Life Stories...

Today, I made a trip out to Waukau, WI. I never heard of Waukau until I found out that a pastor who once worked at FUMC Oshkosh had been assigned as the pastor there. It is only about 20 minutes and 13 miles from Oshkosh. I drove into the city to discover that it was unincorporated. There wasn't necessarily a whole lot to see. But, they have a vary quaint and beautiful Methodist Church.

I walked inside and met Chuck, the pastor there. He took me on a tour of the facility. The church is by no means modern, but it "older" style and theater-set wooden pews provide a wonderful atmosphere. It felt like I stepped back 100 years (the church was built in 1904). I would love to worship there. They are in the process adding on an addition that will provide much needed education and office space. The pastor currently uses a section of the fellowship hall as his office! Things seem to looking up and people seem to looking forward at the church.

The pastor of this church is hosting a Disciple class. The class helps folks to survey the Bible and find more meaning in it. That seems up my alley. It involves 34 meetings, and seems very thorough. I am excited to try it out. Getting to the theme of my entry today, we ended the session with sharing our journeys with the group.

I found the others in our class to have very interesting lives. Many are significantly older than me, and have lived rich and exciting lives. They say their lives are boring, but they are filled with interesting tales and major changes. I realized today how much I enjoy hearing about the lives of others, especially folks who lives outside of a residence hall ;).

Perhaps that is part of why I am called to ministry. I want to learn more about people and learn how we can work together to become better people.

A New Appreciation...

Through the Continuing Education Office at UW Oshkosh, I signed up for a class called Wines Around the World. It will be meeting over the next six Monday evenings. My first class was last night.

I learned a great deal about the wines of Argentina and Chile. Have no fear, we only take small samples of each wine. There is no fear of Jim stumbling home from the Pollock House to Webster Hall (which I would add is only about fifty feet away).

I am looking forward to gathering more information about wine. We will be learning about France, Italy, California and Australia among other areas.

Christa Is Home!

Christa arrived back in Oshkosh at around 1:30 AM. :)

Yes...the curse of O'Hare continues. I received a call from Christa Sunday afternoon letting me know that her flight from Miami to Chicago was severely delayed and they were going to miss their connecting flight to Milwaukee. As such, the group was planning on getting a coach bus for the ride back. I offered to pick Christa up in Chicago to avoid all the craziness.

So, I made the trip down and was waiting for Christa in the airport. She called to let me know that they actually held the flight to Milwaukee until their flight from Miami arrived. So, at this point, Christa had three ways home. In a car, bus or plane. I could sense that Christa had enough with flying, so she opted to take the ride home.

I will be talking more about her trip after she gets some sleep and adjusted to life again in this continent.

Christa Comes Home Tomorrow

At 9:50 PM tomorrow, Christa's plane should be touching down in Milwaukee, WI. I plan on being at the airport to pick her up when she arrives. I will admit that I have gotten a lot of stuff done while she was gone, but I have missed her a great deal and look forward to having her back! ;)

Mid-Week Check-In

There hasn't been all that much to report as of late, and that's actually a good thing. I have found my spring break so far to be nice and relaxing. Hopefully by the time I pick Christa up from the airport on Sunday evening, I will have most of my list done. Here's the breakdown on how things are going so far:

• I am making my way through the apartment. It is a lot more work than I thought it would be. There is a lot of stuff that I plan on giving away to Goodwill, especially clothes...yeesh.
• I finished Bioshock. Despite a great game throughout, I found the ending of the game (final boss battle) to be a little bit of a letdown. The final cut scene, though, was quite good.
• I got to the final battle in Enchanted Arms, but realized that I am not even close to being powerful enough to begin the fight. I will need to go back and level up quite a bit and hopefully finish that game off. That probably won't happen over spring break.
• I started another run through of Mass Effect. I am taking more time to read through all of the dialogue and concentrate on the story. It truly is amazing. I am playing through on the hard level, as well as concentrating on getting additional achievements. I have to be careful...that can take up all my time if I wanted it to ;).
• I met with my candidacy mentor yesterday and I handed in a second draft of my paperwork for the April 10 meeting. After she makes her comments, I plan on finalizing the materials soon. I am a little worried as neither of us have heard anything about upcoming meeting. We were told we would get information 5-6 weeks before the meeting.
• I need to work on AD&D stuff...soon.
  

Wisconsin Basketball Day

The NCAA Tournament had two games on the schedule involving teams from Wisconsin.

This afternoon, the Badgers posted a pretty convincing win on Kansas State and advanced to the Sweet 16. It's amazing what good defense and good guard play can do for a team. Given how crappy the Badgers did last year in the tournament, this is good to see.

Marquette fought valiantly, but came up a little short and lost in overtime to Stanford. The game was back and forth and the Stanford coach ended up getting ejecting. Sadly, there won't be two teams from Wisconsin in the Sweet 16.

Normally I don't get into NCAA basketball. But, when you can watch it on HD...it call changes ;).

Spring Break!

Christa left at 2:00 AM for Belize. Apparently, the path to Belize will be a little more difficult thanks to some bad weather and a lay over in Chicago. She is on her way to Montreal(!) and then to Miami and Belize. I am curious as to when she will actually end up in Belize. She'll be there until the 30th. So, what's on tap for my spring break?:

• I will be working Tuesday-Thursday. I want to save as much vacation as possible for the summer months...it will be more fun to use when the weather warms up. I do plan on taking off Monday and Friday. I figure that work shouldn't be quite as stressful without the students here :).
  
• I will be finishing my papers for my ministry interview. I have a feeling they will be due to long after spring break is over.
• I plan on playing a lot video games. I may rent Forza Motorsport 2 to give that a whirl. I have heard good things about it. I am also gonna try another run through with Mass Effect. I think I am ready. I should probably also finish off Bioshock.
• I would like to get in a nice, thorough cleaning of the apartment. It could really use it. Christa and I have really let it go.
• Ryan Bronkema will coming up to visit on Friday. It will be nice to hang out and catch up!

For the UWO students, have a fun and safe spring break.

Melancholy Thursday

Christa will be finishing things up for her trip to Belize today. I will be dropping her off for the bus to the airport at 2:30 AM on Thursday night/Friday morning. She will be gone on Sunday the 30th. During this time, she will be doing research on howler monkeys. It is going to be a wonderful experience for her!

On a lighter note, the beard will be shaved off tomorrow. A younger, less rugged looking Jim will be seen for the spring and summer!

A Few Things I Attended...

My Tuesday was significantly more busy than usual yesterday. Isaac, my BBBS little brother, had his last wrestling meet yesterday and I wanted to be there. Unfortunately, it was not his best effort. He had two matches and lost them both. He did, however, win a Saturday city-wide tournament for his weight class, so that was pretty cool. It was interesting to see what wrestling is like on the middle school level. The weight classes show such a difference. Some of the six graders were so tiny and some of the older students already had some impressive muscle growth. I suppose that's why they have weight classes.

I put together a music program for the students of FVTC that live in GCC. Three people showed up...they were all staff. I did appreciate the support, but it still stings to have no residents come to a program.

Argelia also presented a program about her home country of Honduras. It was interesting to learn more about the country and more about her background. It was also cool to see some 1st floor residents there. I think Argelia is starting to build a nice community on the floor!

St. Patrick's Day is Over

The administrators at UW Oshkosh can now breathe...St. Patrick's Day is over. I think there was a lot of concern about what might happen if UW Oshkosh did not have their spring break over St. Patrick's Day. As the Webster staff member on duty last night, things in Webster were remarkably quiet. This does not mean people weren't partying. It simply means that most people went to off-campus parties or to the bars. The hordes of people dressed in green and dressed in "party wear" made it clear to me that there weren't all that many people in the building to generate noise.

It does make you wonder though, what excuse do college students really need to drink? Not much...I suppose. I highly doubt a large percentage of our students are Irish in ancestry. I suppose it's more about free, green beer and the opportunity to avoid the thought of exams and homework...the real reason they are at school.

I just hope everyone was safe last night. Any evening I see students getting ready to go out, I am most concerned about their safety. I worry that they might be taken advantage of or go home with someone they don't even know. It's not a matter of getting people into trouble. It's a matter of making sure my residents stay safe.

28 Weeks Later

After a failed attempt to watch Bladerunner, I hoped that a Saturday viewing of 28 Weeks Later might yield some better results. Overall, the movie had a sufficient amount of action to me in the movie, but still managed to have an interesting plot to go along with it. They continued with their use of actors who are recognizable, but overly mainstream. The soundtrack was again pretty good and many of the sequences gave our sound system a runs for its money.

