Hey, uh... been a while, huh? 989 days, if my recent posts are to be believed. Funny how you can spend so much time in a (virtual) place for so long and then one day you look up and realize you haven't logged in in almost 3 years. I still think of you all, though, and hope you're well. What's new? Drop a line, I'd love to catch up. After almost 5 years in Germany, I moved back home in 2022 to figure out what it's like to be an adult in the United States. Mixed results so far, but I'm happy to be where I am. Had a string of varyingly shitty jobs and have now settled in as a legal assistant for Big Tech. Trying to combat the guilt of working for The Man by doing covert union organizing on company time, which is fun and exciting. Bought a car and got an apartment with a friend and her cat. Joined a sandlot baseball team and have been having a great time playing the other beautiful game with new friends (sometimes after pregame mushrooms--allegedly). Started taking improv classes on a whim and almost immediately fell in love with it. I'm about to finish the Final Level at my conservatory and excited to move on to bigger, self-driven, artistically ambitious projects. Doing bits is fun but I want to take improvisational theater to places it has rarely, if ever, gone. I find it immensely disheartening that so many of the improv shows you see across the country look basically the same. This is supposed to be the art form where anything can happen! So I have some ideas, we'll see where they go. Other than that... living life, reading a lot, trying to figure out what's next, as always. Maybe law school, maybe I'll find some literary grad program I can use as an excuse to get another German visa. If I'm really lucky maybe I can find a German spouse and then I don't have to worry about all that. We'll see where things go :) Anyway, thanks for reading, and seriously, let me know how you've been. I've missed you all. g
Hey y'all. Been a while, huh? Thx to izzy417 for the reminder that it's Wednesday :) So what's been up with me? Jesus, what a question. Isolation? lol. In the early days of the pandemic, I spent a shitton of time with my best friend in the dorms here, and now we still hang out almost every day, although it's become less and less. I have new roommates, which is cool. Both of them are future music teachers so we hang out and talk/play music all the time <3 University remains stressful, in that the semester still has not started and I'm getting very tired of having so little to do but I also have absolutely 0 interest in another online semester. The last one was v rough, I couldn't focus at all and ended up dropping quite a few classes. Which is extra fun because it means now I have to do even more this semester. But I'll survive, I guess. On the personal front, a few weeks ago I wrote some new "rules" for myself (under the heading DISCIPLINE) and hung them up next to my bed. With the exception of the week that I had a head cold, I've mostly managed to hold to them: - Wake up before 9 - Get out of bed before 9:30 - Exercise once a day, ideally in the morning - Limit myself to 1 coffee per day - Alcohol and other substances only on the weekend - Go to bed by midnight It helps me feel a lot better, I think. Of course I'm still stressed and anxious and the world is fucked, I'm often homesick or feel directionless or scared of the future, but having a bit of structure despite the circumstances feels good. I'm proud of myself and how healthy I've managed to stay. We'll make it through this, I think. I missed you all.
Prost :) Y'all, I'm doing really damn well these days. I finally made the decision to stop stressing about my degree and just use my studies as an excuse to keep my visa (and cheap rent), which is really just what I was doing in the first place, except that now I'm being conscious about it in a way that takes a huge amount of stress out of my life. These days I'm free to focus on the things I care about: my half-time job and a few interesting courses each semester, but also reading for pleasure, playing in a 7-piece funk band (!) and a baseball team, and being an active part in the incredible community in my dorm. (And lots of foosball.) After years of stressing about relationships and loneliness and sex, I finally feel like I'm at a point where I can just kind of relax. I really like being single, so if nothing happens, nothing happens, but I can also enjoy (purely hypothetically, of course) going on a first date with an incredibly cute Swedish girl on a Wednesday evening and walking her to class Thursday morning. It's nice. I've even gotten to the point of moving therapy to once a month instead of once a week—my therapist and I put in the work and said fuck depression. Oh, and term break starts today, so expect to see me back on here a bit more ;)
New plan: - Withdraw from my university in the US - Finish my bachelor here in Germany (3-4 semesters) - Master's here in English (or European Literatures) - Doctorate here in English - English professor somewhere in the German-speaking world, with focus on theatre from a literary/historical perspective I haven't 100% processed this? But I withdrew my remaining credit balance from the American uni, and I've worked out finances for the next 2 years at least. I think I'm pretty excited, guys. ---- New favorite idiom: das Leben ist kein Ponyhof (pronounced in Baden "s Läbe isch kei Ponyhof") Life isn't a pony farm :)
Name: galen Location: Freiburg, Germany Age: almost 20! Current preoccupation: defeating social anxiety, learning guitar, trying to figure out what to do with my life. Having fun along the way :) Previous preoccupations: achieving near-native proficiency in German, writing plays and poetry, learning to live with depression, learning how to play foosball like a German.
