Rhys Pendragon

Congrats to the Saints! Yeah, I'm a day late with the congrats but I wasn't in all that great of shape yesterday to type anything. Superbowl parties in my family are a pretty big deal and we always have a bunch of people over to watch the game. Superbowl is even bigger than Thanksgiving at my house. Dad grills steak and burgers while the other guys and I play a pregame to get the adrenaline pumping for the main event. Usually when it's not so cold outside and there isn't a blizzard dumping snow on the ground, the women come out to join the game but this year they all stayed inside for the most part.

Even though it's been who knows how long since Mom and Dad first started watching the Superbowl together, Mom still doesn't really get it. She thinks with all of us at the house, it's a good time for cleaning since the day is just for eating and cheering at the tv for a few hours. So to keep her happy, Dad, Tristan, and I end up cleaning the house in between the bouts of beer and food. Now, I'm not all that bad with a duster and a mop but I don't make a habit outta cleaning my parents' house on the weekends. Or even my place for that matter. However, on game day we all learned it's easier to keep Mom happy since she's the one who hands out the snacks during the game.

The game itself was pretty great and my personal favorite moment was the interception in the end zone about 5 minutes before the game ended. Even if the pass was good, the Colts still wouldn't have won, but the play was sweet. I'm not going to go into all the details of the game as I don't want to bore you all and I've talked it to death with the guys.

Yesterday was rough, man. This was the first year I've been allowed to drink anything at the party and I completely took advantage of it, then me and the guys stayed up drinking and talking about the game. I don't get why Monday isn't a day off or something. I'm usually pretty good about not drinking on Sundays but this was a special occasion. Lesson learned, though.

I heard somewhere that things come in three's but I never believed in all that, but I'm starting to think that it's true.

I got a job at the coffeehouse over the weekend, so I had to cut my camping trip short, but that's all right as the job seems pretty good and the people I work with are cool enough.

Then Monday was the first day of classes and I think this semester's going to be my hardest one yet. I'm not exactly the smartest guy in my class and school doesn't always come easy for me, but I've got to keep a B average if I want to go on to become a physical therapist. I'm two and a half years in to my goal and I've still got four years to go. No use losing my momentum now! Coach always says that you can't succeed unless you set yourself goals you can hope to accomplish some day and finishing school is my goal.

Now, the third thing isn't a permanent deal, but it'll mean that I'll be stepping away from my social life for a little bit online and offline. Not many of you probably know, but I do some volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity during the summers and when an extra pair of hands are needed. Well, a family's house burned down a few nights back and my hands will be needed to get the family back into a house, especially since it's the middle of winter.

I'll probably be back to updating this thing in a week or two when things settle into a new routine but, until then, I'll be uprooted. I can honestly say that I've never been more glad that football is over for the season. I can't not have a job, I can't skip out on my school work, and I can't refuse someone who's in need of a little help. Coach is a pretty nice guy, but I don't think even he'd understand if I suddenly stopped going to practices and games.

Since football season is over, I reckon I should get a job somewhere since I need to pay for party season somehow. Mom and Dad are fine paying for my place and bills, but all the other stuff is up to me. I'm nearly out from when I did the construction gig over the summer and my truck could use a new battery. Does anyone know if anyone's hiring around here? I don't want to half to travel all the way across town if I can help it.

Other than job hunting, I'm going to be doing some Carlton Mountain exploration over the weekend with a few of the guys before school starts. This will be the fifth year since I started the tradition of a little fun and danger before I have to focus on class for the semester. Six of the guys are coming with me from the team and I'll get to see how a few city kids can handle nature. A few feet of snow on the ground, some rope, and a few tents can really bring out someone's wild side. 'Course it won't really be anything dangerous since we still get cell phone signal up in the mountains and there are houses dotted around, but it's all we've got around here.

We're going to be doing some real camping, too. Not any of this camper, gas heat nonsense, either. Our food will come from the lake, our tools a box of matches and a knife. And, if all else fails, Tobey's bringing the beer and my dad's just down the road with a truck.

What's up fellow Nearsideians? My name's Rhys and I'm new to this whole "journal" thing. Mom wanted me to get one of these things so she can follow my day to day life and who am I to go against what my mom wants? So, I got one, then I saw this place, I joined, and here I am! A little about me is needed, I guess. Well, like I said before, my name is Rhys and I'm a student. I'm a Sagittarius and my mom says that I fit my sign about 100%, but I don't know about all that. I don't follow the zodiac or anything, unless it's to check up on my horoscope since it never hurts to have a little heads up, you know? I've newly turned 21 and I'm a junior at the school where I'm majoring in physical therapy. If you guys out in cyber land head over the university at any point to watch the football games, you'll see me hanging out on the field, running and tackling guys who try to stop me from scoring.

I'm a pretty friendly guy, so if you see me around town or school, feel free to say "hey". I'll say "hey" back and I might even chat you up some. I grew up in Nearside so if any of you are from here, I've probably seen you around here and there.

I also like camping, fishing, rock climbing, hiking, or anything that involves a little outdoor know-how and if any of you are up for any of that, hit me up! I know these mountains like the back of my hand and at fourteen, my mom made me take cpr classes, so I can even save your life if needed. Basically, I'm just a good guy to have around.

See you all around at some point. Go Nearside Badgers!

Daddy's belt, Momma's drapes
Standin' tall on the backyard shed
Lookin' cool in my superman cape
I told the the neighborhood girl
Say hey y'all watch this
My fate was a broken arm
( My reward one big kiss )