her: i know this is going to sound really weird.
her: but you were in my dream
me: when did this dream occur?
her: last night
me: did i have a cool part?
her: i was in your library in your house and you had a pet monkey that would retrieve books for you
me: and thats going in my blog.

jerilee bonner.. she is the hottest gameshow host.. ever. if you dont know, shes the british irish british co-host of midnight money madness on tbs. just look it up. good god. james and i cant.. stop.. watching..

“never apologize for showing feeling. when you do so, you apologize for the truth.” -benjamin disraeli

thank you jenn.. youre fabulous

p.s. today i turn 22. i demand presents.

why are people scared to death of a little heart? i can express my emotions in a lucid manner.. so i do. “oooh dan, you shouldnt post that! it makes you look.. ” what, nuts?

we are all SO terrified of ourselves.. so we simply package our true complexions together with our insecurities and toss them clumsily behind hollow sentiments and vacant posturing… and why? to impress… whom, if not just our own beggared minds? passionate, naked expression of the soul.. that’s something not to disparage, but to cherish and embrace.

no one will deny me this, because no one can. if this is what you call crazy, bring it on.

i am what you see.

i miss the feeling of waking up next to someone you know is special.. a smile the only thing escaping your lips because there is no tangible way to define it with a simple, inglorious utterance..

its soulful, its… so profoundly.. human.

looks like the frenchies are ready to fight?

i am blessed with the most incredible office manager.. she’s (i believe) in her mid-thirties and is terribly over-qualified, yet works for us because she believes in the educational philosophy we espouse and actually places her faith in us for her own two children as well. her and her husband own a terrific little bistro that has probably been around just as long as we have, but she spends her days with us putting such a wonderful face on our front office.

she’s always the first to volunteer for any project or even simple task, even if its just a run to mcdonalds or something so seemingly arbitrary. she sends me random emails from time to time, sometimes just to check up on me or cheer me up if she hears im down. she usually does talk business, but its the way that she approaches things that makes her such an asset to the school and also to my own life. here’s an except from an email i just got:

Hey Daniel,
Just thought I’d say hi. I’m sure your enjoying your break with all of your friends.

Just came home from St. Augustine and Jacksonville (your favorite!) Matthew got to skate KONA..a dream come true for him..

Did you get to watch the Miami game last night? D Wade was amazing for the heat!!

i love that she takes interest in people’s lives, she remembers the details. she listens, and she believes in what people can do and pushes them to achieve their goals by doing or saying all these little things that people need to motivate themselves. she is a remarkably compassionate and caring woman.. and i’m so thrilled that we got to experience our first years at the school together. it’s been so fun and rewarding..

i really wish i could meet more people like my office manager.

mine is crap right now. amazing how rusty you get when you stop doing something for awhile. even something as rudimentary as expressing your thoughts must be practiced.

i ran into rachel the photographer extraordinaire at tsi last night.. we talked briefly, but when photography came up, she asked me what type of photography i did… to which i just replied with a shrug..

i hate feeling so distant from something im so passionate about.

i really want to start taking pictures again. im sick of my camera sitting idly on my desk.. i want people to SEE things that i see the way that i see them. i really do think i have a unique perspective on things (not that we don’t all have unique perspectives i need to save cash for a new lens for one… hm (edit: i had to go back and edit this paragraph because when i get fired up about something, i start using capital letters again haha)

i dont know who all remembers when there was a huge wildfire in new smyrna about a month ago, but it basically charred a portion of forest so badly that it looks like an alien landscape. its bizarre.. and beautiful. i want to go out there when i get back from jax and explore it.

ive had so much fun in jax too.. ive met so many great people and re-forged relationships with so many old ones.. its been my first trip longer than just a weekend in almost 6 months so im so glad i was able to pull it off. time to start saving up for the europe trip at the end of the year! i really love andrew and jonathan’s places in springfield. if i wasnt so tied down with the school, i would love to relocate back there.. i wish!

hope everyone has a fantastic memorial day.. most importantly, be drink responsibly and drive safely!

what a ridiculous friggin day.

so much of it today.. two kids i went to school with where i now work came by today.. brought back a lot of memories, then i got to see baby pics of laine’s little boy.. flashes of memories.. i feel like i have a headache, neckache, shoulderache.. and that its just seeping southward.

train of thought: ms john soda rocks. i need to update my jukebox. i cant believe gerber has life insurance too. arbors, what color to paint the arbor? how are my sheets still not dry? who is my chiropractor again..? smu was such a beautiful campus. i need more dirt.. how will i ever get that edging level? do we need more mulch? how much mulch do we need if we need more? sod.. did karen order the sod? did she tell them to deliver it to the right spots? where the hell is my camera’s usb cord? i need another memory card. gnats are the bane of my existence. how do you kill gnats? and fire ants.. i hate fire ants. why do fire ants exist? my eyes hurt. god damn, ms john soda rocks.

ps

apparently, i am officially growing something closely resembling a beard.

sitting at james’ house at 4:45 in the morning.. finishing up some chicken nuggets and sipping on a dr pepper..

interesting night.. i have to wake up pretty early tomorrow and get back to daytona to do some landscaping.. a palette of sod, 5 yards of mulch, and a whole lot of plants to get in the ground.. yup, not looking forward to it.. and from the looks of it, i won’t be getting much sleep if any at all.

i wanted to pick up some plants at verdego in bunnell on the way home too, but it just dawned on me that, just like oh so many nurseries, they aren’t open on sundays.

the garden at the school has been shaping up wonderfully. i sent out an email to 6-7 people to showcase the before and after pictures.. also included the old and new sign pics as well as some pictures of some flowers and statues from the garden. can’t wait to get this landscaping done for the front end.. we have so much planned still to make the grounds more intimate and cozy for parents. this summer, we’re also doing a little remodeling of the front entry, office and media center.. new doors, trim, computer stations, color scheme, etc. as well as turning a small classroom into a library extension and multi purpose room. i want it to serve as a meeting space as well as a place to bring prospective families.. and we can still use it for tutoring and we’ll have desk space for nancy and i.

there’s also the matter of the new giaaant basketball court that is going to take up a good portion of the middle school playground.. we should be able to get the concrete poured and goals in place by august, but we still have to raise about $10k more for the SportCourt-esque surface. the kids are doing a terriffic job fundraising and they’re so excited when they are able to meet their goals.. i can’t wait for them to see everything when its all completed! when that happens, i’m also going to invite some friends down for a cookout or something.. should be great.. i take so much pride in that place..

its 4:57 now.. exhausted, but not sure what to do.
just want to get my work done.. i love my job, i truly do, but it can be so overwhelming at times.

now im thinking: god i hope we get that new server soon so we can get our new SIS running too.. hmm.. i’m thinking i need my own tech. blog for the school. might be a nice way to actually share some useful information with people. see, it never ends.

for now though.. im off. hope everyone has a great rest of their weekend!