little break from work. Back to making concrete wheel-stops in CAD. Sounds fun, huh?

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It was pleasantly cold today. And by cold, I mean 60 degrees. But that temperature for an April day in Florida is pretty rare…I’ll take it, that’s for sure! So nice walking to class in the crisp fall-like air.

I woke up around 6:30 to go to my accounting lab. Wow, that class seems like such a high school class. One, because it’s actually easy. And two, because it starts at 7:25 in the morning. A few people were definitely sleeping in there today.

I’m going home to Tampa today for Easter weekend – even though I have a lot of homework/studying to do, I’m still looking forward to spending time with the family! Now, time to walk to Stats class. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

NATIONAL CHAMPS…AGAIN!!

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Wow, another unbelievably amazing championship run by the FLORIDA GATORS!!! Is it great to be a Florida Gator, or what? I’ve been here two years, and we’ve won a basketball championship, a football championship and ANOTHER basketball championship. April 2nd was a glorious day!

Unfortunately, I had to go to classes for most of the day, but around 5:30, me and April went to stand(or sit, rather) in line at the ODome. I’ve never seen a championship game in there before, so I figured I had to try it out…eventually Carolina, Xuan, and Said showed up and we all went inside at 7:30. We got awesome free T-shirts(“Billy-ball: The Gator Nation of Domination”) and got so hyped up in the couple hours before the game. Dream and Laura eventually joined us after their late classes.

It was such an unbelievable loud and excited environment inside the ODome – all of us felt so confident the Gators would win. And once the game started…well, I got a little nervous as we got behind, but then Corey Brewer started sinking the threes. Chris Leak talked during the halftime show and that was awesome. But even more awesome was watching the rest of the game. Even though most of our big men were in foul trouble, we still dominated on Ohio State and WON, 84-75. What a game!!! We all counted down the last few seconds and then the ODome erupted!! Hugs, high-fives, big smiles…NCAA Basketball National Champions, 07.

All of us ran out onto University Avenue then, for a celebration that has become relatively frequent these last couple years. The Gator chants, the upraised arms, the V for Victory. The masses of students all wanting to celebrate our Florida Gator basketball team. And what a team it’s been. #42 Al Horford. #13 Joakim Noah. #12 Lee Humphrey. #2 Corey Brewer. #11 Taurean Green. What a magnificent five.

And despite all this championship glory, I must again be reminded that true glory does not come from winning sports titles, but all glory is God’s. How good it is to remember that.

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It is an absolutely gorgeous day outside! Sunny, bright blue skies with a few clouds hovering far above. I had a group meeting for Intro to ISE earlier this morning and then ran into Sweeney in the Plaza of the Americas…good times. Now I’m off to class(in less than ten minutes).

Oh, forgot one minor thing.

GO GATORS!! NCAA Championship game tonight!!

Moving Shadows

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World of sorrows, world of fears
World of pain and world of tears
Grey blankets cry and hide the sun
Shadows fall; fell dark has won.

Ground a tremble, deep wellsprings quake
Hearts broken, millennial guardians shake
Ghouls rise and hover, the forests sigh
Spirits gloat and grin, their time is nigh!

A young girl waits
and hopes
and prays
for an angel’s call
to rally
to save.
But there is no answer.

Young men cry, old men cower
Where now is the ancient power
Where now is the witness tower
Why hast thou forsaken us?

A young girl looks and sees a star
a bright, a light from angel far.
Trumpets ring! Heavens sing!
A glorious sun! The night is done!

The angel’s grim smile,
the demons’ foul shrieks
the sword rightly cleaves
and lo
the dark
it leaves.

A young girl now rejoices at last
to see the sun and the shadows past
to see the yellow flowered places
to see the sweetened roses’ faces
to climb the emerald grassy stair
to feel the wind’s song in her hair.

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I think I’m in a poem writing mood.

Springlight
Golden beams slide through double doors
Lazy notes fill the air with springtime
High voices reach the marble balcony above
Snow orbs and cobalt spheres float like doves.

Chocolate flows like river swift
Trumpets blow and strings sing
He bows and ever so gently asks
She smiles and her heart unmasks.

How long the night!
How rich he danced!
How sweet she sang!
How their hearts rang!

Her dark hair laughed upon her head
Her coral gown softly framed her smile
Her blushing feet moved like lightning
And how her cocoa eyes glanced, brightning.

Sitting at last with comrades dear
Sharing sweets and talk alike
But now the final music trance
But now the last spring-sun dance.

Gently the waves of music issue
Tenderly does he take her arm
Softly does she touch his back
Slowly, slowly, fade to black.

Almost over is the star-wished night
Out into moon smile do friends alight
And ever drenched in spring shine rain
Do happy and weary eyes in ending, bright.

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So, it’s spring break. I just realized I haven’t written anything substantial in a long time. Right now, I’m at home in Tampa, chilling in my room while Rob plays Madden ’02 on his Gameboy. He just got here today and tomorrow we’re going down to Sarasota to finish off our spring break before going to Gainesville. But I’m starting this off all backwards. Let’s go back a little ways…

This semester’s been pretty good so far – even though I have a lot of work, I like most of my classes. Intro to ISE. Financial Accounting. Operations Research. Statistics 1. AutoCAD. The hardest one is probably Statistics, but at least I’m doing ok gradewise so far. Anyway, this is all boring stuff that probably none of you want to hear, so I’ll just skip to spring break.

I actually haven’t done much so far this past week – I came here last Friday and have basically been relaxing at home. Which is SO NICE. Great home-cooked meals and being with the family. I had a lot of Operations research homework as well as financial accounting homework, which was annoying, but I’ve gotten most of it done. Monday night was Sara Wilkin’s b-day, so me and Dream and Amanda went out and celebrated with dinner at Estela’s, this great Mexican place. I do so love Mexican food…

Wednesday, a bunch of us hit up the beach at Fort Desoto – I probably should put some pictures here, but I’m getting a little tired; maybe in the next few days I’ll post a picture update. Anyways, the beach was awesome. Even though the water was cold, we got some good sand-castle building in. And of course, you can’t go wrong with grilled hot dogs, mmm…

Today, I’ve been doing more homework until Rob got in from Tally. We then went to Wal-Mart and Target to restock my college snack supply and I applied at Target to work over the summer. For dinner tonight, my dad made chicken parmisan and it was amazing! Dream and Chris came over too and afterwards we watched United 93(great movie…so moving) and then the Gators game(first round of the NCAA tourney). We beat Jackson State 112-69. Not bad at all.

I guess I should probably get going to bed soon since we’re gonna get up early tomorrow to go to the park to play basketball, but I’ll leave you all with a short poem:

Mid-morning
Harsh as glass against the skin
Dull as unfound pearls half-buried
Reaping fruits not quite ripe
Reaching for the diamond light

Waves rippling strongly onwards
Trees bowing before the clouds
Water cascading down upon the shore
Traveling through the wilds evermore

Sun peeks over the azure horizon
Rising crystal vapor gleams
New morning parades its lace
a blushed glance, unveiled face.