Jordan's Big Deal

Hey

2007-04-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

things are rolling along with school and such.

oh yeah. pictures. they haven't gotten here. i promise i will post pictures of our trip once i get the cd of them. actually, i should look up some links to pictures from other people's cameras, and go ahead and post some of mine. sounds like a project for this weekend.

but school. round three of tests is about to come and go. the final leg of the semester is going to be a crunch. for those of you who don't know, but would like to come, MY JUNIOR RECITAL IS APRIL 29TH. that is a sunday afternoon. at 2:30 p.m.

anyway, i'm tired, but doing well. how could i not be when that pretty blond girl is always around.

i've gotta go practice. i'm also playing in two recitals thursday evening, if anyone's interested. one flute piece (with a bass flute. how sweet is that?) in concert at 6. and an awesome oboe piece in concert at 7:30. for those of you who want easy recital credit, you'd love that once since it has a grand total of three performers.

have a great week everybody.

New (Old) Date

2007-03-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

so the pictures still haven't gotten here from nicaragua. but, since most of you are quite used to my lack of posts, it probably hasn't bothered you too much.

in other (and more important) news... the wedding date is no longer august 18th. it is now going to the 30th of june. i can already hear some of you laughing. i swear this has nothing to do with wedding rivalry among friends (though we have joked about racing to see who can get married first). no, the real reason is that we want our relationship to consist entirely of multiples of 3. the wedding will be at 3 in the afternoon on the 30th of the 6th month of the year, after dating for 3 months, engagement for 6 months, "togetherness" for 9 months, while we're both 21, and both in our 3rd year of college... how ironic that we don't have three bride's maids. but seriously. i have to go to an oboe rehearsal.

june 30

oh, and heather bought a wedding dress. for $54. after shipping. holy cow.

Safely Home

2007-03-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

just so everyone knows, heather and i are back in town, having sustained no injuries, other than a tinge of color to our skins. since i'm feeling entirely unmotivated at the moment to write a blog post (or do anything else either, for that matter), you'll have to wait for a full detailed account. also, some time next week i will get another cd of everyone's pictures and you can be entertained with a pictorial treat of the highlights of our trip.

there is a piano recital tonight in cole (performed by our own dr parr). i hope i can stay awake, considering i was up until 5:15 this morning working on papers. too bad i couldn't have had another week after nicaragua of just catching up on homework...

i'll be back with you soon.

Itinerary

2007-03-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

howdy, y'all. if you wanted the scoop on heather's and my (¿?) spring break week, here's the itinerary. everyone else have a great spring break as well, and i'll see you the next week with pictures and stories. adios.

Saturday 10th
2:00 am
I am apalled by the alarm clock

3:00 am
Leave lufkin for Houston Airport

for this section i don't have our times with me at the moment, but we fly from houston to atlanta, where we have some sort of a layover, and then from atlanta to miami, where we meet our team.

7:40 pm
Arrival at the Airport – American Airlines 985

Overnight at Nejapa

Orientation, schedule and safety briefing

Sunday 11th
8:00am
Church in Managua

9:00am
Managua history tour (Tiscapa, Cathedral, Peace Park)

10:30am
Depart for Leon

12:30pm
Lunch in Leon, hang out in Plaza Central

3:00pm
Leave for Chinandega

6:30pm
Supper at Don Mario’s

Unpacking and get situated

Monday 12th
7:00am
Breakfast at Don Mario’s

8:00am
Leave for El Limonal

8:30am
Introductions at Fatima’s, walking tour of community with Crespin and Fatima and others

9:00am
Half at Crespin’s church, half at comedor

12:00pm
Lunch

2:00pm
Construction work

6:30pm
Supper at Don Mario’s

Tuesday 13th
7:00am
Breakfast at Don Mario’s

8:30am
Comedor workers, Construction workers

12:00pm
Lunch

2:00pm
De-parasite Campaign

6:30pm
Supper At Don Mario’s

Wednesday 14th
7:00am
Breakfast at Don Mario’s

8:30am
Deparasite Campaign, Comedor workers

12:00pm
Lunch

2:00pm
Health prevention talk/Kids activity

6:30pm
Dinner in El Limonal/Overnight in El Limonal

Thursday 15th
7:00am
Breakfast in El Limonal

8:30am
Comedor workers, open ministry time

12:00pm
Lunch

1:30pm
Soccer game with youth

3:00pm
Community Clean-up and Despedida

6:30pm
Supper at Don Mario’s

Friday 16th
7:30am
Breakfast at Don Mario’s

8:30am
Leave Chinandega for Santa Maria

12:00pm
NicaMade presentation

1:30pm
Leave for Poneloya/Las Peñitas

5:00pm
Supper at beach

Saturday 17th
7:30am
Breakfast at beach

8:00am
Depart for MGA

10:00am
Huembes Market

3:00pm
Drop stuff off at Nejapa

6:30pm
Supper and Debrief at Kim’s

Sunday 18th
4:15 am
Depart for the airport (AA 986 at 6:50 am)

once again, i forget at the moment what our exact times are, but after we fly out of the managua airport we go to miami, where we have a somewhat short layover. then from miami we fly to orlando ((¿?) i don't know why i decided i like doing two question marks like that) where we have an amazing 8 hour layover from about 2-10 pm. then we fly from there back to houston, and then drive back to home sweet home and fall asleep and not go to monday classes.

2007-03-02T12:31:00.000-08:00

did i mention i'm getting sore again? my body is punishing me for not having worked out enough. it's hard to get back into it properly.

i performed in studio today. mendelssohn's rondo cappriccioso, op. 14, if anyone cares. i'm working on polishing it for my recital. which, by the way, is coming up really fast. it's on april 29th (sunday) at 2:30, in cole concert hall. i'll probably post more about it at a later date, but if you would like, go ahead an make a mental note or calendar scribble. it will be a very romantic concert, consisting of three beethoven bagatelles (from op. 33), a brahms intermezzo (op. 117 no. 1), and a chopin polonaise (op. 44), as well as the before-mentioned piece.

i shall now go play raquetball.

today i entertained thoughts of going ahead and fixing my car...

hmmmmm...

2007-03-01T14:21:00.000-08:00

i'm so pleased that that last post got such brilliant accolades. the truth is, i opened the browzer to post, and suddenly decided not to. in case you haven't noticed, that's been happening with increasing frequency the past few months. only you usually don't get the one liner.

my bicycle is up and running now. i'm sorry. forgive me for that. anyway, since the car is officially out of commission, i'm back to my two-wheeled transportation. i shudder to think of karen's dad's reaction to hearing about the death of "his" car. it's a very shameful thing.

you might say the worst part about a lack of vehicle is that i can't get to work. that would be WRONG. it's going to be painful not to have a car to get to lufkin. of course heather is the reason for that (besides going part way to lufkin for guitar building). i may just have to increase my bicycling mileage and ride to lufkin a few times a week. gah.

lots of piano practicing today. i am playing again for studio in tomorrow. there will be some auditioners there to hear me. maybe i should freak out and get really stressed.

i mailed my last envelope to food for the hungry today. besides taking a few more pills and getting packed, i should be good to go. other than the fact that i should REALLY be spending extra time with god in preparation for a mission trip. it's quite difficult to do with a busy schedule. i guess when things are most hectic your priorities become apparent. hmmmm. rather convicting, i must admit.

time for some spanish and a nice jog. later.

surreptitious \suhr-uhp-TISH-uhs; suh-rep-\, adjective:1. Done, made, or gotten by stealth.2. Acting with or marked by stealth.

"While men's appetites are driven by availability, women's are often driven by cravings. A dab of chocolate here, a pinch of sugar there, and some surreptitious midnight Dairy Queen runs lurk behind a woman's oh-so-virtuous bran breakfast, salad lunch, and grilled fish dinner."-- Wendy Hubbert, "The skinny on male/female dieting", Redbook, October 1, 2001

haha!!

2007-02-27T20:21:00.000-08:00

i am going to sleep

Saturday

2007-02-24T10:46:00.000-08:00

yesterday i killed my car because i am an idiot. sad day. think i let it run out of oil. for some reason when the oil light came on, i was thinking that it was reminding me to get an oil change (which i knew it was about time for). this may be really expensive. if not impossible.

this morning i monitored a little piano thingy (i don't even know the official title of the event. sonatina festival, or something...). i smiled at people, checked names off lists, handed out critique sheets, told people where to find practice roms and bathrooms, and most importantly - did spanish homework.

today i must (finish a TINY bit of spanish) read music history, practice, prepare two lesson plans, write 7 composer bios and composition papers, two repertoire books to compare, and tons more.

i feel a sense of gloom whenever i think about my car. i just thought about my car. i feel gloomy.

however, since my car broke down (on the way to lufkin) heather came to visit me instead and it was great. she is an excellent reason not to feel gloomy.

ha! my dad just called about coming to look at my car. i don't feel like being gloomy anymore. whatever. my writing skills are growing even poorer from lack of use. maybe that means i should go write some papers for dr. gavin...

everyone have a fine weekend.

Valentines

2007-02-15T19:31:00.000-08:00

in light of the fact that my extended absence has gotten out of hand, and a request for specific stories, i am here posting when i should be doing spanish homework. which, sadly, i REALLY don't want to do. i fell angry with my teacher for giving me so much homework. he gives us so much that i spend hours finishing it without actually having enough time to do detailed study. if i do my detailed study i'll never get around to filling out his pages of spanish worksheets and answering a gazillion questions. but that has nothing to do with what i got on here to write about.

yesterday was valentine's day. feliz día de los enamorados. or something like that. if yours wasn't happy, i'm sorry. mine was. if you consider kitchen fires fun.

where was i. oh yes. yesterday was valentine's day. so of course i bought things. chocolatey things, and flowery things that make girls smile. being the way i am, i actually wanted heather to think that i hadn't done anything, and that i wasn't going to see her last night. of course i ended up just acting strange and suspicious, but whatever. i told her that i was going to call and let her know if i could make it, since i would probably be too tired from lack of sleep... (which, if i actually used that as my excuse and remained absent would have received a lameness score of 10). i didn't call. instead, i came straight to lufkin and hid behind her house. that's not a creepy thing to do.

she called me (wondering why i hadn't called yet) and i told her i was still in nac. then after she went inside i brought her flowers, chocolate, card (and myself) to the front door and apparently made her day. it was such a joyful occassion of love and chocolate delight that we decided to do laundry.

with the laundry in el maquina de lavar (or some similar thingy) and a dvd getting started, heather whipped out the chicken t...... don't even ask me how to spell that. sounds like "terry" and "hockey", except without the "h" in hockey. the oil went into the pan. the stove went on high. i went into the living room. heather went... to change clothes? bad choice. as i waited and regarded the passing previews blandly, something caught my attention. i realized that the remarkable flaming picture on the tv was in fact a reflection of the exciting proceedings taking place behind me in the kitchen. a 2 ft tower of flame was quietly swirling up and licking the cabinets. being the quick thinker that i am, and knowing that it would be a shame to burn those fine cabinets, i removed the offending pot of flame from the stove top. the oil swirled around nicely, causing the flames to leap out after my hand. logically, looking out for the best interest of my skin, i set pot of flames on the floor. the linoleum floor. after some more quick thinking, it occurred to me that the sink would be a better place, and there the bowl of fire soon extinguished itself. don't worry, i didn't put any water on it.

i'm sorry. that's the end of the story. the house was full of smoke. the "no-stick" pan was damaged. there is a black ring on the kitchen floor. a smoke detector might be in order.

my friends, i must finish spanish and find my bed. quickly. goodnight!

Dew

2007-01-21T21:53:00.000-08:00

just noticed that my mountain dew bottle says "DEW. Be. Dew. Be DEW." so i said it to myself. and then i said it a little faster. "dewbedewbedewww." then i chuckled quietly to myself.

my legs feel sore. in a good way. if it can be good to feel lots of pain walking up stairs. it's from not running at all for a month, and then suddenly running again and doing squats and lunges. i hurt. speaking of sore legs, i had a flat tire this morning. i was so going to be on time for church. then my car was like, "good idea, but no." so i changed my shirt and crawled around on the ground and got it off. has a hole about the diameter of a pencil. then i put on my tiny retarded spare tire. seriously, it's the dorkiest thing ever. i think it's not so much a space saver as it is a business incentive worked out between the car company and the tire people to make people buy a new tire as soon as possible so they won't be embarrassed at having to limp around with 3.5 tires.

i know where my phone is. according to an email i got from a friend yesterday it's with "the kyle" at the front desk of the rec center. i hope "the kyle" takes good care of it till tomorrow.

i had delicious potatoes for lunch. karen made lunch (there was also pork bbq with brownies and coffee ice cream for dessert. by which i mean we ate all those things, not that they were all for dessert. cuz that would be weird to eat bbq for dessert. tasty, but weird. it just isn't done.) and then we sat around talking and having a grand ol' time, part of which was spent curled up on a jumbo bean bag. then i went running and lunging around for a while and got sorer but didn't puke.

heather came to church with me this evening. i was glad. we ate dinner with the fam. it was delish. it was potatoes. except it was papas con chili, instead of papas con bbq pork (all that means is that i'm not even pretending to make complete sentences in spanish). i then weighed myself and found out i'm only slightly larger than last time i checked. i wasn't shocked. you shouldn't be either. i saw that it wouldn't be necessary to consume any more ice cream.
then we returned the movie about murder. i forget its title. apparently it was very old and very funny. i got a mountain dew and heather got a nutritious and delicious strawberry slushy. now i don't want to do spanish or anything but sleep. please let me sleep. dew be dew be dew...

