For today, he shall go with God.

I will be taking another unusual turn today to celebrate the life of my grandfather. Luther Leroy Singletary.

My grandfather grew up in Durant, Oklahoma; a small town just north of the Oklahoma-Texas border. He was born in the 1920's (i'm uncertain of the exact year) in a large family. They were farmers, as most people were back then. My grandfather had no more than a 6th grade education, but he went on to do wondrous things.

My grandfather joined the US Army during World War II. He rose through the ranks and became an MP. He was stationed on the pacific island of Biak. My favorite story he always told us was when he would sneak of his post for a cup of coffee, and trust me, the man would do anything for coffee. After the bombing of Nagasake and Hiroshima, he was sent to Japan in one of the first few landing forces, and honor that he would not receive his medal for until he was in his 70's. After the war, he retired to a small town south of Houston.

He began working for DOW after his service with the US Army. Though he lacked a formal education, his knowledge of machinery helped his immensely. He and a co-worker built many vehicles for use in the plants that were unheard of before. While working for Dow, he also had 4 children: my late Uncle Darryl, My mother, my aunt Sherry and my Uncle Pat. My uncle Darryl was the only one to follow in my grandfathers footsteps and serve our country in the armed forces, but pneumonia took him before I was able to meet him.

My granfather retired from Dow either before I was born or soon after. His love for geneology spurred his purchase of our family's first home computer, and to this day he still used a computer. His research proved he was a decendant of many figures in the American Revolution, a fact which I am proud of. My grandfather followed the Houston Astros and Rockets quite regularly and rarely missed a televised game. He also watched NASCAR quite regularly, and was proud of a family member who worked for his favorite driver in his pits.

These are just the accomplishments he's known for. My grandfather was a loving man. His family always came first. That's the one thing I will always remember him for.

I love you Pa-Pa. I miss you already.

Life, The Universe, and Everything.

well, gonna completely take a turn from my usual soccer blogging on here, Dynamo FINALLY won last night by the way :P, and talk about life, the universe, and Everything (ala Douglas Adams).

I've been out of work for 3 months. Partially my fault for not searching diligently, but also this economy blows. I like work because it gets me out of the house and into the general public and gets me money. Money gets me out of the house even more in the form of going to stores and movies. Its very cyclical. It also keeps me sane. There's a lot of things I want to get, but I'm unable to because I don't have money. Which also bring up....

School. I'm taking a semester off because I can't afford community college right now. School, like work, gets me out and gets me to socialize. Although, in most classes I'm ostracized for making most people look bad by sleeping through class and making A's.

Home. Holy Crap. Since I'm not employed or being educated, I get to clean and cook. Ironically, my room is the cleanest its been in a WHILE, and I can cook really kick-ass Italian food. Dad does give a kickback every once in a while. I got season 5 of the Office for mowing the yard (awesome).

The Universe. Pluto still isn't a planet. Seriously, this shit hardly changes. and btw, there's a 13th zodiac you crazy fucks. Google it.

Everything. Soccer is still going. Hockey is coming up soon. I miss SHSU. I miss all my friends. I hate the fact that my BFF is moving hours away with her fiance and I'll hardly get to hang out with her anymore. I hate that I can't find a girl who's worth my time. I hate that I got cut from the Madison Scouts without having a decent shot to show the staff what I could do. I hate the fact that I'm nowhere NEAR being done with my degree in Music, and that I'm starting to second-guess my decision in said major. I hate the fact that I'm uninspired to do damn-near anything. I hate the fact that I have so many model-painting projects going at once I can never finish them.

However, I love the fact that one day, someone or something is gonna show me something that will make everything seem that it wasn't all failed efforts. That nothing I have tried to accomplish and failed, nothing that I plan down to the miniscule details and not have the means to execute, nothing that someone has told me "you can't do it" and have no faith in me what-so-ever, will all be a smaller piece in the puzzle of my life.