The Nightmare

This past Friday I had the opportunity to go to The Nightmare in Marshfield, WI. My CA on 2nd Floor Breese, Mike Chastain brought up to the idea of traveling for this event. Utilizing the resources available to us on campus we were able to get the travel for the event covered as well as the majority of the admission cost for the 10 of us that went to the event.

The Nightmare is meant to graphically depict the most common ways that teenagers and young adults die. It is something like a haunted house, but it isn't meant to scare you like a haunted house scares you. It is meant to make you think and portray these things so graphically that it forces you to think about it. The Nightmare ends with a depiction of the crucifixion of Christ as well as some information about the church that put the event on.

The following thoughts and reflections represent my thoughts on the event and are not meant to slight Mike as he spent a lot of time and energy putting this event together. With no further ado:

• This was a well-coordinated event. The line was managed well and the flow of the actual Nightmare was well done. There was excellent timing, excellent acting and some excellent work done in making everything seem real.
  
• We had to travel 2 hours each way and wait outside for the event for 2.5 hours. With The Nightmare only being about 20-25 minutes, it didn't seem to me to be quite worth it. Of course, it was practically free.
• No matter how you slice, the events depicted inside The Nightmare could still be perceived as fake. This may sound funny for someone who can easily suspend reality and enjoy fantasy and science fiction books and movies. However, when the goals is to show real odern events, that is a different story. They tried hard, but I could not make the jump.
• The security at the event tried to be all serious and take all of the fun out of us before we went into the event. Not a fan, in fact some of us were threatened with not being to go through the event. Ok, I'll take my $8 back. Yeesh.
• The Christian message in all of this all quite obvious, especially at the end. The crucifixion scene was definitely the most intense of all that I saw.
  

There was a website you could go to after the event to see what this was all about.

Camp Onaway - Part 3

For the third time in three months, I traveled to Camp Onaway. This time I was invited back by the WURHA organization to do a series of presentations. WURHA was holding their annual fall retreat called Bringing Leaders Together (BLT). At this event advisors are often wondering what they can do with their time becuase the programming at these events usually revolves around students.

Steph and I thought it would be a good idea to offer some programmig options for advisors. As such, I came back to the Onaway to present 3 sessions of ART Training for the advisors that were there. The sessions ended up going about 2.5 hours and they seemed to be useful to those in attendance...

...this trip to Onaway was the strangest I have had. It was the first time I came for something not affiliated with UW Oshkosh; it was also the latest in the year I have visited the camp. Everything was packed up as if the island was going to close, which it was once we left. The soda machines were cleaned out, the docks were packed up, sports equipment was gone. It felt somewhat empty.

Without large amounts of enthusiastic leaders, the energy of the island was not the same. We didn't stay in cabins, we mostly stayed in headquarters. The weather was too cold (and too wet) to do any outdoor activities; we stayed mostly in the dining hall. Games like "lightning" were not played. It just didn't feel quite the same.

I did have the opportunity to take a lap around the island, something I try to do every time I go to the island. It was nice to take in the magic of the island one more time. My only regret was not staying until lunch...I missed Onaway pizza!

I received a boat ride back to the mainland from the head of the island. He and I were chatting and I explained that I met my future wife at Camp Onaway. He was really happy to hear that! He was also excited that I had the opportunity to come to Onaway so many times in a year. I told him that I could not wait until next year when I can come back!

This Week...

It's the week that doesn't end...it just goes on and on my friend...

This week has been pretty rough. In addition to the normal crazines that makes an RHD's week, I took on the following extra responsibilities this week:

• Fall Preview Day Mini-Fair (Thursday and Friday)
• Fall Preview Day Student Affairs Sessions (Thursday and Friday)
• Career Services Mock Interviews (Thursday)
• Art Training Sessions at Bringing Leaders (BLT) Together Retreat (Friday Evening)

Needless to say, it has been a crazy week getting through all of this. Christa hasn't exactly had the greatest week either and neither or us has really slept all that well. She had a lot work due for classes this week.

I think we will both simply be happy when this week is in the books. Then we can plan for my 30th Birthday Party! Woot.

The Desire to Conduct

So, yesterday afternoon the choir director of my church called to let me know that she would be unable to rehearse with our vocal and bell choirs that evening. She asked if I would be willing to do the rehearsals. This would seem like a no brainer; after all, my undergraduate degree was in music education (with an emphasis in choral directing!).

However, there is a reasons I am not a choir director. I don't enjoy it. I discovered this with about one year left in my program while I was doing my clinical. I thought to myself, "I can't do this as a job...I would go crazy!" I was so far into my program that I did not want to change majors. So, I gutted it out and managed to get through student teaching, although I would easily consider it the worst 18 weeks of my life. It solidified the fact that I wanted nothing to do with music education.

