UW Oshkosh Dining Update

This past Saturday, I helped out in presenting the Campus Life component of the Odyssey presentations that we do for incoming first-year students. Also in this presentation, there is a discussion about food options available as well. I learned some new things along with the first-year students. A few things to keep in mind:

1. The Blackhawk To Go room will be open until 11 PM Monday - Thursday. I am a big fan of the chicken sandwiches offered here. I know there are other students that love it as well. I am glad to know there will be an alternative location to grab food later at night.
2. Scotty's (aka Stone Willy's or Stoner's) in Scott Hall will be a Pizza Hut Express. Pizza you can recognize! :) In addition to the pizza option, there will also be buffalo wings, bratwurst and subs. I can see this being a very popular options for college students. I also see this being an upgrade to the quality of pizza.
3. The 21 meal plan will have "flex" meals that can be used in the Clow Mi Tazas...I see this as an option that I will be using for lunches and Clow is right near by.

With a new food contract, I have already seen some positive changes. Let's hope they continue.

Other News: Saw Wall-E this weekend. Great movie! My only complaint is the big business/environmentalist/capitalism is bad messages found within the framework of the movie.

Sunday Reflection

As I've said before, I try to pot here everyday. It's rare that I actually remember to post of the weekends...this one is an exception. I want to make sure that from now on the posts I make on here are meaningful and worth reading...worth reading to the 5-10 people that actually check this blog each day ;).

As someone who is looking to go into United Methodists ministry, this is tough to write: Christa and I are both struggling with going to church. Gasp! It had more to do with our own church than it does with church in general. When I go to my parent's church or to another environment, it always seems better. Perhaps the grass is always greener on the other side. Here are a few things that we are struggling with:

• Our service is pretty much the same every week. I am all amount having a certain schedule that people can come to be comfortable with, but some variety helps keep things fresh. Our service has the same components week to week.
• Church is at 9:00 AM. Hey, for the weekend, that's early...especially on a weekend. Try as I might, I can't get anyone to buy into the idea of a late morning, or dare I say, evening church service.
  
• Since our congregation errs on the older side, it is a pretty passive group. There doesn't seem to be much motivation there. The younger folks are trying to participate, but it can be easy to get burned out and frustrated if things don't change.
  

It will be interesting to see how I feel when I am a pastor of my own church or part of a ministry team. How might my feelings change? How will others view the service that I/we put forth for the congregation?

New Phone/PDA

I have had my Tungsten III PDA for quite some time now. If I remember correctly, I received it the summer before I started as a Residence Hall Director. So, it has given me five years of faithful service. The main drawback now is that I have charged it so many times, it has next to no battery life. In talking with Christa we agreed it was time to upgrade to a new PDA.

Still thinking in the old paradigm of PDA only, I did some research on Palm's website as well as a few other retail sites. I was noticing that there wasn't all that much variety. We also went to a few stores and a nice gentleman at the Appleton Office Max said that most stores and selling off PDAs because most people are going for the PDA/cell phone combo.

From there, I did some research and noticed that Blackberry's are expensive, especially when you figure in the data usage (internet access, E-Mail, etc.) It would add almost $30 per month to our plan for something I don't use. I just want the Palm features with a better battery life. So, I check Verizon's phones and found this. It is the Palm Centro.

I can keep my old plan and not pay anymore and I just blocked the internet stuff until I may choose to add it later. It runs Palm software and has a full keyboard. So far, I like it. It caused me to updated my numbers which it is obvious I have not updated in quite some time.

Post #600: Alive & Kickin'

I am glad that the blog continues to survive since its inception in 2005. I thought with the 600th post I might spruce things up a little bit. I don't want to change things around too much, but change is good.

Other News:

• I played in my third softball game of the week, this time on Christa's co-ed team. The game went 10 innings and I batted in the winning run. The mosquitoes were brutal and it was a 9:30 PM start...late night.
• The Bucks picked up Richard Jefferson in a trade with New Jersey. He gave up Bobby Simmons and Yi. I say we got the best part of that trade. A change for Milwaukee.
  

Neenah Softball Update

Well, I can say without question that yesterday was the best and most enjoyable game of softball I have played in the three summers I have played softball. Some of it had to do with my own performance, but it also had to do with the team. On a personal note:

• I went 2-2 and also drew a walk. I also scored two runs.
• I played in the outfield with people who wanted to play hard, but were also willing to have some fun.
• I made a nice catch and did not feel nervous out there. I made all good plays!
  

