Confessions Of A First Year College Student

So, I'm back from college for a little while. In all honesty I've been back for just over two weeks now. I got through my first term of college with good strong grades and lots of gnoledge.
But now I'm on break. I must say it's been good to get some sleep. Actually, it's been too good to get some sleep. I've slept way too much since I got home. There have been but three days in the last two and a half weeks that I have not sleept in 'till noon. It's kind of sad, 'cause by the time I wake up half the day is gone. Of course then I'm wide a wake at night while most people can barely stay wake.
It's been really weird being home after so long. Last time I lived here I had house hold responsibilities and all these things that I was doing. Now...I'm...not doing much. Granted, my dad has me working on a project. But other than that I don't have anything that I have to do.
Well, merry Christmas, happy new year, and God bless.

What Does A Baby Have To Do With It?

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_{*Free only when call is made at certain times of day and on leap years. Destination of said free box is varied based on random mailing address. Offer available only while supplies last.}

You just gotta' love this time of year. All the joyful...ness. And all the Christmas...timey...ness.
Something about this time of year has actually bugged me the past few years, and I was coming into it this year the same way. It's rough, 'cause as a Christian I, of all people, should be greatly rejoicing this time of year. Yet, I found it difficult to do so.
At my Church's college group this last Sunday they talked about just that. The leader-dude opened telling us about how he used to dread Christmas. Ever since he was a child he hated it and even into his early adult years he abhorred Christmas. It was just a season of bad memories for him, and he told us some of those memories. Just listening to him I thought 'I don't have all that much to complain about, now do I?'
Anyway, he walked us through the true meaning of Christmas, without ever referencing the books of Matthew or Luke, I might add. Those are just the story of Christmas. The meaning of Christmas is actually found in Genesis 3, Isaiah 9:6-7, and John 1:14 (to name a few passages). I think that's one of the problems I've had over the years. I've heard the story a million and seven times "and the angel of the Lord appeared to Mary and said, 'behold you shall conceive and bear a son, and you will call his name "Emanuel", which means "God with us".'"(don't stone me if it's not an exact quote. I wrote it out from memory) The point is, even though it is an amazing and great story, I tend to get into this rut where the meaning of Christmas is just about the birth of a baby. And yeah, the baby was Jesus who was both God and man. But I would tend to forget the reason for the season to be so joyful. I forget that Christmas isn't so much about a birthday as it is about the coming of someone who would die. And not even just that, but that he would die to take the punishment for my sin, and that he would rise from the dead to show that he had come to free people from death.
Yes the Christmas story is amazing and full of all kinds of neat stuff. But if it becomes just a story about a birthday, it loses all meaning. If Christmas is just about a miraculous birth, then it lacks a good reason to celebrate this season year after year. It falls short.
The baby had a purpose. The celebration is for the coming of the one who was to fulfill that purpose. From the moment Adam and Eve were thrown out of the garden of Eden man has been waiting, searching for the one who would break the curses that God placed upon him. Thousands of years later he showed up...and no one noticed unless an angel showed up and told them.
Well, the point is, He was here, and he saved me, and he's coming back. So lets celebrate!
*confetti*

I Am Blessed...

Heaven forbid I actually get to bed before midnight. ;-D
I would like to state for the record that I am not only a person of odd character, I am also a caricature of personal oddity--not to mention the fact that I am an oddly characteristic personality.
So this week has been interesting. Ups and downs, as usual. All in all, life is pretty good. There are times when I start thinking 'what am I doing here, and how is all this going to work out?', but those moments don't last too long.
I was finally able to go to college group last week at the church I've been attending. It was really good. The dude in charge (I don't know his official title) spoke on death in an attempt at giving us hope. He spoke from the passage in John--if my memory serves me well--where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. The question he put before us was this:
"If the worst thing that can happen to us is death, then what do we have to be really worried about in this life?"
That's not to say that we are to just sit back and not worry about anything. The context had to do with getting caught up in the little things that tend to cause us to start freaking out. The things that we can't control, and that--in the long run--don't mean all that much.
It was a good lesson. He talk with me kind of afterward and said that he hoped that the lesson wasn't too much for me; that it wouldn't scare me off from coming back. With a heavy topic like that and the way "christianity"--with a small 'c'--is going these days I can understand why he might consider the possibility of my never returning. However, I assured him that I would return by stating "lay it on thick, just make sure it's true". It's actually really nice to hear teaching that isn't dumbed down for me or sugar coated. I like it when they say, 'this is what the Bible says. If you don't like it, tough. If it rubs you wrong, great. That means you have some growing to do. Join the club. Now let's start growing.' Of course none of that does any good unless they actually back it up with scripture, and he did.
I think I've been living in a state of almost numbed Christianity. I've heard all the good sayings. I've learned all the great Bible stories. I know a lot of the information, and I know that I should be doing something about it. But for some reason it just seems like hardly anything happens. Granted, I am doing some things, and I do try from time to time.
I think this is what I like about the teaching I've been getting lately. It's been like a club applied to the back of the head snapping me out of my seemingly stoic state. The club says 'there is a problem here, and if you aren't fighting it, you're causing it. So either join the fight or get out of the way. Cause there is a war going on, whether you like it or not. You can either wield the weapons of righteousness to the glory of God, or you can use the tactics of the evil one against your Lord and your creator. There is no option 'C'. So get your head into the battle.'
Anyway, be praying for me. I'm doing well, but I could be doing better. I'm still learning my weapons, and how to best use them.

*Sour Face* {*(^)*}

HAPPY LEMON DAY!!!
It's lemon day! It's lemon day! It is the day of lemon consumption and enjoyment! Yay!
sadly, however, I forgot until just a little while ago that this was lemon day. I'm sorry Ben.
I had remembered it all this week, and for the weeks prior. I promise. I even told other people about it. But come the day, and I forgot.
But I remember now. So let us put our hearts and our stomachs together and sing a joyous and sourly twisted song about the great fruit that God has given us to garnish our dishes of food and our drinks, and to consume with sourly twisted faces. Yay lemons!

