Snow...Sweet

Last night, Christa informed me that a Winter Storm was going to come through Oshkosh last night and today. I had not seen anything on TV of of yet, but low and behold the warning came on and we were expected to get 4-6 inches of snow. It started last night and left a pretty good layer on the ground when I woke up at 7:15 this morning.

As you have read about before, I have taken to running in the morning when I get up. Not thinking things through at 7:00 AM, I went running to discover the vast majority of Oshkosh citizens or civil servants had not plowed the sidewalks. Even some of the roads had not received any care yet. This made running interesting. Although frustrated at the time, I realized that at 8-9 AM, most plowing had begun. I just needed to wait. But, I am a creature of habit so I ran anyway.

My pedometer said I ran 4.6 miles, but I probably only ran about 3.8. The extra distance come probably from the fact that I took smaller steps to deal with the 4 inches of snow that I was often running through. Some may consider this adventure to be dangerous, or stupid. You're probably right. In addition to that, I think it show determination. I am going to keep up this running stuff. This continues to be the longest that I have made this work.

In non-running related news, the snow looks beautiful, and even at 10:00 AM it continues to snow. It is supposed to snow on and off all day. Christa is right. It's about time we got some snow.

My 3rd floor Community Advisor Darci (who leaves this week) is having a Hawaiian Luau tonight. It's perfect weather for a luau :)!

Sunday Reflection

As I reflect back on today's worship service, I both sang in the choir and played a bell solo. After playing the bell solo, I went over to the education wing so that I could participate in a lesson for the kids about the various committees at out church. The choir piece sounded great, the bell solo went fine (it was the second time I did it) and the education speech went OK. You can only do so much to explain the Staff/Parish Relations Committee to kids. They were squirrelly to begin with; my speech couldn't have helped things.

It got me thinking about everything that Christa and I do for the church. Christa teaches the pre-school kids on Sundays which can be a big ordeal (just ask her about the kids today). We appreciate helping where we can for the church, but it makes me wonder. Christa and I do not often, if ever, have the opportunity to be at church together. I'm in the choir loft and she's in the Sunday School wing. On a rare Sunday when we both might be off, we might get to be together. Many people in the church don't even know we're getting married because they never see us together.

It also diminishes our opportunities to simply sit in the congregation and be part of the service and not feel some nervousness or drive to do something related to the service. I think that's why I enjoy the summer because you have more of those opportunities.

Of course, this comes from someone who is interested in the ministry which would require participationg every Sunday. I imagine even pastors enjoy a Sunday off every once in awhile.

Sunday Reflection

As I reflect back on today's worship service, I both sang in the choir and played a bell solo. After playing the bell solo, I went over to the education wing so that I could participate in a lesson for the kids about the various committees at out church. The choir piece sounded great, the bell solo went fine (it was the second time I did it) and the education speech went OK. You can only do so much to explain the Staff/Parish Relations Committee to kids. They were squirrelly to begin with; my speech couldn't help things.

It got me thinking about everything that Christa and I do for the church. Christa teaches the pre-school kids on Sundays which can be a big ordeal (Just ask her about the kids today). We appreciate helping where we can for the church, but it makes me wonder. Christa and I do not often, if ever, have the opportunity to be at church together. I'm in the choir loft and she's in the Sunday School wing. On a rare Sunday when we both might be off, we might get to be together.

It also diminishes our opportunities to simply sit in the congregation and be part of the service and not feel some nervousness or drive to do something related to the service. I think that's why I enjoy the summer because you have more of those opportunitites.

Of course, this comes from someone who is interested in the ministry which would require participationg every

Saturday Potpourri

• I finished my first full week of running since...well, high school. Most other attempts at running have been spotty at best or only haoppen a few days during the week. I am looking forward to resting up on Sunday and building on what I was able to do so far. I weighed 196 this morning and have lost two pounds overall since New Year's. Not bad.
• Christa found a wedding dress and the bride's maid dresses as well. We have had a productive week of wedding planning and it will continue.
• I had my one hour of radio glory on WRST Friday from 5-6 PM. I know at least two people were listening. My good friend Peter Brooks called in to the show and gave me a post-show talk. We actually had a real live caller who had a good question as well. Jason Dufek and I talked about residence life, college student life and how students can "get involved." I had fund, but I doubt I am on my way to a life in radio ;).
• Christa and I head up to Green Bay in a few hours for a Wedding Expo. If we sit through a one-hour presentation, we can get some free stuff. I'm game. And, I'll only miss one half of the first playoff game. I think I get to keep my man-card.
• My home computer is not working. I am typing this entry from the computer in my office, which conveniently, is only about 10 feet from my apartment :). I ran an anti-virus check on my computer and when my computer re-booted, it stays in a continuous re-boot loop. That's what I get for trying to fix my computer.
• The Bucks traded for Earl Boykins and gave up Steve Blake. I can say this is probably the most one-sided trade I have seen for the Bucks since I have followed them as a team.
  

Jim, Media Darling

Having already been on Titan TV five times for various episodes of Kube-itz, I am amazed at how many people will come up to me and say something to the effect of, "Hey, I saw you on Titan TV last night." As I have said if previous blogs, Peter, Dave and I are a pretty good team when it comes to 80's trivia.

Already having some media exposure this year, I am proud to announce that I will be on 90.3 WRST at 5:00 PM today. Drew Van Wyk does a radio show called WildEyed Radio. The topic of the program will highlight the Community Advisor position so that students might find out more about it. I will joining Jason Dufek, who was also a guest.

If you get a chance, you may want to listen. I will try to be profound.

Job vs. Career

When I was at the WCPA Conference earlier in the fall semester, I attended a program that Peter Brooks put on called "Orbiting the Giant Hairball". The program focused mostly on inefficiencies found in many of our administrative processes. Near the end of the program, he talked about something that really stuck with me. It was the idea that career and job can be different things.

When thinking about being a music teacher, it would have been my job and career. When I got out of graduate school, I viewed being a residence hall director as being my job and career. Much of what I did during my day had to do with my Residence Hall Director position. Being in my 4th year as a Residence Hall Director, I see things differently. I feel established in a community. I am getting married in less than six months. I feel a call to a different profession. I have passions in areas outside of housing.

I am starting to realize that being a Residence Hall Director is a job. It is a job that I enjoy very much, but it is a job. It is not my career. My career lies on another path, one I continue to explore and refine. It doesn't mean I view my RHD job any less, it just means it is one part of me, it is not all of me. I have appreciated feeling more well-rounded and well-balanced when I can put my energy into many areas.

Passion

As I write this entry, I have complete the second part of my two-day Senior Staff Retreat. While yesterday was a field trip, today we stayed on campus and did two different things.

