Compute Your AD&D Stats

I was checking out Facebook this morning and I noticed that there was a quiz that after you take it will compute your six basic stats for an AD&D character. The link is here.

Here are my statistics:
Strength: 9
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 14
Dexterity: 13
Constitution: 13
Charisma: 12

From the AD&D perspective 9-12 is the average area with scores below and above showing something remarkable in either direction. As you can see, I turned out pretty good :).

Now I Know How CAs Feel

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, this weekend was OshCon. I had an event scheduled for 6:00 PM this past Saturday. I spent about four hours putting together eight characters for the adventure and took about two hours to put the adventure together. I got to the River Center and checked in. The guys at the check-in booth made mention of the fact that there were a couple folks that were inquiring about my adventure. Sweet!

I got there about thirty minutes early to unpack and get things ready. It got to be around five minutes before 6:00 and there wasn't anyone there. I held out hope, but alas no one showed up to my event. All the hours of preparation, for nothing.

As my CA in the FVTC program said, this happens to hall staff all the time. He's right. I suppose the experience was helpful in that sense. Oh well...perhaps next year will be better?

Other Weekend News

• The Badgers barely, barely won. They are 4-0 but continue to hang out at No. 9 in the polls.
• The Packers won a game that I thought they were going to lose. In fact, I thought they were going to get blown out. Wow. Maybe this team is for real. They play the Vikings in Minnesota which is always dicey for the Packers. If they can pull that off, this team really is for real.
• The Brewers...well, it was fund while it lasted. Oh well.
  

National Talk Like a Pirate Day

My friend Dario reminded me last night that September 19th is National Talk Like a Pirate Day! Of all people, I suppose I am the one that should be remembering this.

* ahem *

Ye scurvy dogs need be celebrating with rum (only if 21) or your finest ale (also only if 21). Avast, have a fun day and shiver me timbers!

The Small Things

So, I went to Blackhawk Commons this morning to get my breakfast to bring back to the office. My to-go container in hand I made it over to the fruit section. They had bananas!!! They haven't bananas available since I started in Blackhawk in July. I have to say I was pretty excited. It's funny when you get really excited about something that most other people would view as pretty minor. It made me think of other small things that make my day:

• Walking into a store and finding out out they provide Ford gumballs in their machines.
• Finding out it's Brat or Taco Day in Blackhawk.
• When they don't ration the nuggets.
• When the episode of Futurama or Family Guy on Adult Swim is one that I have seen in awhile.
• When Gladiator happens to be showing on TV.
• When you magically find money in your pockets that you forget from before.
• When I get an achievement on the Xbox 360 that I didn't know existed or that I wasn't even working for.
  

What are some of the small things that make you smile?

Busy Weekend #1: Fall Fest/Oshcon

It was nice to have my parents visit this weekend. We went out to Red Robin for burgers. I had a bacon cheeseburger...so good. I also took my parents to the Oshkosh Public Museum. They were impressed with the exhibits, but more so by a well-kept old house that housed the exhibits. After this weekend, my weekends are filled for the next month or so.

This weekend is both Fall Fest and Oshcon. For Fall Fest, I will be volunteering at the 2nd annual Dragon Boat races. In the evening, I will be running a 1st Edition AD&D adventure on Saturday night at OshCon. If you want to know a little bit about what I am basing the adventure on, check here.

So, I'll be busy and I'll be spending much free time this week getting the adventure ready. Wow...that was a lot of hyperlinks.

The Intrigue

It amazes me sometimes how a computer-generated game can create so much drama for one person. I am talking about the Madden 2008 Superstar mode that I created with Packer RB Brandon Jackson.

In his second season (2008-2009) , Jackson was compiling a pretty good individual season. Since I couldn't control pay calling, I got pretty frustrated with the insistence on passing the ball as well as not including Jackson all that much in the offense. With four games to go, the Packers were 5-7. That seventh loss came in a game where Jackson ran for four rushing touchdowns, but the team came up short because our kicker missed the extra point at the end of the game. Seriously.

Needless to say, the Packers compile four straight victories and make it into the playoffs as a five seed. After the heartbreaking 28-27 loss I figured the playoffs were not even going to happen. We win easily in the wild card round and match up against the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional game. We escape with a 9-6 final score. I was thankful we won that game. We go up against the Giants in the NFC Championship and make out in an offensive game with touchdowns everywhere.

In the season where we assume Favre will retire, the Packers make it to the Superbowl. Favre was selected to his second straight Superbowl and had his second straight season with a 100+ passer rating. Favre decided to lay a huge egg for the Superbowl. He throws four interceptions and the Packer lose 31-3. Jackson doesn't accomplish much because Favre made sure to keep the offense off the field.

Jackson asked for trade in the offseason and is now with the Cowboys. Statistically he is already close to making the Hall of Fame. He will try to make it the Superbowl with the Dallas Cowboys. They are already 4-0.

All this from a video game...amazing.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Other News: The Packers win today! At least this time they played a good game to get the win. The offense showed life and the defense remained strong overall.

The People Have Spoken

The final votes were tallied and The Empire Strikes Back is officially the best Star Wars film made. Keep in mind, this comes from a survey of 13 people (11 for empire). But, they are smart people ;).

Wisconsin Sports

Now is not a bad time to be a Wisconsin sports fan. There is reason to be optimistic and reason to be hopeful. Let's think about this...

Brewers - The Brewers are in the middle of a heated race for the National League Central Division crown. They aren't getting in as the wild card, so they have to win. As of today, they are only 0.5 games out of first place. They can do it, but they need to win a lot of games. Here's to hoping.

Packers - The Packers got lucky last Sunday. They easily could have lost. They have no running game and Favre is not the QB that he once was. The defense is great, but that won't carry them through the season. They have the potential to go between 7-9 and 9-7. They won't be a laughing stock this season. Perhaps they can surprise some people.

Badgers - They are 2-0 although they are barely eeked out a victory against UNLV. With Michigan being 0-2 the Badgers have a chance to make their mark this year. Technically Michigan could still win Big Ten, but they don't look good. if the Badgers can beat Ohio State and win their other games (definitely possible) they could go to the BCS. That would be sweet.

Bucks - This one is going to be interesting. There is a lot of talent on this team. With the additions of Desmond Mason and Yi Jianlian, the Bucks only have so many minutes to dole out to a lot of players. If this team can stay healthy, they can definitely be a playoff team. But, they need to be healthy.

The next few months will provide some real sports excitement. I may blog about it as it becomes important. Go Wisconsin sports!

Superstar

After a two year sabbatical from the Madden franchise, I decided to give Madden 2008 a try. More than anything, I needed to get over the threat of losing. Over the years (and after many broken controllers) I have succumb to the fact that you can't win every game of Madden that you play. As such, I have mostly enjoyed playing Madden and have tried out a new mode: Superstar.

In this mode, you play the role of one player on an NFL team. You can only control that player and you simulate the plays that don't involve your particular player. You have to choose a rookie or create a rookie, so I went with rookie Packers running back Brandon Jackson. He is listed as the starter and I have worked my way through one season and am 9 games through the second season.

As my wife could attest to, this can be extremely frustrating. As the running back, I can't call audibles or modify blocking/passing route schemes. Thus, I can tell that a play is going to fail, but there is nothing I can do about it. If players miss their blocks, I pay the price. I could be wide open and the QB throws an interception which is run in for a touchdown. I can't control the defense at all, so we may put up 21 points, but the defense gives up 40. Christa asks why I play if it is going to be so frustrating. I suppose that's a good question.