If you didn't already know, I was the choir director of FUMC Oshkosh for one year. I did this when I graduated so that I had a source of income while I was doing my graduate school search for student affairs. I enjoyed that to some degree, mostly because of the people. The members of the congregation were wonderful and supportive. In fact, it was mostly because of them that I chose to come back as a member when I made my way back to Oshkosh.

To get back to the current story, I told Cara I would direct the choirs but I was not really happy about it. She understood, but was also very grateful. In the end, I can do it. It helped that Roger Lalk was willing to help with bell choir so that I could play bells. That made things a little more tolerable.

By the way, will this week ever end? It has been crazy busy...and this directing gig last night didn't help.

30th Birthday Party

I am having a birthday party next Friday, November 3, 2006 from 8:00 PM to midnight. Anyone who will be in the area (and who I actually know) is welcome to join the festivities. I hopeful that it will be a good time for everyone.

There will be food, raffle prizes and lots of video games. It will be an interesting mix of folk, just remember that the doors to Breese lock at 9:00 PM. You will need to be let in to the building after that time. Also, this is an alcohol-free event.

I have provided the Facebook link in this message for more information. If you don't have access to facebook, just leave me a message I can get you details.

Kid in a Candy Store

So, last night I went to the library to see if I could find Christa while she was studying for her Chemistry exam coming this Thursday. I wussed out before I made it to her usual study area, but on the way out I noticed the large collection of CDs that Polk Library has available. For most of you it will be a letdown because they are almost entirely classical CDs with a few jazz CDs thrown in there as well. I can't tell you how excited I was, what a way to bolster my music collection, especially in the area of classical music.

Ah yes, but now the dilemma. These CDs would make a wonderful addition to my ever growing collection of music my my I-Tunes. However, all of the music I have on there (with a few exceptions) I have purchased myself. I face an interesting ethical dilemma of whether or not I want to start ripping these CDs onto my I-Tunes. I realize it will only be for my own use, but we'll have to think about it.

Anna tells me they also have a large selection of CDs at the library. Ahh!

Merging of Blogs - Good Samaritan

One blog is enough. I tried to maintain two blogs, but for some reason I can't kep consistent with it. So, I have decided that I can put some religious thoughts in this blog and probably not seriously tick anyone off. If you do object, any blog abotu religion will be tagged so you don't have to read it and you can skip it.

I have mentioned in a previous blog that I receive a daily bible excerpt along with a reflection story. I get this from Upper Room, a part of United Methodist ministries. Today's bible lesson was very meaningful for me:

Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." (Luke 10:30-37)

Ah yes, the story of the good Samaritan. That phrase had definitely made it into our culture, heck we even have a Good Samaritan clause written into our law. Here is a man that has no real reason to help someone, but gives much of his time and resources to be helpful to him. He was generous and thought not of being repayed for his kindness. Jesus asked that others go out and act as the Good Samaritan did.

It sounds pretty simple and, in the end, I bet you we all act like the good Samaritan every day, doing nice things for others, but I bet you they are safe things, small things. They may take a few minutes out of our days or maybe a few dollars, but that's it.

When I read this story, Jesus is saying "Give, and give generously." This story makes me want to be the Good Samaritan, but really give to others. Jesus wants us to help others so that our money and our time becomes everyone's money and time so that we might be able to help out our fellow people. What can you do?

Packers Chalk Up a Second Victory

Well, it wasn't always pretty, but the Packers won. A victory is a victory; plus, the schedule over the next few weeks looks favorable for the Packers as well with games against the Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills coming up.

There was definitely some things to be happy about:

• Favre had a great game, getting two touchdown passes in the game. He had some throws that could have easily been intercepted, but they didn't so we'll take it.
• Ahman showed some flashes of his former brilliance as he got a TD himself.
• The defense generated some turnovers and gave the team some life. It was good to see them come out on the positive end of the turnover margin.
• Many rookies stood up and produced today. AJ Hawk gets better and better with each game.
  

Some concerns:

• The defense played better, but still struggles to truly dominate an entire game.
• We need WR help and quickly. The next few games won't be too bad, we need to get some folks healthy in a hurry.
• The quality of announcers. The crappier the Packers get the worse the announcers we get. These two today were awful. Matt Vascercian (sp?) used to announce for the Milwaukee Brewers and he was great! His transfer to football, not so great. They misnamed players, often misjudged yardage to first down and did not even understand some of the basics of the game. Jim may be switching to the radio feed and muting the TV.
• Favre can't be this risky every game, or it's gonna be ugly. He's just not that good anymore.