IDI Explanation
The IDI is the Intercultural Development Inventory. All CAs and PAs on campus as well as A/RHDs took the assessment and we had a session that discussed the overall results of our department. I will not get into great detail about the assessment, but I did come away somewhat frustrated. I felt like some questions that I had did not get answered so I will have to do some follow-up assessment. Feel free to give me a call and I'll let you know my questions. There is also a website to check out.

Afternoon Activities
In the afternoon, we played Boxers or Briefs with members of Senior Staff. This was fun. I did not win, but I managed to connect with a few folks on answers. We also played the "Tap Game". If you are unfamiliar, a group gets is a circle, sits down and closes their eyes. A few members of the group are pulled out of the circle to participate. A facilitator reads a statement such as, "Tap someone who you feel is a good leader." Those outside the circle would tap the folks that, for them, fit that statement. I enjoy this activity (it sometimes even makes me cry).

I highly recommend this activity as a closure activity. Some thoughts as I reflect on today's "tap game" and those I've done before:

1. I have been surprised to be "tapped" for areas where I assume that I wouldn't.
2. Similarly, I have gone "tapless" for statements where I thought I would be tapped multiple times.
3. I always fear how people who receive few taps feel about this game. That is one drawback to the activity.
4. When your colleagues are highly skilled, you often find yourself tapping many people for many statements.
   
5. It really hurts to keep your eyes closed for that long :).

Other News

• I was invited to WURHA 2007 as a Conference Guest. Score!
  

Quick Update

Today we traveled down to Madison for an A/RHD mid-year retreat. It was an interesting opportunity to tour two of UW Madison's new residence halls; they also provided a variety of presentations about first-year initiatives as well. This will be helpful information as we think about the NBC Village as well as thinking about a new residence hall here at UWO. It made a for a good day; I had the opportunity to chat with Peter about a variety of key issues including discussions about Star Wars.

I have been running again instead of walking over the last few days. It has been wonderful. Hopefully it keeps up. One way or another, I am exercising. :)

We Are Marshall

Last night Jen Hass and I saw We Are Marshall. My pre-viewing reconnaissance let me know that reviews are more to the end of favorable, so I figured it should have been a pretty good movie. That was definitely the case. I really enjoyed the movie. I would give it a 7.0 out of 10 which is a solid score for the movie.

Positives:

• The soundtrack was excellent. The movie takes place between 1969-1971 so you get lots of classic rock. The original score is also very good; I am considering purchasing it on I-Tunes.
• The movie moves along pretty well and does not leave you hanging too often. It didn't have the boredom factor that The Good Shepherd had.
• I liked that many of the actors are lesser known actors; it made the movie feel more real.
• There were a few emotional moments that did not go over the top or seem cheesy; the script was very well written.
• I liked that the ending credits showed the actors that played their characters next to real people (those that were still alive).
• The actor they got to play Bobby Bowden was dead one. Impressive.
  

Negatives:

• I wasn't a fan of Matthew McConaughey. I just felt like his acting didn't quite fit the bill.
• The football scenes were not all that good.

I would definitely recommend seeing it. It is not doing all that well in theatres which surprises me.

Sunday Reflection

Steve Kaehr led his first service at our church this morning. It is a good feeling to know that you have someone coming in who will be at the church for awhile. He did a wonderful job. Among the things that I appreciated about his first worship service:

• He used an older version of the Doxology. There is something about singing "Amen" on the VI-I chord progression that just accentuates the fact that you are at church.
• His sermon was longer than what I'm used to, but it was interesting. He introduced himself in a thoughtful way and tied into the message of the baptism of Jesus Christ.
• He had an Old Testament reading, a New Testament reading & a Gospel reading. You can never have enough bible verses in church :).
  

I am excited to see over time how the congregation responds to his style of worship. I am definitely on board.

Other Thoughts:

• I have checked out the first in a series of books that our church library has that interpret various books of the bible. I thought it would be a good supplement to the bible reading that I am doing throughout the year.
• I need to schedule an SPRC meeting soon. I will hopefully take care of that tomorrow.
  

Saturday Potpourri

• Christa's planetarium presentation went very well; now I wish I would have gone to the presentation. It sounds like any nervousness she had did not get in the way of her doing a wonderful job.
• Christa goes home today to hopefully find a wedding dress. Among my many other things in life, men have it pretty easy in the wedding clothing department. In 30 minutes at After Hours, I was able to reserve tuxedos for the wedding party, ushers, fathers and myself. Mine's already ordered and will be waiting for me on June 14. Christa has had a much bigger ordeal finding her dress and bride's maid dresses.
• A weekend of NFL playoff football. Sweet! There are some good match-ups this weekend; sadly, the Packers will not be in one of those match-ups.
• Character creation for my AD&D campaign continues. Three characters have been created with four more on the way. My goal is eight characters to start with and I think I have the eighth person picked out.
• A FUMC Oshkosh church member and choir member Milo Cushman died on December 31, 2006. His church service was this morning. I didn't know Milo all that well, but he would sings on and off with us in the three years I have been a member of the church. I got frustrated with how often he did not come to choir. I didn't think it was fair that he could sing at church, but not rehearse. I did not know until most recently that he had been battling cancer for the last ten years. Talk about not having the while story and judging someone...I learned a valuable lesson.
  

Habits

On Wednesday, I had the hugest craving for a candy. And, I relented having a Milky Way bar. It tasted good, really good. It was the first candy bar I had since Sunday. When you don't have something for a little while you realize how truly good something can be; it honestly tastes like a treat because you don't have it all the time.

My two biggest goals this year are to cut down significantly my consumption of both regular soda and sugar. I had gotten so used to both of them that I never stopped to think about how much of it I was consuming. It was getting almost disgusting. So, for the five days of the new year I am doing a good job cutting these down. When I do have them every once in awhile, it makes them more special.

Breaking habits are tough, especially really old habits. I have had more success this year than ever before. There are a few reasons for this, in my opinion:

• Christa - She has been helpful in holding me accountable to the things that I have resolved to do. She takes a genuine interest in me being a better person. It's one of the many advantages to marrying her :).
• Prayer - God has been very helpful in this endeavor. I feel stronger and feel a real purpose to making these changes. They will make me a better person and a better Christian.
• Maturity - I have more background and experience to draw from and can see some truly destructive habits in which I have engaged.

Hopefully, things keep going on as they are. I have more energy, less stress and I feel better about who I am.

Other News:

• Christa does her first planetarium show tonight at the Buckstaff Planetarium. You should check it out! It's at 7:00 PM. I have never been inside it before and I got to see it for the first time last night.
• So far the response to the second semester AD&D campaign has been good. People are creating characters and excitement seems to be high.
  

I-Pod Anniversary

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the purchase of my 30 GB I-Pod. Outside of Christa's engagement ring and my life insurance policy, this is probably one of the best purchases I have ever made. I use the I-Pod in my apartment, in my office, when I exercise and when I drive. It has made music, which is very important to me, mcuh more accessible.

