DAY 93 Christmas Day

I was finally able to get in somewhat of a Christmas spirit today. I drank a lot of coffee, ate a lot of ham, and watched the snow fall for about a half hour before reading a book I was given and playing my bass A LOT. Countdown, one week to not working. I do have an emissions test to pass, so I have to work on my truck a little. But I'll worry about that later. Uh. I'm hungry.

oooooooohhhh

FUUUUUUUUUUUUDDGE

"Only I didn't say fudge."

But I am going to go eat it.

Day 90...I think

So I'm exhausted. I've spent the last six days working full time at the music store doing what I used to; dealing with people's junk and talking to nice and friendly people (it's a mixed bunch.) I've had fun for the most part, excluding today when I had to dig through wet garbage in the Northwest drizzle, looking for something that was attached to a case that belonged to a customer. It shouldn't have been pulled off in the first place, but it was for some reason, and I dug for about a half hour before I gave up. I luckily didn't have to face the guy again, and someone else took care of it for me. The guy knew I was digging through trash, so he seemed a little nicer the last time I talked to him after I'd been out for 20 minutes. Everything else was ok. Restrings, talking to people, so on and so forth.

I noticed today that I am halfway hesitant to tell people"Merry Christmas." Because half the time I say it, people walk away from me uncomfortably. And I refuse to wish people a "nice holiday." Every once-in-a-while, someone smiles and says "Merry Christmas to you, too." It was great when Dale (former owner) said to "Put 'Merry Christmas' on the readerboard. Forget all this holiday bull s---."

"Yes, sir."

I don't know what it is. Why don't people call it what it freaking is? Because no one actually calls it "holiday" in their own house.

I'll just have to deal with it.

I'm hungry.

Day 86. I Really Don't Like Vancouver

So I'm back in Vancouver. I have gotten my job back at Beacock Music as a shop boy, although I do a lot of anything but what I used to. I've spent the last few days merch-ing. Which sucks, but it's work and it occupies my time nicely. I did get to go snowboarding on Saturday, and that was great, to get out with friends and have fun in the snow.

Don't have much else to say. I'm going to try not shaving until the 6th of January. Dirk-a-Lurk. Si-Guy. I am going to make your beards look full.

So we're watching The Santa Clause and my mom just started crying...like, happy moment-crying. And we're laughing at her. It's funny.

That's pretty much it. Taking it easy. I have three worship team rehearsals this week to get ready for Sunday. Fun.

82

DANGIT I just freaking got here and I miss Bellingham already. I do get to go snowboarding tomorrow, so that's exciting. It's also supposed to DUMP tonight.

So I'm currently watching Saving Private Ryan. And trying to figure out what else to do with myself. I have tried getting ahold of my boss to see if he has any work for me over break, and I've heard nothing back at all. So I may have to pursue working someplace else.

Um. That's it.

Day 81- What. In. The. World.?!

So these last few days have been kind of crazy socially. I was done with my finals yesterday morning, but wanted to jump off of a building when I figured out all the drama that came out of NOWHERE. David and Cameron, who were roommates, are now no longer roommates, as David has moved across the hall in with Mike, as there was an openning in his room. Now, Cameron has no roommate. I also have been hanging out with the 3rd-Floor Girls (as I call them, they live above me) and there is ALWAYS stuff wrong up there.

Remember John? Of course you do. Well, he wanted to stay until the 23rd of Dec. Problem is, as things currrently stand, he can't. So he's moving out to another place on campus that he can. OH. MY. GOODNESS! So I really feel like my mind and heart have been in the right place for the last few weeks, which is why it came as a kind of shock to me. It's nothing personal, and I know that. But we were just starting to talk more. I understand him better, and while he drives me batty sometimes, on the whole I feel like I've been good at loving him.

And he's moving.

Again, I know it's not personal, but the timing's SUUUPER wacky. I've been told by many people that if they were in my position, they would have been gone the first week of school, and that it's amazing that nothing's come up between us. I don't really think it's amazing. But anyway. What if he gets a new roommate that isn't as nice and lenient as I am? I suppose I am now worried about him. He's a big boy, and he can do what he wants without me interferring in his life.

As soon as he gets his room assignment, I am helping him move all of his stuff (there isn't that much of it, we're guys) into his new room, and to complicate things he has a Biology final at 2:30 and I am leaving at about 6 tonight to go home (HA Vanacouver isn't home, but that's where home cooked food and a bed are.) It's going to be an interesting day. It's probably a good thing that no one else is around, as half our suite has left. Less hanging out.

Maybe God's decided I can be a better friend to this guy if I'm not living with him. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

And we'll see who, if anyone, moves in with me to take John's place. It'll be hard to fill. I kinda like the guy.

Day 80- Finals Done, I can have fun now.

Woke up this morning for an 8 AM final, which I rocked, by the way. I then realized that it was somewhat dry, and decided to drive to the skatepark and get my shred on. I did pretty well for about an hour, until I knocked my knee with my skateboard. Hard. It was the kind of injury that didn't look like it hurt that much, but it did. It made me feel like I had to throw up, it hurt so much. I limped back to my truck, sat there for a second, then went and got gas and Starbucks, and here I am. If the weather stays ok, we might get a slackline going in a bit.