From a team perspective:

• We changed our pitcher and we got quite competitive in the later innings. In fact, after we changed pitchers we actually outscored our opponents!
• Everyone was having fun on the field. Even though we lost, it seemed like we enjoyed the game.
  

License to Preach Reading Update

As of this morning, I have completed reading two books related to leadership and administrative structure in the United Methodist Church. I am now switching my focus on two books that relate to sermon preparation. I am trying to put 1-2 hours aside each night for reading. I don't think that's gonna be enough to cut it. Most of the books are smaller, but some of them are pretty big.

While having dinner with my dad yesterday, he mentioned that it must be difficult to take in all this information in such a short amount of time. He's probably right...I highly doubt how much I will retain in these five weeks of reading and paper-writing.

What I appreciate is that I find the material so interesting! It makes reading easier and more. I also feel like I am really learning things that will be useful to me in the future.

It does seem weird to do so much reading without class to go along with it. I look forward to supplementary lectures later, although it will come in one two-week rush!

Oshkosh Softball Update

Monday's softball game reiterated the same problems that we have as a team. If we can't change these tendencies, there is no way we will be competitive in games. This includes:

• Making unnecessary extra throws after we try to throw one runner out. Usually the person overthrows and misses the target and extra runs will score. I'd say we gave up five runs alone because of this.
• Swinging at junk pitches. I admit, I don't like waiting for pitches. I want to swing, but we can't swing at junk. As a result we get lots of foul balls and high pop ups because we swing at everything. Again, as a team we need to all work on this.
  
• Don't tell someone on the team that they are doing something wrong when they themselves are doing the same thing. Perhaps we all need to have a group practice to work on fundamentals.
  

I went 2-2 in the game. I did get caught trying to stretch a single into a double and was called. I thought I was safe, but you always think you're safe. I just let it go. I wish I could say the same thing about some of my teammates. Just as Pau Gasol has never committed a foul in his life, there is a guy on our team who argues every slide he makes. Guess what? Sometimes you are just out.

That brings up a larger issue. I have worked hard to not take these games so seriously. There were times when I'd come away from a game extremely frustrated and get worked up about my performance. I am doing better at letting go and having fun. I still would like to win, but I don't let it consume me like it used to. Unfortunately, there are too many guys on our team that forget that this is community softball. Let's have a little fun!

Some Random Thoughts From the Weekend:

• I checked the UPS tracking site on Amazon.com and all of my textbooks are waiting for me at the GCC Front Desk. That's 23 books. I already starting the reading the first of book of around 15 that I need to read over the next five weeks!
• I did golf at Settler's Mill this weekend. Not my finest hour.
• I have been getting in some serious Oblivion time this weekend. I am already up to level 19.
• I need to get cracking on the July 11-12 gaming session. My goal is to do a little bit each night so that I'm not under the gun when it gets to be a few days before. Based on who has expressed interest, we could have 8-9 people playing. It won't take all that much material to take up that many hours.
• I am trying to cut down on soda and candy...again. Also, I am trying to stay consistent with the running. So far, so good.
  

A Weekend to Relax

I have really appreciated the summer program thus far, and really enjoyed the experience of working with the staff to get the building open. In the flip side, I really didn't have any weekend last weekend because I was so busy getting things ready for opening. Now that we are back into sweet routine, I have a weekend again. No big plans for the weekend, but that's probably for the best. What's up tap?:

• Get my reading lists and work lists ready for License to Preach School. I should have most of my books by this Monday. Based on what I have ahead of me, I need to get started right away.
• Play more Oblivion...of course.
• Catch 18 holes at Settler's Mill...after all, Christa is working ;).
• Clean the apartment; it is suffering from two weeks of not really being cleaned.
  

Neenah Softball Update

We lost...but, not by as much. The final score was 11-5. There were definitely some signs of hope for the future. Overall, we stayed consistent and did not allow a lot of early runs as we usually have. We still couldn't get consistent hitting going, but out fielding was much improved for the game. Since we have so many guys of the team, I sat out the first two innings but played 1st base the rest of the game. Hitting was a mixed bag. First time up to bat, nice single right down the middle. Next at bat, strike out! Doh.

If we can keep our team consistent from week to week I think we have a shot to compete, and even possibly to win. It's just the constant changing from week to week that gets frustrating.

Other News:

• As of this morning, all of my textbooks were ordered.
• The summer AD&D game-a-thon is set for July 11-12.
  

