This is not the post I promised in my last blog. To be truthful, I haven't typed any more on that blog. But not to worry! I'm working it out in my mind.... just like my school papers.... and just as successful... OK, maybe I need to start typing again. :-)
But onto the real reason I haven't been blogging. My mom was life-lited to a hospital with a concussion and needs to get a plate put in her crushed and broken knee. Earlier today has been spent driving to Butler to get Katie checked out of Butler Memorial with a Concussion and some seriously painfully bruised ribs. Is that enough reason not to blog? If you believe me it is. :-D On the way home from visiting my brother, my mom and little sister got into an accident and completely smashed the car. I should have pictures up in a week but the car is completely totaled. My mom was going about 55 and someone took a left turn when they shouldn't have and they wrecked. Considering the speeds involved and that they may not have been wearing seatbelts, they came out of the wreck very well.
The people in the other car are apparently OK. Their air-bags deployed and protected them pretty well. One has a broken ankle and some bruises and the other was apparently OK, but at the hospital, they flew him to another hospital for more treatment apparently. The amazing thing about their relatively unscathed bodies is the fact that they are both over 85 apparently.
The Lord was certainly protecting my family and the brother and sister in the other car. While at the hospital, relatives of the other car came and was talking to Katie and one of them was a Methodist minister and offered to pray with Katie (accepted of course). My sister thought that was so neat and was so happy there was someone like that in their family. She hasn't yet told me too much, but I'll know tomorrow morning.
It's been an exciting day. Please pray for the health of my sister and mother and that my mom's operations go well. It has put a damper in her travel plans so my sister and I will have to go to NCFCA nationals alone. That will make things a lot less fun and tougher to get around so pray that everything goes fine for that to. Hmmm. At this rate, I might as well finish by asking you for your prayers for my whole family and the current situation.
It's been an exciting day.
Monday, May 30, 2005
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Delayed
It is too late tonight (this morning?) to finish what I've done, so I'll just give a sneak preview to my next two posts. I'll talk about my activities this last week (a canoe trip), the friends I've met, my plans for the summer, what the Lord has been telling me lately, more friends I've met, the parting from friends, the hope of reunions, hopes for the summer, what it feels like to be graduated, and little details from what is happening at home right now. I'm feeling overwhelmed just writing these blogs. It's too much for one night. I've already been typing for an hour with no end in sight. (Don't worry if you wanted to see, it's so confused and muddled you wouldn't want to see it even if I finished it) It will take me a while to sort through my thoughts and feelings.
I am so looking forward to seeing people I know again!
I am so looking forward to seeing people I know again!
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Late night
I promised to write a blog on my post graduation life after my graduation ceremony, so here it is! Nothing has really changed.... there, that says about everything. I'm still waiting to see what God has in store for me. I was hoping to get an intership at a church, as many of you know, but that doesn't seem to be too likely. I don't think any of that waiting was wasted time though. I felt pretty strongly that God didn't want me looking for other jobs other than the intership, so he has something in mind (of that I have no doubt), if nothing else but to save me from a horrible job. :-) My dad di offer to let me work for him this summer ( he seemed rather pleased at that prospect). Whatever happens, I'm not worried but that doesn't mean I'll relax and do nothing if I have the chance. I still plan on looking for jobs, even if it isn't even close to my major. Right now, I'll just keep as many doors open as possible and see which ones close.
This week has been a little hectic. I've been taking a course called "Wilderness Ministries that has quite a bit more qork than I planned. Fortunately I'm learning a lot and am a lot more confident and competent to go on a self planned trip. Other than the class, I've been helping my dad some - not as much as I think he would want, but I'll try to do better as soon as this class is finished. In fact, I just drove home today from a craft show near Pittsburg. The rest of the McConnell's are at the show, but since I'm leaving in 7 hours for the canoeing trip for "Wilderness Ministries" I got to come home and work on more schoolwork. I would probably be finished by now, except that we sold another black puppy!
This post is starting to wander a bit... I'll try to pull it back into a coherent mass. What has been hapening outside of my normal activities? Very little. I haven't gotten to read anything extraneous this week, I haven't gotten to play war with anyone, but I did get the chance to play with grass. I found out that it is almost impossible to whistle with grass if I have a ring on my thumb finger. During dinners, I've been watching a "Murder She Wrote" mystery, and I went and saw Star Wars III today. I'm starting to regret that decision. I would have been just as happy watching it one or two weeks from now when I wasn't so busy. Oh well, live and learn!
With all of this activity going on, I still seem to be staying is a good mood, although my answers to questions people ask have been one word answers recently. (I'm not being a good conversationalist.) Two more side notes. 1) I've been enjoying peoples blogs, and 2) my spell checker isn't workings so I apologize for the incovenience of bad spelling here. Now you get a chance to see how I really spell when I don't think it matters.