And that's it. I'm driving home tomorrow night. I think, because it's gonna start getting boring here pretty quick.

Day 76

Can someone explain to me exactly why Blackboard is down the weekend before finals??? This simply does not make sense, even to myself, as I fail to make sense a fair amount of the time.

I'm listening to Kenny Loggins right now, by the way. Just thought I'd let you know.

It had to be sunny today, because I actually have to stay in my room and work on finals. Maybe in awhile I'll go out and try to slackline, but it's sorta cold out.

I hurt myself a fair amount last night jumping off of a loading dock about three feet high. I managed to stick a kickflip off of it somehow, but I never got it as good as I wanted. I was hurting too much by the time I finally got it that I just called it good and rode away. I saw the rent-a-cops too, so I was pretty paranoid about getting caught and getting a ticket, since I'm not allowed to skateboard in the "Land of the Free."

Went to CCF last night, and we sang my favorite Christmas song "Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel." It's my favorite as of now, pretty much because I just love the words, regardless of whether He already has come. The last line of one of the verses gets me every time "Bid thou our sad divisions cease, and be thyself our king of peace." Our something like that. Bid thou our sad divisions cease. I LOVE THAT. As I mentioned in an earlier post, fighting over dirt. That would be a sad division. Being mad at someone for something dumb they did. Sad division.

I'm sick of that stuff.

75

I love Bellingham on days like today. High of maybe 40 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. I love the way I feel on days like today. Breathing sort of stings, but it feels like it's doing some good. From the Viking Commons (one of the three places from which mediocre-terrible sustenance can be acquired) the view of B-ham Bay can be seen without obstruction, except by a seagull that likes to hang out at the window and watch us eat.

Just got done skating for about an hour and a half, so my legs are a little rubbery. I bombed down the hill at the Ridge all the way from the Ridgeway Commons (another one of the three places mediocre-terrible sustenance can be acquired.) It's a steep, windy road with numerous potholes that must by maneuvered around, and luckily there's enough room to powerslide in order to ditch some speed. Anyway. That was fun.

I'm gonna finish up a few things for homework now, before I head off to CCF tonight.

Day 73- My Contribution

I really just don't want to work on my finals right now. It's to the point, though, that I have don't just about everything there is to do. Reading used to be my excuse: I'm caught up on my reading. I've tapped out my brain on stuff to write for this blog. I think I should just unplug from the internet. Except that I need it to look stuff up for the papers.

Woke up this morning, got to class on time. Class was uneventful. Came back to the room, started typing. Did that for awhile, then Mike walked in and distracted me for way longer than he should have. Then, I found some packing material, the great big bubbly kind, which I stomped on and laughed maniacly. This, of course, drew the attention of Alexandra and her friend Christine, who were below me hanging out. In addition, it no doubt drew the attention of Megan, whom I was told was below the room adjacent to mine attempting to take a nap, and groaning as I went to town on the packing material. Alexandra and her friend came up and hung out, allowing me to not write my essays for at least a half hour. I then wrote a little bit more, but not much. Then I went to dinner, then I came back, and here I am.

Ok. I really am just wasting time. I'm gonna go take a whiz and then work on my essays.

Day 72- New Ways to Not Write a Paper

My final essays are due next Tuesday. I am stuck on one of them, so common sense would suggest that I simply begin the other. But that would involve being productive. So I'm gonna sit, watch the rain fall and the wind blow and listen to John Mayer.

Found out yesterday that I overdrew on my bank account THREE TIMES, and so I owe the bank $32 for EACH one. It sucks that my four dollar Oregon burrito cost me $36. In addition, my truck has to take an emissions test this year before I can get it licensed. OK. My truck is not environmentally friendly. I know this. It's a 1984 carbureted 2.8 v6 Chevy S-10, with 125,000 miles on the second engine. I just dumped $1700 into it so that it would run like a champ again. Here's the thing. This car was not meant to run like a champ AND pass emissions simultaneously. Which means that I have to take it in to get it not polluting, and then take it back once it passes to make it run well. I just don't have the money for this right now. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to pay my room-and-board next quarter.

I was also thinking: Why do I have to have my truck licensed? What difference does it make? I don't think most people know. I have been reading the book 1984 (OK. I just realized that the book title matches the year of my truck...) and there's a big emphasis on surveillance via telescreen. I cannot help but feel that in registering my truck, I am being tracked. With every swipe of a debit card, credit card, Western Card, with every phone call I make, every song I download, every Facebook comment I leave, The Man is tracking me. And it's freaking true. Right now, someone could go "Huh, I wonder what Brandon's doing...Oh. He's on Blogger in his dorm at 921 Ridgeway-Gamma writing about how I'm watching him." I post my address because they know it already. We're freaking being tracked, folks. In the name of freaking patriotism, we're being tracked. Thank goodness I have nothing to hide.

I have realized recently that I don't trust our government. Anything that comes out of the White House, I just turn it off because it's a bunch of crap. After years of saying "Sanction Iran, they're making nukes" and threatening them with World War Freaking-III, it's "Um. They haven't actually been making them since 2003. But it's good that we're keeping an eye on them." SO what's the truth? All the evidence you've given us... where'd you freaking get it? Oh. You made it up? No way. Where have I heard this before...thank goodness we aren't at war with the accused country when you told us.