This movie did feel a little more Hollywood than the last, and there were definitely moments where I felt like there was a plot whole or something happened that didn't exactly make sense. But, there wasn't enough for it to sink the whole movie. The movie takes an interesting look at the American military. You'll have to watch the movie to find out.

The ending does set-up a sequel. 28...Year Later?

Shamrock Shuffle

I completed the Shamrock Shuffle today. It was a 5k run/walk held on campus. It is in its first year. The weather was a little chilly, especially given the nice weather we have had the last few days. Yet, it was a good day to run. I wish I had been a little more conscious of pre-race routine. I did get a good night's rest, but I did not hydrate well before the race and I also didn't have little something to eat before the race either.

I finished the race in 23 minutes and 22 seconds. It's not what I was hoping for, but in the end I feel as though I did pretty well. It does mean that I am on pace for the half marathon in April. I have no worries about that. It was a little sad to think that there was a time when I ran a 5K in a little over 18 minutes. I look forward to future 5Ks this year. I hope I can slowly bring that time down.

The running will continue on Monday. I will appreciate a few days rest. My legs are killing me!

Trip to the Museum

As part of a Senior Staff Development, the RHDs and ARHDs will be making a trip to the Oshkosh Public Museum today. The weather seems like it should hold out as we will be walking over there. The big draw right now is the Out of This World exhibit which highlights costumes from movies and television shows. I am interested to check it out. The trip will be a welcome break from the craziness that has been my week.

What's on tap for this weekend? Christa and I will be doing some clothes shopping for me this weekend. Tomorrow is the Shamrock Shuffle 5K and after that Christa is going home for the weekend. I plan on finishing a draft of my candidacy materials as well as possibly completing Bioshock this weekend.

Assessment Results

I received my psychological assessment results in the mail today. It's been awhile since I've been nervous to open a piece of mail. I would say it's probably since I applied for RHD jobs since I wondered what was inside the envelope.

I have expressed before my concerns about what might have been written. But, after reading through the statement that will be submitted to the dCOM, I think it is overall very accurate. There are small points that I might argue, but for the most part it is on target.

It is another reminder that this meeting is coming up very soon. As Jake Taylor says in Major League, "Come on Jake, it's only you're life."

Off My Game...

Yeesh...the last few days for me have not been so positive in the RHD arena. I feel a little off my game. Between Monday and Tuesday I encountered various situations that caused me to think if I am making the correct decisions. By no means a crisis, it is an opportunity for me to think about the RHD position and where I place importance in the various tasks I have in the job.

Today has been a great opportunity to get back into the swing of things and can things done. I look forward to a nice refreshing break in a few weeks.

Weekend Updates

• Christa and I did some hardcore arranging of the of the apartment on Sunday. She felt like some of the rooms of the apartment were getting pretty cluttered. So, we moved our computer to the back room and shifted around the furniture in the...well, two living rooms. It is much more spacious now and makes more sense.
• I spent quite a bit of time this weekend working through Bioshock on the XBox 360. I rented this game awhile ago and wanted to get back to it eventually. I traded in Halo 3 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance to get Bioshock for no additional cost. I have made my way through most of the game and the game continues to amaze me. It is truly and game where everything comes together...music, plot, graphics, game play. If you have a 360, you need to rent/buy this game.
• The AD&D group got back together after a two week hiatus. My friend Tom came up from home to join us. I am hoping that he will be able to join us for more sessions. I would like to think the group had a good time; I did as well. Things will really start to pick up as they continue along over the next few weeks.
  

How Things Change

Last night, my friend Peter and I went out for late dinner and drinks. It gave us an opportunity to catch up; it had been awhile. Later in the evening, Peter brought out two decks of cards...they were Magic: The Gathering cards.

I don't get the chance to play Magic much anymore for several reasons. One, I don't know all that many people around here that play it (or would admit to playing it). Two, i can get expensive because the game is constantly bring out new editions and new themes to supplement their cards.

I won't take complete credit, but my friend Nick and I showed Peter Magic and he got into it with us. BY the time we got out is was around 1999 or so. But it's kept going. They are up to 10th edition...I remember 6th edition being about when I stopped.

Peter and I had a lot of fun looking at abilities we had never heard of and trying to figure out combos that we didn't know existed. I am hoping that we'll be able to try it again.

Gary Gygax - R.I.P.

In addition to the Brett Favre, there was another news story that actually hit me a little bit harder. I found out this afternoon that Gary Gygax, creator of Dungeons & Dragons and various other games and books, died yesterday at the age of 69.

I can remember back to 7th grade when I was rummaging through a closet and discovered my brothers D&D books. I thought they looked cool and read through them and then wanted to play. I ended up finding out that many of my friends played as well. Since then, I got high school choir friends together to play D&D, brought several college level groups together and even now I play with several students, staff and friends every Sunday.

Despite its dorky connotation, D&D has fostered so many friendships in my life. It has really helped me to be who I am. It has helped me to think on my feet, speak in front of groups and simply enjoy life.

My Dad wrote to me this morning that this is the end of an era. I agree. The gaming world will not be the same without Gary Gygax. I had the opportunity to met him once and he signed many of my books. I was honored. I look forward to honoring him this weekend as we play a little First Edition AD&D.

Favre Retires

For a few years now, I wondered how I would react when Favre decided that he was going to retire. I am sad to see him go because he had an amazing career with three MVP awards and one Superbowl ring. He had a revitalized season last year where he made it to the Pro Bowl when many thought (including me) that he was washed up.

But, I also believe this is the best for the Packer organization. Eventually, the team needed to rebuild around a quarterback who was going to be around for the long haul. This team is young and talented and I think Favre was becoming more and more out of place with this team.

Watching the Packers this upcoming season won't quite be the same. Thankfully, we will be spared with the constant statistics about how many games in a row Favre has played or how many QBs have taken snaps for Chicago during Favre's tenure with the Packers. But, I will miss his great plays...and his stupid plays..but always appreciated knowing we weren't out of a game if Favre was in there.

Best of luck, Brett! You have given the state of Wisconsin and the NFL many happy memories. I look forward to five years from now when you are a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Who will give your induction speech?

Day to Recover

My supervisor gives me the opportunity to take Monday off after the OPE Conference. It makes sense given that we end up working most of Saturday and Sunday for OPE. Most years, I don't take advantage of this day at all. I prefer to work and get back into the swing of things this year. This year, however, I am going to take 50% advantage of this day. I will be taking the morning to catch up on personal errands and relax before heading back to work after our lunch bible study.

Other Notes:

• I took back some games yesterday, and was able to get a used copy of Bioshock for free!
• This evening, Carol and I will be completing the rest of our summer staff interviews...we should be able to make decisions pretty soon after today.
  

OPE Remote Post

It is currently 6:59 AM and I am writing from GCC Room 123, otherwise known as the Transportation Center. The drivers have just left for their first route of the day. The calmness and quietness will soon be replaced by the organized chaos. OPE begins again.

On to the Next Step...

Last night, a special Charge Conference was called so that members of my church could vote to determine if they supported my candidacy for ministry. The meeting was much simpler than I thought it would be. The pastor convened the meeting and the people voted. I didn't have to give a speech and didn't have to ask any questions. I was unanimously approved!

My Current Profession

For an earlier entry this week, I utilized a link to "Student Affairs" from Wikipedia.org. In it, there was a criticism section that contained the following:

The "professional" trend in Student Affairs has been criticized for its emphasis on formal training. The degree to which available postgraduate programs actually represent a distinct discipline is a matter of debate. The field's resemblance to psychology, counseling, and other general concentrations has called into question whether Student Affairs degrees are an example of "degree inflation" and whether students' vocational choices are limited by this specialization. The late education critic Allan Bloom wrote that the "...idea of a separate 'Student Affairs' profession in academia is pure rubbish. It is fiction. The range of work involved requires a high school diploma on the low end and a PhD in psychology on the high end. The constituent disciplines (with their quality controls) already exist and can be readily applied to students. Breeching a new 'discipline' for this purpose is nothing more than professional egotism. I see it as a spasm of self-justification for a profession that largely lacks any scholarly work, past or present. This is the worst episode of academic cheapening I have witnessed. In a continuum ranging from Nuclear Physics to Romance Languages, 'student personnel' is almost certainly the most pathetic graduate field yet conceived. It is an embarrassment...

Ouch! Now, I have often joked with my colleagues about my College Student Personnel Degree not being a real Master's Degree, but this takes that thought to a whole new level.