This week has been a little hectic. I've been taking a course called "Wilderness Ministries that has quite a bit more qork than I planned. Fortunately I'm learning a lot and am a lot more confident and competent to go on a self planned trip. Other than the class, I've been helping my dad some - not as much as I think he would want, but I'll try to do better as soon as this class is finished. In fact, I just drove home today from a craft show near Pittsburg. The rest of the McConnell's are at the show, but since I'm leaving in 7 hours for the canoeing trip for "Wilderness Ministries" I got to come home and work on more schoolwork. I would probably be finished by now, except that we sold another black puppy!
This post is starting to wander a bit... I'll try to pull it back into a coherent mass. What has been hapening outside of my normal activities? Very little. I haven't gotten to read anything extraneous this week, I haven't gotten to play war with anyone, but I did get the chance to play with grass. I found out that it is almost impossible to whistle with grass if I have a ring on my thumb finger. During dinners, I've been watching a "Murder She Wrote" mystery, and I went and saw Star Wars III today. I'm starting to regret that decision. I would have been just as happy watching it one or two weeks from now when I wasn't so busy. Oh well, live and learn!
With all of this activity going on, I still seem to be staying is a good mood, although my answers to questions people ask have been one word answers recently. (I'm not being a good conversationalist.) Two more side notes. 1) I've been enjoying peoples blogs, and 2) my spell checker isn't workings so I apologize for the incovenience of bad spelling here. Now you get a chance to see how I really spell when I don't think it matters.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Second day and counting
Two days into this class and time is speeding along. Less than two weeks of classes left! To be honest, time would probably crawl if I only had this class to go to, but I have work at home to do so I have a lot to keep me busy and time flies when I'm having fun! Right now, I'm sitting in the GCC commuter lounge, listening to a completely empty building. Except for the staff, there is no one here. I wouldn't mind that too much except I don't have homework to do. My brother got a book for me, but the seller just sent a refund because the book got wet. Fortunately, he found a good replacement that should get here in a few days. In the meantime, I get to use Amazon's scanned pages of the book!
Now that I'm spending time outside, I'm starting to tan a little. To be accurate, fair skinned red heads don't tan much, but they get nice burns! I haven't been out in the sun during the afternoon since Saturday, so the red has started to fade. For some reason my hands don't burn much, even though they are often the only parts exposed to the sun. There isn't even a burn line around my ring! Maybe since my hands tend to be red anyway, the burns don't show up as much.
PA weather is at the top of it's game. All the trees have leaves, the various colors of blooms haven't faded yet, and the sun is out with a bunch of puffy clouds filling the sky. Magnificent!
Now that I'm spending time outside, I'm starting to tan a little. To be accurate, fair skinned red heads don't tan much, but they get nice burns! I haven't been out in the sun during the afternoon since Saturday, so the red has started to fade. For some reason my hands don't burn much, even though they are often the only parts exposed to the sun. There isn't even a burn line around my ring! Maybe since my hands tend to be red anyway, the burns don't show up as much.
PA weather is at the top of it's game. All the trees have leaves, the various colors of blooms haven't faded yet, and the sun is out with a bunch of puffy clouds filling the sky. Magnificent!
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
It's almost done
Today, I dedicate this post to the end of college. I'm think I'll have two more posts on the end of college after I finish my last course and after the graduation ceremony, but I thought I would post now anyway. As I looked around the class of 2005, I realized that I only saw about 15 people that I could talk to that I was friends with. Out of a class of over 600 people, only 15. Most of my friends are sophomores and Freshmen. I can't think of any people who are Juniors off the top of my head but I'm sure I have some.
Eric Ross, the senior class president, gave some great words of encouragement. He said that whatever is coming up, that friendships will last for quite a while, and there is always the shared experiences of GCC to tie us together. Dr. Jewell then got up and told us the same thing, but his words had some actual experience behind them. He said he had several friends he stayed in close contact with, even after all of these years.
excelsior!
Eric Ross, the senior class president, gave some great words of encouragement. He said that whatever is coming up, that friendships will last for quite a while, and there is always the shared experiences of GCC to tie us together. Dr. Jewell then got up and told us the same thing, but his words had some actual experience behind them. He said he had several friends he stayed in close contact with, even after all of these years.
excelsior!
Friday, May 06, 2005
Talking to myself
I think in this blog I'm going to just talk to myself and muse over whatever I feel like musing. Of course, since this is a public medium, I will muse with moderation!
Finals are almost done. What to do afterward? I really don't know. There is so much to possibly do... there is always picking a job and I may have a camping ministries job, computer job, helping my dad, or Wal-Mart. I can't think of anything that is really off limits at the moment. But I do think I need a job. Today, I had a test for my class, "Courtship and Marriage" and one of the topics studied is what dating and marriage represents. One of the things dating and marriage represents is maturity (hopefully), but I think getting a job also is an indication of maturity. My mom and dad have offered to put me through another semester, maybe even year of college (although they don't encourage it). I thought seriously about doing that for a while, but I feel at some point I have to "grow up" and get a job. I'm having trouble thinking of the camping ministries as a job, but after thinking about it for a while, I decided that I had the wrong attitude of what a job is. I was considering a job to be something that I earned mon..... (I have a beautiful, 11 year old dog, constantly wanting petted and it's interrupting every few seconds) .....ey at and provide for me and my family. I think that I have the wrong idea of a responsible job. A responsible job is a way in which I live to spread the word of God. Using what I think the right (or better) definition is, makes room for so much more that is God centered and includes God's plan for my life, even if I don't earn money at it.
