Back to School

It's good to be back. One week of classes are done and orientation week is over and so far, I'm loving it. Sure, there haven't been any "unforgetable nights" yet but it's just great to be back hanging out with my friends. I had a ton of fun during orientation week although it was pretty much a 24/7 job. I've met a ton of cool freshmen that I can't wait to get to know better as well. Sure, I'm ready for the year to pick up and for tennis to start but overall, I'm a happy JR.

Reflecting on Summer

So in about 60 hours or so I will be packing up all my belongings and embarking and the half-day journey back to Coe College. When the year ended, I reflected upon it and when the school year ended, I also reflected upon it (though I don't know if I did online). It's only fitting that I reflect upon my summer as well. This summer definitely fits my whole "life goes in waves" theme. When I first came home, the first few days were a whirlwind of social activities and reconnecting with friends before life settled down. Then I started to get into a bit of a rut until work started. For the whole summer, the pace seemed to go up and down. I feel to some extend I wasted this summer. Although I did make a solid amount of money, it was very alarming today when I paid my parents my portion of the semester and for this years fraternity dues to realize that I only netted about 125 dollars total this summer. Thankfully I have some work at school which will easily get me through the year. In some ways, I didn't reconnect the way I wanted to. There were some people I was around a lot in high school and I was hoping that I would not only reconnect but deepen our relationships. For the most part, this did not happen. The people I was casually friends with were definitely invisible. However, there were a few people this summer I got to spend a good amount of time with that I'm more thankful for than I think they know. It was very reassuring to me that I could come home and not only reconnect quickly but get to know people on a deeper level of trust than I did previously. Hopefully I will be able to stay in touch frequently with them while away at school. One of my biggest fears all year of college was actually leaving college fearing that I had little to go back to. This summer helps sooth my mind realizing that when the day comes in the distant future and I leave college, I can still stay close with the people that really matter to me. Goodbye summer 2009......hello Coe

Next week.......

I will be back at school. Exactly one week from today I will be driving to Cedar Rapids. Summer was fun, seeing all my friends again and getting closer to some but I'm excited to go back to a fast pace, sleep only when you drop, environment for awhile. By October fall break, I'm sure i'll be exhausted but right now I'm excited.

Spammers

So apparently my blog was spamming and was temporarily deleted. It was kind of funny actually. But it's fixed now. Good work.

Summer Living

So summer is a very interesting time for a college student. For me, college is 5 hours away and none of my friends are from closer than 45 minutes away and there are probably only 2 or 3 that are that close right now. So for socializing, I'm stuck trying to fit in time with the people I still talk to but often fail to get ahold of them and end up in awkward social situations with people you don't really like. Take for instance grad parties today. I trotted around for about an hour with a group of people that honestly neglected me in high school. Why did I continue to trot around with them? Who knows. But let me tell you, it was a little awkward. Anyway, I lost badly to a 45 year old in tennis this morning. Apparently he's actually really legit (top ten in the nation for his age) but I still kind of felt like a piece of shit. Whatever it's cool. I start working significantly more Monday and man I'm excited. Not necessarily for the money, but I miss having my schedule somewhat decided for me. It makes me actually do the things I want to because I don't have all day available. Also, some of the little tennis kids are adorable and very funny. If anyone actually reads this, call me up! Summer's starting to get a little bored and if you care enough to read my blog, you must like me.

Waves

Its kind of funny to watch your life kind of go in waves. School is a great example. School work always tends to escalate the week where you're busy one more night than usual and you have to leave for the weekend for one reason or another. Summer is very similar. Sometimes there are more people calling me to do things than I could possibly fit in and still get work done. Other times, such as these last couple of days, I haven't heard from anyone, and I really don't have anything else to occupy my time. It's kind of bizzare. I am enjoying summer however. As much as I miss people at Coe, the 612 is a nicer place than Cedar Rapids and its a good change being able to sleep a full 7 to 8 hours each night. However, I need to figure out how to make money. God damn economy. I should probably get on that right away.

