Where one blog ends…

…another one begins.

Almost four years ago I started blogging. In those four years a lot has happened and a lot has changed. Over the past while, those that used to frequent my previous blog noticed my lack of commitment to it. Eventually the time between posts grew larger and larger and in all reality, have pretty much ceased completely.

Times have changed and so have I. The time has come to ‘turn over a new leaf’, ‘turn over a new page’, ‘walk a different path’ blah blah blah, you get the idea. Basically I figure since my last blog marked the change from high school to university undergrad, why not start fresh. This blog will mark, and hopefully continue with more success than the last, my transition from undergrad to optometry school and perhaps longer. With the popularity of Facebook and my ability to auto-update my profile with my posts, I hope that those that find interest in what I write, ramble, or whine about – or in my life in general – will help me keep them up to date. Comment, complain, discuss. Bug me if it has been awhile. If my posts make you want to talk, do so. It may be my blog but it is shared on the internet for anyone to see (although I would prefer the majority to be those that somehow know me) and to discuss.

This blog would of course be personal and hopefully people can respect that. I tend to write on emotion and thus sometimes I will say things that I would probably regret. At the same time it really is a journal that I can look back on and relate to. In general I hope to have some sort of regularity to my posts – to keep track of things myself in a journal-like kind of way, as well as to keep those that do read interested/amused.

So to start this blog off, a couple of announcements in my life.

As many may or may not know, my goal in becoming an optometrist is one step closer. In August of 2008 I will begin my four years at the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago to work my way towards obtaining my ‘Doctor of Optometry’ title. Yes, this means I was not accepted to the University of Waterloo (for the second time) but for those that may randomly come across this page (a la Google), that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world.

The second ‘announcement’ is one that some may be tired of hearing, or perhaps is expected. I will not be going home to Calgary this summer. Instead I will be going straight to Manitoba to work in the same capacity as last summer, although this time for the four months instead of two. I do not know if I will make my way to Calgary before I go to Chicago – most likely not (but due to travelling logistics, cost, etc.). It’s a decision that I and only I made (to work in Manitoba versus going home). In all reality, Calgary has become less and less of ‘home’ as I spend the majority of my life now away from ‘home’. I like to think that I still have some very good friends back in Calgary and I truly do enjoy spending my time with them. Unfortunately as some may or may not realize, times are not the same as times in high school. No longer are the inside jokes or funny things that happened recently applicable when you aren’t there. It’s hard to relate when you’re on a completely different paths. At the same time, it is hard to not see your friends. There is always that bond you’ll have no matter what happens, no matter how often you get to see or hear or speak to them. Unfortunately you have to make choices that may take you farther away from not only your friends but your family as well. Obviously I would not decide to not come home in order to avoid people, which sometimes I feel like people think I do. There are many reasons why people choose what they choose, whether it’s personal or not. Obviously my choice to come to the University of Waterloo was to follow my career goals – to further my life.

On a more personal note, many know that Jessica and I have been dating for awhile and that this upcoming four months will be bittersweet. Jessica is at the University of Waterloo School of Optometry so thus going to Chicago will seperate us. Going to Manitoba will not only be a time to get a little more interaction in the field of optometry and to make some money (perhaps to cover a little of the $32000 a year?) but for us to spend together. For once we will actually get to spend more than a handful of days together without the worry of labs, assignments, midterms, and finals.

It’s hard to write, and hard to realize, that once the summer is over Jessica and I will no longer be able to drop by each other’s place just to say hello, or to simply study together in the same room or share a meal without it involving a plane ride or a road-trip.

So as much as my decision to not come home for the summer may disappoint some, please remember that we all have to make some sacrifices – and some sacrifices are are worth an extra four months.