Small Victory

Thanks to a strong performance from Phillip Rivers, I managed to eek out a victory in fantasy football this week. Even at 1-2 I am now again in the cellar of the league. Four of my players are on a bye this week, so it might get even uglier. At least I have gotten any thoughts of an winless season out of the way.

Other News:

1. The Brewers start up against the Pirates tonight. This is a team that they could easily sweep. If the Mets continue to struggle against the Cubs, they might be back into it. I should be more excited about the Brewers still being in the hunt for the playoffs. What curbs my enthusiasm is the fact that even if they do make the playoffs, they will play the Cubs right away in the first round. Ouch!
2. I am trying out the Group Fitness classes at the SRWC Center this afternoon. We'll see how that goes.
   

What I'm Looking Forward to This Week:

Here is a list of things I am looking forward to this week:

1. Getting preparations ready for gaming on the 4th of October. Maybe I'll finally get a post on the blog. People are curious.
2. Seeing what the Brewers can get done this week. The playoffs are still possible. Can they do it?
3. Seeing how the Packers do against the Buccaneers this Sunday. The Battle of the Bays is back! :)
4. I do my first church service at the Evergreen Retirement Community. Their vesper service is at 4:30 PM on Sunday.
5. On Thursday we are having a Staff Development which will consist of us gathering together and enjoying pizza. How fun is that!?
6. After a break today, I will get back to running. I am hopeful to keep these workouts out for the rest of 2008 and see how my fitness and weight change. I am sprinkling in a few exercise classes at the Rec. Center as well.
   

The Fox Cities Half Marathon

At 8:00 AM this morning, the gun went off for the Fox Cities Half Marathon. This is the first time I have run this course, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The first four to five miles felt good, but I thought I was going a little fast. My goal was to try and run the race in one hour and 45 minutes.

As I got to the eight mile mark, I started to feel labored and my pace fell off a little bit. By mile ten, I found a nice gentlemen who let me know my time and I realized I was pretty close to the time that I was looking for.

When I got to the last mile, I just didn't have much left in the tank. I tried to do a kick, but I only had the energy to keep my current pace going. Based on the website, it appears that my time was 1:49:50. That was the time from the gun, but I know that I didn't get past the starting line until well over a minute after the gun went off. I am curious to see if they post a different time based on the chips. We'll see.

Regardless, it is a PR for me and that is good! :) The Oshkosh Half Marathon is in April and the Green Bay Marathon is in May. I am hoping to do both events!

Pirates in Our Pants

Not sure what that's about?

That's the name of the band that Christa and I play in for Rock Band. We kind of like Rock Band...a lot...and through the "World Tour" mode, Pirates in Our Pants has gained over 38 million fans. On XBox Live, that puts us around 3,600th on the overall rankings. I'm not completely sure what that means. One thing I can tell you for sure is that we play a whole lot of Rock Band :).

Christa and I are excited to pick up Rock Band 2. We're not sure when we are going to make that purchase, but we look forward to trying out that World Tour Mode as well. :)

My Fantasy Nightmare

I have participated off and on in fantasy football leagues, all of which are based on internet drafts. For the second year, I have participated in a league where we have a live draft. Last year, I finished in second place during the regular season and did decent in the playoffs. Things were looking up for the second year. We were able to keep three players from our team. I kept Tom Brady, Reggie Wayne and Willis McGahee.

Needless to say, the season has not gone well do far:

1. Tom Brady hurt his knee and is out for the season. Brady accounted for the majority of the wins I got last year. He had 50 TD passes.
2. DeSean Jackson decided to showboat early and ended fumbling the ball on the 2-yard before he actually scored a TD.
3. Willis McGahee has not played in the first two games.

I am 0-2 and I don't see things getting all that much better.

The Fox Cities Half Marathon

This Sunday I will be running in the Fox Cities Half Marathon. I have been training for months to get ready for this race. I will admit that Residence Life training and opening has made a few weeks more difficult, but I feel good about the race.

I have finished the Oshkosh Half Marathon twice so I know what I am up against. The weather should be at around 70 degrees, which shouldn't be too bad. It's the rain that I'm worried about. The race starts at 8:00 AM. If you're up that early, pray for me :).

A New Venue

This morning, I led the worship service at Waukau United Methodist Church. It was the first time I led worship there. It went very well! The group was very welcoming and Christa and I enjoyed our time there. A few quick thoughts:

1. I got to do a children's message on the fly. That was interesting. We talked about pizza toppings, it worked.
2. Although I developed a manuscript for the sermon, I often deviated from the script and it went very well. I need to learn to use an outline more.
3. I inspired a few people to learn more about John Wesley. Dr. Colyer would be so proud! :)
   

A Strange Experience

I killed my first Player Character (PC) today. No...don't freak out. This happened in our AD&D game. I am not guilty of any crimes, but it does feel weird. In our adventure, the party has been battling their way through a very difficult dungeon cairn in search of a very valuable item. This item is very secure and not meant to be found. I warned the folks in advance that character could possibly die in the process.

Saying it is one thing, but when five characters don't survive and only took make it, it breaks up the dynamic of the day's adventure:

1. How do you continue? You can't. So, we ended two hours early. We filled the time with other games, but it seemed awkward.
2. Those whose characters died wonder what will happen. Can they be brought back to life? Are they dead forever? Regardless, they wait weeks to find out.
3. How do things start again? How do you bring this group back together with any confidence?

In any video game RPG, this happens all the time. But, with the save function you can always start at the last save point. And, it's usually just you. This is a whole group.

I suppose in the end, it's not a big deal, but it was a new experience for me. It will be interesting to see how everything unfolds.

Tropic Thunder

So, I realize my Facebook status said that I had a lot of work to get done on Thursday night. I do have a sermon to finish for the church service I am presiding over at Waukau UMC. I am also doing another AD&D adventure this Saturday. I got some of that work done. But, I had an idea.
Christa and I have been trying to find a time to see Tropic Thunder. See decided tonight would be a good time to do it. The work will get done...eventually.

Popcorn and soda cost $13.00. $13.00!!! Yeesh...I like Regal Cinemas, but that is a little out of control when that almost equals the cost of the movie we are going to see. I did throughly enjoy the movie. Outside of the actors in the previews, there are some great roles played by mainline actors that were also priceless. Some of the humor is crude and minorly offensive, but still somehow funny.

If you have yet to see it, do so.

Go Crew!

I must admit, now the NFL has begun I have not maintained as clear a fix to the Milwaukee Brewers. When last I checked, they are 4.5 games behind Chicago in the Central Division in the National League. It is a shame the Brewers have been playing crappy when the Cubs have been playing crappy. This would have been a great time to make a run.

The Brewers are playing a four game series against Philadelphia, a team only four games behind them in the wild card race. Now would be the time to put them away. Be careful for Houston, who has won five games in a row and is also only four games out of the wild card race.

There are only 16 games left and the Brewers, if they keep winning, can make it to the post season. Twenty five years since they made the playoffs. I will be seeing the Brewers play the last week of the season. Let's hope the game is meaningful!

Perspective

At yesterday's A/RHD staff meeting, we had a lengthy discussion about calendaring systems. As RHDs and ARHDs, we are being asked to utilize iCal through Apple for calendaring purposes. It will be a new venture and a little weird to get used to and may cause some frustration, but I think it is something I can manage.

We spent quite a bit of time talking about it, and it helped me to realize something:

1. No matter our quibbles with technology upgrades and technology change, we are truly blessed in our computer access and computer upkeep. It is amazing at how current we are with trends. It also can cause some headaches.
2. It's gonna be a tough transition when I move into a church environment and no longer have the computer technology that I do now. I will probably be lucky to have a computer with access to the internet. I doubt I will need to worry about what scheduling program I use. Heck, there were colleagues at licensing school that talked about congregations where no one has an E-mail account. Yikes!
   

Safe Until Sunday

Well, the Packers managed to win the game last night. Although not a resounding victory, it was a victory none the less. The Packers have a few things to work on:

1. Way too many penalties...the first few drives were killed by penalties. A penalty also called back a touchdown.
2. Getting beaten in coverage a few times. There was a sure touchdown that a Viking wide receiver dropped that could have been a touchdown. I appreciate the desire for man to man coverage, but it leads to pass interferences penalties and getting beaten on coverage.
   
3. Offense was a little slow. Rodgers managed the game and didn't make mistakes, but they also did not generate a whole lotta yards. Like the Superbowl, they needed a big special teams play to put it away.