So, the Packers are 2-4. They have a favorable game this Sunday against Arizona. Two in a row?

V For Vendetta

I had the opportunity to watch the movie V For Vendetta. I borrowed the DVD from one of my hall leaders, who recommended the movie very highly. It has been sitting by my television for a few weeks now, but last night I finally had the time to watch. I can see why he likes the movie so much; it is indeed very good.

This is definitely a flim that I need to watch again. I feel as though my thoughts may not be entirely complete, since there are probably some more subtle things that I could pick up in future viewings.

I thought storyline was very intriguing; I had no idea it was based on a graphic novel. I thought the acting was great and the dialogue was well done. I never found myself bored and even found myself wanting the movie to go longer. I liked the soundtrack as well, music was used very well throughout the film.

I found the violence in this movie to be a little too extreme. I realize this might have worked in the context of the film, but I didn't like it. Otherwise, there wasn't too much to pick on.

I highly recommend the film. Grade: A

Being Behind the Scenes

Only a few hours ago, I posted about how much I love my job. I actually talk about it a lot. It's unique, it's varied, it's fun and it keeps me young. But, for an introvert, it can be a little draining.

I have talked in a previous post that much of my job gets boiled down to two categories of work: meetings and paperwork. Well, I love paperwork, and that never gets old. However, the meetings can get to be a little overwhelming sometimes. That much interaction can leave me quite draining, especially the days where I may have 7-8 individual student meetings in a day.

Along with the meetings, there is a lot of leadership inherent to the RHD position. I supervise 5 staff, I advise 7 hall leaders, I have a secretary, and a custodian works in the building as well. I have different responsibilities to each group/individual and that can take a lot of time and resources. Often, I am looked to for support, guidance and ideas. I love it...but, it also can tire me out.

For these reasons, I really love opportunities for behind the scenes work. In other words, there are times when I really appreciate being told what to do. Volunteer opportunities are great! I come in and they tell me how I can help...and I do it. I enjoy being on a committee where I am simply delegated work...I don't have the responsibility to delegate.

I was watching American Beauty on TNT last night and there was a great line when Kevin Spacey's character says, "I want a job with the least amount of responsibility possible". Sometimes I have those moments. Do you have those moments?

Staff and hall leaders take note: this does not give you permission to tell me what to do! :)

WCPA

Well, it has been a few days since I have posted. I returned last night from the WCPA 2006 Conference in Wisconsin Dells. My opinion of the Chula Vista is that it is not the Kalahari. It doesn't look like we'll be going back to the Kalahari any time soon...sad.

This might sounds strange, but this conference was helpful in that it helped me to realize why I do not plan on being in the profession of student affairs for the long term. Fear not, I love my job as a Residence Hall Director; in fact, despite some of the frustrations, I feel blessed to have a job that I hardly consider to be work. It is so much fun!

I do realize that my value system and the value system of the student affairs profession do not mix. We have similarities, but I can sense that to find satisfaction and acceptance in the field, there are certain values that would be quite helpful to have. In future blogs, I will discuss some of these dissonances in worldview.

Overall, I really have struggled with student affairs conferences as professional development opportunities. I usually don't learn anything that new and exciting and many of the ideas that people generate either won't work in our environment or I already knew about but was not quick enough to write a program presentation about it. I will give a shout out to Peter Brooks and Ryan Bronkema who both put on programs that I did find meaningful to my work, be it student affairs or otherwise.

Sadly, the two colleagues I have been closest to in my time as Residence Hall Director will probably not be in the profession of student affairs after their tenure on the hall director level. Part of me would like them (and me) to stay in the field so that we might challenge the system and make a difference (and make a little noise). But, part of me realizes that we are drawn to different passions that will lead us in a different direction than student affairs.

On a more mundane level, I appreciated the opportunity to relax in the whirlpool and to relax in general. I got to see old friends and trade stories. As I have said in my previous entry, it was like a vacation.

The "Madden Game"

I will in no way take credit for this, but Bill Simmons talked about a phenomenon when you play Madden:

"You know what else was interesting? That may have been the first time that an NFL team prevailed in a "no f-ing way game," those "Madden" games where something gets triggered in the artificial intelligence and the game decides, "there's no f-ing way you're winning this game." I just had one last week -- a six-game winning streak that ended in Jacksonville when I turned the ball over EIGHT TIMES in the first half. Of course, the big difference was that I threw the controller against a wall and angrily pressed the RESET button, whereas Lovie Smith and the Bears had to keep playing and hoping that the Bears D and Denny Green could combine to make up a 20-point deficit without a floundering Rex Grossman having to make a single play."