It's a pleasure making your aquaintance

2007-01-20T12:42:00.000-08:00

hey guys. not only am i not dead, i'm really loving life right now. steve made a very innocent comment the other day about my absence in the bloggosphere. blogosphere. blog go sphere. go blog go. YEAH! let's go!!!

so things have really been truckin' along. i know some of you are anxious to hear more about the wedding. it is indeed officially going to be on august 18th, 2007. the proceedings will be in lufkin at harmony hill baptist church. this is heather's (gi-gi's) home church. steve will be "marrying us." do you feel self-conscious now, steve? your name has been mentioned three times in one post. you're famous now. infamous. N-famous. if you haven't seen that movie, never mind.

what other questions... oh yes. some people want girly information. like, how did i propose. i'm dreadfully sorry i didn't make it more romantic than i did, but it wasn't entirely unplanned. i have my excuses, which i won't share with you since they're retarded. the day was on dec 30th, significant because it is our dating anniversary. and by anniversary i mean three months, not one year. we got back to the house late from a great night of shrimp and card games and four-wheelers at the mcclure's. then i told her i had something to talk about and wanted to take a little walk. except i told her in spanish so no one else would know (as if THAT wasn't suspicious...). that didn't work out so well, cuz she didn't understand me the first time. then i totally messed it up when i repeated it. i think she was about to have a little panic attack because she thought she knew what was about to happen but at the same time didn't dare hope that it really was. she got her jacket and we started walking out into the field and up the hill by the woods. we had highly charged conversation about the horse in the pasture next to us and about touching the electric fence. i have never cared less about another piece of small talk in my life and was frantically trying to psyche myself up to ask the question just perfectly before i reached the top of the hill. i had envisioned the moment so many times before, but i had never gotten that nervous and shaky or had my heart race so fast while i was visualizing. the moment was about to arrive. heather was probably thinking, "if he's going to ask me to marry him, how the HECK is he going to swing things from a horse fence to 'i love you'??" i did so very smoothly (and abruptly, if those two are possible simultaneously) by turning her around, holding both her hands in mine and falling down own my knees. i probably would have fallen on my knees even if i hadn't been planning on it, simply because they got very wobbly. i had never told her before that i loved her (though i did, and she knew it). i told her then, for the first time, and asked her quite simply if she would marry me. being as emotional as she is, it's actually amazing she didn't have some kind of a melt down and bawl all over the place. if i'd sapped things up a little more she surely couldn't have helped it. as it was, she got pretty steamy eyed, and told me of course she would marry me. and then i think we were both just really shocked and excited for a little bit. i told her that the reason i had shied away from saying "i love you" before, is because i didn't want it to be in any way trite or insincere, or to stir up feelings in her that wouldn't be realized because i said it too soon. so when i said it then i meant it forever. she told me that was the most romantic thing i could have said. good thing, too, since i didn't have a ring. for those of you who were sorely dissappointed about that, it's ok. there is now a ring on the way. she actually got to pick it out, which is probably a good thing since i know she likes it and i don't have to worry about getting the wrong thing. quite lazy of me really. i guess that's it y'all. i heard her screaming as she drove away later. that was encouraging.

i really don't feel like typing up any more details right now. if there's anything else you want to know, ask away and i'll get to more stuff later.

today (and last week) we went dancing. it's great fun. unfortunately, now that we've gotten two weeks in a row, we're going to have to miss the next three. oh well.

school is now started. i've actually done a tiny bit of homework today. it's great. i need to do more. i'm back in my dorm room. it is a wreck. and i've been losing things. the first day here (last friday week) i misplaced my id card. i got a new one on wed and found my old one on this past friday. one day i couldn't find my car even though i walked right past it and went to another parking lot. i left my back pack in the cafeteria. i couldn't find it in my room, so i looked in my car. it wasn't in my car so i looked in my locker. it wasn't in my locker so i had to go to class without it (or my precious binder with paper, pencil, syllabi, etc). then i found it sitting on a shelf in the cafeteria later in the morning. whew. now my cell phone is gone. i had it at dance practice and it rang. so i turned it on silent. after i got back to my room i couldn't find it, heather doesn't have it with her, and i don't know whether i left it at java jacks, or at dance practice, or at wendy's, or dropped it on the ground, or what!!! it's crazy. i must be distracted or something. it has nothing to do with that little blond girl.

has anyone seen my piano pedagogy book? hmmm, have to look for that...

okay, enough for now. thank you for enjoying my blog. you can now start reading again (my hit counts are WAAAAY down). have a good weekend. i mean, a great weekend. maybe even better than great. is there like, love floating in the air or something? holy cow, that was corny.

and you know what? if you haven't seen napolean dynamite you have a pretty serious problem that needs to be remedied. just make yourself watch the dang movie.

2007-01-03T16:34:00.000-08:00

at the moment i only have about 5 minutes to spare... however, there is a very important announcement, which is now quite public, that i should at least mention before i let it go too much longer and entirely forget the existence of my blog and ignore my distant readers. if you are of a sensitive disposition and not entirely familiar with the goings on of my life, especially recently, you might want to assure yourself of a secure seat. others of you will not be surprised at all. the grand news is - i am now engaged. engaged to be married (as certain people ridiculously requested specification of my use of that word) to my beautiful heather. i'm very sorry for the long silence of late, and assure you that more news and possible pictures and various other tidbits of interest will be forthcoming. now i must be off. have a wonderful new year!

2006-12-11T17:43:00.000-08:00

the end of the semester is here and i have lost my motivation. for a lot of things. including this blog. so i apologize in a complacent sort of way for not posting in so long. i just finished my first final today, in piano pedagogy. this morning i slept two hours late and lost my piano ped book and nearly freaked out. thankfully heather brought a completed study guide and mr ajero also posted some useful tidbits online. the test ended up being way easy. i better get an A. or i will be Angry.

my beard is growing again, for those of you who don't see me on a regular basis and would actually be interested in knowing. i'm thinking of going for the jack sparrow look. maybe i should pretend to be a pirate for an entire semester.

tomorrow i have my piano jury. wed i have spanish and music history. then i'm done. DONE!!! FINISHED I TELL YE!!! of course i need to teach a piano lesson on thurs. but that's no biggie. and on thurs night i have guitar building. which i love. and can't wait to do without homework hanging over my head. and then christmas break. i shouldn't even say that too loud or i might explode. i'm going to start jogging and exercising again. as well as eating. i'm afraid finals is doing it to me again. my smallest pair of jeans were loose this morning.

my room is a mess.

i might get a prize tonight. i'll let you know more about that later.

ossify \AH-suh-fy\, intransitive verb:1. To change into bone; to become bony.2. To become hardened or set in a rigidly conventional pattern.
transitive verb:
1. To change into bone; to convert from a soft tissue to a hard bony tissue.
2. To harden; to mold into a rigidly conventional pattern.

One is left with the image . . . of a lonely, aging dictator "still searching for something that is impossibly elusive," still haranguing his audiences, yet incapable of recognizing the flaws of the system he has created, and presiding over an increasingly ossified regime and society.-- Stanley Hoffmann, "Power Unshared and Total", New York Times, November 30, 1986

Vader

2006-12-04T20:23:00.000-08:00

This is how I've been travelin' lately. Tonight we decided to go ride the parking garage elevator. Up and down. Over and over. On the fourth floor a girl started to get in, but when I turned around and looked at her, she immediately changed her mind. Heather and I nearly laughed our heads off before we could hold the door open and reassure her that we weren't after blood. Just converts to the dark side. Which you should do too. Come.

I am your father

2006-12-03T20:20:00.000-08:00

the race was great. the race was cold. and bryan ran bare-foot. what a crazy. i got 6th place overall (i honestly don't know how many people entered the race. less than 100 i think). i was first in my age category (19-24). for this distinctive placement i received a red jingle bell which they placed around my neck. i was proud to wear this chiming award of gloriousness. my "packet" also included a couple of tiny bells and a regions pen and a jingle bell run long-sleeve t-shirt. that made my day for sure. if i sound sarcastic its only because i'm tired. i'm actually quite sincere. that didn't sound sincere. oh well, can't be helped.

went to karen's apartment for a party, where we played games and ate tasty things and exchanged gifts. i was the proud recipient of a darth vader helmet and mask. it even has a microphone and speaker on it so you can talk like vader. tonight heather had a personal vader escort for protection on her way to the car. "he" was wearing a black shirt and trench coat, and breathing quite heavily. it was scary, let me tell you. i could hardly restrain myself from laughing. hopefully there will be pictures available soon. actually, there are some on facebook, but you don't get the full effect without the trench coat. i must have my bed now. goodnight.

Yep

2006-12-01T20:22:00.000-08:00

so tomorrow i'm going to run in a little race downtown at 8:30 a.m. i have never actually entered a real race before. it's a 5k and i don't remember who it's for. you just get to have a t-shirt and a bag of goodies and your butt frozen off. oh my gosh i can't wait!

After Thanksgiving

2006-11-29T18:50:00.000-08:00

yeah. sorry there was no thanksgiving update. or maybe this is it and i shouldn't be apologizing. sorry it's late. there we go. thanksgiving was great, by the way. i ate with heather's family on thurs., then went to huntsville for celebrations with her mom's side of the family, then went to my aunt and uncle's house for a bit, and then came home. i ate zero turkey. it was still a great thanksgiving. i went swimming. for like, 26 seconds.

so tonight i was walking to the cafeteria, and my feet were kind of sore. then i saw that the tree in the middle of the clark street turnabout had a section of lights that were out and that bothered me. also i passed an unoccuppied vehicle parked by the curb. it's lights flashed when i walked by, and it honked. then the ignition started. i pretended not to be startled or surprised. i'm pretty sure it worked. then i had a mediocre hamburger and fries with a delicious root beer and decided not to practice tonight. i shall take out my laundry and go to sleep instead.

church was really good tonight. i have some verses i feel like sharing. but not right now. when it's 9 o'clock and i already feel disfuctional, it's not a good sign.

and there's something else. TODAY IS MELANIE'S BIRTHDAY!!! i know none of you know melanie, though perhaps you've visited her blog (which is linked as mel belle "over there" -->). so happy birthday mel belle. i hope its fabulous and that i can come up with a good excuse for why my card is coming late.

peace out, y'all. (like i ever say that)

vapid \VAP-id; VAY-pid\, adjective:1. Lacking liveliness and spirit; unanimated; spiritless; dull; as, "a vapid speech."2. Flavorless; lacking taste or zest; flat; as, "vapid beer."

One year he was writing vapid and sentimental mediocrities, and the next he was turning out one of the best poems of our century.-- Anatole Broyard, New York Times

i just love that sentence. "...writing vapid and sentimental mediocrities..." mediocre is a pretty decent word, if you think about it. just like that hamburger. if i were you, i would feel sorry for whoever ate that burger. goodnight.

Pictures!

2006-11-18T11:47:00.000-08:00

here're a few pictures i looked at today that made me grin. enjoy!

Twain

2006-11-16T21:12:00.000-08:00

earlier today i couldn't remember one of my mark twain quotes. so here it is, particularly for the benefit of those who had to suffer through my confused attempts at recollection.

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him." ~ Mark Twain

Pursuit of God

2006-11-14T20:18:00.000-08:00

the first chapter of A. W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God really encouraged and convicted me this evening. i can't share the whole thing with you (unless you would like to borrow the book some time), but i did want to share a very simple (and i think beautiful) prayer that tozer wrote at the end of the chapter. i hope you find it encouraging, and perhaps even find a few words to borrow for your own prayer time.

Oh God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus' name. Amen

2006-11-12T11:31:00.000-08:00

i feel like shouting!

Evil Television

2006-11-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

i hate the tv and i hate myself almost all of the few occasions i waste time in front of it. when i'm by myself, that is. when i'm not even in a social setting. despicable.

2006-11-05T21:01:00.000-08:00

my mouth feels kinda funny. a little bit oniony, a tad raw and salty and faintly thick and furry. i haven't been drinking anything alcoholic, in case that last made you suspicious. just milk out of the jug and a couple bags of sour cream and onion potato chips. my nose is stuffy.

today was good. what a good day today was.

i slept and went to church and ate lunch with my family and got a tiny hair trim (this little tiny hair on the back of my head that was driving me crazy) and went jogging with evan and went to church and to wal mart and to pizza hut and got rained on.

i'm sleepy now and i still have to finish some piano ped homework. thank goodness music hist homework is done and marcela gave us NO SPANISH HOMEWORK!!! now, if you'll excuse me...

harangue \huh-RANG\, noun:1. A speech addressed to a large public assembly.2. A noisy or pompous speech; a rant.
transitive verb:1. To deliver a harangue to; to address by a harangue.
intransitive verb:1. To make a harangue; to declaim.

His emissaries, had attended the Priest's convocation of the people, and, without delaying to hear more than the main point of the harangue, hurried back with their intelligence to the rebel camp.-- Wilkie Collins, Iolani: Or, Tahiti as It Was

Hi

2006-11-02T15:14:00.000-08:00

figured i should go ahead an mention that i am still alive, and doing great. i did survive the tests (which was so remarkable. i was sure i wouldn't make it...). i did faint, once, during the music history exam. but i was revived with a splash of someone's orange juice to the face. then dr unsworth messed up and basically gave us the answer to one listening example. "here let me play it for you again. oh woops, wrong one, that was from the first act... i mean, oops..." *head in hands* (out of all our listening examples there was only one opera with more than one act, therefore that one word eliminated all other possibilities).

i just MAJORLY slammed that elbow nerve on the desk. oooow? yes.

i was videoed (that is awesome. that word, not the fact that i was videoed. which is awesome. i mean...) teaching a piano lesson. it went well. at least, i think it did, right now, when i haven't actually seen it yet. at least i wasn't nervous.

time to go make some drpepperorangejuicedelight and MAKE SOME GUITARS!!! yeah baby.

prevaricate \prih-VAIR-uh-kayt\, intransitive verb:To depart from or evade the truth; to speak with equivocation.

Journalism has a similar obligation, particularly with men and women suddenly transferred to places of great power, who are often led to exaggerate and prevaricate, all in the name of a supposedly greater good.-- Stephen R. Graubard, "Presidents: The Power and the Mediocrity", New York Times, January 15, 1989

Mmm

2006-10-30T09:18:00.000-08:00

spanish class was cancelled today. which is why i'm here at this moment. i am inordinately happy about that. wednesday is going to be a day of sorrow and suffering and possibly death. a spanish test AND a music history test, which will be all listening, score identification and essay. HELP. ME.

