Plyometrics

In addition to the cardio workouts and weight training workouts that I do throughout the week, I have added some plyometric work to the routine on Fridays. It is a new form of exercise that I have read about but have never implemented into workouts. I did some research online and figured I would give it a shot. After the first dayof it, I am quite sore. I am curious to see if there are any results over time.

Other News:

1. Today pretty much completes my last official training as a staff member for Residence Life. Now I begin my final semester as a Residence Hall Director.
2. I have seen (or re-seen) a bunch of movies in the last week. Here are some quick ratings: Defiance - very good; The Road Warrior - still a classic with a young Mel Gibson; Heavy Metal - bizarre, but oddly entertaining; Gladiator Special Edition - new scenes don't necessarily add all that much, but add flesh out some subplots.
3. 
   

2001

The streaming videos available through NetFlix have been a wonderful addition to the Droste household and it has allowed us to indulge in our love of movies. I added 2001: A Space Odyssey to the list. I had yet to see the entire movie and had heard some very positive reviews.

Yes, this movie was amazing...in 1968. The visuals are quite stunning and his use of music is well-timed. It also depicts a very interesting concept of what the future would be like. Too bad we didn't advance that far by 2001.

Unfortunately, with the technology and effects now, the movie just looks dated. It leaves you with a lot to think about, but that wasn't enough to carry the film. It is also paced incredibly slow, with certain scenes taking way to long to develop. I guess I am a product of a different generation that does not appreciate this film the way it should be.

I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Resources Utilized

Tomorrow, Christa and I will be traveling to the New London United Methodist Church to preside over their two morning worship services. With Christa at her parent's house for the day, I have had some quiet time to pull everything together. What was most moving today was seeing all of the resources that I have gathered over the last year putting put to use. I was able to use the Interpreter's Bible that I received from Harry, the Book of Worship I purchased for licensing school, along the Concordance of the Bible I recently purchased. To see all these books laid out was really neat to see.

I feel as though I did a pretty decent job of bringing together all three scripture lessons together into a compact, but meaningful service.

Other News:

1. I finished a run through of Fallout 3. I didn't realize that the game was going to be over until the last mission started. It seemed abrupt. Apparently, there is a lot of game left to explore that I missed.
2. Christa realized that with her needing the car for student teaching I won't have a way to make it my Disciple bible class. We'll need to think of a solution :(.
3. It's amazing how much more free time is available when the football season is pretty much done.
   

Some Serious Rock Band 2

Last night, a group of folks gathered together to tackle the 84 song Endless List on Rock Band 2. It took us 6 hours and 45 minutes, but we got through it together. We completed the set list on the hard difficult with all instruments.

Thank you to the following folks for helping out:
Tony Bushner (designated drummer and guitar help when the going got quite rough)
Isaac (my little brother, played guitar and bass)
Mark Medinger (provided vocals, guitar and base help)
Robbie "Poptart" Last (drum support)
Kim Hansen (vocal support and drum help)
Christine Bono (who helped on vocals and guitar)
Ryan Demmon (who helped on vocals, bass and guitar)
Pat Hager (who rocked out a little on bass)

Darci Wildermuth, Argelia Velasquez, Jacey Holcomb & Molly Kopplin for offering moral support through the evening.

I had the chance to rock out on vocals for a good majority of the songs, and got to play one song on drums, a few a guitar and a few on bass. Christa sang one song and played bass on several, including the last few songs at the end....yeesh!

We generally did very well! Ace of Spades gave us some trouble. We failed that song three times before we made it through. We had to distribute out star power carefully. There was one song that had such tough parts we had to split the drum set into one person doing bass pedal and one person doing the top set. It worked out great!

My sincere thanks to everyone that helped out with the experience. I had a lot of fun and hope that you did, too!

Final Thought...
It's just Facebook, right? It's hard to believe something like that could actually happen. People do take Facebook that serious.

Mmm...Scones

Over the last few weeks we have had tea during our bible study class. I commented to Claudia how it just doesn't seem right to have tea without scones. I was kidding...I had never had a scone before. But, the two do go together.

When I arrived at class today I noticed a Tupperware tin. Inside...were scones! Claudia baked scones for our class. She said she remembered what I said and thought it was a good idea so she made them. They were quite tasty and I can now say that I have had a scone. :)

Thanks Claudia!

It's Tuesday, It's Tuesday

Having Monday off for MLK, Jr. Day was a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a 3-day weekend (and to honor a great American), but it has messed up my week. It's a shorter week than usual, but I keep thinking it's Monday! :)

I also had all of Monday's tasks pushed off to today, plus stuff that was supposed to be done today. Needless to say, today got a little crazy. When you add in a few crazy roommate situations, it's been a busy day.

Fallout 3

I remember not too long after I purchased my XBox 360, Mark recommended the video Game Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. He said it was a great game, but that I probably didn't want to get it because it would take up all my free time. I bought it against his advice; he was right. Most of the spring semester (and summer) was spent playing that game. It sucked away a lot of time, but it was a great game with a great story.

Those folks from Bethesda have done it again. This time it's Fallout 3. I thought the game was good until I got sucked in for about four hours of play today. Now I am truly hooked. I do need to remember that I have a job :).

Friday Thoughts

Checking the online weather report, it is currently -9.1 degrees outside. I am not looking forward to that 1:00 PM trip over to GCC...and then the 3:00 PM trip back. UW Oshkosh did not cancel classes today; I didn't think they would. They did inform us on the weather line that there is a wind chill advisory today. Thanks for the news!

Christa comes back tonight :). It will be wonderful to have her home again. As I have mentioned before, reverting back to the bachelor days was fun. But, I do long to have her back physically. Talking on the phone can only do so much. Before she comes back, I need to do some serious cleaning. I got a little lazy throughout the week. Too much video game playing ;).