On the plus side:

1. Rodgers looked poised and calm in a high-stress game.
2. The defense was solid overall, but was on the field way too much due to a lack of offensive production.
3. The wide receivers did well and look to be in rhythm with Rodgers.
4. Favre who? Just kidding...

We can enjoy the victory until Sunday. Let's hope the Packers don't have too much trouble with the Lions.

Tonight's Game

I am curious to see how the Packers do in tonight's game against the Vikings. If the pre-season is any indication, they may be off to a slow start. I think the defense is pretty solid, the running game should be OK. A lot of the Packer's future rests in the hands of a QB who has not started a single game in his career. He is backed up by two rookies. Wow...

If Rodgers can have a halfway decent game (and season), the Packers could do great things. If he struggles, the team struggles. The defense can only do so much. It's so hard to predict the game, but I just don't see the Packers coming out on top in this one. But, I hope they do!

In fantasy football news, Tom Brady was my team savior last year and is likely out for the season this year with a knee injury. This could spell major trouble for my team this year. Two of my keepers from last year did not play! Argh.

Now, A Day to Catch Up

Yesterday was a fun day, today was a day of chores. Don't get me wrong, I will be watching the various football games today. I already saw Favre play quite well in his Jets debut. I also saw the Brewers get destroyed by the Padres.

Today has been an opportunity:

1. Do the laundry
2. Clean the apartment...which was never cleaned in the month of August. It was a mess!
3. Catch up on some stuff related to gaming.
4. Catch up on spiritual discipline stuff.
5. Pay bills and other paperwork items.

It's not all done yet, but hopefully it will be. It will make it much more pleasant to start the week.

A Day of Leisure

I was able to do something today that I have not been able do to in a long time. I had a complete day of leisure. With training and licensing school, that has been about impossible.

I woke up when I felt like it (still at 9:00 AM) and watched TV and slowly got things ready for gaming. I DMed a AD&D adventure until 5:00 PM, went out for BBQ at Pearson's Pig and Poultry in Oshkosh and then played Last Night on Earth until a little while ago.

After church tomorrow morning, I will have the chance to watch football all day, while cleaning the apartment and working on small tasks throughout the day. It will be nice to come into the week with the batteries recharged.

One of the things I am trying to be conscious of this year is having enough time for myself. I want to be able to exercise, pray and practice my spiritual disciplines. It means sacrificing things that were important to myself and others. The hardest thing to give up was choir. The choir could probably use me and it's not a big commitment...but choir was frustrating and energy draining. I have decided not to be in church choir. I will probably get flack for it, but oh well.

I have also cut down on committee and other outside involvement with my job. As I transition into a new career, I don't feel the same drive to excel in the field of student affairs. I still care about my job, but it is not the focus of my life.

Hopefully this becomes a theme, more centered in life with less stress.

Fasting

While I was at Licensing Schoo in Dubuque, I heard a few of the folks talk about how they incorporated fasting into their spiritual disciplines. They would fast until 3:00 PM. I thought that seemed reasonable to try some time.

Today was the second time I tried it. I first designated Thursday, but that's my long day for running. It's hard to run nine miles and then not eat until 3:00 PM. Fridays fit better into my overall schedule :).

It's about 1:15 right now...I should be able to make it until 3:00. It's amazing how much you think about eating or snacking during a day. I fended off many opportunities for chocolate...

The Weekend...Yay!

I can't tell you how excited I am that the NFL season kicks off tonight. In fact, as I write this the Giants are beating the Redskins 13-0. Usually games not involving the Packers didn't matter all that much to me. Thanks to Fantasy Football, many games become important. I have the Giants defense...so far, so good!

On Sunday, there will be three games to watch on TV and two games on Monday, one of which is the Packer game. Here's to hoping that the Packers can beat the Vikings. Should they lose, I can always try for a fantasy football victory.

In addition to lots of football, the AD&D group gathers again to continue adventuring. I am excited for this as well. It should be a great weekend!

Reunion with the SRWC

My membership to the Student Recreation and Wellness Center on the UW Oshkosh campus started up again today. It felt good to get in there and lift some weights.

It should work out well together with the running.

Tweener Day

The Tuesday after move-in is always an interesting day at UW Oshkosh. Classes don't start until tomorrow, so people have way too much time on their hands. There are packs of students wandering all over campus, figuring out where their classes are, checking out Taste of Oshkosh, or doing who knows what else.

For me, it provides an opportunity to catch-up on tasks that I did not get to during move-in. I think I finally have the office the way I want it to be...sooner or later I need to get started with the real work of my job. :)

The Countdown Day

It is returner student move-in today. The nice thing about today is that people move in at a pretty steady pace and, more the most part, they know how they process works. Unfortunately, they also skip steps and make things difficult. We may have a few disgruntled people that won't be able to get into their bathroom tonight!

Hopefully by around 4:00 PM today we should have almost all of our folks moved in. It can be loud at times, but it will be nice to have the building at full capacity again.

I hope everyone out there is enjoying a relaxing Labor Day Weekend. I do appreciate the irony that we move in about 1,500 students into the halls on a day that traditional celebrates relaxing from the labors of life :).

Freshmen Move-In

Today we move in about 25 freshmen! Indeed, we are definitely a returner building. Our work is cut out for us tomorrow, as we will check in about 120 people.

One move-in day to go :).

Other News:

1. Brewers sweep the Pirates!
2. Fantasy Football draft is tomorrow night. I should probably figure that out.

Move-In Day #1

Today is Early Move-In Day here at UW Oshkosh. We have greeters, Odyssey leaders and desk workers moving. They get to avoid the rush of move-in days so that they can help us move in all of the residents of Webster Hall.

So far, everything has gone pretty well...no major issues with the move-in process. This means Jim gets to spend a lot of time in his office getting things done. :)

Other News:

• The Badgers won today...against Akron. Seriously...they always have such a cream puff non-conference schedule. But, their Big Ten schedule is rough. They can probably use all the victories they can get!
• The Brewers won! They are 22 games over .500. That is crazy. ESPN.com lists them as having an 89% chance of making the playoffs. Yes, these are the Brewers we are talking about.
• ESPN does not seem to have all that much faith in the Bucks. They have them set to place 12th in the East and finish under .500.
  

Last Day of Training

I have tried a few times this week to post something on the blog. Many times, I have been so busy that my mind is racing and it is difficult for me to concentrate on writing an entry. Other times, I was so tired I didn't have the energy to finish. Today...is the last official day of training. Students begin to move in tomorrow.

The hall leaders have moved in and are busily decorating the lobby for move-in. The staff have their floors ready to check in about 180 students in three days. I have done what I can to have everything ready for the residents of Webster Hall.

I have mixed emotions about the end. In some ways, I am thankful that I will not have to complete again some of the arduous components of training. But, I will miss the bonding time with staff and hall leaders and many memories.

Let's begin another year...

A Few Links

There was some definite improvement for the Packers.

The US basketball team struck gold. Definitely a "redeem team."

Biden? Really?!? McCain needs to take this opportunity to pounce. Too much ammunition. Let's start here.

Camp Onaway

The first week of my final Residence Life Staff Training is over. In all honesty, it is a mixed bag of emotions. I can safely say there are certain sessions that I will be happy that I don't have to attend. But, there are also some yearly rituals that I will miss as well. It will be tough around this time next year when I will anticipate them and they will not be there.

A week from today the residence halls will be opening up for the early move-ins that help with our two larger move in days on Sunday and Monday. One more time...

Tomorrow, my staff and I leave for Camp Onaway. It is an overnight retreat where staffs really get to bond. Camp Onaway is also a beautiful and scenic environment where one can truly relax and by at peace. I have enjoyed the many opportunities to be at camp and will not realize until I leave the island how rejuvenating it can be for me.

The Upcoming Weekend

And now a taste of what's to come for Jim this weekend:

1. Working...a lot. I suppose I deserve it for missing the first week of training. I have to finish getting things ready for the Webster CAs as well as work ahead toward opening. It's not insurmountable, but it will make for a busy Saturday and Sunday.
2. Hopefully, if we get out work done, Christa and I will be seeing the new Star Wars animated movie. It looks good, but we'll see if it turns out to be good. It couldn't be any worse than their attempts at live action movies ;).
3. While I'm working on Saturday morning, I'd like to catch some of the USA/Spain game as part of the Olympics. We'll see if the Redeem Team can keep up their winning ways.
   

Ready or Not, Here They Come

This afternoon, the Fox Valley Technical College PAs and my Webster Front Desk PA are moving into their respective buildings. This means that training has really begun. I meet with my PA at 4:00 PM and then I meet with my FVTC staff tonight and over the next two days. On Sunday, my Websters CAs move in...and it just goes from there.