I got a kick out of it because this happens to me quite often, but I missed my chance to publish it.

Vacation?

Tonight, I leave for Wisconsin Dells and the Chula Vista Resort so that I can attend Wisconsin College Personnel Association on Thursday and Friday. I have never been to the WCPA Conference itself, although I have been to the Student Affairs 101 portion of the conference. I am intrigued to see what it is like and am curious to see what programming opportunities are available. It will also be nice to see various colleagues from around the state that used to work at UW-Oshkosh or who I went to graduate school with at WIU.

For those of you that have talked to me or for the 4-5 people that actually read this blog, you can probably tell that things have been a little stressful for me lately. Work has had some frustrating moments lately and the dealings with church, while getting better, are still a little frustrating. This trip for WCPA will also serve as somewhat of a vacation. I know that sounds wierd, but it will be nice to simply get away from campus and not have to think about work. I have full confidence in my staff to make sure that the buildig does not burn down.

It also raises a larger concern that I should probably take a weekend off one of these days. Just like my staff, I have the option to take weekends off. Most of the reasonn that I don't take weekends off is because I am so grounded in the community, I truly consider Oshkosh to be my home. Usually, my parents are willing to come a visit me. Many of my friends are already here and I have many activities that I do here. But, for the birthday weekend I will be going home. I am sure my parents and friends in the Milwaukee area will enjoy having me around for a few days.

As an FYI, my ability to blog may become difficult Thursday and Friday because I may not have reliable internet access. It may happen, but don't surprised if you don't hear from me for a few days.

Other News:

• Kudos to Taylor Hall for winning the Homecoming 2006 competition! Breese Hall took 5th place and did an excellent job by participating in all events and putting up their best effort.
• I played two songs last night on the hard level in Guitar Hero and did not miss a single note...is that cool or just really sad?
• Gabe and Kristi stopped by to visit. It's always fun to have ex-Breese folks stop by and check-in.
  

"Growing Up"

I have always considered myself to be young at heart. In a way, I don't think I'll ever really "grow up" and I really like that. However, over the last few years I feel like I have really matured...which is different, but also similar to growing up. I think that's what I like about being an RHD. With the position comes great responsibility, but you also have the opportunity to work with students who keep you young and relatively current with what's in.

In my first few years at UWO, I felt like I briefly reverted back to being a stereotypical undergraduate students. I couldn't tell you exactly. Part of it had to do with who I was hanging out with. Part of it had to do with being in a position that offered more money that I ever had in my life. Part of it was maybe trying to fill a void in what may not have been a really social undergraduate experience for me. Part of it was still not having fully embraced the religion I had pushed away for so many years.

As a result, I actually drank quite a bit, went out to bars quite a bit and just generally acted foolishly more than I usually did (trust me, it wasn't that much). I used to think that it was OK to drink with undergraduate students, even ones I worked with. I didn't feel very happy about myself overall. Along with re-discovering God, I also realized that those behaviors didn't do me much good...in fact they actually could hurt me.

So now, I don't do those things much anymore...and I'm OK with it. In fact, I feel better about myself. I feel like that while not grown up, I have definitely progressed in adulthood. I have thought about my financial future, my career future, my relationship future (woot!) but yet I can still be young and play video games and live on a college campus.

Other News:

• Christa bought a second guitar for Guitar Hero. Good news! Although I ended up playing way more Guitar Hero than I should have yesterday...I got pretty tired of it by the end of the night.
• It amazes me sometimes that the interactions that I have with folks with the church are like the interactions I have with some college students. You would think sometimes that 60+ year old people would be able to handle situations with some maturity, but sadly this is not always the case.
• I bought NBA Live 2007 last night. I figured it's been two years since I bought the game, it would be nice to have the Bucks new roster. I will probably give a more in depth analysis in the future, but for now, these observations:

1. The Bucks are serverly underrated. They are listed as a 75 overall which is one of the worst in the league. This from a team predicted to make some waves in the East.
2. There are three buttons to shoot the ball: slam dunk, jump shot & lay-up. Huh?!? Why can't one's proximity from the basket determine this. So when I accidentally press "slam dunk" from the three-point line, it could get ugly.
3. On the easiest level, I was only winning by two points at halftime. They have definitely made this game tougher.
4. You better have a fast point gaurd or you are in trouble. Try playing with Mo Williams for a half.