If anything, here are some lessons I have learned:

• You can't control everything. Sometimes you need to do the best you can with what you control and hope for the best. Translation: Be the best RB you can be.
  
• Just because something doesn't go well part of the time, it doesn't mean that the rest of of it will be bad to. Translation: Being down 21-0 doesn't mean give up. It means try to fight back!
• You don't always win, no matter how hard you might try.
• Always support the team, despite your own frustrations. Having a bad attitude only makes it worse for everyone else.
  

The Packers are 4-5 in Jackson's second year and I don't have high hopes regarding their playoff chances. Jackson is having a Pro Bowl year and could easily be the MVP of the team. Despite my frustrations, they emphasize the lessons above.

Dungeons & Dragons - A Sequel?

If anyone has had the misfortune of watching the first Dungeons and Dragons movie realizes that it would just be better to forget about sequel. I can remember visiting a booth at the Gen Con Convention with a exhibitor who, while promoting the movie, said that if the movie made at least $5 million they would create a sequel. After fives years, they mad a sequel...direct to video.

That's the first sign that this movie would probably not be too good. Based on the feedback of a few fellow D&D players, however, I heard that the sequel was better. So, against my better judgment, I watched Dungeons and Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God.

Wow...

...it was a little better, but not by much.

Where do I begin? The acting was bad. The dialogue was bad...although there were a few good lines. The special effects were pitiful and obvious. The plot was predictable, really predictable. The music was mundane and didn't add much. Plus, it dragged...a lot.

On the plus side? Well, they did make more direct reference to the D&D game which was cool. They incorporated character classes, magic items, mythology and geographic locations. That gave it a +1 in comparison to the original movie. And...that's about it.

If you play D&D and you want a laugh, watch this movie. If you don't play D&D, avoid this movie. Although, I would assume you wouldn't watch this movie anyway ;).

3:10 to Yuma

Christa and I had the opportunity to see this movie this past Saturday afternoon. I had seen a few previews for the movie on TV, but I honestly didn't know much about it. Now is the time when the summer of "blockbusters" begins to die down and the hype about movies decreases.

Having not seen a movie in awhile, we decided to check it out. It has been some time since I have seen a good western. I want to take the opportunity now to say that if the previews shown before this movie are any indication, it is going to be a lean next couple of months in the movies.

Christa and I both enjoyed 3:10 to Yuma. It was a well-written, involved movie that mostly kept my attention throughout its full two hours. The movie was based on a short story...Shawshank Redemption, anyone?

If I had to point out the things that I didn't like about it:

• The movie did feel stretched out a little bit. If they had the opportunity to re-edit the movie, I think there are some scenes that could be taken out to move the movie along a little bit.
• The music was at times distracting. It wasn't a bad score, but I don't think it has the ability to stand on its own like great movie scores do.

Much of this was overshadowed by strong acting performances from Bale and Crowe. They were brilliant. Some components of the ending were not surprising, but other parts were quite surprising. The dialogue was well-written and the script was strong. I would definitely recommend this movie to folks.

Ministry Candidate Update

I just wanted to keep everyone posted on my pursuit of candidacy for the Methodist ministry. I managed to take a few steps forward. I have received my candidacy guidebook and will begin meetings with my candidacy mentor. We will likely be meeting regularly over the fall semester. When that is completed, I can move on toward finalizing my candidacy.

As part of the process up until now, I needed to take an on-line inventory that rated my interests in lots of different areas, ministry and otherwise. I will eventually get to see the results and I am curious as to what the inventory says about me.

I also had to complete a 4-page personal background that needed to be completed by my first meeting with my mentor. They don't mess around with this sheet. They ask about religious experiences, work experiences, educational experiences, criminal background, rationale for exploring ministry, spouse's thoughts, and many other things. I got me thinking about things, both good and bad, that I have not thought about in many years.

I am excited for my first candidacy mentor meeting...which is tomorrow!

Moving On

I have wavered in my exercise routine. The throws of Residence Life training forced me to utilize the 6:00-7:00 AM hour for the purposes of getting work done given the two hall environment. As such, I have started up again this week.

I have started with walking again and will build myself up to running again. I try to do a nice loop around the campus. On my trip back, I happen to go by Breese Hall. This is a tough part of the walk for me. It's strange to think of a building where you lived and worked for four years and know that someone else with a different staff is in charge of it.

Don't get me wrong. I know the Christin and the 07-08 Breese staff are capable of great things and will do good work...I just need to get over the fact that I'm not there anymore. One accumulates a lot of memories and friends and you have to adjust to a new environment.

I have already appreciated the connections I have made in Webster and FVTC and look forward to building a new relationship.

5000!

After a rousing game of Madden that unlocked 8 achievements, my gamerscore is now over 5,000. Woot! I technically came in before school started with the 5,000...thus keeping my promise to Mark.

Wow, I am such a nerd.

Move-In Part II

The whirlwind Sunday of first-year student move-in is over. Now comes the more subdued returner move-in day. I can already tell that today will be a slower day, with folks trickling in as the day goes on. I am pretty much exhausted from a day that began at 7:00 AM and went until 12:30 AM.

I was on duty last night and that wasn't so bad. People seemed to be relatively quiet, but I realize that folks probably got louder after I went to bed.

I am really looking forward to the next few days when I get into a little bit more of a routine and I can relax from the craziness of move-in.

Opening Day!

As I mentioned yesterday, we have completed training for the Residence Life Staff and hall leaders. If that's done...it means it's time for the first-year students to move in!

At 9:00 AM we opened the doors to Webster Hall and the students are now moving in. It's interesting to participate in the 5th move-in as an RHD. I don't really get nervous anymore because I can anticipate the vast majority of problems that will occur.

Sadly, it can be difficult to maintain the same level of enthusiasm that I have had in previous move-ins. Luckily the hall leaders and staff can help in that department.

Other News

• I submitted a review on Amazon.com about Two Worlds. I felt the need to defend the game from all the ridicule that it is receiving.
• I should hopefully have a Superstar season set up for Madden this evening...hopefully with Brady Quinn.
  

Training Is Over!

I'm back. After over four weeks of training, my life returns to...err, normal. There is a lot that I could talk about that has taken place over the last few weeks. Allow me to provide a few highlights and I will be sure to add more detail in subsequent posts.

• Ministry Candidacy Process - Since I last posted, I have completed quite a few steps in the process. Recently, I was mailed my candidacy guidebook ($75...woot) and will be meeting with mu candidacy mentor to being working through the guidebook. From what she said, it is still very possible for me to be ready for assignment this coming summer.
• Two Worlds - I have been pretty pumped about the game Two Worlds for quite a few months now. I finally got the game last week and have played it for about 10 hours. At first I thought it sucked (most people do). The more I play, however, the more I am beginning to like the game. I will talk more about this in a future post.
• Madden 2008 - I also purchased Madden 2008. The last Madden game I played was in 2006 so I have a lot of catching up to do. So far, I like it!

That's the big news. Please stand by for more regular updates. :)

No Cavities!

At 7:30 AM yesterday morning I went to the dentist. All is well with my teeth.

Running...Again

I ran this morning! It's been a long time since I ran. With NACURH, the wedding/honeymoon and work this summer, I let myself go in that area.

I ran 2.68 miles this morning and plan to run Monday-Friday with some alternative exercising on Saturdays.

Week two of four for training starts today.