Ok. I think I've vented enough. qrjmnha[n jgaq

Day 71- I-Wish-I-Were-Dead Week

Um. Not a whole lot's going on right now, just finding new ways to waste time.

Woke up this morning to my mother so graciously reminding me that my brother and sister went to Switchfoot-Relient K last night and got to meet Switchfoot. Gr. Oh, and my parents went to Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Grr. So three of my favorite bands are playing and I am in the middle of Dead Week.

Found out I did halfway decent on my history papers. I got about the equivalent of B's in both. Ok. I have to unhook myself from the internet right now. too distracted...

Day 70-Dead Week Begins Tomorrow

Before I start killing myself with schoolwork today, I should get this over with. I just ate pancakes, sausage, hashbrowns, and cheesy potatoes. Can we say "backed up?" I just know it's gonna be troublesome.

Our snow is almost gone, because it's been raining all morning. It's not really that much fun to watch go away, and I realized that when I move somewhere else, I want the snow to stay all winter.

Here's the other thought I had the other day (remember how I was saying that I would write about it later? Here it is.) For those of you that don't know, which I guess might be a lot of you because I am not very open about it unless I know people are going to be receptive to my opinions, I am a little bit of a socialist. I tend to give a little bit of validity to Marx's writings, and I think the main reason they haven't come to pass is that in the places that it could have worked, communism was forced. Marx writes that it can't be, that it comes naturally. SO. Social conditions have to be right for socialism and eventually communism to take place.

As a side note, because I know what you're thinking (other than "This guy's a LUNATIC,") I don't think it can work in America, not now at least, because the way the wealth is spread out in this country makes most people a bourgeoisie (people who own the means of production,) the very people who are to be overthrown when communism "inevitably" occurs. The proletariat (working class) isn't large enough for this to happen. Yet.

So. The very idea of socialism is that the government essentially takes care of everything for you. Yeah, you pay a lot of taxes, but you would have government provided health care and so on. Yes. It also means that there's no private property, an idea I struggle with because I like my stuff. Marx also suggests doing away with family structure, saying it's a way of keeping wealth in the hands of a few, which I sort of agree with but I wouldn't go so far as to abolish the family structure.

We are all familiar with capitalism, at least in practice. This is essentially a merit system. The harder you work, the more you get, and the more you get, the "better you are" in terms of society.

This is my thought. I base my political or ideological beliefs (or whatever) on a certain passage in the Bible, Acts 4:32-7. Godly communism. At least that's how I interpret it. And I got to thinking: what part of salvation is a merit system? By grace. Through faith. It's not of ourselves, it's a gift from God. And no one can gain it themselves.

Ok. So maybe it's not that profound. But I thought it was worth sharing. It's now time to do homework.

Day 69- First Snow of the Season

Yes. It's true. It's snowing outside, just as the weather-people predicted. Amazing. It's too bad that 1.) I don't have my snowboarding stuff up here, so I can't hit any jibs, and 2.) I really have too much school work to do to go out and play in it. We're up to about 2 inches, I reckon, and here I am in this room right now trying to focus on school stuff. See how well it's working?

I also am accutely aware of one more reason I can't focus: John is still in bed. I don't know why that bugs me, because it shouldn't. I guess I just want to turn on all the lights, open the window curtains, and not have to worry about waking him up. But I know he's awake. He's just laying there. Wasting time. Maybe that's what bugs me. That I am up being productive (kinda) and he's not. As we all know, it's all about me.

I promise, God put this guy in my life for a reason. It makes me uncomfortable to have to deal with this stuff, but I know I have to. John makes my faults incredibly evident. I am a lookist, judging people by their appearance. I am impatient with him, due to his seeming ignorance of social norms. The list goes on. Some days it's easier. Like when I don't have to be around him all the time. Again, it's all about me.

I'm a hypocrite. For all of my rhetoric on civil rights, tolerance, and treating others as I'd like to be treated, I'm guilty of the very practices which I speak against. And it drives me nuts.

This is where I need the help of the six (?) people that read my worthless entry on the internet. I need prayer. A lot. I can't live with this guy like this for another six months. A big step has been taken for me, and that's posting this entry. So. Pray that I would do something about this. Pray that I would rely on God more for feelings and actions that don't come easy.

John's up. This means that I can get back to my school stuff. The snow's done falling, too.

Day 67- Restless Again

It's a cold, bright sunny day up in Bellingham, and I can only imagine what the conditions are like on Mt Baker. It's days like these I wish I was a ski bum, or was free to do whatever. Actually, I would go shredding tomorrow if I had my stuff up here. As the mountains gather snowpack and the snow season shapes up, I think of what I'm gonna do when I get done being here. This summer is up in the air, and while I am contemplating being an RA next year, I would love to just not have a home this summer, driving around the western states until I figure out where I'm gonna wind up. SO much fun to think about! I do know that I need to get out of the country for at least a few days sometime soon.

John is still in bed, though he seems to be awake at this point in time. He looks to be coloring something...meh.

