2. 2004 "NEW YEAR" RESOLUTION
THAT IN ORDER TO GIVE MYSELF MORE ENERGY, MAKE MY EYES HURT LESS, AND TO HOPEFULLY GET THE DAMN BAGS UNDER MY EYES TO DISAPPEAR, I SHALL GREATLY INCREASE MY INTAKE OF FRUITS (AND MAYBE VEGGIES). Plus its a healthy treat, which will hopefully let me lose a little weight, which brings me to...

3. 2004 "NEW YEAR" RESOLUTION
IN AN EFFORT TO LOSE A LITTLE WEIGHT, I WILL TRY NOT SNACKING AS MUCH, SNACKING HEALTHIER, AND NOT SNACKING RIGHT BEFORE BED. Self explanatory I believe.

1. 2004 "NEW YEAR" RESOLUTION
TO ALL OF YOU WHO I HAVE EVER DONE HARM TO EITHER EMOTIONALLY, PSYCHOLOGICALLY, OR PHYSICALLY (quiet Monica...), I am sorry. I hold ALL past grudges as just that...in the past. I look forward to trying harder next semester. Best of luck to you all in doing whatever you are trying for next year. I will be posting several of these...gee...maybe I can even get to 13 if I try. That's always been my number. Hope your Holiday Season is going well. :) Bye!

Current Mood-Thankful and Joyous
Current Music-50's Jazz and Swing-Soundtrack to The Majestic

Been a while since I posted last, and I gotta tell ya. The only time I tend to post anything anymore is when I feel inspired to write. Tonight is one of those nights. I spend almost the entire day alone--as per situated with me shopping for presents, and the fact that I live alone now. Wrapping presents all day and shopping for others, I started to get feelings deep down, not in my head or in my stomach, but a place that has rarely seen the light of day lately...my heart. I put on one of my favorite movies of all time The Majestic, and as usual cried something like 5 times. If you haven't seen it, watch it this holiday season, its classic. The scene with the father makes me weep and weep. If you've seen it, you know what I am talking about, if not, again, go watch it. The music, the scenery, the people, its sooooo moving. I don't know how a movie can make me snap, clap, and sing, while making me cry so many times as well. Such a moving movie. If you want to borrow it from me when I return from break, I'm more than happy to lend it to you. The last zoom of the last photograph has brought me to tears again, but for an entirely different emotion. Watch this film.

That being said, if you read the things on top of this post, I'm thankful and joyous. I can't remember the last time I honestly felt like this. So because I feel so inspired, I am making not a wish list, as I would any other year during the holiday season, but an actual list of things I am thankful for.

1. Lindsay-This requires no thought to anyone who knows me at the moment, but as I sit here tonight, talking to her online, I realize that I have found true love again. It was a long time coming, and I really am happy that I have found someone that I yearn for when I am not around. I can't wait to see her Friday. I miss her so much, that I can't even believe it. Shopping for her Christmas present was such a fun task. I have been shopping roughly 5 times for her present, not sure of what to get her. I went my usual route, just getting everything! I got the sentimental, relationship, fun presents all wrapped up. Good stuff. I really miss her touch, her kiss, her embrace, her eyes, her fun hair, her personality, her sense of humor, the way she looks at me, the way she misses me when I'm not around. God, I love this woman.

2. Family-While often times the neglected bunch in my life, I'm happy to be going home. Living away from home makes you appreciate them that much more. I've promised a lot of quality time to my father, and hope to get some in with my mother as well. I know they were sad that I decided to spend one of my three weeks for break away from them, but I think they respect me as a grown up at this point. Lots of presents to bring home also. Will be weird to bring home all my presents all wrapped and made up, not going shopping at home. Signs of the times. I'm all grown up.

3. Friends-Cannot say enough about this past semester. What a great semester it is. Many, many friends I have done many, many things with this semester. My wonderful roommate Puffy (who I am glad I had a chance to hang out with again), my loving girlfriend Lindsay, my friend from home and back again Joe Yang, my dear old friend Marco (who still treats me as if I was the best friend he's ever had!), Katie--who has had the chance to see me on both sides of the relationship line, the ever innocent Texan Karen, Monica who goes through life very determined, FDM who is an odd character in his own right. There are countless other friends who see me every day, whether in class or while I'm working, and you guys ALL make this college experience worth living.

4. NMU-While I know many people have had problems with this place, I continue to be the poster boy for Northern. I've loved every damn minute of this place since I've been here. Loved all my living places, loved all my people I've lived around, loved all my classes (for the most part...and yes, just because I skipped here and there doesn't mean that they weren't good). I will be teaching finally this January. Scary stuff, but very exciting. In fact the only reason I don't want to leave NMU is reasons 1 and 3 listed above. Still if the opportunity presents itself, I will still try for an RD job here at Northern. I think it would be a blast to have a staff and continue to contribute to the students of Northern in a positive manner. I've always loved a leadership role, and this would seem to be a natural fit for me.