I think, sometimes, the things that make life worth it aren't relationships, or religion, or some kind of higher moral calling, but just those tiny, almost imperceptible moments of random human connection, even with strangers. -- I was just coming home from work, standing in the tram, and I started idly tapping on my legs, just kind of practicing drums without even realizing. At some point I started playing along to McCoy Tyner's Passion Dance in my head, and I got to a part of the groove that I really struggle with, and ended up playing it over and over, trying to get it right. Suddenly in the middle of this, something caught my awareness. I looked up and to my right, and saw a probably 10 year old boy sitting next to me, intently watching me practice. He saw me seeing him, and looked away shyly; but once I also looked away, he started very, very quietly, but very distinctly—at least for me—to beatbox. I half-smiled uncontrollably. The tram stopped, he walked past me, and he got off, but for a minute there, it felt like we had our own secret club, that only we knew about, where only drummers were allowed. I hope he went home and started practicing. I know I'm going to.
If that were coming, it would've happened already, IMO. For weeks now, Warren's official campaign strategy has been "stay alive until a hopefully-contested convention and then get nominated as the long-shot Party Unity candidate." She hasn't won states or delegates, but that's not part of the plan any more anyway.
I barely slept. In 10 hours I'll be at JFK; in 22 Berlin. Wish me luck!
I don't really know what I'm doing and mental health is hard to talk about but sometimes it's good so hi I've been back in Freiburg for 4 days and I'm doing really really poorly, I'm incredibly homesick all the time, depressed and anxious, can't get any work done and can't sleep. (And the stress nausea! Oh, the stress nausea!) I cried every day since the day before I left home because I just didn't wanna go and now I just wanna go back. Did some calculations and I'll probably have to stay here for 3 more semesters after this one's done just to finish my BA, which sounds like an unimaginable, unbearable length of time to be so far from home. And between work and school here, if I stay, I'll only be home around 2 weeks a year. Questioning if it's even worth it considering that I have no idea what I would do with my BA (and I'm 19!!) Today's been better, I guess. Got an extension on a presentation I was stressing about, finally got a fair amount of uni work done, even though I haven't left my apartment since yesterday. Plans with a friend this evening. And I made a doctor's appointment for next week so I can ask for a referral to a therapist and a psychiatrist. But for now it's just really fucking hard, you guys. Well wishes/prayers/whatever you believe in appreciated.
Hey y'all. Sheesh, been a while. Let me think, what's new... - Was back home for some time and really, really enjoyed it. Instead of being overcome with homesickness, though, I came to the conclusion that I just really enjoy being on vacation at home. But really enjoying vacation at home is, of course, predicated on the fact that my day-to-day isn't at home. And I really like my day-to-day in Freiburg. So that was a nice feeling. I also decided, for about the fourth time this year, that I'm really okay just studying part-time, working part-time, and generally having time to relax and figure things out, even if I don't eventually wanna become an English professor or whatever. It's a process. - I started working out regularly for the second time in my life and this time I'm following through. It's been about two months of regular at-home body-weight training and hOly moly, y'all, working out is... fun? I enjoy the feeling of consistent personal improvement, and I look good, and I just feel more... at home in my body. It's also become a kind of meditation for me, a reflection on the fact that our intellectual and spiritual life, although in some ways separate from immediate physical constraints, is nevertheless dependent on our "life in three dimensions," as Chad Harbach puts it. While I was at home I played basketball while the family was at church and it was kind of the shit. - I should really be writing a paper right now. I'm gradually knocking out what will eventually be 20 pages about Shakespeare's As You Like It, and holy shit guys, I feel like a Real Scholar. I have a pretty good view of the critical consensus on the character I'm focusing on (Jaques), have an original and interesting idea that I haven't seen anywhere else in the literature, and I think my arguments are solid. It's obviously work to get it all on paper, but I really like it, even despite my usual insane levels of procrastination. I just kinda wish the topic wasn't so niche--almost everyone I'd want to share my work with wouldn't really know enough about the play to "get" it. Oh well. How've y'all been?