Ode To Old Friends

I just realized something about myself. I see myself as the kind of person who is very relationship oriented. I can do the hermit/loner thing to an extent, but I truly have a need for good and honest friends. Now when I say friends I don't mean it by the definition some people use (just cause I know your name does not mean you are my friend--that's called an acquaintance). I need people who I feel I can be around without being fake; people who I feel comfortable being myself around; people I can be open and honest with; people who speak into my life, and whose lives I can speak into. I focus a good chunk of my life on these relationships. This is a big part of how I live.
So, you'd think that with all the changes that have occurred in my life in the last few years--changes in relationships, locations of residence, and all that good stuff--that I would be thrown through a loop about all these relationships I've lost, or that have diminished, and with all these new ones I have started working on--knowing that they won't last long either in the big picture. You'd think that I would be really put off by it...At least I would. I'm looking at it right now, and I'm thinking 'why am I not more upset about all this? Why doesn't this bother me any more than it does?'. I could reason it with the stoickness of my personality . I don't get really emotional very often. But why is that? If relationships are such a huge part of my life, why don't I become more emotional about the whole thing. I care about these people and these relationships. I still think about relationships that I had when I was in grade school.
Now the relationships are deeper and more meaningful. So, why am I not bothered all that much by just uprooting myself from my home of half my life and moving the farthest away from that home I've ever lived for the next four years? Admittedly, it has bothered me a little, and I've spent a little time pouring out my heart to God over the matter. But then it's 'back to business', and working on those new relationships.
So maybe this is a better question: Why would I spend any more time than I already have wallowing over the fact that those old connections are gone--at least for a time, though most of them indefinitely (until heaven, that is)? I have spent my time in mourning over my displacement from my friends. But if I spend any more time I would miss all of the opportunities I have to meet new people, and to go beyond my small town acquaintances.
There was a time when God blessed me with a group of friends to be around, and to grow with. That was a blessing; a gift. He could just as easily allowed me to continue my life in solitude (though that's a hard concept for me to grasp, having grown up with five siblings). He could have said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you. You don't need other people; you have me, and that's all you need.' And he did do that for a short time. He was under no obligation to provide friends for me. But, He saw that it was a good thing for me to have others to talk with, and to grow with, and to learn from, and to teach. He saw that it was good...For a time.
That time has ended, He has seen fit for me to move on from those relationships. It is now no longer profitable for His kingdom that I should continue to be as actively connected with those people. And, so, He has repositioned me, and given me new friends to learn from, and to grow with, and to teach. He has placed me here for a reason, and he will do great things through this.
All this is not to say that I will completely avoid all contact with my friends back home. In fact, I still email and IM (Instant Messenger) all my closest friends so as to stay in touch. But to continually look back and say, 'Why, why have you taken all these good things from me, O Lord?' That would be foolish when the answer is right in front of me: 'Because I have found better things for you, just as I have found better things for them. They are not your concern; they are mine. You serve me, here, now. This is what is good.'

Weeeeeeeeeeee!

"How is the college life?" This seems to be the question of the last couple months--and I'm sure the next year as well.
I think I will attempt to answer this question by describing my life yesterday.
It all started with the normal classes. Thursdays I have freshman seminar which is basically a group designed to make sure that new students aren't falling behind and without any hope or help. On the school website it showed that we had an assignment due yesterday in this class. So I did the reading and answered the questions. No problem. Then we get to class and he says that he didn't actually physically assign it to us, so it wasn't due. Ugh! Good news, I now don't have to do the assignment for next week so long as I turn in the assignment that I already did.
After that I have intro to worship studies (I'm a worship arts major). We had to turn in the rough draft of our definitions of worship. Over all, not a bad day for that class.
Next comes voice class (cause voice is my primary instrument and the class is cheaper than paying for lessons). It was in this class that I was reminded of a paper we were assigned that I had forgotten about...And it was due right then. Well, actually it was just due that day. So the teacher told me that as long as I got it to her before she left the campus @5:15, it would be good. Well, that's great...Except that I have classes until 4:30 on Thursdays. Woo hoo!
After this I had lunch. Yay!
Then comes Aural skills. We talked about our song rating systems that we came up with. Mine is an ear diagram. I'm still not entirely sure that it was such a great idea. All I know is that I was told to be creative, so I was.
This is then followed by choir. We had our stage rehearsal because tonight we have a performance. So that was all fine and dandy.
After this I ran to the music house, wrote up my paper for voice class, and turned it in before 5:15. Huzzah!
Now comes the exciting part. While everyone else is going crazy (because yesterday was open dorms for the guys--in other words girls were allowed to come into the guy dorms. ugh.) I had to get all my reading--from 2 Chronicles through Esther--done so I could fill out the write up and turn it in for my class the next morning. Suffice it to say I was up until 3 in the morning--and not cause I slacked off either. I was on the ball...Just last minute.
Well, I need to go get ready for my concert. Laters.

Ahg, My Back, My Neck, My Legs...OUCH! MY BRAIN!

If I think I'm sore right now, I can't wait to see how I feel in the morning. Oh boy.
Tonight for our hall sectional (my dorm hall and the hall adjacent) we played ultimate Frisbee...in the dark. We had glow stick bracelets to help identify our team mates from our...not...team mates. It was orange vs. blue. My hall was orange, the other hall was blue. However, due to the lack of people who were willing to risk bodily harm (sports people...they probably have a scholarship riding on their ability to play well at the next game) some people from the other hall didn't play. The result was that a couple guys had to play for the other side. Eh, no one else was jumping at the opportunity, so I went over to blue.
It was really fun...honest. I mean, once you got over the sub zero temperatures, and the lack of lighting and depth perception, it was really great. Of course I took some hits for the team, made some dives (some successful, others not so much). And there were times when I just stayed on one end of the field while I caught my breath and either played offence or defense (depending on what end of the field I was on, and which end had my team's goal). It was really fun. I helped make some big touch downs, and I messed up a lot of plays. But hey, that's how everyone was playing. I mean, come on, it's ultimate Frisbee IN THE DARK.
On a completely unrelated note, my group is leading worship for chapel on Thursday. That's right, Thursday. Now, you might be saying to yourself, "But I thought that chapel was on Monday, Wednesday, Friday at your school." And to that I say, "How in the world do you know so much about my schedule and my school?" Anyway, I guess some special speaker is coming on Thursday, so we are throwing our whole schedule for the day through a loop just to put chapel on Thursday. And that is the day that my group is leading worship.
Which brings us to another point. It seems as though the 'special speaker' wants to take a little more time that usual. Thus my group--rather than running the usual 4-5 song set--is only doing two songs on Thursday. But hey, that's cool. That just means that I don't have to worry about practicing a million songs on the bass. Yeah, they are having me play bass this go'round. It's actually pretty fun. My bass sounds really nice now that I just put a new set of strings on it. It's been wearing the same set of strings for the last four years. FOUR YEARS! I'm surprised none of them snapped and killed anyone. Oh well, maybe next time.
Well, it's late and I have a sore day ahead of me. So, as 'Mac' would say, "Happy Tuesday".

Brothers And Sisters In Christ

Today in chapel we had a group of orphans from Uganda (that's in Africa for those of you who didn't know) come, sing and dance. It was really cool. They did a couple praise songs in English, but most of their songs were in their native tongues. They also did a couple of their tribal dances.
Yesterday, however, was the really cool part. The kids(ten of them ranging from 9 to 13 years of age) were on campus for the sound check in the chapel, so they came to our choir class. That's when we got to see a whole bunch of their tribal dances and songs. We were able to sing for them as well, but that wasn't nearly as interesting. These Kids had so much energy and talent. Sure, they may not have the most classically trained voices, but they sure knew how to play those drums. And they danced and sang (at the same time) with such ease and energy. Not an ounce of fear or nervousness could be seen on their bright smiling faces. It was truly a site to behold.