Happy Days

2006-10-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

sometimes when i go for a while without exercising i forget how good it feels. i sleep so much better when my body is tired instead of just my brain. usually when brain is tired it's because i've been over-using it and it keeps racing while i try to put my body (which has been doing nothing but sit in a chair, most likely) to sleep. let's just say i have been sleeping well, and i'm SURE going to sleep well tonight.

this weekend has been great. had a movie night in nick and i''s apartment on thursday. we had hot chocolate and coffee and milk and juice and didn't eat anything. it was oodles of fun. then last night was the keyboard scholarship fundraiser concert. i had to work back stage in order to assist with moving pianos around during the concert. but really, i almost have more fun back there than in the audience - dancing around, taking pictures, cracking jokes with the performers, etc. i got to run out in the audience and sit with my lady for a couple of pieces. once in particular i had to make sure that a flying stick thrown by mr ajero didn't go into the audience and strike one of our dear elderly patrons on the noggin. on the program were a few students - craig playing mozart, schoppe playing lizst, chris playing chopin, tracy playing a jazz number she arranged herself with drums and bass to go along with it. dr petti played a very interesting piece inside the piano - plucking and strumming the strings, striking them with a drum stick, playing harmonics, and all kinds of crazy things. mr ajero and dr moon played some beethoven. dr parr appeared on stage as a rock star. he had his hair spiked, wore a black t-shirt with some colorful logo on the front under and unbuttoned black collar shirt, and sunglasses. the piano had no lid, was turned the wrong direction and cocked at an angle to the audience, and he banged on the piano with his foot (the whole show was called "something's afoot"). and the crowd went wild. mr ajero, dr moon, dr petti and mrs cooper played a great arrangement of the sabre dance. a few of us students decided that we need to learn it as a summer project. i hope i didn't leave anyone out. i think that's all the performers though.

after the concert we stayed for some cleanup, and then had another movie/pizza night at karen's place.

went dancing with heather this morning.

helped evan with some sign stuff for his eagle project (which i should post some pictures of eventually).

i could write three more blog posts worth on all that, but i'm really tired. goodnight my friends.

virtu \vuhr-TOO; vir-\, noun:1. love of or taste for fine objects of art.2. Productions of art (especially fine antiques).3. Artistic quality.

"The Italian humanist Giovanni Pontano described these objects as "statues, pictures, tapestries, divans, chairs of ivory, cloth interwoven with gems, many-coloured boxes and coffers in the Arabian style, crystal vases and other things of this kind . . . [whose] sight . . . is pleasing and brings prestige to the owner of the house." They all spoke to the wealth, taste and virtu of their owner."-- John Brewer, The Pleasures of the Imagination

Uh Oh...

2006-10-25T23:33:00.000-07:00

picture time!!! after this...

today was both good and bad. more good than bad though. i finished all my homework for the rest of the week. course, i'll get more during the next couple of days to be done this weekend, but i don't have to think about that yet. i played in a trombone recital and got that out of the way. and i watched a movie with some friends. and i LOST MY STUDENT ID!!! gahh, stupid...plastic...piece of...name tag... thing... i think i threw it in the trash with my napkins and condiments after dinner. sad day. tomorrow i'll probably have to pay $5 for a new one. speaking of student id's - my dorm now actually requires you to swipe your card in the elevator to get to your floor!!! i got in this afternoon and pushed "4", and waited a moment. the light just blinked and the door stayed open. then i blinked, and the door was still open. so i pushed it again. and again. and then i noticed the card swipe center had the word "ready" lit up. and below it was a dark light that said, "access". so i swiped my card, the access light lit up, i pushed floor 4, and i was home free. just another nuisance in our high security dwelling. especially a nuisance now that i no longer have this handy dandy card. and yes, i have scary pictures. actually, if you get the impression that i'm about to start grinning like an idiot instead of scowling you're probably right. i don't pull off the mean look very well, even if i do have long hair and a trench coat.

Rainierestness...ing...ish...wet

2006-10-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

today is rainy and yuck. it would actually be less yuck if i had time to play in it, and enjoy being wet. it's more yuck when you have to go to class and walk in and out of the yuck and then be clean and neat and composed in between. some people choose these types of days to have flat tires. some people who do not know how to inflate a tire. but so what? i'm more than happy to share my quarters and tire-inflation expertise with my lady. i can understand why some people would be intimidated by this activity though. it's a very complicated matter, really, involving squeezing a trigger.

i have no work for this afternoon (which is why i'm here typing at 3:15 on a wed afternoon). so i am determined to finish all my homework for the rest of the week TONIGHT! then i can have carefree times of funness over the weekend. starting tomorrow.

my camera should be back in my possession tonight, so pictures will be here soon. hang in there folks!

gaucherie \goh-shuh-REE\, noun:1. A socially awkward or tactless act.2. Lack of tact; boorishness; awkwardness.

"If you find yourself sitting next to an obviously prosperous guest at a dinner party and your host introduces him (it will be a him) as a "successful barrister", you will be guilty of a gaucherie of the crassest kind if you exclaim: "How fascinating! If I promise not to call you Rumpole, will you tell me about your goriest murder trials?""-- Nick Cohen, "Don't leave justice to the judges", New Statesman, December 13, 1999

Hace Buen Tiempo

2006-10-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

today i went jogging for the first time in woooooooooooooo. say that with a high-pitched descending slide and you'll pretty much have the jist of a sound that means "a very long time."

i like the cooler weather. in june there is no way i would go jogging at 4 in the afternoon. also it gives me and excuse to do things like wear my trench coat. which i did a couple nights ago when i walked to the music building. i wore my fancy hat too. nick said i looked scary. maybe i should post pictures.

sadly, i am now a member of myspace. i barely have a profile set up. i'm thinking i may eventually get around to putting a picture up, but not much else. there's just too much with blogs and facebook and everything else.

life is moving along fine though. i haven't fallen off the deep end of insanity yet (though i've been told i'm on the brink). trying to hold onto god's promises that when we are weak then we are strongest in him. there are also a few very encouraging friends around. one in particular (one besides heather, since of course she's the best) who i just recently realized is someone i would really like to cultivate a friendship with. i don't know exactly how to word it. i guess "we connected..." which sounds TOTALLY stupid! but you know what i mean, yes? that's it. i'm through. see y'all later

solicitous \suh-LIS-uh-tuhs\, adjective:1. Manifesting or expressing care or concern.2. Full of anxiety or concern; apprehensive.3. Extremely careful; meticulous.4. Full of desire; eager.

"He . . . was excessively solicitous, constantly apologizing for the car's poor suspension, the heat, the state of the roads, and the insane behavior of other drivers."-- John Case, The Genesis Code

Dilbert

2006-10-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

i felt that it was necessary to share this very fitting dilbert strip with you. it's funnier if you have been keeping up, but i think any busy person can appreciate it anyway.

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComic.mpl?date=2006/10/19&name=Dilbert

Happy Birthday Stephen!!!

2006-10-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

today the littlest tyke of the family turns 5! woot woooooot!!! i'll just give you a little picture of him, and encourage you to join me in celebrating with him. i hope he has a tasty cake this weekend. on sunday. after church...

btw, that's a white piece of something he's holding up in the picture... it's not a crudely chopped corner.

2006-10-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

the music history midterm of terror is over and i'm STILL ALIVE TO TELL YOU ABOUT IT!!! course, i have no desire whatsoever to actually tell you about it, just to let you know that i made it through.

in other news, my tuba player just contacted me to rehearse last week and i found out that our performance is on wed. ON THIS WEDNESDAY!!! get it?? two days from now...? i actually could have known this, had i read the piece of paper that came with the music, but i usually don't pay a whole lot of attention to that until the instrumentalist calls me. so, he got in touch and we scheduled a practice time. everything's great. we met for rehearsal, he was on time, i had all the music prepared... or did i... when we got to the second page we encountered major problems. actually they could have been either major or minor, but the key doesn't really matter. what matters is that i only had the outside covers for his music, and the inner pages were still in his bag. oh joy! i could barely restrain myself from doing a happy dance right there in the practice room. so today i practiced the middle two pages for about an hour and then rehearsed. now i have to get it all solid tomorrow morning, practice with "mr tuba" (i won't use his name, cuz i don't hate him. accidents happen. hmmmm.... accidents happen... hmmmm...) and then be ready to hit the stage wed night. okay, i've said that enough now. it's not going to give me any more time by saying it over and over again.

now i shall take my sleep deprived self off to the shower, and hopefully hit the sack before 9. then hopefully a productive quiet time in the mornin'. ahhhh, how refreshing. i hate the way school and craziness encourages me to sacrifice the most important things. last night i opened the bible and could hardly even think straight when i tried to read. i was like, "forget it! i'm going to fail music history!" and went and started beating my head against a brick. if i have a black eye, that's why.

because i haven't in a long time - word of the day...

salutary \SAL-yuh-ter-ee\, adjective:1. Producing or contributing to a beneficial effect; beneficial; advantageous.2. Wholesome; healthful; promoting health.

Surviving a near-death experience has the salutary effect of concentrating the mind.-- Kenneth T. Walsh and Roger Simon, "Bush turns the tide", U.S. News, February 28, 2000

I Won't...

2006-10-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

right at this very moment i'm having a severe case of the "don't wannas". you know, where you really have to do something, but you don't even want to think about having to do it, so you drink some milk and curl up in the fetal position while imagining scenes of fields and daisies and carefree childhood and then you come to when reality kicks you in the stomach again and you cry and then finally start doing whatever it was you were in denial about to start with...?

Who Needs Sleep?

2006-10-12T23:41:00.000-07:00

sometimes i wonder if i really have time for this blog. and then, after thinking about it, i have to conclude that - no, i don't have time. but i will continue to write in it on those special occassions when i choose to ignore my other responsibilities, or as a reward for finishing them (such as right now, past 1:30 after i finished studying spanish for who knows how long).

i just love it when people around here fix problems that don't exist. or at least that i didn't know existed. i'm always coming in (to our apartment) and finding a slip of paper that says things like, "problem fixed - air conditioner vent replaced," or "problem fixed - drain plug and filter," (as in, all your problems are solved because you now have some extra pieces of hardware sitting on the counter that you only wish you needed as bad as we wanted to give them to you...). and is it not weird to know that some smelly unshaven stranger with a tool belt can come into your home at random times when you're gone? i'm actually not paranoid, but i wonder if maybe i should be.

there was a good piano recital tonight. lots of spanish music. however, it couldn't compare with what i know is coming to town on saturday. we have a guest pianist performing rachmaninoff's 2nd piano concerto with the orchestra of the pines. if you come it will rock your socks off.

it's getting cold. in the 50's this evening. i LOVE it! it makes me want to run, which i haven't been doing. after the recital we got some chic-fil-a and ate outside. we shivered for most of the time. i also enjoyed myself tremendously because of you-know-who being there. she makes me a happy camper. i don't want you to think i'm becoming obsessive and making this blog a heather fan site (were those first 3 paragraphs sufficient to preclude such notions?). however, since i am a big fan, be prepared for her to become an important character in upcoming episodes in the life of quirky.

that's all i got. i'm beat. and i'm full of coffee, which is sure to help me sleep soundly... see y'all later!

Tadaa!!!

2006-10-09T22:24:00.000-07:00

here at last is photographic proof (for those of you who were doubtful, as well as those who have just been patiently waiting) that my beautiful lady heather does in fact exist. and yes, my hair is much longer than hers (like, maybe twice as long), which you may find mildly amusing. if i am at any time unaccountably cheerful (the past two days being the exception) it is probably because of that delightful individual standing beside me. i'll have more to gush about her at a later time. everyone have a good week, and i'll talk with you again soon!

2006-10-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

i'm doing much better this afternoon. i did start of the morning by almost throwing up when i tried to swallow my horse pill (sulfameth trimethaprim... sounds horsish, doesn't it). stupid thing. so big and foul in the throat.

turned in my paper for music history (it was crap, i admit).

floated through spanish, trying to pretend that i wasn't really there. it didn't work. in fact, my presence was felt so strongly that they signed me in for my lab 15 minutes before i got there. thanks for the free minutes dude...

now if i can just get my face out of this bag of doritos and my behind over to the library to study with ben i'll be doing great!

i didn't sleep well or enough last night. just got up from a 1 hours nap. it was way nice.

practice tonight after studying with ben. will i survive? yes, i'll survive. coffee will be my friend.

Yuck

2006-10-08T23:15:00.000-07:00

i feel like throwing up and rolling into a ball and crying myself to sleep.

really i don't post often enough to make comments like that, do i...? i'm not turning suicidal. i am super stressed. i'm also filling myself with coffee and staying up late. i don't want to try anymore. "it is enough; now, o lord, take my life, for i am not better than my fathers." ha! i'm not in such dire straits as Elijah thought he was in. tomorrow jezebel... i mean music history and class piano will be behind me. i can hardly wait.

Relief

2006-10-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

life is crazy and exciting these days. the latest development in my schedule of death is a rather significant reprieve. for the first time in my life, i have dropped a course. astronomy is no longer on my list of courses and i am so happy to see it gone. my activities went from impossible to just plain hectic. ever since the beginning of the semester i could tell it was going to be a struggle, but the last straw came last night. i was trying to do my astronomy lab and they told me i would have to build a homemade spectroscope. furthermore, i would have to experiment with several different types of gases and use my spectroscope to create their respective spectrographs (how do you like that sentence...). i realized that not only would i be up working on this project until class this morning, but the every week of this stuff would be one more drag on my life sustenance for the rest of the semester. the long and the short of it is, the camels back broke last night and this morning i withdrew completely from astronomy. now if i can just maintain some solid A's in the rest of my classes...

this morning i was shocked to discover my car parked in front of the music building when i came out for lunch. i walked to class this morning. if you'd asked me where my car was i would have sworn up and down that it was on the 4th floor of the parking garage. thankfully i had no tickets, even though i was in faculty parking.

i also almost got hit on south street. it probably would have been my fault. i proved something i already knew - don't trust stupid people who turn on their blinker and slow down even when they don't intend to turn.

i am a happy camper. god is truly amazing. i'm convinced that life is pointless without him.

the end

Big Grins

2006-09-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

today was a good day.

no, i take that back. it wasn't a good day, it was a fabulous day. the reason it was such a fabulous day is because of a very beautiful girl named heather. i have (without reluctance) given up my status as "single" (though, as a friend pointed out today, that really doesn't make sense considering i'm not married. but in the contemporary context which emplies some sort of a relationship it gets the point accross). considering how full of it i am right now, and the fact that i haven't written anything in a little while, i decided to share with my blogger family. feel free to be happy with me and not sarcastically give me your condolences like the sweet guys i work with at the shop. and no, i'm not talking about you, john. anyway. think i'm going to go to bed early and get up early for a terrific quiet time, and perhaps even some piano practice before church. whoa, what's this? turning over a new leaf or something?? i'm reminded of the words of a proud father at the return of his brave and valiant son...

"'... oh frabjous day! calloo, callay,' he chortled in his joy..."

