So much has happened in the last week in my life.
The Andude and Matt and I had a classic porch night, which included an equally classic heated argument which undoubtedly would have included intense yelling if we weren't so concerned about waking the Andude's new neighbors.
I bought a car - a grey 2004 Honda Civic. Well, actually the credit union bought it, but I'll pay them back.
Drew and I enjoyed a nice morning beer (pre-9 AM) the other day when we had breakfast. Then he left to go lead a devotional.
Then my dad and I took turns driving my car as we traveled from Houston to Rock Springs, Wyoming. We left at 8 PM Friday night and we got here 22 hours and 1,356 miles later. Tomorrow we're going to Yellowstone where we will stay for 2 nights before driving the rest of the way to Seattle on Tuesday. When we get there my dad and I are going to take Rene out to dinner, then set up the cot that I will be sleeping on in Rene's apartment until I find a place of my own.
School starts on the 5th of September, and until then I'm just going to look for a job and/or roommates. I'm taking four classes this fall:
Intro to Hermeneutical Task: The Art of Reading Beyond the Page
Faith, Hope and Love
Interpersonal Foundations
Counseling Practicum I
I don't really know exactly what those classes are going to be about, but don't they have cool names?
This is by far the craziest thing I've ever done. Almost all of the people that I love and care about are in Texas, but I'm moving to Seattle. I feel like I've brought hardly anything, whether material or personal. Not much fits in that car - two computers, clothes, books, a couple of coffee makers. Is it weird that I brought two computers and two coffee makers but couldn't find the room for a chair or a bed? My priorities are pretty screwed up.
I feel like I'm on an adventure. And I'm getting a lot of help and support from people like my parents and Rene, but for the first time I really feel like I'm on an adventure with just God and me. Other characters come in and out, but at the end of the day even I'm playing a supporting role to whatever he has planned. In the coming months I'm going to feel frustrated and stressed and lonely at times, but I'm not going to be able to fix it myself. Everything is a gift from God. Things could look really good on paper throughout this whole experience, or maybe they'll look really terrible, but after all is said and done I think I'll be closer to my Creator than ever, and in spite of the blood, sweat and tears that might cost, I'm excited about that right now.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Thursday, August 10, 2006
The Stadium Blues: Part Deux
Not that I mean to discount the urgency of the post below, but . . . . well, I'm not sure how to end that sentence. Anyway, on Tuesday I will leave the Stadium behind. I have only lived there for nigh on three months, and at the most, it only had four residents (Edison doesn't really count cause he was never there, even if he was, you didn't know), but it felt like a home to me.
As Cabe was saying, the character of the house and the residents within was what made it great. It didn't matter that it doesn't have a dishwasher, or a washer/dryer, or central air, or insulation of any kind. It was the surprises that made it great. The fact that you could open the pantry door and, supposing you didn't see any, you could hear about a thousand bugs, similar to the bug scene in Temple of Doom. Plus, there was the greatness of the airsoft guns used as pest control. That, or the numerous fires we set on the front porch. Or the time the cops came after Cabe and I for setting off fireworks in the trash can out front. Numerous good times.
One of the reasons I loved the place so much was the fact that the house was almost a 6th roommate, and it fit in so well. It was in a perpetual state of dirtiness, the fridge would break down, not all the stove burners worked, the A/C units never quite worked right, all the floors creaked, the nails on the stairs stuck out, the bathroom looked like it had been mold-plated, the front door was never consistent in opening, often confusing first-time visitors and making them think it was locked.
Sadly, this is all coming to an end. With the exception of Brandon Fain, the Stadium will have complete newbies in the house. What I mean by that is that there will be no overlap of old housemates with the new, to influence and guide them as they make their transition into the entity that is the Stadium. Thus, the Stadium has recently lost part of its soul. Those responsible: Nathan Brasher, Richard, and sadly, yours truly. Within two days of moving in the house, Nathan Brasher completely cleaned the kitchen, bathroom and living room. And by completely cleaned, I mean the only remnants of dirt were those stubborn stains that simply won't budge, God bless 'em. He also replaced the shower curtain, that dear shower curtain. Then, Richard added on to it by mowing the yard, replacing the linoleum in the bathroom, cutting the trees that were touching the roof, and cleaning out the A/C units. My part in this whole mess has been letting them do all this. This day will live in infamy.
Lastly, I will miss the vicinity to Hyde Park and surrounding areas. I am moving to East 16th Street. Yes, I am finally moving on up to the east side. I finally got a piece of the pie, but it is a bittersweet pie. A blackberry pie, if you will. You see, I never really took advantage of the area until last night. Sure, I visited several places in the area with Cabe and the likes, but we usually drove everywhere. This is so unneccesary, and I didn't truly realize this until last night.
