Time to catch up with Matt

So it’s time for a catch up blog. A lot has happened since the last time I blogged substantially.

1. I got married to an awesome woman.
2. Our puppy is really not a puppy anymore (6mo & 42lbs).
3. I got an amazing motorcycle from a friend who was in a tough spot.
4. I have started on my thesis to free me from the trials of grad school.

1. Let’s talk about our wedding. Don’t get me wrong I love my family, but as anyone knows families drive people the most insane. For all intensive purposes I have like 4 sets of people that represent my parents. Obviously my mother and my father (biological) are my parents, but others have stepped up when needed to earn an honorary title. Having said that that brings so many different sets of expectations to a wedding. I have developed a little equation to explain. So I have 4 sets of people (2) per set which makes 8 people -1 because my mom is single so now we are at 7. Since most people are hypocrites so they say 1 thing, but actually want another that makes for 2 points of view/ expectation per person… So if you can keep up we are at 7x2=14. That is 14 different expectations and desires for 2 only children getting married. First off you can’t make everybody happy, but really in this case I didn’t think we were going to make anyone happy… Except for 2 people, but we don’t need to get into that… This is polite company of course. My biggest advice/ regret are that my lovely wife and I didn’t just elope. We thought our wedding turned out well, but we (my in-laws and Dad/his wife) dumped so much money into the wedding that they (Kate and I) wanted to just get a check and be done with it. We could have been well on our way to owning a house if it wasn’t for the expectations of family, who in reality didn’t enjoy themselves and left after only 3 hours. It was very frustrating because it meant the party was costing $5000 an hour…. At that rate we could have been handing out party favors filled with narcotics. To anyone reading this blog who is planning a wedding, don’t go all out and spend a fortune, it’s really not that big of a deal and if you think it is you are a diva (girl) or a homo if you are a guy. In the words of my father, “It really doesn’t matter, because you are no more married at the end of the day”. I think that quote rings true, so really think about what you and you’re spouse want before you spend tens of thousands of dollars on peoples expectations; because in reality you’ll not only not meet them, but you’ll be a lot more poor for trying.

2. Our puppy. AVA. First off she is probably one of the best dogs I know. I have known many dogs in my life, many of them were amazing, but I don’t think I have found a pup as smart, cute and affectionate as ours. For 6 months old she is super intelligent, ornery, but playful and eats like a champ. I am pretty sure that she’d eat a beer can if she had the opportunity; for sure though if it was filled with beer. We had some disappointment with our first dog, but lessons we learned made us all the more ready to raise Ava as well as we have been able to.  Since we have returned from the honeymoon we have been working on obedience and walking. For a “puppy” she is awfully strong and we have had to get a walking assist harness for her since she is pulling so hard when walking. She took off after something the other night and damn near dislocated my right arm. She has made a lot of progress though; I had expressed a desire for Ava to be out of her cage at night thus if someone broke in they’d be met with a mouth full of teeth, then a 12 gauge. Ava makes for a great guard dog already and she is 4 for 4 of nights being out of her cage with no bathroom or chewing accidents. She really blows me away with her disposition being such a young dog. We are still working on swimming, but we’ll get there. Ava has also discovered fire, yes I said fire. She is greatly enthralled by its presence and will gaze at it for hours… Well really minutes then she falls asleep in front of it. Over all she is an awesome dog with no where, but up to go!

3. My motorcycle. 2008 Suzuki Blvd M50 Limited. It’s a great bike and my first so the fact that it’s a cruiser and not a crotch rocket will probably benefit me in the long run for experience and safety. It has 805cc’s and a scary amount of low end torque due to the fact that it is shaft driven. I have joined up with a group of riders in Cincinnati that are very god riders and have a lot to offer to a new rider like myself. Just from hanging out with them, watching, and riding with them I have learned more than I thought I would in years. I took my motorcycle test at the BMV in Lebanon the other day and a test that multiple people I know have failed a number of times, I actually past on my first time through; surprising I know. Now that I am a fill endorsed motorcycle rider in the state of Ohio I feel a lot more confident in my riding skill, but never ride faster than you’re angel can fly, and never ride outside of you’re ability. A lot things kill people on motorcycles, but a majority of the time it’s people in other cars and if a rider is consuming alcohol, or if a rider is pushing the envelope and goes just a millimeter over the edge. Since I am ever vigilant in watching people in other cars and I don’t drink and ride (not even one beverage), and I ride within my ability I believe that I stand a much better chance on the roads than most. For everyone out there, ride safe and drivers of all vehicles look twice for motorcycles.

4. My thesis. After 7 years of higher education I am ready to be done. I have thus begun the month’s process of compiling and completing a final thesis for my Master’s in Public History. It is no small feat to take a task like this on, but I feel ready to attempt it. My institution is staffed with some of the best faculty I have ever had the privilege of working with. The institution in which my thesis pieces are housed is a slightly different story. They are a group a great guys, but I believe they have too much on their plate when it comes to have a MA thesis done in their facility. The scale that they want/expect requires some level of attention from their and they have hardly shed candle light on the area of interest, when they need spotlights worth of assets to assist in the execution of the project. I am trying to give them a wide berth till they finish their major project which is much larger in scale and financial need than me or my project and I understand that, but in my opinion, don’t advertise a need for MA students and accept them when you can’t provide for a thesis done in you’re facility.

That is all.