Oh man, the schnitzel was so good. Currently eating dining hall schnitzel and thinking of better days ;) Although I got lost for 2 hours after dinner with veen (phone was dead so no maps), it was totally worth it! The conversation, I mean. Also the schnitzel.
Did someone say b e a n s a n d r i c e ? (404 photo not found) --- INGREDIENTS 2-3 bell peppers, ideally different colors for more fun 1 med. onion 2-3 cloves garlic 2 Bratwürste, if yer a meat eater 2-3 cups long grain rice 1-2 cans of black beans (or equivalent dry beans if you're fancy/good at planning ahead, which I am not) a lil oil v a r i o u s s p i c e s, in my case usually salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, tons of cumin, and a little basil a dab of tomato paste and a few basil leaves if y'all wanna be fancy later --- PREPARATION Throw your rice in a pot with a lil oil and your v a r i o u s s p i c e s. Get the burner on medium and let the seasoning toast into the rice for 1-2 minutes, stirring the whole time so nothing gets burned on the bottom. Once it's toasty enough for ya, fill the pot with water, get it boilin', and then leave it to simmer on low heat. While your rice simmers (10-12 minutes), get the veggies goin'--slice n dice your peppers and onion, mince the garlic. Throw it all in a pan with a lil more oil and saute that shit. If you've got sausage, this is the place to add it in. (Bratwurst is especially convenient because you can throw it in uncooked and just saute it with the veggies.) Once it's done sauteing and/or the rice is cooked through (hopefully both at once), take everything off the heat. Drain the rice. Throw everything together in your rice pot. Add the beans (drained), and spice it up even more. Y'all are probably gonna want way more spices than you think you do. Make sure you got enough salt. At this point, feel free to set the burner back on low heat and let the whole shebang shimmer as long as you can wait. As a general rule, the longer it simmers, the better it tastes. Gives the spices time to get all up in each others' business and saturate the dish. When you're ready to serve, just grab a spoon and scoop some huge, tasty globs. If you wanna be fancy about it, after serving, put a dab of tomato paste in the middle of the dish and stick 1-3 basil leaves in it. If not, chow down.
Life's good, Hubski. My daily routine for summer break: Wake up, play CS or read something for the uni Make lunch & head into work Read emails, fix problems if there are any Duolingo Spanish for a bit Work on my paper Chill & watch Netflix 4pm drink coffee with my coworker Go back and clean up the office a little Right now I'm watching Planet Earth again (thanks nowaypablo), although I should be working on my paper. But I've got time. Other than that, finally got everything worked out with university admission. Cliches aside, Jesus Christ, German bureaucracy is exhausting. Luckily pretty much everyone along the way was helpful (and mostly nice), so I guess it could be worse. Also continuing to get weirdly good at foosball, since there's a table in our dorm's bar. My roommates and I might buy our own so we can play when the bar goes back to only being open Tu/Thu (during the semester).
On July 9, it'll be 5 years :) Incredible how long the community here has been a constant in my life. Feels like I became an adult on Hubski. So grateful, and so proud, to know all of you. Hopefully we can get some more #meetups going in the next 5 years!Note galen who first graced these pages at 12 or 13 is now almost 20.
I'm doing really well, y'all. I had a really shit week two weeks ago—realized I might not be able to afford tuition for my last semester, great-uncle passed, had a pregnancy scare, quit the softball team. But on the next Monday, I found 4 unexplained smooth pebbles on my desk; none of my coworkers knew where they came from. I accepted them, a bit confused, but decided to throw one away as each of my problems was resolved (or at least processed). Today I threw the last one into the river. I talked to my parents for an hour or so, and amongst other things, they offered to lend me $1500 with no due date to help with tuition and expenses. It was amazing how much background stress I had been feeling without realizing, and how quickly it all evaporated when my dad offered to help—or rather, insisted on helping. I told them about the stones, and opened up a bit more about my anxiety and depression (they knew but we hadn't talked in much detail). I told them how depression always made me feel, more than anything, so fragile, like the tiniest misfortune could send me spiraling; and as I told them how incredibly blessed I am to feel resilient again, I found myself crying for the first time in months. Happy tears. I feel so lucky to have the support network I have, and to have the space and time to learn how to live in this beautiful, terrible, brightly burning world. Thank you all for the part you play in that.