Days Until the Wedding: 216

Salvation Army

On Friday, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Salvation Army in Oshkosh, WI. I helped people fill out applications for their Christmas Program. Adults receive a basket of food and kids receive gifts. I saw familes of various levels on the socioeconmic scale. It was great to see residents of Breese Hall helping out. I encourage Breese residents to sign up and help out with the Thanksgiving Sign-up occurring October 26-27.

Other News:

• Friday: I played two hours of competitive Guitar Hero with Mark as well as other folks on first floor. It was a lot of fun. I look forward to getting a second controller for the game so that Christa and I can engage in Guitar duels.
• Saturday: I dressed up in pink and and helped out Breese Hall for the Homecoming Float in the parade. It was really frickin' cold and I didn't do myself any favors for trying to get over a cold.
• Saturday: Yeah...I finally went to a Titan football game for the first time. Let's recap: 4 turnovers, 3 missed field goals, 2 key injuries, 14 points, 1 loss. Not very exciting. It may be awhile before I decide to go back to another Titan football game.
• Sunday: I spent the day cleaning. My apartment looks very nice now. Perhaps I can finally keep it that way.

Homecoming 2006

Tomorrow I will be going to my first UW Oshkosh Titan football game. I have been a student at UWO for five year and I have been working at UWO as an RHD for four years. In that time, I have never gone to a game. It's hard to say why. Part of it is because I can't get into Division III sports. Part of it is because our team has a history of doing poorly. However, as a result of being on the Homecoming planning committee, I have taking an increased care in Titan activities. I am willing to give it a shot. The team is pretty good and it's about time I go to a game. It's gonna be really cold, but it should be fun.

Other News:

• I bought two Mendelsohn symphonies on I-Tunes. It feels good to purchase and listen to some classical music. Along with the fake feeling of sophistication, it just feels good to keep my musical tastes broad and not lose track of a wonderful body of literature.
• There will definitely be some mass Guitar Hero playing this weekend. Task #1: get 5 stars in all songs on the Medium Career mode (2 songs left); Task #2: complete career mode on Hard Career Mode: (7 songs left)
  

The Housing Status Action Form

Here's to you Housing Status Action Form (HSAF)... you make the Residence Life world go round.

Explorations Conference

The ministry exploration conference I am going to in November is coming up quickly. Over the last few weeks, I have definitely been more open about going to this conference. I have let many folks in the congregation know about this venture as well as many co-workers as well. I have been excited about the support that everyone is offering. I am looking forward to going because I think it will answer many questions for me.

I am concerned about how long seminary will take and I am curious to know what components I might be able to complete while I am still here at UWO. It also causes me for the first time to think about what I might be doing beyond the RHD position. For the last few years I have been able to be settled and not need to worry about it.

Daily Shout-Out: Goes to the Breese Hall Lip Sync Team. The pictures that I saw indicate that things went well and that you had fun. There was also a whole of you...that is pretty sweet!

Other News:

• Sadly, Guitar Hero has been on the bench for the last few days. Tonight I should be able to blow the dust off and have a little fun.
• Regardless of whether or nt it was measurable, it has snowed and that means it will be snowing more. Winter is coming! Yay!!
  

Days Until the Wedding: 220

The Beard

I have spread the word that I have a tradition when it comes to growing a beard in these pending winter months. Over the last few years, I have determined that I will start growing a beard after the first measurable snow fall of the year. I will shave the beard on Good Friday. The only exception this year is the beard will need to be shaved for the engagement pictures which will probably be taken late November/early December.

I have received a few messages from folks that the snow last night fit the criteria. Sorry folks, based on my observations last night and this morning I don't count last night's flurries measurable. However, it look like today and tomorrow we may get some more serious snow, and I don't shave often anyway so it's like I already started ;).

Calmness

I had a resident come into my office today and ask me how I remain so calm. I was hit my a multitude of emotions:

• Appreciation - It was nice to have someone point out something positive.
• Accomplishment - Being more calm in all situations I have been trying to wok on for a long time. I still work on it to this day. In grad. school, I would really get worked up about all sorts of stuff, and it was obvious. Even my current supervisor cautioned me about. I have continually worked on keeping my emotions neutral and not showing emotions so obviously.
• Irony (if that's an emotion) - I was saddened because not too much before that I kind of lost it with a resident who was arguing a small point with me. I realize it is something I continue to work on.
  

Randomness

No major news today, so, I thought I would provide you with some random updates:

• Homecoming is in full swing. So far, so good. I think the hall has done well in events so far. I think tensions are running a little high, but that is normal during Homecoming Week. I am thankful that we will have a good showing...if we win, we win. But, I am not worried about that.
• Even after being a Residence Hall Director for four years, college students continue to amaze me with the things they do. I have had some very bizarre stories shared to me this week.
• I was saddened to see a Fair Wisconsin poster modified to read, "UW Students Vote Yes on the Amendment". In a way, I appreciate their ingenutiy but it saddens me that people do feel this way about the amendment.
  
