Bedroom Furniture, Part One

On Friday, we received two of four pieces of our bedroom set. Perhaps it is a popular set, but only two pieces that were ordered have arrived. The other two are on back-order and are supposed to be in this week. We should have them delivered by this coming Friday. I have included pictures of the bed frame and the chest of drawers. The dresser & mirror and night stand are the ones coming soon.

This coming Wednesday, we will be getting some additional furniture to round out the guest room and the multi-purpose/other room. It is our hope that by the first week in August we should have the house set up. Then, our next major project will be to get the basement put together. That will be a project that will need to wait until the fall, as a new carpet will need to be put down before we do any major work down there.

Bonus Softball

The Strikeforce United Co-Ed team was a little short on players for tonight's game, so Christa and I helped out by playing. With a team consisting of 50% new players, we managed to win 14-2. Personally, I went 3-4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs. It's always more fun when you are on the winning end of the game. Everyone was also out there to have fun, which makes it less stressful. It's now past 11 PM though...way later than our bed time. Time to get some sleep.

Parking Space

My parents came up to visit Christa and I today. They attended the 10:45 AM service at Oakfield. Afterward, we had lunch and my dad helped us fulling "connect" the house to the internet. We have wireless!

Later in the afternoon, I asked my parents if they wanted to see the church in Eden. I drove and parked in my parking spot. The sign has been officially changed (see left).

I know that as an RHD I got a reserved spot. But, as a pastor, I get a reserved spot with my name on it! :-D

The Oakfield Tornado

Today is the anniversary of the tornado that came through Oakfield, WI in 1996. It was the only F5 tornado to be in the United States that year. The tornado actually came through the street that Christa and I live on right now. It destroyed the old Methodist church (which had just completed an addition) along with the parsonage. In total, 47 homes were destroyed and many more were damaged. Luckily, there were no fatalities.

I encourage you to pray for those in the Oakfield community as there minds are probably on this anniversary. Thank you.

Softball Update

For the first time in three weeks, I was actually able to play softball. Strikeforce United put out a good effort, especially in the seventh inning, but we still lost 8-6. Our fielding was really good in this game; we just couldn't score any runs.

I went 1-3. After two pretty pathetic foul ball outs, I managed to knock a triple into center field, knocking one run in and eventually scoring on a single by the next batter. I managed to do a pretty decent job fielding, not allowing any balls hit my way to get past me.

New Sofa and Chair

I thought I would post pictures of our new new sofa and chair. They arrived today and actually match well to the coffee table and end tables that we had also picked. Stay tuned for room photos as the house gets more put together :).

ABCs of Jim

*** This will also be posted on Facebook. Some of what you see in the introduction only applies to that. Otherwise, enjoy the information! ***

You've been tagged. You are supposed to write a note with the ABC's of YOU. At the end, choose 26 people to be tagged. You have to tag me, so really you just need 25 more people. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you - but not in a creepy stalker kind of way.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your ABC's of Me, tag 26 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

A - Age: 32

B - Bed size: queen

C - Chore you hate: dusting

D - Dog's name: We do not have a dog...yet. :)

E - Essential start your day item: A run or walk in Oakfield

F - Favorite color: purple

G - Gold or Silver: silver

H - Height: 5' 9" (ish)

I - Instruments you play(ed): piano, I sing (I suppose that's not an instrument)

J- Job title: Pastor

K - Kid(s): None

L - Living arrangements: House

M - Mom's name: Marie

N - Nicknames: Droste, JD, Jimmy (from childhood...no used anymore)

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth? Hmm...none that I can remember.

P - Pet Peeve: lateness

Q - Quote from a movie: "What we do in life echoes in eternity" - Gladiator

R - Right or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: None

T - Time you wake up: 7:00 AM (except on Saturdays)

U- Underwear: Umm...yeah.

V - Vegetable you dislike: lima beans

W - Ways you run late: I don't run late. If I do ;)...it's because I got lost driving somewhere.

X - X-rays you've had: dental and fractured wrist

Y - Yummy food you make: Parmesan cheese bowls (good with Caesar salad)

Z - Zoo favorite: the penguins

A Beautiful Saturday

It truly is a beautiful day today! Blue skies...gentle breeze...and it's 80 degrees. God must want us to get outside and enjoy the weather :).

Christa is enjoying the weather working at Settler's Mill. I imagine there will be many folks playing mini-golf today. I did manage to get a walk in this afternoon, but I have been spending a lot of time filing and unpacking. I have also been practicing tomorrow's sermon.

On a sports note: Last night's Brewers game was painful. I thought the Brewers could pull it out; it was exciting to watch. But six runs in the 10th inning is not acceptable. *sigh* Hopefully they can turn things around tonight.

The Week That Was

It's Friday evening and Christa is at work until 11:30 or so. With the Brewers going toe to toe with the Dodgers on TV, I thought I would provide a few bullet points highlighting the past week:

• As mentioned before, we got the internet and cable hooked up on Thursday. Things feel more like home.
• We got our first batch of forwarded mail from Oshkosh. Wow...you do manage to get on a lot of bulk mailing lists in a few short years.
  
• Sunday is my first worship service at Oakfield and Tabor. I like the way the bulletin turned out and I think my sermon will help the congregation get to know Christa and I a little better.
• We get the new sofa and chair on Monday. I think it will provide a little more lounge space than we have right now.
  

Running in Oakfield

Being a little more settled in, Christa and I have now gotten back into our more usual routines. I have begun running again. Without consistent internet access, it has been difficult to map out some runs, but that will hopefully be changing soon. Living in Oakfield does provide some great advantages for the runner:

1. There are no stop lights in the city at all. The nearest one is probably six miles away. Luckily, you don't need to stop too much.
2. Much of the city is surrounded by long, county roads, ideal for long runs.
3. There isn't a whole lot of traffic in the city, so you can relax as you run around the area.
4. There is a nice trail that runs through the city and goes both east and west from the city. It is often shaded which is very nice.
   

First Day in the Office

Today is my first official day of work as a pastor for the Oakfield and Tabor churches. Most of the day was spent in the office going through files and setting up the office. I am hoping that tomorrow, I can begin sermon preparation and begin putting together the bulletin.

Christa and I had a nice weekend at home with my parents. We grilled out on Saturday and met Christa's parents on Sunday for lunch. On Friday night before we went home, we got to go to a Timberrattler's game with friends from the church.

Cable and internet come Wednesday...yay!

Adjusting

Christa and I moved into our house in Oakfield on Monday evening. In three days, there have been a few things that I am already adjusting to:

1. Not having internet and cable in the house is tough! You don't realize how much to rely on it until it is no there...well, that's not entirely true. I already knew how much I rely on it. If anything, television was something I was used to having on in the background. Social networking has become such a part of my life that when you don't have constant access to it, you feel quite disconnected. I also get most of my news through the internet, so that has also been an adjustment. This will change on July 8...we are getting connected :).
   
2. For the better, Christa and I are tempted less when it comes to things that are bad for us. We don't eat out much or eat as much junk food. You can't really because there isn't a great deal of commerce in the city. It means that we really have to plan our trip as most things are 15-20 minutes away from the house.
3. It is really quiet in Oakfield. As such, I feel as though I have more time for reading and it is easier to concentrate. That also might have something to do with the lack of internet and cable ;).

That's all for now. Hopefully I can post more regularly.

Blog Updates Postponed

Hey folks!

Christa and I are unpacking in our new house in Oakfield. We will likely not have internet access in the house until July 8. As such, you probably won't see regular blog updates until then. Depending on when I can find wireless access, I may pop on from time to time :).

Checking In...

Hey folks,

It's been awhile since I've posted, but Christa and I are in the middle of packing and getting things ready for the transition. We are getting close and we are looking forward to hopefully getting the keys to the parsonage on Thursday. Other thoughts for the day:

• I had dinner with Peter tonight. It was great to touch base with him again. :)
• The Brewers are struggling...wow, this is getting tough to watch. I hope they can turn things around.
• I forgot how empty our apartment can look.
• Changing addresses over can be a real pain in the butt.
• We came in on the losing side in our softball game this week: 18-2. Nothing was going for us. The bats were silent and our fielding struggled...again. I managed to draw a walk and get on base with a fielder's choice.