Delta Kapachino Pi

This last weekend was crazy. It was the weekend of the Western Baptist (operating under the name of Corban) music department retreat. Everyone from the band, choir, jazz band, and orchestra was there at this church in Sisters. We went out on Friday night, practiced Saturday morning and evening, and performed on Sunday. We put on the entire service for the church. I think the coolest part was when the band and orchestra played with the guitar, piano, and vocalists while they lead the singing. It sounded so cool, even beautiful at times. And the band and orchestra parts were arranged by our own Mr. Barsch. He's probably the coolest music teacher I have ever met. He's an amazing pianist, a violist, and I've heard he has absolutly mad skills on the organ.
Last night I was up till 2:00 because I had to finish up some reading and write out my report for my Bible survey class. Then at around 5:15 I was woken up by the Eagles president. He said that it was time for phase two of the Eagles initiation. So I got up, and walked with the rest of them to go get everyone else in the group. Then we went to our meeting spot and we were given certificates that say we are now life long members of the Eagles. Then they said that we each had to take an energy drink/frapachino. But they did say that we didn't have to drink it. Well for any of you who know me, you'll know that I'm not into the energy drink/coffee racket. So I took my frapachino and headed back to bed.
Apearently it is Eagle tradition to get the new guys up in the middle of the night the night before their first American thought and culture exam. And then they supply them with what they need to keep them from going back to sleep before it was time for class. Some of the guys actually bought into it. They drank their energy drink and didn't go back to bed.
Not me, I had been up 'till two already, and I was going to get as much sleep as I could.
Good news, I got 100% on my reading report.
Time for me to head out to dinner. Laters.

Run Forrest, Run!

Hey everyone! I just got back from the beach. We had a beach party and a thing they call 'Ocean Rush'. That's where a bunch of sucker college students line up on the beach and when a person says "GO!" all of them start running for the ocean. Everyone who goes in and gets completely wet gets a free T-shirt. Needless to say, I was one of said 'sucker college students'. Who couldn't use a free T-shirt?
There was also a sand castle building contest. My team built...well, actually we didn't built anything. Really what we did was we uncovered what God had already placed on the beach. That's right, we dug the biggest sand hole in school history. We guesstimated it to be about 15 feet deep. It was pretty sweet. Of course in order to justify it as a 'castle' we also dug around the outside of the rim of the hole to make a wall. then we took the buckets of sand that we hauled up out of the pit and made towers all along the wall. Sadly, we didn't win. The winners received a hundred dollar cash prize. Second got $50, third $25. But, we didn't get any of those. so what if it wasn't the best 'castle'. I am 100% positive we displaced the most sand.
Friday night we had a thing called 'Rush'. At this event we all sat in the bleachers of the gym as a bunch of different groups (called 'Fellowships') tolled us what they were about. Then at the end some one yelled out "RUSH!!!" and everyone in the bleachers 'rushed' down to the fellowship that they wanted to join. There are four brother/sister fellowships. The Panthers and Lambs, the Eagles and Doves, the Saints and Angles, and the Trojans and Pandas. The former in each of the groups listed is the guys part of the group, and the latter is the girls. They do some things together(guys & girls), and some things separate(just guys & just girls). For the most part all the groups are very much the same in that they do service projects, Bible studies, and events. What makes each group different is not only what kind of events and service projects they do, but mostly the overall character of the group. I joined the Eagles because it's more the arts group (musicians, thespians, artisans of varying types). Cool stuff.
Well, to quote Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

I Think There Is A Song That Connects To This

Normally I don't blog anything that isn't originally mine. However, I'm going to make an exception for Bible verses. This is one that my core group leader at college asked us to think about as we go into this school year.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time but is painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. ~ Hebrews 12:11

This is something I need to keep in mind as I start my college carrier, as I start my life away from my family, as I start anything. Discipline is necessary for growth. It's never easy, but the benefit is worth the pain. Righteousness is something we all need in order to grow closer to God. The Holy spirit in us is the only one who can bring about that righteousness, and he brings it about through discipline.
And I don't know about you, but I could really use some peace in my life right now. Not peace in the sense that everyone in the world will stop fighting, or at least stop fighting with me. Not peace that means I will get along with everyone, and everyone will like me. This peace is a peace of the spirit; A calm amidst the storm. It is in that peace--while the rest of the world feels chaos--that we are able to have joy in all situations. Joy is a wonderful thing.
However, none of this comes free and easy. It comes from discipline, and in discipline there is pain--at least for a time.

Uuumm....Hi

How many of you know where Timbucktu is? Well, guess where I am.

That's right, I'm in Oregon.

To be exact I'm at college. I'm not going to give the name of the college for security reasons--my security, not the college's.
I moved in here yesterday. I start classes on Wednesday. Yet, I get home work on Monday--due Tuesday.
I'm really excited to see how this all works out.
I'm living in the same dorm and the same hall that I lived in all three years for Summer Seminary. This makes things a little weird. I'm still coming to grips with the fact that I'm here for school. It still only feels like I'm here for a Summer Seminary kind of thing. Same atmosphere, same feeling with many new faces and a few old ones. There are going to be four previous Summer Seminary students attending this school this year, including myself, and two theology professors who work here.
Today we had church in the chapel building, followed by lunch. After that I went up to my dorm and played pool with some people for an hour.
Now, as you can see evidence to, I am writing. Later today I'll be going to the house of my core group leader, and we're going to hang out and have some fun before the torture begins.
Laters.

So Long? What's That Supposed To Mean?

These last couple days...no, these last couple weeks have been kind of weird. I'm off to college on Saturday, and it almost feels like I'm leaving this town forever. To be honest, I would love to be able to come back and live here for the rest of my life after college, but I don't know if that will be possible. The thing is, I'm going into the ministry, and I have no idea where God is going to send me. But what is the likelihood that He will send me right back where I came from. Jesus himself said that a prophet has no honor in his home town. Now, I'm not saying that I'm a prophet, but if you think about it there is a lot of applicable sense to it. If I were to come back here and become a youth pastor or something like that, there might be people who wouldn't take me very seriously simply because they have known me since I was a child. Or they would think that I was just prideful for trying to teach people who at one time taught me.
On the other hand, I do have a very good reputation in this town and people already do take me fairly seriously. There is also the added factor that many pastors miss out on--the accountability that comes with relationships. If people have known me for so long, they might feel more comfortable approaching me as a person and not as a 'higher being' that they call a pastor. They have seen me as a person with no title what-so-ever, and they might not think so differently of me if I were to come back.
There are a lot of variables, and a plethora of possibilities. However, no matter what the possibilities are, I will still have to follow the call of the Lord wherever he might take me.
God bless.

Zzzzzzzz...Wh-Wha?! I'm Awake!

I've been really tired lately. The thing about that is I have been getting WAY more than my quota of sleep. Today I think I figured out why; I haven't been getting as much exercise as I used to.
During the school year I would walk not only all over school, but to and from school as well. I would also walk all over town and almost everywhere else when I needed to get something or go somewhere. And there is this one hill in town that I used to walk up and down all the time back in the day.
However, for the last few weeks I haven't had school, I haven't needed to go anywhere that I could walk to, and...well...let's just say that monster hill lost it's appeal.
So here I sit every day, infront of my computer working out my fingers. Granted, I get on the computer after I'm done with my work for the day(I'll tell you about that project later). But still, I don't do as much as I used to. I miss that old wandering life, but I became busy with work and stiflingly unmotivated to make the time to wander as I once did.
Now whenever I use my legs for more than just walking around they get tired really fast(that's not normal for me), and I've been really tired because my sleep isn't as restful as it used to be.
I hope I'm not this lazy in college. Can you say freshman fifteen? Yeah, Laters.

No Ink Stains On This Summer, Eh?