• I have done some tinkering with the blog, especially in terms of color and a few formatting things.
  

Days Until The Wedding: 221

Intolerance

So, I knew the day was coming. While working the desk today, I was informed that a religious group was protesting in front of the Polk Library. I assumed that is was the old guy that stands on the steps of the library and tells us all that we are going to hell. I was wrong, it was a larger group and they certainly had drawn some attention to themselves. Curiosity got the best of me, so I went to take a look before my afternoon meeting.

As I took a look at the secne, I was greeted with a large banner stating, "Homosexuality is sin". I am not sure where to begin on how frustrating this is to me. I am a Christian and I can not figure out where Jesus ever said that homosexuality was a sin. You're not going to find it...go for it, take a few minutes, search. Jesus taught love & compassion, not hatred. When I saw that sign and was ashamed for some of my fellow Christians.

I just can't condone this kind of intolerance as a Christian.

Most importantly, I was impressed by the amount of students that came out to challenge the individuals involved. I heard lots of good dialogue and good discussion. I am hopeful that this will get people to think about the importance of the upcoming election day. A shout out goes to Ken Fager as well carrying the Vote No on the Amendment sign right by the banner.

Now you all know where I stand on this issue. I would welcome your thoughts on this topic as well.

Church Updates

For those of you that are curious and possibly keeping score with everything going on at my church, I thought I would provide an update for you:

• Our old pastor will be "checking out" of the parsonage today. Sadly, there are no Methodist Room Condition Inventories (RCIs), but there should be. This will be an awkward meeting for me.
• On Wednesday, the locks to the parsonage will be changed. Also, we will be having an emergency Church Council meeting to finalize a dollar amount that we will send on to the bishop. This is the dollar amount that we think our old pastor owes back to the church.
• After Thursday the members of FUMC will go into the parsonage and clean it up and furnish it so that it's ready for the interim pastor.
• The SPRC Committee continues to look to 2007 and figure out the staffing pattern for the year.

We are definitely moving along and the members of my committee are very supportive. We will have some controversial issues coming up, but nothing could be as chaotic as this current process.

At Least They Can't Lose This Week...

The Packers have a bye week. That's great, at least they can't lose. I can say that I did watch the game yesterday, but I found myself distracted by movies and other stuff on TV because you got the sense the Packers were never going to really get to the point where they might actually win.

However, the Packers were in the game the entire time. They even had the ball with time running out. They could have at least tied the game, or possibly won. Favre fumbled the ball with about 30 seconds remaining...heartbreaking, but typical of a Packers season in which the youth and inexperience of this team show through week after week. They are now 1-4.

I do want to give credit to the secondarym, which played much better without Ahmad Carroll. Heron ended up with over 100 yards rushing. That was nice to see from a back-up as well. I will definitely enjoy not seeing the Packers this weekend. I can see some better teams play football.

Daily Shout-Out: Goes to the NFL schedulers for thankfully given the Packers a week off now. The team, and especially the fans, need it.

Other News:

• I am cautiously optimistic about where things go after OshCon. I am thinking about starting a campaign in the spring semester for residents and friends that are interested. That way, football is done.
• The SAFE Training session from last night was a success! We had 28 folks attend the session. That must have broken some SAFE Training record.
• I attended church yesterday and was able to see the new pastor preach. I will say this...I do like the way he runs the service. I think he has a great knowledge of the bible, but I think he tried to say too much in a short amount of time. I think he took 3-4 sermons and put them into one.
• Preparations begin for the 30th birthday spectacular. Look for news in the near future.
  

Days Until the Wedding: 223

OshCon 2006

I had the opportunity today to run an event at the 2006 OshCon event at the River Center on the UW Oshkosh campus. I was over there for four hours, from noon to 4:00 p.m. I ran an event that summarized some of the opening adventures of a campaign I ran in both high school and college. Some highlights of the adventure:

• I had five people show up to play. I thought I faired well in comparison to two other folks who ran events where no one showed up. That was a good sign. It was an interesting mix of people. I had three people that I knew from UWO: TC, Rob and Kevin. I also had a man named Tony, who is from Rochester, MN. The last person was a boy named Nick. An ecclectic group, for sure.
• I, as usual, planned way more than I needed. After awhile the group got into the adventure and we got off on tangents and fell into what would be a normal gaming session.
• Tony is part of a gaming network in Rochester. He is doing a write-up of the adventure for his website.
• I had a lot of people walk by with comments regarding the fact that we were running a 1st Edition AD&D. It had to be at least five different people. It was nice to see that there were others that were interested as well.

