The Romantically-Inclined Survival Guide

**Note to the female readers out there: The Romantically-Inclined Survival Guide will be written primarily for men. But keep in mind, someone famous probably once said: "It is good to know your enemy, but even better to know what your enemy thinks about you." While men and women are not enemies, we are about as aloof to one another as battling generals. That being said, you are welcome to read these posts (and maybe even offer some hints.)** 

If you have read “The University Union” or know me at all personally, then you know that I take particular interest in the species known to man simply as “woman.”  While I certainly claim to know of their existence, let me be frank and honest up front: I am no expert.  The “woman” is a complex creature.  In fact, if you read the Bible, God created the “woman” last.  In my mind, I am pretty sure this is because they were so complicated, God needed an extra day to put together all the in’s and out’s.  Over thousands of years, “women” have puzzled us men.  We can’t quite figure them out, and we probably never will.  I don’t claim to be able to unlock the secrets the “woman,” but I can give you some basic survival tips that may prove exactly what you need to get just close enough to the species to see them smile and make eye contact. 

But beware: “women” are known to cause serious emotional confusion, heartache, lapse in proper judgment, excessive spending, and falling hard… very hard.

A Better Society Question

So, the other day I was at the Civil Engineering Career Fair here at Cal Poly. Yes, Civil Engineering had 39 companies to ourselves. They like us. Obviously, I was unsuccessful in my continual search for an internship this summer. Most people can't get past my average GPA or the fact that I have no previous experience in engineering. But I gotta ask, how do most people get their start? Oh, wait, they have to start somewhere? That's what I thought.

Blake: In Romans vs Barbarians

My name is Zach. And this is my dream come true through the eyes of a 10-year-old boy named Blake.

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My name is Blake, and I like cats. I hope my cats are doing ok at home. I am sure that my mom is taking care of them. Yes, I certainly have nothing to worry about. The cats will be just fine.  But I can’t wait to see them and my mom. I really miss her. She is so good at being a mom. She is the only who really understands me. She knows that I like strawberry jelly instead of grape and, somehow, she always fixes me when I am hurt. I hate getting hurt. Some boys like it, but I am not like other boys. No, I prefer to be civilized and read. Why would I hurt myself in a dangerous game when I could read a good story? I like English way better than P.E. I am definitely not like other boys…

Post-Summer Ramblings: Romans vs Rebels

Merely a preview of the Romans vs Rebels post...

What stings more than a smack to the back with a foam-covered PVC sword? A candy-tax by the Roman Empire on our campers. Justice had to be done.

The first platoon of rebel warriors (8-12 year-old campers) assaulting the Roman fort.

Atop the conquered Roman fort, as Captain of the rebels.

Post-Summer Ramblings: 2300 Lb-Force

The scene is Lake Powell, Reflection Canyon to be more specific. Our 60 ft houseboat is anchored up against a red-rock beach with some sand. How it works is that you pull the boat up against the shore with four anchors stretching out from the bow and stern: two lines on either side, two lines on both the bow and the stern each. The lines are attached to anchors which are buried in the sandy shore or, in our case, wrapped around and pivoted against large boulders. Over the course of our two weeks of previous experience from summers past on Powell, we have found our preferred method is to rely on the shear inertial force of a boulder instead of the compacted frictional force of sand. 

What we didn’t know is that as an evening front blew in from across the desert that evening, we would have to rely on far more than just the boulders to hold us to the shore. 

A Prelude: Post-Summer Ramblings

It ended rather abruptly, the summer did. It felt like just three blinks of an eye ago, I was saying my goodbyes at camp, which had just followed a week of kids and craziness, which had followed a grand trip to Lake Powell with my family, which came right off the heels of a couple free weeks after school had ended. The plan after camp was to relax for the next few weeks and have a good time with my girlfriend, who was coming to visit, but I ended up working at Steelhead, a water bottle production line manufacturing company. That swept up the next two weeks, and then, before I knew it, I was watching my one and only high school football game for the year, featuring my little sister on the dance team. Now, I am sitting in the San Antonio International Airport  at 4:30 AM waiting to jump an early plane back to school. 

I thought about the summer and all the adventures and places I have been: physically, mentally, and spiritually. I thought I might share those experiences or ramblings, rather, explaining my summer and some big events listed above and what they do to a person who tries to be intentional about taking in what is around him. Also, keep in mind, I was trying to walk a fine line almost the entire time, so that heightened sense of cautiousness, I think, allowed me to understand better where I am as a person and where the world around me is. So without too much more delay… Post-Summer Ramblings are coming in hot.  

Borderline Cramped: Family Road Trip

Ahh the summer: blistering heat waves, no school, and family road trips. Higher gas prices, a slumping economy, and the aging car almost cut the good ol’ family vacation to a halt before it even began this year, but my dad was determined. He has been planning this trip for months. He has been saving money, calculating, with the help of Google, the fastest routes, and drooling over new water toys for our second trip to Lake Powell. It was his dream destination that became a reality in 2008, and we just didn’t get enough. When he got one of those email advertisements that you would normally ‘spam’ immediately, he didn’t. Instead he ventured onward and never looked back, emerging with a week-long boat trip for 50% off.