5. Life-Just a broad topic, but I mean, I am seriously stoked to get life rolling. I can't wait to eventually live with someone (if it turns out to be Lindsay, all the better...), and on top of that, I can't wait to have my own kids. Christmas would be soooooo much cooler at this point if I was buying for someone else. I'm past the stage where I even know anything people can get me for Christmas. (Despite the fact that I thought of 5,000 things after the fact). Happiness is also having finally figured out how to get surround sound in my apartment, well at least with my two speakers that I have. Tomorrow is FDM's big dinner play. Wish I could have gotten more done my days alone up here, but dammit I did a lot. Only played games once, so that's gotta be a sign of some productivity. Bijou and I just kicking it all alone!

I guess that's all for now, I'm sure I had four times as much in my head before hand, but so goes life. I've watched every special feature this film while writing this, so I guess its bedtime. To everyone I've mentioned, and to all those I forgot to mention,

Give thanks this holiday season, if its to your God, your family, friends or anyone else you have to be thankful to, this is a special time of year, and you should treat it as such. I did my holiday soul searching today, and found the things that I am thankful for.

Much happiness and love to all in the coming weeks,

Cody J. Fleming

PS-Lindsay, I'm coming, it just isn't soon enough. I love you baby! :)

Current Mood-Chillaxed
Current Music-Reel Big Fish-"I Want Your Girlfriend (To Be My Girlfriend)", "Beer", "Take On Me", "She's Got a Girlfriend Now", and "Sellout"

Gotta love the Reel Big Fish. One song in particular brought about a chuckle as we were driving into Marquette this past weekend. Hopefully a couple of posts this week, as I have nothing to do...and its wonderful!

(+)
1. My Christmas Tree is up, and looks pretty damn good I must say...sad to see all my ornaments from my entire life here at college and not at home. Signs of the times. Growing up and getting old...the way of life.
2. Acquired Resident Evil: Zero in a wholesale buyout that I negociated! :) Only 15 dollars, which is about the high end of what it would go for on eBay, so not too bad, and got it from Cory, who is a good guy to his games.
3. Well, we planned our Christmas Party for Sunday, with 8 people attending. Should be a good time. We also drew for secret Santa, and it seems that everyone is keeping their names under wraps, should be a good time. Small argument over which movies to watch, but should be great!
4. I love my chubby little hamster Bijou! Last night she had two HUGE cheeks of food! She refused to spit them out.
5. I'm watching Batman-The Movie. Yes, the old one...the only good one. HUGE Batman fan! :)
6. Yesterday night we hopefully started a new tradition. Lindsay and I snuggled up in bed and started 'cooperative' played of Resident Evil One. I have been thinking about which game to play for finals week, and this is it! So frickin' scary when you can feel the character's heartbeat through the controller.
7. Finals are the best time of year, you sleep in late, and stay up even later! Good good
8. So for this secret Santa thing, I know what I want to get, but don't know that it is possible to get it by Sunday. It's a thing that isn't always in Marquette, and I'll wait till probably Saturday night to see if I can find it. If not, I need a backup plan.
9. Don't know what is going to happen to happen with Christmas break. I want to spend some time alone, go visit Lindsay, see FDM's dinner theater, and go home for some stuff.
10. My fish rock. I wish they would grow as big as my mother's fish. Oh well, mine are cuter! Don't know what I am going to do with them over break though.

(-)
11. Well, we tried to plan a M. Night Shaymalan festival, and unfortunately it went horribly. People got mad, then others tried to get mad back, and it just turned out a mess. Sad, considering some people, such as myself and Puffy only have a week and a half left as things were. Maybe I am a bit greedy, but I see it as only having a week or so left as a college student, and I don't want to bicker with anyone about it. Sorry.
12. A note to someone out there, yes, I do read your journal. Yes, I do understand life. Yes, I can see that you are working at making the best out of your life. Yes, I'm sorry things worked out the way they did in both of your lives. Yes, I can see that some accusations you threw, while possibly not fully inappropriate, were to feed your ego. Yes, I can recognize cheapshots when they are thrown. And above all yes, you are doing what you need to to move on, and I can respect and appreciate that. I never said I didn't respect you, the only reason I acknowledge your postings is that I am doing what I feel is best for all three parties involved.
13. I feel there is too much tension within my current group of friends...we all just need to be more understanding and forgiving.