Happy Fourth of July

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy Fourth of July. I know that most of my readership is American, so I won't bother to explain what this holiday is all about.

This weekend has been quite interesting. I am very, very glad to be here with my parents. It is always great to see them. Also, the time away from Charlottesville has been nice. Being in South Carolina has reminded me of Furman. In addition to being reminded of Furman, I have had the opportunity to be surrounded by some of my best friends -- all of which I met at Furman.

People seem to think that as friends spend time apart, their relationships must grow stale. I'm here to say that's not the way it always is. From the minute I saw my friends in the airport it was just like we never missed a step.

I knew that when I graduated I had made a great set of friends. There was no doubt about it. I was angry that I was going to have to make new friends. I was happy with my old ones. That feeling of anger slowly faded as I tried to make new friends. But, there is just something about these guys that is just not reproducible. Our currents paths have diverged slightly, but I know that at some point we are all going to be back together again.

I guess that would describe the weekend well. On a more practical note, today's events included 18 holes of golf, 45 minutes on the bike and 30 minutes running. We had a great dinner at the hotel and then got to watch some great fireworks.

My dad is quite the fireworks bad luck charm. Every time that we attend a fireworks display with him, the wind is such that all we see is smoke. As I always say, "if you've seen one firework, you've seen them all!" So really, what's so bad about a little smoke?

I suppose that some will label this post sappy or self-indulgent. I would challenge both of those characterizations, but I really have no idea what self-indulgent actually means. So there.

This weeking has also marked a huge turning point in the summer, and perhaps my life. I wish that I could discuss it further with you loyal readers, but at this time I just cannot. I can say, however, that the remainder of the summer is going to be filled with huge decisions and plenty of change. Many of you know how much I hate change, so this will be difficult.

Tomorrow includes watching the team time trial stage on OLN and then travelling back to Charlottesville. I'll only be there a few days before I return to Cincinnati for the MS150. After the 150, my return to Charlottesville may be delayed. It will depend on how things go with my meeting on Wednesday.

Blue Train.