Some overall thoughts about OshCon 2006:

• There are a lot of freaky people that play role-playing games...and anyone in that guise in the Fox Valley area was in Oshkosh today. OshCon is definitely a much, much smaller version of GenCon, but it had all the proper components.
• It was a pretty informal affair. The nametags were hand-written. It was only in two rooms and there were no concessions except for what you could get in the soda machine.
• There were maybe six vendors at the convention and two of them were places I see anyway: Chimera & House of Heroes. Otherwise, not that impressed.

I should probaly go back tomorrow to check things out. I probably won't. I what I will do for next year is play in more games as well as run more games. I am hoping that this event is the spark I need to get back into role-playing games. I haven't gamed in years...it was nice.

Presentations & Progress

It has been a busy last few days and it will continue to be that way. I have a variety of presentations on the docket:

• I did a presentation yesterday to USRH regarding the NBC Village.
• I led my church's SPRC meeting last night. Thankfully, that meeting was only 90 minutes.
• I am facilitating the LBGTQ Council meeting this afternoon.
  
• I have an adventure to run for OshCon tomorrow.
• I am co-facilitating SAFE Training this Sunday.

I have blogged before about priorities and I have talked about how I couldn't add another commitment onto my plate because I am already pretty busy. As you can see, commitments can sometimes spike and all of a sudden what was once manageable can become temporarily insane. I think I have found myself in that mode right now.

As someone who is involved in student affairs, having a lot of the plate is not uncommon. You could almost call it a prequisite ;). So it's not the spike in involvement right now that's bothering me. It's the lack of progress.

I was talking about this with Christa last night. I am someone who craves efficiency and progress. Ask Christa, she would be first to agree...she knows all too well. Many of my larger involvements have not yielded too much progress. I know you are all aware of the controversy with the NBC Village and that has definitely slowed progress with it. You also know that the church is in a state of flux and continues to work toward moving forward.

Infortunately, the lack of progress has decreased my motivation and has made it more difficult get as motivated in other areas. I am hoping that after Saturday's adventure and after hanging out with my parent's I will have some time to relax and recharge.

Daily Shout-Out: Goes to our new interim pastor Earl Lindsay who offered some wonderful perspective at our SPRC meeting. He is just what this congregation needs right now.

Other News:

• Oh yeah, I do have other games for the PS2. It has been nice getting back into Star Wars Battlefront 2.
• I have some phone calls to make. There are people I really need to follow up with.
  

Days Until the Wedding: 226

NBC Village

Today Christin Coleman and I will be presenting for about 10 minutes regarding the NBC Village. The presentation will look at first-year experience programs and how they can be effective. It will also look at the work that has been done on the NBC Village so far and what has yet to be done. The presentation is at 4:10 in Reeve Union and there will be a 10 minute question and answer session regarding the presentation as well. I encourage those of you that can attend the presentation to check it out. It should prove helpful in providing information about the project.

If you don't already know, I have been in on the NBC Village planning process since the decision was made that we were going to move forward with it. This is no doubt one of the largest changes (in recent history) the Department of Residence Life has put forward that alters the structure of residence hall living. And rightfully so, there is a lot of discussion about how this started and what it means for students. I am definitely all for dialogue about this and I think the students should have an opportunity to talk about its implementation. There will also be an open forum about the NBC Village after the USRH meeting. USRH Representatives will also be taking a list of questions back to the hall to gain feedback from the residents.

This is all great! What has been my larger concern in this process is the misinformation and the lack of information that has been presented about this project. Sadly, people are making decisions about whether or not to support this project based on little to no information. It is our responsibility as a Department to provide you this information and we were late in getting it to you. We are going to do our best today to do that.

That it why I cannot emphasize enough the importance of this presentation. I encourage everyone to be informed. If you have information and wish to continue to be against the project, then it is your right. But at least you have the full story. Please, please be informed before you make your decision.

Daily Shout-Out: To my dentist, who allowed me to again listen to my I-Pod throughout the filling process. It helped for what was an hour-long ordeal.

Other News: None...this presentation has somewhat occupied my mind right now.

Days Until the Wedding: 227

The Dentist

Whenever I drive up to Appleton, I always for the dentist that says his office is the alternative for people who hate going to the dentist.

• Why do people hate going to the dentist?
• What is this guy doing what makes going to the dentist so much better?