Post-Conference Updates

Annual Conference
I attended my first Wisconsin Annual Conference for the United Methodist Church. Having never been there before, I was not sure what to expect. It is essentially a business conference, full of reports and legislation. It was like being back in the NCC/WCC boardroom :). It was really wonderful to have an opportunity to meet all of the district superintendents and the bishop. It was also an amazing experience to have my licensing as a local pastor be made official at the Commissioning Service.

Softball
Our team has now won three in a row! We did not make it easy ourselves, squandering a big lead but pulling out a victory 22-15 on Monday night. I witnessed one of the more bizarre abuses of a rule at the game. In the rec. leagues in Oshkosh, if you are caught swearing during a game your team receives an automatic out. Games are scheduled for 60 minutes and games are 7 innings long. If times runs out, the inning that is currently taking place ends and the game is over. It was the bottom of the sixth inning and there was one minute left.

Our opponents had one out and the batter at the plate had flied out. Seeing the time left, he purposely swore giving them three outs. It left enough time for the seventh inning to start, so we had to keep playing. Time ran out before our batter was called to the plate. The game should have been over right there. In fact, the game should have been over when the team abused the swear rule to extend the game. We ended up scoring 10 runs in the seventh inning to bad the lead. That seemed appropriate.

For the record, I had an on-base percentage of 1.000. I walked four times and had a nice single. Too bad I was forced out at second all five times. Grrr...

Movies
I saw Terminator Salvation yesterday. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It is a good summer sci-fi movie. You have to allow for some bad dialogue and some completely lame moments. Otherwise, it was entertaining and worth seeing. They even leave the possibility of a sequel. We'll see.

Remote Post: Appleton, WI

My apologies for not posting much in the last few weeks. Christa and I have begun packing in ernest for our move to Oakfield, WI. When you look around the apartment, it is amazing how bare it already is. We shouldn't have too much left to pack when we officially move on the 29th.

Other than that, last week was also a busy social week for us as well. We attended my little brother's middle school graduation, Robby's (Christa's brother) graduation, and the wedding of two of my old staff members. *whew* Needless to say, I have been a little behind in my posting. I hope to be posting more regularly at this point.

From today until Wednesday, I will be at the Wisconsin Annual Conference for the United Methodist Church. As this meeting, we discuss legislation and talk about the business of the church. Sorry NACURH and WURHA folks, there is no cheering at this conference :). This is the first time I have been to the Annual Conference, so I am definitely taking it all in.

Other News:

• I have a softball game tonight. It has been two weeks since our last game and we are currently on a 2 game winning streak. What will happen?
• Christa and I have finally ordered all of the initial furniture for the house. We look forward to placing it in the pasronage soon!

A Triple!

Can you call two games a winning streak? I say so. Compiling 14 runs in seven innings, Strikeforce United managed to withstand a nine run effort by the other team in the last two winning to take the victory: 14-10. There were a few not so solid fielding moments, but the team managed to put together a solid effort, capped by another impressive offensive performance.

I was happy to get a triple during the evening's events, coupled with a walk. All total, I contributed an RBI and a run to the score. It was a good game. Most of it has to do with being patient at the plate and waiting for good pitches. The rest of it has to do with just relaxing and having fun. It's amazing how that works.

15,000

While playing Resident Evil 5, I managed to get my XBox Live Gamerscore over 15,000. Despite my early struggles with the game, a look at an on-line walk through helped me realize where I was making my mistakes early in the game. As of now, I am halfway through the game. I would at least like to get through one play through of the game before I return it on Tuesday evening.

There is really no specific benefit to getting 15,000. If anything, it just feels good to be playing video games again. Lately, I have been so busy with work and other obligations that I have not had much time to play anything. Christa and I haven't played Rock Band in weeks. That should change after June 5, when she is done with student teaching and I am done with the 17-week semester's obligations.

Here's to 15,000...a geek milestone.

Friday Random Thoughts

• I guess you can say that we have officially begun packing. I am in the process of going through my books. Yikes! There are a lot of I am taking up to Half Price Books because I don't need them anymore, but I still have quite a few. If anyone has any boxes they are willing to let us use, let us know! :)
• I will be having a busy Sunday. In the morning, I will be leading the New Membership Liturgy as well as other components of the church service in the absence of our pastor. That afternoon, I will be leading my third Vesper Service at the Evergreen Retirement Community. That night, we have a baby shower for two residence families.
• Christa is working a full weekend at Settler's Mill Mini-Golf. It is over by the Outlet Mall. You should check it out.
• I rented Resident Evil 5. Why I rented a first person shooter game, I'll never know. I suck. :(
  

Golfing and Disciple Bible Study

Golfing
My little brother texted me to ask if we could go golfing this week. Having only golfed once in my life at a Par 3 course, I cautiously said yes. I was worried that I would embarrass myself with my complete lack of skill. My little brother, Isaac, and I golfed with his friend Griffin and his father Jim (good name).

Thankfully, Jim selected my clubs for me. I mostly used a six iron, with a few woods sprinkled in there. Some holes went well, and others did not. I was proud that I got two double bogeys and a bogey on the last hole of the evening. This hole included my best shots of the night: I nice drive, a couple decent chips shots and a good two putt.

I am left wondering if I would want to golf again. As I did not completely embarrass myself in the outing, it might be something I would try again. It would be something to help me work on my concentration and my temper.

Disciple Bible Study
Today was the final meeting for our Disciple Bible Study. Over the last year we met on 34 different occasions, usually on Wednesday mornings, to work our way through a survey of the Bible.

It was a wonderful opportunity for fellowship, discipleship and discussion. I will miss it greatly. We ended with a covenant service with Communion which was moving and will hopefully move my forward in my own discipleship.

Twitter Postings

I made a pledge to post something almost every day. The last few days have not had much of significance, so I have been making Twitter posts that appear in the upper right hand portion of the blog. If you don't see a blog post for awhile, I assure you will see daily updates in the corner. I do what I can to keep the material fresh :).

The Weekend of Movies

Christa and I have been really busy for the last few months. The summer of blockbuster movies has not accommodated our schedule. Thus, we are a little behind. Hearing mixed reviews at best for Wolverine, we are going to wait and catch that one on video...it is already in the Netflix queue :).

This weekend, the plan is to see both Star Trek & Angels and Demons. We hope to see one Saturday and one Sunday. I'll let you know my thoughts once we've seen them.

Tonight we will be watching Capote on DVD.

One of these weekends, I will be on my way to Mequon to see Terminator Salvation. My dad would be interested in going, but Christa is not.

FC Oshkosh

So, I have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of soccer. I was, however, excited to hear about a soccer team that has formed in the city of Oshkosh. They are FC Oshkosh. The team sports many folks from the Department of Residence Life. I think I may give soccer a try and at least be a spectator.

If you are in the area, I suggest you check out their schedule and look for some upcoming games. Many of the games are played in the Fox Valley Area. It is also cheap to be a sponsor and you get what I hear is a pretty sweet T-shirt. :)

We're Empty!

At 9:30 this morning, I took out the last resident of Webster Hall from the Roster program. The building is empty! The custodial crews have already begun the process of doing some major repairs to the building. The quite has been good for work, but it's going to take some time to adjust to the lack of interruptions.

Sunday Random Thoughts

As I sit in my office completing paperwork for Express Checkout, I thought I would accumulate some random thoughts for Sunday:

• The Brewers are nine games over .500 and have the second best record in the National League. If the pitching can keep this up and stay healthy, they are going to be tough to beat. The offense is really clicking right now. Patience at the plate is paying off.
• My little brother, Isaac, was confirmed this morning. I honored to be asked to be one of his sponsors. His statement of faith was very well-written and he spoke about possibly being a minister. That is so cool!
• Bedtime Stories is a really fun movie. If you have yet to see it and want to something that isn't too deep, but is quite entertaining, I'd recommend checking it out.
• By 8:00 PM Monday, Webster Hall will be empty. Huzzah!
  

Graduation Day Tomorrow

Christa graduates tomorrow from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh! She will be graduating with an education degree for biology and English. She will be participating in the afternoon ceremony at 2:00 PM in the Kolf Gym.

Christa will be completing seven years of college. She has weathered a few major changes as well as some bonus administrative hoops, and she has made her way to the finish line. It will be great to have the family up tomorrow to celebrate. After the ceremony, we will be heading to Player's for dinner.

Of course, even though she "graduates," she still has to go back for three more weeks of student teaching. On June 5, she will officially be done with all components of her undergraduate degree and her certification.

