Thanksgiving Break

I wish I could say that I was refreshed after my Thanksgiving Break. When you are slightly allergic to cats and you have cats in your parents house it can sleeping someone problematic. While not refreshed by sleep, it was wonderful to have the chance to catch up with family and friends.

The Packers are a lost cause...as you can already see, I gave up on updates. What can you say about a team that is 2-9 and yet somehow has manged to outscore their opponents over the course of the season? They are in every game they play until the very end...and it gets for frustrating each time when you know they will find a way to lose the game. It would figure the one year that I get to see to two Packer games, they would be really bad.

Milwaukee Bucks: A Sports Team to Cheer About

If you didn't have the opportunity to catch the Bucks game on Fox Sports North last night, you missed quite a game. The Milwaukee Bucks managed to put together a victory over the Indiana Pacers, 103-102 in a game they probably should have lost. Done 16 at half time and 14 to start the fourth quarter, the Bucks took advantage of bad Indiana three throw shooting and great Bucks free throw shooting in the last few minutes to overcome the Pacers. Mo Williams drained a 3-pointe with time running out to lift the Bucks in last few seconds.

As per usual, I had generally counted the Bucks out of the game in the second quarter when Indiana's lead was reaching 20; I was hoping that the Bucks could at least keep the game close when it wrapped up. For the fifth time this season, the Bucks have won after being behind. With the Packers not really doing anything this year, the 4-1 Bucks have been a real surprise. They could really cause some noise in the NBA East.

Interesting Case Involing UW Eau Claire

If you haven't already had the chance to read about this story, it might be worth your time:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/nov05/368030.asp

It combines various issues that are important to me: Resident Assistants (or Community Advisors :) ), religion and how the two can sometimes overlap. In this case, a Resident Assistant at UW Eau Claire was told by the administration that he would no longer be allowed to host gatherings in which students talked about the bible.

I had honestly not heard much about it until Mark Belling, of 1130 WISN brought this up on November 4, 2005. It brings up the argument about what role the hall plays in a resident assistant's life. Is the hall consider his or her home, or is it considered his or her office? Also, does being a Resident Assistant mean that you need to be viewed as being accessible for all students...does holding a religious meeting make you unapproachable to folks? What are your thoughts. Discuss!

UWO Hall Government Blog

If you have not already, I suggest that you take a look at a blog that was created so that UWO oshkosh residence hall students would be able to talk about the role of hall governments. I have administrative rights, so I may be making a few posts. Of course, I should probably start posting on my own blog consistently first :):

Anyway, check it out: http://hallgov.blogspot.com/

Interesting Quote

I have finally finished the book Black Rednecks and White Liberals and the author has an interesteing quote near the end of his last essay, he says:

"Past grievances, real or imaginary, are equally irremediable in the present, for nothing that is done among living contemporaries can change in the slightest the sins and sufferings of generations who look those sinse and sufferings to the grave with them in centuries past. Galling as it may be to be helpless to redress the crying injustices of the past, symbolic expiation in the present can only create new injustices among the living and new problems for the future, when newborn babies enter the world with pre-packaged grievances against other babies born the same day."

I post this statement to get your thoughts about it. I have my own thoughts about what he is getting at, but I'd be curious to hear what you have to say. I look forward to being part of a lively discussion.

November Update

Hey folks, it's November. This marks some milestones for me. First, as of November 1, 2005 I am now done with my tenure as the interim Fletcher Residence Hall Director; the power has been transferred back to Abby. While the experience has been beneficial and in many ways very positive, it will be nice to be back to working with just one hall.

It will be my birthday on November 4. It is interesting the role that Facebook can play in your life. I have had so many different residents coming up and wishing me a happy birthday, and I'm trying to figure out how they know...thank you Facebook.

I had my meeting with my little brother today. Adam and I will be getting together on the 11th. I believe he will be schooling me in Halo 2.

Big Brother

I wanted to let everyone know that I have officially been accepted to be a "big brother" for Big Brothers/Big Sisters. I will be paired up with a 14-year-old named Adam who I will be meeting next week. I am very, very excited for this opportunity.

Catch-Up Weekend

Again, a little time has passed since I had posted in this journal. The Breese/Fletcher combination has made it difficult to do much outside of work. As a result I have not posted as much as I would like.

