Happy Birthday?

I'd like to welcome Mr. Andrew Subak to the growing list of followers. A wonderful addition he certainly is.

So yesterday was my 19th birthday. I came to the conclusion that birthdays are more of a "non-day" for me now. What am I celebrating? I'm nineteen so ... what? Two more years and then ... I still can't drink? It seems to me that it now makes more sense to measure years from the November 2 date. My parents explained to me that we need to celebrate March 15 because these birthdays were very nearly taken away from me and my family. I understand that and tried to remember it. It didn't work so well. That was mostly due to Kidney Stone number 14 tearing through my right ureter. I think I need to start naming these the way they name hurricanes. So here are the names of my 14 kidney stones in order: 1-Andrea, 2-Blake, 3-Christine, 4-Davey, 5-Emily, 6-Franklin, 7-Georgia, 8-Harrison, 9-Ida, 10-Jackson, 11-Katelyn, 12-Leonardo, 13-Madeline, 14-Nathaniel.

Stone Nathaniel was a doozy. It was easily the worst of the most recent seven stones, which occured over a year after my first seven stones. I was joking with my aunt that I needed the percocet to get through family visits because I can't drink. Ha. It gave me a chuckle. Mostly because it isn't true. I love seeing the fam, especially after it has been so long.

And now it is study time. Exam week has hit with full force, and I need to study. Even though the only thing I want to do right now is sit on espn.com and spend four or five hours filling out my NCAA bracket. I don't even know when I'll be able to fill out the bracket. Tomorrow I have to go back to Columbus for a 5:30 exam. Then on Wednesday I have tests back to back at 1:30 and 3:30 before coming back home. The games then begin on Thursday.

The selection show and bracketology weren't very entertaining last night, mostly because I was so strung out. It's hard to care about anything when you can't feel anything. Staring at the wall is entertaining enough to pass a few hours when those narcotics are doing their job...

With any luck, my test tomorrow night will be cake, the two tests on Wednesday will pass without problems, I will be able to put some time into the brackets before then, and I will win some money. Either way, at least spring break is in sight. In 48 hours I will be on my way home for a week and a half. Later e'er'body - IW