Tomorrow's Exodus

I sit in the Webster RHD Office awaiting little yellow envelopes. These little yellow envelopes mean that residents have completed the Express Checkout process and have left the building for the year. Each envelop brings us closer to the moment when Webster Hall will be empty on Monday, May 18, 2009. It is fun to see the excitement in students who are done for the year. I share their excitement. I, too, am looking forward to being done with the year.

Tomorrow will represent the true mass exodus as at least 100 people will be moving out tomorrow!

This year's checkout is not much different than any other year. What different is that there are not additional tasks that take over when EOY stuff is over. This time last year, I was beginning to think about summer programs and even about next year. Now, when things are done, they are done! :)

Hopefully this will bring a sense of closure.

Softball Game #2 Report

This was a tough loss for Strikeforce United. We took a 7-4 lead into the seventh and final inning. Our hitting fell along the same lines as our previous game. We were able to string some hits together and produce some runs. Our fielding greatly improved and it allowed us to stay in the game. Sadly, in the seventh inning we gave up five runs and lost the lead.

The drama built in the bottom of the seventh inning as the bases were loaded with two outs. Our batter hit a ball that should have gone foul, but was played while it was still fair. Three opponents converged to "play" the ball, thus blocking the way of the runner. He was tagged out and interference was not called. It was a tough play to call, but it ended the game and we came up short.

Monday's game was a great learning experience for me. One of my teammates offered me some great advice about both fielding and hitting. As a result, I did better in both areas. I had two walks and scored a run in the effort. I am curious to see in this transfers over to the next game I play in.

No Perfect People Allowed...

I have starting reading the book No Perfect People Allowed by John Burke. As I get further through the book, I am sure I will have more to say about it. Right now, I'd like to reflect on a statement he makes relatively early in the book. As a campus minister, he was having a conversation with a college student. The student eventually tells the minister that he doesn't want to like him.

Upon reflection, Burke offers this thought: "I've since discovered that the average person has a strong perception of what Christians are against, but little of what Christians are for." (p. 30)

There is something to what he is saying. When you think about Christianity in the headlines and in circles, it is usually in judgment. The stances taken on controversial issues can overshadow what makes Christians who they are.

Jesus wanted us to focus on love, love for one another and love for God. He wanted us to be in relationship with God and with others. With this in mind, how we live out lives speaks for itself. But, people don't perceive us as people of love and relationship. Somehow, we need to work on changing this.

Tales of the Black Freighter

Having seen and having loved The Watchmen, Christa and I though we would rent Tales of the Black Freighter. This short movie combines the comic within a comic that was left out of the Watchmen movie. It chronicles a marine whose ship was destroyed by a pirate ship, who slowly turns mad in his attempt to get back home and warn his family about the coming pirate ship. It is bizarre, but well-written. What surprised me was how short it was (20 minutes). The Netflix DVD jacket said it was one hour, 40 minutes.

It was the combined features of the DVD that totaled to the run time. Forty minutes of it was a documentary set in 1985 in which the host looks back on his 1975 interview with Hollis Mason. This documentary is incredible, doing a good job of weaving in the chapter intros that weren't used much during the theatrical movie. They also use commercials from the comic as well as commercials relevant to the era. If anything, I would rent this DVD to see the documentary. That alone was worth it.

Ministry Position Update!

I am excited to finally be able to provide an update in my ministry call! Beginning on July 1, 2009, I will be the pastor for the Oakfield United Methodist Church and the Tabor (Eden) United Methodist Church in Wisconsin. Christa and I had the opportunity to meet with the Staff/Parish Relations Committee on Wednesday, May 6, 2009 for an Introductory Meeting with members of each church. Christa and I both believe this will be a great opportunity!

The next few months will be quite busy for both of us. Christa will be completing her student teaching in early June. My last day as a Residence Hall Director at UW Oshkosh will be June 19. From there, Christa and I will be feverishly packing up the apartment so we can make the move to our new home. My first Sunday in the pulpit will be July 12.

Stayed tuned in the next few days for additional updates.

Remote Post: Mequon, WI

I come to you from Mequon, WI sitting at the dining room table using my Dad's very nice lap top computer :).

The weather has not exactly been too friendly. It started raining last night and it has been pretty dreary here. Christa and I got into town last night and had dinner with her parents, and her two brothers and their significant others. We ate at small little restaurant that had an incredible fish fry.

I had the opportunity to go to Lenny's Pizza for lunch. Tonight, Christa and I will be taking out my parents to dinner. Then, we will be heading to a Jazz Concert at the Milwaukee PAC.

It's going to be a late night and a busy Sunday. But, look for some exciting news tomorrow!

Car Bizarre...ness

Last Saturday, Christa's dad came up to help us replace a battery in her car. While we were waiting, our Hyundai's car alarm went off. We checked our keys to see if we had inadvertently hit the panic button. Nope. So, we stopped the alarm and assumed it was a freak thing. Fifteen minutes later it happened again, something was definitely wrong. We did some troubleshooting, but couldn't figure it out. It didn't do off the rest of the day, or night...thank goodness.

The next day we experienced the same thing. I went off twice between the hours of noon and 2:00 PM. On Monday, at work, it did the same thing to Christa while we was teaching. Nothing happened Tuesday, but it happened again on Wednesday. We needed to take the car in.

Our car was not possessed, as we thought! It turns out that the circuitry in the bumper of the car was screwed. They replaced it, and for now, we have been issue free. Luckily it was all covered under the warranty, so we didn't have to pay anything.

A Gaming Break

For the first time in...well, weeks...I think I might have a few days to bust out the XBox 360 and play a few games. In fact, I may rent a game tonight and get a few hours in. That's if I don't crash early. May Godfather 2?

Needless to say, this week has been crazy for both Christa and I. We have been driving all over the place and haven't had much time to rest. We are both looking forward to a weekend where we can go home and visits the moms for Mother's Day.

The Favre Saga

Like many Packers fans, I can remember sitting in front of the television the afternoon that Brett Favre held a news conference in which he tearfully said that he was retiring from the NFL. I, too, shed a few tears for a man that gave so much to the game and so much to the Packers.

When Favre contemplated the comeback and the Packers were ready to move on, I could understand the move that the Packers made. They were a young team and they needed to make the transition. I was frustrated that Favre decided to come back, but at least he went to the Jets. He didn't do so hot and we all assumed that we would finally be done.

*sigh*

The Favre saga continues. There are a few stories out there talking about how Favre is now considering coming back for another season. He has now, a second time. talked about retiring and has come back. This time is possibly coming back to the Vikings.

It's a good scenario for Favre. Excellent defense. Superb running back. All they need is a consistent QB. But, is Favre consistent?

First Softball Game

We came up on the short end of this game. We lost 23-11. In comparison to last year, we at least managed to put some runs together. We are still plagued with way too many errors. Throws don't get to where they are supposed to, catches are dropped and we get too aggressive. If that doesn't improve, we'll be at the losing end a lot. As one person at the end of the game said, "If you take unearned runs away, this was a 1-0 game."

My final line was 1-3 with a walk and two RBIs. I totally botched the one ball that was popped to me, but did some decent fielding of the grounders that came my way. Given that it was the first game of the summer, I didn't practice throwing until 6:30 that night and I hadn't swung a bat since, it wasn't so bad (that was a long sentence...and probably is grammatically incorrect).

Stay tuned for weekly updates as the season unfolds on Mondays.

Softball Begins

With last week's rain out, tonight is the first softball game of the season for BW3's Strikeforce. I am not sure how things will go this season. Above everything else, I appreciate the opportunity to get outdoors and run around in some nice weather; it's exercise. With each passing year, I get to know the folks on the team a little bit better, but most of the team members are people I don't really know or don't really hang out with at all. So it's not a social time for me.

I would also add that I am not much of a softball player. I never played organized baseball or softball, and up until a few years ago, I hadn't thrown a softball since high school. There has been a real learning curve. I throw somewhat better, but I have no patience at the plate and need to continue to improve in that area. I also know very little about strategy and often screw that up.

This year, we are in a league with five other teams. I am curious as to how good they are. Last year, we were competitive in a few games, but we often ended up losing. Perhaps this year's prospects will be better.

I thought I'd give it one more try. Look for an update tomorrow on how the game went.

Remote Post: Kolf Sports Center II

Hello everyone!