(jabberwocky, lewis carroll)

your truly,
giddy jordan

Schedule of Death

2006-09-24T18:56:00.000-07:00

i am so thankful for the preaching of the word of god. honestly i don't know what i'd do without going to church, singing hymns of praise with fellow believers, and listening to scripture. earlier this week i had a conversation with someone about churches and history and various sects of the christian religion. it was actually rather frustrating because i felt like for all his head knowledge and questions about "what is truth?" that he didn't really want to know the truth. well, that's probably not true. i think most likely he did want to know the truth, but he was more interested in arguing for both sides of dssagreements on things like being saved by grace as opposed to being saved by works, etc. he wanted me to know how his church was the original greek orthodox church which split from the catholics in the great schism. he wanted to ask me "if there is truth, but all these different denominations each have their own version, how do you reconcile the differences?" and let me tell you. it is through faithful seeking after god that we find out what truth is. by reading the bible. by praying over the bible. by dying to the flesh every day and giving yourself and your life to christ. his grace saves you (and me) and it carries us through every trial and hardship. his spirit ministers to our spirit and lives within us and directs our paths with gentle guidance. we are safe with our good shepherd. i honestly don't care which denomination's roof you hide under. i know that there is one god and i know that he lives within me. i was encouraged about that today. 1 peter really blessed me. i highly recommend it's full perusal if you are in need of comfort or encouragement. even if you don't think you are, you just might find it refreshing. i have to go now to study. i hope i didn't ramble too much. god bless you all and have a wonderful week.

oh yeah, the schedule of death. i nearly published the post before i wrote about it. i suppose my schedule this semester is part of the reason i needed encouragement so much. i just created a new list of daily activities and stuff. i will have virtually no free time (except for a few hours on the weekend) between the hours of 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. every day. let me hasten to add that i don't imagine myself to be the only one oppressed by the iron hand of surfin' steve (or the fists of any of your bosses or whatever) but just looking at that schedule on the fridge does not make me a happy camper. i wouldn't complain if anyone were to mention my name in their prayers. by the way, i take prayer requests too. later.

Hum

2006-09-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

interesting sights and sounds are all around me this week. right now there is a ladder extending up the building right next to my window. it is making incredible scraping and squeaking noises as some worker climbs up the side of my home. for a couple of minutes it repeated bounced against the wall. sounded like someone breaking in. it also smells strongly of paint inside this place.

yesterday i saw a bicycle on the rack outside the uc with an unopened beer in the water holder. nothing like cracking open a nice warm one after class.

almost got run over by a car while riding to work yesterday. i could have died. but i didn't. they didn't even bump me or in any way obligate themselves to pay for the rest of my tuition.

i also forgot several funny things that i was going to share but didn't write down in time. bummer. gotta run to lunch. lata!

Avast There, Matey

2006-09-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

happy pirate day, everyone. actually, "international talk like a pirate" day. i can't believe my buddy john at the shop didn't bring it up. i'm pretty sure he didn't even say "argh." unless he stubbed his toe perhaps.

today i just finished a huge round of astronomical torture. our first test was today, and i didn't study adequately. wow, really?? big news. now i have a few inches to breath in and i can focus on other things. like ordering music, some of which i need to prepare a methods study for class.

anyway, i don't feel very coherent, so i think i'll go finish studying and hit the sack.

Dancing

2006-09-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

today was super fun. i haven't gotten nearly enough studying done, but who cares? i did get two observations done. heather and i went and sat in on two piano lessons (taught by mrs. parr). we took notes for our piano pedagogy class on the things we saw, what we liked, or didn't, what we could do to make it better, etc. and it just so happens that our subjects of observation were two cute little alder's kids. then we went shopping. at and estate sale. i admit that i'm not an estate sale connoisseur, but it was pretty interesting. apparently a woman was selling off her summer home estate. her husband had died, and pretty much everything was being consolidated. i could hardly imagine having that much stuff in one house. not to mention that it was the "secondary" house. the purpose of our estate sale excursion was to find a cheap (as in, $10) computer desk. this we did not find. we did discover things that belonged in a museum that cost as much as my car. started up a conversation with a booth vendor outside by using one of his rusty old saws to make music. unfortunately it didn't quite make the cut as an instrument.

then we went dancing. am i the only one who didn't know they teach ball room dance at the nacogdoches rec center every week? folks, it's one dollar for students!!!! craziness. and be sure that if you are a student and you do decide to go that you don't pay $5. that's the price for "regular" people. which isn't bad, but hey, if you're a college student just pay a buck. anyway, it's a two hour thing every saturday. they just decided to start doing two sessions (because of so many people in a smallish space) which will be at 10 and 12. today we did cha cha, swing and tango. very fun times. definitely the highlight of my week. now i just have to see if i can stand waiting till next week...

in the mean time, i better go study. what's that... astronomy you say? calling my name? oh yes, i hear it now.

SWAG

2006-09-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

today we briefly went over the scientific method in astronomy. right before a question pertaining to the discussion at hand dr markworth introduced us to a new method. the SWAG method. scientific wise-ass guess. apparently it is widely used among scientists, from distant history through the present. i employed this amazing tool on the next question with great success. i hope you find this breakthrough in astronomical (or other) research theory as helpful as i did.

Events

2006-09-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

these are the events of my monday.

first - music history. i like this class far less than i liked intro last semester. there's nothing wrong with the professor per se, he just isn't very interesting. probably has something to do with the fact that this is his first semester (at least at sfa) and he isn't used to it yet. oh well. i probably ought to study too. wouldn't that be something.

then i went to spanish lab polished up my skilz for a quiz in class. then i went to class. and took the quiz. and aced it. then we watched a movie about going on a trip with the spanish class next summer and getting 6 hours of credit and spending thousands of dollars.

at some point after entering the liberal arts building i was experiencing a flat tire. actually, my bicycle outside was experiencing it. when i came back out to ride to my next class, then it was my turn to experience it. so i walked to piano pedagogy. this class is going to have mostly easy requirements, but there are tons of those and they involve things like planning and organization and other words for which i might need the definition.

then i had lunch, which today was a dang quesa-dilluh with chicken. i've had worse. the worst stomach cramps come from two grease burgers on the same day. these weren't that bad.

after that fabulous meal i headed "home" where i wasted a little bit of my life in front of the computer before heading back out in the heat with my bicycle pump. i filled the back tire and rode as fast as i could to the music building before it went flat. practiced for about 2 1/2 hours. it was very exciting. so exciting in fact, that i almost decided to stay until 5:30, but thought better of it and left at 5:15.

after engaging my bicycle pump in a second vigorous inflation exercise i zoomed back toward my dorm. half-way back to my dorm, to be precise. then i hopped off and walked my crippled vehicle the rest of the way back. then i found out just how heavy even an aluminum frame can feel when you carry it over your head up 8 flights of stairs.

more minutes of my life succeeded in going down the pc drain before it was time for dinner. am i seeing a pattern here? for dinner i had a baked potato (delish), with cheese and ham and bell peppers and onions and jalapenos and ranch. i also met one new person (sarah) and a million people that i already know. table dynamics of large groups of people are interesting. from my perspective in the middle i could eavesdrop/participate in all of them. the side of the table that was 100% pure musician (even though nick isn't a major, he's still a musician) talked about... you guessed it... music. the entire time. the other side, which has two non-musicians talked about everything from mentioning their bible study, to "what are you doing tonight?" to my tan is fading. by the way, i'm not implying that talking about music is boring. in fact, there are quite a number of diverse topics that may be covered in a discussion about music. i just lost interest in this paragraph.

now i'm back. supposedly about to study. first i will play the guitar. then the saw. then study. lata!

Gold

2006-09-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

i just found out something very interesting. something interesting having to do with the value of one of my tiny little possessions, which was given to me from my grandfather's collection when he died. it's a 2 1/2 dollar indian head gold liberty coin, from 1911. here's one on ebay. i thought it was pretty cool. i might should think about keeping my little "box full of stuff" (including said coin) in a more secure place. maybe it's actually a treasure chest full of unknown riches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What?

2006-09-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

before today i never imagined that a girl (or anyone, for that matter) would tell me to, "peace out, sprout."

????

People

2006-09-09T13:46:00.000-07:00

thanks to ben, i did have a fine run this morning. we got to jog for a bit, hear the band people practicing on the football field, see the abt's and the middlebrooks houses (ben hadn't seen them before), and then chat for a while. i love my friends that i'm able to keep in touch with and stay close to. isn't it sad when you graduate from highschool and realize it isn't feasible to stay in contact with everyone? sure, you can if you're super-human and madly dedicated. but seriously, if you don't make the effort, people drift away. this is not, by the way, the first time i've discovered this, nor is it likely the first time to have crossed your own mind. anyway, i was just thinking how much i appreciate and want ben's friendship. someone i've shared experiences with, who will hold me accountable to the things i profess are important (my life with christ), who also has similar interests. such as running like mad people around nacogdoches on saturday morning when any college student in the right mind would be asleep. since it's now time to head to the lake, i'm off and away. have a great weekend, all you wonderful people.

"...If it IS a good morning..."

2006-09-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

i cannot believe i'm up before eight on satuday morning. good job ben for coming to nac and running with me. i do not feel so great.

El Weeko Dos

2006-09-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

another week has gone by, and the semester is about to go full throttle. this week i attended 210 out of my 100 required lab minutes for spanish. am i slow in the head? or what... i also ripped a bunch of music from a friend. i hate the way classes like music history require you to buy two sets of cd's, the cheaper of the two being $85. are you serious??? i've already spent almost $700 and i still lack a couple of teaching books and some more sheet music!! actually, i shouldn't be whining too much, considering more than half of that did not come out of my own pocket.

so what news? i got more new music. i don't think i wrote about the first batch of new music, so i should just say, "i got music." which, considering i'm a music major should come as no surprise. first and foremost is a piece by chopin (op. 44 in f#m, for those of you who care, or would like to look it up on the classical music library and listen to someone amazing perform it better than i probably ever will be able to...)

also... i forgot to mention in my spanish lab comment that i successfully scored a 50 on a spanish quiz that i forgot to prepare for. i came in late (the one time!!!!) and didn't have time to even finish it. i was embarrassed. so maybe that explains all the lab time? making up for past sins?

i'm going to the lake tomorrow! woot woooooooot!!!!! i'll post something about that later. mabye some pictures if i remember my camera. now, to the fantastic fantasy realm of westwood online. see you on the insiiiide...

Happy Birthday Papa!

2006-09-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

i would like to make this post a birthday tribute to the most important (mere) man to step foot in my life, who was also very instrumental in bringing me into this life. he has been the greatest encourager in my struggling walk with christ. he has read me bible stories and sung praise to jesus along with his trusty guitar to put me to sleep. he played baseball in the sunday afternoon heat when a nap would have been more in order. he's given me guidance when i asked (or didn't) and correction when i needed it (often). he taught me how to play chess and be a good sport about losing. he prayed with me and helped me through more mature spiritual and physical difficulties. he supported me in my academic endeavors and came to all of my piano recitals. god answers his prayers of love for me when i don't even know he's crying out. papa, thank you for sharing with me the love of christ and living it to the best of your ability in front of me.

speaking of my father, here's mr. cool himself! sorry i don't have a 100% current picture. this is from last year. if you guessed christmas judging by the gift-wrap paper... you would be 100% correct. Happy Birthday Papa!

"I'm on fire! I'm on fire!"

2006-09-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

being back on campus is fun times. the first week of school is over, and i think i'm ready to take it on. my schedule is almost complete (just lacking a lab and a couple of teaching times). the dorm is nice, if not yet complete. yesterday we already had a fire alarm. in these new buildings they have a system where the alarm has to go off in two rooms at the same time to trigger an evacuation of the whole building, which means that a whole lot of evacuations are avoided. you know, someone taking a steamy hot shower and suddenly opening the door, etc. sooooooo some(freshman)one cooked their popcorn waaaay too long and created a stench that filled the fourth floor. we only got half-way down the stairs though before it went off and we got to go back to our rooms. come on people, since when does anyone imagine they have to cook pop corn for 3 minutes?? hopefully exploding everyone's eardrums with the fancy new alarm system will satisfy their lust for fire drills.

i just got a 3-hole punch and i'm entirely too pleased. i have also discovered the love of berries & cream dr pepper. thank goodness my carbonation fast is over. course, i'm still going to try to limit myself (no more 6 dr peppers per day). must toddle on my way. have a great weekend everyone.

Here Here

2006-08-31T20:35:00.000-07:00

well then. i'm back on campus. totally loving the new dorms. quite busy with all my classes. and looky here, it's time for me to go to bed. this weekend i'll try to get a real update. suffice it to say that i'm still alive and kicking. be back with you soon!

Wedding

2006-08-21T16:44:00.000-07:00

well my friends, i'm back from austin. my cousin keith got married (to a very sweet girl named brandi) and we were there to witness and congratulate him. mother dear is trying to start a videography business and is in need of experience. so she volunteered to video the wedding for free (also as a gift of course, to go along with a maaaarvelous set of towels...). after a couple more she thinks she will be ready to put out her business card and drum up some real-live-paying-non-family business. um... oh yes, as i was saying back in that first sentence, keith got married. we went to austin on thursday night, and spent the night at grandpa's house. then on friday we went to the park for some exercise and more than a little sun. afternoon we went shopping. for suits. i located a fine pin-striped specimen and found a good fit without too much trouble. evan was more difficult because his chest is about 2 inches smaller and we couldn't find his size anywhere. at the third store we met grandpa's next door neighbor walking out. as she left after a brief chat she said, "don't tell [her husband] that i was here. *in hushed tones* i just spent... (looks at her receipt) $400." i couldn't help but notice she was only holding one item. "hey madre!" i called "i found a half off rack of suits." i didn't notice the neiman marcus label. "this one is only, only... six... hundred. dollars. after. fifty percent. rebatenevermiii-iiiiiind." then we went to the rehearsal dinner and i wore jeans, an old faded shirt and flip-flops. the dinner was great. it was fajitas, mostly. and cheese cake. heavenly. we got to meet brandi's family and they were delightful. especially brad. "are all you guys christians?" he asked me, after our family had trooped in and we'd been talking for a few minutes. "yes we are." "oh good, then i don't have to witness to all of you." you make me grin brad. on saturday we 1) slept late 2) went shopping (without me) 3) went swimming with family. it was cold. shockingly cold. 4) freaked out because we might be late 5) went to the wedding. everything went superb, as best i could tell. there were two maids of honor and two best men. don't think i've seen that before. there were also about 5 or 6 additional groomsmen and bridesmaids, as well as two "junior bridesmaids." after the nuptuals, a gazillion pictures, etc. we went to the wedding party. being the sports fanatics that they are, it was only logical that the party be at dell diamond. it would also only be logical to serve hotdogs and hamburgers (with plenty of ketchup packages). then we ate and watched a slideshow of our new couple from wee ones to wed ones. after that it was pretty much nothing but dancing all night. we threw flower pedals on them instead of bird seed (i thought it should have been sunflower seeds, but i guess that's just me) and off they went in their A&M vehicle. funny how all those A&M graduates could come together in austin. can you tell i'm tired? spent the whole day in the sun. may have added a little pink on top of the brown. have to be at work by 6 in the moanin'. adios.