I want to make it clear that for the rest of August, you may not hear from me all that much. It starts to get really crazy for me until we open the building on Labor Day. Wish me luck!

Monday Softball

Monday's game was a tough loss...24-23...in eight innings. The bats were definitely going for us. We were patient and it paid dividends in walks and hits. Unfortunately our fielding left a little to be desired. We also had an injury that left us one fielder short for an inning. I managed to draw two walks, get one hit, score a run and get an RBI. Not bad, not bad. Too bad we lost.

My dad had talked a little bit about this photograph, and after sending it to me, I am truly amazed.

This is a still photo of the play in the NFC Championship where Favre threw his final pass as a Packer...an interception.

Favre threw the pass to receiver farthest to the left...where the coverage was quite tight.

If you look at the other receivers, they have the defense beat and could easily catch a Favre pass. For a QB with so much poise and experience, it really seems like he forced this one. Just interesting...

Other News:

1. I had my first day of RHD training. It was a little overwhelming when you've been gone for the first week. But, it's all gonna get done one way or another.
2. Tonight is my first softball game in about three weeks. It will be interesting to see how that goes.
   

Transition

I have gone through the RHD Office and Webster Hall and am trying to get things cleaned out. Tomorrow, I jump back into the role of A/RHD training. I better be ready...my Webster PA and FVTC PAs move in on Wednesday!

I have gotten a few good nights rest and am beginning to feel more in the flow of things. The last few days have been quiet. I am sure things will pick up soon.

Traded

I was in class when it all went down, but it didn't take me long to find out the Brett Favre has been traded to the New York Jets. I can't say that I'm not surprised and I am definitely sad that Brett wasn't able to finish his career in Green Bay. However, I think this is best for the team.

Think about it:

1. Brett Favre retired....emotionally. The Packers acknowledged the retirement, thanked him for his service and moved on.
2. They put Rogers in the driver's seat and encouraged him to get to know his teammates. He did so and has been considered the started for four months.
3. We drafted Rogers for this eventuality and moved on.

It was Favre that decided to "un-retire." Is Favre the better quarterback? Possibly. But, the Packers are a young team and they need to develop this team with a young quarterback that can grow with them. In a few years, this team could be really good.

As for Favre, he did have a good year. But he also majorly benefited from a great running game and some great receivers. He also had a few stinkers during the season, especially in the cold. Let's not forget the interception to lose the NFC Championship game. Whow throws a pass like that?

I have great memories of Brett. I hate to see him in another uniform. But the Packers moved on and I support their move. We'll see how things turn out for the Packers and the Jets.

Tuesday Update

The University of Dubuque has some strange policies when it comes to the internet. Their software download requirements to use their internet is way too cumbersome. They also have these strange limits that they place on web usage. If the university goes over a certain amount, access to certain sites in cut off...sites like Facebook and Blogger. So, posts on here may be a little less frequent than usual. Tonight I got lucky! :)



Things are going well here in Dubuque. I am down to just two assignments left to complete. I need to write a sermon manuscript and an order of worship for a church service. For the most part, these are fun activities, but I am pretty burned out. After a full day of classes, it is hard to get motivated to keep reading and writing papers.



I have kept up my running and got a new pair of shoes while I was home. Mine are orange, not pink. They are working out great!

Weekend Respite

I realize it is a lot of traveling, but I decided to drive back to Oshkosh last night so that Christa and I could enjoy Sunday together. We may see a movie, do a little shopping or perhaps play a little Rock Band :).

Otherwise, all is well...a relaxing Sunday of rest.

Priorities

It is amazing to me how productive you can be when you don't have a television and your internet access is limited enough that you need to get it all done in 45 minutes. I can read, relax and exercise with time to spare. What will it be like in two weeks when I have all this stuff back?

Anyway, all is well in Dubuque. I am close to being done with one week. It has been wonderful! I am almost done with three classes and we have four next week.

Licensing School: Day 3

It is not too often that I can say I am excited about being overwhelmed. I have learned a great deal over the last few days and look forward to the opportunity to grow in knowledge and begin to apply it. That is all.

Licensing School: Day 2

I have classes for the second day of licensing school. It's going well...but it's a lot of knowledge to take in in one day. I have learned a lot and look forward to using it in the work that I will do as a minister in the future.

I still don't have interent access in my room. I check E-mail when I get with class and dinner. Go Sheets and go Brewers!

Other News:

1. I see Brett Favre is asking for reinstatement. I am really curious now to see how this all plays out. Let's hope they can find a trade to another team. They need to get something for him.
2. My XBox arrives tomorrow. I hope Christa has fun playing Rock Band while I am gone.
3. I am bummed that Scrabulous is not available on Facebook for the time being. I have a feeling the Scrabble folks are pushing them out.

Licensing School: Day 1

I have completed my first day of licensing school. I don't have a whole lot of time to chat about it, but I'd at least like to toss a couple thoughts out there thus far:

1. I haven't taken a quiz in a long time. One professor has daily quizzes on the reading materials. Yeesh...that was a wake up call. It's amazing what you forget when you haven't read material in awhile.
2. The housing facilities are pretty good. It is air-conditioned, but I am having trouble accessing the internet. Apparently we needed a special kind of internet cord to connect to the internet here.
3. The food is really good. That is much appreciated.
4. Overall, thus far it isn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. But, there is going to be a lot of work to be done. I had visions of doing other work while I was here...I don't think that is going to happen :(.

I'll try to post once a day if I can.

I'm Finished!

I have written the final paper for License to Preach School. The books are read and the paper written. This afternoon and evening, I will finish packing so that I can head out at around 12:30 tomorrow.

I will be traveling to the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. From various folks have said, it is a gorgeous campus and a gorgeous area. I haven't talked to anyone else who has gone through the school, so I am not sure what to expect. It is both exciting and scary at the same time.

It's Fixed!

I received an E-mail early this morning letting me know that my XBox 360 has been repaired and it is on its way back via UPS. So...my guess is that I make its way back just a few days after I leave for two weeks. Funny how these things work. Regardless of the timing, it will be nice to have it back when I return from Dubuque.

Other News:

• The Brewers swept the Cardinals! They have one eight in a row and went 7-0 on a road trip. It's really unbelievable. Hopefully Brewer fever will draw folks away from all the Favre nonsense.
• I am looking forward to watching The Dark Knight tomorrow! Word is that this movie is amazing...I am curious to find out for myself.

Packer Stockholders Meeting

This morning, Christa and I attended the Packer Stockholders meeting. It went around 90 minutes. Folks starting leaving after around 50 minutes, which made sense because all the good stuff happened in the beginning. I think everyone in Lambeau Field (around 13,000) wanted to hear something about Favre.

I give Mark Murphy and Ted Thompson credit. He addressed the Favre situation right away. They said they were making tough decisions that were in the best interest of the Packer organization. Their comments were met with a mixed reactions of applause and boos. Overall, I sensed a lot of support for Ted Thompson when he gave a status report on the team. That was definitely reassuring! A few highlights:

1. As folks were gathering, they were playing highlights from 2007. They stopped the tape right before the Giants game. Probably a smart move.
2. Mark Murphy is not an engaging speaker. He is facilitating the enter meeting. Joy.
   
3. When talking about depth of QB, Thompson's immediate reaction to the crowd was, "Hey! easy." It was pretty funny. He explained we have three QBS...none of them are Brett Favre. It seems pretty obvious to me that Favre will not be a Packer.
4. As you look at the other positions, we have a really deep team. There is a lot of talent. They are still working on a contract extension for Ryan Grant. This is a little concerning.
5. Ted Thompson said that defensive backs are, "Not normal people." This is a good thing!?
   
6. Mike McCarthy came to give a brief speech about the time. He is a very funny and engaging guy. When he spoke of the team's offensive achievements in 2007, Favre's name was never mentioned. He said the anchor of the team was the defensive. Are we avoiding someone Mike?
7. Since I last went to the stockholders meeting, they added a lot of extra speeches. I could have done without the last 40 minutes or so. *yawn*

After going to this, I am pumped for the season. Let's just hope we can put the Favre crap behind us, move on to 2008 and root for the Packers.

A Mid-Week Update

I thought I would let everyone know the news at the middle of the week. As I have mentioned several times already, I leave Sunday for License to Preach School. The weekend was busier than I anticipated, but I got a lot of work done. Other this week in the evening, I am reading my last book and putting together the final drafts of my papers. I should be able to have everything done and still be able to spend some time with Christa, including seeing The Dark Knight.