Marnin. Vacation this week. Spring break, except summer. Using the time to read Peter Brook's The Empty Room (essays about theater from the director of the RSC) and to finally get through 100 Years of Solitude. Wheels are in motion to explore transferring here permanently. Had this conversation: "Yeah, I have no desire to go back, but it's only one year, and then I have my bachelor." "...it's still a year of your life. And you can get a bachelor here. If you really have no desire at all to go back..." And it's cheaper to live and to study here. And I'm getting a better education. And I can count a good number of my previous courses as transfer credit. And for a degree in German lit, 3 years at a top American university and 1 or 2 at a top German doesn't look too shabby. And even if it lasts a little longer, I'm fucking 19 and I'm enjoying myself. So that's what's up.
Mornin' everyone! Beautiful weather today, huh? Spring is here, the birds are singing, and the Mariners and the A's just played the first regular season game of 2019! Life is good. I've been spending a bit too much time in the bar lately, gonna be cutting down on that to spend more time practicing guitar again (and sleeping). I'm in therapy now as well, so that's really good. My therapist is still technically in training, but he's almost finished, and he's being supervised by a super experienced therapist. Also, that means he's young and cool, which helps ;) I'm seriously noticing how much better I'm doing since I got back on my antidepressants about a month and a half ago. Fighting social anxiety, pushing myself to learn new things and meet new people. It's wonderful having this much energy to get through the day, even when there's nothing to do at work so I end up using it drinking coffee with friends or cleaning up the office! I think I could live like this for quite a while, and I think I'd like to. On the more difficult side, a friend is slipping into a very deep depression, and is resistant to help. He's slowly started to open up to some of us about what's going on, but remains stalwart in his hopelessness, and refusal to seek help. He had a bad experience with a therapist and didn't react well to his antidepressants (which he's now off of), so he's kind of given up. It's very hard to watch. Trying to spend more time with him, remind him he's loved, get some joy in his life, but there's only so much we can do. Hard times.
We'll see if I can stay awake that long, but if I manage it I'm in :)
Just wrote this for a newsletter, thought others might enjoy (ButterflyEffect izzy417). From my college radio days. My first semester as a DJ, and actually my first semester at college, I had a show Monday nights by myself. It was always pretty quiet, usually nobody else in the station, and I kinda liked it that way. Just me and the groove. But about my 5th week in, it got me into trouble. In the middle of my show, I really needed to use the restroom, so I put on a 6 minute song, set it for "pause pending," and went out to the restrooms, just outside of the station. As soon as the door closed behind me, I realized my mistake—right on the other side of the station window lay my keycard, which I had forgotten in the studio. I now had 5 minutes and 48 seconds to save the world. (from dead air). I called about 6 other DJs before finally a friend of mine picked up, and said sure, I can borrow his key card. He was in his dorm. All the way on the other side of campus. I sprinted out of the co-op, bladder forgotten, and dashed past crowds of gawking freshmen to run up to the 3rd floor of Curtis, where I grabbed a key card, thanked my friend, and immediately sprinted in the other direction. I made it back to the studio just barely in time, with about 20 seconds to spare, and quickly caught my breath and did my break. I haven't felt so cool and so stupid at the same time since.
I'm very stressed at work, so clearly the solution is to take twenty minutes and update y'all on my life. Current source of stress at work: basically, I've been employed under work-study for the past year, but I found out the job that I do is legally required to be performed under a union contract, even if a student does it. This would make me significantly more expensive and get me more benefits, but to get there, I have to have an intense conversation with my bosses and potentially work with the union to sue for the extra money they owe me from the past 6 months. I'm also concerned that if I get more expensive, they may just decide to fire me, so I asked the union about that too. Waiting on their answer. German labor law is intimidating, but I think pretty protective. I've been depressed for a week or two so I missed a lot of class, but I don't think I've failed anything yet. Have been behind pretty much all semester anyway - shoutout to Quatrarius who is also still alive. Hopefully I can catch up in the next couple weeks. Intrigue continues to develop with the girl with the (now ex-) boyfriend. She isn't ready for a relationship, but on the other hand, she's also in Dublin for the next month or so anyway. Trying not to develop too much hope, too many expectations for the future. Things are really nice right now, I dunno. I miss her. I bought a longboard! I still suck at riding it, but I suck substantially less than I did four days ago. I also discovered that I can just ride around with headphones on and dance when I'm stressed, which is The Shit. Spanish course is also going well. Believe it or not, I'm actually learning quite a bit these days. Despite how stupid many of my classes are.