Geetars

2006-08-15T15:58:00.000-07:00

there's really nothing new to report. no more egg plants have been defaced (or faced, as the case may be). and yes, it is burning hot. last week i believe it got up to 108 one day. today it was about 101-102. whew, chilly. because of the heat which necessitates running later in the evening to avoid... well... death i guess - i decided to run in the morning yesterday. therefore i woke up at 4:45 and made a big loop down highway 7, route 2112 and back up FM 2713. i drove it later in the evening and determined it to be 8.5 miles. i also learned that i have a great deal more energy at 4:45 than 15 hours later when i've been working all day. furthermore, i also noticed that certain savage dogs are only slightly less terrifying in the thin light of dawn than the dark of early night. now, something i've been meaning to get to for some time is guitar pictures. i wish i had more and better ones, but these will have to do for now. "more" will be easy enough to accomplish the next few times i work on it. "better" is yet to be seen. first will be the freshly-cut-out backs of both steve's and my guitars. we were just marking bracing patterns on the back.

this is my old hondo that i got from james. the neck was coming loose, so we repaired it and converted the instrument from 12 string to 6. the conversion was partly to make it a little easier on me as a new guitar player, as well as cutting the tension to keep the neck from moving or breaking again (it was poorly designed and all we did was re-glue it). i've gotten a few pointers from this guitar on what not to do when i build my own.

this is a fuzzy photo of the head of one of steve's guitars. the small rope is clamping down binding and perfling strips around the head. i should have taken a picture 10 minutes later when the whole thing was wrapped up...

behold, the nut.

last but not least is my back experiencing the chiropractic pleasure of the go-bar press. here you see the center brace being glued in place. i'm a poet and you didn't know it.

The Glorious Egg Head Adventure

2006-08-11T15:56:00.000-07:00

this tasty morsel is a photo essay of the frolicksome life of marvin-the-eggplant. his life began one warm summer afternoon. it all started in the little square art room. two people had entirely too much time on their hands and one vulnerable vegetable. summoning a smidgen of creative energy sufficient to draw on productive talents ranging from connect-the-dot computer programs, to skillful crayola masterpieces, we created - marvin. please meet him. he's pretty good-natured, in spite of his occassionally unpleasant expressions. it's really all a bluff - he's quite soft around the edges. ladies and gentlemen... please welcome...! MAAAARVIN the EGG PLANT!!!! *and the crowd goes wild*

Hello Kitty

2006-08-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

tonight it's just me and the kitty. i find myself in the company of no one other than this diminutive mammal because of our defective a/c. mom took the rest of the refugees to camp out at the fearings. i am currently sitting in 100* +. i've always said that cold was better than hot because you can keep putting clothes on, but you can only take so many off. ironically, as i looked through the slim pickings in the fridge for supper, i settled on chili. after barely beginning to nuke it, i opted instead for chilly chili, most of which is settling in a peculiar way at the very bottom of my stomache.

the most recent development in this two day heated saga is that i am no longer alone. owen startled me by bursting in the front door. fans galore have invaded our home. never did an occupying force meet such a joyful reception. last night courtney abandoned the sauna she was sharing with bethany and slept in my room. we'll see how many people join us there tonight... but the fans make a whirled of difference.

thomas joined me for running this evening. it was fun times. it was also completely dog-free. there's nothing like the joy of whisking through the wind with exactly zero canines (who are thinking bad thoughts) at your heel.

sweet dreams.

Run. Very Fast.

2006-08-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

being half-naked and weaponless and two miles from home and pursued by snarling beasts in the dark, is not my cup of tea.

in the future i need to do my running earlier. at least while navigating a certain stretch of FM 2713 inhabited by unfriendly watch dogs "after hours."

"Good Morning"

2006-08-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

"good morning, allied sign builders."

"ah yes, hi, is dale in?"

"i'm sorry, he's out of the office today. would you like me to give him a message?"

"i'd like to leave him a voice message."

"...okaaay...well i'd be happy to let him know whatever you have to say, just as soon as he gets in."

"no, i'd really rather leave a voice message."

*deep inward sigh* "ok, hang on just a second." *presses the hold button and hangs up* after a brief pause and a more overt sigh picks up the phone. in crisp even syllables, "hello, you have reached the office of allied sign builders incorporated. dale and georgia are out of the office right now, but if you will leave your name, phone number and a brief message we will get back with you as soon as possible. thanks, have a great day... *meeeeeeeep*"

*dictates message and hangs up*

georgia is a HOOT!!! and a smart hoot too.

Horrendous Doggy

2006-08-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

you know, some dogs are just uglier than others. but did you know there really is some unfortuneate pooch that none other can match in hideousness? the most disgustingly horrifying canine who just happened to win the ugliest dog in the world contest. if you are brave enough to view this rather disturbing image, then just scroll down...

AAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

uh, would you like some tabasco to go with that leg?

Sweet Tea... and MORE

2006-08-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

georgia came into the little vinyl/art room office, "good mornin'."

"mornin'," from john at the graphics station.

i sang, "good mooor-nin' to you!!!"

she gave a throaty chuckle and shook her head.

"i think he's been hittin' the crack pot again," john supplied. i ignored him and continued squeegieing (??) a vinyl pizza onto a piece of plastic. the smile slipped instantly from georgia's face and her hands found her hips.

"if you have been i'm gonna whoop yer ass boy!!!"

and she would have too. fortunately the closest i came to crack was the chicken express tea in the fridge. i wasn't asked to supply a urine sample. another day on the job - where workers sing for their breakfast and office managers kick butt.

"...Cuz Now I'm Hiiiiiiiiii-iiiiiiigh..."

2006-07-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

another week complete. work's been pretty slow. actually did quite a bit of reading and phone answering, so i won't go into any details on that. well, one person did tell me that my boss better call her back or she was coming after him. *dunt-a-nuuuuh* (old-school oregon trail fans? anyone??)

so after my jogging last night i got together with another buddy from the music department, and we ate pizza and stuff and watched movies. actually, we only ate pizza. not "and stuff." but that's neither here nor there. that reminds me of something that bugs me. i have to admit i have a few mild pet peeves. mostly they're just private jokes i have with myself that amuse me almost to the point of irritation. i discovered one of them is when someone uses only the first half of the saying, "six of one, half a dozen of the other." should we do it this way? or that way. ooooooooh... six to one. huh? are you saying that one option is exactly 6 times better than the other? another one is the notion that nauseated and nauseous are interchangeable. "i feel nauseous!" yeah, makes me sick just looking at you. therefore... if you see me grinning at you while you're complaining about your illness it could be merely a case of the funnies over your grammarical incorrectness...

and if you think you're one of those people and you now feel irate... it's ok. really. i still love you.

come on. relax. i didn't mean any harm!

so we ate pizza. since when does papa johns make square pizzas??? has it been that long since i've eaten from there? like, not square cuts, but an actual square pizza. weird. while we were at hastings renting a movie i saw a guy from my poli sci class who sat a few chairs down from me, next to his pregnant wife (girl friend probably). he used to have really long hair and characteristically wide, intense eyes. he apparently had practice for some rough sport immediately prior to class, if his clothing and condition of cleanliness were any indication. he opened the door in front of me and i grinned at him and he grinned back and asked, "heeeey dude, are you high?" i was like, "what?" "are you high." "uh, no..." "oh, you're eyes are pretty red." i guess there's gotta be a first time for everything. i mean... for having questions like that asked... not for being high... you get me. many long years ago, when my dad had long hair, people used to ask him the same thing. they'd see him and start getting real friendly. like, a complete stranger would come over all happy like and being buddy-buddy. then in a loud whisper, "heeeey, so you got anything on ya man?"

i also kind of like james blunt's songs.

"will you be my shoulder? when i'm gray and older?"

my guitar top and back have completed another stage of development. they have all the inlays finished (rosewood strip down the back, rosette on top) and the sound hole and overall shape have been cut out. they're also sanded down to thinness. next they're going to start curing in the bathro... i mean humidity control center. we'll mark the bracing patterns on them though they can't be attached until they've been in the chamber for a couple of weeks. we also re-glued the neck on my 12-string hondo i got from james (not james blunt). it should be ready to be restrung by next week. we're going to convert it to a 6 string and i shall begin learning to actually play the instrument that i'm making. right now i know all of 3 chords. it's amazing when i play them...

gotta skeedaddle. byes

Traveler's Return

2006-07-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

i am in fact actually back from the longest drive of all... i mean from our vacation.

let me just say that it was a fabulous trip. papa got home early from work, so we left at about 3 a.m. saturday morning. all told it took 22.5 hours to drive straight through and achieve destination "aunt nancy's house." you might say we took the scenic route for one small section of that trip. we arrived at 2:30 a.m. michigan time. you can do the math and make sure that's actually 22.5 hours, if you're so inclined.

after a nice (but regrettably short) rest we were awakened by screaming cousins bouncing off the walls. and us. for most of the morning we took it easy... eating popsicles... lifting weights... catching up on family news... etc. then uncle dave kicked us into fun mode and we were off to see the sights (sites? both?) of detroit, which wasn't too far away. detroit is a rather interesting city. obviously it's the hub of the auto industry, but it seems like a crumbling empire. all the auto makers are still there (i happen to have some nice pictures of the GM tower), but the city itself is in disrepair. in the midst of a thriving metropolis, complete with fancy cars (i have a semi decent shot of a bentley rumbling by) upscale neighborhoods, and their own personal baseball team, there were burned houses, abandoned office buildings (we're talking boarded up sky scrapers with all the windows open!), and rubble and construction (or destruction) equipment everywhere. anyway, we saw what there was too see, took a ride in the people mover, played in a giant fountain, gave the crazy squirrel lady a wide birth and saw a ginormous barge. among other things. then dave took us out to eat and we dined on italian plenty (nothing like the pizza hut my aim away message usually refers to). we had about 3 or 4 courses. chief among these was the deep dish pizza, which was in fact about 1.5 or 2 inches thick. more like the ultimate pizza pie. oops... let me just wipe this drool off the keyboard. how embarrassing. later there was ice cream and heavenliness and i guess i just passed out and don't remember anything else.

next...(i wonder if i should have made this a multiple entry story...) on monday we went swimming at the metroplex. they have a jumbo pool... oh my gosh. i just realized that i already wrote about this in my last post. shoot. and i thought drooling was embarrassing. i've written it, so i guess i won't waste all that completely by deleting it. i guess if you're this far it somehow held you in spite of its redundancy.

so. camping. i'm pretty sure i haven't gotten into that yet. on tuesday we all packed up and headed north for the border. we got accross to ontario with only a slight hitch due to the absence of owen's birth certificate. we went to a fabulous camp on the beach of lake huron. the were some storms the day before which riled up the water a bit and it actually felt like being at the beach. like, the ocean beach. there were some decent waves piling up and nice sand. i have to say that it was nicer than south padre. course it was cold enough that i didn't really swim while i was there, so i can't fully compare. but i know enough about being in ocean water to tell you that it was marvelous not to choke and gag on saline and have to shower out salty hair and tend to super dry skin. therefore, we spent the next three days enjoying the beach, eating hamburgers and hotdogs and... and i guess that's mainly it. i only ran one morning. it's kind of shameful, especially considering all the great trails and stuff that were available. speaking of trails, the family did go to a tiny museum inside the park (they had really lame animal displays with fake creatures behind the glass). and since you're probably wondering how that trail is related to a pathetic museum, it happened to be right at the head of a bunch of scenic paths which threaded through various parts of the whatever. is that ambiguous enough for you? i'm sorry! i don't even know the name of the park we were in. i figure it's good enough that i actually know we were in ontario beside lake huron! besides, it's in canada... so does it really matter? hehehehee..... hope i don't get in trouble for that.

we came back on thursday evening (back to michigan). i spent all that afternoon reading. then in the evening we had the laporte/yerkes talent show, featuring all the talented youngsters of our combined clans. kyle played the guitar, the harmonica and the flute (seems like there might have been something else), kelly played the violin, the piano, the violin again, the piano again... keegan played the piano (i found one performance very interesting because he proudly announced that he was going to "play [such-and-such] on the piano and sing at the same time!" then he played very quietly and not a peep escaped his vocal chords.), courtney played the piano, sang, accompanied and generally kept the show moving. then i proceeded to stay up very late reading. papa stayed up late with me, except he was watching 20,000 leagues under the sea.

next morning... time to pack up. we loaded up the freshly washed vehicle, stuffed last minute laundry into bags, took fairwell pictures with all sorts of combinations of our families, gave hugs and kisses and goodbyes and finally started the return journey.

once again i suppose i'll pretty much gloss over that portion. i shifted to traveler mode. after every one gets through rehashing the week's events and shouting and laughing, we all fall asleep. then the road buzzes and one person remembers that they have to wait their turn to slumber. we listened to all the cd's anyone was interested in (multiple times). then eat. drink. drive. sleep. repeat. and while that may not sound like the best combination, i assure you i do not condone drinking and driving... unless it's a caffeinated non-alcoholic beverage combining with a lack of sleep to function as an eye bulging attention enhancer to preclude dangerous road accidents. doesn't that sound great? *sigh* the things i condone...

so we're back. arrived on sunday morning, welcomed by rain. slept and unpacked all afternoon. went to church in the evening. started work back yesterday. back to the usual i guess.

today i got to have a real visit with a friend i haven't seen in a long time. it was really good. enjoyable and encouraging. man, what is it with people growing up and getting jobs and living like functional responsible adults? it blows my mind. right. where was i. nowhere. which reminds me of the first part of a netflicks commercial i heard today. "contestant number one! are you ready?? if bobby is 6 and sarah is 9, what did we have for supper last night?!?"