It doesn't look like new anymore. In fact, it is pretty scratched up from so much use. I can live with that.

If you are thinking about getting an I-Pod let me know. I can definitely offer some perspective.

Relationships U

My friend Ryan Bronkema had created a website to launch his career as a speaker/presenter. I was very excited to see the Relationships U website last night. It offers some great perspectives about relationships for college students. He also offers other topics for presentation. I encourage you to check it out.

It's only a matter of time before Ryan becomes famous. I am just glad I knew him before he got all famous :).

Student Teaching

Loyal readers (all 10 of you ;) ) know that my undergraduate degree was in choral and general music education. To complete the certification process, you needed to complete student teaching. My student teaching experience divided out to be one quarter in high school choir and one quarter in elementary general music.

By the time I began student teaching, I was very sure that I was no longer interested in being a music teacher. It's not that I regretted my musical education; in fact, I would glad that I now have that background. But, the thought of being a classroom music teacher deal not have the appeal that it did four years before.

On my morning walk today, I walked by Oshkosh North high school. I did my student teaching my Oshkosh West, but regardless, it got me thinking about my student teaching experience. Sadly, when I recount this experience with folks I can honestly tell them it was one of the worst experiences I have had in my life. I got nervous every morning and dreaded almost every experience of being in front of the class.

As someone who doesn't mind performance and public speaking, this might seem wierd. As I reflect, much of it has do to with the fact that I did trust my own musicianship; I always had a fear that I was not teaching them correctly or that I was not a good enough singer. It always haunted me. There were many moments when I wanted to quit outright. Thankfully, Jacque and my dad were very caring and supportive, but were also helpful in letting me know that I should continue through the experience.

My supervising professor knew that I did not want to go into music education as a career. I actually made an appointment with her early on to drop out of student teaching. She told me that if I did so, I could kiss goodbye any chance of getting a recommendation of any kind. In hindsight, I realize that wouldn't have made much difference because I never really needed a music reference in my career anyway.

Alas, I stuck to it and made it through. And, although stressful and not all that fulfilling overall, I came away with some good experiences. You can chalk it up to being one of those experiences that "builds character".

Why would I even talk about this on the blog?

Ultimately, we are all going to have experiences that may not be enjoyable. But, we find that when we complete them, we grow as people. I have become fond of this verse from Proverbs 19:21, "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."

I realize that we go through peaks and valleys in life. My experience in student teaching has been very helpful to me since that time. It helps me to know what I don't want to do with my life, but it also helps me to find postiveness and meaning in something that could easily be completely lumped into being bad. God has a way of leading us to things we never thought we'd do. This is one of those experiences. I know we have all had them. Know that no matter how bad something might feel at the time, there is a meaning behind and lesson to be learned.

The Good Shepherd

Christa and I went to see The Good Shepherd on New Year's Eve. We were the beneficiaries of a Marcus Theatres gift card from my parents, so we took advantage. I had meant to see this movie with my Dad, but we were not able to fit it in before I headed back to Oshkosh after my stop at home.

Despite my usual low expectation for any movie lately, I went into this moveie with high expectations. There was a solid cast of actors, good previews and a good spy/military story to go with it. I also went to this movie without reading the previews. I really liked the movie. I would give it 7.5 out of 10. Strangely enough, the reviews of this movie were definitely on the side of it being bad.

The Positives:

• Excellent performance from Matt Damon. You really felt for his character at times.
• Good musical score.
• Although sometimes confusing, I liked the flashback element.
• Good story line that kept you into the film and where it was going

The Negatives:

• This movie was too long. The last half hour was tough to watch...you wanted it to be over.
• I did not like Angelina Jolie is this movie, at all. I'm not sure who I would have picked, but it would not have been her.

I would recommend that you see it. While it may get a bad wrap, I think it's worth seeing.

The Letter Is Sent!

After many drafts and revisions, I have finalized a letter to the District Superintendent stating that I would like to become a candidate for the ministry program for the state of Wisconsin. Barring any steps along the way that I might have missed, I will hopefully be approved and will be assigned a pastoral mentor who will lead through the next stages in the process.

I had contemplated sending the letter as an E-mail, but thought it would be more official to actually send it through regular mail. I will await a response; I am excited to keep moving and see where the process goes.

Other News:

• The Badgers won the Capitol One Bowl. It was the prettiest victory you''ll ever see, but it was a victory. For a team that relies so much on its running game, the Badgers were able to effectively pass the ball when the running game was being shut down.
• Wedding planning is definitely making some major progress. We will be doing a food tasting in the next few weeks, we have started our gift registration process and we are starting to work on the list that Christa generated over break. June 16 will be coming soon!
  

Bad Store Names

This is the name of a store in Mayfair Mall in Milwaukee, WI that sells large bean-bag chairs. Don't you think they could find a better name than this?

Ok, maybe only my mind is in the gutter.

A Market For Organs?

Happy New Year! It is the first post of 2007. I am hoping that with the residence halls opening today, my posting schedule will become a bit more regular. I have always found the concept of New Year's to be somewhat flawed; if you really think about it, the new year can start whenever you want it to start. But, I go along with convention.

I was reading my most recent edition of The American, and there was an article that outlined the idea of having a market for organ donation. The example used in the article was for kidneys. It explained how long the waiting list was and how often people go without a kidney because there aren't enough resources.

I encourage you to read the article and post your thoughts on the blog.

Bible Cover - An Inspiration

I purchased a bible cover this week and it has a poem on the front cover. I am not sure if you have seen this poem, but it has deep personal significance for me. I have copied in here so that you would be able to read it.

Footprints

By Margaret Fishback Powers

One night I dreamed a dream.
I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene,
I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and
One to my Lord.

When the last scene of my life shot before me
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
There was only one set of footprints.
I realized that this was at the lowest
And saddest times of my life.
This always bothered me
And I questioned the Lord
about my dilemma.

"Lord, You told me when i decided to follow You,
You would walk and talk with me all the way.
But i'm aware that during the most troublesome
Times of my life there is only one set of footprints.
I just don't understand why, when I need You most,
You leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child,
I love you and will never leave you,
never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you say only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you."

Wisconsin Sports Update

Since I am having something of a burst of posting ideas, I thoughts I might offer a sports update:

Packers - At 7-8, the Packers have a shot at the playoffs. I'll give you a minute to let that sink in. Even though we are 0-6 against teams with a winning record and have only beaten crappy teams, the Packers can make the playoffs with a little help from a few other teams. Even if we did make the playoffs, I don't give us much hope of doing anything. More talk of the playoffs as we get to games that matter. The Giants/Redskins game holds the first key. Go Redskins!

