The Past Few Days

So the past few days have gone and passed, and guess who hasn't been blogging? The new guy. I've had some legitimate excuses however. Friday afternoon I had my Ulcerative Colitis treatment. For those of you who don't know about UC, it's an autoimmune disease in which my body's immune system attacks my large intestine. It's a lot like Crohn's disease but localized to the colon. Needless to say it isn't fun.

There are varying levels of UC, and there's no current cure. Treatments help many people with flare ups and symptoms, and one can go into remission, but there's no real cure. Some barely have any symptoms. I am not one of those people. For me and many out there like me, it is a painful, embarrassing, and restricting disease. 

I also happen to be allergic to many of the treatments that are usually helpful. Because my case has been unresponsive to most other treatment options, I currently receive blood infusions every six weeks. It's inconvenient, sure and the process is long (about 3 hours per treatment) but it sure beats the alternative. I'm happy to say that after about 2 and a half years of tinkering with meds and med schedules, and changing up my diet significantly, I'm doing a bit better. I'm nowhere near remission yet, but I at least don't feel like my life is controlled by UC.

After my treatment I headed back up to school. Saturday was Saint Patrick's Day, and so of course I celebrated. I attended my friend Felicia's dance show with some other friends, and after that we went out. I didn't drink anything actually Irish, cause let's face it, I'm broke. But we still had an extremely fun night. 

Today (Sunday) was loaded with school work, but what else is new?

Heading into the week, my goal for myself is to take time to make someone who's having a bad day have a better one. You should too.

Crazy

So today was an incredibly busy day with classes and work. I decided to drive home this evening since I have a treatment for UC tomorrow. Which means I got some good home cooking over college food, which is always a big plus.

This is what, day 3 of my blogging now. I'm not really sure what I'm expecting to come of all this, but I was wondering, if there's even anyone out there really reading this, if anyone has any tips regarding how to get more readers to your blog? Please comment, I'd love to hear personal stories and experiences.

The Cliffs

So since it was such a nice day and all, some friends and I hiked to the cliffs near campus. It's a gorgeous view overlooking the Juniata River. Check it out.

A Gorgeous Day

Today is an awesome day in central Pennsylvania. 73 and sunny. Definitely not mid March weather, but I'll take it. I think I'll venture to the cliffs near campus. It's a bit of a hike but totally worth the view on a day like today.

As I write, I'm sitting on the sun drenched patio in front of my dorm, soaking up some much appreciated vitamin D. Classes are really starting to let out, so the other college kids are slowly starting to trickle onto the quad. There's a hell of a guitar player out here. He's the only other person on the patio besides me. The gentle breeze and his skillful plucking make a great calming effect, and despite the fact that I'm behind on an assload of work, I feel just fine.

I hope all the locals are out enjoying the weather today. If the weather isn't so kind where you are, just keep this in mind:  sunny days only seem so great because we have rainy days to compare them to.

The day...

...is what you make it. A wise man once told me that. For me, today is going to be a positive day. I hope you have a good one too. Challenge yourself to smile and talk to someone you don't know today. You don't know what kind of day they might be having.

I love seeing views like this in the back yard.

First Entry

So, here it is, my first blog post ever. I'm not exactly sure what motivated me to do this, and I'm not exactly sure if I'll be able to keep up with it. But sometimes you just need an outlet.

I grew up in rural central Pennsylvania. All my life I've been fishing and hunting. I enjoy country music, new and old, and doing things outdoors. Country life is a big part of who I am.

But it's not the only part.

I'm a multifaceted person, as most of you out there are. I'm sure you'll see this throughout my posts. Despite the name of my blog, not all of what I write will be about country. You see, I'm in college. I attend a small liberal arts school. Here people are encouraged to be open minded and empathetic. Anyone who grew up in an area like mine knows that that is a bit of a change from my norm.

I have no idea what this blog is going to be about. I'm hoping that it will stimulate conversation. That my blog will become an open forum for thought and debate.

Being in a school like this makes me appreciate the country in me all the more. I can do things that make squeemish people feel uneasy, and some part of me takes pride in that. I only hope that you'll enjoy reading my posts, and that you'll choose to be active in cultivating my new blogging world. I guess I'm on my way.

I think I'll end my first blog entry with a quote.

"Don't compromise, even if it hurts to be yourself." -Toby Keith