"uhhh... meatloaf!!!"

"correct!" *ding* "what... is the difference between an orangutan?"

"a rhino!!!"

"correct!" *ding* "why is the netflicks summer savings deal such a great offer?"

"well... hmmm... it's only $5.99 a month... there's no activation fee or hidden costs... you get unlimited weekly rentals... so, basically there's no logical answer..."

"correct!" *DING*

that bit of wisdom pretty much took the last of it out of me. i'm going to go mindlessly pound my legs until i'm exhausted.

Falootin'

2006-07-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

another day over in michigan land. last night i was quite surprised to discover that the time was after 4 o'clock, and i quickly rushed to bed. but it was too late. i doomed myself to sleep till after noon.

stephen and owen have been bellowing and fighting with swords and guns all day. some of the people have been playing chess with super jumbo pieces. i caught up on some national geographics which i hadn't seen (that's one subscription i really miss). lifted weights some. it's funny to think about doing that all of a sudden, while on vacation, when i never do it otherwise, and will not in all likelihood do it when i get back. i do wish i had such a fabulous exercise room as dave's right in my house. *thank you kyle for playing the flute loudly in my ear.* this evening we went to the metropark. it consists of a pool (with slides), a putt putt course, a play ground, etc., all right next to the beach of the st claire lake. we went swimming in the pool the way sardines swim in the can. i even embarrassed myself on the diving board for keegan's sake. at least i didn't have to be rescued like one guy. i don't even know what happened to him. maybe he stayed down by the bottom just a little too long, who knows. all i know is in a flash the lifeguard blasted her whistle and hauled him to the side by the neck in the crook of her elbow before i could croak holy cow. it was impressive. guess that's what all their training is for.

now that we're all full of chicken from kfc, we've been packing for our camping trip. one van is almost stuffed, and another one following suit. in the morning we're trekking to the canada side of lake huron for a few days, where i'm sure we'll engage in much swimming and eating and playing and laziness. so long my friends!

Willy

2006-07-16T21:03:00.000-07:00

right now i'm in the basement. i'm rather cold. my bare feet are on tiles and i can hear the a/c blustering. which makes it rather surprising that i have been sitting here for over an hour and a half looking at pictures from a friend's bachelor party/wedding/honeymoon, etc. my oldest brother and a couple of cousin's are playing video games. i can clearly hear the beautiful music... oh, one other thing. i'm in michigan.

so... on sat morning we left at about 3 o'clock. actually we pulled down the driveway in the baluga at precisely 2:59. we arrived here at aunt nancy and uncle dave's house 22.5 hours and 1200 miles later. and guess what? remember me mentioning that the a/c is running? yeah, it's just as hot, if not hotter here than in texas! today it was in the mid to high 90's! good grief. it was supposed to be like, 20 degrees cooler just for us. i guess i should be thankful i get to freeze my feet off in the basement at night.

this afternoon we ate a tasty breakfast. tasty as it was, i didn't eat enough as it turned out. it was 5:30 before we ate again. so, as i was saying, we went to the races. boat races. they were loud and fast and the yellow one won, even though his engine cover blew off and destroyed his air foil. that's about all i can tell you. if i'd known this was on the agenda i swear i would have done some research to provide you with more entertaining details. also, some fellows flew stunt planes over the water and performed acrobatic insanities for our amusement. one of them blew smoke into the shape of a heart. i was impressed. they flew straight up until the plane stalled, and then dove back and almost kissed the water before pulling up. lots of loops and up-side-downs. if i'd been in there i would have up-chucked my breakfast for sure. this was on the narrow section of the detroit river, btw. the south branch that cuts around belle isle. i believe it is located between lake huron and lake michigan.

after we experienced the boats, we ate italian. there was waaaaaaay more food than we could possibly eat, even if i was half starved. first we got bread (which was heavenly) and beverages. then a few mintues later salads arroved (the ranch was impressively tasty. seemed to have a little more than what i pour out of the bottle). next came the pasta. then the first pizzas started to arrive. the most fabulous of all were the deep dish meat lovers. it was really more like a giant, thick crusted pie, an inch deep in cheese, sausage, pepperoni, etc. basically i forgot all the peeved thoughts i had thought about missing lunch.

after we stuffed ourselves silly (only a few actually popped) we went to downtown detroit. it kind of looks a bit war torn. there are abandoned buildings all over the place. big abandoned buildings, like glass walled mini-sky-scrapers with the windows propped open. lots of burned stuff. piles of rubble. when a bentley rolls by, you kind of get a picture of a dwindling wealth still struggling (at least partially successfully) at the hub of the nations auto industry. we took a ride on the people transporter. with all our squealing and running around i think we annoyed a little lonely gray man who was holding a paper bag concealing two bottles. we finally left him in peace and went to eat ice cream.

on the way home we took the scenic route and looked at some really nice houses facing lake michigan. i would really not mind living in one of them. even if it wasn't a super nice house, just a house in front of the lake. we think we're so big in texas, but i'm afraid we can't boast any lakes of that volume. i wonder how many lake nacs would fit in it...?

well, i'm gonna clunk my blocks of ice back up the stairs and have some more pizza. hopefully hit the sack soon. btw, i brilliantly left my cell phone on the floor in my room when we left. if you happen to be someone who would call me, then just know that you can't. unless you call my parent's cell. course, if you just want to sing happy birthday you can leave a message and i'll get it when i get back. and it will still be early. good night.

2006-07-08T07:47:00.000-07:00

i'm sunburned again, but not quite so bad as last time. the past couple of weeks i've been doing everything outside - putting up signs, playing badmitten, frolicking amongst the daisies... er, huh??

so, the other day we had to put some new lamps in a bigish sign up on a pole by the highway. in jasper. unfortunately there were only two access holes. actually, the quantity of holes was not the problem... mainly the size of them. robert didn't even try to climb through, but instead called on my narrow torso for the task (he refers to the three of us as the "two fat-boys and one skinny man with a tapeworm"). thank goodness i'm not clostrophobic. i had to stick my head through the slot, breathe, and then exhale deeply to get my chest through. i had a mild sense of, shall we say, urgency, when i once tried to take a breath before i got all the way in.

the fourth of july was wonderful! we were so excited about going to the jones' that we rose with the sun and left the house about an hour and a half later. at about 10:30. the food was glorious, the friends were friendly, the water fight was cold, the sky was overcast (during the hot part of the day, and it never rained. cool!!!), i don't know what the horse shoes were, and caleb shared his jelly beans. it was good to catch up with friends that i seldom see and make new ones.

i had my first guitar session of the summer on thurs. steve showed me a few things on guitars-in-progress in his shop. especially some sides he is bending. they're folded around an aluminum and particle board template which has light bulbs in it to make it hot. the wood is clamped at the waist to force it into the contour of a guitar side and heated for about 20 minutes. then allowed to cool. the process is repeated to set the curve, since it likes to spring back. i'm also highly excited to say that we began work on my guitar. steve is going to make one with me, from the beginning and do each step as i do it. we worked on the rosette first. we made many measurements and drew lines and circles and eventually cut out a very shallow ring in the spruce top, for the walnut ring that will encircle the sound hole. at least i'm pretty sure that's the species we finally landed upon. then we made more lines and circles ("we made lines and circles" makes it sound so easy) and used what i like to call the scalpal (same exacto knife i use in the sign shop) to cut out the walnut ring. it was very brittle, and i broke mine in about three places. i had just finished cutting it out, proudly held up the pretty little sliver, and dropped it on the bench. i felt less bad after steve broke his. eventually we got the pieces glued and clamped, and they're going to look great. billie also prepared a delicious supper to which i was invited - an invitation i readily accepted. i also got to behold a very beautiful maple and rosewood instrument that steve just sold at a guitar convention. ahhhh, and inspiring piece of work.

oh wow! i nearly clicked publish post without mentioning i watched POC dead man's chest last night! we've been talking about it here in the kitchen, and for some reason i just didn't write anything. i won't spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it yet, but i will say i enjoyed it. it was more centered around the fantastic and the slapstick this time. not so clever as the first one. i thought there were some wasted punch lines (they could have come up with something way better to say and made certain moments perfect), some stuff wasn't developed as well, and certain scenes were too long and all-the-same. there were some good fight scenes, several healthy laughs, and lots of impressive computer animation. hope you enjoy it!

best be off and away. i have a face to shave and a wedding to attend in dallas.

Free Minutes

2006-07-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

every time i turn around today, i think it's saturday! it's so weird to not go to work and have papa home. so yesterday i had a wonderful nap, which lasted about 3 hours. it probably would have been more wonderful in the long run if it had only been one hour. last night i could not sleep. my body started to randomly itch in different places. i tossed and turned and kicked and rolled and squalled, and finally got really tired late this morning and slept till about 9 or 9:30.

i ate about 5 really good peaches today. i feel like going to pick more.

did a bunch of cleaning in our back room (my room when evan is here), which is full of clothes and boxes from our move and from my dorm room. i took off all the sad strings from my guitar, which you needed to know, but doesn't have anything to do with anything.

next i will tell you that papa and i put up two laminated shelves that i made about a year ago, but i will not provide any of the details. except they look awesome and we have three times as much shelf space.

this evening i bought two new pair of blue jeans. i am quite pleased with myself. actually more with the jeans than with myself. they even had weird odd (weird+odd=very rare and unusual) sizes that fit me so nicely! then the entire family went to the track where we ran (or perambulated) about the concourse at various velocities for about an hour. i decided to run up and down the hills, while still attempting to maintain speed and run the same distance. it was much hard. i made it up about 3 or 4 hills, and then just tried to make it the rest of the distance. i think i'm over 150 miles for the summer. ooooohh, my calves!!!

time for chicken tetrazzini.

i probably won't get around to posting for the occasion, so - EVERYONE HAVE A GREAT 4TH TOMORROW!!!

OxyChem Feed Phosphates*

2006-07-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

yesterday was one of those days that really seems like two or three different days rolled into one. remarkably, all the activities started after a full day at work...

as soon as i got mullah from the boss-man, i headed over to wal mart to do some piratey accoutrament shopping. as some of you know, we are intending to watch pirates of the caribbean in costume. i admit that i need a bit of assitance in the costume department. much as the idea of being captain jack entertains me, i didn't really know the first thing about where to begin. so it turns out that there are some types of pants that would be almost perfect, except they're for girls. *sigh* i am now the bashful owner of a pair of pants (which i will probably only ever wear once) that are to be altered to make pirate britches. i'm thinking my shirt will be long and untucked... female garments are awkward and quite ill-fitting on me. it's more and more occurring to me how embarrassed i shall be at the theater. this is definitely something you do not do by yourself. if you get dressed up for a movie by yourself, you are officially a geek. if such a one is reading this, don't deny it. just be proud of your geekiness.

then i went jogging. what??? i went jogging.

met nathaniel while i was there, and he ran a bit with me. then we went and took showers. i wonder where my keys are? but i didn't let that bother me. we headed to the carmike to watch superman. i enjoyed the movie over all. the beginning was kind of boring, but after about 30 minutes superman took charge with his glorious feats of cheesyness, the world was saved from one more villain. it was fun. katie pointed out that superman movies have to be at least a little bit cheesy!

hmmm. what did i do with that key?!? then we got back in his truck. "nathaniel? i don't know where my key is." "ooooh, nice. what should we do?" i decided it would be best just to stop by the track and i could thoroughly search my bag and the pockets of my other clothes. but low and behold, there was the key, glinting brightly on the asphalt not two feet from my "securely locked" car in the parking lot. i hadn't even hoped it would be that easy, and decided to be more relieved than shocked at the possible unhappy consequences of such carelessness.

since it was about 1 o'clock and i hadn't eaten anything for 13 hours we went to whataburger. it took them a very long time to complete my order, including complications in which an inept fellow decided to charge me for a biscuit and other stuff, bringing the total for my little breakfast buritto and hashbrowns to almost $8. so they gave me a coupon for a free burger or something. works for me.

since it was time to be going to bed, we went out into the parking lot and stood there talking for about 2 hours. we pretty much discussed everything. especially the three g's- god, girls and guns. except, a lot of true texans would be ashamed of us, because our guns conversation was about the lumps us guys like growing between our elbow and shouler, and had nothing to do with hunting.

when i got home i snuck quietly into the house - no need to unduly disturb anyone at such unearthly hours. my parent's bedroom door was strangely wide open. i stalked back to evan's room and noticed that the girls door was wide open too. glanced at courtney's bed and it was empty. so was bethany's. mhmm!! so i walked less quietly to the back of the house and found the whole family hunkered down nearing the end of a marathon. a pride and prejudice marathon. i took just long enough to say "hi" and "goodnight" and went to bed chuckling to myself. keeping college hours indeed! ha! nothing new about those kinds of hours at our house.

since the day is more than half over, i'm going to try to be productive. have an excellent weekend!

*p.s. because that's what this coffee mug beside me says.

Sweat

2006-06-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

the past week has seen me drenched with sweat from crown to toe all day every day, until today. today a brisk breeze and minimal physical exersion reduced the wetness of my briny bath, while instead, my exposure adjusted the shade of my skin to something closer to a certain crustacean found in the seafood department of your local grocery store. monday through thursday i hauled brush from dale's allied lot. when i say "hauled brush" i mean used a machete, small loppers and a weedeater to clear enough brush (including everything from waste-high grass to 6 inch dogwoods, sweet-gums, etc.) to fill up your house. if you have a relatively small house... was there poison ivy? oh yes. i have a rash from my wrists to my elbows, and from my ankles to half-way up my shins. i was alarmed this morning to note a small blister forming on my left ring finger. i thought i was going to get away without any on my hands!!! robert says i should put vinegar on it and salt it thoroughly. sounds like a good way to kill a slug. crazy. so crazy... it just might work. this morning i experimentally tried it (in a furtive, self-conscious sort of way) on a patch on my wrist. i don't think it's my imagination that it's improving. i'll let you know how things turn out.

that about sums up the first four days of my week. i was rather too tired to make myself exercise after spending my days doing that. i only ran 4 miles on tues. that's it. i'm not ashamed.

today i went to crocket with robert to put up a sign. i got to operate the crane/bucket. with robert in it. heh. heh heh heh. ahem. we put up two sign faces for SHOE SHOW. their sign looks exactly like that, "SHOE SHOW." in red letters. how boring can you get?? they didn't even have a logo or anything. so, long bumpy ride to crocket, lobster roasting till noon, lunch at subway, more lobster roasting till 2, then another bumpy ride. the second ride seemed shorter. napping with a paper-towel roll pillow helps out like that.

y'all have a great weekend!

littoral \LIH-tuh-rul\, adjective:1. Of, relating to, or on a coastal or shore region, especially a seashore.2. A coastal region, especially the zone between the limits of high and low tides.