Bucks - The Bucks are in the middle of a five-game winning streak and are currently one game over .500 at 15-14. It has been wonderful to be a on break, have more time to watch sports and see the Bucks winning in the process. Michael Redd is taking it to the hoop, drawing fouls and getting more points. Bogut is slowing establishing himself as a consistent post player. Mo Williams stepped up and filled the point gaurd role. This was a major concern for many folks. We gave some good role-players (Skinner, Garzuric, Blake) to complement some established and up and coming stars. At least they're fun to watch and they're competitive.

Brewers - So, the Brewers have signed Jeff Suppan to a 4-year, $42-million deal. When I first read the news, I was very excited. Adding another arm to the rotation could make the Brewers a formidable opponent. When I was home over the Christmas holiday, I was reading the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel and read more about the pitcher we are acquiring.

If you look at his overall record, he is not much over 0.500. He is also over 30. While his last few years have been really good, he also played for team in the Cardinals that gave him plenty of run support, something he will not have the luxury with the Brewers. We are also paying him more than twice what the Cardinals were willing to pay him. This is more than we have ever paid for anyone on the Brewers.

While he's a great pick-up for the Brewers, we have invested a lot of money in him. He better be healthy over those three years or the Brewers are truly going to regret this move.

Christmas

Another Christmas has come and gone. The feelings of the season continue, but the day has indeed passed. Of any year, this year's Christmas has the most relgious significance for me and has been the most meaningful. I suppose this requires some explanation.

As a kid growing up, Christmas was all about the presents; the attendance at church was an afterthought, almost a burden. I understood that we celebrated the birth of Jesus on this day, but I didn't necessarily understand the true significance of the holiday. I can remember the GI Joe headquarters & the yearly Lifesavers Book among other gifts really bringing a real energy to that particular season.

I joke with my parents and with others that the older you get, the more practical Santa gets. As I am now 30 and have a full-time job, I can play the role of Santa for myself. Perhaps it takes some of the fun out of purchasing gifts to me, but it allows other "Santas" to be practical with something that I may not think about, but might be useful for me. Overall, though, gift receiving is not as important to me.

My return to the Christian faith and my adoption of Methodism has generated in me a real reverence for Jesus Christ and his birth. The presents are fun, but I have more fun figuring out what I am going to get for others. Now more than ever I appreciate times like Thanksgiving and Christmas for the opportunities I have to be with my family.

I don't have a big family...when I go home, it's me, and my mom and dad. I suppose you can count the cats (Scully & Gizmo). But, as small as we are, those times together are veryimportant to me. I am not always the best in keeping in touch with my parents so I am sure they appreciate the time I am home as well. It is these feelings mixed with "the reason for the season" that bring me the most joy for Christmas.

As the new year approaches, it is again an opportunity to reflect on what is important to us. I feel as though my priorities in life continue to improve and this year has been an excellent step.

A New Beginning...of Sorts

I can safely say that for the last five years (if not more) I have made resolutions to change things for the new year. And, every year, they usually don't work out. Something might make it through the year and actually become a part of who I am, but for the most part it doesn't usually work out. I am truly hopeful that this year may be different.

To help facilitate some changes for the year 2007, I have done the following:

1. I have made a detailed list of all of the things that I would like to do (or stop doing) and created a Word document to keep them. That way I can print it out and always have it with me.
2. It is an agreement that I am signing, but Christa is also signing. I am hoping that she can keep me accountable to what I said I would be doing. She will be some excellent motivation.
3. This is also an agreement that I have made with God. Along with making me feel like I'm a better person, I think it will also help me to be a better Christian.

I won't get into the details of what I'm doing, but I am excited for the new year and I am excited for change. Hopefully, you see a difference.

You Thought I Was Done...

...I'm not. It has almost been a week since I last posted. I can think of various reasons why this happened:

1. Without work, I have been much more paid back in terms of getting tasks done. I have gotten used to doing less.
2. I have also dedicated time to other projects that I have put on hold for most of the semester.
3. There hasn't been all that much to blog about.

Regardless, I'm back...with my 272 post!

Christmas Shopping
In a three-day period, I got all my Christmas shopping done. I think I did fairly well, but I didn't have the same energy as in years before.

Movies
Christa and I took a chance and saw Rocky Balboa. My expectiations for the movie were not that high, and that was probably the right attitude to have. This movie was OK. I would give it a 6.5 on the IMDB 10 point scale. It had some good lines and had some great moments. But, it was the same tired Rocky concept recycled for one more movie. It does leave a better taste in your mouth than Rocky V.

Gaming
I am getting things ready for my AD&D campaign for next semester. Letters should be going out to potential players to get characters created over interim. Hopefully the games will begin in February.

Random
According the Muppet Personality Test (thanks, Christa) I am Kermit the Frog. Go figure.

It is snowing and raining right now. Odd.

Cookies & Garrett

Due to various obligations, Christa needed to make some Christmas cookies. For those of you outside of the UW Oshkosh community, it is final's week here. So, Christa has been really, really busy this week. I figured the least I could do was make the cookies for her. I watched my mom bake cookies all the time growing up...I could make this happen. Regardless of my previous experiences, I was worried about the following possibilities:

1. I really have never baked cookies myself. I have watched cookies being baked, but I have never done it myself.
2. I don't have a mixer...I suppose it just means my arms are going to get tired stirring everything together.
   
3. I was worried that after I mixed everything together, it wouldn't have the write consistency and I would have no idea what to do aid with this problem.
4. Baking them also posed a concern. Would I not cook them through the whole way? Would I burn them? Would I forget about them in the oven?

Despite all the concerns, the cookies were made and I think they turned out OK. We'll see what Christa's class think of the cookies in class today. Hopefully no one dies...then the rest should be OK for distribution. Note to self, don't make the cookies so big. The ones that I made could constitute a meal each ;).

* * * * * * * * * *

In the mail yesterday, I received a package from the Garrett Theological Seminary at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL. It was an application for admission as well as other information about their various programs. As I think about the possibility of going into the seminary for ordained ministry, I am beginning to think about how it fight fit into the larger life picture.

They offer a full-time and part-time option. If I chose to go full-time, I could probably support a part-time job and Christa would need to find a teaching job. It would probably mean that we move to the Chicago area while I am in school. The full-time option would take three years.

If I choose the full-time route, it would be a five year process. I'm not sure how I feel about spreading out another Master's degree over five years. However, what I like about this option is that is offers some interesting options for employment. The part-time option is only two nights a week which means I could possibly live in Milwaukee or even Oshkosh. I could possibly take a position in the church or maybe work on campus part-time. I would like to stay in Oshkosh if I could. It would also allow Christa to utilize the greater Fox Valley area for possible teaching jobs. We'll see...I have a few weeks ahead to do some quality research!