License to Preach School

I got a letter in the mail yesterday from the folks in Iowa saying that I will be able to do License to Preach school. Along with the letter came the syllabi for the classes I will be taking this summer. I also got the list of books that I will need to have for this two-week intensive session. My thoughts so far:

1. I have a lot of reading to do this summer to be ready for school. I figured I'd have to some reading, but not this much. It looks like the books will run me around $450 dollars. Many of them I ordered through Amazon.com, but there were a few that I needed to order through a specific company.
2. Along with all the reading come a variety of reflection papers. At best count, it looks like around 20-25 pages worth of papers to be handed in when I arrive. Sweet.
3. I need to see what my home church might be willing to help sponsor. I also need to check with our Wisconsin Board of Ordained Ministry regarding possible reimbursement.

Monday Softball Report

Strikeforce United fell to the Oblio's team 12-5 yesterday in our softball game. For some reason, we could not get the bats going. A lot of balls were being hit right to the fielders, which you can't always help. We were also swinging at pitches that could have been balls. We need to learn to be more patient at the plate. Again, you can tell that people go up to the plate looking to hit a home run. That's why we have so many pop outs and foul outs. Just make a solid connection!

Fielding was a mixed bag. I got a lot more work than I usually do during a game. I had one good catch but had a few where I might have been able to make the catch but wasn't able to get there in time. For me personally, I had one really good hit and managed to score a run. It didn't matter in the long run as we did not do very well. Wednesday usually equals a loss, so let's hope Christa's team can get over last week's loss and chalk up a "W".

Anniversary!

Christa and I were married one year ago today. Exciting! What's on tap for the evening? First, of course, there is a softball game at 6:45. Hehehe...after that, Christa and I are planning on going out to Kodiak Jack's for dinner. Then, we'll have some wedding cake. It's been in the freezer for a year; let's hope that it's still good. After that, we'll be going on-line and ordering some more songs for Rockband.

Bonus Move-In Day; Other News

My fellow Residence Hall Directors are all to familiar with the move-in day or days that occur in the fall semester. I get to have a bonus move-in day for the summer. As I write to you, students for both Project Success and the Titan Advantage Program are checking into Webster Hall. So far they both seem like great groups. I know the staff is excited to have them arrive and I am, too. It will be nice to get back into a work routine. It's been way too long since I posted, so I'll highlight a few things that have happened over the last few days:

• You have no doubt heard about the flooding in Oshkosh. In Webster Hall, we had 3/4 inch of standing water throughout the basement by the end of the night. It smells something awful down there, but the staff were able to move most valuables to higher ground. We are currently waiting for a restoration team to go through and sanitize the basement. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures, but it was nuts. River Center had nine foot floods in their offices. Christa's office was completely destroyed. Algoma Blvd. and High Ave. were completely underwater around campus. I walked over Peal Ave. and the water went up to my knee! Things are much better now, but on Thursday evening, 75% of roads in Oshkosh were closed.
• Christa happened upon a nest of baby bunnies that were in the middle of the flood and happened to rescue one. With a shoe box and a heat pack, the rabbit survived the night and was taken to an area pet shop. "Noah" is doing well, both eating and drinking. Christa will be stopping in for periodic check-ups.
• Our Wednesday softball team got destroyed again 21-3. The last few games have been tough. I was on first base and didn't mind too much. The team we played was good at lofting balls just over our infield.

Summer School

Although my summer staff have already moved into Webster Hall, we officially begin training this evening. I have been putting together materials for training throughout interim, but now is the final push. I think I'll have everything ready for staff by the time we have our grill out at 5:00 PM. Training will take place Thursday-Saturday. The summer program students move in this Sunday. From there,we go into a six week routine of Webster being open like a traditional residence hall, with desk hours duty coverage and the full complement of meetings :).

I am excited to get back into a routine of the hall being open. I don't mind the summer work so much and the staff that we have in Webster is top-notch. I did wish I had a bit more of a break in here somewhere. To go from summer school to license to preach school to training is going to make for a grueling summer.

Other News:

• Desk carpeting and apartment tiling are done and we have our washer and dryer installed. We have the backed up laundry to prove it. We will be busy catching up in that department.
• The Lakers grab a game in the best of seven with the Celtics in the NBA. Perhaps it will be a series after all.
  

Weekend Review

Some internet updates that were taking place in Webster Hall made it difficult for me to update the blog as we did not have internet access. Access is back for now, so let's get to it:

• Christa and I played through the Hall of Fame concert in the Band World Tour mode for Rock Band and both earned 100 achievement points for the effort. We played both guitar parts on hard and got five stars on all the songs except for one.
• I got back into playing Oblivion again. This isn't good. I can hear that giant sucking sound which is my free time going away.
• Our apartment is in pretty rough shape right now. They are re-tiling our front entrance room so we have extra crud spread around our apartment. They took out of washer and dryer to do this, so we have a nice pile laundry waiting to be done. Our air conditioners aren't working either, so hopefully we'll get those fixed.
• We were in Oconomowoc on Saturday when the weather got absolutely crazy in the state of Wisconsin. We managed to get some hail coming down while we were at a graduation party. We drove back up to Oshkosh at night where we drove into some more pretty bad storms. From what I've read, the damage and flooding is pretty bad all over.
  