New Sound System

Christa and I purchased a new LCD television around the new year. To go along with this new video technology, we decided to also purchase a home theater system to go with it. Christa and I did some reconnaissance and also set an initial budget. It didn't take us too long to realize that our budget was not very realistic. We did our main shopping at Best Buy and American. Much of the stuff at American that we were showed was way out of our price range. When we stated our budget the salesmen found us something and discounted it to get it to fit.

We came back a week later to pick everything up (one item had to be ordered). We took home our receiver, 5 speakers and subwoofer and I began to put everything together. I asked the guy at Receiving if the speakers also came with speaker wire. He said yes.

Guess what? No speaker wire! After a few choice words in the other room, I told Christa we needed to go back for speaker wire. Livid, I called the manager of American and expressed my frustration. He agreed to give me the speaker wire at 50% off. OK. I'll take it. We come back from our second trip to American for the evening and I hook everything up.

I want to say that the manual for the receiver is in English, but it didn't read like it. Needless to say after fussing with buttons and wires for over an hour (and a lot of swearing) I packed everything up and decided to return it. It wasn't worth all the hassle.

Right away the next morning, I drove up (third time) to American and wanted to return the items. The gentlemen at Customer Service wanted to help with this and got the salesmen who sold me the items to explain this one last time. He broke down all wire connections and told me exactly how to set up with the receiver.

After reconnecting everything the second time, Christa and I were met with success. After watching action scenes from Gladiator and Star Wars and after paying XBox 360 games on the sound system, it was definitely worth it...all the money and the hassle. Not one of my finer moments.

Look Mom! No Cavi.....Doh!

Nothing like going to the dentist on a Monday morning. I arrived for my 9:30 AM appointment, having had to reschedule from last week due to some pretty cruddy weather. During the course of my visit, it was discovered that I had a small crevice in my teeth that will need to be filled. I suppose that was a nice way of saying that I had a cavity ;). So, I will be going in in two weeks to get that taken care of.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the saga or our new sound system...

OPE: A New Perspective

For those of you not as familiar with my work as a Residence Hall Director at UW Oshkosh, we host a conference each year called the Oshkosh Placement Exchange. It brings individuals from colleges and universities from all over the country together to fill positions in the field of student affairs. The majority of the positions offered at the exchange are for graduate school assistantships as well as hall director-type jobs.

We have been hosting this conference for 29 years and I have been a part of the OPE as a candidate, employer and worker for...eight years. Granted, there are many at this university who have been involved with OPE for over 20 years, but I consider my experience somewhat considerable.

Last night, we had a training for all employees involved with the Oshkosh Placement Exchange. OPE is something that the Gruenhagen Conference Center and the Department of Residence Life take very seriously, and for good reason. It is an opportunity to showcase the university and both departments. For me, my reaction and anticipation for OPE has changed this year.

I have served at the chair of the Transportation Center for three years, and worked on it for five years. As I begin the transition out of student affairs and begin to think about the ministry, I do not look at OPE in the same way. This is not to say that I see no merit in OPE at all. I still appreciate the significance that OPE has for our campus. I simply feel like I do not have the same type of enthusiasm that I that I did when I was starting out as an RHD at UW Oshkosh.

Five years ago, OPE helped me get the job that I have today. I was in the trenches and competing against peers for positions. In the years since, I have fed into that energy and got pumped to see that experienced by others. I also got involved on a higher level as I became the supervisor for the Transportation Center. I went to planning meetings and saw first-hand what goes into planning for a conference of this magnitude. I am not supervisor anymore because it simply took up too much time.

Now, I see OPE as something where I play an important role, and that is where my enthusiasm comes. I am excited to be part of a team that puts this conference together. I appreciate playing a more subdued and behind the scenes role in the conference and do not get overly caught up in the craziness that can be OPE. I feel like Luke Skywalker when he first enters Jabba's palace in Return of the Jedi. Feelings controlled, purpose more focused, his role as a Jedi understood.

Only I can end an entry like this with a dorky statement like that ;).

Did You Really Lose?

I wish I could lose and still make $10 million.

Remote Post: FUMC Oshkosh

I write to you this morning from FUMC Oshkosh. I volunteered for a few Friday morning to serve as an administrative assistant so our church could be open on Friday mornings. I will be here from 8:00 AM until noon. I won't be doing this again until April.

It is amazing to me how productive I can be in relationship to work even though I am not necessarily in my office. I am finishing the interview schedule for summer staff positions, continue to check E-mail and will have some time to work on my candidacy materials.

Otherwise it's a pretty mundane Friday. I hope you all have a good weekend!

Revitalize the Bucks

Check out this article in which Bill Simmons proposed two trades for the Bucks. I think he's got the right idea. If the Bucks can keep a young nucleus together where the contracts aren't too out of control, I think they can really be something. Redd may be better off on a team with a few other stars where he doesn't have to be "the man". I think Bogut and Yi can be mobile big men with Mo Williams running the point.

Something needs to change, because right now it's pretty bad.

Oshkosh Half Marathon

For a second time, I will be participating in the Oshkosh Half Marathon. Mark your calendars! Watch Jim collapse from exhaustion after two+ hours of running :). I really hope that as cold as the winter has been thus far, it will be warm in April. It was pretty nice last year, but who knows...it may even be snowing on the day of the event.

Other News:

• I will be doing "Relay for Life" again this year. Please sponsor me There is a link of the top right portion of my blog.
• Christa and I pick up a new sound system for the HDTV. It is amazing to see what is available in the next generation of video/audio.
  

Primary Day!

After our Senior Staff meeting got out this morning, I walked over to Albee Hall and voted in the presidential primary. I really had to think about who I wanted to vote for, but I was finally able to make a decision. I encourage all Wisconsin residents who can vote to do so!

At our polling station, they offered the option of using a touch screen to vote. It is wasn't so bad, but I felt also compelled to take out some money. I was the 119th person to vote and the polls opened at 7:00 AM. That's not too bad.

I look forward to seeing the results tonight!

Weathermen/women & Meteorologists

Like a sucker, I had prepared for the worst. The forecasts for Sunday were predicting between 6-12 inches of snow by the end of the day (and night). Needless today, things calmed down around 7:00 PM and by them we had maybe gotten 3-4 inches. I don't get it! How can you be that far off? Part of it is my fault, I should be smart enough to realize how many times the weather folks do this. They pump up a storm a whole bunch and then inevitably the results are so much less than what actually happens.

With all the satellite technology out there that supposedly makes weather forecasting so much more detailed, it certainly hasn't helped much with forecasting. They can't get the snow fall right, but it gets better. They are off by hours for when snow or rain begins and sometimes they miss precipitation completely.

It gets to the point that if you want the best weather report, you might as well look out the window and make you own prediction. Geez!

Other News

• Despite the (highly overplayed) weather forecast for Sunday, our AD&D campaign happened yesterday. It went very well and it was good to have the band back together!
• I got to the dentist this morning only to find out that my hygienist couldn't get to work this morning. Oh well, it was just a trip to Neenah.
• The running continues...3.5 miles this morning.
  

Bad Weather

It's hard to imagine the weather being as bad as it will be when you look outside and see that it is raining and you notice that temperatures have actually gone up! In a few hours, however, that rain is going to turn to ice and we are going to get an entire day's worth of snow on top of it. Driving will not be pretty!

I got a call at 7:45 AM from our choir director and a call at 8:10 AM from our pastor letting us know that church had been canceled for today. I am worried about my friend driving up from Milwaukee...heck I am worried about driving to the grocery store to get food for tomorrow's program. Be careful today if you live in Wisconsin. It's gonna be a little crazy today!

AD&D Is Back

*** This post may need to be delayed a week if we get the snowstorm we are scheduled to get on Sunday ***

After a long hiatus from the spring semester of last year, the guys are getting back together to continue our 1st Edition AD&D campaign. All except for one person is planning to return, so we should have a decent sized group. If anyone is in the area and would be interested in joining us, let us know. We have a few open slots available.

I have always appreciated unexpected antics and fun that comes with AD&D. It is something I enjoyed when I was younger and it is nice to come back it in now. It also brings my good friend Nick from Milwaukee up to play as well.

Campus Tragedy

My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the shooting that occurred on the Northern Illinois University campus on February 14.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is such an interesting holiday to me...it amazes me how loved and hated it is by those around me. Various residents, staff and others are having "anti" Valentine's Day parties and get together...many, but not all, who do not have significant others with which to celebrate the holiday.

