Hey Summer, Where'd You Go? 08.18.2008 8:53PM Holy crap! Where did the summer go? Here I am getting my things together to head back to Ball St. and I'm not sure where the summer went. Its not that I didn't do anything, because I did quite a lot, but it seems like it went by much too quickly. Sure, I'm ready to head back to school but its a requirement to hold tight to the last days of summer (or at least summer break). Maybe if I rehash the highlights I can figure out what happened to the summer. Things kicked off with bang as we snuck (sneaked for all you elitist!) the now famous Booze Sandwich into the infield of the Kentucky Derby. I took a week to recover from that experience before starting my summer internship at The Estopinal Group. Just two weeks later (I worked really hard!) I piled into the van with the family and headed off to Pawley's Island, South Carolina for a week at the beach. Dodging an American Black Bear that darted out onto the highway, was just one of many highlights. In early June I headed to my home away from home, Chicago, to catch my favorite band, R.E.M., at the United Center. Easily the best concert I've ever been, as Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills rocked classics and new tunes for over 2 hours. I continued to work. I helped my brother build cornhole sets. And I think this is where I lost my summer. What else did I do? You know those rare occurrences where there are two full moons in a month? Well that was July for me. I saw The Dark Knight not only on its opening weekend, but also, just a few days later with some people from work. That's coupled with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls which I saw in May and with that I saw too many movies at the theater this summer. And Katrina was refurbished. At the end of the month I headed to Shreveport to do some field verification for work. Sometime in July the interns decided we could hang out together outside of work and decided the best way to accomplish such was at $1 beer at the Bats. Or whenever we had the boss' tickets. On two occasions we ventured to the bar right down from the intern house. Sure Johnny D's looked creepy from the outside and very well may have been creepy once inside, but $1 bottles and $2 Long Islands will make you forget that quite quickly. All in all it was a great summer. It was nice to be home after two summers away. But as with all good things, it must come to an end. Just like my 14 months without a haircut. So below is essentially what it looked like just a few days before getting it cut (Marty, Jenny, Ashley, Me). Besides a few pictures from vacation this is really the only documentation. I'm pretty good at unintentionally avoiding pictures. Kentucky State Fair 08.15.2008 9:22PM Per family tradition I went to the Kentucky State Fair today. It was the whole gang today (including Theresa, Jeff, and Amanda). The Fair is a colorful place to go, not just because of the bounty of fruits and vegetable and the other rows of exhibits on display, but also because of the people. It definitely ranks very high on the best places to people watch. Being as close to a city slicker as you can be in Kentucky, going to the Fair reminds me of the old fashioned carnivals that displayed "exotic" people from around the world for the civilized to gawk at. In this case I represent the civilized, while the rest of the fair represents, well, the rest of Kentucky, or the exotic. It's nothing all too exotic. It's cows, goats, jacks, mules and small town farmers. However its not something I encounter day to day or on a regular basis. So its a change of pace for me no matter how necessary and vital those aspects are to Kentucky. It sure does make me feel better about my direction in life. Some of the best sights from the Kentucky State Fair can be found at the Photoblog. Do enjoy, but please don't climb on the watermelon. How Does Your Garden Grow? 08.09.2008 4:53PM I've become the surrogate harvester for the garden and today the garden yielded its biggest bounty yet. Along with the ever abundant cherry tomatoes today's haul included ten full size tomatoes, a green pepper, and few other assorted peppers. It seems as though there should be a steady flow of tomatoes and peppers over the next two weeks. Check out the bounty below. I received a summons for jury duty a few days ago, but unfortunately I'll be back at school and have requested to be excused based on "extreme inconvenience". Too bad it didn't come a few weeks ago because I want to do it. Thats the only way a system of judgment based on a jury of peers can continue to thrive. Pay is $12.50...a day. And the best part was the clarification that actual pay was $5.00 and the remaining $7.50 was for reimbursements. All of which (and more) I'm sure would have to go to parking. My summer internship is over. I celebrated the end with a cookout last night. A specific hand selected group of co-workers came over for swimming and beer. I'm pretty sure everybody had a great time and they don't know what they're really missing with my absence. The time for a haircut may have come. I'm not sure though. I'm wavering back and forth on it. It has been 14 months since it was last cut. I've been scouring pictures to see what look I want to go with, but nothing has jumped out yet. Feel free to contribute your own ideas. Some Like It Hot 08.01.2008 6:56PM The dog days of summer got the best of me. Sorry for the lack of updates in July, but don't expect that to continue into August. Nope, just too much going on. Last night I returned from 3+ days in Shreveport, LA for work. The job was to field verify an existing YMCA so the building can be expanded. That for the most part went off without a hitch. Just a few observations from the bayou: - I thought I talked slow. However, when compared to a Louisianan I must talk like a New Yorker or Chicagoan. By the time they are finished with the first word I've already forgotten what they were talking about. Wow. - I think the hot and humid summer of Louisville is about my limit. The temperatures hovered around 100 and the humidity must've been one tenth of a percentage point from 100% and rain. Sticky. Sweaty. Nasty. - The people of the bayou might be too nice. That's right, too friendly. It's one thing to hold a door for someone right behind you, but to go out of your way to hold doors, say hello, and talk to others might be too much. Seriously, I don't know you. - Remember that summer the water supply in Louisville tasted like dirt? Well apparently thats how the water always tastes in Louisiana. A little fluoride and chloride would go a long way. Nothing like turning on the shower and being swamped with the smell of a dirty lake. - I saw just one normal sized Confederate flag. Disappointing. Check out Last Month 08.01.2008 6:55PM Check out last month at Beavers and Ducks, while you wait for a new post for August. July 2008

Gregory 'Jesus' Dowell Muncie, IN - I'm a 2007 graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies. Currently pursuing my graduate degree in Architecture at Ball State University. I just finished a 7 month internship with RRJ. The internship has taken me from coast (Bethany Beach, DE) to coast (San Diego, CA), while showing me the ropes. Resume Portfolio Greg's Calendar Aug 8- Last day of work, "Nightswimming" Cookout Aug 25- Classes resume Important Wii Release Dates - ILLINI DYNASTY|! August 26 Tiger Woods Golf 09 October 22 Guitar Hero: World Tour Other Wii Games To Watch For Sept 22 de Blob TBA 2008 James Bond 007 The Latest Podcast Last Month at Beavers and Ducks July 2008 Links the building bloc(k) CadaverBlender Bloomington or Bust Smelkem Spargel Lives of Wander Theresa's Freelance Site

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