Bonus Softball

I got called up to help out with a softball team that is composed of many of my teammates from last year. It is a co-ed team that had many folks with Breese roots. It is always a good time to have the chance to play with them. Unfortunately, we lost the game 19-6

The good news is that I probably had my most productive batting night. I went 1-3 with one walk and a triple. I had one run and two RBI.

The bad news was that we played a poor team game. People were cutting to front of each other to catch balls, people were not positioning themselves properly for different batters and sometimes simply looked indifferent. Sadly, I could not overlook this and it ruined what otherwise would have been a good experience.

Regardless of the outcome, it was nice to hook up with old friends.

Yeah, I said that my blogs would be more sporadic...so much for that. Christa turned 24 today...huzzah! She should be getting her new cell phone soon!!

The Bourne Ultimatum

I had the opportunity to see The Bourne Ultimatum with my dad this past Saturday. It was a very enjoyable movie! My dad also really liked the movie as well. Here's what stands out the most from the movie:

• It's under two hours, which is great! Movies have this tendency to run long and drag.
• The action in this movie is almost non-stop. The pacing is very quick.
• The continuity of actors was nice.
• There were some great lines as well.
• It was very entertaining. It was the summer-type movie that Transformers failed to provide.
  

My only major gripe with the movie is the shaky camera. It is really difficult to see anything at times and it can make your eyes hurt. This was a problem in previous movies as well.

You should definitely see the movie. Seeing The Bourne Identity or The Bourne Supremacy would help in your viewing of this movie, but are definitely not absolutely needed.

Softball News

Last night's softball game resulted in another loss, 11-5. We have really struggled to put hits together and generate runs. Personally, I didn't have a bad game, but I did better when I didn't swing. I went 0-1 but had two walks. I am actually quite proud of this because I have a tendency to swing at everything. I am beginning to develop a sense of patience at the plate. To round off the evening I also had a nice grab from the one batter who was left handed ;).

Training Update
Please know that with RHD training going on, I won't be available as much so posts may be more sporadic.

Quote

I have only the first few pages of a book entitled Blue Like Jazz and already I am intrigued. In the author's note he writes:

"I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. But I was outside the Bagdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a man playing the saxophone. I stood there for fifteen minutes, and he never opened his eyes.
After that I Liked jazz music.
Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way.
I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But was before any of this happened."

Other Book News
For those that might be curious, I am actually on book 11 of 12 in the Left Behind series. Sadly, much of the energy that I sensed in the first six or seven books has went away. The plot seems more choppy and drawn out in these books. I am currently reading Armageddon so things should definitely be exciting. I'll keep you posted. My stack of reading gets larger!

Brewer News
The Brewers managed to snag a victory (4-2) in a 13-inning marathon where the Brewers left the bases loaded twice and got no runs to show for it. But, a win is a win. With the Cubs surging, they really need to string some wins together.

What's Worse Than a Loss?

How about two losses? Last night I played in my first ever softball double header with games at 8:30 and 9:30. It made for long night regardless, but it became even longer when we lost both games (15-13 & 15-3).

The first game was a back breaker. We were down by quite a bit early as our defense was pretty sad to start the game. In the later innings, we chipped away at the lead and managed to tie the game going into the ninth inning. Unfortunately, a botched catch of a fly ball added two runs that we were not able to make up. My performance in the game was not awful, but my batting definitely did not live up to previous weeks. When I did manage to get on base, the next few people got out and I wasn't able to contribute.

The second game showed out fatigue. The mercy rule was invoked after five innings. I actually managed to contribute one of the three RBIs we had in the game. Yay...

Next week is our last game and we will end the season below .500. However, as the season went on, I have come to enjoy playing on this team more and more. I am thinking that I will probably join the team next summer if they will allow me.

Honeymoon Highlights (Part I)

I realize that I was supposed to update folks on the wedding weekend and I have slowly but surely been catching up. Today we were finally able to get the honeymoon pictures uploaded from the digital camera.

Monday, June 18, 2007
Our honeymoon began on a Monday with Jocelyn Crist dropping us off at the airport for an 7:30 flight. The weather that day did not look too good. Needless to say, it delayed our flight out of Appleton enough that we would not be in time for our Milwaukee connection to Las Vegas. As we were checked in, it was discovered that while we reserved tickets to Las Vegas we never actually bought them. It was a great start. Luckily the flight out of Milwaukee was also delayed by weather...significantly...so that by the time we made it to Las Vegas it was 4:00 AM Central Time.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Much of this day was spent walking the strip. Christa and I are not big gamblers so we stuck mostly to the slot machines. In the first casino we stopped at (the MGM Grand) I ended up winning $50.00. You can see me enjoying the spoils.The sun was on full blast on this day so we only lasted for so long, but we did get some nice casino pictures. Christa got an excellent picture of the Bellagio below:

Christa did an excellent job of taking all sorts of good pictures. Here is a picture of some of the casinos from the vantage point of the walkway to the Bellagio.

By the early evening we were both pretty spent. We retired to our hotel to rest from a busy day. A few observations about Las Vegas:

• It's a nice place to visit, but the city isn't really our style.
• It is sickening to me how many cards are given out for prostitutes.
• The food is amazing in Las Vegas. We had brunch at the MGM Grand and dinner at the Tropicana. The all you can eat buffets are the best.
• Black Jack can be a quick game.
  

Geekiness Lives!

It is official. I am running a gaming event for the Oshcon 2007 Convention:

Event name: The Chosen of Pholtus
Event time: 6:00 PM
Length of event: 4 hours
Game rules: AD&D, 1st Edition
Manufacturer: TSR
Difficulty: Beginner (will teach rules)
Number of players: Up to 8 players
Description: The Order of the Holy Light has done enough! It is time for a new group of heroes to shine in the World of Greyhawk. Be part of the chosen party of Pholtus as they spread the blinding light across the Flanaess.
Gamemaster: Jim Droste

It gives me something to look forward to in the gaming department depending on how the fall semesters AD&D campaign goes.

New Car!

On Tuesday, Christa and I bought a new car. We bought a 2007 Hyundai Elantra. We picked up the car on Thursday and have really enjoyed it. This is a photo from the manufacturer website. I am having trouble getting the actual picture of our car to transfer to my computer. Update...new picture available!

The funny thing about this car is that it is the exact same car that we had when we were on our honeymoon. Driving back from Las Vegas, we put over 2,600 miles on the car, so we had a pretty good sense of how the vehicle was. We loved driving it and thought that if we did get a car in the near future, we would like it to be this one.

Among its many features is the XM Satellite Radio that came installed with the car. It is free for the first three months. We are contemplating if we want to keep the service, but it is only $12 a month.

Compared to the troubled Honda Civic that we had before, this car is a dream. No strange noises when I back up. No strange noises when I have the windows open. All the speakers work. No rust, no broken rear bumper. Having a new car is nice.

A Few Wedding Photos (and other stuff)...

A have not posted in a few days and I wanted to catch you up on some recent events. I figured that as I went through that stuff, I could post a few wedding pictures. There will definitely be more, but this should keep the masses satisfied :).

New Purchase
The biggest news is that Christa and I bought a new car! We purchased a regatta blue 2007 Hyundai Elantra. It was the exact car that Christa and I took on our honeymoon as we road tripped back from Vegas. Although a major purchase for us, we are excited. It is a vast improvement over the 1995 Honda Civic which after 13 years of faithful service has been retired. I can now back up without the car sounding like it was going to fall apart.

