THE SECOND YEAR IN REVIEW (Part 4 of 4)

Yes, the time has come. The final part of my 4-part series on how Year 2 has gone for yours truly. If you missed the previous 3 posts, use that bar to your right and scroll down. Not a hard task, so do it now before you read too far. Good? Sweet. Back to business.

After recapping the 3 quarters that made up the school year, it’s time to look ahead. You know, looking ahead can be a scary yet exciting thing. Scary for the fact that I feel like I am always unprepared for what is coming up next. Yet, it is exciting because I don’t know what is coming up next. I mean, I have things planned out but just like this year, it is impossible to know where life is gonna take you. I never came into college with the goal of becoming SD of officials for Intramurals, or being the sweetest Tour Guide OU has ever seen, or even being the host of our high school football show in my third year. I did come into college with the goal of having a girlfriend after two years, but hey, I’ve got the Blue Jackets mentality: Next year is my year.

So what’s to look forward to? Well, the near future looks bright. This summer, I’ll be staying in the ATH. Yea, most students will be gone but that’s not really a bad thing. I’ll be working three jobs, none overly time-consuming, and living with a good friend for a month before moving to the new casa in early July. By the end of summer, I’ll be doing PreCollege, introducing new freshman to their new home. And then, right when that ends, both Intramural training and the Show get going. Honestly, these three months are gonna fly by. But that’s what I want. A quick summer so I can get back to the great times with friends.

What else is there to look forward to? Well, how bout the new class of PA’s in Intramurals? This excites me a lot. I mean, we hired a great group of guys and gals that are sure to make training an experience of a lifetime. And of course, the Show has got me giddy too. Being the host is nice and all but being able to do the show with all my friends and interacting with them all is the real highlight. Whether it is Luke’s wisecracks or Christine’s corny sayings, I know I will be flashing that trademark Matt Barnes smile all the time, trying to hide a huge roar of laughter.

Now, for the CO peeps, I know what you are thinking. Matt is deserting us, staying in Athens. Well, don’t feel that way. I’m just doing what I gotta do. Life is taking me places and I gotta keep moving. This summer, it’s keeping me in Athens. Next summer, who knows? It’ll definitely be an internship but where? That’s the joy of my Hakuna Matata philosophy. No worries. It’ll work and it’ll be great. No matter what though, I know I can always go back to CBus and share some great times with my best buds. For now though, sorry guys. The weekends will probably see me back in the capital city but during the week, don’t cry too much. I’ve heard stories about that. You all gotta stop doing that.

Of course, sports will be on my mind over the summer. Will the Tribe get out of this funk and make a true run for the postseason? Will the Pacers and Blue Jackets draft correctly or pull a Tim Couch or Ryan Leaf? Will the Buckeyes start the year #1? (I hope not) Will Barry Bonds break his knee and have to retire forever? (I hope so). Will I continue to dominate fantasy leagues or fall behind? These are just a few of my thoughts. Of course, there are many more but the joy of sports is that at some point, they will be answered.

So what does the future hold for me? That’s the $25,000 question. But I don’t mind that at all. Instead, I embrace it. I sometimes like to compare life to Cedar Point rollercoasters. Sometimes, life is like the Mantis: Throwing loops and turns at you, forcing you take a stand. Sometimes, it’s like the Raptor: Allowing you to let your feet loose and enjoy the wild ride. Or it could be like Disaster Transport: Has the looks of something impressive but instead just ends up downright disappointing. Other times, it is like the Magnum: Reliable but still rocky enough to give you a headache. But also it is like Millennium Force: Take you to heights that challenge you but by the end, you’re satisfied (or even thrilled) with your performance. Or it is like Top Thrill Dragster: Succeeding quickly as if nothing could go wrong but then humbling you just as fast, only to see you right back to where you started.

What does all this mean? It means enjoy life kids. Don’t get so bogged down in work this summer that you can’t enjoy the good times. Yea, I’m workin three jobs but my jobs don’t even feel like jobs. They are more like social events that I get paid for, and that’s not a bad deal. So enjoy your summer, go wild, get mad cash, don’t forget my big 20th bday on July 26, and as my mom says, “Love live life.”

So back to where I started. A 4 part series on my second year. How many more years for me here at the “Harvard on the Hocking”? Well, definitely one more but after that, even I don’t know. It could be one more quarter or it could be all 3. But that’s too far ahead. That’s one for God to figure out. I mean, he knows a heck of a lot more than I do. That just means for all my friends, OU or not, if you want to hang with me before I hit the real world, your window of opportunity is closing. But don’t worry. Even I don’t think the real world can get the college guy out of me. Second year, I will miss you. Third year, see ya in about 3 months. For now my amigos, don’t catch Bird Flu, monitor your light bulbs, and as always, HAKUNA MATATA!