I am writing to you from the Kolf Sports Center at the UW Oshkosh. It is the 3rd Annual Relay for Life Event. Each year, I feel older and older and I'm not sure how long Christa and I will last here. We are both pretty tired, but are trying to get some work done to stay motivated. It is fun to see all the energy and fun being had by college students.

Right before Relay was the USRH/Residence Life Banquet. Attending it was bittersweet. I appreciated the going away speech that Jacque said. I am going to try to get a copy of it. It is wierd to begin to see the end of my time as an RHD. I am ready to move on, but I realize that it will not be easy.

Time to get back to the festivities!

Sleep...

I only slept four hours last night. It was a combination of being on duty last night as well as dealing with noise from some of the folks that live above us.

I was actually quite productive given how tired I am, but I feel as though there was a haze the entire day. I feel lethargic and really just want to sleep.

Christa and I will hopefully get to watch Traitor tonight. If energy holds out, we will also watch this week's episode of Deadliest Catch. The EOY dance is being held in the Albee Upper Gym tonight. I hope to at least make an appearance there

I will need the sleep...it's going to be a busy weekend.

Deep Breaths

I wasn't sure when this point of the semester would be occurring. There is usually a time when the craziness of the end of the semester catches up to me and I freak out a little bit. Yeah, I've gotten to that point :).

I've had the of the year task list for a few weeks, and unlike before, I've been able to take that in stride. The preparations for Express Checkout have been going pretty good. It's when you combine one job with the transition into the new one that things get a little overwhelming.

It feels somewhat liberating to acknowledge the stress level. Exercise will help and working on the task list day by day will make things easier. This happens every year; it just took a longer for the stress to hit me.

This is the last time I'll have to deal with closing as an RHD. :)

Ministry Update

I know many of you have been sending me E-mails, Facebook messages and have otherwise been inquiring as to where things are in the process of me becoming a pastor in a church. The placement process for pastors is a little strange. I thought I might take a few minutes to explain how this would work. At some point in the next few weeks, or months, I will get a call about a possible placement. I would have the opportunity to take the placement at which point I would then take an opportunity to meet with the Staff/Parish Relations Committee at that particular church to see if the placement is a good fit.

Given how the process works, you would not likely hear anything from me until the meeting with SPRC has been completed the both sides agree this would be a good match. I assure you that once there is something for me to share, I will certainly do so.

I appreciate everyone's concern and interest in this process. :)

Peggle

As with many things in life, I am late to catch on to the latest trends out there. If there's a new video out there on YouTube that is all the rage, I am the last to know about it. One of my staff members let me know about Kittens Inspired by Kittens. Apparently this has been popular for months...guess I missed out. I must say that I caught on the Susan Boyle phenomenon quicker than many, but that was because of my dad.

Just last night, I downloaded a new game for the XBox 360 called Peggle. This game came out for the PC in 2007, and several other editions have come out in the last few years. I finally caught on and started playing the game. It is addictive. Again I miss out on the latest trends ;).

Back to My Roots

This weekend, UW Oshkosh will be hosting State Solo and Ensemble. They have hosted this event for a long time and I remember participating as a high school student for two years. Musicians come together as soloists and ensemble to perform for a judge that gives them a rating on their performance.

While at UW Oshkosh as a college student, I had the opportunity to volunteer for quite a few years. In my last year as an RHD, I have come back to volunteer one last time :). I was a room monitor when I was in college, and I now have the opportunity to be a runner. Sweet!

I am volunteering on Saturday and I am helping a few hours on Friday with set-up. It still leaves some time to relax from what has been a crazy weekend. We also start gaming again.

Changing of the Guard

With the new Sodexo contract for UWO, there have come some changes with food options on campus. The addition of a Pizza Hut Express has been great and I think students would agree that it is a vast improvement over the Stone Willy's pizza that was there before.

Recently, there has been discussion about some changes in the food options at the Union. Apparently Burger King is on the way out. This is probably for the best, as we have had a Burger King on campus since I was a student at UWO. The question becomes, what do you replace it with?

Well, Taco Bell, of course. There are rumors circulating that this was the original intent, but it did not work out. That is a real bummer because I was thinking for awhile of how cool it would be to have a Taco Bell in the Union. Panda Express is too expensive, but that would also have been really sweet.

So...the final decision? Kentucky Fried Chicken. *sigh* I was a little disappointed to hear about this choice. The menu will be decreased from the regular menu given the size of the space they would have to work with. KFC is not the most healthy option out there (as fast foods go) and it has a reputation for right animals rights violations. Students have already mobilized a petition to stop the KFC from coming in.

I will be curious to see how all this goes down. Students didn't seem dead set against a KFC, but nor did they seem super excited. Will student activism play a role as the year closes? We shall see.

Mediation on the Road

Christa had mentioned to her cooperating teacher that I attended a mediation training a few weeks ago. Her cooperating teacher is currently teaching an elective course for the 6th graders about mediation. Thus, I got recruited to come in as a guest speaker to talk about my experience.

I wasn't really thinking in advance having already committed to taking a staff member's duty night on Sunday. In bed by 12:30 AM and up by 5:45 AM. Sweet!

Having done presentation for college students over the last eight years, it was quite a switch to speak to 6th graders. I often had to catch myself and not use some pretty complex words. Otherwise, Christa was very helpful in bridging the gap to where they were at.

Hopefully they learned something and it was an interesting way to start the week.

Howdy from UW Stout!

Hey folks! I am currently sitting in a classroom in the Applied Arts Center on the UW Stout campus. I have fought a valiant battle with the wireless internet connection, and finally won a few hours ago. It is amazing the sense of calm one can receive when you have access to E-mail and Facebook ;).

I can't say I have any earth-shattering news to share, but here are a few thoughts:

• UW Oshkosh really needs a bell tower. They are always cool!
• The Brewers lost it last night in the bottom of the 9th...*sigh*.
• Everything seems cooler when you see it on another campus.
  
• I have actually gotten a lot of work done while sitting in the board room.

Tomorrow is going to be quite the day:

• Church in the morning.
• I will be spending the afternoon getting ready for the Evergreen Vesper service.
• We have spring training for the 09-10 CA staff.
• Then we have hall government E-Board.
• Then I am on duty until midnight or so.
• Then...I get up at 6:00 AM on Monday to do a presentation.

That's all for now. Enjoy the beautiful weather!

800th Post

The blog rolls on...to post 800 :). This weekend I will in Menomonie, WI at UW Stout playing the role as delegation advisor for the UW Oshkosh group at French Dip 2009. I'm not sure if I'll have internet access, but if I do, I'll have plenty of time for updates :).

Relay for Life

I was planning on participating in Bowl for Kid's Sake this semester. Unfortunately, my team for this event did not materialize. I decided that I would concentrate my efforts on an event that I have participated in three times before, Relay for Life.

There are Relay for Life events throughout the United States. They raise money for cancer research through the work of the American Cancer Society. I participated in one event at Western Illinois and have participated in the first two Relay for Lifes that have been hosted at the UW Oshkosh campus. These events present an opportunity to honor those that lost the fight with cancer, those that survived their fight with cancer, and those that want to help and find a cure.

I would appreciate your help and your donation for the Webster Hall team. There are 16 of us and each of us needs to fundraise for the event. Any help you could provide would be most appreciated.

If you would be so gracious as to donate, you can go here. Otherwise, just shoot me a message over Facebook.

Movie Perspective

Christa and I decided to watch The Neverending Story on Sunday as we continued fighting getting back into our regular work routine. When I was a kid, this movie was awesome. Now...meh. It's not to say that the movie is bad now, but it's just so much cooler when you are a kid.

It also makes me think of a TV show, Tour of Duty. When I was younger, we watched this show as a family and I was really into it. Watching episodes now, I think what a corny show it is. It doesn't have even close to the same meaning for me...

...what examples do you have of movies that were really cool when you were young, but aren't quite the same as adults?