Time for the next topic to muse upon.... I have a weird room. It looks nice when one first sees it I suppose, and I have grown used to it (Still Belle interrupts!), but looking around I see a small dragon made out of bolts, a few figurines from the top of a Lord of the Rings birthday cake, a scorpion encased in glass (with a glow in the dark felt bottom!), a few plastic lizards spread out, a silver horny toad with a geode slice as a base, a baby shark in a glass of formaldehyde, an alligators head I got in Florida (along with the shark), a Dino doll that I won at a carnival for correctly guessing the speed I throw a baseball, a Toucan carved out of balsa wood, and several, old drawings from my job this last summer, and my walking stick I use for the Appalachian trail. Ooo! I forgot the bag of 20 or 30 pewter figurines that I plan on making a display of this summer!. Keep in mind, this is only the odd stuff that I can see at the moment (but it isn't a full list. I refuse to move from my spot on the bed to see the rest of the crazy stuff I've collected!). Of course, there are a lot of normal items, but I like curio's. I also have verses posted here an there, but I made the mistake of putting most of them on the roof, but I never look up unless I'm going to bed and I don't have contacts or glasses! I'm hoping when my kids talk about me they can say, "[he] really lived."
My mom said I could only get on the internet for 20 minutes and I'm going on an hour, so I'll try to limit myself to one more paragraph about..... food. I consider myself a coneseaur of food. Put any food in front of me, add salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and it becomes a delicacy. I was being sarcastic about the coneseaur part. I have a problem with food, I enjoy it too much. I should modify that - I enjoy food as much as everyone else does, I just have less self control. I just had a good helping of ice-cream. :-) I always though 200 would be some special point, but as one passes that number, it is more of a surprise, "Really! I lost track!" I think too much weight shows a lack of self control, but it's so hard! As Monk would say, "Suck it up" and that is what I need to do. That is one of the reasons I enjoy racquetball so much, because of the exercise. I've found that I get tired much more easily now than before when playing racquetball. When I started playing racquetball, I never had my second game slump. My freshman year (about 155), I was talking to a smoker, and he said, "Yeah, I really pant by the time I get to the top of the stairs." At that time, we had classes in Caulderwood Hall, a two story building. He went on to say that he used to be one of the best runners in his school, and that he could run for miles without getting too tired (He may have been exaggerating). That little conversation has always boggled my mind - how does one go from being a great runner, to panting when walking up a flight of stairs without regretting it so much that one gives up the bad habit that is the problem? I think it is because we grow used to our current situation... and it would take work if we wanted to get back to the way we used to feel. It creeps up on a person, and one doesn't realize it until the work required to gain back one's previous health is already far gone and the uphill struggle is too hard to make it. It is fortunate that Christians have the Lord to help us back up that hill, whether spiritual or physical. The Lord is all that makes this world livable. Not having anything to live for after this life is done! How depressing! I wouldn't want to live like that for all the world. I look forward so much to the time when I don't have to be worried or lonely; to not have anything to look forward would give even a happy life like mine a depressing ring to it, empty and dull. The Lord would that none would be lost. How I pray all would find the Lord. :-)
Finals are almost done. What to do afterward? I really don't know. There is so much to possibly do... there is always picking a job and I may have a camping ministries job, computer job, helping my dad, or Wal-Mart. I can't think of anything that is really off limits at the moment. But I do think I need a job. Today, I had a test for my class, "Courtship and Marriage" and one of the topics studied is what dating and marriage represents. One of the things dating and marriage represents is maturity (hopefully), but I think getting a job also is an indication of maturity. My mom and dad have offered to put me through another semester, maybe even year of college (although they don't encourage it). I thought seriously about doing that for a while, but I feel at some point I have to "grow up" and get a job. I'm having trouble thinking of the camping ministries as a job, but after thinking about it for a while, I decided that I had the wrong attitude of what a job is. I was considering a job to be something that I earned mon..... (I have a beautiful, 11 year old dog, constantly wanting petted and it's interrupting every few seconds) .....ey at and provide for me and my family. I think that I have the wrong idea of a responsible job. A responsible job is a way in which I live to spread the word of God. Using what I think the right (or better) definition is, makes room for so much more that is God centered and includes God's plan for my life, even if I don't earn money at it.