Potentials

So today, my friend Dusty Boyer won the Minnesota State high school league AA tennis championship. the boy has worked hard all year and out of all the good tennis players i know, he is probably the least arrogant. i went with a couple of my friends from my tennis club to go watch and were pleased to see our old teaching pros that we had in high school were there to support one of their players. before the final after watching dusty win his semifinal match, one of them told me something that was somewhat upsetting. well maybe upsetting isnt the word but it made me thing. what he said was "this could have been you jon". when i think about it, it definitely could have been. I'm a hard worker, talented, smart, composed, and very dedicated to the things i do so last year, it very well could be. in fact, it probably should have been. but in reality, not only did i not win state but i didnt even make it there. sure i was sick a lot during the season and i had trouble with my shoulder. honestly i kind of chocked it away. although this is probably not a big part of the problem, its unsettling to think about. what if i was afraid to reach my true potential? was i afraid to put myself out there and lose just before the final. if this is a problem with me, not that i think it was at all, its impact will go far far beyond the tennis court. if anyone were ever afraid to reach their true potential, then they'll likely never even reach the modest goals they set for themselves for fear of having to push themselves farther.

Nadal Losing

For most people, they don't quite understand what happend today. Rafael Nadal, who was thought to be unbeatable on clay, lost to a relatively unknown player. Most people would take this as a lesson teaching young children that "Anything is possible!". The way I look at it is different. In reality, Nadal had to lose eventually. Unless he retired beforehand which may be 10 years from now, he eventually had to lose at the French Open. What I take out of it is that things will happen at completely unexpected times. Personally I wanted Nadal to lose so Federer can win the French Open. My point is that you may have to wait a long time for something wonderful to happen or for a chance of a lifetime, but when opportunity strikes, you have to be ready to capitalize on that chance. It's a lesson I myself need to learn as much as anybody else.

Impact

So I've always wondered if I would ever be remembered. Usually when people graduate high school they leave and in a few years nobody remembers them. I put a lot of work into a lot of things in high school but I always wondered if it would mean anything. In 7th grade, our tennis program was a complete joke and although I had a lot of help from some parents and community members, I spearheaded the student effort to make it decent and the program went from 2 wins my 7th grade year to 12 my senior year along with 3 all-conference players. I assumed that after my senior year and the 4 other seniors left the team that the program would be horrible again. Well, I was wrong. The team went 7 and 7 and each players had an individual record around .500. When I came back to watch a match, all the younger kids acted as if Santa had showed up and parents I had never met before came up to talk to me. One boy I swear I had never seen before not only knew my name but had my shoes and walked around the court with the same mannerism as me. I made a joke about it to my friend Libby and she replied that the kid probably looks up to me. I laughed but then I started to think. The things I do really do have a big impact. The same thing was similar with band to a far lesser extent. Many of the younger kids who drove me nuts in Patriots sectional all added my on facebook and have messaged me several times. Maybe too many times. Although when I come back to high school I may be forgotten whenever there's a party or other social gathering, at least I'm remembered for things that I really care about.

Freshmen year

It's hard to believe freshmen year is already over. When I was moving all my stuff out of my room, I remembered the beginning of the year when I moved everything into my old room and how it seemed like it had just happend last week. My parents were there, the weather was warm, and we had to carry everything up and down several flights of stairs. I feel like I grew a lot my first year of college. I didn't learn as many things in the class room as I expected, but I learned far more than I ever thought I could outside of the classroom. In high school, especially the early years of high school, my people skills were lacking to the say the least. I rarely talked and when I didn't I often inadvertently offended someone. Although I still have work to do, I'm now comfortable in nearly all social situations and usually don't offend people as often anymore. The last weekend of tennis was crazy. Losing 5-4 in a 5 hour match with Luther and all I can say is those guys are assholes. Thankfully, I beat 4 of them in the next 2 days while winning the conference tournament. I will try to blog more often but no promises. I know so many people read these......