On the other end, you have the folks that contribute to the stacks of packages that accumulate at the Webster Hall Front Desk. I see flowers, and chocolates and other assorted packages from significants others and other friends and family.

I have been on all points in the spectrum when it comes to how I feel about Valentine's Day. I have cursed it, embraced, and all things in between. At this point, I just ignore it. Like New Year's Day, you can make any day you want a day to celebrate your feelings for someone you care about. Save your money from Valentine's Day and donate it to the cause of your choice :).

Everything's Sore

So when I woke up this morning, I was sore in places where I am not normally sore. As I made my way to the back room to get my exercise clothes, I thought to myself, "My butt is sore". I realize that I did a few exercise that worked by glutes yesterday, but usually there is not any soreness. I also felt some general soreness in legs, but that may have something to do with running Monday and then lifting with my legs on Tuesdays. Don't get me wrong...it's a good soreness and I am seeing some results. I am beginning to appreciate again the soreness that comes from exercising.

Other News

• February 28, 2008 is the date of the Charge Conference for our church is which they will vote whether or not to support my candidacy.
• I added a new widget to the blog that counts down to my meeting with the District Committee on Ministry. The meeting is April 10. If they approve my candidacy, I will officially be a certified candidate for ministry.
  

Omen?

I agree with one of the commenters...is this an omen?

Productivity

In comparison to any other day in recent history, I got a lot of stuff done last night. I prepared my discussion notes for Wednesday's book study, I work ahead in my candidacy guidebook for my meeting with Lucretia today and still had time to relax and finish other random tasks around the apartment.

I suppose it has something to do with my more regular exercise routine. I have incorporated running three times a week into my daily weightlifting regimen. After work, it is nice to have some time rid myself of the stress of the day through a good, intense run. I am also trying to drink less caffeine and eat less sugar. That has gone a long way in not throwing my energy levels out of whack.

I also think I have a better sens of my own limits in terms of involvement. My outside involvements are definitely decreased from last semester. Not chairing an OPE committee has helped greatly. Not having NACURH work has also helped a lot. I need to keep this in mind...sometimes saying "no" is the best option.

Ragamuffin Gospel Redux

Early this semester I began to read a book called The Ragamuffin Gospel, based on a recommendation made by the pastor of our church. I read through about 3/4 of the book and stopped reading. I could just not get into the book. Honestly, it felt a little fluffy and felt like it made Christianity, well, almost...too easy.

A few weeks ago, a member of the Worship Commission of our church wanted to get together a book discussion for the season of Lent. They wanted to use the The Ragamuffin Gospel as the text, but needed someone to lead the discussion. I volunteered. Yeah, I already have quite a bit going on. Yeah, I'm not the biggest fan of the book. But, I thought the opportunity to lead a book discussion would be a good experience for me. We start with chapters 1 & 2 on Wednesday.

Having read the first three chapter again, I still get a sense from Manning that we don't have all that much motivation to change our ways because God knows we'll screw up. I understand we'll always be sinners, but shouldn't we also strive for holiness? I'll keep reading.

Other Notes

• -12 when I woke up this morning. That made for a fun trip to the Rec. Center and breakfast. At least there wasn't too much wind this morning.
• Robby made it to sectionals for wrestling. Not sure when that meet is, but I may want to check that out.
  

10,000

The defeat of the Demon Golem of Earth meant a Gamerscore above 10,000. A Gamerscore is nothing more than a number...if anything it demonstrates that I play way too many video games. Plus, it looks really cool! I thought nothing of it until I saws the 75 point achievement come up and realized I had made it over the plateau. So what's the next most reasonable goal? 20,000?

Other News

• It got really cold, really quickly. It is -10 with a brutal wind chill today. Yesterday, it was warm enough that the snow was beginning to melt. Weird.
• Robby (Christa's youngest brother) got third place in the conference wrestling tournament yesterday.
  

Huhot Adventure

Last night a few of the A/RHDs from UW Oshkosh went out to celebrate a birthday among the group. We traveled to Huhot in Appleton, WI. If you are unfamiliar, it is a Mongolian barbeque. You grab a bowl and add your favorite meat, noodles and vegetables and they cook it on top of a big metal flat cooker. It is interesting to read that this style of cooking is actually from Taiwan.

Overall, I did not have a bad experience at Huhot, but nor was I overly impressed. When busy, the line got long but also got confusing at it wrapped around the restaurant. The bowls you are given to put food in are not very big and often cause spilling. There was a good selection of food and they had a great deal of sauces to choose from. If I were to go back, it would be for lunch because it's only $6.00 for lunch. Not bad!

Other News

• I am getting very close to a 10,000 gamerscore in XBox Live. It should be happening over the next week.
• Anna, one of my old staff members, is in town for the weekend. I will be joining her for dinner this evening!

The Alien vs. Predator Election

With Romney's suspension of his campaign, the Republicans are left with McCain and Huckabee. Huckabee has agreed to press on, but he can't seriously think that he has a chance. Outside of the southern states, he doesn't really have a chance. But, somehow he thinks he does. Too bad he couldn't have dropped out and allowed Romney keep going. There has to be a viable McCain alternative. Between McCain, Obama and Clinton, it feels like the slogan from the Alien vs. Predator trailer: "Whoever wins, we lose." Any of these three in the White House is a scary thought. I just wonder who we are going to get stuck with.

Other News

• Good luck Phoenix Suns. I can't believe you traded for Shaq. We'll see how that one works out for you.
• Congrats to my good friend Peter. He was accepted in graduate school at UW Milwaukee. He is still waiting to hear from other schools. As he said, he won't be working at Shopko next year ;).
  

Unexpected Responsibility

I realized I was in for more than I had originally anticipated when I saw my name on the bulletin for the Ash Wednesday service at our church. My pastor had mentioned that I would be involved with the service, but I didn't realize it would be printed.

For the service, I read the three different lessons and also gave the post offering prayer. I didn't actually find out what I was doing until about 30 minutes before the service. When you couple that with the fact that the choir was singing an anthem that I has yet to practice, it made for a frantic 30 minutes before the service.

Things went well...although, by habit I did call ask people to rise for "this morning's" Gospel lesson when it was 6:00 PM. Oops. I also got to wear an alb. It was my first time doing a service in a more official garment.

Give Something Up or Add Something New

It's hard to believe that it is already Ash Wednesday. It's the beginning of February and we have already begun the season of Lent. People often give something up for Lent...chocolate, sweets, caffeine, fried food, etc. Lent is a time of preparation. A time to prepare for the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Instead of giving something up, it may be time for us to add something to our lives. Something that helps us prepare for this journey. Read the bible. Pray for others. Volunteer in the area. My old pastor talked about this and it is something that I try to do each year instead of giving something up.

Other News

• Barring a miracle, it looks like McCain is the front runner for the Republican nomination. *sigh* I may just vote Democrat...
• The Staff/Parish Relations Committee of my home church unanimously voted in affirm my candidacy for ministry. There will soon be a Charge Conference so that the entire church will vote on their support/non-support of me for ministry.
  

500th Post: Super Tuesday

It is worth noting that today's post is my 500th post on this blog. Given that I have tried to start a blog various other times, I am happy that this blog and has continued for a few years now. It has persevered despite a few periods where I, and others, thought that the blog might have died. It has gone through many formats and concepts, but I think it finally in a format that I like.

Today is Super Tuesday, where many states will be having their primary elections. I'm not sure if this Super Tuesday will crown the nominee, but I am sure that it will give us a good sense of who we will stuck with in either party. I say "stuck" with because it's a pretty thin field. As someone who usually votes Republican, I am scared by any of the Democratic nominees. Hillary needs no explanation and Obama, while charismatic and energizing, does not have the experience to lead this country. Come back in 8 years.

As for the Republicans, early on I was thinking Thompson. He was my #1 choice. Then he dropped out. Then, I was thinking Giuliani. Then he dropped out. At this point, I am leaning toward Romney. I hope he wins the Republican nomination. If he doesn't and McCain gets it, I will find myself in a difficult dilemma. I do not want McCain to get the nomination. He would be an awful president. He is not a conservative and has made many enemies in the Republican party. Most leading conservative pundents say they would rather have a Democrat in the office then McCain...ouch. I don't know if I'm there yet, but we'll see.

Go Romney!

Filling the Void (Sports)

The Superbowl is over...NFL football is done. Let's be honest, no one really cares all that much about the Pro Bowl. Now begins the sports void. For a fan of Wisconsin profesional sports, it's even worse.