Softball Updates
After a one month hiatus, the Strikeforce United co-ed team stepped back onto the field to play some softball yesterday. The team had quite a few no shows, so I was recruited to help the team out. I played catcher (which I've never done before) and I can say that I was not too much of a help in that department. Based on the line-up, I had only one at-bat. I managed to knock in a run and was also able to score. I accounted for 2 of our 3 runs. We ended up losing 15-3. Ouch! The weather was not conducive to softball as it was pouring rain and the team we played was really good.

This past Monday the Strikeforce United men's team play and logged another victory with a score of 21-14. We posted 10 runs in the first inning and held on for the victory. We almost blew in the 7th inning, but managed to end the game. I continued to have a hot bat drawing walk and getting some solid hits.

One of my old residents, Tex Nelson, is planning on having a fall softball league that I am hoping to join. Hopefully I can keep this good softball energy going.

Ministry Retreat
As I mentioned last week I was at a retreat for people that inquiring about the Methodist ministry process. Initially going to the conference, I had my doubts about how useful the session would be. Much of what I heard at the conference was repeat information, but there were some useful tidbits that I learned as well:

• It will cost me $450 to complete a psychological analysis regarding my abilities as a potential minister. That's a chuck of change I didn't realize I'd need to spend.
• There is an option to become a licensed local pastor which would cost less in terms of schooling and would allow me to have say in where I am placed as a minister.
  
• There are a lot of opportunities to cut the costs of seminary, a venture that will cost $15,000-$20,000 a year.

Overall, it was nice to meet ten other folks who are in a similar situation as me, discerning their call. What was neat was that these folks varied in age from 18 to 64.

After the retreat, I am ready to continue in the candidacy process. I have plenty of time. It will take at least a year to become a certified ministry candidate.

That's all for now. I hope to be more regular in my posting.

Wedding Photos

Christa and I have had quite a a few requests for wedding photos to be posted. I wanted to let everyone know that last weekend we received a CD of all of the wedding pictures that were taken at the ceremony and at the reception. I am hoping to put a few choice photos up on the blog very soon. Otherwise, you can definitely expect a variety of albums on Facebook in either my or Christa's account.

Stay tuned!

Softball Update

It's hard to get too excited about my performance in Monday night's game because we lost. We simply could got get our bats going consistently and there was a cheap call that cost us some possible runs. At one point, we had the bases loaded and our best batter was at the plate. He was ahead in the count 2-0 (3 balls is a walk) and the next pitch was obviously going to be a ball. The man on first base began moving toward second a few seconds before the ball hit the ground. He was called out and the inning was over...

...who makes that call? I didn't even know that this rule existed. Why would you do it? it was obvious our batter wasn't going to swing. It was obvious that out runner wouldn't go far with someone on second. Why would you destroy a team's best chance at a rally? Grr...

I went 3-3 that night and every hit I had was a great connection. I even had a double and scored a run. It was a good night overshadowed by a cruddy call.

Ministry Retreat

This coming weekend I will be attending a Ministry Retreat sponsored by the Methodist Board of Ordained Ministry. It runs from Friday evening until Sunday at noon. The retreat will cover many of the same things that I covered at the Exploration 2006 conference, but this will be in Wisconsin with other Wisconsin folks interested in the ministry. The event takes place at a Methodist Retreat Site.

After completing the retreat, I can be assigned a candidacy mentor and I can continue along the ministry process. I will have more information about the event upon my return

Thought

Do you think the Coca Cola company will ever make a Mello Yello Zero? If they do, I will be pretty excited.

Shadowrun

In addition to renting Bobby, I also rented Shadowrun for the XBox 360. When Nick brought his XBox 360 over for the bachelor party, I had the opportunity to watch him play the demo for the game. From what I saw, it looked pretty cool. Before jumping in and buying the game, I took the opportunity to rent the title. I have played through the six training sessions and have played a few multi-player games with computer bots. So far, I would submit the following thoughts:

Pros

• While not role-playing, it has enough elements to be passable.
• I appreciate the magic/tech enhancements and how they make combat fun. Nothing like having a machine gun, but also having the ability to fly and pass through walls. You don't usually expect that.
• Races allow you to pursue RPG-like classes. Elves make good healers, Trolls good fighters, Dwarves actually have some thief-like abilities.
• Matches consist of a series of games, so one match can take some time. You earn money for doing good stuff and you can buy enhancements. It's a unique system.

Cons

• As many folks have commented, there is no campaign mode. Given the deep RPG background of the Shadowrun game, it would seem to cater itself to a campaign mode.
• For $60 new, you don't get a whole lot of variety. Nine boards, 4 races, eight weapons and various enhancements. I can see this game getting old after awhile and it doesn't seem to warrant the price tag.
• Switching between magic and tech enhancements can be confusing and time consuming. You also only have 10 seconds between rounds to buy enhancements. I wish you could modify this.

Overall, this is a game that I might buy when it comes down from its initial price tag. I can see paying $30 for a used copy, but not $60 for a new copy.

"Bobby"

A few nights ago,we were at Family Video and Christa expressed interest in renting the movie Bobby. I had seen previews of the movie, and had some interest to see it but never got around to it. Overall, it was a pretty good film. I definitely did not get a sense of the scope and power that other reviewers described.

For me, I appreciated the Crash-like affect of how different characters at this hotel interacted on the night the Bobby Kennedy was shot. I was entertained, not moved. Nothing felt eopic, but you were pulled into everyone's life, wondering what would happen to them.

There was a lot of star power in this movie, almost too much. Within the first five minutes of the movie you are just inundated with top movie stars. It felt forced, but they did a good job of giving everyone an opportunity to shine, similar to the Ocean's caper movies.

My biggest complaint would probably be the soundtrack. It didn't add anything to the movie and if anything, it was actually distracting.

If Emilio Estevez was going for a documentary-like epic, he definitely missed. If he wanted to entertain an audience for two hours, than he succeeded. I think he was going for the former, so for many this will fall flat. I liked it.

No So Much Nerves...

As I reflect on the wedding experience, I can think of a variety of entries that I could write about. I thought I might start with the morning before the wedding. Leading up to that day, I had no idea what to expect. I wasn't sure if I would be nervous. I didn't know how I would sleep.

I slept fine. In fact, I got up at around 8:30 AM and decided right away after getting up to put up the balloons that we promised that would lead people to Linwood Avenue and thus the church. While doing that I got a call from Christa...there were concerns about the bridesmaids knowing where to go in the church for getting ready. While at the church I saw my Dad and I suggested that we get breakfast.

After having breakfast with my parents, I sat on the couch in my apartment and I watched The Godfather: Part II. Probably not typical pre-wedding fair, but it was actually relaxing. I then got dressed and headed over to the church about 75 minutes before the ceremony. Despite it getting closer to the service, I did not get nervous. Instead of showing nervousness and I showed other emotions...we'll talk about that tomorrow.

A Win Makes Everything Better

Despite some shaky offense late in the and some shaky fielding throughout the game, Strikeforce United came out on the winning side in last night's game. The final score was 20-19 if memory serves.

In the first inning we scored seven runs and the next inning we scored five, so I thought the game was going to be a walk in the park. When the runs started to dry up and they started getting runs, it got scary. But, we prevailed and now have a record of 3-4.

After a sub-par hitting performance last week, I managed to go 3-5 with a double thrown in there as well. I had one RBI and two runs scored. Taking my usual position of right field, I did not let anything get by me.