Unexpected Event

As I was finishing up a few items yesterday morning, I received an E-mail from our church secretary, letting me know that the Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church will be willing to reimburse the cost of my trip to the Exploration 2006 Conference in Jacksonville, FL.

When I went to the conference, I did notice that a lot of the students there were getting support from their state conferences. I had no idea that was an option. I assumed that I was footing the bill. Apparently word got around to the Wisconsin Conference that I was there, so it is being covered by them. Woot!

Rationing the Nuggets

Usually once every other week, Blackhawk offers chicken nuggets for lunch. Over the four years that I have been here, the nuggets have changed, um, designs if you will and have gotten decreasingly tasty. Yet, nugget day is still treated with reverence and I am still excited to get my ration of nuggets for lunch.

You read that right; I can go up and get my ration. The lunch folks are only allowed to give us a designated amount of nuggets. It fluctuates, but it's usually around 8-10 nuggets. These nuggets aren't all that big, so for me it's not too much of a lunch. If you ask for more nuggets, they will not let you have any more. However, if you are willing to go to the back of the line and you go through again, you can get another ration of nuggets. How does that work?

Is chicken nugget waste that much of a concern? If it is, I have not heard about it. I suppose I am not familiar with the going price of the chicken nugget, but I am amazed that it is expensive enough that is the one food that we need to limit consumption of.

I'm not sure what it is about these nuggets that makes them so good that we need to ration them. Four years ago, I might have been able to make the argument, but now, they're not that good. They don't even ration bacon, which to me might make more sense. I can understand that good bacon might be pretty expensive.

I wrote this article in lue of creating a Facebook group about. It's probably for the best.

Stomach Flu

I have not posted in awhile. I have had the stomach flu since Thursday morning. I was in and out of the office both days and was also committed to some church choir events that did not allow me to commit to resting. As of this morning, I think I have finally gotten over everything. I will spare you the details; it was not a pretty last couple days. I am just thankful to be well again and catch up on all of the stuff that I have missed over the last three days.

Assorted Thoughts

Nothing topical today, just a few thoughts:

• My copy of The Christian as Minister came today. Hopefully I can work through that this month so that I can get my letter to the District Superintendent to get the process going.
• This afternoon, Peter, Dave & I are coming out of retirement for another round of Cubitz. Apparently, we are taking on their best team from the year. Hopefully we can hold on to the crown.
  
• I am participating in the Breese Hall Rummage Sale tonight. Let's see if my accumulated junk might be someone else's treasure.
• At 9:00 PM I am doing a presentation in Nelson Hall about First Edition Dungeons and Dragons...my second presentation about it this semester. Score!
• Sadly, I also am not feeling well today...shame I picked a day with all these meetings to feel sick. Bleh.
  

Meetings! / LBGTQ Rally

In a previous post, I have commented that you can boil down my job to two main functions: meetings and & paperwork. Boy, if this is ever the week for meetings.

The previous weekend was a rowdy one for my building and there were quite a few documentations for a building this size. That results in student meetings throughout the week. I have two meetings related to NACURH. I have a few hall government and staff one on ones. I have a meeting with a council co-chair, a meeting with my counseling center liaison, two NBC Village meetings, a staff development.

I was really surprised about how quickly the week was gobbled up by meetings this week. That's the last time I ever make a comment about how I haven't had many meeting lately.

* * * * * * * * * * *

I also wanted to give a huge shout-out to the Rainbow Alliance for HOPE and the LGBTQ Council for co-sponsoring a rally from noon to 1:00 PM today in front of the Polk Library. There were speeches, cheers and a good crowd. For the 30 minutes that I could be there, I carried a "Straight, but not narrow" sign.

Their message was clear. It has always been a struggle fro LBGTQ students, faculty and staff to find equality. The climate is worse than ever with the passing of this amendment. I am hopeful the message will get out there and people will act.

Ministry Candidacy

Becky brings up an interesting question from yesterday's post, and I wanted to talk more about the ministry candidate process. Thanks, Becky!

Nothing would quite be Methodist if it didn't involve committees, paperwork and a multi-step process. So, the path to ministry is no different. Before one might actually become a Methodist minister, they have to become a ministry candidate.

To become a ministry candidate you must apply to a District Superindent who will in turn assign you a pastoral mentor. The two of you will work together for awhile, and along the way you need to get an endorsement from both the Staff/Parish Relations Committee as well as the approval of your congregation at a Charge conference. After that, you answer some questions and go before a panel that looks at your work and answers a few questions. If you complete all of this, you are a candidate...

...then, you have to think about the process for ordained ministry which involves seminary and that's a whole other process. *whew*

So, I have taken the first step toward candidacy. I am planning on writing the District Superintendent around the new year and get the ball rolling. I will keep you posted as I move along in the process.

Thoughts From the Weekend

Some thoughts from the weekend:

• Wow...the Packers suck. I know that the local media and others are saying that this team is improving, but it has been painful to watch. To think, only a few weeks ago we were talking about this team making a possible run at the playoffs. Nothing that two brutal losses can't cure.
• I bought Dance Dance Revolution. I can't necessarily beg one solid reason for it. I think it had merit as a form of exercise, but I also just find the game fun to play. Between that and Guitar Hero 1/2, I have quite a gaming collection.
• Christa and I took a trip to Green Bay so that she could pick up a book she needed for class. Am I a great fiance or what?
• I got a lot of work done regarding the church. I got a letter out to all members of church letting them know abotu our new pastor. I finished up my responsibilities as a member of the Worship Commission. I followed up with our new pastor to make sure things are going OK.
• This coming Sunday Christa will officially become a member of FUMC Oshkosh.
  
• I also made a public announcement to the congregation at FUMC Oshkosh that I am pursuing candidacy in Methodist church. Where this specifically leads I don't know, but it is a big step. The congregation has offerred nothing but support. I am very excited!
  

Basement Stereo

I received a note from my custodian this morning saying that I should probably go look at the basment stereo in Breese Hall. That's never a good sign.

Upon inspection, someone decided to unplug everything having to do with our stereo system. They unplugged the speakers, the components, the plugs, everything. As I find myself asking at least once a week, "Why would someone ever do that?" I'll just add it to the list.

It all seems repairable, and I think I may try to put everything back together later this morning. I would let the residents of Breese know that if they have any leads as to who might have done this, it would be very helpful. A Common Area Damage charge will definitely be warranted if no specific culprit is found.

And by the way, if I didn't already have to grow the beard due to snow, I would now. It is really snowing out there. Sweet!

Concerts

As I was out for my morning walk this morning, I was weaving my way through the Wellness Center Construction area and I had a revelation...

...I have not been to a concert in over a year.

My first year as an RHD, I had season tickets to the Fox Valley Performing Arts Center and saw a bunch of shows. In graduate school, I had a job that worked directly with the arts and I saw a bunch of shows. In undergrad, I was a music major so I was required to go to a bunch of music shows each year.