You have the surprising Packers, who despite having lost in the NFC Championship Game, made the football much more enjoyable. Plus, you look forward to the next season with higher expectations and thoughts of the playoffs a little more definite. You have fantasy football, something this year that actually made me a little money :). Plus, you never had to wonder about what you would be doing on Sundays, or Mondays or selected Thursdays. It was football season. That's quite a void.

The Milwaukee Bucks? 18-30. Redd is injured. Yi has been playing pretty well as a rookie. Bogut has been a really pleasant surprise, but the team sucks. They have a lot of talent, but it needs to come together. It's hard to keep thinking "next year". Bleh.

At least the Badgers and Golden Eagles are doing good in college hoops. It's something!

The Week Thus Far...

It's been a few days since I posted and I'd like to let you know what has happened over the last few days.

Sunday
Christa and I traveled to New London and I did two worship services for the Methodist Church there. The services went very well! Christa and I also very much liked the church as well. The folks there were very friendly and it had a welcoming atmosphere. We enjoyed talking to folks during the fellowship hours and even participated in their bible study between services. I am hopeful that if the pastor there needs to take vacation in the future, they would be willing to have me back. We would love to return. We would consider returning, if but just to attend a service there.

Monday
I made the journey to New Brighton for my psychological assessment. It was pretty uneventful and I had a chance to visit the Mall of America again. I think I have been to that mall six times now. This was the first time I came there at night. It feels much smaller and more enclosed at night. I was able to watch the State of the Union address while at the hotel.

Tuesday
I took my assessment in the morning. The interview lasted three hours and 20 minutes. I came away from the meeting a little shaken up, because in three hours I really came to face some of my inadequacies and weaknesses. I am still trying to put it in prospective, but it was helpful. The drive back was horrendous and took an extra hour. There were several stretches on the highway that were nearly blackout conditions. I was thankful to make it home safely.

Now it's back to work and working out.

A Day of Preparation

Tomorrow, Christa and I will be traveling to New London tomorrow. I will leading the church services at 8:00 & 10:15 at the Methodist Church there. My candidacy mentor will be on vacation and gave me the opportunity to lead worship tomorrow. I am excited for the opportunity and am interested to see what it will be like to lead worship at someplace other than my home church.

So far, I have had a nice relaxing Saturday to finish up my notes in preparation for the service. I had the chance to do my Bible reading for the day as well as prepare some more paperwork for my April meeting with District Committee. I have had the chance to work off and on with my message for tomorrow. It will be interesting to see if the congregation has any reaction to my words.

New Fitness Membership

I have really pleased with the weight training workout that my trainer and I came up with in the fall semester. Unfortunately, the hours in Albee were quite limited so that when breaks came around, I was not able to workout except in very limited times.

Between that and the shifting of equipment in Albee Hall, I decided I need to go some place that has a little more consistency. I decided to buy a membership to the Student Recreation and Wellness Center.

To the right, you can see a picture of me trying out the equipment back in August when Residence Life staff were given a tour of the facilities. I fell in love with the place pretty quickly. The facilities are great as are the hours. Hopefully this allows me to keep up with my routine.

Wow...

In preparation for my psychological assessment that will be happening next Tuesday, I had to take two assessments through a proctor. One of them was the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. It is 587 questions. Yep...it's a LOOOONG assessment. It consists entirely of true of false questions.

I had heard stories about this one. One person who took it awhile ago said one of the statements was, "I enjoy looking at my own feces." Going into it, I wasn't sure what to expect. Some favorites include:

• I have an obsession with fire. (True...I do. I hope they don't think I'm crazy)
• If I could sneak into a movie and I know I wouldn't get caught, I would do it. (False...that would be a red light).
• There are voices in my head that tell me what to do.
• There are people who are out to get me.
• I enjoy gardening.
• If I were to be a journalist, I would like to write sports stories.

Just imagine another 500 or so of those. Fun times.

The Ride Comes to an End

It's been said all along that the Packers were doing way better than anyone expected. It doesn't make their 23-20 loss to the Giants any easier to take, but it does make me realize that we got a lot more out of this season than I ever would have thought.

What makes this loss most difficult is that there were visible problems in the game that could have been corrected. The screen was not working...stop running it. Don't abandon the running game...if Grant isn't doing well, put someone else in the game. Al Harris is getting beat every down, give me some help. Double Plaxico, go into zone. Do something!

Favre did look off on Sunday. His passes were not on target and he did fall into his old habit of forcing throws. It wasn't until the end that this practice cost us the game.

The game was a toll on my emotions. I went through intense periods of happiness and sadness. The Giants gave us opportunities to stick around, but the Packers fell short. I'm not sure if I'll watch the Superbowl this year. It will be hear. Many folks, myself included, thought this would be an easy win for the Packers.

NFC Championship...Are You Kidding?

Early in the year, I had a survey on my blog that asked how games the Packers would win this year. Some people were optimistic, but most answer were in the 7-9 win range. Not too many people envisioned the Packers winning 13 games and being one game away from the Super Bowl. The Packers should be able to handle the Giants easily, but this game scares me.

Pros

• The Giants have a lot of injuries, especially in the secondary. If we line up with some 4 or 5 WR sets, I think we can create major match-up issues.
• Ryan Grant can't do worse than two fumbles in three carries. If the weather is bad, we should have a solid running game.
• Favre is remaining patient and is not forcing anything.
• The Packer run defense has picked up.

Cons

• The Packer D-line needs to get pressure on Manning. They have struggled in pressuring the QB as of late. Manning with time to throw could be dangerous.
• The Giants are peaking at the right time and they are just a scary team. Despite being underhanded, they do what it takes to win.

This is not en exhaustive list...feel free to add your thoughts. I think the Packers can pull this one out. But, it will be closer than people think.

Packers 31
Giants 21

9,000

Not much new to share today. I finished Star Wars: The Complete Saga tonight and got my gamer score up to 9,000. Not too far from 10,000 :). I may be borrowing Call of Duty 4 for a little while. I am excited to give that game a try...especially in High Definition.

A Wonderful Opportunity

My candidacy mentor has offered me the opportunity to preach for her the last weekend in January. Her church is in New London. This will be my first preaching opportunity away from FUMC Oshkosh. I think it will be easier to preach there because if I somehow "bomb" there, we'll never see each other again. ;)

Thunderstorms...in January?

I was working in the office this afternoon, when the AM radio station I was listening to went to the emergency broadcast message when the host was in mid-sentence. Some Milwaukee-area listeners were under a tornado warning. In January! Earlier in the day, we were subjected to a few rumbles of thunder as well as a little lightning. And get got a huge downpour for awhile.

I do appreciate the warmer weather, wearing a fleece jacket on the way to work is nice. What I don't appreciate is the muddy wasteland that has been created all around campus. It looks just awful. Hopefully, residents don't track it into the building. ;)

Daily Thought: In the Bible, Genesis 1:28 God says that we should rule over the animals of the earth. Yet, we are also to be stewards of the Earth. What does that mean to us?

The Kids Are Back

Webster Hall opens again and the residents return for fall interim. The hall looks a little different for this opening, as all of the hallways received a fresh coat of paint; it has really brightened things up. We also ordered a pizza oven and it is now available for use in the main lobby. Kristin Pare, our new desk PA, begins her work today as well. As much as I enjoyed the peace and quiet of break, it is nice to have a little activity in Webster again.

First Post of 2008

It has been some time since I have posted to this blog. Christa and I have been pretty busy over the last few weeks, but things are starting to slow down. She will be beginning her interim class and I will be going back to work with residents in the building. Since I last posted, I can let you know a few important updates:

• Christa enjoyed a three-tier Christmas. We had breakfast here in Oshkosh and opened the gifts that we got each other. I cooked a breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns and homemade waffles. :) We then headed to my parent's house for gifts and lunch. We then headed to Christa's parent's house for more gifts and dinner. Lots of food...my goodness.
  
• I have scheduled my psychological assessment for my ministry candidacy. It will be on January 29, 2008. It will be a three-hour interview in the morning. As long I have to go to the Twin Cities for the assessment, Christa and I are going to spend a long weekend out there as well. Should be nice!
• Christa and I have upgraded our television and have purchased a 32 inch LCD television. Playing the XBox 360 on it is absolutely stunning.
  

Wilhelm Scream

OK...I have never considered myself a movie expert. But I have noticed that in movies people that are falling often have this similar scream. Here's the answer!