The clubhouse felt looser and people seemed in better spirits. I suppose that comes with winning. I am slowly getting to know the team better and it is easier for me to play when I feel like I am part of the team. If we can keep this energy going for the rest of the season, this will continue to be fun.

AOL Screenname Change

Many of you probably already know this, but for those of you who do not I am now the Residence Hall Director for Webster Hall and the Fox Valley Technical College student floors in the Gruenhagen Conference Center. As such, my contact information has changed.

My office number is now: (920) 424-1820.
My AOL Screenname is now: WebsterFVTCRHD.

I am now on a 12-month contract so I will be working throughout the summer. Feel free to drop me a line. I would love to find out how you are doing!

The Bachelor Party (and Pre-Party)

The wedding celebration actually began the Monday before the wedding. My friend Dario arranged for a variety of field trips before the more formal wedding stuff began. Allow me to give a brief description of each of these excursions.

Sprecher Brewery Tour
On Monday afternoon, Dario, Tom Dittl and I traveled to Milwaukee for a tour of the Sprecher Brewery. Known especially for their great root beer, we got to see how they make both beer and root beer and also had the opportunity to try some beverages at the end. In fact, we got coupons for 3 free samples of beer as well as unlimited samples of sodas. All that for 3 bucks! If you'd like more information, check HERE.

Miller Park Tour
The next day, Dario and I took a tour of Miller Park. I have been to Miller Park many times, but did not get to see it like I did on this tour. We got to walk around the press room, Bob Uecker's braodcast room, the visitor's clubhouse and locker room as well as the Brewer's bullpen. Dario got some wonderful pictures. You can check them out HERE.

High School Reunion
After the tour, Dario and I stopped by our old high school, Homestead in Mequon, WI. I haven't stepped foot in the place for about 10 years, for Dario it's closer to 12. Things have changed...a lot. Some things looked familiar, but for the most part, the place got a major face lift. Larger hallways, new tile and paint, new wings, new gyms, new pool, new music facilities, new lunch room.

After checking in with the school secretaries, we got permission to wander the grounds. We found a few teachers to talk to. I found two of my old chemistry teachers, my old choir teacher and my old math teacher.

New softball Update

In lieu of keeping weekly statistics for the softball game, I figure I can just give a overview of the evening's activities. Sadly, we lost last night's game, but it was a great game. Our game went 10 innings and finished with a score of 27-20. Sadly, I had an opportunity with two outs and two on the ninth to win the game and I popped out. The next inning we gave up a bunch of runs and we were not able to get them back.

I sat out the first few innings as the DH, but came in to play right field for the majority of the game. I had a nice grab to keep the 8th inning scoreless and that was about it in the field. You don't do too much in right field :).

I went 1 for 5 for the evening and my one hit came from an error. Otherwise, I hit a few weak grounders and almost legged out a few singles. It had been three weeks since I last played a game, so I think I needed a week to get back into the swing of things. Hopefully things get better.

Settling In...

Before you say anything, I realize it has been a really long time since I have posted anything in this blog. The blog is certainly not dead, but I have definitely been a little busy. It was quite a month of June.

The month began with the NACURH 2007 conference here in Oshkosh, WI. Two weeks later, I got married. Then, Christa and I went on our honeymoon. Then we got back and we had to move to our new apartment in Webster Hall.

There are volumes to talk about for each of those items, and I will get to it all. Please stick with me.

Another Remote Post

Today I am posting from the NACURH 2007 Conference Registration Center, located in the Fox River Room of the River Center. We are expecting around 2,000 participants in the conference. It should be a spirited weekend.

I am a co-advisor for the Programming Committee. It has been a slightly chaotic day dealing with the canceling of session and the switching of sessions. Sadly, many of the changes have resulted from oversights on our end. That's not good.

My stress level is quite high as I assume that I will not have all that much free time until this conference ends on Sunday evening.

New Phone

As part of the "Renew Every Two" program with Verizon Wireless, I was eligible for a new phone. So, Christa and I went to the store in Appleton to get a new phone.

In speaking with the sales person in the store, he said that this phone had most of the features my previous phone had because I did not need a lot of bells and whistles.

The key thing is that any phone that I get would: (1) actually keep a charge and (2) would be able to charge up without requiring a strange ritual of futzing with the cord.

So far I like it!

Post 400!: Sleep!

Last night, sleep was very difficult to come by. For the first time since high school I slept somewhere that had a dog (that I had to take care of). Needless to say, I slept awful. I usually never sleep well the first night I sleep somewhere different, but when you add a canine in the mix, it only got worse.

Buddy would bark at the occasional car, would come to check in on me and this would keep me up. Plus, any sound I heard Buddy making seemed strange and I was worried that he may be in trouble or that he was up to not good. My sleep came in 30 minutes chunks at best for most of the night. By around 4:00 AM, I was finally getting some regular sleep.

Other News
Preparations for the homily are going well...let's hope people learn something. I have been re-sucked into Oblivion. I have entered into the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild. That sounds so evil. I can counter it by saying that I have moved along in the main quest line as well. That fulfills the powers of good. :)

Broadcasting From a Remote Location

As I type these words, I am sitting at the computer at my pastor's home in Oshkosh, WI. He and his family have left for the weekend, and I am watching the house and taking care of buddy, their dog. In some ways, I am treating this weekend like a retreat. I have work to do and much of it will probably best be done in quiet and tranquility, which I will have for much of the weekend. The tasks that require my attention?

This Sunday's Homily
As will now be the tradition for three years, I have led the church service at First Oshkosh on Memorial Day weekend. Everyone else has plans, and I'm always around so I can usually step up. Of all the times I've done this, I feel the least nervous about this Sunday. I think the previous times I've tried too hard and this time I'm coming at the word of God from my level instead of pretending to be sophisticated and deep. I think it will be more meaningful for the congregation and more meaningful for me. We shall see.

The Continuing Ministry Process
For those that have read the blog for awhile, you know about my contemplation of the Methodist ministry. The next stage of the process involves a discussion with my pastor about a book entitled The Christian as Minister. Steve is having me write down some points from the book that cane spearhead a discussion. I hoping that I can hand this to him upon his return on Monday.

Wedding Tasks
As always, I will need to spend some time working on stuff related to the wedding. I have updated the guest list, have worked on getting the word out about the wedding to members of the church and have a few tasks to work on this weekend as well.

Video Games
I am also hoping to get some quality gaming in. I would say that gaming isn't quite the same when you don't have surround sound and you are playing on a 17" TV monitor. I will try to manage. ;)

Last Thought
Overall, I realize that I am trying a little too hard with this blog. It is interesting to see the cycles that have occurred. It took we many tries (and failed blogs) to finally post consistently. Once I had that down, I thought it would be good to post every day. Little did I realize that my life is not always exciting enough to post every day. So, I am hoping to find a happy medium as this point. I would like to post regularly, but it won't mean every day anymore. (Sorry to disappointment my loyal readers...all 10 of you. :) )

Closure

In a few minutes, I will heading over to our A/RHD staff meeting. In addition to our regular meeting, we will be doing a closure activity. We do these every year, so I'm ready for it. I'm not the hugest fan, but I understand why we do it. You want to bring some kind of, um...closure to the year. I suppose that's healthy.

This morning's closure activity will be more difficult to get into for me. Next weekend we have the NACURH conference (moderately stressful) and two weeks after that I have a wedding (majorly stressful). When combined, I am more stressed now than at any point in the year.

But, come June 18...all will be well. I will be a married man on my way to Vegas with the woman I love. Woot!