I was also realizing I really miss making music with people. Jamming along to my iTunes is cool, but it's not the same thing as playing with real people. I need to be active right now.
AAAHHH GOING CRAZY

Am I ever going to fit anywhere?! Am I continually going to wish I was somewhere else? Most of the time, I'm content being here, but its days like today that make me wish I lived on a mountain somewhere.

Day 66 random thought

So I was standing in line today, in two different places, actually. One was Miller Market, the other was at the VU waiting to get lunch. I realized that some people just shouldn't talk for no other reason than their voices are immensely annoying. Really. I could probably be included in that. Yeah, that's not the Christian thing to think or say, but it was a moment I had where I was internally screaming "SHUT. UP." I don't know if anyone else thinks about these things.

For what it's worth, and to make myself look a little more humane, it was a fleeting thought. In part because they actually stopped talking and went somewhere else. Or I ran from them.

That's it.

Day 65

I'm doing better, thanks for asking. I got my shizzle figured out and it feels good. I have a chunk of time I am going to use to explore some things I've been thinking about in my copious amounts of free time. I may write one now and one at a later date. We'll see what happens.

I was recently asked by a friend what I thought of the peace talks set to take place between Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine and Ehud Olmert of Israel. A few things came to mind. Some of them I told him via Facebook, here are some other thoughts I had in addition to the ones I gave him.

First. It's great that Olmert and Abbas are trying to work things out. However. Don't let GW "help" them. Find someone else. It's ridiculous to me that he was (and is) so critical of what Clinton tried to accomplish, and yet here he is doing the exact same thing. He and the Hawks have been a disaster at foreign policy so far, and this is his last ditch effort at something worthwhile. Seriously. Make someone else do it.

Second. This just might work. Yes, they're optimistic. They were optimistic last time, too. I feel like the time is right for it, due to political stuff happening in Israel right now and the resurgance of the Likud party (Olmert is from the Labor party, I believe, because the Likud is very much against negotiations of this type. Well. Sharon was Likud. ANYWAY.) The opportunity may or may not arise for these talks again. Whether or not the agreement is recognized in future governments of Israel and Palestine, only time will tell.

Third. Even if this does work, you've still got Hamas in all their militancy that don't recognize Israel, and thus won't recognize any of their agreements. So. People are still going to die.

This isn't really a point I wanted to make, but I wanted to mention it. Saudi Arabia will be represented at these talks. This is interesting because they still don't recognize Israel's right to existance. They are clearly on the side of Abbas. But they will be there. They have a lot of clout because they have oil, so we'll see what happens.

The other thing. And I have been thinking about this for awhile. One of the things on the table is to be Jerusalem and who gets it. To Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike, it's a holy place. Not to me. I believe Jerusalem used to be God's city. When Jesus died for us, it lost that special significance. God dwells within the Christ follower. The Church is his city, we are his chosen nation. Does that make sense to anyone but me?

Speaking as a budding historian, Jerusalem does indeed have historical significance. However. It's still dirt. It's a man-made place with man-made significance. Mortar, brick, stone, plaster, whatever. It's dirt. There's nothing holy about it. Same with Mecca, Medina, Bethlahem. I can't be any holier by visiting any of these places. There are so many things that matter more. Family. Friends. Time. Having a relationship with God. Music. So people fighting and blowing themseves up over who gets what holy site seems ridiculous to me. It's dirt.

Also, I must recognize there are differences in beliefs between a 20 year old caucasion male from Bellingham, Washington, a 60 year old Jew from Jerusalem and a 30 year old Palestinian that grew up in a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.

What does make sense to me, though, is the whole issue of people living in refugee camps because Europeans decided to kick out the people who were living in Israel and decided that the Jews deserved it more. I sympathize with the Palestinian's plight. I know I wouldn't like it if someone from Russia (or something) came knocking on my door and told me I had fifteen minutes to vacate because the land I live on was once the land of Native Americans, and now it was being given back to them. That would suck. I'd deal with it, but it would be lame.

So that's one thought. I will do the other one some other time.

Day 63- Back Home

So I went home this weekend for Thanksgiving. Now, though, I'm home. In Bellingham. Because although there are some awesome things in Vancouver (thank you, friends!) I like it here better.

I would like to take this moment to express a few things. One: Thank you so much, you six people that read this, however often. It's awesome that you care about what I think and what's happening in my life.

Two: I'd like prayer. I have some things I have been thinking and praying about a ton. I won't go into specifics, because they aren't important. Just keep me in your prayers.

I all of a sudden feel quite...lame...overwhelmed, perhaps? The five hours of driving and two hours of rocking out I did this morning probably aren't helping the situation. I felt very encouraged by worship this morning, even though it's very different than church up here. Yeah, I played guitar, but I see things looking out at people that someone standing in the congregation doesn't notice. I'm gonna leave it there for now. I'm taking a walk.

Day 61

Tired...I actually really miss Bellingham right now. I can't spend 4 hours in front of a TV by myself up there.

This morning I woke up at about 9:30, made coffee, and dashed out the door to the parts store. I spent the morning dealing with the belts on my truck, and it turned out to be more of a hassle than I thought it would be. Went and got lunch with James, then went to Costco and
Bi-Mart in search of a mini-refridgerator for my dorm in B-ham. I did find one, thanks for asking, then plopped my sorry butt right in front of the TV with my crochette hook, watched TV for awhile and then played Guitar Hero for about 45 minutes, meaning that everything I see resembles somewhat of a shape-shifting blob.