I was trying to figure out why I haven't gone to a concert in awhile. A few thoughts:

1. Cost - It costs $75 or so to get good costs for a musical. As a staff member, I have to play for UWO concerts...not a lot, but it's money. I can always think of other ways to spend the funds.
2. History - I've never been a fan of concerts. I've always been a sucker for recorded music. You know what you're getting.
3. Busy - I have a lot of stuff going on and it would be difficult to find the time to put in a concert. When there is a good concert that I might consider going to, there is something else I need to do.

So, we'll see...maybe I'll get to one soon.

My Custodian

Every residence hall on the UW Oshkosh campus has at least one custodian, some have more than one. Breese Hall has only one custodian, but she does the work of two more custodians. You could say that our custodian is both a blessing and a curse. She keeps Breese Hall very clean, probably the cleanest residence hall on campus. But, with this comes a few problems. One, to keep the building clean she in turn wants to bill residents for any messes that are left in the hall. Some are legitimate and some are a little overboard. She also has a gruff personality and is not exactly personable.

Our custodian has not talked to me in weeks. I can walk right by her, or her by me, and she will not say anything to me. She has communicated with me purely through notes. I find myself wondering if this is necessarily a bad thing. In my first few years as an RHD, she would often come into my office and talk for hours about all sorts of random stuff. Sometimes I appreciated our conversations and sometimes I was really busy, but it doesn't happen anymore. I wonder if I perhaps did something to offend her: not have something cleaned up, not charge for a CAD slip, etc. I could assume that while she is not talking to me, she is likely talking to others in the building about me...most likely referring to one of the above concerns.

What I am trying to figure is: does it matter? Should I be happy knowing that I have a little more peace and quiet and the building is still clean (although trash talking is likely happening)? or Should I try to mend whatever problem there is so that I know where I stand with her?

Errata: Abby points out that the ceiling fan in my apartment is not the first major change to the Breese apartment since I've been there. In my first year, they did install a washer and dryer. I suppose O should say it was the first Breese RHD initiated change to the apartment.

More Changes

The last few days I have been getting up at 7:00 AM. Waking up at this hour voluntarily might seem a completely foreign concept to my Breese residents :-), but I have found it quite beneficial. For the first time since Residence Life training, I have actually been getting up to eat breakfast at Blackhawk. Now, I have time for a walk and for breakfast...and I don't feel rushed. I feel more ready for the day and I also overall have more energy.

I fired up the iced tea maker again in an attempt to cut down on buying and drinking soda. So far, improvements have been made. I miss iced tea. I'm glad it's back.

In other news, the Packers lost. They were winning and looking good in the first half, but you know the Packers are going to find a way to lose. Ouch...this win would have been huge.

Reading the Bible

First off, I do want to say that it feels good to be posting regularly again. Over break, I did not post for a few days and it just wierd. Things have now come somewhat to a state of normalcy.

Along with my thoughts on being called to ordained ministry, I have taken a much greater interest in reading and absorbing the Bible. However, as with my attempts to begin The Lord of the Rings, I would read a little bit, get bored and give up. But, as I did complete The Lord of the Rings, I know there would come a time when I would be able to read the Bible.

So...I bought this book. I know what you're thinking, but I am finding it to be very helpful. It is an excellent supplement to get through some of the tougher sections and it's actually quite humorous. Fear not, I am actually reading the Bible as well, but it is a good supplement.

After attending the Exploration 2006 Conference, I really do feel motivated and called to read the Bible. I don't see it as a "chore" anymore. I am finding it exciting and renewing. There is so much to know and I can't wait to find out more!

Bucks Tickets

Yesterday, Nick and I went to the Bucks/Celtics game at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Nick got some excellent tickets through his work, so we were sitting really close to the court. In fact, we were sitting across the aisle from Senator Herb Kohl.

A VIP in the House

The picture below lets you know how close we were to the court. Unfortunately, the Bucks lost by a lot. They were up by 14 at halftime but proceeded to completely blow in the second half. At least Nick and I had a good time.

Best Seats I've Ever Had

Greetings From Mequon!

My apologies for not posting over the last few days. I have been relaxing at my parent's house in Mequon, WI for the last few days. I will be coming back to Oshkosh, WI tonight since I will be liturgist and guest speaker for the 8:00 AM and 9:30 AM services tomorrow. I am excited to be talking about my Exploration Conference experience. Fear not, even though I have not posted about my thoughts on the conference, I will soon. Stay tuned.

The break has been wonderful. Thanksgiving involved the traditional Droste prime rib and football viewing. Later in the day, I drove to Christa's parent's house and stayed there for awhile. Friday was the traditional day of shopping, beginning the day with my parents and ending the day with Christa. Today, Nick and I will be going to the Bucks game...Nick got us some very good seats. I am excited.

That's all for now; expect more detailed posts upon my return to UWO on Sunday.

Exploration and Transition

I returned from the Exploration 2006 conference at approximately 12:10 AM when I walked into my apartment doors. Needless to day, as I type this message I have not yet fully processed the weekend that was. Over the next few days, you will see my thoughts and reflections on what was a life altering conference experience. For now, I thought I would show you a few of the pictures that I took while in Jacksonville.

"Four in a Row"

So, technically I saw this in the airport in Minneapolis. This is what happens when you want to sell Connect Four but you can't because the name is copyrighted. You create a really cheap looking version of the game and you call it Four in a Row.

These Aren't Your Oshkosh Bridges

Walking along the St. Johns River, I saw a variety of bridged connecting Jacksonville. This bridge which moves to accomodate traffice actually operates by having the middle section more straight up in the air. I had never seen that before but it seemed much easier to operate than the mechanisms we have in Oshkosh.

That's a Big Banana

This was a banana that I had with lunch on Saturday. That banana is huge! I have never seen bananas this big ever. It was also very tasty.

As I said before, the conference was truly a transformative experience. As I go through my materials, my reflections and my journal I will do a variety of posts over the next few days. Stay tuned!

Explorations Conference

Tomorrow morning Christa takes me to the airport bright and early so that I can fly to Jacksonville, FL for the Explorations 2006 Conference sponsored by the Methodist Church. I am going to this conference to find out more about the various possibilities for ministry in the Methodist Church. It's hard for me to describe how I am feeling as the conference nears. I am feeling a vareity of emotions:

• Excitement - I am excited because I will get out of Wisconsin (and into Florida), I will get to learn more about a possible career option, and it's the closest I get to vacation this semester.
• Nervous - I have no idea what the conference is like. For the last 10 years I have gone to student leadership/student affairs conferences. I am used to that culture. I have no idea what this is going to be like.
• Calm - In no way am I really worked up about going. It actually feels somewhat business-like. It doesn't worry me.
• Resolve - I am hopeful that after attending this conference, it might help me to look at life and my future in a different light and think about how I might make a transition to life beyond the RHD position.
  