This weekend was a wonderful weekend. I know, I know...the Packers did lose. And, yeah, I have given up on the weekly Packer updates...it's not worth it. 1-5. Oi! I had the opportunity to clean my entire apartment and get all of my laundry done. I also had the chance to go through my personal files and get bills paid, get things filed and work on a lot of personal stuff that I have been putting off for awhile.

Update...the dual hall gig will be wrapping up some time next week. While it has been an enjoyable experience, I will look forward to being back to Breese again. Speaking of, Breese tied for first place in Homecoming. Yay!

Packer Post-Game: Week 3

I almost forgot to give my week 3 update. The game against Cleveland was actually watched at Christa's parent's house. Each week the Packers seem to make the game even closer, but still somehow manage to lose. In this game, the Packers fall by 1 point.

For a defense that was supposed to be bad, they have actually started to look pretty good. They have held their opponents to low totals and have had to work harder with the offense turning the ball over 10 times in these three games. Ahmad Carroll even managed to get the only takeaway the Packers have had all season.

It's the vaunted offense, the offense we've sunk so much money into that hasn't produced. Ahman Green has looked OK at best...Favre has looked quite pedestrian...our best receiver is out for the year. Doesn't look good folks.

One Year

In case you wanted to know, Christa and I have been going out for one year. It is wonderful and she is a great girlfriend. Yay. :)

Fletcher RHD Update

Whew...

...I am in a strange state of mind right now. Here it is, a Sunday night, and I actually feeled somehow compelled to go into the office and get work done. What's worse, it actually sounds pretty good. I'm not sure how to feel about that :). At this point, I have done two weeks of the Fletcher/Breese RHD combination, and it has its high points and low points. Here are the highlights:

High Points:

• More oppotunities to work with CA and PA staff on an individual level. I appreciate the chances that I have to talk to and work with staff members in both Fletcher and Breese.
• As someone who does indeed like paperwork, I will never run out.
• It keeps me busy, and that makes the time go by faster.
• I have the opportunity to work with and supervise an ARHD for a few months, so I can see how I feel about that (btw, I have a phenominal ARHD which makes that very cool).

Low Points:

• Everything I do, I do twice. This can make occupancy and conduct a little overwhelming.
• I have to maintain office hours in two halls, which makes it difficult for people to know where to find me.
• It can sometimes be difficult to develope an identity in either hall. I have explained to staff members in both buildings that I sometimes feel more like an administrator than an RHD, but it's all good.

So, there ya go. As my hall leaders would say, I am "two-fisting". *sigh* Nice. :)

Packer Post-Game: Week 2

Another game, another loss. It is very plausible that this team could go into the bye week with a 0-5 or 1-4 record. Their play the last two weeks definitely makes this possible. I will say there were more positive things to note in this game, but it was still very rough

Positives:

(1) When needed the Packer's offense finally got going. You could see an intensity in Favre that I have not seen yet this season. He was obviously fired up and started to move the ball when it was absolutely necessary. He was getting the crowd into it and was trying to fire up the defense.
(2) Fewer penalties. However, there were still too many penalties.
(3) Donald showed a presence that I have not seen in awhile.
(4) Better tackling, but not great.

Negatives:

(1) The defense can not stop anyone when it counts. It was so painful to hear the crowd chanting, "Reggie, Reggie" watch the Packer's defense give up two critical first downs late in the fourth quarter.
(2) Too many pass interference and illegal contact penalties.
(3) No offensive consistency.
(4) Favre has looked rather pedestrian for two straight games.

Honestly, watching this game has shown me that the Packers have definitely entered the rebuilding stage. I have a feeling Favre will be retiring this year as the playoffs are not really a possibility for this team the way they are playing. I am not seeing any changes as the Packers play Tampa Bay.

Take a Deep Breath

Ok folks, time to see which Green Bay team shows up today.

More Internet, Go Brewers

After two years of wondering, I finally had someone from the Management Information Office (MIO) come over and check to see if I have any other available internet ports. I have a total of three, so now my Play Station II is hooked up to the Internet. My ability for on-line gaming took a big step forward. Huzzah!

The Brewers are 72-72 and at the .500 level with 18 games left. Is it possible that the Brewers can finish off the season even close to the .500 mark. That would be most exciting. Since the Packers obviously won't have much to offer, I have a few more weeks to rally around the Brewers and their possible factoring into the Wild Card spot? Are you kidding?? Scary...