The Brewers have won their first two games against the Cardinals and are only one game behind the Cubs for first place in the NL Central. Let's hope they keep this up. The last two games against the Cardinals have Sheets and Sabathia pitching. We should fair well!

My XBox 360 made its way to Mesquite, TX and is currently sitting in the customer service station waiting to be fixed. From this point, they say it will take 2-3 weeks to be fixed. No matter what, I will be sitting in Dubuque when it finally gets fixed.

I found out today that I will be representing the Oshkosh Placement Exchange along with a A/RHD to be determined. We will be traveling to North Carolina A&T to present about OPE along with job searching in the field of student affairs. I am willing looking forward to this trip!

Summer Coming to a Close

It feels as though just yesterday that the students in the Titan Advantage Program (TAP) and the Project Success program moved into Webster Hall. On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, they move out. It is amazing how quick six weeks can go by. I have really appreciated the experience of the summer programs. It has been fun to get to know some of the future student at UWO and have it in an environment that is lower stress. I have also appreciated working with Dani, Adam, Nick and Chris as staff members in this process. They do amazing work and made my job much easier.

This morning, I had a nice informal chat with students who asked a lot of questions about the residence halls, involvement and the academic programs they will be involved in. It is conversations like that which remind me why I am an RHD. I forget who rejuvenating it can be to have a good conversation with a student that doesn't involve a conduct or disciplinary issue ;).

A Light at the End of the Tunnel

My apologies if you see a theme coming up over the last few days...I am beat. Over the course of the weekend, I have read four different books and have written eight different papers. I still have 2 books left to read and one paper to write. I do have next week to finish everything up and it will all get done.

The knowledge-fest over the last two weeks has filed my brain with a lot of thoughts and ideas. It has also filled my brain with so many questions! I am both excited and scared to be a pastor. There is so much I want to try, but so much I don't understand...

..either way. When I come back from school on August 8. I will have hopefully accomplished something great and will open a big door to the next step in my life.

Other News:

• The Brewers sweep the Giants! Excellent...it should be an interesting journey to the end of the season. My only coverage of the game can through periodically checking the on-line Gamecast on ESPN.com.
• Whenever my 360 gets back and when I get done with License to Preach school, I have a "new" game waiting for me. I found a copy of Elder Scrolls III: Morrowwind at the mall. I have heard good things and look forward to playing it :).

Papers, Papers, Papers

I am writing to you from my RHD Office in Webster. I am in the process of writing many of the papers that are required for License to Preach School. As this moment, I have written four papers and I hope this afternoon to complete three more. After dinner, I need to continue reading. So far, my day has been very productive and I am hoping to keep it up.

Last night, I found out there was a seventh class that I forgot about. As a result, there is an additional three books that I need to read with three two page summaries to do with them. Even with this unfortunate happening, I should still be OK.

The Brewers came up big last night. I will probably try to listen to some of the game this afternoon as it is an afternoon game.

What Will I Do With the Weekend?

My XBox 360 is on its way to Mesquite, TX where they will hopefully fix my hardware problem and ship back and working game system. It would figure that they will have it done and sent back while I am in Dubuque. At least Christa will get to play some Rock Band while I am gone :).

As I said before, I am thankful in a way that the 360 doesn't work, but it takes away a major distraction from my class preparation. I do miss it, however, for those 30-45 minute breaks between commitments where I can sit down and play a little Oblivion. Christa and I also miss getting to play an hour here and there of Rock Band.

This weekend will be chock full of reading and writing. I am hoping to get a great deal of the work done on Friday and Saturday so that Christa and I can have fun on Sunday. She has to work today and tomorrow anyone, so it would be a good time to work!

Other things I'd like to get to this weekend:

1. I'd like to catch some of the weekend Brewers series. I'm curious to see the start that they get after the All-Star break.
2. If time (and ticket availability) permits, Christa and I would like to see The Dark Knight on Sunday. The reviews have been overwhelmingly good...let's just hope the theater has tickets left.
   

A Few Sports THoughts...

The Bucks continue to make moves in the off season, as they will be signing Tyronn Lue. This move makes sense to me. You can never have too much depth and Lue provides some depth at the guard position. I still feel as though the Bucks have some work at the Power Forward position, as I'm not sure that Villanueva is the long-term solution. Even if they are done, I feel as though the Bucks have a shot at being in the playoffs, especially in the Eastern Conference. Every time I get my hopes up, however, the Bucks manage to get injured, tank the season and make Buck fans depressed.

I am really nervous about the second half of the season for the Brewers. I appreciate that the owner is willing to make trades to win now. As I've said before, this is a major change in strategy. The bullpen is still highly suspect and I'm now sure if it can carry us through the season. Our starting pitching is great and our offense will be better once everyone starts to click. I want to believe they can finish strong...and this may be the year they have to do it. With Sheets and Sabathia being free agents...I doubt they'll be here. Hart, Weeks and Fielder (among others) will want new contracts. Will they have enough to sign them all? Are we willing to wait to see prospects develop?

Favre is really starting to tick me off. In the end, the Packers are smart to not release Favre. I don't buy the argument that the Packers "owe" him anything. You're not letting a franchise player go for nothing because he retired when he wasn't ready to retire. Maybe he'll end up back with the Packers...but you won't see Favre anywhere else.

Wednesday Morning Potpourri

I really don't have a main storyline for today, so I thought I would just layout a few random thoughts for the day:

• According the UPS tracker I was E-mailed, the mailing box for my XBox 360 should arrive today. From others I have talked to, it doesn't take too long to get it fixed. Here's to hoping!
• My preparations for License to Preach School continue. That July 27 deadline is coming up quick!
• The date is finalized for the Fourth Annual Fox Valley Mini-Golf Tournament. It will be August 9, 2008 at 11:00 AM (yes, it's Christa's birthday). She will be working at one of the golf courses that we will be playing at. Should be fun

Oshkosh Softball Update

In what can only be considered an offensive bonanza, our team lost 21-20. There were some interesting firsts in the game last night. At one point, we actually batted through out entire line-up. We also got through an inning 1-2-3. After three innings, things were looking really good. Unfortunately, as the game went on, it got humid and the field got wet. That's when things got bad. Our fielding took a dive and we ended up giving up a lot of runs. We were one person short, so the outfield got a little dicey. We also had three people not playing in their natural position.

As for me, I went 2-4 and had 2 RBI.

The "Red Ring of Death"...

I mentioned yesterday that my XBox 360 is broken. *sigh* Over the last few weeks, Christa and I would be playing Rock Band and our 360 would just freeze up. Every once in a while, this might happen throughout my ownership of it, but they were becoming more frequent. In the last week, it froze up every time we played a game. While I was playing AD&D downstairs, Christa was trying to play Rock Band and it froze up not too long after she started. On Sunday, we got the urge to play and a few freezes later, the red ring arrived.

My 360 was originally only under warranty for one year, but they make an exception for the red ring problem and extended it to three years. The process to have it fixed is by no means quick, but the Microsoft website laid out the procedures fairly well. Microsoft will be mailing me a box that I will send by 360 in. When it arrives at Microsoft, it will take 2-3 weeks to have the machine fixed and sent back to me. They will only fix the red ring issue.

It is a bummer that I can't play games. It is probably for the best right now as I do have a lot of work to do before I leave for Dubuque.

Now It's Time to Focus

The 12-hour gaming marathon has come to pass. I had nine people over and we played 1st Edition AD&D for around 12 hours on Friday and Saturday. It was wonderful to have so many people from so many different periods of my life coming in share in a hobby together. I am now in the process of computing experience and updating characters. We had a few new folks that joined in this weekend that are interested in joining us when we start meeting regularly in the fall.

Now that the gaming session is done, I need to start concentrating on my license to preach materials. Perhaps God has something to say about this as well: My XBox 360 now gives me the dreaded "Red Ring of Death". I have to mail it in to Microsoft...this will take weeks! What distractions will I have now? ;)

A Weekend of Gaming

The weeks of preparation are at an end. This evening at 6:00 PM, friends of gaming days past and present will be coming to Webster Hall to participate in a 1st Edition AD&D Gaming Marathon. We will be playing both tonight and most of the day tomorrow. This summer session will be part of a continuing campaign that has occurred for the last two spring semesters here at UWO. If everyone shows up, there could be nine people, ten with me included.

We will be playing in the basement of Webster. Everything is not put back together, but it's dry and our usual room is usable again. I would mention who is coming, but I wouldn't want to publicly out them for their dorkiness ;).