Want to know something crazy?
Last Summer I was gone two different times for three weeks at a time. That's half the Summer right there.
This year I was gone for one week, and I'll be gone for one more week before I go back to school.
So here is the weird thing.
Last summer I posted a bunch.
This summer...well...you can still see posts from before school was out on the main page, and the main page only shows the last seven or so posts.
Explanation: My mind has been kind of full lately.
It would seem like I would then have a lot of stuff to put in my blog, but no, that's not true.
Actually the way it works is like this:
The more I have on my mind, the harder it is for any of it to come out of my mind.
I think I need to go back to writing by hand. Not everything, just do some writing in that format. I've found that when I write by hand it's a lot more relaxing. The words flow out on to the page...well, here, I'll explain it with an excerpt from a paper I wrote in my AP English class:
"Slowly, one by one, my thoughts begin to fall out of my head onto the once blank page. As each thought comes forward more thoughts begin to take notice of the portal through which they can escape. Soon the page is filling, the pen is flying, and the thoughts are crowding the gate; almost preventing any thoughts from coming through. So many ideas, words, and indescribable concepts come forth that I can scarcely decide which ones are worthy of this paper."
......
"The pen screams to be freed from the limiting grasp of my hand. All my thoughts are like magma squeezed against the crust of the earth. If only there was a way for every one of those thoughts to burst forth from my mind onto the pages of this small book."
This is often what happens when I write.
When I type I produce a different kind of writing. When I free-type about something I usually reach forward and fight my way toward an unknown end. The mental process is similar to when I free-write, but the feel is different.
Free-writing is more of an unleashing of what has been building up in my head.
Free-typing is more of a mechanical process working mathematically, scientifically, theologically and philosophically toward an ultimate product.
I like free-typing. I really enjoy going through the process, and realizing the outcome.
However, free-writing is more of a relaxing release. It helps me to see what is really going on in my head. Some times it helps me to take what's in my head and actually work through it so that I can get some kind of closure or release from certain things.
All this to say,
I need to do more free-writing.
(And did I mention the cool knuckle ink-stains...I'm left handed...I smear...ink knuckles happen.)

Who Is This 'Kin' Guy Anyway?

*Ding*Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Flight 215 for Biglesworth will be slightly delayed due to a swarm of sheep. The flight attendants will be serving an in-flight snack in just a moment. Thank you for choosing Terra-flight Airlines. We hope you enjoy the ride.*Ding*

Hey everyone. I'm back, and I'm more dangerous than ever. I had a great time at Veritas this last week. I learned a lot. If you want to know what I learned, you'll have to just get in contact with me. You know, give me the light of day. 'Cause in order to tell you what I've learned, it would take more time and energy than I have right now. What I can tell you is this; I realized that my identity is in Christ. I knew this before Veritas, but it was at Veritas that it became real to me. I started thinking about how I live, and where I tend to place my identity. Long story short, my life is in Christ.

*Hi! I'm an adopted child of the one true God. But most people call me Kin.*

Bloggers Anonymous

Umm, hello. My name is Kin. I like fast cars and long walks off short piers. If I were an animal, I would be an iguana, 'cause that's what I guana be. My imaginary friend is a wallaby. For those of you who don't know, wallabies are kind of like kangaroos, only smaller. And that's why God gave us toes.

'Nough said.
So here I am in the middle of week...three...--I think--...of my Summer. So far I have done about half of the things that I wanted to do coming into this Summer...only not. I did get to finally go to the elusive 'Buck Lake'. I've been wanting to go there ever since a certain friend told me about it a year ago. It's a really beautiful place out in the woods far, far away from human civilization.
Next week I'll be leaving for Summer Seminary. Thursday the 6th. Gone. Bye bye. Adios...But I'll be back on the 15th.

Sun Screen *Check*, Towel *Check*, Brain...Uh Oh.

I'm not so sure that this summer will be as exciting as last year. I know that I was gone a lot last summer, so every time I posted I had had plenty of time to gain lots of great blogging material (though, I think I forgot most of it by the time I got to the computer ;-).
Well, this summer I am not going to be 'gone' quite as much. The only two times that I yet know of when I will be gone for extended periods of time are:

July 6-15: summer seminary
August (I don't know the exact dates, but it's like the last full week of August): family vacation

The rest of the time I'll be around...somewhere. :-D
As for now, I'm a little out of it. I've got a few things on my mind. This will be a long-but-too-short-very-interesting-very-boring-hard-work-easy-slacking summer. Pray for me. Laters.

Has Anyone Seen My Keys?

It would appear as though I am all too busy these days with everything I have had on my plate. The evidence of this can be seen in the lack of new postidge on my blog. My last post was two weeks ago yesterday. Allow me to explain what all has been going on in that time.
First of all I had Spring Fling rehearsals and performances. Rehearsals were everyday after school. It was a little crazy, and I was glad that I didn't have that much home work to do at the time. Then came the performances on the 1st and 2nd of June. I had a solo that I biffed in two places both nights. Though each night it was two different places. In spite of those little mishaps, however, everyone loved it. All in all the whole Spring Fling was really great. I had fun with it. My fifth and final Spring Fling. The theme, by the way, was 20th century celebration. We did music from every decade. Good times.
Another thing that has had me on my toes these past couple weeks was finals. I'm finally done with school for the year, and I'm completely done with high school for the rest of my life.
The last thing that has been occupying my time was the Senior trip I went on with the other seniors from my church. We got back yesterday. Sun River was our vacation spot. We went white-water rafting, mountain-biking, and swimming. We hung out and played games (settlers of Catan.) It was a really fun trip.
NOW, I'm home, and my Summer of labor and toil has begun before I go off to start the strenuous four years of college that stand before me. Exciting, eh? Laters.

Time&Place

This is a poem I wrote a while back. I found it while going through one of my journals.

I only wish that for the moment

I could find a time and place

Of peace; tranquility; un-disturbed.

If but for time, I have no place,

And in place lack time.

Passing by the places I see--

Full of joy

And pleasant memories--

I find that time is stretched too thin.

I can recall the times in past

When place and time were always present.

In my youth I always found

The clock to please

And land to satisfy.

What wondrous places

And endless time;

My greatest friends in life.

I had no need for other company;

All was there as I had need.

But time is lost,

And I am here.

Were I there

With time to spend,

I would not pine

For such small things.

As it is

I am content.

Copyright Kin Butler 2006

Mind If I Sit Here?

IF there were a word to describe this it would probably be most appropriate right now.

Schools coming to a close. Now that I think about it, I was a jerk last year to all the seniors who read my blog. I put the school days count down at the end of each post. Now I understand what it is to be a senior coming up to the end of high school. Every time someone mentions the number of days left till it's all over I say "Don't talk about that." So, I will say right now, sorry to any seniors I may have tormented last year with my silly little count down.

In other news, spring fling is coming along. Slowly but surely we're getting there. Next week we will have rehearsals every day after school 'till 4:30. Ugh! Oh well, at least by that time I should be done with these huge projects I have over my head as we speak... er... as I speak... or type... whatever. The point is I have a fifty texts project due on Monday. That is 25 short stories and 25 poems read and written about. We don't have to write anything long or terribly deep unless we want to. But it does take time to write them up. This is probably the most time consuming project I have ever had. I've got 17 short stories read and written up so far. I have 8 more of those to go, and then the 25 poems. The poems will take less time to read, but they still will take some time to write up. It's not easy coming up with an opinion and analysis on everything.
The other project I have due on Monday is my comparison shopping report. I've done just about all of the research already. Now I just need to type up all of the information and hope that it's good enough to get me an A.