You see, last night I got tired of hanging out with people and left the traditional nightly social gathering early. I went home to the Stadium, grabbed my cigarrettes, my wallet and a copy of Blue Like Jazz. I don't normally smoke, only in times of stress, and recently things have been weighing down on me. Anyway, I walked towards JP's Java in hopes that they were open at 11:30 at night. When I got there, I decided I didn't just want to sit, smoke and read, but I wanted a beer. So, I headed towards Crown and Anchor. But when I got there, it seemed too much of a bar scene, whereas I just wanted a coffee shop with balls. So, naturally, I headed to Spider House. I went in, ordered a Chimay on draught, sat with my chalice, lit up a Dunhill cigarrette (a British brand, to be sure in my elitist attitude) and began reading that last of Blue Like Jazz. It was amazing, not only the book, the smoke, and the beer, but the atmosphere. At around midnight, a band started playing a kind of country/bluegrass/down home music. I felt like I had discovered a new world, yet everyone knows about it. I feel like such a yuppie writing this, but I will definitely miss this area of Austin. My only hope is that I get a bike and the weather is nice for most of the year so I can traverse 35 without driving.
I guess all this is to say I got into Austin a couple years too late. If I had started here instead of the pirate whore that SMU is, I would have a completely different view of college life. My life has been completely changed since March when I started giving a damn about other people. If any of you are in town, feel free to stay at my place. Funds permitting, I'll even buy you a beer.
As Cabe was saying, the character of the house and the residents within was what made it great. It didn't matter that it doesn't have a dishwasher, or a washer/dryer, or central air, or insulation of any kind. It was the surprises that made it great. The fact that you could open the pantry door and, supposing you didn't see any, you could hear about a thousand bugs, similar to the bug scene in Temple of Doom. Plus, there was the greatness of the airsoft guns used as pest control. That, or the numerous fires we set on the front porch. Or the time the cops came after Cabe and I for setting off fireworks in the trash can out front. Numerous good times.
One of the reasons I loved the place so much was the fact that the house was almost a 6th roommate, and it fit in so well. It was in a perpetual state of dirtiness, the fridge would break down, not all the stove burners worked, the A/C units never quite worked right, all the floors creaked, the nails on the stairs stuck out, the bathroom looked like it had been mold-plated, the front door was never consistent in opening, often confusing first-time visitors and making them think it was locked.
Sadly, this is all coming to an end. With the exception of Brandon Fain, the Stadium will have complete newbies in the house. What I mean by that is that there will be no overlap of old housemates with the new, to influence and guide them as they make their transition into the entity that is the Stadium. Thus, the Stadium has recently lost part of its soul. Those responsible: Nathan Brasher, Richard, and sadly, yours truly. Within two days of moving in the house, Nathan Brasher completely cleaned the kitchen, bathroom and living room. And by completely cleaned, I mean the only remnants of dirt were those stubborn stains that simply won't budge, God bless 'em. He also replaced the shower curtain, that dear shower curtain. Then, Richard added on to it by mowing the yard, replacing the linoleum in the bathroom, cutting the trees that were touching the roof, and cleaning out the A/C units. My part in this whole mess has been letting them do all this. This day will live in infamy.
Lastly, I will miss the vicinity to Hyde Park and surrounding areas. I am moving to East 16th Street. Yes, I am finally moving on up to the east side. I finally got a piece of the pie, but it is a bittersweet pie. A blackberry pie, if you will. You see, I never really took advantage of the area until last night. Sure, I visited several places in the area with Cabe and the likes, but we usually drove everywhere. This is so unneccesary, and I didn't truly realize this until last night.
You see, last night I got tired of hanging out with people and left the traditional nightly social gathering early. I went home to the Stadium, grabbed my cigarrettes, my wallet and a copy of Blue Like Jazz. I don't normally smoke, only in times of stress, and recently things have been weighing down on me. Anyway, I walked towards JP's Java in hopes that they were open at 11:30 at night. When I got there, I decided I didn't just want to sit, smoke and read, but I wanted a beer. So, I headed towards Crown and Anchor. But when I got there, it seemed too much of a bar scene, whereas I just wanted a coffee shop with balls. So, naturally, I headed to Spider House. I went in, ordered a Chimay on draught, sat with my chalice, lit up a Dunhill cigarrette (a British brand, to be sure in my elitist attitude) and began reading that last of Blue Like Jazz. It was amazing, not only the book, the smoke, and the beer, but the atmosphere. At around midnight, a band started playing a kind of country/bluegrass/down home music. I felt like I had discovered a new world, yet everyone knows about it. I feel like such a yuppie writing this, but I will definitely miss this area of Austin. My only hope is that I get a bike and the weather is nice for most of the year so I can traverse 35 without driving.