Javon Walker, Packer star wide receiver...out for the season. It continues to look bleak, except for Robert Ferguson, who stands to have his numbers improve.

Packer Post-Game: Week 1

Detroit 17, Packers 3

Wow...I have watched a lot of football games throughout the years, but this definitely has to be one of the most boring games of football that I have watched in a long time. Regardless of the Packers poor performance, there was not too much to watch.

The Good News: Interestingly, if you take out Ahmad Carroll's four penalties, the defense actually did not do too bad. They gave up 17 points, but they didn't give up all that many big plays. I thought BJ Sander did a good job of punting the ball. However, there weren't too many other positive things to note.

The Bad News: Too many penalties, 14 that I remember, unless some more happened after I stopped watching the game with 4:00 minutes to go. The offense never really clicked, as there were dropped passes and many poor run plays. The defense still doesn't look like it knows how to tackle. Some players thought arm tackles were sufficient; others thought that simply ducking down and trying to cut under someone counts as a tackle. I thought the new defensive coordinator was teaching fundamentals. Right...

...next week, a match-up with the Browns. This could be interesting. I will attempt to be confident.

Yes, I'm Back...

Hey Folks,

Yes, I'm back and posting. Needless to say, the last month of so of my life has been pretty crazy and it has been difficult for me to have time to post anything on this blog. I made a resolution to keep this journal going and I am going to. If you didn't already know, I will a Residence Hall Director in two different buildings for the first two months of the year. I am excited for the opportunity, but if the past week is any indication, it is going to be a very busy time.

I am watching the Packer game right now. Too many penalties and too many mistakes. My goodnes...

Jim Update

Not too much new on my end. I have now plateaued at 194-195. This is a much better feeling than being at 201-202. Hopefully as I incorporate exercise into my work routine, I will continue to feel better about my weight. We are entering the second full week of RHD training. It's honestly not too bad, but now going through some of the same sessions for the third time, it can wear on you.

For the first time in a long time, I bought a new videogame entitled Medal of Honor: European Assault. I have never really been one for first-person shooter games, but this one looks pretty intense. I'll keep you posted. I am also entering the 7th season of my NBA Live 2005 Milwaukee Bucks franchise. We have won three titles and are on our way to a 4th. September 27th, 2006 is a big release date!

That is all. Stay tuned.

More Sunday Ramblings...

I recommend this book highly for all fans of Lord of the Rings:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1587430851/qid=1124066668
/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-1829006-1271321

The analysis is dead on and it brings a whole level of meaning to Tolkien's story-telling.

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Thank you for all of you who are posting comments. While I will not force anyone to do so, I would prefer if you did not leave comments anonymously; I'd like to know who you are. :)

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The Packers did not really wow me in their first pre-season game of the year. Favre looks in tip-top shape; the defense looks pretty sketchy.

I guess I did curse the Brewers who dropped 5 straight among all the talk of being a sleeper wild card pick.

Vacation Bible School

For those I have talked to recently, you know that this week has been quite crazy. Monday through Friday of this week after RHD training, I was involved with our church's Vacation Bible School. The theme was centered around what life was like in Israel around the time of Jesus. For a christian church, it was interesting to learn a lot about the Jewish faith. Even as a adult, I was learning :).

As an RHD, I work with college students all the time. Looking at my "tribe" for vacation bible school (we represented the Levi family), I had a 3 year old, a 5 year old, a 7 year old and an 8th grader. What an adjustment! The first two days were so frustrating. The next two days, I actually combined with another tribe because I did not feel like I was getting to the kids in my tribe. After observing someone else, I was able to do a pretty decent job with the kids today, the last day. What did I learn from this?

(1) You can't be good at everything. You are always learning, no matter how old you are.
(2) There are teachers everywhere that you can learn from; sometimes you just need to take step back and realize who you can learn from.
(3) Even if children come away with one idea in a day, you have accomplished something (this doesn't change with college students ;))
(4) No matter how frustrating at times, all experiences can be rewarding.

Red Tape and Bureaucracy

Ok...as I have discovered today, so many frustrations in life come because of red tape and bureacracy. When you are lower on the totem pole, you look up sometimes and wonder why things work the way they do and you say, "Boy, if I ever made it to that level things would sure change."

I wonder if it ever really does change, or when we get up there our mindset changes and we adopt the same red tape and bureaucracy. Huh.

Sunday Evening Ramblings...