But after those are done I'm pretty much sailing free. Sure, I'll have work to do, but it won't be anything compared to those projects.


School days left: 8
Underclassmen count: 14 hehehe :-D

"And The Winner Is..."

I was working on my senior project for high school (aka the X-Project) and I needed some pictures to use in my presentation. So I emailed a bunch of people from this summer program that I was in (Summer Seminary, you might remember me writing about it a while back) to get some pictures for my presentation. I told them that I would post the top three pictures on my blog as the final results for this faux competition. So here are the results.



1st Place

This is a group of people hangin' out in their ever so stylish 'Veritas' shirts
~Photo sent in by Jasmine





2nd Place

White water rafting (it's a team building thing at the start of Veritas)
~Photo sent in by Jasmine (only two people actually sent me photos)



Last...I mean...3rd place

This is "Tim the Tiger", and he is wearing his party shirt (which he wears a lot of the time)
~Photo sent in by 'Tim the Tiger'



I would like to thank you two for sending in your pictures (even if I wasn't able to use yours anywhere in my presentation, Tim). And I would like to thank those of you who responded even though you didn't have any pictures to send. God bless.

Round 2!

Well, I missed my blog's birthday (Yeah Carina, that's right, I'm one of those kind of people). So this is kind of a belated congratulations post....to me. It's hard to believe that this thing is cram packed with a years worth of thoughts and memories.
I went through the entire thing just a moment ago. It was a quick skim. I did it because I got an email that said someone had commented on my blog, and it was a spammer. So I went through every comment of every post for the last year looking for this spam. I never found it, and I don't know what they did. Oh well. I got to see my entire blog and it was pretty cool.
It's especially interesting to see the kinds of things that were going on around this time of year last year. Things like spring fling, prom, and school. Things have changed a lot. I've changed a lot. And yet there are many things that don't change so much. Like high school drama (and I don't mean the kind that happens on a stage), after school spring fling rehearsals, and plenty of school work to keep up on.
It will be interesting to see what this next year has in store for me. I'm sure it won't be any less interesting than the last, nor any more life changing.

Storm Of The Eye

This week is crazy. Monday I had to give my X-Project presentation (I am sooooo glad that is over). Today I am going to Corban college to listen to their band perform. Tomorrow I have youth group. Friday I am going back to Corban to listen to their choir perform. Then I'm staying there for the night so that I don't have to come all the way back for the State Solo competition the next day. I'll be working all Saturday for the solo competition. There is one point in the day when I won't be working though. That's when I'm competing in the competition at 4:00. Sunday I'm going to have to write up a rough draft of a project for my economics class, a paper for my AP English class, and an essay for a scholarship. All three of those things are due on Monday--May first--which is also the day that I go in for my drive test.
Thank God none of this stuff is eternal. Then there might actually be a good bit of pressure.

Honest, I'm Not Crazy...This Time.

This has not been my day.

I don't mean that it has been a bad day. Not by any means has it been a bad day. In fact it has been a fairly good day. But it doesn't seem like it has been mine.

It's almost as though I have just experienced the usual day of someone else. A lot of what I did today was not the kind of things I normally do. And yet the day felt as though--in spite of the innormality of it all--it could be no more normal.

I don't really know what to say. I would be interested in finding out--if in fact this was not my day--who it is that did have my day today. I don't think I want it back. Especially after it has been used. But I am curious to see what they thought of my life. And I'm wondering if they got one of my normal days or a diversely unique one. Sorry for any inconvenience. I do much appreciate the use of your time.

"Don't do white drugs!"
~A kid in my music theory class

Memories of Youth

*sings*
I wish I had two friends:
A duck,
A goose,
And a chicken.

I wish I had two friends,
And I wish that they were just like
A duck,
A goose,
And a chicken.

© 1998, Kin Butler
*stops singing*

Swoosh List

Hey! Guess what! I'm going to be older soon. Actually you could say that about any point in your life. I mean, if you think about it you'll always be older in a moment than you are right now.
BUT that's not what I mean. What I mean by 'I'm going to be older soon' is that my age label is going to change soon. (FYI: that means my birthday is coming up)
No, I'm not going to tell you exactly when it is (that would be telling). I just thought I would let you all know that, just in case you forgot to get that little something to me for Christmas, you have another chance to shower me with "blessings".
I'll even put a list up so that you don't have to worry about whether or not you got the right thing.

#1: Guitar strings (preferably new ones)
#2: Warm slippers. (Preferably with non-absorbent soles so that they won't absorb every puddle in my house while I'm walking around.) (I have a size 10.5 foot)
#3: New music (preferably in CD form and of Christian band(s))
#4: Neck ties. (nothing dominantly connected to red. (eg. red, purple, orange.) these are not acceptable colors. Well, I guess as a gift I would have to accept it...oh well.)

Of course anything else that I had on my "swish list" for Christmas is acceptable as well. http://kliemn.blogspot.com/2005/11/swish-list.html
And don't by any means feel limited to this list. This is just the stuff I can think of right now.

Take That Dan!

I usually don't post these, but I thought you all should know.

You Are Gonzo the Great

"Is something burning in here? Oh, it's just me."You're a total nutball who will do anything for attention.The first to take a dare, you'll pull almost any stunt.You're one weird looking creature, but your chickens don't mind!

There you have it. That's me..... Though, within the same half hour I took a quiz that basically told me I was a worry wart that thought for an hour before doing anything, and then probably wouldn't do it anyway. So that just tells you how accurate these things are. (Though I must admit, I was once just that way....Once. Now I'm only that way some times.)

P.S.
Chickens are pretty cool.

Myspace'rs Anonymous

I found this site and new that I had to make it more readily available.

http://wiki.ehow.com/Defeat-a-MySpace-Addiction

Don't be afraid to use it. No one is perfect, and we all need a little help from time to time.

I Don't Think It Will Fit Through The Door.

Yesterday morning I went in for my post operation check up. The Doc said that I didn't have any infections and that I was doing very well. That's great, that helps me a lot. I feel soooo much better now that he told me that......NOT! I could have told him that I was doing well. Gosh!

Later that day I went in to the big city to help my sister move. That was fun. My back is sore, but I've been needing to get a little more exercise anyway.
My sister told me that I could be the voice of Satan. Then my brothers took it further. "You know that voice that tempts you to do things that you shouldn't? Well usually it's Satan, but he takes Fridays off so my brother fills in for him." Thanks, now I know how they really feel about me.

That's all I got for today. I'll catch ya's later.

*...Kin made me do it.*

Chippy The Chipmunk

So it's been two days since surgery now. I've just been chillin' at home all this time. The first day (right after surgery) I got a little light-headed whenever I moved around too much, but other than that I haven't had very much trouble. My cheeks are a little swollen and I can't participate in my favorite past time (smiling) so I look like this all the time :-(. Whenever people do make me laugh it hurts a little. Other than that...no pain....at all. Which is pretty cool 'cause I haven't had to take any of my pain meds yet. The only prescription drugs I've had to take have been my antibiotics, and those don't have any adverse effects on me.
I think I'll stop spouting off about my oral situation. Just thought I'd let you know how I'm doing. Thanks for your prayers. Laters.

