Memories, Feelings, Healing: Kevin Simpson RIP 1.24.09

One Shoe

This story, complements of Rachel Brint, is one of my all time favorite stories from the college days.

"And One Shoe"

One winter night 2nd semester freshman year, after joining ADPi, 7 or 8 of us started pregaming with a bottle of Jack. Did you know Jack spelled backwards is Trouble? We pile into a car, and dash away to the Phi Psi fraternity house in the middle of no where. This was our stomping grounds freshman year. I still haven't figured out what the attraction was there.

Cant tell you what really went down the rest of the night, because, well, I don't really remember. Its what happened the next morning while nursing hangovers.

Rachel wakes up in her dorm room in the legendary O'Shag with a voicemail on her dorm phone. Still dressed in the same outfit from the night before, she scrambles around, looking for her purse and her dignity. After spending a few minutes contemplating the meaning of life (aka, why was Jack a good decision), she picked up her dorm phone to listen to the message, hoping it would lead to clues about last night.

The message is as follows:

"Ms. Brint, this is the Virginia Tech Police Department. We have located your purse and ONE Shoe in the mens bathroom in the Lee Dorms"

Rachel rushed over to Lee to find a very nice janitor who had found her purse, but did not turn it in due to the beer in the purse.

Where the other shoe went is still a mystery. And how Rachel ended up in the men's bathroom in Lee remains a cold case.

Memories to Remember.

There has been so many hilarious, ridiculous stories in my past, I've decided to put it in writing. We all know how horrible I am with story telling, so know that these stories have gone through several edits.

I'll be posting the memories as they come to me.

August 22, 2008 - 115 Complete

I finally completed reading the book 2,001 Things to Do Before You Die. Its an accomplishment in its own considering I am in the middle of reading 10 books. So what have I done so far in my life? According to the book, only 115 things. Im excited about the notion of completing 115 things before I die, then realize I have 885 things to complete before I actually do die!

The Next Step
The next step in this life goal is to read through the book regularly, identifying the items that I can complete tomorrow, or any other day. While reading through the book again, Im also making note of what I believe I can accomplish.

Spreading the Word of my Goal
I've only shared my goal with few people in the past few weeks.
Steph Johnson - roommate/friend - she's the first I told due to my excitement. She laughed and said "keep me posted"
Audrey Burke- best friend - laughed and said that'll never happen! just wait and see...i'll prove her wrong
Shaun Ruckman - best friend/ex boyfriend - challenged why I didnt make my own list, why I had to abide by this list. I think this list is what will make me step out of the box. My list wouldnt be as challenging.

More to come...

Editors Note: As of 8/22, I have not publicized this blog. Until I get more buy-in and interest, I will continue to keep this private.

The First Day: Starting the Journey

August 3, 2008

It's 10pm. I've just spent my weekend drinking and laying on the couch, plus an hour of cleaning my room. What a life (insert sarcasm). Makes me think - what am I doing with my life. This is a brief passing thought. Nothing came to fruition until I was looking for a book to read before I go to sleep at 10pm. I'm looking at my collection of half read books looking for something interesting. Then the idea hits me - lets start reading a book I bought about a year ago called "2,001 Things to Do Before You Die."

I open the book and thoughts start flowing: Set a goal to accomplish 1,000 of the items before I die, start a journal on everything you do, better yet start a blog.

Here's my chance to do something extra-ordinary and to be proud of as a lifetime accomplishment.

I started reading the first 3rd of the book for 2 hours - making notes of everything that I've already accomplished. Most of the items are from childhood, experiences from my teens and 20's. Its the easy part. I don't have to think about it too much.

Here's my first 50 items I've already accomplished in my first 25 years of life:

1. Learn the first 5 amendments - Of course, I learned these in school. But I couldn't remember them. So checked out Wikipedia for help (relearned):

1. Freedom of religion, speech, press, petition, & assembly

2. The right to bear arms

3. No quartering of soldiers in private houses during times of war

4. Search & seizures, warrants

5. Due process, self-incrimination, double jeopardy, & eminent domain

2. Have multiple orgasms

3. Pay Off School Loans

4. Organize a food drive for the needy - team leader for PPC's Annual Turkey Drive - raised over $500 for a costco run and food donation for thanksgiving

5. Flirt

6. Learn to drive stick shift - On my dad's jeep in highschool - lets just say this involved a stop sign on a hill, holding up traffic, being honked at, and frustration to the point of tears. Really learned on Audrey's VW cabrio

7. Crush a beer with one hand - sideways counts.

8. Stay in bed all day - spending the day hungover is more like it.

9. Spend a day in a nursing home - my grandmother Meme spent a few months in a nursing home after a stroke - I visited many days.

10. Dry some flowers - dried most all the flowers past boyfriends gave me

11. Learn a new computer program - somehow got through college w/o learning power point - couldn't get through my first real job w/o it.

12. Skinny dip - parents pool in highschool

13. Attend a Catholic Mass - boyfriend in highschool was catholic, so I went to mass once w/ him; also attending Jen George/Mikey Shannon wedding w/ mass 5/31/08

14. Do a backflip on a trampoline

15. Spend some time with the Amish or Mennonites - My grandmother's care takers are Mennonites

16. Ride Space Mountain - 11/93

17. Make your own ice cream - had an old-time ice cream maker growing up

18. Don't shave for a few days

19. Smoke a big fat cigar - Tobacco Company in Richmond after Kelly wedding 8/07

20. Boogie Board

21. Have a bowl of Corn Pops or Peanut Butter Captain Crunch - Corn pops are one of my favs

22. Plant a tree

23. Clean up your room - right before I came up w/ this idea!

24. Line dance or hand jive - line danced at first job at LoneStar (part of the job)

25. Invest in the stock market - 401k & roth IRA

26. Pierce something on your body - 6 piercings - double earlobes, cartilage, belly button

27. Surf the Net

28. Write a play - sister and cousins were privy to my play writing skills at every Christmas growing up

29. Make angels in the snow

30. Put glow in the dark start and asteroids in your room

31. Catch a butterfly then let it go

32. Levitate someone - light as a feather, stiff as a board

33. Play dress up

34. Have a mentor - Yolanda Evans, PPC Corporate Recruiting Manager - jump started my career

35. Color with crayons

36. Fingerpaint

37. Throw a shower for a friend - Audrey's baby shower 8/07

38. Walk knee deep in maple leaves

39. Catch a snowflake on your tongue

40. Go Fishin'

41. Soak in a hot tub

42. Chuckle

43. Cut off a bad relationship - ended relationship w/ highschool boyfriend freshman year of college

44. Bake brownies

45. Set your sights higher - accomplishing 1,000 things to do

46. Move - Manassas, Slusher Tower (VT), Hunters Ridge (Blacksburg), ADPi House (VT), Clarendon, Ballston

47. Baby-sit

48. Be a die-hard fan - GO HOKIES!!

49. Play badminton

50. Build a log cabin - helped build parents' log cabin

Thoughts after reading through the first third of the book: Some things will be easy to accomplish, some will be difficult but possible, some will not be possible (various restrictions). But I know I can do it and will share my experiences here.

Here goes nothing.