Whirlwind

Who knew college would be this exhausting? I don't have a problem getting anything done, but once I'm done, I become either anti-social or just fall asleep. I just can't seem to catch. Anyway, Thursday was FLUNK DAY meaning classing were canceled and the school just threw a huge party. It was amazing. I almost got written up by security because I was looking at a library shelf where all the books were knocked off of and security showed up and obviously thought it was me. I got the hell out of there haha. Anyway I didn't have to go to Michigan with tennis because I wasn't going to play and coach told me to stay at Coe and have fun so that was awesome. Today I experienced walking in high heels while raising money for charity. Long story. So I suck at blogging but nobody reads these so who cares huh? Peace

Birthdays

So today is indeed my birthday and birthdays have always been a weird days for me. In high school, I don't know that I ever really enjoyed my birthday in high school, for various reasons that are no longer important. But this year so far has been different. Because we didn't have classes today because of student symposium(whatever that is), I began celebrating last night. Basically I decided I was going to use this date to bring everyone I know together. In other words I threw a huge party. I bought a giant cookie that says "Happy Birthday JR!" and some of my favorite beverages. I think birthdays are more about the people I care about then myself. Personally, I enjoyed having everyone having a great time on Tuesday night more than I've ever enjoyed receiving a birthday present. For me, it's not about me.

Tennis weekend

So I'm sleeping on the window ledge right now because were  out of beds. hahahaha. Tomorrow I have a match and one a noon and then I have to quick drive back to Coe by 8 to play in a band concert. Sunday, match at noon, band concert again at 4. So basically no fun and no homework will get done this weekend. Its all good though

Small Colleges

So I knew that inevitably, being at a small college would produce drama. Well it has happens. Currently some of my friends are in a state of panic and it's kind of getting old, like a week ago. Anyway I just owned my bio test this morning(I was studying Saturday night so I didn't have to listen to people) and my CAP(College Adjustment Peer) interview is tomorrow. Also I got formal all figured out. Slowly, I'm starting to knock things off my massive to-do list. Good work JR

My year

So this semester has flown by and I realized I don't really have plans for this summer. My original idea has most likely fallen through so I will probably spend most of the summer at home and hopefully I will find a job. Also, my hope of becoming a college adjustment peer at the beginning of next year most likely will not happen because I got written up Friday night. Ridiculous I know. Also, this school year is just a crazy mess until the end. I spend 2 weekends away from Coe for tennis, one of which I have a 12 page research paper and project due that Monday. I have a large fraternity harm reduction report to send to nationals which is due just after finals week. I don't have a date to our formal because people are either out of town, already asked, or have various other reasons they don't want to go. On top of all this, I still want to have some fun. A daunting task indeed, but, I'm Jon Roger, I'll figure it out.

Been Slacking

My bad guys. I've been neglecting my blog. Life's been a little crazy lately. I just got back from spring break in Florida and now my hair is blonde. At least it's getting a lot of laughs. I came back to Coe with a lot of homework that I don't want to do in the first couple of days. Overall things are going well but there are some things that are stressing me out. For the first time in awhile, I'm not entirely enjoying tennis. It just sucks to watch all the time when you know you're almost or as good as the players playing but the coaches will never put you in. Also, girls are confusing. Enough send. Night folks

I forgot about this thing

If you've noticed my lack of postings on this site, then you are not completely a moron. I will try to step it up guys. 

New Room

At first I thought it was the weirdest loft ever but once we put our stuff in now its super cool. Being back at Coe is great. This semester is off to a good start

Revisting High School

So today I went back to St. Anthony with Aaron, Jon Slye, and Donald after a quick run to Chipotle in order to visit our favorite old teachers. On a whole, I have to say the visit wasn't even close to as awkward as I thought it would be. There were some awkward moments of course, for example people you didn't especially like who are still in high school and trying to decide whether or not you should respond to their greetings or not. However, I got to see nearly all of my favorite old teachers. We talked for a significant length of time with teachers such as Lulai, TK, Senior B, Ms. P, and to our pleasant suprise, the one, the only, Mr. Wayne Terry. We also talked to Mrs. Jurichko, Wiggins, Haugen, Kron, and Applehoff for a moment or two. We unfortunately didn't catch Gauchie, Macleod, or Urdahl but all and all, I enjoyed talking to my teachers. I do have a lot of good memories of high school even though it wasn't the greatest of course. All and all, I was glad I was able to go back and revisit those people who had influence on my education and on my life.