Time for the next topic to muse upon.... I have a weird room. It looks nice when one first sees it I suppose, and I have grown used to it (Still Belle interrupts!), but looking around I see a small dragon made out of bolts, a few figurines from the top of a Lord of the Rings birthday cake, a scorpion encased in glass (with a glow in the dark felt bottom!), a few plastic lizards spread out, a silver horny toad with a geode slice as a base, a baby shark in a glass of formaldehyde, an alligators head I got in Florida (along with the shark), a Dino doll that I won at a carnival for correctly guessing the speed I throw a baseball, a Toucan carved out of balsa wood, and several, old drawings from my job this last summer, and my walking stick I use for the Appalachian trail. Ooo! I forgot the bag of 20 or 30 pewter figurines that I plan on making a display of this summer!. Keep in mind, this is only the odd stuff that I can see at the moment (but it isn't a full list. I refuse to move from my spot on the bed to see the rest of the crazy stuff I've collected!). Of course, there are a lot of normal items, but I like curio's. I also have verses posted here an there, but I made the mistake of putting most of them on the roof, but I never look up unless I'm going to bed and I don't have contacts or glasses! I'm hoping when my kids talk about me they can say, "[he] really lived."
My mom said I could only get on the internet for 20 minutes and I'm going on an hour, so I'll try to limit myself to one more paragraph about..... food. I consider myself a coneseaur of food. Put any food in front of me, add salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and it becomes a delicacy. I was being sarcastic about the coneseaur part. I have a problem with food, I enjoy it too much. I should modify that - I enjoy food as much as everyone else does, I just have less self control. I just had a good helping of ice-cream. :-) I always though 200 would be some special point, but as one passes that number, it is more of a surprise, "Really! I lost track!" I think too much weight shows a lack of self control, but it's so hard! As Monk would say, "Suck it up" and that is what I need to do. That is one of the reasons I enjoy racquetball so much, because of the exercise. I've found that I get tired much more easily now than before when playing racquetball. When I started playing racquetball, I never had my second game slump. My freshman year (about 155), I was talking to a smoker, and he said, "Yeah, I really pant by the time I get to the top of the stairs." At that time, we had classes in Caulderwood Hall, a two story building. He went on to say that he used to be one of the best runners in his school, and that he could run for miles without getting too tired (He may have been exaggerating). That little conversation has always boggled my mind - how does one go from being a great runner, to panting when walking up a flight of stairs without regretting it so much that one gives up the bad habit that is the problem? I think it is because we grow used to our current situation... and it would take work if we wanted to get back to the way we used to feel. It creeps up on a person, and one doesn't realize it until the work required to gain back one's previous health is already far gone and the uphill struggle is too hard to make it. It is fortunate that Christians have the Lord to help us back up that hill, whether spiritual or physical. The Lord is all that makes this world livable. Not having anything to live for after this life is done! How depressing! I wouldn't want to live like that for all the world. I look forward so much to the time when I don't have to be worried or lonely; to not have anything to look forward would give even a happy life like mine a depressing ring to it, empty and dull. The Lord would that none would be lost. How I pray all would find the Lord. :-)
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Slower than molasses
I must confess... I've been slow at posting more blogs. That will change! -hopefully- As of today, I will attempt to blog at least once every other day. I'm officially all done with classwork as of yesterday. All that I have left to do is study, but that won't be too easy either, so I will have to wait until finals is over before I can relax from school. But then again, I'll be starting school again in two weeks... and I'm already looking forward to it!
Yesterday, I had a pretty bad headache all day. Mid morning I had a surprise insight into a completely random topic, the enjoyment of pain. Whenever watching movies that are intended to be funny, there is always the big football player who doesn't mind pain and in fact thrives on pain. I never understood why! About mid morning yesterday though, I was walking to the TLC and all of a sudden, I realized I was enjoying my headache. The headache was throbbing back and forth between the front of my head to the back of my head, and I was having fun trying to match my steps to the throbbing. I was getting the peculiar sensation that I was walking along a beach and the throbbing sounded like waves. That being said, other than for 30 seconds yesterday, I didn't enjoy my headache. :-)
My computer is also being repaired so I am missing any form of IM conversation with the world. While not that drastic, it was comforting to have because I knew that if someone wanted to contact me, that someone could. Right now, I have no idea if someone is desperately trying to get ahold of me. All I can do is walk down to the TLC twice a day to check E-mail. (I didn't get any since yesterday!)
Due to my headache, I got to bed about 9:30 last night and stayed asleep (mostly) until my alarm went off at 7:30, so I need to do some work now. I'm off to finish memorizing two acts of Macbeth. I'm playing Macbeth and it quite exciting to be able to say, "Sure, I know a little bit of Shakespeare." and then quote a few lines.
Yesterday, I had a pretty bad headache all day. Mid morning I had a surprise insight into a completely random topic, the enjoyment of pain. Whenever watching movies that are intended to be funny, there is always the big football player who doesn't mind pain and in fact thrives on pain. I never understood why! About mid morning yesterday though, I was walking to the TLC and all of a sudden, I realized I was enjoying my headache. The headache was throbbing back and forth between the front of my head to the back of my head, and I was having fun trying to match my steps to the throbbing. I was getting the peculiar sensation that I was walking along a beach and the throbbing sounded like waves. That being said, other than for 30 seconds yesterday, I didn't enjoy my headache. :-)
My computer is also being repaired so I am missing any form of IM conversation with the world. While not that drastic, it was comforting to have because I knew that if someone wanted to contact me, that someone could. Right now, I have no idea if someone is desperately trying to get ahold of me. All I can do is walk down to the TLC twice a day to check E-mail. (I didn't get any since yesterday!)