I guess all this is to say I got into Austin a couple years too late. If I had started here instead of the pirate whore that SMU is, I would have a completely different view of college life. My life has been completely changed since March when I started giving a damn about other people. If any of you are in town, feel free to stay at my place. Funds permitting, I'll even buy you a beer.
Monday, August 07, 2006
In a story that is in NO way related to my post from August 4:
If you know of anyone who needs a place to live in Austin, TX, tell me or Brandon Fain. Brandon is looking for a fifth roommate to live in an enormous upstairs room in a house on 34th street. The location is really sexy (walking distance from the University of Texas) and the rent is very affordable, especially considering how much space this person will have. I hear they have stadium seating in their living room, too. Seriously though, Brandon is in a tough spot, and anything you could do to find someone who might live there would be great. Thanks.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Stadium Blues
A week ago tonight was my last night in The Stadium. I really miss the place. I mean sure, it was a piece of crap house, but it had personality, and a personality I enjoyed. Don't get me wrong, I really have loved the luxury of central air conditioning in the last week, but The Stadium's lack of that really only added to its charm in my opinion. I have a lot of memories in that house, and probably because I lived there for two years it will forever define in my mind my college experience more than any other location. Of course the place still haunts my dreams.
Literally. Last night I had a dream that I was battling roaches in my old room. And when I say battle, I mean of epic proportions. They were invading my room and I was killing as many as I could with my right flip flop. It was like a scene from Lord of the Rings, except there was no CGI, it was all real. I had to smash each one hard enough to kill it, but softly enough so that I didn't break whatever fragile object they happened to be climbing upon. These roaches were very clever in my dream, and seemed to only perch themselves on items made of glass or other breakables.
I smashed one once that was so big that it exploded all over my bed (which was at least 5 feet away). I wanted to stop to clean it off, but I couldn't because the evil horde kept advancing (they were hitting me pretty hard on my left flank at the time). As scary as that sounds to most of you, it seemed pretty natural to me. I was pretty steamed at them for getting their yellow slime and fragments of exoskeleton on my sheets, but other than that it just felt like business as usual.
When I woke up I was kind of disappointed that I wasn't able to be surrounded by roaches, or be engulfed by a heat wave when I walked into the living room, or watch as Nathan tried to get Matt to look at him naked, or patrol the neighborhood with the Andude trying to find cats that we can shoot with airsoft guns, or participate in some ridiculous argument with Matt.
She was a good house, and she'll be missed.
Literally. Last night I had a dream that I was battling roaches in my old room. And when I say battle, I mean of epic proportions. They were invading my room and I was killing as many as I could with my right flip flop. It was like a scene from Lord of the Rings, except there was no CGI, it was all real. I had to smash each one hard enough to kill it, but softly enough so that I didn't break whatever fragile object they happened to be climbing upon. These roaches were very clever in my dream, and seemed to only perch themselves on items made of glass or other breakables.
I smashed one once that was so big that it exploded all over my bed (which was at least 5 feet away). I wanted to stop to clean it off, but I couldn't because the evil horde kept advancing (they were hitting me pretty hard on my left flank at the time). As scary as that sounds to most of you, it seemed pretty natural to me. I was pretty steamed at them for getting their yellow slime and fragments of exoskeleton on my sheets, but other than that it just felt like business as usual.
When I woke up I was kind of disappointed that I wasn't able to be surrounded by roaches, or be engulfed by a heat wave when I walked into the living room, or watch as Nathan tried to get Matt to look at him naked, or patrol the neighborhood with the Andude trying to find cats that we can shoot with airsoft guns, or participate in some ridiculous argument with Matt.
She was a good house, and she'll be missed.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Skype
So recently a few of us had our first Skype phone call. It was less like a phone call and more like we were all just living in a dorm room or something. Each of us were working on other things or doing whatever, but at any point we could talk about something. It was really cool.
So I was thinking, that the Matthew readings/postings have not gotten off to such a hot start. I already know Cabe can figure out where this is going and so far he's in. Logistically what I'm about to propose may in fact be impossible as far as schedules go and time zones and what not.
Before I propose it: Drew, Garrett, Sam, Andude, Nathan all need to go get SKYPE
Download it, it's free, you need a microphone and speakers. Then do a search and find all the rest of us, we're already on.
So what I propose is that we do a conference call and read a chapter of Matthew together once a week. 1 hour or less, maybe even just 20 minutes. But 1 chapter a week. Thursday afternoons, at 2pm.
I just picked a time. But if someone proposes a better time I'm down. We will have to adjust to B-Mart and Coop's locations. But for now why not?
Thoughts, alternative times?
So I was thinking, that the Matthew readings/postings have not gotten off to such a hot start. I already know Cabe can figure out where this is going and so far he's in. Logistically what I'm about to propose may in fact be impossible as far as schedules go and time zones and what not.
