Well...That's all Folks!

It's a strange feeling to be at the end of a five year journey, but here The Lost One finds it has indeed come to an end. After five years, three institutions, two cross country moves, and a whole lot of wingeing, the end is here. The Lost One is now a man of letters. My. And now because the Lost One has earned it, he is going to indulge in a little after action reminiscing. So without further adieu, the Lost In Academia, "How I spent my LOOOOOONG senior year."

Ahh, the sweet, sweet feel of summer classes...Not so much. Still it was a real pleasure as the Lost One took a class from the lovely Professor G_____-D_____. A treat both because of the subject matter (Shakespeare), and the teacher. A kind woman whose gentle teaching style was a soothing tonic to the Lost one's nerves which were much abused during his lost year. She was greatly missed for her wit, and verve in later quarters, and had he more time the Lost One is positive he would have earned that minor in English Lit. if for no other reason then to bask in her calming influence. "Sweet hearts, we shall be rich ere we depart. " (Love's Labours Lost, Act V Scene II) Thanks professor, the Lost One is richer thanks to you.

Fall Quarter, What's old is new again. Professor M_____ (I) was the smartest professor the Lost One had by a mile. With a gentle humor, often at himself, that the class never seemed to get, Professor M_____(I) was a source of strength, and sanity as the full import of what sort of challenge was in front of me hit. His class, was quite the elixer for the hideous partisan screeching of Professor S_____ in history. An insult to the subject, Professor S_____ will always remain an example of an excess of ideology fitted to a surfeit of intelligence and the trauma that these bring. Filled with half truths, incidents taken out of context, and the partisan ravings so bad, that at the end the reading section could only approach the subject by asking, "Is modern Liberalism only full of Negatives about America?" And this from the biggest liberal in the class. Hah.

Winter Quarter, the end of innocence. The quarter of highs that hit the roof and lows that never got out of the basement. My faith in professors as decent, if sometimes misguided, was shattered by he who must not be named (bottom of the page to start). A partisan's, partisan, had no compunction about shoving ideology down our throats, in the guise of teaching. Check your brain at the door, and you'd better agree with him. Still the Wonderful Professora Y_____ rescued the quarter by doing something the Lost One would have sworn was impossible, she got him through a quarter of Spanish. Miracle worker that she was The Lost One hopes she never changes a thing. Except for showing Like Water for Chocolate. That she can stop.

Spring Quarter the Spring fever struck. Not a shining example of scholarly work, but the Lost One has to admit not a bad quarter, Professor M_____(II) was a touch obnoxious, but compared to the previous quarter it was a breeze. Profesora F_____ got off to a slow start but turned into a favorite of mine, and given she got me the rest of the way through Spanish, Sainthood is no doubt in her future. She's already got half a miracle under her belt.

Finally, Summer Quarter redux, is it over already? Really brief, only five weeks (didn't it start yesterday?) Professor M_____(III) restored my faith in college professors. Obviously partisan, but laid back about it, cool, humble (Wow!), and smart. Nice man, nice class, nice send off.

And that's the ball game folks. The Lost One would like to thank the Kroger corporation for employing him, the leadership at Eastridge (Including Mr. & Mrs. M_____, and of course Mr. S_____), the gang of four, you all showed up, that rocks. And my family, one more for you all. With out you the Lost One would have despaired and died. Appreciate it.

The End is Near!

Well, its official the Lost One is no longer a capitalist running dog. That's right folks, he has, officially and for the record, quit his job. Now he is a man of Leisure (pronounced with the British soft "e" of course, since it is Anglo for "unemployed bum"), and has no worries save, passing his last two classes. And finding a way to get the Lost Kitty to the Great Plains. It is really rather odd that now that he has quit the store where he worked the Lost One has begun to miss it. Not the work, the Lost One now barely fears the fiery depths of everlasting Hellfire as he has worked retail. Unless in Hades they do nothing but make you work retail. *Shudder* No, No, the Lost One is reaffirming his commitment to be good. Still, I miss the people, the camaraderie, the Joi de vive of the place. Translation= the pay check. Oh, well the Lost One is T minus 28 days to his own part in the great Lost Family Diaspora (at the risk of the wrath of the Sylvan Creature who the Lost One assumes was merely having a bad day as he has finally come to grips with the fact he's going to an aggie school. A big ol' Nelson-esque *Heh-Heh* to you there Creature). Now, for those who are wondering (and you know you are), yes the Lost One will be going off line during the move...but will be back shortly, and possible with a new look to accentuate the rift between his time as an undergrad and that as a Law School Student. Got to go kids, but not to fear the Lost One got a post or two left before then.

Remember Britain!

Here's one for the lads and lasses in London:










And here's another:































To Quote Lord Winston:

"My dear friends, this is your hour. This is not victory of a party or of any class. It's a victory of the great British nation as a whole. We were the first, in this ancient island, to draw the sword against tyranny. After a while we were left all alone against the most tremendous military power that has been seen. We were all alone for a whole year. There we stood, alone. Did anyone want to give in? [The crowd shouted "No."] Were we downhearted? ["No!"] The lights went out and the bombs came down. But every man, woman and child in the country had no thought of quitting the struggle. London can take it. So we came back after long months from the jaws of death, out of the mouth of hell, while all the world wondered. When shall the reputation and faith of this generation of English men and women fail? I say that in the long years to come not only will the people of this island but of the world, wherever the bird of freedom chirps in human hearts, look back to what we've done and they will say 'do not despair, do not yield to violence and tyranny, march straight forward and die if need be-unconquered'...we must begin the task of rebuilding our hearth and homes, doing our utmost to make this country a land in which all have a chance, in which all have a duty, and we must turn ourselves to fulfill our duty to our own countrymen, and to our gallant Allies of the United States who were so foully and treacherously attacked...We will go hand and hand with them. Even if it is a hard struggle we will not be the ones who will fail. "

Never Doubted for a second.
Let's all remember we're not in this war alone.
Images and speech jacked from The Colossus (Via the Ace of Spades)