Other News:

1. For what it's worth, Corey Hart won the last National League All-Star spot. Thank you to all who voted, or who may have used my blog as their portal to vote.
2. I created a University of Wisconsin Oshkosh fan page for Facebook. I was sad to see the we did not have one. Let's hope a few people join.
   

A Win, Almost..

With some solid rain on Monday canceling my men's league game, it has been a little while for a softball post. It was three years ago when I started playing with Tex's men's team in the Oshkosh city leagues. I had never played any organized baseball or softball in my life; I hadn't thrown a ball since probably middle school. That first summer was rough. I didn't have any direction to save my life, not any power. At times it was honestly embarrassing.

Some similar happened although, it wasn't me this time. Our game last night was close, it was 4-4 going into the seventh inning. We had already given up one run, a run that was controversial regarding whether or not an out made would have negated the run. Anyone, there were two outs and it was only 5-4. The next batter hit a weak grounder to second. I was at first awaiting the throw and it went over my head. In fact it went over the fence and out of play...automatically allowing the base runners to advance. It was now 6-4.

The bats were moving early and we had some base runners. We scored one run! With one out and runners on second and third, a nice hit allowed the runners to move. For some reason we held the tying run at third even through she could have made it home. Our next batter fouled out and that was it. 6-5.

We played some good ball at it was competitive throughout. I enjoyed my time at first base.

Brewer Fever

C.C. Sabathia was victorious in his first start with the Brewers. Even when the lost a couple days ago, they kept it close. The Brewers are 10 games over .500 and are but a few games out of both the Wild Card spot and the National League Central title. Putting the playoffs together with the Brewers is a foreign concept. They made a run last year, but really folded near the end of the season and allowed the Cubs to sneak into the playoffs.

As I said last year, I am a fair-weather fan of the Brewers. It's easy to back a team that's playing well. I will always keep track of the Brewers and check up on them, but it's more fun now that they are a relevant team. They are getting lead stories are even becoming the subject of bonus stories. I hope they can keep this up; it's fun to see the city of Milwaukee have something to cheer about in the area of sports.

It will also provide a welcome relief from all the Packers talk that has already begun...

Summer Runnin'

Building off my efforts in the spring semester and my preparation for the Oshkosh Half Marathon this last April, I have gotten into a running routine this summer in preparation for the Fox Cities Half Marathon. I had contemplated doing the full marathon, but I don't think I'll be ready for that my September. Plus, I have already run two half marathons and feel confident that it is a distance I can actually finish. Perhaps I can try in a year when I have run consistently over time and feel that I am in better shape.

As I continue running in the summer, I am looking ahead to the fall semester when I have the opportunity to participate in the Healthy Titans Program. I have participated in this program for three semesters and have appreciated the benefits. I am paired with a UWO student who works on an individual workout plan for me; we do a before and after assessment to see what gains were made. I have worked with Nate Regal, Ryan Schuh and Tyler Schuette. They have all done a great deal to get me into something in addition to running. I have become much more knowledgeable about weightlifting and how it can supplement my cardiovascular training. For $35, it's a great deal.

Other News:

• This Favre retirement talk continues. While everyone tries to stay hushed, it just allows rumors to continue. Hopefully, this gets resolved soon one way or another.
• C.C. Sabathia starts tonight for the first time as a Brewer. Unless the Brewers make the playoffs and win at least one series, this trade wasn't worth it. I highly doubt Sabathia is staying after this year. Some compensatory draft picks would be nice, but I'm not sure if it's worth it. I will say that it is nice to see the Brewers makign moves to make a run at the pennant. Let's hope it pans out.

Vote for Hart!

My dad reminded me how easy it is to vote for this last spot in the National League All-Star line-up. Vote once...vote a bunch of times! Voting ends July 10, so do what you can.

Back in the Saddle Again

This morning I led the worship service at FUMC Oshkosh. It gave Pastor Steve an opportunity to take an extended vacation. The service was typical of a holiday weekend, with the congregation relatively small. It was nice to Christa joining me as the liturgist for the service; folks out there really got a kick out of that.

As I prepared the sermon for today's worship service, I was beginning to implement some of the ideas that I learned from my books on sermon writing. I felt like today's sermon had a clear message and was better organized. The weird things was that when I actually preached the sermon, I was sweating profusely. Typically, I only sweat like that when I'm nervous (which I wasn't) or when I perceive something isn't going well. I thought it went great, but my body disagreed.

The more I read and observe, the more I look forward to having my own church with an opportunity to lead worship and order the service as I would like. The readings I am doing offer so many cool ideas I would like to try out. One day, that opportunity will hopefully come.

We Never Win Anything...

My Mom picked the right day to watch the Brewers play and also picked the right seats to watch the game...she also picked great weather! ;) The Brewers won the game 9-1, despite some shaky pitching from Ben Sheets. In addition, we another special bonus...

Earlier in the game, there was a give away which happened to take place in our section of the stadium, section 211. Christa overheard that there would be a giveaway later meant for our section, but I missed this.

In the eighth inning, it was announced that those in section 211, rows 11-15 and seats 4-13 were winners of a Brewers tailgate. All four of us were in the designated area! This was a first. I had never won anything at a Brewers game before.

We made our way to guest relations and claimed our prize. My Dad signed off for our prizes. It includes:

1. 8 tickets to the September 24th, 2008 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
2. 8 tickets to a tailgate before the game.
3. Retail value: $400

What was already a pretty special day got that much better. Hopefully, the Brewers will continue to play well and this game may make a difference for the playoffs.

A Trip to Miller Park

My parents invited Christa and I to watch the Brewers play the Pittsburgh Pirates at Miller Park today. This is the first Brewers game of the season that I will see live, and I think the last time I saw a Brewers game was around this time (with my parents and Christa). If they can win today, I would be on a two-game winning streak for watching Brewers games.

The last time I went to see a Brewers game with Jason Bock, the Brewers lost and I think I had accumulated a losing streak with games I went to with him. Hopefully, I can string a few wins together so that we might be able to catch a game. I'm sure right now, my overall record is around .500.

I do have some fond memories of watching the Brewers in Miller Park:

1. My dad and I watched the second regular season game ever in Miller Park. They played the Cincinnati Reds...and won!
2. My friend Nick and I went to see the Brewers play when they were in an awful losing streak. By our game, I believe it was at 13 games. We saw Mark Loretta hit the winning run. They played the Halleluia Chorus at the end of the game!
3. I remember watching a game with Nick wher Gary Sheffield hit a home run against us right after her were heckling him on his way to the plate. We didn't win that one.

I'll keep you posted on today's game. The weather looks gorgeous! Happy Fourth of July to all!

A Few Interesting Links for the Day

Here are a few interesting links for you to check out today:

The Power of Watermelon - I found this linked from the Drudge Report. Here's another reason to have that watermelon for dessert over the 4th of July weekend.

What Exactly Does Retirement Mean? - I found this on ESPN.com. Apparently, Brett Favre has the itch to return. Favre has since gone on record to say that there are simply rumors. I want to believe him, but I have this feeling Favre isn't completely retired. Check some of the comments left by readers...they are priceless.

Another Step Toward Moving - I found this on EPSN.com. One more step has occurred to allow the Seattle Supersonics to move to Oklahoma City. From what I am reading, it looks like there is plenty of blame to go around. With the Bucks record recently and the iffy fan base, it makes you wonder if the Bucks may be the next team to move. Not a whole of players are excited to play in Milwaukee.

Big Break-Up - When you think of the contract that A-Rod is under, this could be a messy divorce if it comes to it.

Other News:

• The Neenah softball team lost last night. We lost 10-1. We could not string any hits together. Hopefully, a practice will be scheduled for Sunday or Monday. That would be very helpful.
• I continue to read for License to Preach school. I have gotten through five books or so and need to get started on some of the papers.
• Christa has gotten a lot of scrap booking done over the last few weeks.
  

One Dinner to Change the World

Since my Dad has been working during the week in Green Bay, Christa and I will meet him in Appleton to catch dinner. We have finally agreed on Tuesday evenings because it is the one weeknight that we don't have a softball game.

Our conversations together hit on major things that have been going on in our lives, with snippets of sports talk in there as well. Invariably as conversation makes its way into current events and politics, we usually talk about the state of the world and how we could make it a better place. No matter the topic, we usually boil it down to a few keys things:

1. We need term limits for politicians starting...well, now! Vote out all incumbents now and only allow people one term. "Politician" was not meant as a career. You were a public servant in addition to your chosen career. It is career politicians that have caused many of the problems that we are in.
2. People can't take responsibility for anything. That's why loads of people are in credit card debt. People sign for mortgages they can't afford and assume someone will bail them out. That's why nothing changes in government, but we aren't willing to make a difference.
3. The political issues between nations inside and outside of the middle east go beyond anyone's ability to talk or negotiate. Sadly, it will likely escalate to some kind of war where one side or the other will pretty much be wiped. It's hard to think of another realistic. scenario.

