I really hate how it gets to be like 50 degrees in January just to tease us enough to want spring and then right after it will go back to -10. I wonder why it always has to do that? Why does it have to be relatively nice just to make us wonder if we really dislike winter. The worst part is when it gets warm and melts all the snow so it's cold out but there isn't any snow. If its going to be cold I want it to be snowy and cold and if it's going to melt the snow then I want it to warm up. I'm so ready for a spring break or a trip to somewhere warm. I want to be able to go swim in salt water and walk in shorts and worry about sun burns again. Even though I love snowboarding I would still rather be somewhere warm/tropical.

I read a book that was titled EARL. It's a biography of a man better known as DMX. It changes my perspective on tough lives. Earl Simmons was born and raised in Younkers New York which could be top ten for worst neighborhoods. Add to a poor surrounding that his Dad wasn't around and his mom was a crack cocaine addict and that makes for a very interesting and tough upbringing. I found it interesting that the book spent a while talking about how his life was going down hill because of anger issues and poor school work and crime. In one of the altercations Earl got into, he actually ended up getting his jaw broken and had his jaws wired shut for 6 weeks. In another phase of his life got into stealing cars and during one day him and his friends ended up stealing a car from each other probably a half a dozen times without knowing it. Through all of his tough times and bad surroundings he ended up working hard and getting a contract to rap.

A book that changed my life for the better is called EARL. It is an autobiography of the rapper Earl Simmons aka DMX. The whole time the book described how he worked hard and was dedicated to getting out of poverty. When times were absolutely terrible for him he would go find stray dogs in the inner city and provide food and protection for them. It was his way of getting away. The book also had parts where he wouldn't be doing anything that was good but somehow mistake or not he always came through on top. Eventually through hard work he wrote songs and they were released and he ended up making it big time. He is now a multi-platinum recording artist. When I first read EARL I was given the message to work harder because my life was nowhere near as hard as DMX's life. If he made it then I could as well.

It is now Tuesday Feb. 3rd I really didn't want to get up this morning. I had homework in a few of my other classes and unfortunately didn't get enough sleep. However it all goes back to this weekend. I went home to watch the Super Bowl and be around friends and family. Since I was busy and with my friends I didn't get much school work done or much sleep at all. When the game was finally over I packed my stuff and drove 2 hours back to Mankato. I didn't get back until almost midnight and I got a ticket on the way. After I finished my homework and put my stuff away it was way to late for me to be going to bed. I'm a little behind on sleep as most people could probably tell.