Packer Pro Bowl Players

The NFL Pro Bowl teams were announced yesterday. Four Packers were named to the Pro Bowl:

• Brett Favre (QB) - No doubt about this pick. He earned more fan votes than any other play in balloting, AFC or NFC.
• Donald Driver (WR) - Favre's go-to guy. The pick makes sense to me. But, he's not the only Green Bay WR that should get a ticket to Hawaii.
• Al Harris (CB) - I appreciate the fact that he is getting recognition for how good he is. But, he's not the best CB on the team.
• Aaron Kampman (DE) - He deserves it. I really questioned it when they re-signed him to a big contract. I guess I know why they did it. He's a beast.

It's strange to see a team with the same record (Dallas) get 11 Pro Bowl nominees, while we only ended up with four. I do think a few folks were snubbed, but it makes sense. Out offensive line didn't play exceptionally well and we had running back by committee, with Ryan Grant stepping up too late to get votes. Favre does a pretty good job of distributing passes to his WRs...no one had a huge season. Our defense plays great as a unit and does not necessarily have a lot of standouts.

Here are the folks that probably could have gone, but did not:

• Greg Jennings (WR) - Has almost 900 yards and 12 TDs. Those are impressive stats. I am surprised he didn't go instead of Driver.
• Darren Woodson (CB) - He is an amazing all-around CB. I would argue he is better than Harris and deserved to go in his place. Heck, let them both go. They are the best CB tandem in the NFL!
• Nick Barnett (LB) - Lots of tackles and a consistent defensive player.

It's over now. Let's focus on the last two games of the regular season and the playoffs. All that matters is the wins.

Dorks Rejoice!

There will be more movies!

Almost Time

Tomorrow at 8:00 PM Webster Hall will close until January 6. I can say that I will welcome the opportunity for some peace and quiet in the building. I have a growing list of tasks tom complete during the break period as I work through my 12-month contract. It will be a great opportunity to catch up.

With the building being empty, however, it takes much of the day to day fun out of the job. No students stopping by randomly to chat. No meetings with staff. No crises to work out. As frustrating as some of that can be, it is also what makes the job challenging, interesting and well...fun!

The break will also allow me catch up on activities outside of the work realm. I will have the chance to move along the path to licensed ministry. I have to write a few essays and schedule a few appointments. I also have a few games to rent included Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty 4.

Yeesh

As many of you know, I am not a fan of having my picture taken. I don't like smiling. Ha! Take a look at this picture...it's a perfect example. Now, let's add to this the fact that I didn't shave for the picture. I don't shave that often, so I have a nice 5 o'clock shadow going on as well. Let's combine the previous factors with the fact that I am wearing bright red which I am not a fan of. You don't exactly see me at my best.

Unfortunately, this is the picture that you see for my staff profile for the Department of Residence Life website. I probably should have thought this one through a little bit more.

Fantasy Football Playoffs

Our Fantasy Football league is almost done with the first weekend of the playoffs. I went into the playoffs as the #2 seed; in turn, I was matched up with the #7 seed. Don't led the low seed fool you...this guy had a pretty strong team.

Tom Brady continues to be a fantasy savior and accrued a near career-high 399 passing yards and 4 TDs. I started the Indianapolis defense over the Baltimore defense. Start move! They had 3 INTs, 4 sacks and fumble recovery and held the Ravens to 13 offensive points. Baltimore, um, didn't do that good.

I had a crappy performance from my kicker (Stover) and from my TE (Shockey). The rest of my team threw in a TD here and there and I was able to gain the victory in the first round.

Looking to next week, I picked up Donald Lee who I think will be a more reliable TE option than Shockey. I'm also going to start Rudi Johnson this week insteado f Kenny Watson...smart move Droste. With the #1 seed getting upset in this round, things are looking good. We'll see what happens.

Holiday Shopping Extravaganza

Since the weather would not permit last week, I put off my big holiday shopping day until tomorrow. There will be much to shop for when Christa and I make our way up to Appleton. I am working on gifts for staff, as well as gifts for the Residence Life and GCC gift exchanges. There is a beer and hard liquor exchange I need to prepare for as well...really, it's quite fun and we don't drink any of it at the party. There are a few church gift programs we are working on as well. It should be a busy day.

Friday and Sunday will be my days to relax. Friday will likely involve watching the Transformers Movie...you know, the good one. Sunday will involve watching football, specifically the Packer game which will be at noon central time.

Fitness Assessment

Today I met with my student exercise trainer to do an end of the semester assessment. I have participated in a weight training program all semester and it we saw a few improvements. My body fat did go down a little bit and some strength gains were noticed through the assessments. Ultimately, the biggest gains were seen in the weight differences in the exercises I was doing.

He and I will be doing a sit down discussion of the semester on Friday. I am hopeful he and I can chat about what to do in order to keep this going over break and into next semester. Perhaps next semester, I can finalize a cardiovascular work-out to complement what I have going now.

Mass Effect

Despite the horrendous weather that came to Oshkosh today, I managed to make my way to Family Video to return my copy of Mass Effect. First off, thanks to the many Webster residents who helped push my car out of the lot. It was pretty bad.

I have to admit, after playing the game for a few hours, I wasn't that impressed. I kept dying...combat didn't make much sense...the story was slow...I wasn't sure how to equip stuff. By the beginning of the weekend, I was ready to return the game early.

I stuck it out and everything fell into place. My character is now level 37, equipped to the hilt and I am addicted to the storyline. I highly recommend it. It's like Oblivion, but science fiction. Nothing can replace Oblivion.

If you have a 360, rent the game. It may not be for you...but, I'm hooked.

Big Game Tonight

The Packers play the Dallas Cowboys tonight to determine the best record in the NFC. It may also determine who had the #1 seed in the playoffs, but that's a little premature. I will be watching some of the game in the basement of Webster Hall eating tacos as part of the Webster Taco fiesta (WTF). I am hoping we have a high turnout.

As for who will win the game...I really would love to see the Packers win. I hope I'm wrong, but I think the Cowboys are going to win tonight. I see it being high scoring and definitely exciting. I think we have some problems with injuries and that will play a factor. My guess: Cowboys 31, Packers: 24.

Winter Is Here!

The winds are swirling, the temperatures are dropping and we recently had our first snow fall of the winter season. More is predicted for today. Winter has arrived.

I know my Mom is cringing right now because the first measurable snowfall of the year means that I start to grow a beard. This will last until Good Friday. It is beginning to fill in nicely.

Birthday/Election Celebration

I just looked and saw the November 4, 2008 will be election day for the new president. It's also my birthday. Exciting!

Just How Specialized?

When Christa and I bought our new car, it came with XM Satellite Radio for 3 months free. We decided to continue the subscription. We like it a lot. We are especially fans of the Cinemagic station that plays nothing but movie soundtracks. They have all sorts of good stuff.

What blew me away was the POTUS 08 station. It is a station that provides 24-7 coverage of the presidential election. Wow. When cable station moved toward 24-7 news in general I thought that was a stretch. But, this takes a step further. Don't get me wrong, I like the station, but who knew we needed wall to wall election coverage.

Life Question

This came up as a topic of conversation at a recent viewing of the Monday Night Football game. Some colleagues of mine were contemplating this question: If someone could narrate the story of your life, who would it be? Think of it like this. If someone could watch you go through your day and narrate over the things that you do, who would you want that to be.

My choice is Marv Albert. "Jim takes out the bread and peanut butter...YES, a perfect sandwich!" It would be pretty sweet. I would also advocate for Ron Jaworski. I can see him going to the tape and breaking down my latest student conduct meeting.

What would your choice be?

Weekend Checklist

I was struggling to think of what to write for today. I present to you my weekend to-do list:

• Try out the new game I downloaded for free for the 5th Anniversary of XBox Live. It's called Carcassonne. It's usually a table top game, but they converted to computer.
• Try to get to the level of Lieutenant - Grade 2, or by some miracle, Captain in Halo 3.
• Try to get some achievements and find the skulls on Halo 3.
• Continue work on the candidacy guidebook ans psychological assessment paperwork.
  
• Enjoy Packer game!
  

Things to Look Forward to...

Tonight will be the second session in a role playing game campaign for the Scion game. It has been a little while since we played, but it will be nice to give it another try. It is markedly different than any game I have played before. I am usually pretty skeptical of games from the White Wolf company...them makers of Vampire. That game creeps me out. This game doesn't. Ryan does a good job running the games as well.

I also got a call from my friend Renard. He invited me to the Packer game on Sunday against Carolina. I am really pumped for that. This would be my fourth Packer game, but this would be the first one with the Packers actually doing really well. The atmosphere should be awesome.

