Saddle Season

So we take the next step towards success as I humbly submit post 2 to you, the general public. From several of the blogs I've seen, it looks like it puts your most recent first. I guess I can kind of understand that, but with most of the personal diaries and journals that I've snooped through when visiting a friend's house, I usually try to start in the middle.

I really, really need to see "City Slickers", the 1991 classic starring Billy Crystal. You'll have to forgive me that there are a lot of movies that I'm still trying to get caught up on. Anything that came out before about '97 (or '99 really) is fair game for my parents to have censored and not allowed. Understandable house rules that I don't disagree with or complain about, but we're talking about some serious lag in some inside jokes and culture classics. Example: Goonies...still on the list of need-to-see. Yeah, that's right; I can hear your bottom jaw drop against your desk. Don't drool on the keyboard there, buddy. From watching VH1 and "I love the 80's" or 90's, I hear that there's a lot of excitement about two different Coreys...Feldman and somebody else. Must have been quite an era, but you'll have to excuse me because I was trying to get caught up on the latest Land Before Time sequel.

But the reason for my desire to see City Slickers is because that's the first thing out of people's mouths whenever I tell them about my vacation idea that I'm dying to live out. That's right. I think it would be incredible to go on a cattle drive! The price range can get up there, but it's not bad when you consider all that they pay for. Do yourself a favor and browse some of these sites (ranchweb.com has a great listing...you know you want to check it out). The scenery is amazing. Right now, I think a place in Wyoming called the Box R Ranch has the lead. Already have a couple of friends here who surprised me by saying that they'd definitely be interested. I want to do this so bad that I'd fly up alone to the one airport that they have in Wyoming just to experience it. You may laugh, but part of you wants it too.

Generally that's where my thoughts have been wondering over the last few days. I can ride a horse just fine, but may get a little practice between here and next June to make sure that I'm the best dude this side of the Mississippi. My cousin has a horse, and my friend's wife has some grandparents in Oklahoma that are dying for company and would let us ride their trusty steeds....but I still gotta see that movie.

Cattle Drive in 2005!

Once Upon a Time

It was a tough decision...

When I first heard about these things, it was through the hilarious postings of one Miss Julie Neis, a Shakespeare of her own domain of satirical writings. For weeks during last fall, I read of ridiculous quotes taken from one of her textbooks, as well as any of her daily experiences.

Several months passed and Julie seemed to stop posting. I forgot about the whole phenomenon until I started seeing a popular resurgence from several of my friends still attending Texas A&M University, the only known heaven-on-earth. I find out later that this is known as a "blog", short for "weblog" and has caught the attention of many a student that wants to procrastinate their studying or avoid going to sleep. As I started clicking on the links they placed in their profiles, I wanted to write my own. But am I too old for this?

I mean, seriously. I used to go to bed at 3:30 AM most every night and plan my class schedule around a 2-3 hour lunch to be had at the 12th Man Cafeteria on-campus. Life involved hanging out with friends and spending time dedicated to an organization...with a little bit of classwork on the side. As a senior, I could design my courseload to begin at about 10:00 every morning and end somewhere before 3:00 in the afternoon. Weekends were even better, always with a party or event to attend. Free cotton flowed from every date or crush party. As long as you didn't mind the straight-from-the-store smell, laundry was really unnecessary.

But May of 2003 came faster than the fish in August 1999 ever thought possible. Now March and ten months later, we see a dramatic difference from the life that I was once priveliged to lead. I tried to stay up late, but 9 hours at work of trying to keep my eyelids from clamping shut got really annoying, so now I try to keep it in the PM range of the night. The vast majority of the day involves my duties to Basden Steel Corporation, a mid-size construction business in Burleson. Lunch has sadly been limited to an hour and either involves an outing with some people at the office or a trip home for a sandwich or a Lean Cuisine. My free cotton has faded and the wardrobe replaced with work boots, several pairs of jeans, and plenty of polos with the diamond-B logo of Basden Steel. Laundry now is a must.

To blog or not to blog? With a handful of opinions, I decided to share my story with the general public. Hal Denbar, a known blogger, affirmed my decision by agreeing that I was in fact not too old. Trent Morton, another web-poster, made a good point that this trend was brought in by the class of 2007 that had done it in high school. It's understandable that it is just now making its way to me.

So here I am. I hope to stay dedicated to my posting. I feel that I can offer you a different perspective than one you may be taken to from another student's profile link. My outlook on life really is quite positive. I'm amazed at how much I've already begun enjoying myself in a different environment. It's a huge change, but trust me, you're ready for it when the time comes. I hope you tune in for many more Tales of a Corporate Bond. Not sure how you sign off these things, but I'll stay traditional.

Gig 'em,

Justin Bond '03