A Vacation Review

My three days removed from the rigors of work was most welcome. I will admit that it has made it difficult to transition back into the work environment. I do think that I more productive than usual because of the break. I would like to review a few highlights from the weekend:

• We visited the Mars Cheese Castle on our way down to Gurnee. This was not an anticipated stop, but we bought some great cheese and a new beverage. If you like good ginger ale, you'll love this!
• Gurnee Mills is just a big mall. Not that exciting.
• Christa and I bowled at a bowling alley in Waukegan, IL that had 40 lanes!
• We waited in line 45 minutes to get into the Shedd Aquarium. It was well worth it to Christa, who easily took over 200 pictures.
• On the way back we stopped at the Jelly Belly factory. We bought a bag of Belly Flops, failed jelly beans that still taste good.
• Once we got home, we watched Twilight. Wow...that movie is awful.
• The next day we watched Defending Your Life. Much better.
  

Remote Post: Waukegan, IL

I write to you from our hotel room in Waukegan, IL. Christa and I had the opportunity to check out Gurnee Mills. It's a big mall with a lot of stores, but that's about it :). So, we had some extra time so we went bowling and watched a view movies on the four HBO channels we have at the hotel.

We are excited to head down to Chicago tomorrow! Hopefully we can gloat about two Brewer victories over the Cubs ;).

Tying Up Loose Ends

The plan is that Christa and I will be heading out on Friday morning to take a small vacation until Easter. It's not much, but we could really use the chance to get away. We're not planning anything fancy. We'll be taking in the Gurnee Mills experience on Friday. I have been to Six Flags Great America many times, but I have yet to be to the mall.

On Saturday, we are heading down to Chicago to check out the Shedd Aquarium. Again, this is something we have known about for a long time, but have yet to check out. Whatever time we have left will be spent in Chicago, which is always exciting! :)

To get to that point, however, there is a lot of work that I need to get done. So, today will involve some extra hours to make sure everything gets done. A few other highlights for the day:

• Mark and I will be playing Gears of War 2 tonight. I am excited to see what allt he fuss is about.
• The beard gets shaved off for tomorrow.
  

How Can You Say No?

There are many reasons why I love living in the residence halls. One thing that I don't like so much is that we can't have pets. I know, I know. We can have fish.

But, we would like to have a dog and a cat as a pet. So, we are hoping that we will be able to move to a house/apartment that will allow us to have both.

Christa has been doing quite a bit of research to find out perfect dog. She found this one today. How can say no to a face like that?

A Dinner at Chili's

If anyone is a fan of fajitas, Christa and I would definitely like to recommend Chili's. We have come to appreciate their food, but have also been really impressed with their service. If only they had a Chili's frequent buyers card. We would have quite a few points racked up. ;)

On Mondays they have a special with their fajitas for two being only $12.99. In addition (for you 21+ folks) they also happen to have $2.99 margaritas in a variety of flavors.

We both look forward to Mondays...perhaps you can, too!

Munich

Christa and I watched Munich last night. Wow...that was a very powerful movie. I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, but it was not what she and I were expecting.

The movie actually portrays the response of Israel the deaths of eleven Israeli at the Olympics in Munich, Germany in 1972. I thought the movie was going to cover the Munich incident. Instead it covers a small group's missions to get back to at those who planned the attack.

The movie was very well done and really sucks you in. The acting is incredible and the dialogue is quite good. That being said, the movie is difficult to watch. It is bloody, but I suppose that is to be expected. What was really difficult to watch was how futile their efforts were. Despite fulfilling their missions, it was counteracted by the other side with more death.

I would recommend this movie, but beware...it will leave you somewhat speechless when it is over.

The Shack

Last night, I finished reading The Shack.

I had heard a lot of folks in my church talking about what a wonderful book it was and when our Lenten book study was going to be about The Shack, I had my chance.

Overall, it is an interesting book. It is the story of a man's visit with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. In his meeting with them, he works through the pain and sadness associated with a tragedy in his family.

My largest gripe with the book is its political slant. It is interesting to see the characterization of God that the author uses, one that is quite liberal. Patriotism is looked down on. Any kind of power is looked down on. Weapons are evil.

The leader of our book study commented about how the author definitely studied his bible. I would agree that there is a biblical context in the book. I do question some of the components of the theology outlined in the book. Even if you don't agree, it's still interesting to read and debate.

If you are curious to find out more information about the book or the causes that have stemmed from it, please go to there website found here.

It's Warm Enough...

I feel as though each day we get a different season. We've managed to get up into the 50s a few times over the last few weeks and today it was 21 degrees when I woke up.

It is finally warm enough that I can start running outside again. There were a few icy patches out there, and the temperature was a little chilly. Overall, though, I don't feel uncomfortable out there. It does feel good to get outside and get some fresh air. I much more feel like I worked out when I can get outside.

Running indoors was starting to get old especially when I was trying to run more than two miles as a time. Twenty laps can be tedious and the scenery doesn't really change ;). Plus, it's easier to run indoors without all the fun elements of Wisconsin weather. I am hoping to supplement the runs with the some weight training and some core workouts.

With the stress of finishing out the year and waiting for a pastor position, the exercise will definitely do me good!

A Gaming Realization

* geek alert *

As I have gotten back into playing Mass Effect, and making a more conscious effort to get into the story and the character development, I am finding myself interested in going back and re-playing games that I have including BioShock and Fallout 3. That's when it hit me. In the end, I enjoy RPGs when is comes to games. Whenever I try to play a game that is not in that genre, I an generally not all that excited about the game. Along with RPGs, I also like music games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

Perhaps, I am concerned that if I don't play all sorts of games, I wouldn't be viewed as a true gamer. But, I've tried Halo 3...and I suck. I'm not interested in putting in the time to be better, because I don't enjoy it. I kept trying Madden games, and they only brought overall frustration. I do feel a peer pressure to be playing the games that are popular at the time, but what is it worth if it's not that enjoyable. I'd rather get a few more achievements in a replay of an RPG than try to muscle out achievements in Halo.

I need to embrace the fact that I am a niche gamer. It will probably be cheaper in the long run, and I'll be playing the games that I enjoy.

I don't know what you call that...a geek rant?

Appointment Possibilities

I received a phone call from our District Superintendent. While preliminary in nature, it appears there is the possibility that a full-time appointment in the geographic region that Christa and I are interested in has become available. I won't know the details for a few weeks as a few things need to fall into place. It is exciting to know that the pastor placement process is moving along! I will keep everyone posted once I learn more.

Time to Catch Up

I realize it's been awhile. It has been a mixture of being tired, being busy and being otherwise distracted. I will do my best to catch everyone up on what has gone on over the last few days:

• I finished up mediation training. It was an incredible experience, but by Friday afternoon I was burned out. I learned a great deal, for both being an RHD and for being a pastor.
• I have gotten sucked back into playing Mass Effect. It is amazing what one is willing to do to pick up a few extra achievement points :).
• Christa and I caught a few movies over the weekend: A Scanner Darkly and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Two men enter...one man leave! :)

There are the highlights. I should be able to keep up more now with the daily entries.

Day 3: Mediation Class

A few mid-week observations:

• Role plays are more comfortable. They are a good learning experience. I am learning just as much from being an actor as I am from being a mediator. There are times when I feel pretty engrossed in the role that I am playing. It must be the AD&D experience. I just need to remember that there are no dice involved. :)
  
• The days are starting to wear on me. I am appreciating the experience, but definitely wish I could have a a few days of "break." I am going to try as much as possible to do that this weekend.
• Some people's styles and personalities are beginning to wear on me. From the group dynamics perspective, we have moved from the "polite" stage.

Two days...and a lot of practice...to go :).

Day 2: Mediation Class

Today's class in the afternoon involved the beginning of an activity that I do not enjoy...we began out role plays. You may be asking yourself, "How does someone who enjoys AD&D and other role-playing games not enjoy these activities?" Well, I will offer you these thoughts:

• I often feel as though the scenarios are contrived and you know, to some level, the individuals involved. As such, I think a certain amount of authenticity is lost.
• Scenarios do not provide every detail. Sometimes you may need to gill in the scenario gap as an actor. This can make for awkward situations.
  
• You are typically observed
  

  

  

  

  

  

  Preview
  and critiqued...and I don't like that.
  

In the end, I need to get over it all. Even though I might think this and that, this is the one way I will be able to practice these various skills that I am learning. As I said before, as a mediator, I am being asked to employ skills and strategies that go contrary to my nature and training. A new example from today:

• When re-phrasing, we must start statements with things like "You feel..." and "You said...". This is different for me, because from my counseling background, we usually start things by saying, "What I hear you say is...". Out instructors want us to stick to the former to avoid taking my ownership.
  