Due to my headache, I got to bed about 9:30 last night and stayed asleep (mostly) until my alarm went off at 7:30, so I need to do some work now. I'm off to finish memorizing two acts of Macbeth. I'm playing Macbeth and it quite exciting to be able to say, "Sure, I know a little bit of Shakespeare." and then quote a few lines.
Friday, April 29, 2005
Game night!
Friday night rolls around again and I mentally prepare for another grueling round of.... whatever the supreme dictator (person leading the game night) decides. After several games, we always pick out a movie to watch and watching movies with friends is a surprise joy for me. I rarely watch movies with my family or friends so when I started having that opportunity, I found out I really enjoyed my time spent with friends. There isn't much talking, but the combined wisdom of our group tends to pick great movies that are conversation pieces long after I've finished watching them.
A friend mentioned that my IM info's are no longer fun to read. As I thought about that, I came to the conclusion that I started opting for short, funny jokes that really don't have any relevance at all. If people wanted to read jokes, they would look some up - not look at my profile. From now to whenever I forget, I will keep my IM info funny, entertaining, and personal! We'll see how long this lasts. :-)
My parents are gone to a craft show, and it is only my sister and I at home. It's only been one day and I'm already missing my parents - I now have to do all the chores (And I'm missing them because I love them so much). The main chore I have is to feed many of the dogs in the morning and evening. I can't sleep past 7:00 and when I get up to feed, three litters of puppies make quite a ruckus. I'm sure the neighbors can't sleep past 7:00 also!
As I face the uncertainty of the coming year, years, and life, I'm starting to think I've settled for being confused. Right now, if I don't understand something I just trust that things will be explained clearly in the future. I'm starting to think that this approach isn't the right approach. We are to be as innocent as doves, but wise as serpents. While I think this verse is to guide Christian attitudes towards the world, I think the verse also applies to how we are to live our lives. If I am confused and unsure what is happening around me, I am not and can not constructively learn from my experiences. I am supposed to show wisdom in whatever I do, to be a witness for Christ, but how can I do that if I don't even know what is going on?
At some point, I need to step out of my comfort zone so I can meet and understand people outside of my little bubble. Workplaces and schools may be considered a 'bubble' but the bubble people are able to wrap around themselves can be impenetrable. It is sad, but if I don't actively continue to actively grow, my bubble will automatically grow and harden my heart. By not choosing to step out, I choose to stagnate. I think it is time to step out!
A friend mentioned that my IM info's are no longer fun to read. As I thought about that, I came to the conclusion that I started opting for short, funny jokes that really don't have any relevance at all. If people wanted to read jokes, they would look some up - not look at my profile. From now to whenever I forget, I will keep my IM info funny, entertaining, and personal! We'll see how long this lasts. :-)
My parents are gone to a craft show, and it is only my sister and I at home. It's only been one day and I'm already missing my parents - I now have to do all the chores (And I'm missing them because I love them so much). The main chore I have is to feed many of the dogs in the morning and evening. I can't sleep past 7:00 and when I get up to feed, three litters of puppies make quite a ruckus. I'm sure the neighbors can't sleep past 7:00 also!
As I face the uncertainty of the coming year, years, and life, I'm starting to think I've settled for being confused. Right now, if I don't understand something I just trust that things will be explained clearly in the future. I'm starting to think that this approach isn't the right approach. We are to be as innocent as doves, but wise as serpents. While I think this verse is to guide Christian attitudes towards the world, I think the verse also applies to how we are to live our lives. If I am confused and unsure what is happening around me, I am not and can not constructively learn from my experiences. I am supposed to show wisdom in whatever I do, to be a witness for Christ, but how can I do that if I don't even know what is going on?
At some point, I need to step out of my comfort zone so I can meet and understand people outside of my little bubble. Workplaces and schools may be considered a 'bubble' but the bubble people are able to wrap around themselves can be impenetrable. It is sad, but if I don't actively continue to actively grow, my bubble will automatically grow and harden my heart. By not choosing to step out, I choose to stagnate. I think it is time to step out!
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Coming to a close
My college life is coming to a close. Looking back over it, I wish there were so many things I would have done, but time is a constraining factor even when there is 4 years to explore. I'm hoping the rest of my life is that way - so much more to do than I can actually manage to get involved in. It will probably be frustrating, but isn't that a great way to be frustrated? To not know how to enjoy all the good gifts of life? I think it is a great 'problem' to have!
I have another intersession course this fall. The course name is wilderness ministries and hopefully, I can get an intership that a teacher offers to students who take this course. I have some factors that constrain my working time over the summer, so if I do get the internship I'm going to be pretty sure that it was the Lord who opened the door. The question then become what to do after that - but I'm sure something will pop up.