Speed Racer

What can I say? I enjoyed this movie. The critics took some opportunities to malign this movie and rate it pretty low. Two of my staff members recommended it to me, as well as other friends. Deep down, I wanted to see it, but felt somewhat embarrassed given the general reaction to the movie.

It was actually a lot of fun and there were three moments where I busted out laughing. It's visually stunning and it has some great actors in it. The plot moves pretty quickly and it keeps your attention. I'd recommend you see it. Just keep in mind that this movie isn't gonna win any Oscars. It's just a fun movie.

The Bachelor Days...

Hmm, Christa being at her parent's house for the week has kicked in my laziness gene. For most of the week, I have had a pretty easy schedule:

1. Morning Workout
2. Work
3. Video Games
4. Repeat!

It has been nice and it takes me back to my early RHD days where there wasn't all that much to life besides work and video games...hehehe.

Life if so much different now. I have a wife that gives me direction and purpose, along with plenty of love and patience. I also have a stronger relationship to the Lord, which helps guide my life.

A small regression this week is nice, but I definitely miss having my better half around to share in the joy of life.

The Weekend That Was

Some highlights from the weekend:

• Christa and I saw the first disc of BBC's "The Planet Earth". It is phenomenal. The picture quality is amazing and they captured some unbelievable footage. We look forward to getting the next installment soon.
• Christa and I taught Sunday School today. It was fun to see Christa in action as a teacher. She may not always think so, but I think she is going to be a great teacher!
• Chris Sewalish and I had the chance to reconnect. It is nice to know he is back in Milwaukee.
• Christa's parents came up today to pick her up and we had lunch together. It was nice to talk with them as well.
• Christa and I earned more Rock Band 2 achievements. Sweet. We are looking forward to getting some folks together to complete the Endless Setlist.
  

C12

Dinner yesterday with Ken. Dinner tonight with Chris. A text message from Peter. Could a C12 reunion be upcoming?

Sacred Hoops

I finished reading Sacred Hoops today. It is by Phil Jackson, current coach of the LA Lakers in the NBA and coach of the Bulls when they won their six NBA Championships. It is an interesting look into the behind the scenes drama of the Bulls rise to prominence with Michael Jordan. It is also interesting to learn about Jackson' coaching methods. We had an interesting way of weaving Christianity into the Zen Buddhism. He was raised Pentecostal, and rejected some of the more regimented parts of the faith, but he does not abandon it. His philosophies are quite interesting and applicable in any field. I read through it quite quickly as it was very interesting. I recommend you give it a try.

Being On Call

It had been awhile, but last night I got a call at 2:30 AM regarding a resident emergency. After making the necessary phone calls and sending out the necessary information, I got back to the apartment a little after 3:00 AM. By the time I could calm down a little bit and unwind, I got back to bed at about 4:15 AM. Working out at 7:00 AM was not so fun this morning.

Pursuing my call to ministry won't change too much in this area. I can still expect late night phone calls regarding challenging crisis situations. I will still be facing situations where I won't know the immediate solution and will need to figure out best how to handle it.

Hmm...that's really all that profound. But, it was on my mind.

So It Begins...

I received a call today from our District Superintendent. He was curious to know my thoughts about a possible half time appointment. I explained that unless Christa found a teaching job, I would probably only be interested in three quarters or full time appointments. It does let me know that the process has truly begun.

I am trying to keep a clear head about this appointment process and realize that it will probably take some time. But, I was worried that I might get lost in the shuffle. It is good to know that I am in consideration :).

Cleaning House

I see today that the Packers have fired six coaches on their staff. I suppose something needed to be done. The defense definitely underperformed this year with basically the same talent, except on the defensive line. Injuries were a factor, but it shouldn't result is such a decrease in performance. This is especially the case in the last few minutes of the game where it seemed the defense withered and allowed the game losing score.

I felt as though Rodgers did quite well and they have a lot of offensive weapons at their disposal. If they can improve the defense (and perhaps create a defense that fits the players they have...something Sanders never did), I think they can bounce back from this season.

Let's hope some new blood in the organization can help right the ship.

Recommitment

After a few weeks of cold temperatures and too much free time, I got back to running and exercising this morning. It is good to be back in the groove. I was starting to get stir crazy being inside so much! I realized that my problem committing to running was that I was attempting to run too much. I am hoping that mixing in some biking and other cardio will help. I am also going to try to commit to a less intense weightlifting routine.

Back to Work

I hear that slamming of doors and the pitter-patter of feet running up and down the hallway. The residence halls are open again!

I have enjoyed the break. It has given me the chance to catch up on playing the XBox 360 at it has given me the chance to catch up on some paperwork.

I will appreciate getting back to work. Structure is good.

A Surprise Request

I received a phone call from my Big Brother's mom. I was worried because I thought she might be calling about how I keep changing the day and time we hang out or about how we don't have all that much variety in what we do together.

Instead, she was calling to ask if I would be a sponsor for Isaac when he gets confirmed in May. I was honored. I am excited to participate and held Isaac out in any way I can.

Two Movie Recommendations

If you're wondering what films to see, Christa and I can recommend two: Valkyrie & Doubt. Both are incredible films and we were very impressed.

Celebration

It's 2009. Day one.

As with all years, I have pledged to make some changes. Most years, a few take hold but many fall by the wayside. Here's to hoping that this year is different.

Last night, Christa and I drove down to Sussex to hang out to have dinner with her parents. They had plenty of food! It was nice to sit down and chat for awhile. Before that, we bowled at an alley that still allowed for hand scoring. I miss doing that.

Christa and I were on the road at midnight. We cracked open a Coca Cola and toasted to 2009.