So I pretty much had a day running errands and being at home. I think I need to sit and read for a bit though...I have some stuff I have to catch up on.

Sorry, no big thoughts today.

Day 60- Thanksgiving Shouldn't Start This Early

I am up early this morning for no other reason than having to drive two hours to get to our family gathering. We call it the TDA - like when a rabbit get's pulled from a hat- for Tai, Adent, Douglass. Usually the TDA involves being at some location that's near a body of water or a mountain. But anyway.

Do ya'll (yes, all three of you) know how funny it is that we pick one day out of our lives to be thankful for all we've been giving. I've been really blessed with friends and family, and there are more days out of the year that I realize this. However, there aren't as many of them as there should be. Just a thought.

So Happy Thanksgiving. Everyday. I love you all.

Day 58: Let's Bash Jesus, Round 2

Ok. So that's not entirely accurate. The people who were bashed are people I would say deserve it. Like Pat Robertson (I think he is the one that said Arial Sharron [former PM of Israel for those of you care] deserved to have a stroke) and Rush Limbaugh. And mostly just religion in general.

So here's the context. Reading this book called "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood, in which religion has become the state. Yes, it's distopic, the story of a woman in this society. It's in the northeastern part of our country..which has been historically....PURITAN. Yay for those who knew that. Anyway. In this country, the Republic of Gilead, who are fighting a perpetual war with the Baptists, and this woman, and all women, are entirely under the thumb of men. Their sole purpose is for reproduction, and sex in Gilead has no pleasure what-so-ever. People don't even get naked while it's happening. And here's the crazy part. Atwood incorporates biblical scripture, verses that ACTUALLY exist, to justify the actions of those in the society. For example. Remember the story of Hagar? You know, Sarai's servant who was given to Abraham to have Ishmael? Yeah. She quotes it. It's justification for sex between a man and the handmaidens (yes, this guy has like thirty of them,) since children are scarce. It's completely Puritan to the max extreme, beyond how even the Puritans did things. Wrong-doers, whether they performed an abortion 10 years in the past, or recently had a homosexual affair, are killed, then hung on a hook with a bag over their head for all to see. They call it the Wall.

This is absolutely terrifying. If this happened, I'd go live in the mountains where no one could find me and probably freeze to death. As we discussed this, numerous people spoke up saying they thought this could realistically happen. I sure hope not.

It made it a little better to hear religion bashed when I myself am critical of it sometimes. I believe that God himself would be critical of a society such as the Republic of Gilead, due to the complete absence of love in the society. As a result, so am I. I was truly terrified reading this book. And I still have more to read. Fun.

The sun is out. And I'm going home tonight. I'd better go enjoy the skating while I can. Peace out, and enjoy whatever you've got going for the day.

Day 56 "That's What I Love About Sunday..."

Woke up this morning and went to church with Alexandra and Mike. Rocked out to DC Talk on the way and just had a blast the whole time. Came back, went to breakfast, now here I am finding new ways to procrastinate. I've already sent about eight Facebook messages, now I am trying to find ways to not read this crappy science fiction novel I have to read for my English class. My skateboard is calling me "Brandon. Brandon." And I think I'm gonna give in. Curses. Skateboarding, here I come.

Day 55. Tired.

So I spent yesterday afternoon writing a paper that's due Monday. "But why? It's only Friday." You ask. Well, it's because of a few things. First. It was wet outside, which means I can't slack line or skateboard, the two staple activities of my procrastination. Second. NOTHING was happening in this general vacinity. Usually, we can get a Halo game going in all of five minutes. But not today. One of us (being suitemates) was on the phone with his girlfriend. Another was either in class or writing. A lot. The other five were nowhere to be found. So, my intention was to write until I got distracted and call it a day. I did go to CCF (one of the on-campus ministries here) and got super high on God, which was amazing. I returned to my dorm, grabbed my skateboard and went to one of the dry spots I know of and worked on switch and nollie heelflips for awhile, then returned to the dorm to get distracted somewhere else. I recieved an invitation to get drunk, but I think I said "We'll see." Still, at 9:30, everyone was gone or busy. I at this point completely finished my paper, and wrote the bibliography too. I was completely done at about midnight, which was precisely when everyone decided to emerge from their holes. Four of us played several round of Halo, then Cameron and Mike decided to have a "really bad writing contest." by this time it was nearly 2:00 AM, and David and I mindlessly mashed buttons on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater while Mike cracked up at his own writing. The results of said contest were golden, with all of us crying from laughter and Mike almost pissing himself he was laughing so hard. After more button mashing, I called it a night at 3:30, and slept until 11 this morning. John is still asleep, or at least trying to be. I am awake, but don't know what else to do because my paper is done. I'm thinking of trying to knit. But I am unsure at this point. We'll see. I could go skate too. That was a lot of fun, but I usually try to avoid that during the day because the rent-a-cops throw a hissy fit.