On a side note, the green on trees is starting to peek out of the brown stick sea and make a difference. Driving to school, I see one whole hillside that is partially green and a few sets of yards that have trees in full plumage. Also, the time can be 8:30 and there is still enough light from the sun to see clearly enough to feed the dogs without a flashlight - summer approaches!
And 20 seconds to midnight. Good night!
I have another intersession course this fall. The course name is wilderness ministries and hopefully, I can get an intership that a teacher offers to students who take this course. I have some factors that constrain my working time over the summer, so if I do get the internship I'm going to be pretty sure that it was the Lord who opened the door. The question then become what to do after that - but I'm sure something will pop up.
On a side note, the green on trees is starting to peek out of the brown stick sea and make a difference. Driving to school, I see one whole hillside that is partially green and a few sets of yards that have trees in full plumage. Also, the time can be 8:30 and there is still enough light from the sun to see clearly enough to feed the dogs without a flashlight - summer approaches!
And 20 seconds to midnight. Good night!
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Rain... Rain... Did I mention Mud?
True Pennsylvania spring weather is here! Rain, rain, and a bit of snow. Unfortunately I'm experiencing the weather in NY, but soon I'll be back in PA having a ball. My favorite weathers are sunny days and rainy days. I enjoy rainy days even if I need to be outside during the rain (but only if I have an umbrella). I'm really looking forward to the first thunderstorm of the year. There is something exciting about seeing flashes of lightning every second, thunder pouring out of of the air, and rain rushing, thundering down so hard on my window I can't hear people talking outside of my bedroom door. As long as I'm inside and safe - thunderstorms are my favorite weather.
I had a great end to this week - game night! I had to do quite a bit of driving on very little sleep, so I had to pay a price for the fun, but it was worth it! There were several things that made this game night a little more worthwhile that just playing games: The pre-game-night practice was a lot of fun, there were seven people involved, and I was invited to intervis for my.... 4th or 5th time ever. During intervis, we watched the great movie Second Hand Lions which will be a classic (although a bit cheesy) . I'm seriously considering moving two movies into my favorite movie classification. The first being The Truman Show and the second being Groundhog Day. They both had great stories and morals. The real test for the shows are whether I can enjoy them more than one time, and I still haven't had the opportunity to test them in multiple viewings. I think being able to enjoy a movie multiple times is what makes a good movie different from a great movie. A lot of the movie's I watch I only watch once and I don't really care if I ever see them again. A great movie is a movie I would be willing to watch several times and be able to learn something every time I watch them.
School is coming to a close. I need to finish most of my schoolwork by Tuesday so I can have my computer repaired for my post-college life. I also have several papers to write, and I think I'll downgrade the possiblity of finishing them this weekend to 50%. Everyone here is asleep, so I think I'll take the hint. Thanks everyone for a great week! Thanks to my good friends, my last days at college are going to be some of the best.
I had a great end to this week - game night! I had to do quite a bit of driving on very little sleep, so I had to pay a price for the fun, but it was worth it! There were several things that made this game night a little more worthwhile that just playing games: The pre-game-night practice was a lot of fun, there were seven people involved, and I was invited to intervis for my.... 4th or 5th time ever. During intervis, we watched the great movie Second Hand Lions which will be a classic (although a bit cheesy) . I'm seriously considering moving two movies into my favorite movie classification. The first being The Truman Show and the second being Groundhog Day. They both had great stories and morals. The real test for the shows are whether I can enjoy them more than one time, and I still haven't had the opportunity to test them in multiple viewings. I think being able to enjoy a movie multiple times is what makes a good movie different from a great movie. A lot of the movie's I watch I only watch once and I don't really care if I ever see them again. A great movie is a movie I would be willing to watch several times and be able to learn something every time I watch them.
School is coming to a close. I need to finish most of my schoolwork by Tuesday so I can have my computer repaired for my post-college life. I also have several papers to write, and I think I'll downgrade the possiblity of finishing them this weekend to 50%. Everyone here is asleep, so I think I'll take the hint. Thanks everyone for a great week! Thanks to my good friends, my last days at college are going to be some of the best.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Papers Galore
Maybe the title is a bit over-doing it, because soon I'll go play racquetball, and then start on the papers. I'll probably end up working on only one since I found out yesterday that I only have a two page paper due tomorrow and the 5-6 page paper is due later. How much later? I don't know.
On an interesteing side note, I found during extemp research that a soap opera wedding outdid the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla in TV ratings.
On an interesteing side note, I found during extemp research that a soap opera wedding outdid the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla in TV ratings.
Monday, April 11, 2005
It is a beautiful day
Today the sun is out and the sky is blue. I'm being pretty productive today (if talking is counted as being productive). I found out I have a 2-3 page paper due tomorrow and apparently there is a course paper due on Friday which I'll have to finish by Monday. I'm not sure why, but I'm looking forward quite a bit to starting the papers.
Our speech meetings have started to be organized and I hope people are looking forward to Nationals because I certainly am. It means a lot of work, but the rewards of the trip are so much greater! I get to see great people and with this being my last year at college, that is one of my priorities.