Back on Track

I had a wonderful meeting with my candidacy mentor regarding Methodist ministry candidacy. It had been almost one month since our last meeting. She had some well-deserved vacation and we have both been very busy over the last few weeks.

As the time between our meetings increased I started to stray a little bit from my diligence in completing my ministry requirements. Having now met with my mentor, I feel more back on track.

It reminds me of the one on ones I have with my supervisor. They serve as an opportunity to ask questions, receive feedback and receive motivation. That's how I felt in my meeting. It makes me realize that regular meetings are a healthy part of this process.

So, I keep moving along. I should be finishing my final paperwork for the psychological exam over Thanksgiving Break. I am hoping to make my way to Minnesota for the assessment over Christmas Break. Then, I prepare for the April 10 meeting with District Committee on Ministry.

That's where we're at.

Yep..That's How This Week Feels (sorry for the swears)

Clinton Calls For National Week Off To Get National Shit Together

Free Speech

"It is now common for campuses to set aside specifically designated areas known as "free-speech zones," which used to comprise a somewhat larger zone known as "the United States of America." (from Ann Coulter's book, references yesterday)

I love this quote...quite true. I am saddened by the kid gloves that we treat many issues with these days. Political correctness has destroyed one of the fundamental purposes of the college environment: open discussion on tough issues. We go to college to learn and to be challenged, from all sides and viewpoints...even those that may be uncomfortable or frustrating.

I would appreciate a collegiate environment where I could openly express conservative viewpoints and not be viewed as over-religious, bigoted, old-fashioned or non-compassionate. I think the liberals of the world can feel pretty safe expressing their views. I suppose that's why they created the free speech zone for us. *sigh*

Ann Coulter's New Book

One of the two books that I bought for my birthday was Ann Coulter's new book: If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans. If you check the amazon.com link I provided, you will notice that the vast majority of the reviews are either 1 star or 5 stars. She is definitely a polarizing figure. I find her format for the book to be a little disappointing. After a brief topic introduction, she simply provides quotes from previous books and columns for those topics. Seems kinda cheap and easy for such a gifted writer.

Coulter doesn't seem to pull any punches in this book, although she hasn't pulled punches her entire career. She has offended others and honestly there are times when she offends me as well. I do find, however, underneath the sarcasm and periodic offensiveness, she makes some good points. As someone who considers himself conservative, she and I are on the same page on some stuff.

It will be an entertaining read to say the least.

Birthday

To those that might have asked me before, I had an enjoyable birthday weekend. The party was again great fun, although we did not quite have the attendance that we had last year. There was still plenty of root beer to drink and lots of Guitar Hero to play.

On Saturday I went home to have dinner with Christa and my parents. I had a 20 oz. prime rib. Yum!

Sunday was a game video games and football. I got enjoy a great Packer victory, but also saw a crushing fantasy football defeat...oh well. The books I ordered were in the mail when I checked on Sunday so I picked those up as well. I have some good reading material for the next few weeks.

I don't feel 31, but you are only as old as you feel. ;)

The Guitar Hero Community

If you click on this link: http://www.guitarhero.com/accounts/232539, you will taken to my profile in the Guitar Hero III community. If you actually do much navigation, there is not that much to the site. I do get a kick out of the fact that it tracks your progress in on-line matches as well as career earnings.

If there was a module I could add to the blog, I would add it. You can't have enough of those. Besides, my Halo 3 score doesn't seem to be going anywhere anyway. ;)

Fantasy Football

I am currently 7-1 in a fantasy football league with nine other gentlemen. We paid $20 to be in the league, so the though of placing high and winning a little money is quite exciting. I wish I could say my amazing drafting and trading skills had something to do with my first place showing thus far, but that would be a lie.

In fact, my drafting pretty much sucked. He are in a "keeper" league which means you have the option to keep certain players from year to year. I drafted a lot of older dudes that probably won't improving over the years...my bad. I did, however, manage to pick up Tom Brady who is a fantasy football goldmine. Having picked up Wes Welker as well, they make a potent combination.

That's all...I hope to see many of you tonight!

Guitar Hero 3 Madness

I was able to purchase Guitar Hero 3 on Sunday and have been working my way up from the easiest level. I have finished the "Career Mode" on easy and medium and have found the medium level to actually be quite challenging.

So, now that I have begun the career mode on hard, it is getting really difficult. And I'm on level one of eight! Yikes. It is definitely true that each version of Guitar Hero gets more difficult than the previous.

To combat this concern, I could take advantage of the "practice mode" to get better at certain sections. Seriously...practice? We're talkin' about practice! For Guitar Hero...

The Weekend Festivities

This Sunday I will be 31. I haven't necessarily finalized the plans for the weekend, but here's the general idea.

Friday - From 6-11 PM is the birthday bash in Webster Hall. It should prove to be a fun time. By the time that's over, I will want to be going to bed.

Saturday - Sleep in! Yay. Get some good video game action in during the day and then make my way to Mequon, WI with Christa to have a birthday dinner with my parents. I am not sure where to go, but Porterhouse is always a good default restaurant. Drive back late Saturday.

Sunday (the big day) - Attend church in the morning. Enjoy some great football games in the afternoon. The Packers play the Chiefs at noon. The Patriots and Colts play in the late game. I am thinking Christa and I will grab dinner out after that. Then, it's off to E-Board and duty. I look forward to a duty night of giving out candy for my birthday. Should be fun!

Mission Accomplished

Many things were accomplished this weekend. I managed to complete 6 of 8 documents for the psychological assessment. I have made a pretty good dent in the other two, but they will take some time. I am hoping to complete them by the end of next weekend so that I can schedule an appointment for the assessment before the end of the year.

I managed to clean the apartment and do a good deal of filing. I need to make sure that it stays clean throughout the week for the party. Christa and I can do a pretty good job of messing up the apartment throughout the week.

I also managed to earn my one promotion in Halo and 3 and getting pretty close to another one. You can read about this in the new application I added to my blog. I am hoping to get in some Halo 3 time on Tuesday. Most of tonight will be spent watching the Packer's Monday Night Football game.

I also purchased Guitar Hero 3 for the XBox 360. Very fun...I am starting on easy and working my way up. It should be a fund addition to the upcoming birthday celebration!

Everybody's Working for the Weekend

This coming weekend I will be the Residence Hall Directory on duty for the weekend. So, I can't leave the city of Oshkosh. Usually, these are productive weekends because I am around so much. This weekend will be no exception.

On the To-Do list for the weekend:

• Finishing the various checklists, inventories and assessments for the ministry psychological assessment.
• Working on the ministry candidacy guidebook.
• Play some serious Halo 3 (yeah, it's on the to-do list)
• Do a serious cleaning job on the apartment in preparation for the birthday party.

That should be enough. It will be busy, but fun!

The Power of Packer Games

I am a fan of the Green Bay Packers. I enjoy watching their football games. Unlike the Brewers and Bucks, I am not a fair-weather fan. I have watched the Packers both when they have been good and when they've been terrible.

As a member of our church choir, we have sometimes done a special Christmas Cantata concert in December. When we schedule this concert, we were very conscious about making sure that it was not scheduled during a Packer game. One time, they scheduled it during a game and their attendance was way down.

Not necessarily being in a position before where I needed to schedule events, I now think about Packer games when I schedule anything. In fact, The minute the Packer schedule comes out, I add it to my Palm so that I don't schedule anything over it.

What are your thoughts? Should you schedule (or re-schedule) an event because it would conflict with a Packer game?

31st Birthday Party

The publicity is officially making its way out. The 2nd Annual Birthday Celebration is on! I will be celebrating my 30th+1 birthday in the Webster Lobby & RHD Apartment. It will be taking place from 6:00-11:00 PM on November 2, 2007.

Here is the Facebook invitation if you use it:
http://uwosh.facebook.com/event.php?eid=6885468627

Please let me know if you want to come to the celebration.

Stay Tuned

Sorry folks...it has been awhile since I have posted and I am afraid it may be a few days before I post work has kept me rather busy, plus obligations outside of work have also kept me busy. Once I catch up on work and sleep, the posts should become a little more regular.

Hmm...

So, the "Goat Pack" claim that the upcoming "Running of the Goats" (read Bar Crawl) can promote responsible drinking in a relaxed, fun environment. Check out the lead story. Safe drinking...right.

Uncertainty

Among the many great tings that come with being an RHD, I have always appreciated the fact that I have some real job security. I feel like I do the RHD job pretty well, so I don't fear losing my job anytime soon. In my first few years as an RHD, it felt good to be settled into a job and not think about moving somewhere in a year or two.