Perhaps in the future, I may expound on one of these areas.

Our dinners will soon be running out as my dad will be done with the traveling portion of his job and will likely be working for the company in the Milwaukee area.

Focus & Control: A Softball Update

Our Monday softball team came up on the losing end again in our game. It was a bizarre turn of events during the game. In the first inning we scored five runs, and they scored zero. Then we added four more and things were looking up. It looked great until the bottom of the second inning when they dropped 15 runs on us. That was the end of of it. The team did an excellent job of hitting balls just over the infield and right in from of the outfield. It was a rough evening. We managed to put 13 runs up there...but they put up 24.

Now for a little wisdom from Yoda:

Yoda: "All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph."

Yoda: "Control, control. You must learn control!"

Last night I went 2-4 in the game and had four RBI. The big difference for me over the last few weeks has been patience at the plate. I have been better at taking pitches until I get the pitch that I want. As a result, I made excellent contact at every at bat, and two of them happened to go toward the center fielder. I have also learned to not feel so much pressure when I'm up and there and just have fun.

Now I think of Yoda when I play softball. Focus and control. Focus and control.

UW Oshkosh Dining Update

This past Saturday, I helped out in presenting the Campus Life component of the Odyssey presentations that we do for incoming first-year students. Also in this presentation, there is a discussion about food options available as well. I learned some new things along with the first-year students. A few things to keep in mind:

1. The Blackhawk To Go room will be open until 11 PM Monday - Thursday. I am a big fan of the chicken sandwiches offered here. I know there are other students that love it as well. I am glad to know there will be an alternative location to grab food later at night.
2. Scotty's (aka Stone Willy's or Stoner's) in Scott Hall will be a Pizza Hut Express. Pizza you can recognize! :) In addition to the pizza option, there will also be buffalo wings, bratwurst and subs. I can see this being a very popular options for college students. I also see this being an upgrade to the quality of pizza.
3. The 21 meal plan will have "flex" meals that can be used in the Clow Mi Tazas...I see this as an option that I will be using for lunches and Clow is right near by.

With a new food contract, I have already seen some positive changes. Let's hope they continue.

Other News: Saw Wall-E this weekend. Great movie! My only complaint is the big business/environmentalist/capitalism is bad messages found within the framework of the movie.

Sunday Reflection

As I've said before, I try to pot here everyday. It's rare that I actually remember to post of the weekends...this one is an exception. I want to make sure that from now on the posts I make on here are meaningful and worth reading...worth reading to the 5-10 people that actually check this blog each day ;).

As someone who is looking to go into United Methodists ministry, this is tough to write: Christa and I are both struggling with going to church. Gasp! It had more to do with our own church than it does with church in general. When I go to my parent's church or to another environment, it always seems better. Perhaps the grass is always greener on the other side. Here are a few things that we are struggling with:

• Our service is pretty much the same every week. I am all amount having a certain schedule that people can come to be comfortable with, but some variety helps keep things fresh. Our service has the same components week to week.
• Church is at 9:00 AM. Hey, for the weekend, that's early...especially on a weekend. Try as I might, I can't get anyone to buy into the idea of a late morning, or dare I say, evening church service.
  
• Since our congregation errs on the older side, it is a pretty passive group. There doesn't seem to be much motivation there. The younger folks are trying to participate, but it can be easy to get burned out and frustrated if things don't change.
  

It will be interesting to see how I feel when I am a pastor of my own church or part of a ministry team. How might my feelings change? How will others view the service that I/we put forth for the congregation?

New Phone/PDA

I have had my Tungsten III PDA for quite some time now. If I remember correctly, I received it the summer before I started as a Residence Hall Director. So, it has given me five years of faithful service. The main drawback now is that I have charged it so many times, it has next to no battery life. In talking with Christa we agreed it was time to upgrade to a new PDA.

Still thinking in the old paradigm of PDA only, I did some research on Palm's website as well as a few other retail sites. I was noticing that there wasn't all that much variety. We also went to a few stores and a nice gentleman at the Appleton Office Max said that most stores and selling off PDAs because most people are going for the PDA/cell phone combo.

From there, I did some research and noticed that Blackberry's are expensive, especially when you figure in the data usage (internet access, E-Mail, etc.) It would add almost $30 per month to our plan for something I don't use. I just want the Palm features with a better battery life. So, I check Verizon's phones and found this. It is the Palm Centro.

I can keep my old plan and not pay anymore and I just blocked the internet stuff until I may choose to add it later. It runs Palm software and has a full keyboard. So far, I like it. It caused me to updated my numbers which it is obvious I have not updated in quite some time.

Post #600: Alive & Kickin'

I am glad that the blog continues to survive since its inception in 2005. I thought with the 600th post I might spruce things up a little bit. I don't want to change things around too much, but change is good.

Other News:

• I played in my third softball game of the week, this time on Christa's co-ed team. The game went 10 innings and I batted in the winning run. The mosquitoes were brutal and it was a 9:30 PM start...late night.
• The Bucks picked up Richard Jefferson in a trade with New Jersey. He gave up Bobby Simmons and Yi. I say we got the best part of that trade. A change for Milwaukee.
  

Neenah Softball Update

Well, I can say without question that yesterday was the best and most enjoyable game of softball I have played in the three summers I have played softball. Some of it had to do with my own performance, but it also had to do with the team. On a personal note:

• I went 2-2 and also drew a walk. I also scored two runs.
• I played in the outfield with people who wanted to play hard, but were also willing to have some fun.
• I made a nice catch and did not feel nervous out there. I made all good plays!
  

From a team perspective:

• We changed our pitcher and we got quite competitive in the later innings. In fact, after we changed pitchers we actually outscored our opponents!
• Everyone was having fun on the field. Even though we lost, it seemed like we enjoyed the game.
  

License to Preach Reading Update

As of this morning, I have completed reading two books related to leadership and administrative structure in the United Methodist Church. I am now switching my focus on two books that relate to sermon preparation. I am trying to put 1-2 hours aside each night for reading. I don't think that's gonna be enough to cut it. Most of the books are smaller, but some of them are pretty big.

While having dinner with my dad yesterday, he mentioned that it must be difficult to take in all this information in such a short amount of time. He's probably right...I highly doubt how much I will retain in these five weeks of reading and paper-writing.

What I appreciate is that I find the material so interesting! It makes reading easier and more. I also feel like I am really learning things that will be useful to me in the future.

It does seem weird to do so much reading without class to go along with it. I look forward to supplementary lectures later, although it will come in one two-week rush!

Oshkosh Softball Update

Monday's softball game reiterated the same problems that we have as a team. If we can't change these tendencies, there is no way we will be competitive in games. This includes:

• Making unnecessary extra throws after we try to throw one runner out. Usually the person overthrows and misses the target and extra runs will score. I'd say we gave up five runs alone because of this.
• Swinging at junk pitches. I admit, I don't like waiting for pitches. I want to swing, but we can't swing at junk. As a result we get lots of foul balls and high pop ups because we swing at everything. Again, as a team we need to all work on this.
  
• Don't tell someone on the team that they are doing something wrong when they themselves are doing the same thing. Perhaps we all need to have a group practice to work on fundamentals.
  

I went 2-2 in the game. I did get caught trying to stretch a single into a double and was called. I thought I was safe, but you always think you're safe. I just let it go. I wish I could say the same thing about some of my teammates. Just as Pau Gasol has never committed a foul in his life, there is a guy on our team who argues every slide he makes. Guess what? Sometimes you are just out.

That brings up a larger issue. I have worked hard to not take these games so seriously. There were times when I'd come away from a game extremely frustrated and get worked up about my performance. I am doing better at letting go and having fun. I still would like to win, but I don't let it consume me like it used to. Unfortunately, there are too many guys on our team that forget that this is community softball. Let's have a little fun!