I also am taking a two-week "Wilderness Ministires" course after graduation. There is an internship attached with the course, so I won't know whether or not I have a job until after school is over - that's cutting things close! It just means that I'll need to trust the Lord to decide what I do - and that is a great thing!
Our speech meetings have started to be organized and I hope people are looking forward to Nationals because I certainly am. It means a lot of work, but the rewards of the trip are so much greater! I get to see great people and with this being my last year at college, that is one of my priorities.
I also am taking a two-week "Wilderness Ministires" course after graduation. There is an internship attached with the course, so I won't know whether or not I have a job until after school is over - that's cutting things close! It just means that I'll need to trust the Lord to decide what I do - and that is a great thing!
Sunday, April 10, 2005
I'm busy....
There is so much to do before NFA nationals. Other than schoolwork, which is ever-present, the speech team needs to practice before we leave. I would like to see all the people doing prepared speeches practice twice before then - and only three days to organize times for practices!
The tournament this weekend was a great success! Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and everyone I watched did well. I ended up judging every speech round but one, and that was because I was too slow in filling out ballots. I got to meet a lot of people from foreign climes and I also got to meet a lot of people that I had know when I debated. I also finally got the opportunity to play chess against Stuart Keckler! There were several people at the tournament I was hoping would qualify but it didn't turn out as I had hoped, but the people that didn't qualify seemed happy anyway. As always, hopes ran high at the tournament and there were a lot of serious things I learned there, but it mostly boiled down to wait a long time and see what happens.
Today is Sunday, and I haven't done anything useful today. Usually I bring schoolwork home and I relax while I read, but I left most of my schoolwork at college. I'll head into college early together to get an early start on schoolwork for the next two weeks and to get a few hours of exercise done in the morning. I'm guessing I can't run for too many hours, so I'll probably start practicing racquetball in preparation for another game against Mr. Dean. I'm determined to beat him before I leave college and I am surer than ever that I will fail in that endeavor, but the journey is most of the fun.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Blog Titles
My blog titles rarely have anything to do with my blog! I'm going to try having a good title with my blogs. I have a new goal for my life! :-)
Hopes and Dreams
I'm not sure what makes a day good or bad. Some days start out wonderfully and end great but I still have the feeling that I missed out on something. I guess that's what heaven is for. (Refer to March 11th's post) Today was just like that - and it's a bit frustrating not being able to figure out why the day wasn't great.
One of the things that was good today was I made my first snowman!.... at GCC (I've made lots at home). The snow is gone on the ground except where the plow made big piles. 2 other commuters and I decided today was a perfect day to build a snowman. I almost stayed inside, but it occurred to me that I wouldn't have another chance to do this with my friends and from there on it was impossible to stop until the project was finished. The snow was very wet so it packed well, but that also meant the plow had packed the snow well during the plowing. We carried the snow about 20 feet to a place on the grass. We were in bare hands, didn't have a shovel, and needed to hold the snow after grabbing it out of the pile - my hands froze. We eventually made a snowman, and I hope none of the pictures of me with it ever get around. I wouldn't want people to think that I normally make snowmen that badly. I guess I'm just out of practice!
Friends and family of friends are here for the Poverty Conference. From what I've heard, the speakers have been top notch. I hope I can listen to some of the speeches soon. Thats it! part of what I missed today was going and listening to speakers! Now... what else did I miss today? Oh well. I'll figure it out by tomorrow afternoon.
One of the things that was good today was I made my first snowman!.... at GCC (I've made lots at home). The snow is gone on the ground except where the plow made big piles. 2 other commuters and I decided today was a perfect day to build a snowman. I almost stayed inside, but it occurred to me that I wouldn't have another chance to do this with my friends and from there on it was impossible to stop until the project was finished. The snow was very wet so it packed well, but that also meant the plow had packed the snow well during the plowing. We carried the snow about 20 feet to a place on the grass. We were in bare hands, didn't have a shovel, and needed to hold the snow after grabbing it out of the pile - my hands froze. We eventually made a snowman, and I hope none of the pictures of me with it ever get around. I wouldn't want people to think that I normally make snowmen that badly. I guess I'm just out of practice!
Friends and family of friends are here for the Poverty Conference. From what I've heard, the speakers have been top notch. I hope I can listen to some of the speeches soon. Thats it! part of what I missed today was going and listening to speakers! Now... what else did I miss today? Oh well. I'll figure it out by tomorrow afternoon.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Snow Snow Snow!
Friday, April 01, 2005
The domain of Friday
I think Friday affects people differently than any other day of the week - at least here at college. I think it's the release of pressure. One person here was just playing "Suicide is Painless" and someone else is dancing. As soon as my last class finishes on Friday and I first sit in the commuter lounge chair, I melt in relaxation. It isn't that I'm so tense the rest of the week, at least I don't think so? But still, if I'm not tense, why do I relax so much? I don't know.