Just so you know, I can not account for the access that I may or may not have to the internet. As such, you may not see an entry here until Monday. I leave early Friday morning and I do not get back until late Sunday night (after midnight). I am sure that upon my return I will have plenty to talk about.

Note: Residents of Breese Hall...behave while I am gone :).

New Fan

So...maybe Mike Chastain is correct. Maybe this is a sign that I am getting old. With great excitement, I told my CA/PA staff that I had a new ceiling fan/light installed in my room. With a similar amount of excitement, I also told my hall leaders.

Allow me to explain why this is an exciting moment in my life:

1. This is the first major alteration to my apartment that has been made in the four years that I have lived there.
2. It generates air flow in my bedroom without needing to use the air conditioning.
3. It looks and works so much better than the old light in there. The old light was a pain to take apart to change bulbs, it always burned out bulbs quickly and it blew a fuse twice.

Needless to say, out with the old, in with the new...even if it makes me old :).

Random Encounter

I was hanging out with my little brother last night and we decided to make the pilgramage to the new Best Buy in Appleton, WI. As he and I were perusing the new releases in the video game section, I thought I overheard on the intercom that Ahman Green was in the building.

I was wondering whay I saw two sets of bleachers set up by the entrance to Best Buy facing three HDTVs. Apparently, you could watch Monday Night Football with Ahman Green. I wandered over there and he was sitting in the bleachers answering questions from the audience (around 50 people).

I was too shy to ask any questions, but it was cool to simply be close to a starting Packer player, especially a Pro Bowl caliber player. But, that was not the only highlight of the evening.

What really made me happy concerning last night's get together was that Adam did not labor at all to find things to talk about. Sometimes it is a struggle to find topics of conversation and sometimes Adam can be a little shy. However, last night we talked about many things including church. We talked about why he is not motivated to go to church and how he moves Christianity. I told him he should come with me to church some time. I thought it might be good for him to see another church. I look forward to continuing this conversation.

Guitar Hero 2

As anticipated, I had the opportunity to play a lot of Guitar Hero 2 this past weekend. It felt wonderful; it was nice to have a weekend not involving anything stressful. I hooked up my PS2 to the big screen TV, so it was much easier to see what I was playing.

Overall, I think Guitar Hero 2 is a great game. There is much to be excited about, and only a few things that take away from the game.

Strengths:

• Game play is almost completely the same...easy transition.
  
• Some great rock tunes are in the mix: Carry On Wayward Sun, Freebird, Cherry Pie, Shout at the Devil, Sweet Child of Mine.
• I like that you need to get through 40 songs to complete the career mode, not 30.
• I like the Dethklok and Trodgor bonus tracks.
• I really appreciate the option to play rhythm, lead or bass guitar in certain songs.
• The cooperative mode is a great deal of fun...I appreciate the fact that you are working together instead of against each other.
• There is more variety of graphics in loading menus. The quotes are also funnier.
• They made career mode somewhat more involved.
  

Drawbacks:

• I liked the songs from Guitar Hero better than the songs from Guitar Hero 2.
  
• Many of the songs this time around are long; many are also very repetitive and this can get old after awhile.
• The jump from medium to hard is a large jump. Also, overall the game seems to be harded on all levels than it was in Guitar Hero.
• I wish there was a high score board for cooperative mode efforts.
• The bonus tracks are not as good overall.
• I miss the "Grim Ripper" from Guitar Hero. He looked cooler.
• It wierds me out that when you make a mistake your note scroll shakes. Odd.

Overall, it's a great game. I (and Christa) look forward to many hours of playing.

First Measurable Snowfall

We got some serious snow fall yesterday and it definitely accumulated. The beard will now be grown.

No Focus

Today is one of those days where I am trouble focusing on just about anything. This can be attributed to two factors: (1) This week has been crazy and (2) We had a crisis situation that completely broke up my normal sleeping habits. Luckily I am able to complete what needs to be completed and some things will have to wait.

It has even caused me to present a sub-par blog for you today. It's hard to think of a good topic with this lack of focus. How about a few random thoughts (that seems about right):

• I met a potential pastor for our church for next 2.5 years. I can't say anything specific until the formal announcement Sunday. The whole process took 4.5 hours last night.
• I got to bed at 2:00 AM and was awoken at 4:00 AM by another phone call. Woot...

Election Reflections

I must say that I am happy that the elections are finally over. Elections in the last few years have been pretty heated, but this one had by far the most mudslinging and the most bad blood that I have ever seen. I could not believe how many television commercials were produced that took all of their time slamming the other candidate, but in no way promoted the candidate that made the ad! It was more "don't vote for him", not "vote for me." Somewhere in my voting history I missed this transition and I don't like the result.

The Amendment
So a fair Wisconsin votes yes? I don't think so. In the end, I am not surprised that Wisconsin voted to plan civil unions and domestic partnerships...but, I did not think it would pass by such a large majority. We will not realize our folly in voting the way we did until a few years now when we notice the economic impact. Short term, the state will realize the impact because the LBGTQ community and its allies will rise up fight putting discrimination in the WI constitution.

Governor
I voted for Mark Green, but I not surprised that he lost. It would be hard to beat an encumbant in a year when it is not good to be a Republican. So, he made a good run and he made it interesting. We'll get him the next time.

In my opinion, most of the other votes weren't that interesting. I voted straight-party republican. I voted against any raising of taxes and I voted against the death penalty.

That is all. I will review Guitar Hero after this weekend...I am planning on devoting a lot of time to it and can do a better job of reviewing the game.

Pictures From the Party

As promised, I have pictures from the party. I will only post four of them in the blog, but I recommend that you check out my Facebook album which has 60 pictures from the party in it.

This is my boss playing Guitar Hero...she didn't do so good. But, I was really happy that she tried it out. She really wants to play it again.

As I said before, my friend Nick Sayner came up from Milwaukee to enjoy the party. It was very exciting to have him there. Mmm...rootbeer keg.


As the evening progressed, the campus security officers made their way through Breese Hall to check out the building. They happened to see the party going on and we thought we would have a little fun!

This is a hilarious pictures because as you may already know Advanced Dungeons and Dragons is a game usually played by dorky, nerdy guys. There is nothing better than seeing three ladies taking a keen interest to the Dungeon Master's Guide. Truly, they are all interested in learning how to play AD&D.

That's all for pictures...check out the Facebook album for more details. Thoughts on Guitar Hero 2 tomorrow.

Spelling

It's definitely, not definately...seriously.

I can't tell you how many people screw this up!!!