Weekend Update

I traveled home to Mequon to pick up Gizmo from from where he was being boarded. Christa and I were unable to pick up our wedding bands (not ready yet), but we were able to hang out at Mayfair Mall for a little while. In the afternoon and evening, I completed the storyline for Call of Duty. Now, I just need to gather up the courage to get my butt kicked in on-line play.

On Sunday I went to Veteran's-themed worship service at church in the morning. It was very good. In the afternoon, I worked on wedding and church stuff interspersed with games of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and King Kong. I am a much bigger fan of the Marvel game. It has occupied much of my time recently. I ended up getting something like 400 achievement points this weekend.

A Day of Catch-Up

Last night was a great opportunity to catch up on things that had been loading up for awhile. I was able to reserve all of the hotels and the rental car for our Honeymoon. I was able to catch up on paying bills and doing filing. I was able to get some other work done for the wedding. I was even able to get some work done for the SPRC Committee.

With my second bedroom becoming the storage place for wedding gifts, it was taking up the space I use to work in there. So, I removed all of the gifts and put them in storage. That freed up the work area and I was able to do much more. I think I now almost completely caught up.

Other News
I would also point out that Christa played brilliantly in her softball game last night. She had three hits, a walk and three RBIs (read: she's better than me :) ). It was nice to sit back and watch a softball game, although I was asked to score the game which takes away from the viewing potential...so many things to pay attention to.

Christa and I will also be going to the Winnebago County Courthouse to get our marriage certificates today. Just another step that shows how deep I'm in...I don't think I can back out of this now ;).

NACURH is quickly approaching...June 1st! Things are beginning to get a bit more stressful, especially trying to juggle NACURH duties with wedding preparations.

The Funeral Experience

I arrived in Brookfield at around 12:30 PM for the funeral of Mary Jane McIntosh, Christa's grandmother and someone that I had the opportunity to meet a few times at various Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter celebrations with other members of the McIntosh family (Christa's mom's side). It was hard for me to really focus on anything related to work in the morning because I was thinking about the trip and thinking about what to expect.

The service was at a local funeral home and it gave me the opportunity to meet many of Christa's family members. This was also an opportunity for many folks to get their first look at the guy that Christa was marrying. One month from now, many of them would be back for a wedding anyway. The service was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Mary Jane and what a great person she was. I appreciated the pastor's use of the Great Commission in his eulogy:

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

After the service, I was part of my first funeral procession and when we made it to the burial plot, the pastor has more inspirational words and said another prayer which I had yet to hear in an actual service that I attended:

"In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty God our sister Mary Jane; and we commit her body to the ground; earth to earth; ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The Lord bless her and keep her, the Lord make his face to shine upon her and be gracious unto her and give her peace. Amen."

Then it was off to a luncheon which provided another opportunity to connect with family. After a few hours, I was pretty exhausted and needed to head home. It was a draining day, but what energy I had left went into the evening choir practice.

Funeral Today

I will be heading to Brookfield, WI today for a funeral. Christa's grandmother died after a long fight with something that that not been clearly identified. She has deteriorated for awhile, but nobody thought she would die this quickly. I am afraid there isn't much else to talk about today.

Victory!

It only took 19 games and my second season of playing softball to finally be on a team that wins a game! It came down to the 7th inning, but we managed to put one run over the plate in the bottom of the seventh to win the game 13-12. We had some timely hitting in the sixth inning which really gave us the opportunity to win the game. It was nice to make individual contributions in a game that helped the team win.

Games	At Bat	Runs	Hits	2B	3B	BB	RBI	AVG	OBP
2	6	1	4	0	0	1	0	.666	.714

It was really windy last night, so that added an extra dimension to everything. The wind was blowing to the outfield, so catching fly balls was fun. I only had one ball hit to me and I caught it. I also felt for the pitcher because the wind would carry a lot of his pitches.

Either way, we won!

The Building is Empty...Almost

This past weekend was incredibly chaotic! The Breese staff was busy doing a variety of checkouts and I was generating the paperwork necessary to allow residents to move over to Evans for interim. The last few people were moved in our roster program, so right now I have four residents in the building...all of whom are staff.

To right the stress of closing, I have been logging in some serious hours of gaming. Oblivion has taken the most time and has garnered quite a few achievement points. I also recently purchased Call of Duty 3 and have been working my way through it. I am excited to become part of the on-line multiplayer community as well.

Other News
Now that the building is closed, Christa and I can kick into high gear with the wedding. We are now getting to quite a few tasks this week and we are looking good. It's a month from Wednesday...eep!

Tonight is our next softball game. You will know about the stats tomorrow. Tonight should be windy.

Radio Silence

You may not be hearing from me for a few days. It is building closing season and things will get busy. I have not abandoned the blog :).

Softball Season 2

Thanks to Thomas Pedersen, I have been asked to join his men's softball team for the summer. Nothing can beat my perfect season (0-17) last summer, but I have the opportunity to try things out with a new team. Our first game last Monday was rained out, but today the nasty weather seemed to go around us and the game was on.

I knew a few folks on the team besides Thomas. DJ, Shane Leach and Rich Scott were the other folks that I knew. Otherwise, it was a bunch of people that I did not know. They seemed very nice, but I did not necessarily feel a connection to the team. They have all played together before, so it will probably take a little time to get into the flow.

I played in right field which is probably a good spot for me. Not too many balls hit my way, but the ones that were I caught :). I proved that I have speed on my side. I ran out a single my second at bat. I accidentally overran third on my first at bat...too fast.

In what became a popular segment last year, I will continue to keep you posted on my results playing in weekly softball games on Monday night.

Games	At Bat	Runs	Hits	2B	3B	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP
1	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	.666	.666

Other News
Christa and I had our second meeting with our pastor regarding the wedding and marriage. He gave us a nice to do list for this week. We also had a good, heart-felt chat about where we were at. I know I am feeling better about the wedding preparation.

Pick Up the Pieces

While a great funk song, it also sums up the coming week. I have let me room degrade to shambles because I haven't been around it much and when I have, I have had no desire to clean my room. That needs to change soon...it was pretty gross.

Christa and I are going to be doing lots of wedding stuff today. We meet with the pastor and organist this week. We finalize our reception plan this week. We are wedding band shopping this Saturday. I will be making some purchases for gift bags this week.

NACURH hits crunch time this week as we need to finalize the materials for the binder this week. That should be interesting.

And...we close the building. Good times.

The Streak Ends!

Well, the Brewers won 10-0 last night. In addition to a lopsided victory:

• It was Jim Gantner bobblehead night.
• Sodas and hot dogs were $1

All in all, it was a good evening with Christa and my parents. Perhaps now, I will not be viewed as poison for a Brewer's victory ;).

The Weekend To Come

This weekend is the weekend before finals and at does not disappoint. Here is an overview of the weekend that will be.

Friday
Christa and I travel home to pick up my parents so that we can go to tonight's Brewers game. Let's hope my losing streak ends tonight.

Saturday
Christa and my mom will be at a bridal shower for Christa, so this leaves me Dad and I free. Perhaps there is something we can find to do with our free time. Perhaps a viewing of Spiderman 3?

I will be traveling back in the afternoon to get back in time for the Residence Life/USRH banquet. The Breese delegation will be 16 strong and we will be dining on wonderful food and hearing about a variety of awards. My wife to be is in charge of the committee that decided many of these awards...her lips are sealed and that's good :). I know that I will be a friend of USRH, which is cool.

