Just Keep Moving

I don't remember much about my high school graduation, but I DO recall one piece of advice passed on by my Physics teacher, Mrs. Rosenthal, who was selected by students to address the Senior class:

"Just keep moving, just keep moving."

I would be lying if I said I'd consciously kept this tidbit in mind during the last 5 years, but it's been a subconscious effort nonetheless. Most of you know the story of what I describe as my post-college peril: some part-time work, two fantastic but unpaid internships, and cheap but deeply flawed housing. In the midst of it all were wonderful and supportive friends, but it was still hard to face when my future was an amorphous blob of which I could only see three months at a time.

Today, my life is a little less perilous, but the vagueness of the future persists. Two days ago, I was looking at a frighteningly open calendar and wondering... what's next? Two days later, I'm happy to report I've lined up some solid work through the New Year. The catch? I will be working overnight shifts, and my life as I know it will change significantly (more musings on this in the future, I'm sure).

Now, usually, I'm not so won over by "motivational" blog posts, but given the timing, I'm compelled to share this bit of relevant wisdom which I stumbled upon today at Gigaom. On working in spite of not knowing, the author writes:

Perhaps the biggest part of it is learning to stay the course, even when the course doesn’t yet exist. There’s no path laid out ahead of you, and you’re learning to navigate as you go. Learn to keep going, in spite of not having clear directions. Create a plan you believe is most likely to succeed by studying the cues of those who have succeeded before you, but accept that you are forging a new path in many ways, so the answers may not always be immediately available.

I am now a year out from graduating from college, and from what I've seen, it seems many of my close friends and peers are freaking the f**k out. I'm freaking out, too -- no doubt about it -- but there's a comforting solidarity in it all, this collective experience of not knowing. So be scared, freak out, cry, watch a whole lot of You've Got Mail, but keep on moving. If we just do that, I think we'll be ok.

Thanks EThrash187

Today I learned that an old friend has died. Eric drowned on Thursday in a tragic accident. He was the first person I "dated." At the ripe age of 14 and without a driver's license, this meant an occasional group trip to the movie theater and a lot of online chatting. Eric and I didn't work out. The logistics of traveling 31 miles to see each other was impractical, but thanks to the internet, we stayed good friends. We talked so often on AIM that our chat logs, had I saved them, would've amassed countless pages.

We lost touch after high school as many friends do. Hearing about him today, I was saddened by the news. My sadness deepened as I realized the impact of his life on my own. I wish I could thank him for it today, but instead, I'll settle with this blog entry.

Eric was there when I started learning to play the guitar. When I began the hunt for my first electric guitar, we debated Fender versus Ibanez. These are the two brands most newbies gravitate towards. Ibanez, Eric argued, was the more versatile guitar. As a thrash metal enthusiast, he urged me to choose a metal-friendly guitar so I could later shred to my heart's desire. Fender, however, was the choice brand of my favorite bands at the time. I wanted to play like Blink 182, Green Day, and Rancid. Eric Clapton even had a signature Fender model that I saw in the catalogues, and I knew at the time that Eric Clapton was... someone. Eric called me out. He told me I just wanted a Fender because I thought they looked cool! While that was 100% true, I denied it and bought a Schecter instead. That's how much power the guy had over me!

Eric's influence didn't stop there. He opened my eyes to more than the pop punk music I listened to. He pointed out the simplicity of Green Day and Blink 182 songs, that they were just a bunch of power chords with catchy melodies. While I was still allowed to like them (and I do), he showed me the way to greener pastures. He started my music education slowly with Metallica's Master of Puppets. I listened back through their discography, and eventually learned to play my first guitar solos ever with "Fade To Black." I learned that Master of Puppets was Metallica's masterpiece and that it was all downhill afterwards. Eric would later send me in the direction of other musicians I would've taken a lot longer to embrace: Jimi Hendrix, Opeth, Black Sabbath, and more.

Although I wouldn't have consciously thought this before, Eric had a huge impact on the person I am today: my music snobbiness, my random knowledge of metal, even the electric guitar I own. It's crazy to think about the butterfly effect he created. Eric is gone now, but I won't forget his influence on me. Thanks a lot, EThrash187. Your friend, jlgpunk182.