The Agony of Da' Teeth. Not Da' Feet.

Today I go in to get my wisdom teeth extracted. I'm supposed to be there by 10 o'clock. They said it could take anywhere from 2 to 3 hours. The surgery itself will only take half an hour to forty-five minutes. But there is all the prep time, getting me to sleep, and then waking me back up after the surgery is over.
This is the first major surgery I've ever had....in fact....it's the only surgery I've ever had. I don't know what to expect, but that's probably a good thing. Expectations can be a pain. Though....now that I think about it.....I'm going to be in pain either way. Oh well.
I don't know how long it will take for me to bounce back. Chances are my family will get tired of me lazing around the house, and they'll try to put me to work. Oh well.
I have to read the Odyssey this week. Not the whole thing, but at least a good chunk of it. I also need to write a paper by the end of the week.....make that two papers.
I would greatly appreciate your prayers. God bless.

Mightier than the What?

I'm having a hard time getting back into this whole paper writing thing. I remember by the end of the first term this year I was able to take almost any topic or idea and start pouring my brain out about it. Now I try to write and I just get stuck. I know that I've blogged in that time, and you'd think that it would help to keep my brain in the writing mode. Perhaps it's the style I'm having difficulty with. The way I blog isn't exactly in essay format. It's more of a conversational format, and occasionally in a nonfiction essay format. It would be cool if I could write another nonfiction essay. I mean, I know that I could any time I wanted to, but it's different when you have to turn it in. Or is it? I don't know what I'm thinking. Maybe it's just that I am not required to do it, so I spend my time doing other things.
Perhaps I'm losing my knack with a pen. I've always written my papers out by hand before I typed them. Part of the reason for that was because I wasn't very fluent with typing so I wasn't able to keep up with my thoughts nearly as quickly as I would have liked to. Now I do alright with that. I've come a long way in my typing in the last year.
The other reason that I always write my papers out by hand first is simply the feel. You can almost feel the words begin to fall out onto the page as your hand glides across the field of white followed by a tail of blue or black. I love the feeling of the motion. It's almost mystical the way the hand twists and circles and swoops. It's as though there is a direct connection between my thoughts and the movements of my hand.
True, my left-handedness does leave a smear, and my knuckles turn blue and black (from the ink). But there is just something strangely wonderful about seeing the work of the hands in its raw form.

Doggie!

I'm an artist. :D At least that's what my mommy tells me.

Round Two!

Disney land went well. Now I'm off to All North-West choir in Portland for the next few days. Laters.

Is This What You're Looking For?

Bye everyone. I'm off to Disney land for the weekend to perform in my choir and band.

P.S.
Remember how my friend thought it was crazy that it was snowing on Valentines day? Well, it's almost the middle of March now and school was closed today due to the snow. I guess finals will have to wait 'till next week.

Questions to Answers

Is there a place for such things? A plane on which to exist?
Is there time for occurrences such as these? A moment of prime opportunity?
Can both Place and Time coexist for optimum possibility? Is there a probability for the intersection of the two?
When and where? Are these not the questions that continue to plague the mind?
But are these the only two? For what question is more taunting than 'How?'

Yet these have no precedence where life is concerned. Indeed these are the questions that steal the attention away from true life. So often do we bother ourselves with the things we cannot control. And, in doing so, we spend more time worrying than we do living.

This is indeed not an easy teaching, especially to a world that tells us to focus on being the god of our own world. This world tells us that if we work hard enough we can do whatever we want to. This is not possible, for there are things in this world that we cannot control; variables that even the greatest mastermind could not plan for.

This world tells us to live for tomorrow. "Prepare for tomorrow so that you will be ready.","Tomorrow every thing will be better if you do the right things today". Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.
I do not say that we should completely neglect the possibility of tomorrow and spend today in our selfishness. Living in such a manner is lifeless.

Today is what we have. Live today as though it was your last. Not as though you have no responsibility for it. But live in such a way as though you will be called to count tomorrow for what you have done today.
Worrying only gives us ulcers, migranes, and frustration in things we cannot control. Irresponsibility only gives us the pain of living with the mistakes we have made, and the life we have wasted.

Existence is a prerequisite to having joy--how can you have joy if you do not exist. However, existence does not warrant joy. Joy is found in true abundant life.
Existence does not warrant life either. By life I do not mean the functioning of mind and body. For it is possible to be living lifelessly. It is possible to live a life that leaves you unsatisfied and empty. You may consume any and every appealing substance, or participate in every appealing activity and still find yourself to be empty and unsatisfied. A lifeless life is one that is driven by questions. An abundant life is not one without questions, but the questions are not what drive the life. Rather the life drives the questions.

It's Pointless

Perhaps I am over reacting, but maybe I should...START BLOGGING!

Hey everyone out there in blogger land. I just wanted to establish a few points today.
Point #1: It has been a while since I last blogged. 11 days to be exact, but who's counting? ...That's a rhetorical question.
Point #Two: I was not brutally tortured by pirates, cast overboard, and swallowed whole by a giant octopus that miss took me for a sea snail. I know these rumors have been spreading around--and I don't know who starts them--but they just aren't true....despite how totally cool they would be if they were true. I mean, how many people do you know that actually get a chance to be tortured on a pirate ship?
Point #C: .......Point #C is that I don't' have any more points to give. I think that's a pretty good point to establish. I mean, you wouldn't want people thinking "Are there more points? I'm not quite sure. Maybe there are, maybe there aren't.".......don't look at me like I'm crazy.....just 'cause I cover all my bases doesn't make me crazy. There are other things about me that do make me crazy, but that isn't one of them.
...................................
...................................
I think I'm just going to leave now. Laters.

Heart Breaker

Don't let the title fool you. Yes, it is V-day (I don't mean Veterans). But the only thing I've been doing with hearts today is eating them. A friend of mine sits next to me in Chemistry every day. Today she had a bag of chocolate hearts to give to her friends, and a bag of sweet-hearts (you know the ones. They have words written on them, and they have the texture of chalk.) She gave me a two of the chocolate ones and set the other bag out as fare game for everyone at our table. By the end of class she said that she was getting sick of the chalk hearts. I quickly responded with, "Well I'm not." So she gave me the whole bag.
Some people have told me that it's not good for your teeth to be crunching those kinds of things. I still haven't learned. I finished the whole bag...with help. And that, my friends, is all the heart breaking I've been doing today. Just shattered them.
the weather here has been a little bi-polar. On Sunday it was really sunny, and even warm. Today it was snowing. And I don't just mean little snow flakes. I mean snow chunks. And it didn't just last a couple minutes. It went for a little while at multiple times. It's really cool. When a friend of mine came into our first period class this morning she said that "the weather has its holidays mixed up. It was supposed to do this on Christmas. Not on Valentines day."

Is There An Expiration Date On This?

This term I don't have any English classes. Next term I'm going to have AP English again. So I've been thinking that I haven't written very much recently, and I might be loosing my touch and my ability to tap my brain for thoughts. That having been said, this post could get lengthy.