I can not believe that the Brewers are at .5o0 this late in the season. At 56-56 they are 3rd place in the National League Central and are only 4 games out of the Wild Card spot. Ok, ok...I might have jinzed it, but you have to be impressed.

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I am excited for some books that I have ordered:

(1) Black Rednecks and White Liberals http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1594030863/qid=1123471686
/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_sbs_1/104-1937996-1139938?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

(2) Methodism: Empire of the Spirit
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0300106149/qid=1123471772/sr=2-1
/ref=pd_bbs_b_ur_2_1/104-1937996-1139938

I think these two books will be very interesting and thought provoking.
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I decided to get into a format where I schedule two blog entries a week and will have other entries as seems fit. That is all for now...stay tuned and keep reading.

RHD Training Tomorrow

Sorry folks! It's been a long time since I've put in an entry. We had the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Fly-In in Oshkosh. I worked the desk for this conference and did not have much free time. I had a window of free time to let you know that I start training for my Residence Life Director job tomorrow. Huzzah!

Jane Fonda on the Move

Jane Fonda is reportedly beginning a tour in a car that runs on oil. She plans on going around the country protesting the War in Iraq. I honestly thought this was a joke when I read it.

Does anyone really care about this?

Link is here: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050725/D8BIE6HO0.html

Progress

Well folks, I jumped on the scale this morning and I am at 195. I started at 201 and I am very excited to see the weight coming off. It’s a humble start and I hope the trend continues. I see so many books and so many diets out there; it’s pretty scary. The Jim Droste diet is the following: (1) Exercise 45-60 minutes a day, (2) Limit soda, (3) Limit booze and (4) Don’t eat a lot of fried foods. It’s simple…and it’s worked so far.

Bucks and Packers - Early Predictions

The summer is sort of a low point for me when it comes to sports. To fill the void to some degree I would like to talk about what, to me, is the most exciting part of the sports year. I cannot wait until November and December of 2005 when NFL football is in the midst of the playoff race and NBA basketball is just beginning. To celebrate the anticipation of the time, I thought I would give you, the reader, my thoughts on the upcoming Packers and Bucks season.

Bucks

I must say, I am pretty excited for the Bucks season this year. In terms of player personnel, they have made some great moves. It all started with re-signing Michael Redd; that was a must. They then draft Andrew Bogut to hopefully sure up the center position. They then go out and sign Bobby Simmons, a swing man that can play the SG/SF position. They get Jiri Welsch in a traded to have plenty of dedpth in the guard position. Signing Danny Gadzuric secures one big man and you have Joe Smith returning. My only concern is getting a few more big men signed to add some depth there. Zaza would help. I think this team is young and exciting and I think they could compete for a 7^th or 8^th seed in the East.

The only thing that perplexes me in the firing of Terry Porter and the hiring of Terry Stotts. Porter had one year left on his contract, and was told by Bucks general manager Tom Harris that he was “the coach” for the Bucks. A few months later, he is given the axe and they go in a different direction. They then hire a coach in Stotts who has less head coaching experience. I think they should have stuck with Porter and honored his contract.

Packers

*sigh* I am really looking forward to NFL football. I with I could say I was excited for the prospects of the Green Bay Packers this year. I think the Packers have a solid offense (although the offensive line is a little suspect), unfortunately the defense has suffered as a result. There are no leaders on that defense and I think they will give up a lot of points, especially via the pass. I don’t see them doing much better then 9-7. If they make the playoffs, they would squeak in as a 6^th seed.

Into the West

If you watch TNT you know how they advertise the heck out of any new programming that they introduce for their channel. Through this route, they completely turned me off to their new series Wanted. However, a show that they have advertised that I was excited to see was the 6-part mini-series called Into the West.

I have always been intrigued by the "wild west" and the learning about the expansion of the United States beyond the Mississippi River. Although skeptical of the drama component of the series (after all, TNT is the place for drama), I was intrigued to watch a show that would talk about the West. I loved the 1970's series Kung Fu, also about the west. Check out this show if you haven't already: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068093/. Anyway, I digress...

I must say that despite some hesitation about how "cheesy" the series would be, I was actually very impressed with the series. Despite some continuity issues, I thought the acting was superb and the social issues of the time that they hit upon were very poignant. In fact, I find myself slightly troubled after seeing this series as I look back at our Manifest Destiny.