Before I propose it: Drew, Garrett, Sam, Andude, Nathan all need to go get SKYPE
Download it, it's free, you need a microphone and speakers. Then do a search and find all the rest of us, we're already on.
So what I propose is that we do a conference call and read a chapter of Matthew together once a week. 1 hour or less, maybe even just 20 minutes. But 1 chapter a week. Thursday afternoons, at 2pm.
I just picked a time. But if someone proposes a better time I'm down. We will have to adjust to B-Mart and Coop's locations. But for now why not?
Thoughts, alternative times?
I'm always a bridesmaid, never a bride.
Nathan is now engaged to Marcie Henry. All of that went down this past Friday. In response to that i wanted to extend my congratulations here on the blog, and allow all of you to do the same.
I also wanted to request the whole story from Nathan's point of view in the form of a blog post.
Let's hear it, buddy.
I also wanted to request the whole story from Nathan's point of view in the form of a blog post.
Let's hear it, buddy.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
So Bennigan's closed tonight
Bennigan's in McAllen closed tonight. Permanently. I couldn't help but laugh, out loud actually. I'm still laughing. Sure I had fun there, but come on what kind of crappy business management could crap that up? Here's to incompetence. We've heard rumors of some sort of improprieties or something.
It's hardly worth noting and yet it really is. As far as the McAllen chapter of our blog goes, Bennigan's was a staple. Good or bad, I'm not sure. Probably both. I don't really have much more to say about the subject. I just felt like it should be noted in passing. Here's a great big "Oh well, moving on..."
Speaking of moving on... actually I'm not really. Today I had an eye dr. appt. No biggie, just trying to make sure my glasses are up to date before I head out. So I don't know if you guys get the whole pupil dilation thing done to you, but that's pretty much torture. I have a condition in my eyes that makes me extremely sensitive to light in normal conditions, much less with dilated pupils. I don't know if the doctor forgot that, or was just being an ass, but I almost feel compelled to pass onto the CIA this new untraceable torture technique. Seriously, I confess already, I did it! Oh man, I promise I'm trying as hard as I can to keep my eyes open but the bright light, and you sticking stuff in them does not help! It'd be one thing if you were understanding doctor, but you were an ass! Come on keep your eyes open. Oh I'm sorry, I normally can keep my eyes open just fine when staring at the sun, I don't know what's wrong today. Hmmmm. Maybe it's I have a freaking condition that my eyes let too much light in? Oh oops was that not on the chart? Oh by the way you may have glacouma. I mean you're in the high normal range, it's just I'm a paranoid doctor, and normally you're very normal. Whatever just stop sticking me in the eye with the light, I don't care. Oh and get me a prescription for some weed.
Most of the above was my mental processing during my eye doctor visit. Little was actually voiced, but it should have been. I have to go back next Monday for more torture. Pray that I don't have glacouma and that the doctor is just an overly cautious prick. Oh but I'm less blind in my right eye. Go figure. Anyway, it's not really a big deal but any prayer is appreciated.
It's hardly worth noting and yet it really is. As far as the McAllen chapter of our blog goes, Bennigan's was a staple. Good or bad, I'm not sure. Probably both. I don't really have much more to say about the subject. I just felt like it should be noted in passing. Here's a great big "Oh well, moving on..."
Speaking of moving on... actually I'm not really. Today I had an eye dr. appt. No biggie, just trying to make sure my glasses are up to date before I head out. So I don't know if you guys get the whole pupil dilation thing done to you, but that's pretty much torture. I have a condition in my eyes that makes me extremely sensitive to light in normal conditions, much less with dilated pupils. I don't know if the doctor forgot that, or was just being an ass, but I almost feel compelled to pass onto the CIA this new untraceable torture technique. Seriously, I confess already, I did it! Oh man, I promise I'm trying as hard as I can to keep my eyes open but the bright light, and you sticking stuff in them does not help! It'd be one thing if you were understanding doctor, but you were an ass! Come on keep your eyes open. Oh I'm sorry, I normally can keep my eyes open just fine when staring at the sun, I don't know what's wrong today. Hmmmm. Maybe it's I have a freaking condition that my eyes let too much light in? Oh oops was that not on the chart? Oh by the way you may have glacouma. I mean you're in the high normal range, it's just I'm a paranoid doctor, and normally you're very normal. Whatever just stop sticking me in the eye with the light, I don't care. Oh and get me a prescription for some weed.
Most of the above was my mental processing during my eye doctor visit. Little was actually voiced, but it should have been. I have to go back next Monday for more torture. Pray that I don't have glacouma and that the doctor is just an overly cautious prick. Oh but I'm less blind in my right eye. Go figure. Anyway, it's not really a big deal but any prayer is appreciated.
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