So, despite my own reservations, we got started with two role plays today. For one, I was the co-mediator and for one, I was a complainant. Of course, the scenario in which I acted was simple. The one I mediated was much more complex. It was good to finally get in there and try it out, but I realized some interesting things about myself:

• When I attempt to paraphrase, I am too wordy and take too long.
• I need to listen.
• I need to let go and allow others to generate solutions.
  

Day 1: Mediation Class

I finished the first day of our mediation class. We only spent the last two hours talking about the beginnings of the mediation process. Much of today was spent doing some personality and leadership inventories. This wasn't a bad way to go because it helped us to realize the diversity of personalities not only in the room, but also the diversity of the population we will be working with.

Based on the assessment I took, I realized some things that will stand in the way of my ability to be an effective mediator:

• In mediation, we allow the parties involved to come to their own conclusions, despite what we think the outcome will be. Thus, even if we think something will end in a stalemate, we are not allowed to intervene.
• Mediators aren't allowed to give advice. Doh! I usually jump to the advice-giving pretty quick in my conversations. I will need to work on this as well.
• Mediators are also not allowed to present their own ideas or their own thoughts.

These are things that I know I need to work on any way, so this will give me an opportunity to let go of control and practice my active listening :).

The Spring Break Agenda

As I stated in an earlier post, I will be attending a mediation training during the day Monday-Friday next week. That still leaves two weekends and some evenings without the normal evening routines. So what's on tap with all this free time?

• Christa I will finally be able to watch The Watchmen. Our weekends have not lined up very well, so without class we will have the chance to see it. There are so many people to talk with about it once we have seen it.
• We were sent Munich through the mail for Netflix, which Christa and I both want to see. Depending on how quickly we get to it, we could get the last episose of Planet Earth before spring break is over.
• I purchase Left 4 Dead, a game that Christa and I both enjoyed playing. When you combine that with the new songs we downloaded for Rock Band 2, we should have a good time gaming next week as well.
• Hopefully, I will have a chance to work ahead on some stuff for gaming. We only have so many weeks left in the spring semester to play.
• Our church will be having a long term ministry planning meeting on Tuesday. I am excited and intrigued to hear from my fellow parishioners about their ideas for the church.

Alas, all of that awaits once we have closed the building, which occurs at 8:00 PM tonight.

New Format

I thought the blog could use a face lift. I'm not sure how people feel about it, but it's my blog:

Good News:

• The blog is more colorful and they are colors that I like :).
• I added a better weather feature, although I can't get it to default to Oshkosh weather. I have tried all sorts of different ways.
• I added the Twitter feature. We'll see how long that lasts :).

Bad News:

• It's not something you're able to hide well at work. It's pretty obvious... ;)
• The colors may not be everyone.

In the end, I wanted to shake things up, and I did. Enjoy.

Twitter

There are a few of my friends that utilize Twitter to post random comments and ideas on their blogs. Recently a story about the Milwaukee Bucks banning writing Twitter messages (also known as "Tweets."

As it is becoming more popular, I decided I would give it a whirl. I have them post to a section in the upper left of my blog. We'll see what happens. I do realize it's intention is to let people know what you're doing. I am using it more to post random thoughts! :)

Bioshock 2

After earlier concerns that my subscription to Game Informer may have expired, I received a new copy for the month of April in my mailbox. On the cover was a tagline for a preview of BioShock 2. Next to Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, BioShock is one of my favorite games. I am curious to read more about the game. When you combine this with the potential for a Mass Effect 2 in the near future, gaming looks bright :).

A Spring Break Odyssey

Next week is spring break for the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. It comes right in the middle of the spring semester. It is hard to believe that we are already almost done with seven weeks of the semester.

My spring break will be spent doing a mediation seminar at the Winnebago Conflict Resolution Center. It's Monday-Friday from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. It was recommended by the District Board of Ministry and it was covered by the Department of Residence Life. So, in the end every works out well.

I will still have a few evenings with less meetings and should be able to get some time to relax.

Wireless Internet & ABUMC

Wireless Internet
The residence hall lounges at UW Oshkosh now have wireless internet routers. I'm not sure where the first floor one is located, but if I have the computer on the kitchen table, we can pick it up. It's like we have two offices. It will make job searching and sermon researching a lot easier because I won't have to jump between two computers. It also gives Christa and I each access to a computer with internet capabilities. :)

The Algoma Boulevard UMC Services
The services at ABUMC went very well! In preparation for my delivery, I practiced it a couple times in the weight room in our basement. It has a full-length mirror which made it easy for me to catch any bizarre movements that might have come up in the performance. It made a big difference, and Christa was able to confirm that.

As with our experience at Eureka, it was really neat to be with the congregation from the church. They were all very friendly, which as a guest, I suppose you would expect. What made the experience more rewarding were the comments that folks made. I spoke with one man who said that he appreciated a fresh perspective on a bible lesson and appreciated hearing a new voice in the church. Another individual said that he appreciated the fact that he was able to come away with something to work over the week. That was awesome! That is what I hope to do in every sermon :).

Saturday Shamrock Shuffle

Today was the 2nd Annual Shamrock Shuffle. The route was pretty much the same as last year, but this time I walked. If I ran the 5K, I would have zapped all my energy and would have been completely useless the rest of the day. That would be possible given my need to prepare a sermon and an AD&D adventure. It did just feel good to get outside and take in some of the fresh air.

Notes:

1. There is no such thing as a 1st Annual event. It is not annual until it happens more than once. This has bugged me from my time as a Copy Editor for the Advance Titan.
2. The weather is gorgeous today. Too bad all of the ground is soaking wet!
3. Tomorrow I lead the three worship services at Algoma Boulevard United Methodist Church. Three! It should be interesting.
4. Million Dollar Baby is a really sad movie and not what I expected. While very good, it could have been a classic if it was paced better and have better character development.
   

A Little Humor

Nothing of note for today, how about a classic clip from a classic film:

Male announcer: The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in the red zone.
Female announcer: The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in the red zone.
Male announcer: [later] The red zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in the white zone.
Female announcer: No, the white zone is for loading of passengers and there is no stopping in a RED zone.
Male announcer: The red zone has always been for loading and unloading of passengers. There's never stopping in a white zone.
Female announcer: Don't you tell me which zone is for loading, and which zone is for stopping!
Male announcer: Listen Betty, don't start up with your white zone s**t again.
[Later]
Male announcer: There's just no stopping in a white zone.
Female announcer: Oh really, Vernon? Why pretend, we both know perfectly well what this is about. You want me to have an abortion.
Male announcer: It's really the only sensible thing to do, if its done safely. Therapeutically there's no danger involved.

From the Gaming Side of the House...

I have talked quite a few times about the wrapping up my last year as an RHD. Depending on schedules, the AD&D gaming group that has met for the past three years will also most likely be phased out as well.

My biggest concern is that two of the founding members of the group will be graduating this semester. I am very happy that they have completed school, but that leaves quite a void for the group. A few other members that started out have begun not showing up recently. I don't know where I'm going to be placed for the ministry, but if it's nearby, perhaps it can keep going. We'll just need to recruit some new members.

Of all the campaigns for all the RPG games that I have played, this one has been the most consistent. It has really fun to watch the participants (both players and the DM) grow through the three years. I feel as though the adventures haven gotten more detailed and the plot lines have become more intriguing. I feel as though the characters are realizing more the consequences and benefits of actions. They have also kept me on my toes to make sure I think about all possible solutions to a situation.

The Party of Pholtus is currently adventuring in the Lordship of the Isles, trying to find the Sceptre of Pholtus. They were doing OK until they got captured by pirates. For more information, check HERE.

Odd Jobs

As I finish my final year as a Residence Hall Director, I have a pretty good sense of how the year will unfold from here. I know generally what tasks and meetings lie ahead and don't expect all that many surprises. In some ways, this can be helpful because it relieves anxiety. But, I want to avoid complacency and I need to find other small tasks to keeps things fresh.

Over the last few weeks, it has been interesting to me to see small tasks and projects become a part of my job as an RHD. I have helped out in small ways with a few hall fundraisers. I am writing letters of recommendation. I am exploring forming a new student group. When you pool as of that with my normal day-to-day stuff, it keeps me busy. :)

It also keeps my mind away from the fact that before I know it I will be done as an RHD. :( Boo..