I do get nervous to go the dentist because I know I don't take care of my teeth like a should and I consume more sugar than I should. So, cavities are eventually going to catch up with me. I get nervous to wait and find out if I have any cavitities or abnormalities with my teeth. The last few times haven't gone so well. In fact, today I go to the dentist to get a filling replaced and to add another one to the array in my mouth. I think I am up to six.

I don't really find any discomfort in the poking and prodding that they do, I think it is more the sinking feeling when they find something bad in my teeth.

As for the alternative dentistry, I have heard that some folks do sedation dentistry where they knock you out during stuff. That doesn't sound too bad, but it would wierd me out that I would have no idea what they are doing to my teeth. My dentist allows me to listen to my IPod while he's doing work...I think that will do. Oh well, either way I get to go to the dentist in a few minutes. At least I know what's coming this time.

Daily Shout-Out: This goes to Peter for writing some very kind words about me in his blog: http://kickbuttproductions.blogspot.com/.

Other News:

• We are in the process of finalizing our band for the wedding. They are sending a contract through the mail that Christa and I are going to look through. They are going to rock!
• I am in the proces of writing/preparing my game for OshCon. Yeah...I slightly underestimated what I would need to do before Saturday. It is going to be a busy next few days.
  

Days Until the Wedding: 228

My Job

As I have mentioned in a previous blog, I had the opportunity to sit down with one of my residents to talk about the Residence Hall Director position. By the end of the session, I was quite invigorated about what I do. However, during the course of our discussion, one of the questions I was asked was, "What do you do in a typical day?"

The great thing about an RHD job is that no two days are the same. It's fun...it's very hard to get into a rut. However, when you boil everything down, my job comes down to two things: meetings and paperwork. I have tons of meetings every day of many different varieties: staff, conduct, hall government, administrative, special projects, etc. I have sometimes had ten meetings in a day...I probably average five-seven a day. When I'm not in meetings, I am doing paperwork.

Don't get me wrong, I love my job...but, it's funny to realize that in a larger context, it's pretty simple. You might be able to say that about a lot of jobs.

Daily Shout-Out: Goes to Christin Coleman for calling me to remind me that I was late for a pretty important meeting. I totally forgot...here's to always being early to meetings ;).

Other News:

• The Packers lost...bad. It was almost as though in the second half, the Eagles finally realized, "Oh yeah...the Packers have no secondary. Oh, and Ahmed Carroll sucks." So, it was fun for awhile, but the Packers met my expectations in the end.
• This NBC Village stuff is going to get interesting. My there may be a large middle group that is indifferent to project it is the people at the poles that could make the next few weeks interesting.
• I watched The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift last night. It was OK...I will admit that there were some very intense racing scenes, but the acting and the story line were very, very weak. And, I had a hard time getting over the fact that the main character in the movie both looked and talked like Peyton Manning.
• Wow...did we get a crap ton of rain last night. The weather was awful. Christa, my little brother and I went to McDonalds for the family special. It was raining so hard, I could barely see...the hail was no fun either. I had no idea we were getting weather like that.
  

Days Until the Wedding: 229

Leadership Camp 2006

I thought I might utilize to today's entry to highlight some of the excitement that was Leadership Camp 2006 at Camp Onaway in Waupaca, WI. I really enjoyed my experience:

• My Leadership: Geek, Dork or Nerd presentation went well. I have over 30 people there and I assume that everyone learned something. It came after the first evening of people not sleeping, so enthusiasm seemed pretty good.
• The ropes course work that the group did went very well. The hall leaders were amazing and they actually managed to complete the red tarp exercise. Needless to say, a group of A/RHDs couldn't get it done...and they did.
• I got to play poker, spoons, salad bowl and other activities throughout the weekend. I kept myself busy :)
• I had the opportunity to in some way become closer with every member of the Breese Hall team that went to camp. It was a nice feeling as we left the island.
• There were some parts of camp that generated some hard feelings among the group, but it was amazing that the group was able to start having conversations that will help the group to work through it.
• I always appreciate the opportunity to share my love of role-playing games. Peter and I had that opportunity in the advisors skit. Apparently, we can play AD&D with our eyes closed.
  

Daily Shout-Out: Goes to the Breese Hall Camp Onaway crew: Paul, Lauren, Eric, Ryan, Larry, Stefanie, Kristen, Mary and Alexis. They were so much fun to work with. Remember the tarp!

Other News: Let's see...most of my weekend was dominated by Leadership Camp.

• Our new interim pastor started yesterday. I wish I could have seen him in action. I will this week. Christa said he seemed to be really great.
  

Days Until the Wedding: 230