I now find myself in the same situation I was in my last year on both graduate school and undergraduate. There is some uncertainty about where I am going to be next year. I may be back in the same position I have now. I may be in another residence hall. I may be a pastor at a church either part time or full time. I may do none of the above and do something else until I get a better sense of what the future holds.

Unlike the other two times, I don't look to the future with a great deal of fear. Something will work out and I will find gainful employment. If anything, I am excited to discover where I will end up. My gut tells me that I need a change in my career path, but I don't know for sure when that will be happening.

If you want the latest information, this is where you are going to get it.

Accomplishments

I am preparing paperwork for the Psychological Assessment (and, wow, there is a lot of paperwork) and one of the exercises that I need to complete involves recalling 25 accomplishments in my life. Of those, I need to describe in detail 5 of those accomplishments.

Interestingly enough, I was having a little trouble coming up with them. I'm not exactly sure where that comes from. I could have high standards for accomplishments. I could be really humble. I could have a bad memory. I may not really think about them that much. It's probably some combination of them all, but with emphasis on the last one. It's not something I think about that much...except maybe for when I prepare a resume.

After some time and thought, I came up with the list. My greatest accomplishment was getting married. There was definitely a process involved with that and it ran the gamut of emotions. As hard as it was, my time As Staff/Parish Relations Chair was probably one of the toughest, but was also very rewarding. The funniest was seeing Star Wars Episode I at 12:01 AM...it's first possible showing. I saw the most anticipated film of my lifetime.

I took the top five and will now write about them in detail for the assessment folks. This process is really reflective...it brings back memories of graduate school.

Weekend Recharge/RHD Ratings

On Friday early afternoon, I made my way home a for a few days away from Webster Hall and the Gruenhagen Conference Center. It was wonderful! It wasn't necessarily my most active 48 hours. I mostly sat in the basement and played Oblivion. I haven't touched the game in awhile, so it was nice to revisit the game and try some new quests I hadn't done before. Otherwise, I had the opportunity to catch up with my parents and recharge I slept plenty and was able to relax.

On Sunday I was able to watch a Packers victory, clean the apartment and catch up on filing in the apartment. I felt much more prepared to begin the week.

...I would point out that I didn't exactly get off to a good start when my alarm went off at 6:30 this morning, but the volume was turned off. Someone else who lives in my apartment said he or she may have been the one who turned it off. Hmmm.

* * * * * * * * *
As I was checking out my fantasy scores (1st place, baby!) and other NFL scores and updates, I also happened to check the coach ratings and ranking. This made me wonder. Wouldn't it be cool if they did the same thing for A/RHDs?

Each week, a cross-section of residents would be interviewed and would rate A/RHDs in different areas. The approval ratings would then be posted in the building for all to see. Big week of conduct in the building...ouch! Jim takes a big hit in the polls. Jim wears a dress for Homecoming? Big jump in the polls.

Ok...maybe I only think of these things.

Thursday is the New Friday

I am taking tomorrow off as a vacation day. I am looking forward to sleeping in and spending a new days in Mequon. It will give me an opportunity to try out NBA Live 2008 as well as continue work on my ministry candidacy process. I have quite a few forms to fill out before I can move on and schedule my psychological assessment.

A New Beginning

Tonight was the first night that I got to hang out with my new match for Big Brothers Big Sisters. His name is Isaac and he is in the 7th grade. We weren't exactly sure what we were going to do tonight and he mentioned going to the YMCA. We eventually made our way to the Y and we were shooting hoops.

While shooting hoops, we were approached by some other kids in the gym and they wanted to know if we were interested in playing basketball with them. We ended up playing a 4 on 4 game full court. I would say the oldest kis was maybe 15-16 and most were much younger.

This presented an interesting moral dilemma for me. I was taller than most of the kids, but not all of them. I was easily not as skilled as many of the kids. But...I was stronger than all of them. I had to be careful not to bowl a kid over. So, it was fun and good exercise.

Isaac seems like a good kid. He has lots of interests and he is talkative. It should be fun.

Halo 3 Report

As I reported in a comment to my Friday post, I managed to complete the Halo 3 game on the "normal" level. There is still the "heroic" and "legendary" level to go if I'd like to. I managed to get 450 achievement points throughout the weekend as I finished the campaign mode and ventures into the realm of on-line play.

The story mode was quite compelling, but also pretty short, as many have explained in their reviews of the game. It was challenging, but I was actually able to complete it. I can't imagine completing the game on the higher two levels.

On-line play was humbling. I would need to invest some serious playing time to be serviceable in this area. I am amazed as to how rude people can be in their comments in on-line play. I suppose when you don't have to look someone in the eye, you can feel more comfortable saying things that aren't so nice.

I don't think I'll end up buying this game any time soon. I may pick it up in a few months when some used copies come available or if the price goes down. We'll see.

Other News

• My parents came up for Homecoming on Saturday. We watched the first half of what ended up being a UWO Titan victory.
• I will be going old school this week and replaying some old games to mop up old achievements. Game #1 is Oblivion. :)

Halo 3

This weekend I will finally have the chance to play one of the most anticipated games ever, Halo 3. As you can see, the game has already gotten a lot of reviews, and mixed reviews at that. Our school paper even threw in its own review.

As part of the Healthy Titans program, I am working with a student physical training. He let me borrow his copy of the game. I am not a big fan of first-person shooter games, but I want to give it a whirl. So many of my friends are playing it...I'd like to be a part of the action.

I'll let you know my thoughts on Monday.

Choir Renaissance

First United Methodist Church Oshkosh recently hired a new Choir Director has now held two weeks of rehearsals. We will be performing in church this coming Sunday. We will be seven strong and we will sing the best we can. I am sure that the congregation will be very excited to have a choir back in the service.

I was really sad when I looked around the church and saw who was singing. Many faces were not among those practicing. We lost may of our best voices as our church struggled with issues between our current pastor and our director of music. As a result of her leaving the church and her position, we lost almost every section leader or strong voice. As a result, our choir is small and not too confident...but we are filled with a lot of spirit.

I am happy that the choir is singing again and that we have a young and energetic choir director. She is in the same position that I was in her age. I think we will be able to accomplish some great things...we will just need to be strong recruiters.

I am saddened at how people view membership of the church and the role they play in the church. In Christianity, there is only on church, the church of Christ. We may all belong to our own churches, but they are just buildings. All Christians are part of one church no matter what their denomination. I wish people could get over their own petty squabbles and look beyond themselves. What can we do to further the church? How can I be a better Christian?

Let's get over the "I'm taking my toys and leaving" mentality. *sigh*

AFLAC Humor

I really don't have anything profound to say today. I thought I would share a couple of funny commercial links. Anyone who watches sports of Fox Sports Network (FSN) knows that they have the AFLAC trivia question. AFLAC is an insurance company that has some funny commercials involving a white duck.

This first one highlights a goat representing another insurance copy.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gtBirwSpLJY

This one involves the AFLAC duck as well as Yogi Berra.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=O-EZf56AfYc

The commercials have become a little stale as of late, but these two will always be funny to me.

Bulletin Board Renaissance

When I was a Community Advisor back in 1999, I used to hate making bulletin boards. In the Scotts, I only had to do one bulletin board, but even that was torturous for me. I haven't had to make a bulletin board since :).

To be a good team player this year for hall government, I decided that I would enter the rotation of bulletin boards that the hall leaders put together in Webster Hall.

To the left here, you will see my contribution. It is a bulletin board that allows the residents of 3rd floor to learn more about their hall director. If you click on the picture and zoom in, you should be able to read the text and see the pictures.

This was actually a lot of fun to do and given all the stuff going on right now, it was actually quite therapeutic. I am actually looking forward to making another bulletin board.

Packer Poll Results

Well, the people have spoken:

• One person said the Packers would have 4-6 wins.
• Four people said the Packers would have 7-9 wins.
• Four people said the Packers would have 10-12 wins.

Based on the current state of the 2007-2008 Green Bay Packers (4-0), it is entirely possible for them to finish out very well. Before the season started, I assumed that the Packers would be either 0-4 or 1-3. I am glad to wrong and should probably continue to think that they will lose...it seems to work in their favor.

Congratulations to Brett Favre, who broke the record for most career TDs. It's excellent, but you have to wonder how long it will last with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning putting up some amazing numbers.

Go Packers, you're all we have until the Bucks start playing...who knows what they'll do.