Our Time at Eureka

Christa and I had the opportunity to visit the United Methodist Church in Eureka yesterday. We weren't sure where the weather was going to fit in with this trip, but the trip there wasn't too bad. Utilizing Mapquest, I was unable to find a street address for the church so it took two runs through Eureka before Christa found the steeple that led us to the church :).

We got there around 9:30 for a 10:00 AM service. We walked in with a group in the middle of a Bible study. We were invited in and sat in on the last 15 minutes of their study. Everyone seemed very welcoming and we participated as we could.

The service was no different. They have quite a community there is Eureka. They shared a great deal during the service and while informal, it was definitely easy to see the Spirit at work in their congregation. I was excited to be a part of it.

Christa told me that of all the sermons she's heard me do so far, she liked this one the best. I would agree with her. I felt like this sermon had some good content, but was put together in a good flow.

Back in my sophomore year of high school, I received a choir "award" for being "Constantly in Motion." As anyone could tell you if you've seen me present, I like to move around a lot. I also use a lot of gestures. Sunday was no different. The sermon seemed to flow well, but man, was I being fidgety! Christa pointed it out and I had no idea. I will need to keep this in mind. I may not think I'm nervous, but my non-verbals may be pointing to something else :).

I now turn my energies to the three services I will be leading this Sunday.

Spring Weather Tease

I sure did get used to the nice weather last week. By Friday, I was wearing sandals outside. In got a little wet because of all the melt, but it was nice to get outside and not have to wear a jacket. I came down to pick up Christa after she visited her grandfather, and her dad let us know that a storm was coming.

You'd never know it was getting warmed. We are getting pounded! It is a true winter storm right now. Driving is absolutely crazy out there. It looks like it is starting to die down, but with the way the city plows the streets, the damage has been done :).

If you have to drive, be safe!

Note: If you could, please keep Christa's grandfather in your prayers right now. He is going through a really rough patch health-wise right now and they are concerned that he may pass away soon...

New Blog

Christa has started a blog reflecting on her experiences with student teaching. It is found HERE. Any updates to her blog can also be found in Blog Updates widget on the right hand column of the blog.

Dental Relief

A 9:10 AM dental appointment. What a way to start my Friday...

...no cavities. That's good. There was a filling that needs to be replaced, but otherwise things are good.

It always amazes me how nervous I get when I go to the dentist. Part of it is probably because I don't take care of my teeth the way I should. I always wait to get the word on what might need to get worked on. While having my teeth cleaned, I asked my dental hygienist if she feels like she needs to get better care of her teeth given her line of work, and she said no :).

Rock Band Renewal

Christa and I can both tell you that we are both extremely exhausted. Christa has been working extremely hard in her student teaching and is preparing for an opportunity soon when she will be teaching every class of the day for two weeks. She is also preparing her resume to be posted on Titan Jobs! I have been busy with CA selection, OPE, letters of recommendation and other administrative stuff.

During the completion of the Endless Setlist 2 on Rock Band 2, our drum set broke. Despite some attempts on my part to take apart the set and seeing if I could fit it, it does not look promising. As such we ordered the new wireless drum set for the XBox 360. They are hard to find in stores and are expensive on many places on-line. We found a set for pretty cheap.

We are tracking it on FedEx.com and hoping to see them on Saturday. Given all the work we have been doing, it will be nice to kick back and play some Rock Band 2!

Wednesday Randomness

This week has been completely crazy and my mind is a little scrambled. Let's just throw out a few random thoughts today:

1. I got to drive a Lincoln Navigator today. That is one impressive vehicle...one that is completely out of my price range!
2. Our church is starting a Lenten Book meeting over the next few Wednesdays. We are reading The Shack. I am curious to see what others think of the book. I was not all that impressed.
3. I go to the dentist on Friday...bleh.
4. It is my Dad's birthday this weekend. Yay!

Slient Vendetta

My friends Nick and Jason got me hooked into a game called Silent Vendetta. The best thing it has going for it is that it is turn-based. Thus, you only have so many points to spend and then your turn is over and it takes time to recharge. It can be a quick distraction, but does not get you sucked in for hours.

You are a gangster and you commit crimes and train at the gym to improve yourself. Gather money and items to help you. Eventually, you can join a gang and receive additional resources.

If you're interested in trying it out, please go HERE. I get points for referring folks.

OPE Remote Post, Number 3

I am in the middle of my last Transportation Center shift, working my final OPE as a Residence Hall Director. As both a undergraduate student and an RHD, I have worked in Transportation for seven years. It has been a great experience filled with many interesting moments: snow storms, speeding tickets, hit and runs and other craziness.

With that I sign off from Room 123 in GCC.

OPE Remote Post, Number 2

It was another early morning at the Oshkosh Placement Exchange. I was here at 7:00 AM to help out with the morning rush. I got buzz around to a few hotels and displaced some of the backlog. :)

After that, I got a break and caught 3 more episodes of the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon. Christa came back during the second episode, and she watched another one. She, too, remembered watching this while growing up and is now "hooked".

Right now, I am holding down the Transportation fort until 6pm. Then I drive for two hours. Then it's time to socialize. Then I'm done...for Saturday! Yay!!

OPE Remote Post

I write to you from GCC Room 123, also known as the Transportation Center. I started at 7:00 AM this morning with supervising the six drivers that are bringing candidates from the various Oshkosh hotels here to the University.

I am thankful to be here this morning! Last night, Christa and I ventured out to Madison to watch the first day of the WIAA State Wrestling Tournament. The weather was not too bad on the way out to Madison, although there was one patch of heavy snow. They way the weather folks were talking, they said it was going to be awful. While the weather seemed awful north of here, it really wasn't too bad. We had a few rough patches of ice, but we made it back safely.

Robby won his first match 7-5! He was a little nervous, but won in overtime. You could tell he kicked it up a notch and felt the sense of urgency. His second match was a tough one. He wrestled someone who was very aggressive and very talented. He lost that match :(. It's a double elimination tournament...so, he will be wrestling at least one more time this morning. I am awaiting news.


Well, it's back to the grind. More updates tomorrow!

Lent Begins

Christa and I attended a combined Algoma Boulevard/First Church Ash Wednesday service last night. There is always a feeling of starting over when Lent begins. Perhaps you try giving something up for Lent. You may choose to add a new discipling to Lent. It's a second chance to try out some of those New Year's resolutions. I am hoping through Lent this year to be more faithful to the covenant agreement I made for myself.

Other News:

1. Robby begins his matches at the State Wrestling Tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison. His first match should be around 4:00 PM. We'll see how the weather is before we make the trek out there. The trip there will be fine. It's the trip back that worries me.
2. OPE beings today!
   

Jim on the Road

On March 8, I will be leading the 10:00 AM worship service at Eureka United Methodist Church.

On March 15, I will be leading the three worship services at Algoma Boulevard United Methodist Church in Oshkosh, WI.

I always appreciate the opportunity for Christa and I to experience worship and preaching in different churches.

The Calm Between the Storms

CA Interviews are complete. I am glad that I had the opportunity to participate in the opening and closing portions of the interview process.

We have a few days reprieve before the fun of the Oshkosh Placement Exchange begins. We have quite a few graduating seniors who will be using OPE to either find an RHD job out of school or find a graduate program.

This will be my last OPE. I have participated in one OPE as a student work, two as a candidate, and six as a Transportation Supervisor.

One-Eighty

Christa and I have decided that during the spring semester we are going to branch out and try some different churches with different worship styles. I have seen advertisements in the Union for the One-Eighty service. I have had residents talk about positive experiences at the service. We decided to check it out this Sunday.

Christa and I were both pretty impressed with the sermon. He used a PowerPoint presentation to guide those watching and also had one clear message. He also based a sermon series on Nehemiah, which I thought was pretty cool. Everyone there was very friendly and we were greeted by multiple individuals both before and after the service.

They definitely use a very contemporary style of worship, where Christa and I are looking for something of a fusion of both traditional and contemporary worship. I do think this service would be seen as being great by college students. I encourage you to at least check it out.

They worship on Sunday mornings at 10:30 AM in the Reeve Ballroom.

State Tournament Bound

Christa and I made our way down to Hartford Union High School to watch the Division I Sectional Meet. Robby won his three matches today, won Sectionals and will now be going to the state tournament in Madison. Christa and I are going to try to rearrange some stuff so that we might be able to see him wrestle at state! Congratulations Robby!