"Professor Henslow tells me, he believes that nearly all the plants which I brought from these islands, are common littoral species in the East Indian archipelago."-- Charles Darwin, The Voyage of the Beagle

Cloud Burst

2006-06-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

the cloud's dark lips have kissed the earth,
and streaked her coarse, dry cheek.
tears of joy spew forth from heaven,
her gravid soil gives birth.
her parched gray tongue tastes the wine from the sky,
her skin regains its ruddy hue.
her moist red mouth resounds with praise,
her flesh unburdens itself of fruit.
her clear green eyes look up, and behold,
the faithful arch from the artisan's brush,
curving from a distant palette,
painting the deep blue dusk.

**************************************************

it rained today.

Tao Who?

2006-06-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

today was an ordinary day of ordinaryness. i no longer have to place my order at chicken express. i just smile, and the girl says, "a number one with an extra biscuit?"

"for here," i reply. "let me guess, $5.40?"

"of course. but not for long. soon it's going to go up to $5.39, before tax. i think we're going to lose business."

which made me wonder... would i keep coming if i knew i would have to pay 40 extra cents? i suspect so, though perhaps i'd be more conscious of the already present fact that i can hardly justify either price when i could have a lovely pb&j, basically for free. i could have one every day, and save tons of money. or i could just keep going to chicken express 2 or 3 times a week.

not only do we now have a very prominent noose hanging from the center of the main bay of the shop, but a sales man came and tried to sell me knives and little monkeys that scream when you throw them or hit them. he threw one accross the room and i thought he was torturing a small cat. "just $4 a piece for 3, or 4 for $3 each! [and you can take them home for your little siblings and give mother the gift of misery and insanity]." now that's a deal if i ever heard of one. then we showed him the noose, and he showed himself out.

after work i got very philosophical over my java shake (they can do that you know) and read the "tao of pooh", by benjamin hoff. though it is not a source of spiritual enlightenment, a good humored perusal of this short book will certainly offer the pooh fan a few laughs and memories, not to mention a deeper understanding of the tao master's fuzzy, stuffy brain and his outlook on life.

as of today, i have run morethan 100 miles since school let out. i will not deny it... i'm... somewhat tired.

comity \KOM-uh-tee\, noun:1. A state of mutual harmony, friendship, and respect, especially between or among nations or people; civility.2. The courteous recognition by one nation of the laws and institutions of another.3. The group of nations observing international comity.

2006-06-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

an overdue shave and a vigorous, sudzy facial scrub brings most exquisite pleasure (in spite of its mundane nature) after a long day frolicking in the heat, chasing small children, reading and listening to splendid music. and what could make it more special than spending last night on a strange couch? which, in after thought, was actually quite comparable to the familiar couch on which i have reclined and contorted for the past month. minus the ants.

yesterday my grandparent's were here. we had a fine hot time at the blueberry festival, at which i caught only a brief glimpse of a blueberry as it passed by me on a platter. the air was 104 degrees. i suspect the pavement was hotter. mine was the privilege of hearing "darcy" for the first, and possibly last time. darcy is a boy band, consisting of a few of my friends, especially nathan. i was deafened and impressed (which one most, i don't know). after visiting for the beginning of the weekend we decided it was best to pass our sickness from earlier in the week on to our dear relatives, who vomitted through the night, packed their belongings, and departed, laden with pans and barf bags.

after spending a couple of hours reading i went to victor and nathaniel and andreas' apartment. we watched a movie, played pool and video games, played guitars and sang, talked and drank orange juice. i never laid eyes on andreas the whole evening, even though he was there the whole time. i crashed on the couch, unconsciously precluding myself from participation in the family fun that started at about 3 a.m.

after church this morning, i finished my second book in four days. i will hesitantly throw out the titles "neverwhere" and "stardust", by neil gaiman. i say "hesitantly", because i do not recommend all the books by this english author, especially to those of you with more sensitive inclinations. i did rather like both of these books. if you enjoy a good story combining science fiction, fairy tales and humor, you might be interested.

phil keaggy was amazing. seriously. when i first found out he was coming to perform at fredonia hill, i didn't really pay much attention. a few of my friends were going. today i finally decided to go. boy am i glad i did. most of my readers won't remember the old fredonia hill days with ravenhill, brother and mrs dodson, and plenty of others. to tell the truth, i don't either, other than the stories i've heard. anyway, keaggy is from that generation (of the four-thirty prayer group i believe) with phenomenal guitar skills, and a voice i wouldn't wink at. i wish you'd been there. just get a cd, ok? this is my area of supposed expertise, right? maybe that's why i feel like not writing a review, because i won't feel that i gave the performance justice.

to all my friends and aquantainces and family and enemies and whoever else may happen by, have a great monday, and an even better week, followed by a superlative weekend. may the lord bless and keep you.

emolument \ih-MOL-yuh-muhnt\, noun:The wages or perquisites arising from office, employment, or labor; gain; compensation.

The Love of God, How Rich and Pure

2006-06-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

i feel a little bit bad about abandoning my blog this week. but there are other things in life. no? well, a few other things.

i've been thinking of something jeff said (last sunday i believe). he said he had sinned - something in particular. it wasn't because he didn't have the will power not to sin (triple negative? i think it came out right...). it wasn't because it was just "too much" and he couldn't handle it. "the love of christ was not in me to the fulness that it should have been." it grates me like a rusty file the way that happens so often with me. or maybe it doesn't so much, and it should. sometimes i fool myself by using my will power and physical strength to overcome things for christ, but it never lasts. the more i fight and the longer i wage war with the lusts of my flesh, the harder it gets until i give up. every time i crawl back to the cross i feel like a cowardly traitor to my lord. why is he always waiting with arms outstretched? how can he prepare a feast and a robe for a disgusting wretch who rejected him? i can't come close to understanding it, but i know his mercies are new every morning. his servants will stand, for he is able to make them stand. he raises the traitor from the muck to stand boldy before his throne to claim his promises in jesus' blood. oh god, make me love you the way i ought to love you.

Balling

2006-06-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

the party last night was mmmm-mmmmmm good. we honored three of our homeschool graduates with an antibellum celebration of costume and dance reenactment. what can i say? we had plenty of fine suits and dresses. of course there were some impressive hair do's among the ladies. one not-so-authentic person came as the phantom. he was quite dashing though. certainly our ranks were replete with the handsome and beautiful. after the dance a troop of us went to ihop. joking with friends, grasshopper spit-balls, good food, laughter, fun times... some of the looks you get in civil war attire from "normal people" in a public place are priceless. to those of you who came, i enjoyed dancing and chatting with you.

this afternoon i had a tasty lunch and scrabble game with thomas and katie. i spelled oh and of at the same time for the cheapest 10 points. i also lost the game. anyway, it was fun. ooo, i just got some lovely cream for the dry blisters on my hands. ahhh!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETHANY!!!

2006-06-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

it's that wonderful time of year... when my sister turns 15!!! congratulations!!! WOOoooWOOOOO!!! now that you're all pumped and the candles are blown out, let me take this opportunity to say... i'm really tired. that is so not what i was supposed to say. i blame it on the ice cream. or somebody.

the ball is tomorrow folks. be there or be square and all that. you know the drill. no backtalk.

i have this song about druids turning into stone and for some reason i'm thinking about it. just take a moment to think about that with me... while i finish my milk. now that you've taken a moment, you can just take another moment. or, better yet, go to sleep like me. if you're going to the ball, then SEE YOU THERE!!! if you not, then CALL ME AND I'LL GIVE YOU DIRECTIONS!!! g'night.

oh, and happy birthday once again to bethany. here's a bovine product toast to her success as the next driver in the family.

Life Is Happenin'

2006-05-29T20:33:00.000-07:00

i'm sorry to have left that absurd scrap on the front page for so long. so much has been happening (working, jogging, dancing, watching movies, yard work, baby sitting, mouse hunting, electrocutions, and more things than you can imagine) that i won't even bother making excuses for why this post is tardy...

so i have been working. did i already mention grinding aluminum? i think so. nothing new to report on that front. i will be grinding until kingdom come.

i did meet my jogging expectations last week. ran 4 miles every week day, and capped it off with 8 on saturday.

besides scampering up and down the lanana creek trail, i also managed a little workout by going to the last two dance practices. i always forget how amazingly fun it is. i really want to take the ballroom dancing class at school, but i don't have anyone to do it with. seems like it would be better to have someone to practice with out of class. besides, adding that to 18 hours might not be a good idea. then again, it would be fun... whatever. i had an excellent time both last friday (when we danced in the allied warehouse. we had fans galore, one of which tried to fly away like a plane when we set it on a dolly) and this evening when we used the vinyard church facilities (which were air conditioned). this saturday is the grand ball, which will be held in the twilight ball room. i'm going to try to convince everyone that we need to have dance "practices" every week this summer.

on sunday, believe it or not, i got a babysitting job. unsolicited of course, but i was both pleased and amused to do it. the sicheashun wuz dis - there were two girls hopefully coming to a wedding to babysit 6 small children. however, they were not certainly going to be able to come, so obviously the parents were panicking. i agreed to come and look out for the little chaps. then, shortly after i arrived, the two other girls did show up. "great," i thought, "now this should be a sinch. just two kids per sitter." then an amazing thing happened. only two kids came. the rest were deemed worthy/capable/mature/whatever enough to sit in the sanctuary. to make a long (2 hour) story short, the three of us, struggling with all our might, managed to keep 2 munchkins under control, and i got $10. it must stink being a babysitter for a living. how do you highschool girls do it? or maybe the pay is better when you really are outnumbered, instead of the other way around.

today i got some more work, also unsolicited, but a little more up my alley. evan and i went to georgia's house and helped her and virgil do bunches of mowing, weedeating, brush clearing, pot dumping, etc. pot dumping, in spite of various first impressions that might have been popping into your head, is in fact referring to disposing of the contents of old plant containers and generally cleaning out a green house. i caught two baby rabbits after nearly mowing them. i hope their mother found them. besides rescuing cute animals, i was smart enough to shock myself on the dog's electric fense. nearly scared me to death, and made my whole body jolt. i also drank way bunches of "crack tea" from chicken express. thank you miss georgia!!!

last night i watched x-men III. i don't feel like giving a review. and that doesn't mean i didn't like it. cuz i did. just go see it if you're interested in such things. what i really can't wait for it POTC "dead man's chest." woot!

we have caught at least 3 mice in the last week. unlike the rabbits, however, we did not put them nicely in a shoe box. being of the smaller rodent variety they were tempted with peanut butter and brutally crushed. i think PETA should sue us both for animal cruelty and discrimination. isn't it weird the way with most things "smaller is cuter", but with rabbits (awww) and mice (UUAAAAGHHHHHH!!!!) nobody feels compassion for the little guy. this world just isn't fair.

i really have to go to sleep, so i will bid you goodnight.

Meh

2006-05-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

ants have been biting me. no joke. i also read cool words today. worked hard. it wasn't exactly hard work either. long. that's a better word. just boring. no, monotonous. AND boring. i ran hard. that one works. went to church this evening. it was good. i'm too tired. i like ice cream more than i should. ahhh, life is sweet. na-na-na-na-na-na-na and really bad eggs... oh! i got a bottle cap on a drink today that mocked me and said, "merman... eh...eh...eh... merman!!!" needless to say, i was shocked and highly offended.

Back to the Grind

2006-05-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

i know that's a cliche kind of way to begin a post. but since when have i avoided cliche's? besides, it was totally what i actually did. grind. i ground aluminum with various files for at least 7 hours, with a few interjections of relief to help move big signs around, hold ladders, lay a little vinyl, or simply go to the bathroom for a change of pace.

i met the newish emplyee who came just after i left last summer. apparently he's the prankster type, and has been anxiously asking dale about the "new meat" coming. now when i heard that he was a prankster, i'm not sure what sort of a person i was expecting, but i know i wasn't expecting a man of about 50 with an almost-white beard. i suppose that "once a prankster, always a prankster..." or something like that. anyway, i was sort of anticipating what sort of tricks he might have up his sleeve. however, he did absolutely nothing, other than crack a few un-memorable jokes. it could be that since i've worked there before, already know all the people, and don't need to be trained, that i'm not such a helpless fish out of the water, and therefore less vulnerable. or maybe he's just biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike when i least suspect it. OR maybe it's because i already saved him from the horrible human-eating clam sign of terror (courtesy of chicken express), which tried to eat him during inspection of its innards.

then i had myself a double cheeseburger and practiced for a couple of hours. started learning another new bagatelle. oh! i went jogging this morning. so yeah, that was good. i'm going to hopefully go to bed early tonight. last night i could not for the life of me get to sleep! woe was (?) me, tossing and turning. i dont' think that's going to be a problem tonight.

bombinate \BOM-buh-nayt\, intransitive verb:To buzz; to hum; to drone.

"Sometimes the computer bombinates way into the night, stops for a bit of rest, then resumes its hum at the early hours of the morning."-- Cheryl Glenn and Robert J. Connors, New St. Martins Guide to Teaching Writing

mine does that too, minus the "stops for a bit of rest" part.

Ninety-three

2006-05-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

we just watched flight 93. would you forgive me for making a slightly sexist comment? if i were a girl... i would probably go cry myself to sleep right now. however, i am not, in fact, a girl. today lisa said, "we could use an adult male figure around here to keep these guys under control. are you one of those?" having hopefully established an affirmative answer to that query, i will simply go to sleep. without that first crying part. i came this close to doing that during the movie. close i tell you. if you like date movies that make your girl cry and want to snuggle, or if you are simply inclined to watch really sad movies, i recommend this one. never mind, no date. she'll be too sad. and besides... how obvious would it be?? or how mean? g'night

Unquotable

2006-05-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

i was listening to the radio, as i am wont to do while driving, and happened to hear one of those horrible plugs for a car company. the fellow advertising whatever-deal-of-the-hour prefaced his statement with, "i'm sorry if i'm being redundant over and over again..." need i say more?

after leaving the music building i approached my parking space. when i glanced at the windshield i thought, "is that a ticket i see breezing in the wind?" really there's something facinating about using certain words out of context, and general grammarical incorrectness... i should love the guy on the radio for redundantly repeating himself over and over and saying the same thing more than once at the same time as he gives us duplicate information that we've already heard before.

please allow me to not apologize for any misspellings, misspronounciations, missuses, missapplications, or mr grammatical errors.