NBA Finals

Last night Christa and I watched game one of the NBA Finals on TV. Usually, basketball doesn't come to the top of the list of things that I do, but it did so for a few reasons:

1. It was on ABC, which means we got to watch it in HD. It really does feel like you're watching it live. And hey, when tickets courtside are going for $35,000 each, you might be better oiff watching it on HD.
2. The Lakers/Celtics history makes for an intriguing match-up. As the announcers said last night, no matter who wins, it won't be an upset.
3. If the Lakers win, Kobe gets his first post-Shaq championship. If the Celtics win, Garnett, Pierce and Allen all get rings.

Regardless, there is a lot at stake in the finals. I am intrigued to watch it all and see how it unfolds. Sadly, you have to wait until Sunday to see game two.

Enjoy a nice shot from atop the Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf.

Last Night on Earth

Last night, I played a game for a second time. The game is called Last Night on Earth and I have enjoyed the game both times that I have played. The premise of the game is pretty simple. One group people (4-5) play the roles of the heroes. One or two other people play the role of zombies. A scenario is picked and the heroes try to fulfill the scenario while killing off a bunch of zombies. the zombies try to thwart these efforts.

The heroes fulfill many zombie movie archetypes:

• high school quarterback
• town sheriff
• priest
• track star
• nurse
• school cook
  

Zombie and hero players both can draw and play event cards which modify actions, affect the entire board or only affect one person. Heroes can hold on to item cards that they can use to fight or search (chainsaw, flashlight, baseball bat. etc.).

It is a turn-based game and the action goes quickly. A game only takes between 60-90 minutes I encourage you to check it out!

Today's picture is the sign for Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Meals in Wisconsin Dells. This all you can eat buffet is no no joke for breakfast. You get donuts, eggs, ham, sausage, pancakes and hash browns...as much as you want. It's a solid foundation for all your sightseeing needs ;).

License to Preach School

When I became a certified ministry candidate, I was approved to attend License to Preach School. Until someone completes this, they are technically not a licensed pastor, but a supply pastor. I assumed that I would attend school after I was done as an RHD and would become a official licensed pastor after I was appointed.

Before I went on vacation, I met with the District Superintendent about the next step in the candidacy process, and through on conversations, I found out that I could attend license to preach school this summer. That would work out great, because I would be a licensed pastor before I would be placed for July 1, 2009. It will be less headaches for Christa and I when we move after we're both done in Oshkosh. It will mean more headaches this summer...it will be a busy July/August.

Regardless, it is exciting news to get that major hurdle done this summer. The picture today is from right outside the Circus World Museum. The museum is nestled on both sides of a river. It is a gorgeous view, as you can see. Thanks to Christa for capturing this great photograph.

Settling In...

Christa and I returned yesterday afternoon from a long weekend hanging out in the Wisconsin Dells/Baraboo area. We left Friday morning and got back Monday afternoon. During our stay, we visited a variety of places:

• Circus World Museum
• Lost Canyon
• Pirates Cove Adventure Golf
  
• Tommy Bartlett Robot World and Exploratory Museum
• Knuckleheads
• Paul Bunyan's Breakfast
• Dells Mining Company

This is definitely not an inclusive list, but marks the highlights of some of the places that we went. For only being there for a long weekend, I felt like we got to quite a bit. The only rule was that we couldn't plan anything. We had to be spontaneous. For the most part, that worked ;).

We stayed at the Best Western Ambassdor Inn. We had a jacuzzi sweet (yay!) and that was very nice to have. Our accommodations were quite cheap so long as we attended a sales pitch for the Wyndham Hotel ownership. Ugh...that was not a pleasant experience. I will be writing about that more in a future entry. I also saw Iron Man, which I will review later this week as well. I will also a have some more pictures with each entry for the week as well.

My softball game last night shocked me back into normal life. We won the game! I don't quite remember the score, but we won by about three runs. I went 0-3, but had three solid connections that just went right to somebody. I didn't have to field too many balls, but the ones that I did field went well. We are now 2-2 and I hope we can avoid the slide that we suffered last year. Let's hope we can string a few more wins together.