Some Random Thoughts From the Weekend:

• I checked the UPS tracking site on Amazon.com and all of my textbooks are waiting for me at the GCC Front Desk. That's 23 books. I already starting the reading the first of book of around 15 that I need to read over the next five weeks!
• I did golf at Settler's Mill this weekend. Not my finest hour.
• I have been getting in some serious Oblivion time this weekend. I am already up to level 19.
• I need to get cracking on the July 11-12 gaming session. My goal is to do a little bit each night so that I'm not under the gun when it gets to be a few days before. Based on who has expressed interest, we could have 8-9 people playing. It won't take all that much material to take up that many hours.
• I am trying to cut down on soda and candy...again. Also, I am trying to stay consistent with the running. So far, so good.
  

A Weekend to Relax

I have really appreciated the summer program thus far, and really enjoyed the experience of working with the staff to get the building open. In the flip side, I really didn't have any weekend last weekend because I was so busy getting things ready for opening. Now that we are back into sweet routine, I have a weekend again. No big plans for the weekend, but that's probably for the best. What's up tap?:

• Get my reading lists and work lists ready for License to Preach School. I should have most of my books by this Monday. Based on what I have ahead of me, I need to get started right away.
• Play more Oblivion...of course.
• Catch 18 holes at Settler's Mill...after all, Christa is working ;).
• Clean the apartment; it is suffering from two weeks of not really being cleaned.
  

Neenah Softball Update

We lost...but, not by as much. The final score was 11-5. There were definitely some signs of hope for the future. Overall, we stayed consistent and did not allow a lot of early runs as we usually have. We still couldn't get consistent hitting going, but out fielding was much improved for the game. Since we have so many guys of the team, I sat out the first two innings but played 1st base the rest of the game. Hitting was a mixed bag. First time up to bat, nice single right down the middle. Next at bat, strike out! Doh.

If we can keep our team consistent from week to week I think we have a shot to compete, and even possibly to win. It's just the constant changing from week to week that gets frustrating.

Other News:

• As of this morning, all of my textbooks were ordered.
• The summer AD&D game-a-thon is set for July 11-12.
  

License to Preach School

I got a letter in the mail yesterday from the folks in Iowa saying that I will be able to do License to Preach school. Along with the letter came the syllabi for the classes I will be taking this summer. I also got the list of books that I will need to have for this two-week intensive session. My thoughts so far:

1. I have a lot of reading to do this summer to be ready for school. I figured I'd have to some reading, but not this much. It looks like the books will run me around $450 dollars. Many of them I ordered through Amazon.com, but there were a few that I needed to order through a specific company.
2. Along with all the reading come a variety of reflection papers. At best count, it looks like around 20-25 pages worth of papers to be handed in when I arrive. Sweet.
3. I need to see what my home church might be willing to help sponsor. I also need to check with our Wisconsin Board of Ordained Ministry regarding possible reimbursement.

Monday Softball Report

Strikeforce United fell to the Oblio's team 12-5 yesterday in our softball game. For some reason, we could not get the bats going. A lot of balls were being hit right to the fielders, which you can't always help. We were also swinging at pitches that could have been balls. We need to learn to be more patient at the plate. Again, you can tell that people go up to the plate looking to hit a home run. That's why we have so many pop outs and foul outs. Just make a solid connection!

Fielding was a mixed bag. I got a lot more work than I usually do during a game. I had one good catch but had a few where I might have been able to make the catch but wasn't able to get there in time. For me personally, I had one really good hit and managed to score a run. It didn't matter in the long run as we did not do very well. Wednesday usually equals a loss, so let's hope Christa's team can get over last week's loss and chalk up a "W".

Anniversary!

Christa and I were married one year ago today. Exciting! What's on tap for the evening? First, of course, there is a softball game at 6:45. Hehehe...after that, Christa and I are planning on going out to Kodiak Jack's for dinner. Then, we'll have some wedding cake. It's been in the freezer for a year; let's hope that it's still good. After that, we'll be going on-line and ordering some more songs for Rockband.

Bonus Move-In Day; Other News

My fellow Residence Hall Directors are all to familiar with the move-in day or days that occur in the fall semester. I get to have a bonus move-in day for the summer. As I write to you, students for both Project Success and the Titan Advantage Program are checking into Webster Hall. So far they both seem like great groups. I know the staff is excited to have them arrive and I am, too. It will be nice to get back into a work routine. It's been way too long since I posted, so I'll highlight a few things that have happened over the last few days:

• You have no doubt heard about the flooding in Oshkosh. In Webster Hall, we had 3/4 inch of standing water throughout the basement by the end of the night. It smells something awful down there, but the staff were able to move most valuables to higher ground. We are currently waiting for a restoration team to go through and sanitize the basement. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures, but it was nuts. River Center had nine foot floods in their offices. Christa's office was completely destroyed. Algoma Blvd. and High Ave. were completely underwater around campus. I walked over Peal Ave. and the water went up to my knee! Things are much better now, but on Thursday evening, 75% of roads in Oshkosh were closed.
• Christa happened upon a nest of baby bunnies that were in the middle of the flood and happened to rescue one. With a shoe box and a heat pack, the rabbit survived the night and was taken to an area pet shop. "Noah" is doing well, both eating and drinking. Christa will be stopping in for periodic check-ups.
• Our Wednesday softball team got destroyed again 21-3. The last few games have been tough. I was on first base and didn't mind too much. The team we played was good at lofting balls just over our infield.

Summer School

Although my summer staff have already moved into Webster Hall, we officially begin training this evening. I have been putting together materials for training throughout interim, but now is the final push. I think I'll have everything ready for staff by the time we have our grill out at 5:00 PM. Training will take place Thursday-Saturday. The summer program students move in this Sunday. From there,we go into a six week routine of Webster being open like a traditional residence hall, with desk hours duty coverage and the full complement of meetings :).

I am excited to get back into a routine of the hall being open. I don't mind the summer work so much and the staff that we have in Webster is top-notch. I did wish I had a bit more of a break in here somewhere. To go from summer school to license to preach school to training is going to make for a grueling summer.

Other News:

• Desk carpeting and apartment tiling are done and we have our washer and dryer installed. We have the backed up laundry to prove it. We will be busy catching up in that department.
• The Lakers grab a game in the best of seven with the Celtics in the NBA. Perhaps it will be a series after all.
  

Weekend Review

Some internet updates that were taking place in Webster Hall made it difficult for me to update the blog as we did not have internet access. Access is back for now, so let's get to it:

• Christa and I played through the Hall of Fame concert in the Band World Tour mode for Rock Band and both earned 100 achievement points for the effort. We played both guitar parts on hard and got five stars on all the songs except for one.
• I got back into playing Oblivion again. This isn't good. I can hear that giant sucking sound which is my free time going away.
• Our apartment is in pretty rough shape right now. They are re-tiling our front entrance room so we have extra crud spread around our apartment. They took out of washer and dryer to do this, so we have a nice pile laundry waiting to be done. Our air conditioners aren't working either, so hopefully we'll get those fixed.
• We were in Oconomowoc on Saturday when the weather got absolutely crazy in the state of Wisconsin. We managed to get some hail coming down while we were at a graduation party. We drove back up to Oshkosh at night where we drove into some more pretty bad storms. From what I've read, the damage and flooding is pretty bad all over.
  

NBA Finals

Last night Christa and I watched game one of the NBA Finals on TV. Usually, basketball doesn't come to the top of the list of things that I do, but it did so for a few reasons:

1. It was on ABC, which means we got to watch it in HD. It really does feel like you're watching it live. And hey, when tickets courtside are going for $35,000 each, you might be better oiff watching it on HD.
2. The Lakers/Celtics history makes for an intriguing match-up. As the announcers said last night, no matter who wins, it won't be an upset.
3. If the Lakers win, Kobe gets his first post-Shaq championship. If the Celtics win, Garnett, Pierce and Allen all get rings.

Regardless, there is a lot at stake in the finals. I am intrigued to watch it all and see how it unfolds. Sadly, you have to wait until Sunday to see game two.

Enjoy a nice shot from atop the Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf.

Last Night on Earth

Last night, I played a game for a second time. The game is called Last Night on Earth and I have enjoyed the game both times that I have played. The premise of the game is pretty simple. One group people (4-5) play the roles of the heroes. One or two other people play the role of zombies. A scenario is picked and the heroes try to fulfill the scenario while killing off a bunch of zombies. the zombies try to thwart these efforts.

The heroes fulfill many zombie movie archetypes:

• high school quarterback
• town sheriff
• priest
• track star
• nurse
• school cook
  

Zombie and hero players both can draw and play event cards which modify actions, affect the entire board or only affect one person. Heroes can hold on to item cards that they can use to fight or search (chainsaw, flashlight, baseball bat. etc.).

It is a turn-based game and the action goes quickly. A game only takes between 60-90 minutes I encourage you to check it out!