Perspective

I have talked many times about the number of meetings that are involved with my job; if you throw in church meetings it gets really crazy. With that much time being taken up for meetings, I usually view any meetings above that to be drudgery and I usually look down upon. Sadly, for me, I had that view toward meetings that should be fun.

My birthday weekend has given me a new perspective toward gatherings that I have usually viewed as getting in the way and seen them for what they should be. For instance, I have always viewed my attendance at our church youth group meetings to be drudgery. I don't know why...it is a way to help our younger members feel comfortable with talking about God. However, the fact that they are on Sunday nights takes away the motivation. For some reason last night I went in thinking it would be fun, and it was!

Similarly, I hung out with Adam last night for Big Brothers/Big Sisters last night and it was fun...and we figured out what we were going to do for the next two Mondays. That never happens. All that changed was my perspective; if you think it can be fun more likely than not it will be more fun than it was before.

Perspective, it seems like a simple lesson. However it is one I often forget. I let routine jade my viwe of something or I let a lack of energy or an over-abundance of meetings get in the way of something that should be enjoyable and memorable. I am sure this is something we can all think about.

*** The pictures from the 30th Birthday Party will be picked up this afternoon and will be posted tomorrow! Along with the pictures, I will be buying a copy of Guitar Hero 2!! ***

The Birthday Weekend [Highlights]

I thought I would take today's entry to cover the highlights of the birthday weekend. It felt like this weekend was never going to end...it was great. There was always something going on. I was sad to have it end last night, but it is time to move with life after turning thirty.

Friday (The Breese Hall Birthday Party) - The pictures from this party are being developed as I write. They will be picked up tomorrow and posted on Facebook (with a few omissions due to content) Wednesday. I will also put a few choice pictures on the blog on Wednesday. Major events of the party:

• My best friend (and best man for the wedding) came up for the party. I had no idea he was coming to the party; he drove up from Milwaukee. He stayed for the entire party and got to witness all sorts of people that make of the residence life team. Thanks, Nick!
• A lot of people were introduced to the power of Guitar Hero. A lot of people are now disciples of Guitar Hero!
  
• The rootbeer keg only lasted two hours. I honestly thought we'd have leftover rootbeer...I was wrong. Never fear Breese hall leaders, I did save some rootbeer for you GLACURH attendees.
• I was not able to get an exact count, but 62 people signed in the guestbook...there were definitely more people than that. The world will never know the exact attendance.
• Thank you to everyone that brought cards or gifts.
  
• More on this party on Wednesday!

Saturday (Dinner With the Folks)

• We visited Christa's parents to catch up and see how they were doing. We were able to watch the Badgers eek out a victory against Penn State.
• We went out to the Porterhouse for steak. Christa said she has never had a finer filet than the one that she had there. They are so good.
• We had cake and made our way back to Oshkosh.
• Christa and I watched the Bucks win their home opener. They looked really good!
  

Sunday (Appleton & Youth Group)

• Christa and I had lunch at Chili's. We split the double order of fajita. Well, we really didn't split the order. I ate two thirds of it. That's pretty much the theme of the weekend. Jim eating a lot of food. Yeesh. I did some serious celebrating this weekend.
• I watched the Packers blow a game they should have one. Two turnovers in the redzone? Seriously...
• Lastly, I had the opportunity to play Apples to Apples and Bible Trivia with the youth group. That was a lot of fun as well.

I usually don't do lists like this, but I wanted you to know that I had an action packed weekend. Pictures of the party on Wednesday!

Party Time!

Christa and I got back from Pick 'n Save earlier this morning with the food for tonight's party. Mark loaned me his game systems and I bought the beverages on Wednesday. I have provided a picture of my refrigerator...it is brimming with food and beverage ready to be distributed to residents and other residence life folk.

I have some meetings today, but at 3:30 I will be heading over to the Union to pick up the quarter barrel of root beer. Then, I need to madly clean the apartment and get things set up for the party.

In other news, yesterday was quite a busy day. I had a lot of meetings and at the end of the day, I was quite drained. Some of RHDs went out to Kodiak Jack's for dinner and then a few of us went out for some adult beverages.

Let the festivities begin!

Relationships

Christa and I have been dating for over two years now and we will be getting married on June 16, 2007. I cannot wait until that day because I will confirm that I want to spend the rest of my life with Christa. It will be wonderful.

I think back to all of the relationships I was in before I started dating Christa. I started "dating" when I was a sophomore in high school (age 16). That's 13 years of dating. I will spare you a lot of details, but I can give you some trends. This is what I can tell you:

• One relationship became so twisted that it warped a close friendship so much we are still trying to piece it back together.
• Too many relationships ended with tears and friendships that were thought would happen and never materialize.
• There was a lot of rejection.
• A lot of time spent wondering how someone felt or wondering if someone "liked" you.
• There were stalking ex-girlfriends.
• There were girlfriends cheating on me.
  

Fun, huh? I don't have to play the game any more. Yes, there was a time when "the thrill of the chase" was very exciting. However, you know you've found someone good when the thrill of the chase no longer gnaws at you. I am happy and ready to retire from the relationship game.

Nearing the End

I realize that title sounds bad, but fear not the message isn't...

So last night I roped myself into playing a little Guitar Hero before our hall government meeting. I have continued working on the "Expert" level and now have rounded it down to two songs. Unfortunately, the last two songs are really, really tough. I have found that the best approach to take with Guitar Hero is to play in smaller chunks. I have found that playing Guitar Hero too much causes the following issues:

• It makes your fingers tired and soar. Then you won't be able to play for awhile.
• It causes either you or your significant other to become very frustrated in your are playing the multi-player mode. (Although no guitars have been broken at this point.)
• You get burned out to the game in general and then you don't want to play it more two to three days.

I have found that playing a little each day allows me to see progress, but still keeps my interest up. Some of you are reading this thinking, "Wow, Jim is thinking about Guitar Hero way too much." You would all be right...but has been such a good stress reliever over the last few weeks.

Other News:

• My excitement for the birthday party increases. Starting on Thursday, the birthday weekend will be great: (1) dinner with RHDs on Thursday, (2) party Friday, (3) hang out with parents/dinner Saturday, & (4) hang out with Christa in Appleton and shop/watch a movie/play. Fun times indeed!

The Nightmare

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

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

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

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

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

Camp Onaway - Part 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

This Week...

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

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

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

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

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

The Desire to Conduct

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

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

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

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

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

30th Birthday Party

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

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

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

Kid in a Candy Store

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

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

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

Merging of Blogs - Good Samaritan

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

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

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

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

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

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

Packers Chalk Up a Second Victory

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

There was definitely some things to be happy about:

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

Some concerns:

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

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

V For Vendetta

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

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

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

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

I highly recommend the film. Grade: A

Being Behind the Scenes

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

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

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

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

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

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

WCPA

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

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

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

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

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

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