Weary and Happy

2006-05-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

these first two days of summer ran for the pages of history like a construction crew takes wings at five o'clock. so far i have kept my exercising and practicing goals. got up early and ran on monday, and rode my bicycle today. unfortunately i made the mistake of (only) consuming a glass of orange juice before my ride. about 3/4 of the way through the trip my stomach finally got too sour to handle it.

yesterday and today i practiced for 2 or 3 hours. i've learned one beethoven bagatelle. my goal is to memorize all of op. 33 this summer. besides other things of course...

i've also been working on more of those delightful kickback plates. 1/3 (i like fractions today) of them are completely finished, and the last of them lack two rows of holes. i calculated well over 1500 counter-sunk holes to drill, and about 450 edges to router with a 45* bevel. whew. about 2 more hours and i'll be done.

a cat walked all over my car last night. i have nothing to say about that. unless it's to the cat.

fulsome \FUL-sum\, adjective:1. Offensive to the taste or sensibilities.2. Insincere or excessively lavish; especially, offensive from excess of praise.

Home Again Home Again...

2006-05-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

...jiggity jog. or so they say.

actually, what they usually say on days like today is, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! love you mum!

i am indeed back at the abode of my parent's and the rest of the family. and yes, it is my home. my sense of segregation and the slight pain from my lack of personal bathroom facilities is alleviated having my own air conditioning unit, with which i may freeze my bones as i please.

immediately after church there was an impressive ham and lots of mashed potatoes. following lunch we had an excellent time eating ice cream, playing forty-two, and reading the history of the world according to student bloopers.

the service at church was especially special this morning. over a year ago steve asked us all to submit promises from scripture that were personal and encouraging to each one of us. then over the months he has preached on each one. this morning he finally got to mine (i was wondering if i had somehow missed it). the passage from phil. 4 is still a great source of both conviction and comfort. i think i actually put it at the bottom of a post a couple/few weeks ago, but it can bear repeating. the section is v 6-9, but especially the first part:

"be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to god, and the peace of god which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in christ jesus."

hope everyone has a terrific monday! be talkin' with you soon.

Peace

2006-05-11T22:16:00.000-07:00

it's so good to have the semester behind me that i'm almost jealous of myself.

last night of course was late. bonding with piano lit. the test was so going to kick my butt. i finally made myself go to bed so i could get up for my 8 o'clock theory final. so this morning i randomly panicked and started looking up the dates for expressionism, the construction of various modes, and other things about which i decided to start second-guessing myself. i need not have worried. it was so easy i almost cried. for joy. then i came back to you-know-who. or you-know-what i should say. i listened to more piano music. bawled a little bit in despair. the listened to more music and tried to memorize catalogue numbers for liszt and brahms and debussy and scriabin and prokofiev... finally i went to the barnes and nobles coffee shop and studied for one last hour with sam.

isn't it funny how you can feel so unprepared, and then when crunch time gets there you know more than you thought? well, i actually felt like i knew most of the material. there were a few pieces i didn't know, but compared to the hopelessness i was feeling 2 hours before i turned in the test it was well done. it was the hardest of all my finals. over 20 pages (no multiple choice or matching - just the "real deal") questions and music to identify and analyze. actually took the full amount of time allotted.

obviously i immediately went outside basked my toes in the sun. yes, my toes.

this evening i went to a delightful party put on at the parr's place (if you're reading that sentence and totally lovin' it, i know who you are...). we made a floating candle dish, brough a stereo into the living room and turned on kfox 95.5 (!!! this party consists of almost all the classical pianists at the university. we do listen to other stuff for "special occassions"!!!). ate lots of good food. good conversations. exchanged information with the graduates who are leaving town. we also watched the highly favored video of i think the 2002 music fundraiser, with an unforgettable p.d.q. bach performed jointly by dr parr and dr pitts. you would have to see it.

then i went over to hall 10 and played monopoly for almost 3 hours with cournty and courtney and nina. it was good fun. haven't played that game in ages, i swear. kind of brought back good memories of slumber parties and late nights with friends. we got kicked out before it was quite over. it was down to the bar in a fight to the finish between me and one courtney.

i just ate a piece of cheesecake brought generously by nick from shane's party. it was delish.

fun recital tomorrow. the very last one of the semester. yu ching will be giving her graduate recital. btw, by "tomorrow" i mean friday. even though it is in fact technically already friday. enough blather from me.

derogate \DER-uh-gayt\, intransitive verb:1. To deviate from what is expected.2. To take away; to detract; -- usually with 'from'.
transitive verb:1. To disparage or belittle; to denigrate.

Hi

2006-05-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

i'm done.

no wait... I'M DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm finished with school!!! aghhh it's too much. i haven't eaten anything all day. i take that back - 1 cookie. i can't believe the semester is over. here's me rejoicing, and i'll write more later.

1/2

2006-05-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

i'm half-way through and aching to be done. music lit and poli sci went well today. poli sci unexpectedly well. then this afternoon ever and i played a game of red alert 2 to lighten up the studying. while we were playing mrs hudson called to say that christian is sick and we wont' get to perform tomorrow. YESSSS!!!... i mean, awww, poor christian. ok, seriously. it was going to be fine. i wasn't the least bit worried about the performance and it would have been fun. but in the middle of finals? i can't say i'm dissappointed. that also means i don't have to have a rehearsal today. woohoo! then i took a fine nap and did various other non-things which brings us to now. and part of the "now" includes getting invited to a pancake breakfast/dinner (pancakes from 10pm-12am) which i think i shall attend. i feel in need of nurishment at the moment. i've literally had one bite of a burger and nothing else all day. besides drink. and much in need of some quiet time with my bible in nice soft grass at the arboretum. mmmmm...

Look Out...

2006-05-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

...ever, your roommate is going crazy from finals. beware. the bun and stuffed animal make it look especially scary. i told myself over and over to be sure and not walk out the door like that.

Eh...

2006-05-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

i feel slightly cheered. not least of all by susan bringing me (ever and me both, if he gets back soon enough) a fine present in a red bag. now that i've had my nap (interupted by 2 phone calls and a girl knocking on the wrong door, i intend to read poli sci and eat chocolate chip cookies till i die!!

Finale

2006-05-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

finals have begun. i had my piano jury today. my (beethoven's...) bagatelle went well. overall the performance was only satisfactory. actually no it wasn't. not for a piano performance major. i really have got to decide to do this with all my might, or find something else. which at this point, finding something else isn't looking so hot. becoming an amazing pianist would be wonderful. i think what i'm beginning (finally???) to realize is that it isn't just a game anymore. it's for real. or it should be. it must be. why is it that the important things in life require your everything, or they're worthless? and why can't i buckle down and give it my everything! actually, i can. i WILL. i hope i can take to heart the spiritual lesson too. here's a verse that steve used just yesterday, which i found encouraging. thank god for his grace. he doesn't make it easy for us, but he helps us persevere and gives us the strength we need:

"Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand." Rom. 14:4

Just Keep Swimming

2006-05-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

yesterday i found the biggest turtle i've seen in a long time. he was sitting by the trail in the arboretum. probably 12 inches from bow to stern when he was withdrawn into his shell. i stood and looked at him for a few minutes. something cracked over my head... and low and behold, a branch and a squirrel landed beside me. he picked up an acorn and went to sit in a small tree and watch the turtle with me.

yesterday i also had my very last aural skills test. i will never take that class again! i think 2 whole years of it is definitely enough. today i had my last accompanying studio. we took a french terms quiz and listened to music. once again, i'm glad to have my 4 semesters of that out of the way. i think dr tkacik considered crying during his closing "sermon" about how to live happy and productive lives. and he told us about saving a baby owl from his fire place... it's hard to believe the semester is nearly finished, and i'm checking things off the list. one thing i need to check off my list is memorizing a brahms cappriccio, which i should do at this very instant.

did nobody watch the video? or was it such a let-down that you decided since you couldn't say anything nice, you should just say nothing at all...?

Monty Python and Hitler

2006-05-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

okay guys, this is too funny for words. sorry, i exaggerate. it is highly amusing. beware of a few racial slurs.

click on the play button at the bottom left hand corner to activate the player.

2006-05-03T07:02:00.000-07:00

hehehe, go jeremy! (your daily dose of "zits")

what am i doing?

"going to eat breakfast," i coolly replied.

You Say "Potatoes," I Say... "Taters"

2006-05-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

i had an amazing mashed potato that was absolutely delish. an hour later, things weren't going so well. but don't worry... i recovered. all i need to do now is print up the final draft of my theory piece, cover it with jazz chord symbols, and go to bed!

2006-05-01T15:22:00.000-07:00

i can tell a weariness is beginning to set in. ahhh. time for dinner. i'm on the homestretch. may not post so much in the coming week or two. lata!

Good'ay to Ye!

2006-04-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

i have never felt this good one week before finals in my life. unless it was before i started college. probably not then either. have you seen second hand lions? if not, go rent it right now and watch it. anyway, walter's uncles are sitting out on the porch, sipping iced tea, shooting the salesmen with shotguns, typical day. uncle garth blows the smoke from his barrel and leans back in his rocking chair to watch the settling dust of the last escaping emissary, "nice evenin'. peaceful." how i find any semblance of logic in such allegories as this is beyond comprehension. just shoot me now. i'm dangerously lacking in anxiety about finals. i say praise god. and i hope this post finds you in good health and spirits as well. cheers!

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil 4:6,7

Bye Bye MacGamut

2006-04-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

a few seconds ago i entered a moment of triumph. for the last time ever, macgamut asked me, "would you like to save a backup copy? if nothing bad ever happens to you, click no. to save a copy click yes." talk about a program with an attitude. anyway, i have turned in my last assignment, and i will never be plagued by that sardonic program again. unless it's just to help other hapless music students. it would be fine for you to sing happy birthday to me now.

'Brella Cuzza Rain

2006-04-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

i'm falling in love with early quiet times in the arboretum. it's the place to be, i'm telling you. very peaceful, and quite pleasant with weather like today (this morning that is).

other important events of the day include burning my tongue on pizza cheese.

wearing my special hat, and walking in the rain.

standing at the top of the stadium in the dark and letting my hair blow around my face.

registered for classes! woot woot!!! 18 hours.

dr tkacik suggested that anyone interested should consider taking some of his upper level courses, in his areas of "speciality." however he prefaced this suggestion with the statement that "those other courses are not like this one. you actually have to work, and write papers, and do lots of reading. i recommend my terrorism course: 'how to do it'." one of the guys is like, "whoa whoa whoa wait a minute. not 'easy' like this one? are you saying this isn't a lot of reading?" we all joined in laughing at his expense, and shared with him the sober truth that once he advanced past his freshman year the reading load for this course would seem like a piece of cake. then he said, "oh my gooooood!" and started wailing.

i've always loved this word:
galumph \guh-LUHM(P)F\, intransitive verb:To move in a clumsy manner or with a heavy tread.

MCC JS*

2006-04-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

the terrors are settling in on me. i can feel it. the cruel cold clutches of a dreadful, dark and inevitable fate. as bad as that sounds, in actuality it only amounts to my personal apprehensions of round four, examus extremus: the common "finals week syndrom" (FWS).

getting up at 6:45 to get a parking permit can actually be a good thing, contrary even to the laws of my own mind. reading in the arboretum in the cool morning shade (so what if it's 99% humidity) is frabjous. so is the knowledge that my car can now sit perfectly motionless on it's private block of pavement free from such cares of the world as the diligent fat sadistic little upd "agents" who prowl about seeking whom they may devo... i mean ticket. by the by, "fat sadistic little agent" is a stereotype if i ever heard one. a really good one too, considering half of them are lean students lacking almost any credentials who ramble about not caring about anything and arbitrarily putting tickets anywhere that strikes their fancy. speaking of rambling. and saying absurd thing. just stop. ok.

*Mint Chocolate Chip Java Shake - cuz i just finished one. time for one happy camper to hit the goose down.

Honk HOOONK!!!

2006-04-23T14:55:00.000-07:00

ladies and gentlemen... it's official... i have my own wheels!!! this is little ol' me in my mazda 626, and i couldn't be more excited. i went to livingston with karen this afternoon to rendezvous with her parents and do the mega mazda exchange. we had a 3, a 6 and a 626 all in a row in the mc d's parking lot. karen and i are both happy campers for sure. cya!

Spring Fest

2006-04-22T22:59:00.000-07:00

wow, today was ROCKIN'. i definitely stayed up too late last night, and was surprised at how short my rest was. so i got up at noon, ate lunch, and then went to the spring fest. we walked around on the hot parking lot, enjoying the various stands. i saw dr tkacik and got to meet his wife and little son milo. milo's the cutest little tike (not to be compared with my little brother's of course) and he shook my hand. didn't watch too much of the mud volley ball, because it stank like anything. so instead we climbed a tree and sat in the shade. it was a fine time. then alyssa convinced me to enter the pie eating contest. i've never done this before! it was awesome. and i a buddy of mine named stephen was sitting right beside me (he won the contest). here we are post-feast.

a little later we (at this point "we" = ever, nick, alyssa, jennifer and i) went to the store and then had a picnic under a pavillion by the intramural fields. it wasn't just any picnic. no, it was a "round theme" picnic. we ate sandwiches made with bagels, round meats and round cheeses, cylindrical cans of sprite, donuts, and cookies, all sitting in a circle under a round pavillion.

i forgot to mention that i also had a rehearsal with a euphonium player earlier. yeah.

then this evening i went to hear fonny's graduate recital. alyssa decided to come too, after which she expressed a sense of being "cultured." the recital was fabulous. fonny played the waldstein sonata by beethoven, a piece by ravel (don't remember the name) and a piano arrangment of the nutcracker suite. wonderful stuff. i have nothing more to say about it, since it's way past my bed time. g'nigh!

Composed

2006-04-18T20:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog,

I'm beginning to wonder if I shall be capable of playing the piece i'm writing for theory. Why do I do this to myself?

Love, Jordan