In our quest to reach the Pacific Ocean, we essentially took a native people and forced them onto reservations so that we would take their land. Granted, I did learn about this history classes and it has been touched upon in other films that I have watched, but some reason Into the West really struck me. I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of guilt for what happened over 100 years ago. As I reflect on these episodes, it makes we wonder what I can do now.

What is an appropriate response? Do you simply feel bad for what happened and let it go with that? Do you do your best to research and understand what happened to native americans so that you know the whole story? Do you apologize to native americans as a group? Are reparations in order? I honestly don't know the answer...and I'm not sure what I can do, but Into the West definitely got me thinking again about how the United States treated native americans in the 1800s.

Exercise!

A few weeks ago, I finally got fed up with my lifestyle. I was not exercising. I was drinking a lot of carbonated and caffeinated beverages. I was drinking quite a bit of alcohol. I was eating a lot of fatty foods. All of this was really taking a toll on my body. When the sacle got over 200 pounds and was resting at 202, I realized that I needed a change.

So, I bought a mountain bike, the smartest exercising move I have made in a long time. I have tried to get back into running (I ran all four years of high school), but I found that it hurt my knees and it was difficult to get myself motivated to do it. I find biking to be so much easier and more enjoyable. So, now I bike six times a week. I have strated simple and plan over time to vary my workouts and get more complex.

Along with the exercise, I have made other changes. I am now consistently taking a vitamin every day. This sounds so simple, doesn't it? But I could never get myself to consistently take a vitamin each day. I have been eating more fruits and vegetables, and I have been eating out a lot less. I have greatly decreased my consumption of alcohol. All of these changes have resulted in my loss of 4 pounds over the last two weeks. It is a great feeling to not see the scale reach the 200 mark for a week.

I suppose the summer is the right time to try to make this change. Without work, things are much more relaxed and I have the time to start taking care of my body. I am hopeful that with these habits established this summer, it shouldn't be difficult to keep them during a hectic academic year.

Political Musings...

*** DANGER: Conservative Viewpoints Found Below ***

I was reading The Drudge Report this morning and I found an interesting link:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-chait22jul22,0,3359930.
column?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

In this Op-Ed piece, the author talks about whether or not President Bush exercises too much. This question comes about as Bush talked to his recent Supreme Court nominee about his exercise habits. The author talks about how Bush has been out exercising when important events have occurred. Huh?

If anything, I am excited by the fact that our president wants to keep in good shape. I wish I could bench press 185 pounds once, no less five times. It actually makes me proud to know our president is in good health. I find this to be in stark contrast to our previous president who "ran" but really wasn't in very good shape. Do we really think the president wouldn't be informed of something important while he was exercising? There always has to be something...

...speaking of that, Bush recently named US Circuit Court Judge John Roberts, Jr. as his nominee for the recent vacancy of Sandra Day O'Conner. I do not envy Bush having to put up this nominee. Even though Bush campaigned for his second term stating that he would nominate conservative justices (and he won this election with the most popular votes ever), he is expected by Democrats to appoint a "moderate" who can "bring the country together". What a crock!

When Ruth Ginsburg was nominated, she was considered by many to be one of the most liberal appointments to the court. She was passed by the Senate with only four votes against. Clinton was a Democrat and he selected a liberal appointee; no surprise there. However, Senators should realize that as long as a candidate has no glaring issues, they will probably be fine. I am amused that with Roberts's nomination, the pick is considered devisive and partisan. Some Democrats think that there will be a filibuster put in the way. I give up...he'll be a fine justice. Let's just approve the nomination and move on. Until Renquist eventually retires, then the fun begins again.

A New Frontier...

After various failed attempts, with remnants of previous "blogs" sitting somewhere in cyberspace, I have decided to try again. The first time I attempted on-line journaling, I tried to keep a personal journal and that didn't work out too well. The second time I tried an on-line journal, I tried to comment about some of the strange happenings of the world we live in. This time, I will try to do both. Perhaps by leaving all my options open I might have more success.

I am currently in the middle of reading Hugh Hewitt's book entitiled Blog: Understanding the Information Reformation That's Changing Your World. In the process of reading his words, I realize the power that is available in blogging. Hopefully his words will serve as an inspiration to actually continue writing.

What will you find in this journal? You will find a daily entry that covers a variety of topics. I will post about improtant events in my life. I will post my thoughts on politics and current events. I will post about some random thought that occurred to me. There may even be more. Stay tuned. We'll see what comes next...