Day 52- Meant to Live

Woke up today feeling darned close to amazing. I did have a bit of a headache, but it went away as I got up and moving. It's cold up here, so I huffed to to my classes sucking on more vitamin C. As I finished classes and went to lunch, I was lucky enough to get a window seat, and stared out at the Canadian Coastal mountain range. There looked to be fresh snow on some of the peaks, and I pretty much remembered my love of winter, snow, and the mountains right there. I immediately grew incredibley restless, thinking "How in the world and I gonna get out of here?" Being a college kid is rough enough, but it's even rougher when you have somewhat of an adventurous spirit and want to see the world. I put on Switchfoot's album "Beautiful Letdown" and just looked at creation, and I wanted to see it all. I thought of dropping all my classes, taking "W's" on all of them, and moving to Sandpoint, Idaho. Or maybe Bozeman, Montana. I thought of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and finally settled on Winter Park, Colorado. Yeah, there's no mountains back east. Sorry. Ya'll may think they're mountains, but they're just big hills.

I love mountains. And going fast down them.

HEHE. I get the giggles. Who wants to be adventurous with me? I'm thinking of maybe going to Alberta at some point...been there twice and loved it both times...

Day 51

The night before last, an immense amount of crap blew around outside. I emerged from my dorm at about 11, after more typing on a paper, to discover branches and debris everywhere. Trees were broken in half. Our dumpster had rolled east to the top of the ridge, where it promptly fell over. I also spent the day sick, much of it in bed and when I wasn't sick in bed, I was in the library writing my paper.

Today, I stayed in bed resting through my classes, then went to the store to buy drugs for my aching head. I picked up some Buckley's (those of you who have been sick in Canada know the stuff,) tissues, and vitamin C hard candies. I do feel much better, thank you for asking, though I still have some stuff to get over.

Otherwise, I spent today reading and putting finishing touches on my paper. That's pretty much the extent of it.

I'm hungry again. I put onions and BBQ sauce on my chicken burgers at dinner, and it was pretty close to being fantastic.

Day 49-SPLAT! That's crap hitting the fan...

So today, I woke up at about 11, ate, did laundry, typed on my paper, and talked on the phone. That's about the extent of it, though around 9:15 I decided I needed some alone time and drove my truck on the freeway up to Birch Bay. Then I turned around, got Arbys, and came back. Plans were in the works for another fast food run, but I feel myself getting a cold and that's pretty lame. Tomorrow I have to get a bunch of school stuff done, so I would prefer to not be sick while that's happening.

Tootles.

It'll be Thanksgiving soon.

Day 46

Slept like crap last night. Went to sleep at about midnight with every light on, because John was still working on school stuff (or YouTube-I never know-) I had a crazy dream or spasm or something. All I know is that the lights were still on at 2:00 when I woke up yelling "NO!" and swatting my empty water bottle across the room. I remember this because John said, at this point -and I know he was talking to me because we made eye contact- "Way to go, Spiderman!" WHAT!??! That was it, because I was out again like a light. But not like ours. Because John woke me up again at 5:00 getting into bed, and didn't bother to turn the lights off. So I got up and turned all the lights off before climbing into bed once more.

Otherwise, today has been alright. I've been analyzing letters from Chinamen in John Day OR in the really late 19th century pretty much all afternoon, except for the phone call I made and the late lunch break I took right after class to go meet my friend James who was in town for the day.

Overall, I think I need to have a breakdown every once in a while to keep me from getting too comfortable, and that's what happened last night. There's a lot of things I still have to do, but it looks a little less daunting now.

Read the first half of Ecclesiastes again. Man, I love that book. I also came across a quote in one of the letters I've been working on. "Who could know that Fate is always opposite to man's design?" It's like Murphy's Law, except cooler sounding.

I think that's it for today. Overall status, I'm doing well.

45 Days of this Insanity

Today, I woke up at about 10 and made it to all of my classes, then ate lunch. Then, I came back to my dorm and spent two hours analyzing this letter from a Chinese immigrant, written in 1897. I developed two pages worth of notes on a two page letter. My head hurts. Then I pretty much played guitar, ate dinner, sat around, went to a suite meeting. No, it wasn't "sweet." It sucked. Then I watched TV, played Halo, and here I am.

Pray-ers out there. Pray for God's peace in me. Pray that I would have wisdom in all that I do and how I spend my time. It's pretty much all hitting the fan in the next week and a half, and a pot of coffee is not always an option. In addition, my brain pretty much shuts off to anything academic at about 10 PM, so pray that I would get good sleep and think clearly. It's gonna get loud around here the next few days (for the record, I will not be participating in the "festivities,") so pray that no one gets hurt Thirsty Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. And I guess Sunday too, because Monday is Veteran's Day.

I think that's all.

This is my head hitting the keyboard.


7u7u

nh

Day 44. I had another one of my thoughts today

What is morality? Can anyone put a definition on it? Yet we call upon governments to regulate it, and design political parties to promote it in order to gain power in government. I know you all (all two of you who actually read this thing) know of the Moral Majority. This implies that the rest of people (non-believers according to the logic of those minds) can't possibly be moral because they don't belong to the right political party. Since I'm on my soapbox now, I have heard that a Democrat -or Liberal (you're supposed to say it with a sneer)- and I'm referring right now to Ann Coulter's book Godless, are less moral than Republicans, making the bold assertion that a belief in God is what seperates Liberals from Conservatives. I have to note here, though, that I acquired this information via TV interview with the author, and I haven't actually read the book. Yeah I know, I'm supposed to leave that out because it detracts from my argument, but it's better than someone asking me about it and me saying "Uh, yeah, I haven't actually read that." So there it is.