Where have Joe Couillard's blogs gone?

Seriously Joe? Where are they!?

New Years continued again(read first one and proceed upwards on page)

Before college, I went to China(more specifically Taiwan and Hong Kong) with the band at Coe. Although the band was mostly made up of adults, I was able to meet some good people and make some lasting bonds of friendship. Most notably are the 4 other freshmen on the trip who, like me, had not experienced any of Coe College. The 5 of us went to school after the trip knowing each other quite well and I'm now confident that at any time, I could go to any of them for anything. Then I started college. The first few weeks were indeed, quite strange. Everyone seemed to be running around and making friends and although I was meeting people, I did feel a little left out. That soon changed however, as I have made the best friends of my life at college. The turning point would have been rushing for fraternities and joining Lambda Chi Alpha along with 20 some other freshmen. Because of the friends I have made, I have been asked to live on their wing next semester, a great honor for a freshmen. In addition, at college I have learned a lot about myself and how people look at me. College has given me a lot of confidence that I didn't have around kids in high school and for the 3 weeks I've been home at college, I've wanted to go back to have more fun.
There's no denying it, 2008 was a huge year for me. Even though it was a horrible year for the economy, I was always remember 2008 as a positive year for myself and for the country(the election, crossing fingers, hope he does well). If anyone actually actually reads these, I hope your year will be viewed positively, even if everything didn't go your way. Happy New Year!

A New Year continued

Although high school was over, Patriots continued into the summer. I enjoyed the company of friends at Patriots but Patriot this year turned out to be one of the most frustrating experiences of my entire life. No, it definitely was the most frustrating. After being a surprise choice of section leader, I was given a section with half rookies who turned out to be nearly hopeless at learning marching band things. What was so frustrating to me wasn't that my section wasn't the best, as usually is a frustration for me, not being the best or at least damn close, it was that no matter how hard I tried I felt like I had zero impact on how anything went. Directors and student leaders were extremely frustrated with me but even they had no ideas of how to handle the situation. Eventually however, the situation inevitably had to get better and we did improve earning the bands "most improved section" for obvious reasons. In addition I received brass MVP which was like a nice "thank you" from everyone which I was very grateful for. The patriots trip was a good get away but it didn't do especially well with connecting with people in my grade. Again, the problems with kids in my grade. Never the less, when Patriots ended, all my direct connections to the high school were severed and I prepared to enter college. The beginning of college will be written about in the next post.

The New Year

So as 2008 comes to a close and most people are going crazy, I have begun to reflect some on the past year. Since entering grade school, 2008 has always been a year that teachers have always put on our radar since it is the date of my class' high school graduation: thus the class of '08. True to predictions, I believe 2008 was easily the biggest year of my life. Many of the things that were a constant in my life sadly came to a close. But with one door closing I flew through more open doors. 2008 began with the senior slide in high school and trying to decide where I would continue my education. Luther, my original front runner was beginning to wane for a number of reasons such as length of time from application to being accepted, lack of affordable scholarship money, and questionable ethics in some aspects. Choices I had long since neglected such as Coe and St. Mary's were rising. In the sports world, I had revisted my love of running in the previous year but now had my eyes glued on a tennis state championship. I played and worked out nearly everyday along with spending many weekends in places such as Grand Forks, Souix Falls, and Rochester playing rigorous tournaments in order to better my playing ability. In the end I didn't even make the state tournament after electing to try doubles with Will G and losing to a tough Blake team. I have since avenged our doubles lose by beating one of the kids badly in a tournament this December. Jazz band was always fun, but in 2008, it became absolutely amazing. We won the Eau Claire jazz festival and had our own concert which turned out to be one amazing night. The funny thing was that high school tennis and high school band came to a close both on the same day, May 22nd, which was the day of our section tennis tournament and our senior concert which I won the Louis Armstrong award for jazz band, my biggest accomplishment in high school. Then suddenly, it was all over. I was walking across stage on scholarship day and again at graduation, and high school came to a close. The last day of classes had a cook out, a couple of bands, and a dance and I had more fun at that 5 dollar dance then I had at all the other dances combined. I need to do another post because this one is too long.