After that is the USRH formal. It's a James Bong theme. You can't beat that.

Sunday
After church, Nick will be coming to finalize the bachelor party as well as other wedding arrangements. Sadly, we have not been able to game for a few weeks, but it will be nice to have Nick up to visit again.

Then it's time for the NBC Picnic in the mid-afternoon and a NACURH meeting at 6:00 PM.

Somewhere this weekend I will get the chance to catch my breath and get charged up for checkout. Enjoy the great weather!

Getting To Old For This?

On my continuing odyssey to find games for the XBox 360 that fit me, I have been successful with only a few. Sadly, the game that I have enjoyed the most is Uno. Uno? Are you kidding me? A $300 machine and a $50 subscription to XBox Live to play Uno?!?!

I am starting to think that video games have gotten too complex for me. I grew up in the ear of Nintendo and Super Nintendo. The games were (relatively) simple and straightforward. Now, games are really complex. I am still catching up to the concept of the first person shooter game. I can only imagine what that will be like when I try playing with people from around the world.

Even RPGs are pretty intense. Oblivion, while really good, seems to be too complex for me to figure out. I will continue to search for games. When Call of Duty 3 is available for rental, I am going to check that out. There has to be more than Uno :).

Ok, I'll Admit It...

...I am a fair weather fan of the Brewers. This team is 17-9 and playing entertaining baseball. They lead their division and are among the top teams in baseball. How could you not be excited about this team?

I will admit that I have been, at best, a casual fan of the Brewers for much of my life. I could tell you starting line-ups each year and could hold a reasonably detailed conversation about the Brewers. If the game in on the radio, I'll listen in. If the game is on TV and I'm at home, I'll watch. But, when you lose...a lot...it's hard to stay motivated as a fan. The Bucks and Packers have had success in the last ten years, the Brewers have not.

When the Brewers are on Monday Night Baseball of ESPN and are getting leading articles on ESPN.com you know that your team is relevant right now. You have more of a desire to care. So, I'll admit it, I am a fair weather fan.

I will be going to the game this Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. I am taking my parents and Christa to the game. I have horrible luck with attending Brewers games. They usually lose when I am there...just ask Jason Bock about that. Hopefully, my luck changes.

Cleaning Catch-Up

It amazes me how dirty your apartment can get when you let it go a few weeks without cleaning. What usually is a one afternoon project has turned into a much larger multi-day project. But, when completed the apartment should look nice for the two-week stretch run before the end of the semester.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to my mom who is celebrating today. We will look over how old she is :). I am hoping to stop down to Mequon on Friday evening for belated birthday wishes and an opportunity to visit home.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Despite its craziness at times, this past weekend was very nice. I had the opportunity to push up my Gamer Score on the XBox 360 significantly while some very "interesting" people while playing UNO on-line.

I dealt with two pretty intense incidents from the duty weekend. As a result, my sleep schedule got thrown off completely. When you're used to going to bed at 11:00 PM the thought of going to bed at 3:00 and 2:00 are markedly different. I am hoping to get back on track in the next few days.

Over the weekend, the NACURH programming committee slotted over 300 programs for the conference. One major step down, a few to go until the big conference.

This week continues the craziness of the past and things don't lighten up until May 11. Woot!

Weekend Duty: Day #1

Well, let's just say that the evening had a little adventure than I anticipated. Hopefully Saturday night is a little more relaxed.

Friday evening represented a large step forward in the XBox 330 department. A few improvements:

• I posted by gamer score on my blog now. Now you can track my geekiness.
• I rented Viva Pinata for the weekend. I have tried it here and there. It is OK.
• I purchased Galaga, Bejeweled 2 & Uno on the XBoix Marketplace.
• I achieved all 200 achievement points for Galaga in 30 minutes.
• I have become a big fan on playing Uno on-line. You meet some crazy people at night, but I have also met some really fun people to play with.
• I got Christa onto XBox Live.
• My gamer score is up to 1,500.

Yes...I am a dork.

Guess Who's on Duty?

This is a warning to all who dwell in Breese Hall this weekend. Jim Droste is on duty!

It will be nice to be around the building and be a presence this weekend and it will also allow me to get a lot of work done this weekend...and I have a lot of work to do.

Daddy'll Sing Bass, Mamma'll Sing Tenor

I received a phone call from a member of our church saying that the church choir was being called back together to sing each Sunday until the end of May. When out music director left, I assumed the choir would be done for the remainder of the year. It was wonderful that he stepped in and brought the choir back.

I was curious to see who would show up given the hard feelings that some had over the leaving of our music director. Some of the regulars were not there...but, there were some folks who have not been to choir that are now back. I can not say for sure why.

When I arrived, there was only one tenor. Although trained as a baritone in college and a bass in high school, I bit the bullet and sang tenor as well. Yikes! Singing tenor when you sing bass can definitely be a strain on the vocal chords. However, it was interesting to see music from another perspective. The tenors often fill in harmonies in chords and have a smoother line than bass parts.

When you get used to something, it can be hard to change. I think this tenor experience will be good for me.

Reading Update

A few months ago, I mentioned that I began reading the Left Behind series. I had no idea that the series had been out for so long. It shows you how out of the Christian loop I have been for awhile. Needless to say, I finished the fifth book in series on Sunday night. I have seven of them to go. It is a very compelling series and I am interested to see how it keeps going. I will talk more about these books when I have read them all...that may take a little while.

Since I did not get a chance to get to our church to get the sixth book, I began reading Bill O'Reilly's Culture Warrior. A few years ago I read Who's Looking Out For You? and I found the book very interesting. What I appreciate about O'Reilly is that he does not make issues a matter of liberal vs. conservative or Republican vs. Democrat. In his latest book, O'Reilly looks at secular humanism vs. traditionalists. From what I've read so far, he is worried that secular humanism will ruin the fabric of our nation.

I would definitely agree with him on that point. We'll see how much I agree with in the meat of his book. When I'm done with him, I'll be moving back sixth book in the story of those left behind: Assassins.

Running Away

As I was playing Oblivion last night, I came upon an interesting realization. As with any game, the more you play it the more you realize the subtle nuances and the easier it is to be more efficient in your playing. That has been the case. I have discovered that sometimes the best strategy for survival in this game is to run away.

Now, the game won't necessarily let you run away from creatures...they will keep going after you. What I mean is that instead of going in with guns blazing, you go in with a hit and back off plan. This allows you to re-group and plan your next strategy. On a gaming level, I can cast spells on a creature and stay out of attacking range or I can heal my character to get ready for the next round.

This seems to go against our common perceptions of facing life. Instead of always needing to go in right away and get it done right away, there is something to be said for taking things ins chunks or taking care of what is reasonable and knowing that the rest of it can get done later. Sometimes it is OK to run away :).

I realize my posts of been erratic lately. I am trying to make a commitment to post more often. I also want my posts to be more meaningful. Some of them have really stunk lately.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Mark, my 1st floor CA, told me about a game that I would really like...it's called The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It is a role-playing game, and unique to many of the RPGs I have played before. I resisted for as long as possible, but I picked up the game a couple weeks ago and I have already put about 20 hours into the game thus far. Here is what I really like about the game:

• Experience - In most RPGs, you gain experience based on the creatures that you kill. in Oblivion, your character has seven major skills (blade, light armor, spells, etc). When you use these skills, they improve. When you improve 10 levels in these skills, you go up a level. It is a new and refreshing way to level.
• Versatility - This game is wide open in terms of the path you choose. You can pick from a large variety of quests and do them in any order you want. If you are stuck on one quest line, you can move to another and then you will unlock more quests. It is impossible to get bored...there is always something new. I have around 10 open quests at the moment.
• Alignment - Along with quest versatility, there is also character versatility. If you want to be "evil", you can. You can steal, kill innocents, be part of the dark brotherhood and run around with a bounty on your head. You can be nice and do all things lawful. Everything has a rating.