There are a lot of things happening in my life right now, and yet I feel as though this is getting to be a really lazy time for me. Is it at all possible for life to be both complicated and extremely simple? Perhaps there is a balance between the two that shows the best of both worlds.

Many things have been changing for me in this time of uncertainty. I'm looking at colleges, and thinking about my future. Not just the future in years to come, but the future of tomorrow, next week, and next month. There are many things I would like to do, many things I should do, and many things I need to do. I try to focus to get things ready for tomorrow, but it seems more and more like I keep setting my focus on things far away. I think less about the here and now than I do about the next two, four, and ten years. I have hopes, dreams, and wishes for my future, and those are what I keep thinking about. However, these things do bring me back to the present where I am able to put that future into place. I keep running into the same realization that my future is built upon what I do now. And yet I continue to return to that image, that idea, those dreams of what could be, and what I am working toward.
Within those dreams are the nightmares of what could happen. A man's future is not within his knowledge. With all the possible hopes and joys of his future there come the possible pains and sufferings. 'What can I do to keep these things from happening?' 'Am I the one who is going to cause it?' 'Why would all this happen if that was to be the outcome?'. These are the questions that haunt my thoughts. For the most part they are all things that I have no control over. These are things that I must entrust to God. I say this knowing that I should trust God with all things. What I mean is that these things I speak of are things that I can do nothing for, and so trusting God with them is the only thing to do.
The future is a difficult thing to deal with.

There are changes going on in my life right now. One of the primary changes is in relationships. Some might believe that relationships are mechanical things, but they aren't. Relationships are living things. They eat, grow, feel, and even die. Right now I'm dealing with a lot of changes in various directions with different relationships. Old ones are slowly fading away, new ones are growing deep and strong. And it is within those relationships that I find myself growing as well.

Plans, decisions, relationships, school; life is pretty full. Yet I still feel as though this point in my life is really relaxed. Perhaps it is because I don't feel very challenged. This is not to say that I am not challenged in all this. Only that I have become used to the physical and mental challenges that life was throwing at me for a time. I know that this next term I will meet many more of those kinds of challenges, but for now there aren't too many.
I know that there is a season for everything. I don't think that this time is wasted. There is probably great potential for learning and growth in this time. I have yet to see how, though I'm sure I could hypothesize some of the potential.

Is it possible for life to be both complex and simple at the same time? There is a balance between the two, and I know what factor causes that balance. God is my refuge and my strength. When I place my life in his hands I can't go wrong. My life could become more complex than any other, and it would still be as simple as placing it in God's hands and following Him. I do not say that these are easy things to do; only that it is not a complicated process.

Will It Ever End?!?!

I know I've been gone a lot lately, but I have good news for you...I'm going to be gone for the next two days. This time I will be attending the long awaited Corban College preview.
I have to be there at some time around four o'clock tomorrow. Then I will spend hours and hours getting to know the campus, meeting the professors, and hopefully running into some old compadres. I have an audition for the music department on Friday at 8 PM. I have to sing two songs for my audition, as well as play a piece on my trumpet. I don't know why, but lately I've been thinking that I sound terrible vocally. I don't know why. It might have something to do with the fact that I have recently heard 300 good voices all singing in unison to the point of magnificent beauty within music. And now, I can hear all the imperfections in my own voice.
I guess now I just get to see what God can do with me. I'll be back soon. Laters.

Where Did My Sandwich Go?

Wow, I never realized how easy it could be to not blog. But, it's okay, cause I'm back.
I went to a college preview at Multnomah Bible College on Thursday and Friday. It was interesting. Regardless of whether or not I now think I should go there it was a good thing for me to go to the preview. There have been a lot of things on my mind lately; things that I've been trying to clear up with God; things that I have no control over, and that I tend to want to control anyway. Being at that preview helped me to get back to God, and trust Him with all of it. I have no doubt that the struggle is not over. But then again wars are won in battles, not all at once.
I went to the dentist on Tuesday. I got the 'go ahead' from the Doc. To get my wisdom teeth removed. Now I just have to wait. The consultation is scheduled for the 27th of this month. The extraction is going to be on the 27th of next month. (I prefer the term 'extraction' to 'surgery') They're going to have to put me under during the operation. I guess that's okay cause I won't have to sit there for an hour watching them cut up my mouth. But it will mean that they are going to put even more drugs in my system. I hate the idea of putting drugs into my system. The most powerful drug I've ever taken was aspirin. And I only take those on rare occasions.
But the extraction must take place. I'm getting them taken out on the Monday of spring break. That way I won't miss any school or performances. I'll have a week after I've recovered to practice my instruments before any performances. Pretty much it's the best time to get them taken away.
I guess that's all about that. Laters.

Umm...Could You Get The Phone--It's Ringing

Honestly, I would have posted yesterday, but when I logged on I saw a notice saying something about a scedualed Blogger shutdown at 4 o'clock. Go figure, I got on just before four. So I decided I didn't want to lose a perfectly good post.
I won't be able to post for teh next few days. Tomorrow I leave for to go perform in the Oregon All State Honor Choir. Two days of grueling non-stop practice. (unless you count meal breaks, night time, and the short breaks we sometimes get.) For the most part we will be practicing for hours at a time--taking an ocassional meal or water/bathroom break. By 'we' I mean the top high school voices in the state...supposedly. I know a few voices that aren't going that could have gone easily.
Anyway, I leave tomorrow morning right after the first period of school (just before 9 o'clock), and I'll get back some time Sunday evening.
Till then, keep it real.

If You Can Read This,...Either I'm Well Educated, or You Aren't.

Which would you rather:

Coat your tongue in baking soda?
OR
Drink a liter of vinegar?

The owners and associates of Blogger and of the blog "A life in the day" cannot be held responsible for any harm that might occur from such actions as coating your tongue in baking soda or drinking a liter of vinegar. If you do happen to be stupid enough to actually do such things because of any prompting you might feel you have recieved from this website, do not attempt to sue Blogger nor the owner of this blog. Moderate side affects may occur such as: nausea, sore throat, vomiting, convulsions, and even more stupidity. Take only as directed. Please talk to your Doctor before taking such actions as the afore mentioned.

Laters.

The Messanger

Here's another one that my brother and I took. Good times.

"!!! 00 !!!"

That's right everyone. This is my 100th post. I can hardly believe I've posted that many times. (I really need to get a life.) Well, almost one year and one-hundred posts later, my spelling and grammer has dun guuder (hehe, that's a joke), I've gotten a lot better at just writing stuff, and I'm....(insert something cool, that came about by blogging, here). I'm sure looking forward to the next 100 posts. Oh, and my blog's birthday is coming up in a few months.
In honor of this hundredth post I will write "100" one-hundred times.


100100100100100100100100100100100
100100100100100100100100100100100
100100100100100100100100100100100
100100100100100100100100100100100
100100100100000.....wann'a go ride bikes?