Today's picture is the sign for Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Meals in Wisconsin Dells. This all you can eat buffet is no no joke for breakfast. You get donuts, eggs, ham, sausage, pancakes and hash browns...as much as you want. It's a solid foundation for all your sightseeing needs ;).

License to Preach School

When I became a certified ministry candidate, I was approved to attend License to Preach School. Until someone completes this, they are technically not a licensed pastor, but a supply pastor. I assumed that I would attend school after I was done as an RHD and would become a official licensed pastor after I was appointed.

Before I went on vacation, I met with the District Superintendent about the next step in the candidacy process, and through on conversations, I found out that I could attend license to preach school this summer. That would work out great, because I would be a licensed pastor before I would be placed for July 1, 2009. It will be less headaches for Christa and I when we move after we're both done in Oshkosh. It will mean more headaches this summer...it will be a busy July/August.

Regardless, it is exciting news to get that major hurdle done this summer. The picture today is from right outside the Circus World Museum. The museum is nestled on both sides of a river. It is a gorgeous view, as you can see. Thanks to Christa for capturing this great photograph.

Settling In...

Christa and I returned yesterday afternoon from a long weekend hanging out in the Wisconsin Dells/Baraboo area. We left Friday morning and got back Monday afternoon. During our stay, we visited a variety of places:

• Circus World Museum
• Lost Canyon
• Pirates Cove Adventure Golf
  
• Tommy Bartlett Robot World and Exploratory Museum
• Knuckleheads
• Paul Bunyan's Breakfast
• Dells Mining Company

This is definitely not an inclusive list, but marks the highlights of some of the places that we went. For only being there for a long weekend, I felt like we got to quite a bit. The only rule was that we couldn't plan anything. We had to be spontaneous. For the most part, that worked ;).

We stayed at the Best Western Ambassdor Inn. We had a jacuzzi sweet (yay!) and that was very nice to have. Our accommodations were quite cheap so long as we attended a sales pitch for the Wyndham Hotel ownership. Ugh...that was not a pleasant experience. I will be writing about that more in a future entry. I also saw Iron Man, which I will review later this week as well. I will also a have some more pictures with each entry for the week as well.

My softball game last night shocked me back into normal life. We won the game! I don't quite remember the score, but we won by about three runs. I went 0-3, but had three solid connections that just went right to somebody. I didn't have to field too many balls, but the ones that I did field went well. We are now 2-2 and I hope we can avoid the slide that we suffered last year. Let's hope we can string a few more wins together.

WB Softball Game #3

Ouch....our team was the recipient of a 23-8 whooping last night. It was hard to really find a lot of high points in the game. As the score would indicate we managed to chain a few hits together and got some runs. But, that's where it ended. Nothing on the defensive end went very well. Out pitcher was having trouble hitting the strike zone. There were lots of infield hits that were not covered. We under (or over)estimated catches in the outfield and our throws were off. In two innings, they had tagged us for 12 runs. If you could cut those two innings out, it would have looked a lot closer.

Second base continues to be good for me. It has helped me to read base runners and to know where the throw should go if I get the ball. Batting went great! I only had one at bat (don't ask) but I hit a nice single and was brought in on an inside the park home run the next at bat. Christa had some good cuts as well and feels better playing in the outfield. I just hope we get better, but because getting creamed each week is not that much fun.

Mid-Week Updates

A few thoughts at the middle of the week:

• I finished the solo tour mode on drum on the medium level for Rock Band. It is amazing to me to see how much easier something can be when you walk away from it for a few days and some back. After taking 3-4 days off, the drum patterns seemed easier and I was able to get through things pretty well. I am curious to see how things go if I try it out on hard.
• Christa and I leave for Wisconsin Dells on Friday. We will be out of town until Monday evening...I will be back to play my softball game that night. The chance to get away will be much appreciated.
• Tonight is the third game in the WB league in Neenah. We have had a solid win and a solid defeat. I am curious if we can get a little more consistency in our team. We might actually be able to put some victories together.
• Tomorrow at 5:00 PM is the CA/PA vs. A/RHD softball game. I will actually be able to make it this year. My Dad will be joining in to watch the game as well. I hope we do well. Check out the game at the softball field behind the parking ramp at UWO.

I think that's all for now. Peace.

New Indiana Jones Movie: Meh... (**spoilers**)

I had an opportunity to see the new Indiana Jones today. As the title of this entry seems to indicate, the movie was OK. It could have been much worse. The movie was entertaining for the most part and I am glad that I saw it. Let's break things down, both good and bad.

The Good

• I appreciated that they paid homage to the other three movies. Early on, there were a few references to the first movie. Would have liked to here, "It belongs in a museum." They also used the red line moving across maps to show travel.
• The dialog was actually good...especially for a Lucas film.
• I liked Shia in this film. A great improvement over his role in Transformers.
• I liked the move to the 50s...it seemed like a good transition for the films and seemed natural.
• The aged Indy worked. The old jokes were sprinkled throughout and they did a good job explaining the jump forward.
  

The Bad

• The soundtrack seemed uninspired...I really only appreciated the borrowed themes from previous movies.
• The ending was over the top. In fact, the whole "alien" concept wasn't really needed.
• I am willing to give these movies a few liberties, but some of the stuff they pulled was just stupid. The whole "duck of the cliff and into the tree" thing was the worst offender. The monkey scene was also pretty lame.
• Ford seemed to force his role for the first 20 minutes. It seemed to get more natural as the movie went on.

On a scale of 1-10, I'd give it a 6.5. Entertaining, but not close to the scope on movies #1 and #3.

4th Annual Memorial Day Service Coverage

For the 4th year, I covered the church service at FUMC Oshkosh. Although I joked about it with the congregation, it was probably the largest crowd I have seen for a Memorial Day service. It probably has something to do with the fact that the choir is still singing and they make up a chunk of the congregation.

I am feeling more and more comfortable doing the services for the church. It felt more natural and less forced. I didn't need to script as much. It showed in the prayers and especially the sermon. Certain parts I read from my sheets and other I improvised. That is how I best operate.

Now that it is over, though, I feel like I can enjoy my weekend. It still makes me a little nervous ;).

Come On, Brewers!

As I have said before, I am not a die-hard Brewers fan. I follow the team and watch the games when I can and feel as though I know most of the players and can carry a decent conversation about the team.

Last year, the Brewers exceeded most people's expectations and their late contention for a playoff spot made for an exciting summer. Braun won rookie of the year and Fielder was mentioned in certain circles for possibly being the MVP. The team seemed to be having fun.

Given their success last year, it seems the expectations have increased. With the Brewers in a division with a strong Cubs and Cardinals team, it will be difficult for them to copy the success of last year. It doesn't look like the team is having fun and I wonder if the pressure to succeed is getting to them.

They are four games under .500 and haven't been playing good ball. They only have 2-3 years with this young core before they all begin to demand more money. They have Braun signed, but Fielder will definitely be looking for money after this year. What about Hardy? Weeks? Hart? Gwynn jr.? It should be interesting.

Game 2 against the Nationals tonight. Let's hope for a victory!

The Memorial Day Weekend Preview

As has become a tradition for me over the last few years, I will be the RHD on Duty this weekend for the Department of Residence Life. I am allowed off-campus, but I can't leave the city of Oshkosh. When you add in that it is a three-day weekend, it makes for a nice long weekend to hopefully get some things done. What's on tap?:

• I need to get final preparations done for the church service on Sunday. My sermon on Sunday will be reflecting on Matthew 6:24-34. There are some memorable quotes about not being able to serve two masters (see picture) as well as the lilies of the field. It has been interesting preparing material for the sermon. I think it will go well. They get easier to put together the more I do it...imagine if I did it every week? ;)
• Christa and I will continue to play Rock Band. She and I have enjoyed the flexibility of jumping between lead guitar, bass guitar and drums while playing the World Tour Mode. I am slowly getting the hand of drums. I am also working through the Solo Tour on guitar on expert. Thirty songs down, 15 to go. I will say that it is at least easier that Guitar Hero 3. Hopefully I can make my way through it. Fifty achievement points on the line :).
• I am also hoping to get a jump on writing the adventure for the June 27-28 AD&D weekend marathon we will be having. I am hoping with some designated time for preparation, I can make a really nice, detailed adventure that will have a good balance of fighting, role-playing and even a few puzzles. You can fit a lot into 14 hours.
• I may end up seeing a movie this weekend. The summer blockbusters are starting to pile up and I need to make a dent in the list.
  
• Otherwise, it will be a time to rest and relax from the craziness of move out last weekend.