I haven’t had one since (oh, the remarkably chill life of this graduating senior). But the Drank cans have sat in two different refrigerators, daring me to drink them. Yesterday I gave in and drank half a can.

This doesn’t seem like too horrible an idea, seeing as I’ve previously done this. But this must have been some super-concentrated Drank or maybe fermented Drank, from sitting so long. The stuff literally started to slow my existence. My brain stopped moving as quickly, I started yawning, and I laid down for a nap at six 0′clock p.m. (against my rules, which say no starting naps after four p.m.). I distinctly remember the last thought I had being, I hope that my heart doesn’t stop while I’m asleep. For real. I thought that.

I woke up (hallelujah) an hour and a half later, very confused and disoriented. It took me another hour and a half to get back to total awakeness. In short, I’m giving away the last two cans of Drank. I’m not sure my heart can take it.

Also, I found out yesterday that our washer’s spin cycle causes it to lurch like a thing possessed. It’s really entertaining to watch/terrifying that it might fly out the window.

The biggest pieces of news on the work front would be that I’m meeting tomorrow with Mario Rosas from Unwind (OU’s blog). I’ll be writing music columns weekly for them, and this meeting is the details/set-up meeting. I’m pretty stoked.

Independent Clauses is scaling back to MWF schedule until we get some new writers (wanna write about music? wanna get free music? shoot me an e-mail at independentclauses@hotmail.com).

OnceFoundLetters still chugs along. Out of all my projects, I think this is the one dearest to my heart. It’s least likely to succeed, if such a thing were voted on, but I love the way the project works. Sending letters back and forth with Andrew Stephens is just a joy to my soul.

I’m at approximately 17,000 words on my novel for this semester.

Peter and I are slowing down work on Sanctera for a while.

I need to schedule the next time in the studio to finish up my album. The veritable Jeff Hinton and Ryan Martin are helping me out. Interestingly, the very talented Carli Lewis will be recording several of my songs on her own album.  She asked to use some of my songs, and I thought that would be pretty cool. So that’s happening.

Lastly, I feel obligated to let you know that your life will be more exciting if you listen to Ida Maria’s “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked” is playing on loop. Despite the distressing sentiment in the title (which also happens to be the chorus, mostly), the song is hum-it-all-day catchy and let’s-play-this-eighty-times-and-then-maybe-one-more infectious. I have been dancing, air-guitaring and singing all day. I owe a great thanks to Elle Knop for unleashing this force in my life.

Okay, that’s your update on my projects. I’m sure I forgot something, but just consider that one dormant right now. It’s obviously not active enough for me to mention it.

But as I scrutinize it, I start to doubt myself (as humans are wont to do). I read the credentials of professors, I peruse the credentials of those applying, and I tremble. Am I that good? Do I have words within me in patterns that will amuse and inspire?

This does not abate my excitement; my excitement exists in a completely different section of my brain than my fear.

For those wondering, here’s my list o’ schools I’m applying to, in clockwise order from California.

UC-San Diego
Montana
Minnesota
Iowa
Illinois
Ohio State
UMass Boston
Hollins (Virginia)
UNC-Greensboro
UNC-Wilmington
Florida
Texas (speaking of different parts of my brain existing simultaneously…)

As you can see, OU is not one of the schools I am applying to. This is another part of my brain that is freaking out. I will be living someplace other than Oklahoma for the first time in my life that I can remember. As much as some of us collegians malign Oklahoma, I really enjoy it here. It will be a challenge for me to go somewhere new, leaving all my friends, family and history here.

But God goes before me and with me. He will make my paths straight.

Then again, considering the amount of things I have happening this semester, it’s only logical that I have a lot to do to prepare. I will have a lot to do all the time. I’m still working out my priorities; it’s going to be interesting.

The biggest change will be that I’m applying to grad schools for Master’s of Fine Arts. This places heavy emphasis on my novel-writing (so that I can have my thirty-page writing sample done) and my applying. Add into that my brother Joe’s marriage and John starting on Union High School’s football team, and I’m going to be a busy boy.

Oh yeah. There’s that OU football thing too. The whiteboard is comin’ back, people. It’s comin’.

Tomorrow I’ll post an update on my projects.