1

Is there really a better way? Seems to me that this is the best way I could find. I dare you to find a better way... Nope, too late. I already did.
So what is it about school that I despise so much? It's not the learning. I get really excited when I learn something new that makes complete sense. People in my chemistry and math classes think I'm a genius...and a freak, but mostly a freak. I love learning.
I think that it must be the time factor. I don't like to waste my time. I mean, it would be really cool if I could learn all the cool stuff without having to learn the other boring stuff. That way I wouldn't waste my time. Then I could get on with life, and do all the other things that I want to do.
The other time waster is homework. I realize that it aides in the learning process. It gives you practice at what you aren't so good at, and forces you to learn things that won't be taught in class. I just wish that it didn't have to be done. There are other things I would like to be doing.
Of course, this term I can't really complain. I only have two classes that give real homework, and they are both classes that I am really good at. So I'm not complaining about school right now. I'm just explaining what kids think the adverse effects of school are.
I don't know what I'll think of college. Granted, if I live on campus there won't be a lot of down time going between my classes and my living quarters. But I hear that college homework can be pretty tricky. Well, as along as I have God helping me with my homework I don't have much to worry about.
I'm still pondering that whole 'British accent first year of college' thing. I'll let you know what I decide. Laters.

2

Friday the 13th everyone. Are you shaking in your shoes yet? OoOOooOooOoOOoO. Creepy!
So I was thinking today tha-.....no...wait, that's a lie. I wasn't really thinking today. But I can tell you this. IT'S A THREE DAY WEEKEND!!! Wow. I used to be home schooled. In those days a three day weekend was a way of life. A whole week weekend was something worth a givin' a shout about. Now I'm in school, and I'll take anything I can get. Just so long as everyone else is taking it too. I wouldn't want anyone else in the class getting ahead of me. Not unless it's Joey.
Joey is this kid in my Chemistry class. He got a every question including all the extra credit questions right on the test last week. Right now he has a 122% in the class. I did almost as well on the test, which gives me a 106% in the class. But what's more, this kid is a freshman.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not mad at nor jealous of him at all. If anything I'm proud of him. He is a home schooler, a trumpet player, and a thespian. I've worked with him in band and on the stage. He is a great kid. And the fact that he is a home school freshman showing up all these public school juniors and seniors, it almost brings a tear to my eye.
I think I'll just leave it all at that for now. Laters.

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I don't know that you could call it insanity. I suppose it would rhyme better that way. But I still prefer to look at it as...eccentricity. So what if the whole plot is lost! I mean, I never wanted to write the thing in the first place. Seems to me there needs to be more doughnuts in the workers lounge anyway. Oh! And I'm still working on that sea-bass. I have all the forms ready. I even have most of the signatures. I just need to get one more signature...and a stamp.
Can you believe they changed the price of postage again? Now all the old stamps are obsolete or a waist of money. Hmm...I wonder what the ratio of the old stamps to the new stamps would have to be for the monetary amounts to be the same between the two. I could find out if I knew how much the new stamps cost...and the old ones(I didn't exactly memorize how much the old ones were worth).
Anyway, as soon as I have those things together, I'll be able to send in the petition, and the great sea-bass would finally be able to join the ranks of the working man...well, the working man who isn't working. After all, that is the whole point of a lounge; that it's a place where people can take a break from their work for a moment.
Good night ladies and gentlemen

What Would It Look Like If You Tilted It Sideways?

First off I would like to tell you that...you got weasels on your face.

I was walking home from the basket ball game earlier this evening--I'm in the pep-band as you all know--when I walked by the stream that flows past the High School. It's just a small stream that goes along the side of the road until it ends up in a pond in one corner of the town. It is because of this stream that there are two bridges that serve as exits from the school parking lot. They aren't anything fancy, just slabs of pavement over the little stream.
I was going home after the game when I walked over this bridge. I've walked over it maybe half a million times before--I walk to and from school every day. This time, however, there was something different about this little stream. It wasn't such a little stream any more.
We've been having some really heavy weather lately. It's hasn't been anything uncommon to Oregon, but I guess that the snow on the mountains has been melting as well. All of these things make for the swelling of any body of water within...who knows how many miles.
Anyway, as I was walking over to the bridge, just before crossing it, I looked at the water level. This little stream had almost reached the bottom of the bridge. It was gushing out like a fire hose. I was amazed at how terrifying this lovely brook had become. No longer was it the clear glistening waters I had seen many times in my comings and goings. No more did it sing with the joyful sound of beauty.
Now it was a raging force on a rampage of destruction. It thundered down around its shores with a roar of urgency.
But the strange thing in all this was not the transformation in the stream. Rather, it was the transformation in my perception of the stream. Or, to be more precise, the lack of change in my perception of it. I was looking at a stream that not long before, in my memory, had held all the beauty of nature within it, but now I was looking at something that had no perceivable beauty in it at all. It was a muddy, tumbling, yelling monster. And yet as I was looking upon it I stood in wonder at the beauty I was beholding.
I did think of all the houses that are located along this stream. In the past it has flooded and caused trouble for every one of those houses. I thought about the possible flooding of the entire uptown area, and still I was enthralled by how beautiful this thing was.
But that's how I'm supposed to be. Most Christians should know that as Christians we have nothing to fear in this life. We don't have to be worried by anything because we know that God is in control of everything that happens. We find it really easy to act on this knowledge when things are going great. It's easy to find beauty in the trickling brook. But when the rains come, and the snows melt, and the pleasant stream turns into a roaring beast that would as soon smash anything in its path as do anything else, then we lose sight of God. These are the times when we have a hard time seeing God in our lives.
It would seem as though all beauty had left the stream. In fact there was really no beauty in the stream to begin with. The beauty was in what God was doing with the stream. So why should God's work loose its beauty when the beauty isn't in the stream? We tend to keep our eyes on the stream and not on God's hand. If only we could look at what God is doing with the stream, beauty would be all we could see, even in the disasters and pains of flooding.

Here We Go Again

Reinstated due to popular demand: It's Kin! (crowd starts screaming and cheering).

Ok, let's get serious now.
Well folks, it happened again. This Friday evening and Saturday morning I was at another reunion. This time it was the summer seminary reunion. The same things happened. Faces incited memories. Jokes and phrases almost forgotten were brought back to life. It was really great to see all those people again. Though I was a little sad that the best friend I had at summer seminary wasn't able to come. He does live all the way up in Washington, so I don't blame him for not showing. But it still would have been really cool if he could have been there. I'm going to have to get back together with him some time. Maybe I'll email him.
Two of my friends from veritas go to Corban college and both of them were able to come to the reunion. I got to talk with them about the college and get some good inside information. One of our theology profs from veritas works at Corban. He showed up as well. I talked with him for a little while. He told me to stop by his office when I visit the college.
I really want to go there. Corban, I mean. I could probably do just fine at Warner Pacific or Multnomah Bible or even community college. But I've already spent two weeks at Corban. I know what it's like around there. It's a beautiful place (if you don't mind the great view of the state penitentiary just across the street).
Warner Pacific feels a little exotic and over powering. Just a little too much for me. (I'm probably just creating these images in my head based on what little I know about the colleges and what little I think of me) Multnomah seems a little bland. I mean sure, they have great bible, and that's not a bad thing, But I think I need a little more than that.
I think the locations are affecting my judgment as well. Multnomah and Warner are both right in the middle of Portland...so to speak. Corban, though in the Salem area, is much further from the actual city buildings and things. It's kind of right on this hillside that looks over these huge fields. You can see the city, but it's still at a comfortable distance. It's a beautiful place.