However tense I may be, the Friday game night is coming up. I just embarrassed myself yesterday by showing my ignorance of the names of the people I play games with. It's a bit sad, but some groups of people I just can't learn their names. Last semester, I had a project with four other people. After talking, joking, and having team building activities - I finally learned their names after 1 1/2 or 2 months of weekly meetings and twice a week class where we all sit together.
I'm leaving for Ohio tomorrow to judge a debate tournament. My sister has already qualified for nationals, so she's relaxed about the tournament - but that doesn't make my judging any easier! I'll be driving Sean and Courtney to the tournament to judge, and I hope they enjoy it. I always feel bad taking people places if it is a bother or they don't end up enjoying it. At this point, it is out of my hands, but that doesn't mean I don't worry about it.
Right now, I'm discussing some of the pranks that go on in the dorms. Time to contribute!
However tense I may be, the Friday game night is coming up. I just embarrassed myself yesterday by showing my ignorance of the names of the people I play games with. It's a bit sad, but some groups of people I just can't learn their names. Last semester, I had a project with four other people. After talking, joking, and having team building activities - I finally learned their names after 1 1/2 or 2 months of weekly meetings and twice a week class where we all sit together.
I'm leaving for Ohio tomorrow to judge a debate tournament. My sister has already qualified for nationals, so she's relaxed about the tournament - but that doesn't make my judging any easier! I'll be driving Sean and Courtney to the tournament to judge, and I hope they enjoy it. I always feel bad taking people places if it is a bother or they don't end up enjoying it. At this point, it is out of my hands, but that doesn't mean I don't worry about it.
Right now, I'm discussing some of the pranks that go on in the dorms. Time to contribute!
Monday, March 28, 2005
Another lovely day
I got home from my visit to Virginia and it was a very nice break. Right now, my mom is making me get some work done, so I will wish everyone a good day. ::What's for lunch mom?::
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Actually - it's half gone now - Lambchops no more
I think I've always enjoyed visiting my brother. Today was no exception. I got to sleep in until 8, and I got an 1 and 1/2 nap this afernoon, and I'll probably be asleep before 11. But the fun part about the trip is seeing my bro' again after a few months away and I got to see my nephew who is just old enough now that I can occassionally make out one of his words, and trying to figure out what he is trying to say is half the fun.
I've started programming again after a long break. The part I'm putting off is updating the college speech and debate website. There is a lot of information I should put up, but I'm so slow with editing websites that adding a lot of information may be time consuming. I am determined to finish the update before I go back to school.
Right now, I'm the last one up to do this blog. We are all in Jesse's 20 by 20 apartment and I will be the 5th and last one to fall asleep. I hope those of you I know at shool have gotten a ride home and everything is going and will go well. A great Easter for all and to all a great night!
I've started programming again after a long break. The part I'm putting off is updating the college speech and debate website. There is a lot of information I should put up, but I'm so slow with editing websites that adding a lot of information may be time consuming. I am determined to finish the update before I go back to school.
Right now, I'm the last one up to do this blog. We are all in Jesse's 20 by 20 apartment and I will be the 5th and last one to fall asleep. I hope those of you I know at shool have gotten a ride home and everything is going and will go well. A great Easter for all and to all a great night!
Friday, March 25, 2005
Half gone - soon to only be the mustache
I'm at my brother's apartment now. It was a long drive, and in the last week I've driven over 1000 miles. I'm looking forward to just sitting at home and doing schoolwork. In the meantime, I'll have to settle for sitting here and doing schoolwork. Sure... I'm actually planning on working on my computer and working with some more development pacts for Dev-C++.
I've been keeping up on the Terri Schiavo case, and I have to say I have mixed feelings. On my drive down to DC, I was talking to my mom and we both have different opinions. It finally came down to at what point am I or God responsible for my life. If I'm in a coma, am I still responsible for my life? If I'm not responsible, do others have that responsibility? If I'm in a 'persistent vegetative state' such as Terri is in, does God consider me dead and my body is still functioning without a soul? It's too big an issue for me.
I'm looking forward to warm, dry weather. Wherever I step on the yard at home, I can see the ground around my foot deform for 2-4 inches. The two inch deformation is on the heavy grass part and the four inch deformation is where the grass is sparse and it is mostly mud. Oddly enough, there is one large, solid patch of ground out by my dad's shop, and it is all bare dirt!
I've been keeping up on the Terri Schiavo case, and I have to say I have mixed feelings. On my drive down to DC, I was talking to my mom and we both have different opinions. It finally came down to at what point am I or God responsible for my life. If I'm in a coma, am I still responsible for my life? If I'm not responsible, do others have that responsibility? If I'm in a 'persistent vegetative state' such as Terri is in, does God consider me dead and my body is still functioning without a soul? It's too big an issue for me.
I'm looking forward to warm, dry weather. Wherever I step on the yard at home, I can see the ground around my foot deform for 2-4 inches. The two inch deformation is on the heavy grass part and the four inch deformation is where the grass is sparse and it is mostly mud. Oddly enough, there is one large, solid patch of ground out by my dad's shop, and it is all bare dirt!
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