I'm upshifting now, since going 60 mph in third can be kind of grating. Except I'm going to skip fourth and go straight to fifth. The reason I ask this question of morality is that there are so many people that don't have Christ in their life that believe that murder, lying, and cheating are wrong. I was watching an interview with Jon Stewart and Chris Matthews in which Chris Matthews had written a book arguing that one should live their life like a politician, doing everything they could to stay on top of the system. Much to my delight, Jon Stewert let this guy HAVE IT. Stewart said that Matthew's book saddened him, that someone would promote deception (which Matthews specifically mentions) and say that that would lead to a better life for that individual. (It was also very funny because the next day, in response to Matthew's comment on the air that this was "the book interview from hell," Stewart said that it was too bad that Matthews had expected the interview to be good, because Stewart had taken the time to read Matthews' book, but Matthews had apparently neglected to ever watch Stewart's show.)



On morality though, and I am so sorry this is so disjointed, I am pretty much free-writing at this point, most of us have this innate sense of what is write and wrong. For one, to kill another human being for no reason at all is wrong. To sleep with someone else's spouse is generally considerred wrong. Now, in a non-western society, this may not be the case. And that's why I don't know what morality is. I know what I believe is moral, but my morals are likely completely different from someone elses.



I have long struggled with this idea of tolerance. Is morality dependent upon the society in which you live? I don't believe so. I am going to be "intolerant" at this point and say that there are certain things that are wrong no matter where you are. However, it's not likely I will call someone out for breaking my idea of morality. I can think one one case recently in which I had to, because I felt that it caused people to derive certain things about me that just weren't true. And of course, if we're friends and of the same belief system and you do something I believe is questionable, I will at least ask about it. For the record, I would expect my friends to do the same thing with me.



Anyway. I think my mind is tapped out on this right now. I know this, because it's starting to hurt.



Last night, John left at around 11 and I haven't seen him since. There are hardly any clothes in his closet, and he left in a hurry, although I wasn't paying attention, I just heard the door slam. I know I shouldn't, but I worry about him sometimes. I hope he didn't get hit by a truck or something. I like him too much.



It does at this point appear that B-ham has decided to rain at last, after yesterday's glorious sunshine. So I sit in my room, think, type, and play guitar, thinking about how I should be reading two books for tomorrow's lecture and discussion.

So I should probably do that.

Hope everyone's days were awesome. Or at least better than mine.

Day 42. It Took Me 6 Hours To Get Here

This weekend, I paid a visit to my hometown, the 'Couve, to play the bass on Sunday, which just happens to be today. While I was in town on "business," I was able to get out and hang out quite a bit. The end result: going to bed at about 2:00 AM each "night," not sleeping much last night, getting up and giving every ounce of energy within me back to God in worship, then hopping back on a train for a six hour ride to B-ham only to get pwned by my suitemates in a Halo match. I'm spent. AND I WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR THE WORLD. I had so much fun this weekend! And I want to that everyone who saw me or that I saw for the amazing weekend. Yeah, I'm wasted. But I can rest when I'm dead. So. Thank you. You're awesome.

Otherwise, things seem to be normal here. There's a bunch of school work I have to do here, with two papers due before Thanksgiving break. So I should probably go to sleep so that I can focus on school in the morning. That's all.

Day 39- What in the WORLD does that mean?

For the last few days, I've been thinking. We all know Jefferson's words (borrowed from my good friend John Locke) in the Declaration of Independance. Ya know. Inalieable rights, "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness."
The meaning of each of those terms depends drastically upon whom you ask.

For example. What is life? Breathing? Working in a cubicle all day crunching numbers? Cruising down a mountain with a piece of fiberglass strapped to your feet? Worshiping the Creator of all things in music, prayer or service? Climbing a mountain? Working in the garden? Partying until you start puking? These are all plausible answers. Here's the question; who is right? People may agree on who is right, but who really is? What Jefferson meant back in 1776 was likely completely different than what we mean now. He may have meant the simple act of breathing. Which I suppose means that people have the right to actually be alive. Ok. Fine. I'll buy that. But if all I did was breath, this would be some crummy, mundane existance.

Liberty. What does that mean? To be free? How free of a society is it when a group of friends can't ride their skateboards in a parking lot without being told that their fun is intolerable and that they can't skate on campus, like what just happened to myself a few minutes ago. The thing is, you can get a ticket for riding a skateboard anywhere in Bellingham. Some freedom. What would Jefferson say to that? Chances are, he didn't realize that the capitalism which he so willingly supported would grow so intense that the simple of breaking an arm could mean years of legal wrangling over who had to pay for it.