I finally got my driver's license! Only had to take the test 3 times. But now I won't be stuck at home bored for the next two weeks, thank god. Wow, next two weeks. Only 14 days and then I'm flying to Berlin! I'm so excited and getting kind of nervous. Especially since I'll be totally on my own for the first week and a half that I'm in Germany. We'll see how that goes, I guess! Mostly just really really excited though. Antidepressants continue to be decent, I guess. It's hard to tell if my floor is actually higher or if I just haven't had a really bad day yet, since even off meds it comes and goes. Hopefully the former. Oh, and happy valentines day! How are you guys?
Writing a screenplay! Musician gets fired from restaurant job, takes the opportunity to pursue music full time, starts neglecting his girlfriend. Cue breakup, then he writes a breakup album-- the best he's ever recorded. He learns to survive alone. It's kind of a Künstlerroman. Sitting right at 18 pages right now, but I have quite a bit still to write. And this is just the first draft.
Been a while, ne? German Uni is the best thing that's ever happened to me. My classes (Theater of the Neo-Avantgarde; The Poet Heinrich Heine) are fantastic. The only bullshit part is that I have to take two classes (Advanced Language & Comp; Travel Theory) with only other Americans, but gradually we're getting to the point where I just spend the class discussing texts with my prof while the others watch. I like my prof, so it works. The new plan is to buckle down and finish my degree next year, which is only 6 months(!) anyway. After that, grad school (or possibly theatre school) in Germany and never coming back to the US. I tried to join an English-speaking theatre group here but after about 10 minutes I realized that I have absolutely no desire to speak English anymore and left. Yesterday I asked out my German tutor, who replied that it would literally be illegal for us to go out-- even though we're both juniors, she's technically employed by the University as my "teacher." Also she said she has no feelings, but based on the 7 times in the past month that I thought "damn we almost just kissed," I'm guessing she's just trying to make it easier to move on. Not that it makes a difference, since, y'know, law-breaking. BUT! My depression has always been founded on a deep-seated feeling of isolation, and therefore has always been heavily triggered by break-ups, ending romantic interests, ending friendships, and the like. Having finally recognized this, I took extra antidepressants yesterday (don't worry, still in the range that my doc recommended), and today I'm actually doing fine. I mean, I'm disappointed, but I was out of bed after 10 hours of sleep, played CS:GO, edited an essay, and am off to my first German baseball practice(!) in half an hour. I feel like now I can focus on just building a life that I enjoy for myself, and if someone else shows up in it later, that's chill. Hope you all are doing well; sorry I've been absent and I miss you guys (hi kleinbl00 lil nowaypablo _refugee_ Cumol thenewgreen Quatrarius elizabeth and anyone else I'm forgetting), but realistically speaking don't expect it to get much better-- my love for Germany is all-consuming :) xo g
Ooh I like this gameThe years coincide with the infancy of the iPhone, but also with the introduction of Amazon's Kindle
The years coincide with the introduction of Amazon's Kindle, but also with Barack Obama's election and first 2 years in office
The years coincide with Barack Obama's election and first 2 years in office, but also with the 2007-2011 Belgian political crisis.
The years coincide with with the 2007-2011 Belgian political crisis, but also with the composition and release of Susan Collins' Hunger Games trilogy.
Wanderers Before the Sea of Fog, Donaueschingen Not my shot, but from the next night, when I climbed down into the source of the Danube and stole some source water :)
From left to right: Cumol me
Mornin', y'all :) I'm wrapping things up at my second job and getting ready to go full-time at my first. All I need to do now is upgrade 8 PCs from Windows 7 to Windows 10. What a great parting gift, right? It honestly is bittersweet leaving, mostly because I can tell how much they really need me at the second job. IT skills are rare in the humanities, and they'll have trouble finding a decent replacement. This is, of course, nice for my ego, but then pesky little empathy gets in the way. Ah well. In more exciting news, I booked a flight to New York!!! Will be coming in on March 31, hanging out in the city for a minute, and then staying for a week with izzy417, whom I have not seen in far too long. Can't wait to spend time with my best friend. Maybe we'll record an EP or a podcast ( #pretentiousopinionsabout?) or something :) New England Hubskiers--anybody up for an intercontinental spring meetup?