Some Links for Your Perusal

I was checking out the Drudge Report this morning and found a few interesting articles worth checking out ***WARNING: CONSERVATIVE-LEANING LINKS FOLLOW***:

Rush Limbaugh's Letter to Obama About Fairness Doctrine

Taxing By the Mile

When Does an ex-President Just Leave the Spotlight...*sigh*

What Kind of President was W?

Weekend Notes:

1. Robby wrestles in sectionals tomorrow. He's got a good chance at winning!
2. Webster Hall will be hosting a 12-hour game-a-thon starting at 3:00 PM in the lobby/basement. Check it out!

A Note

Because of commitments to CA interviews, I had to alter my office hours in GCC and left a note on my door letting residents know that I wouldn't be in the office Wednesday afternoon.

I came in to the office this morning and was greeted with the following message found underneath. It was partially erased, but it would be something like: Good. We don't f****n like you anyway.

Huh.

I had an interesting stream of consciousness as I started to think about this note:

1. There are only 30 or so students on the FVTC floors. I could probably round it down to about three or four students who likely did it. Oh well.
2. I'm only in my office in GCC 2-3 hours a day. It sure doesn't take long to make enemies.
3. I realize that most of the time residents in GCC only interact with me for conduct concerns or CAD issues. Perhaps I have made a lot of enemies.
4. Perhaps I don't have the best image anyway.
5. There are a few residents I interact with and we have a good relationship.
   
6. Thank you to whoever erased most of the message. I appreciate it, but it still left enough to decipher. The message next to it was illegible. Perhaps it was supportive.

Regardless, I didn't let it get to me too much. After a long week last week and a really busy week this week it was the last thing that I needed to see. It stills makes you wonder why someone would bother writing something like that?

Dungeons & Dragons Cartoon

I remember this cartoon. It aired in 1983. That 25 years ago. Recently, a few friends have purchased boxed set containing the entire 24-episode series. I have borrowed the series and I am slowly watching the whole series. So, a few thoughts thus far. Please keep in mind, these are my perspectives on the series now:

*** Caution...dorky material to follow ***

1. It pains me to see such powerful monsters reduced to being easily defeated. Would Lolth really die by having a baby unicorn cut her web? Did I just write this? Needless to say, Tiamat gets scared off by one magical spell. It's not right. Those characters would totally be dead.
2. The cavalier's main weapon is a shield? Really??
3. I do appreciate seeing monsters and places from the game being put into the cartoon. Same goes with the character classes.
4. Peter Cullen does the voice of the main villian. No, Jim, it's not Optimus Prime.
5. The cartoon is so very 80s. I love it! It's dated, but in a funny retro way. It'd be interesting to see what it would look like with today's cartoon standards.
6. I wonder why the series only lasted 24 episodes. For a kid's cartoon, it was quite good.

Note: If you buy the complete series, you are provided with the AD&D 3rd Edition equivalent of their character sheets. Can't we just have the mystery?

CA Interviews

Tomorrow and Thursday the Department of Residence Life will be conducting interviews for prospective Community Advisor candidates:

1. Good luck to all folks who are interviewing!
2. Thank you to all the current CAs and PAs who have taken time to help interview.
3. Thank you to all RHDs, ARHDs and Central Staff folk who have also taken time out of their workday to help with interviews.
   
4. This means you won't be hearing from me too much over the next few days. I will be helping out quite a bit between the hours of 2-10 PM.

Firsts - OK, This One I'll Do

1. Who was your FIRST prom date? Gina Lauer
2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love? Does Facebook count?
3. What was your 1st alcoholic drink? Long Island Iced Tea
4. What was your FIRST job? Server Assistant at Chancery in Mequon
5. What was your FIRST car? Jeep Wagoneer
6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today? Verizon, telling me I had to pay my bill.
7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning? Christa :)
8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher? Don't remember.
9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane? When we traveled from NJ to WI
10. Who was your FIRST best friend & do you still talk? Adam Davidson; Nope
11. Where was your FIRST sleep over? I don't remember.
12. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today? Christa
13. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time? Tom Dittl
14. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning? Exercised.
15. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to? Three Dog Night...yep. Sweet.
16. FIRST tattoo? No tattoos...ever.
17. First piercing? See #16.
18. First foreign country you've been to? Canada
19. FIRST movie you remember seeing? Pride tells me it had to be a Star Wars movie. :-D
21. What was the first state you lived in? Oklahoma (from birth to 6 months)
22. Who was your FIRST roommate? Bart Achterburg (in college)
23. If you had one wish. What would it be? I would wish to a world where people would genuinely listen to one another.
24. What is something you would learn if you had the chance? To play the banjo
25. Who do you think will be the next person to post this? No clue.

A Thought

As per the lectionary texts for this week, the epistle lesson came from 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27:

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified."

Only one person can win a physical race, but in the race of the Faith, we are all encouraged to race as to try to win. There is no trophy we are hoping to earn. Our imperishable gift is the love and compassion of God through Jesus Christ. What other motivation do you need? We are warned to exert ourselves with discipline and purpose, lest our energies be used poorly. The Good News is that there can be more than one winner in the race described in the text.

That is a good feeling, but it does not come without work. Being a Christian does require hard work. Being a disciple and helping others to become disciples is not an easy task, but it is a task we are asked to do. Continue to run the race! Don't falter!

Trip to the Alma Mater

Christa's brother Robby has had an incredible second half in his wrestling season. Today is regionals for wrestling and the prospects are good for him to make it all the way to the state tournament. Christa and I will be heading down today to check it out.

Interestingly enough, the tournament for regionals will be hosted at Homestead High School. I took a self-guided tour two summers ago and got to see some of the grounds. But today will give me a chance to check out the new field house.

Christa was hoping for a tour. I'll see what I can remember!

Long-Awaited Weekend

This week has been busy. It's hasn't necessarily been stressful, but it has been jam packed with a lot of stuff. Some new projects have arisen and new old projects have been completed. I've dealt with some tense student issues. Regardless, I am ready for a break.

Saturday does not have any appointments, so we can sleep in tomorrow. As it is Valentine's Day, Christa and I will be celebrating by dining at Chili's. Mmm...fajitas.

Just for the record, this is post 750. Woot!

Lexulous

It you use Facebook (which is quite a few people), please add a module called Lexulous. It's like Scrabble, but with a few rules differences. The Scrabble beta application sucks. It's a fund game and I'd love to play more games :).

The Planet Earth

Christa and I are in the process of watching disk three of five in the Planet Earth series. Christa has been wanting to see this for a long time and with the Netflix subscription we have been having one come in periodically as we make our way through the cue.

When we popped in the first DVD, I was amazed. It is a visually stunning presentation with amazing camera angles depicting scenes in nature that are either rarely, or never, seen.

Then we watched the next installment. Same thing. But, at this point I was starting to realize something. While visually stunning and groundbreaking, I wasn't really learning all that much. A few facts might be shared, but so much of the footage involved animals hunting animals or animals feeding.

As we are finishing the third DVD, I am looking for more. Don't get me wrong; it is enjoyable to watch. I just assumed I would be getting more out of them then I am.

I can see this serious being a lot of fun for middle school and high school students to watch. But for someone who does love science, I would be left hoping for more.

Tuesday Thoughts

1. Going to bed at 9:30 is difficult in a residence hall. I guess we all have different ideas of what Courtesy Hours are.
2. I appreciate Obama's confidence with this stimulus package. I don't, however, share it. Maybe this will help short term, but it brings us one step closer to a socialistic society. That's bad, by the way.
3. The NFL football season is over. This is when the sports lag begins. The Bucks are OK and the Brewers don't start until April.
4. This weather is outstanding, but you know it is not going to last

Bowl for Kid's Sake

I have been a part of Big Brothers/Big Sisters for almost two and half years. I have been paired with two different little brothers and have tried in my time with them to be good role models when they may not have a positive male role model in their life.

Each year, a Bowl for Kid's Sake is hosted to raise money for the organization. The Webster Hall Staff has formed a team and we are looking for raise funds. Each member must receive at least $100 in donations. I am sending this out on my blog to see if anyone would be willing to help sponsor me.

You can donate on-line HERE.

Otherwise, you can E-mail me at droste@uwosh.edu or send me a message on Facebook letting me know if you'd like to donate. We can work out payment options later.

Please check the above links for more information. I would appreciate your help!