I would recommend checking this game out for your XBox 360. It is pretty sweet and quite addicting. I am resisting the urge to play right now.

Weekend?

Let's break down the weekend and see where any free time might creep in:

• Friday afternoon I am helping in the selection of NACURH 2007 programming.
• Friday evening I am joining some residents of Breese Hall to celebrate Michael Huck's 19th birthday at Texas Roundhouse.
• Saturday morning we may be finishing NACURH 2007 programming.
• Saturday afternoon Christa and I will be at our wedding shower at Jacque's condo.
• Saturday night is Relay for Life.
• Sunday morning is church.
• Sunday afternoon is gaming.
• Sunday evening is the staff recognition party & NACURH.

Yeehah for free time... :)

I Sewed a Button

In an unfortunate buttoning incident yesterday, the button to my pants came off. Luckily, I was able to switch pants before going to my next meeting, but that did not stop the long-term problem of having to replace the button.

Jacque led a session, as part of a A/RHD Staff Development, that taught us how to sew on a button.

After getting frustrated playing XBox 360 and having a little time on my hands last night, I sewed the button back on my pants. How cool is that?

Gaming for Charity?

Mark and I went to the Credit Union today to count up the money that we raised for the "Gaming For a Cause" program held in Breese Hall over the course of the weekend. Can you believe over $50 was raised? Who knew that playing video games could so greatly benefit the community :). My hats of to Mark, the residents of 1st floor and other members of the Breese Hall community past and present that made it possible.

With that money alone, Breese has reached its $1,000 fundraising goal. And, we have a lot of money unaccounted for that will cause us to crush that goal. Most exciting!

Take a Deep Breath

Writing this blog post while I am working the desk gives me an opportunity to step away from the craziness of the next few weeks and lets me relax if but for just a few minutes. I encourage you to do the same...take a break, and relax. Enjoy the warmer weather!

The Next Step

For what it's worth, I finished 321st out of field of 952.

I have decided to take the next step and register for the Fox Cities Marathon! I will have plenty of time to train as the race is not until September 23, 2007.

In the mean time, I am hoping to do a few smaller races to fill in the gap until the big event. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the races give me something to train for and they keep my motivation up.

I managed to eek out a 3-mile run this morning. My muscles were not excited about it, but it at some point I need to get back into the swing of things.

Stay tuned for pictures...they should be coming soon.

Results

I finished! I checked the website yesterday afternoon and the final time was:

1 hour, 49 minutes, 13 seconds

My goal was to run the race in under two hours, so I feel good about my pacing and my effort in the 13.1 mile event.

The secret for me was to start slow in the beginning to get warmed and as the race went on I was able to increase my pace and pick people off as I made my way through the field. I could tell that my mile splits were getting faster and faster as I went along.

It was great to have Christa and my Dad there for the race. I saw them at the 5-mile mark and at the end of the race. I saw various folks that I knew during the race including Petra, who was around mile 4.

Now I need to look for the next race in which to participate. They are great motivators!

A Return to Geekiness

Today has been a busy and stressful week. I have had many meetings and much work to do. I have a few things to finish up today and then I can have a relatively relaxing weekend. There is some business to take care of tomorrow. I have 13.1 miles to run on Saturday morning. Woot!

But, after that...I can truly return to geekiness. I will be participating in a Breese Hall 24-hour video gaming marathon that ends Sunday at 9:00 AM. I am not sure how long I'll be able to go, but I'll do my best. Our AD&D group will also be meeting again this Sunday. After one month off, we return!

Catching Up

The final month of the college academic year are quite hectic. You are wrapping up one year and beginning to think about the following year. If you throw in an upcoming wedding a NACURH conference in June, things can get really hectic. So, the entries in here may be more sporadic and may not be as exciting as usual. I shall do my best.

Christa and I got our first wedding gifts in the mail. I didn't realize we would be getting them this early. When you do your registration on-line, it will actually show you what gifts have been taken off the registry. I suppose it can make gifts less exciting, but it is also fun to know what will be coming in the near future.

I rented Lego Star Wars II for X Box 360 over the weekend. It was pretty good. I am glad that I didn't buy the game now; it is definitely a game that I will pick up when it goes down in value. What I really enjoyed were the cut scenes. They adapted scenes from the movie and made them humorous.

I recently purchased The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I haven't played it for too long, but from what I've seen it's incredible.

I Suppose This Means I Have to Do It...

The Oshkosh Half Marathon is this Saturday and thankfully the weather is beginning to improve for the weekend. I am not that excited about running in 20/30 degree wind chills. I combined the Half Marathon and Relay For Life hoping that folks might want to make me run 13 miles for the sake of charity. Some members of the church have sponsored me and have made their donation contingent on my completion of the half marathon. That gives me the motivation I need to finish the race!

Regardless, my donation page is HERE if you would like to make any donations for Relay for Life.

Happy Easter everyone!

Big Brother For Gaming

Wanna know what your fellow XBox 360 players are doing? Check this out. You can see what game they are playing, what their status is and you can know all about their achievements and accomplishments. Very interesting...nothing is safe.

The parents are coming to Easter service tomorrow. Very cool!

New Look

As today is Good Friday, the beard officially gets shaved off. Every year I grow a beard beginning with the first measurable snow fall of the year and ending with Good Friday.

I must say it is a weird feeling to not have facial hair. I got quite used to it. However, I know my mom will be cheering when she reads this :)!

Safe travels to everyone going home for the Easter!

Fun Quote

Dr. Egon Spengler: Well, let's say this Twinkie represents the normal amount of psychokinetic energy in the New York area. Based on this morning's reading, it would be a Twinkie thirty-five feet long, weighing approximately six hundred pounds.

Winston Zeddemore: That's a big Twinkie!

Nothing great to report today, so here's a fun quote. What's it from :)?

Snow? Seriously...at least the constrcution is done.

I woke up at 7:00 AM for my morning run and it was 28 degrees outside with a 15 degree wind chill factor. How quickly I forget the Wisconsin winter and the fact that it never really ends until late May. It was snowing when let my apartment to head over to the office for work.

If you may remember they were doing some light construction work behind Breese Hall. They finished up today. At least we have a gravel path to get into the building...no more mud pits!

A Small Donation

Ever wonder what $50.00 in pennies looks like? You do now.

I think 1st floor won the penny way for Relay for Life. Muahahaha!

Wish #1...

In the field of student affairs, during ice breakers & team builders we often get asked some strange questions. One question that always stumps me is, "If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?"

I am never good with answering this question. I can not usually come up with anything so brilliant that I would want to use a wish on it. Today, I came up with one. I would wish that swearing was not allowed in casual conversation. I find it so frustrating to walk down the street and hear:

• "Really? That un-f^&*ing believable."
• "Yeah, that exam was a bunch of s^&*."
• "What the f%^& is up with that?"

What a waste of the English language. Can't we come up with something better? Can't we set a better example for our peers? Say, "NO" to swearing.

Or...I could be like Solomon and ask God for wisdom. That might not be a bad option either.