Back to work back to work. First time I've been up at 8am in a few months. Excited to get cooking again. Remember that time almost two years ago my friend tried to set me up with her friend and we got along really well but I left for college and it fizzled? We randomly reconnected and we've been talking, like, most days. Taking her to dinner at some point before I leave. Not sure if that'll go anywhere, probably depends on what happens this summer. She's going to Texas Tech next year. Finally starting to sleep easier. Still occasionally waking up in the middle of the night, but it doesn't take hours to fall asleep anymore. I probably just needed to come down from the stress of the semester.
To be fair, I experienced it in CSGO, not TF2! :D Glad the cat's okay. Much love, bud.Oh, and since I never post without tagging galen, I ended up in a game of TF2 yesterday with one of my favorite players, something he has also experienced.
Guten Morgen Pubski! Been a while, huh? Wow. Lot has happened. Let's get some subheadings going. School? Continues to go. I'm now in the middle of my third year, sitting on a 3.85 overall GPA and a 4.0 in my major (German Language & Literature). Plus, I have one gen. ed. class left, and then I can focus on my major // whatever the fuck I feel like studying. So academics are 100% not a worry, which is super nice. I'm pretty good at school. More importantly, I'm going to Germany!! I got funding from the department to go to Berlin for a week (beginning of March) and start work on my honors thesis (on ETA Hoffmann's Nachtstücke); after that, I'll begin a two week tour of German-speaking Europe with my study group, and finally settle down at Freiburg im Breisgau for a full-ass semester at the Albert Ludwigs Universität. I'm incredibly excited for all of this-- mostly just being able to speak German exclusively for so long. Since getting home, I've kind of realized that I need to be speaking German regularly to be happy now? Like, I haven't met any German speakers in Texas. Expected. But now that I'm fluent enough to think in German, it feels like there's this huge part of my lived experience that I can't communicate to the people around me. Looking forward to removing that, lol. (And honestly I'd rather live 100% in German than 100% in English) Friends! Ha. haha. ha. Wow. Over the summer, my best friend broke up with his girlfriend and started dating an acquaintance of ours. Apparently some of our friends thought he moved on too fast or whatever, and this became an excuse for them to air out dozens of grievances with him reaching back to, like, freshman year. The people that actually had real shit to be mad at him about are no longer mad at him, but certain friends can't get over their empathetic anger or whatever. It's mostly been a really great way of seeing who our real friends are. Became clear that a few of our friends may be cool to hang out with, but they kind of suck as friends, and they only act like our friends because we're convenient to them. Which is kind of a shitty realization to have, but better to have it than not. So we don't hang out with them anymore-- I pretty much have like 4 friends, all of whom I'm super close with. It's kind of ideal. Love or whatever. I'm not gonna get into details because there's no point, but since we last spoke: A few failed attempts at relationships A few flirtations Vague sadness Nothing earth-shattering. But I watched this weird German film about a dude in a weird relationship and had a sudden realization: when I look for relationships or sex or whatever, I'm trying to fill a need that I absolutely won't fill by finding a relationship. I don't know what that need is, or how to fill it, but I have at least a bit more clarity than before. We'll see if that goes anywhere. Odds and ends I started seeing a therapist at school after a particularly rough depressive episode. It was cool to have time to just think about my mental health and not feel guilty for not doing work or whatever, but my therapist kinda sucked. After our first session, I told him that I was out of the depressive episode, but I'd like to still talk about strategies for coping, root causes, etc. We talked for the next 3 weeks about adjusting to college and friend drama. Not what I was looking for at all. Hoping to find a better therapist, either in Germany or once I'm back. I started working out over the summer. Body positivity is at an all-time high. Not only that, but I realized how nice it is to just be able to do things? Like, I don't have to worry if I'll be able to lift a medium-weight thing. Or, I'm better at climbing trees. Or, I picked up a(n American) football for the first time in years and immediately was throwing well and farther than I can recall ever throwing. It's great. I'm sure there's more, but it can wait. We have 51 more Pubskis in 2018!