The pursuit of happiness. OK. This is the one that's really been on my thoughts. There's two parts to this: the "pursuit" part and the "happiness" part. The pursuit is intersting, because it sort of implies that happiness cannot be obtained. However. As a United States citizen, I have the right to try to be happy. Happiness. What does it mean to be happy? To me, the first thing that comes to mind is to be content with the situation, if only for a moment in time. Say, I'm playing the bass in a church service, and I'm helping lead people into the presence of God with the worship team, and while I'm playing, I feel so close to my Creator that I just want to dance. To me, that's happiness.

Reading in Ecclesiastes about "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity" That makes me happy, because it's a really righteous guy (Solomon) being brutally honest about the world.
Ecclesiastes is what actually got me on this topic. If you own Switchfoot's album Nothing is Sound, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. If you don't, you need to read the entire book of Ecclesiastes, then listen to the album again. Because it's definitely a driving force in Jon Foreman's writing. I'm a student of history, and every day I become more evident of this world's brokenness. Where others see beautiful cities, I see corruption, violence and a policy of forcing Native Americans to assimilate because white people "do it better." Pastors in big churches across the country being discovered in sexual sin. Wildfires burning down people's houses. Centuries of deception and distrust in the Middle East accelerated by oil hungry, faction splitting, deceiving imperialist nations.

That's why I like Ecclesiastes. It tells me I'm not alone. One of the wisest people in the history of the world felt the same way that I do. He comes to a few conclusions. One: Have fun while it lasts. You have one chance at life on this dustball we call Earth, so make it worth every second.
Second: "Fear God and his commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgement, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil."

We've got one shot. Make it worth it.

Day 36. Mid Terms are OVER!

I won't sugar coat it. The last few days have sucked, hard core. I spent my whole weekend writing essays and studying for midterms. Today, midterms behind me, I feel like a champ again. I feel like I can have fun and not feel guilty about what I should be doing.

To put an exclamation point on the day, I got a letter in the mail from my Grammie. Oh, how exciting! Those of you who have lived in dorms know the feeling. Day after day of going to the mailbox only to find it empty, finally to return one amazing day to find a letter. Now, this is where either the ultimate letdown or the greatest joy occurs; the moment you pull the letter out to find it addressed to either your roommate (lame for you) or to yourself (YAY!) I am actually very excited to write back. I love writing letters.

I am very stoked on playing the bass at this point in time. I kind of go through guitar phases and bass phases, but I am always excited when I get into a bass phase because I usually get better. Sorry to room-, stack-, and suite-mates for whatever racket my music may cause.

I am searching for my influences in my music. Here's a few:
Tim Foreman of Switchfoot
Paul Baloche's Bass player. If you know his name, please tell me. He's amazing.
John Entwistle of The Who.

That's just the bass, and I haven't tried to account for guitar influences. I know John Mayer is in there somewhere, though.

I am coming home this weekend, so those of you back in the 'Couve should give me a call and we'll see about hanging out. Heros is on now. Bye

Day 31. I've Been Here A Month!

Today was sort of a low point for me since I've been here. Midterms hit like a sledgehammer, along with the realization that if I don't work my butt off I may not get into grad school, and since I want to keep my options open, it would be wise to do so.

I missed friends from home, felt myself starting to get sick, and finished a crappy book, devoting three hours of my life only to find that the ending sucked and having to force myself to read about a subject I really don't care that much about.

A positive. I got a new phone today, which is fun. It's blue. :-)

And I missed a phone call from someone that I really wanted to talk to because I haven't in a very long time.

I'm listening to a lot of "classical" music lately, which could account for the headache, considerring that I'm wired to actually LISTEN to classical music and all the different parts to really get what the composer is writing. Yeah, Mozart, not so hard. Shostakovich, it's getting there. Debussy, OW. The guy was a flipping genius. I just can't listen to his music while doing anything else. It turns my head in so many directions it hurts.

I also can't wait for snow. I need to go REALLY fast down a hill again.

Oh. Read some Ecclesiastes as well. That'll bum you out, but it excites me to hear one of the wisest man ever to live talk so realistically about the world.

And I think I need to sleep now.

Day 30-Here Comes The Sun.

Woke up this morning to the sun beginning to come up over the horizon. Yeah, it was still dark, but you could tell it was gonna be nice out. And nice it was. Went to class in the morning, ate lunch, and spent about 2 and a half hours out on the slack line. Met some people, a few I had met before, and some I hadn't. One trippy thing happened, though. The more I talked to this girl out there, the more I knew that I knew here from somewhere. And I'm going "man, she sure reminds me of Alicia." Alicia was my 8th grade crush. I started asking questions and it was darned scary to run into someone I had a crush on seven years ago. And we met back up slack lining at the complete other side of the state. HOW CRAZY IS THAT?!

So anyway. John just closed the window, and is apparently adverse to fresh air and sunshine, making it unbelievabely hot in this room. Therefore. I am going outside again. Because I get all my energy from the fresh air.

If bats are nocturnal, what are we?

Day 25.

Woke up friggen early this morning, then went to class. Afterward, I went to talk to a TA for one of my history courses to get his feedback on something. He wasn't there in his office hours. GRR.

Heard back on my Mt Baker interview. Turns out I had been plucked for training. I was sort of excited and sort of not. On one hand it's "Sweet! A few extra dollars and a season pass!" However, I realized that having to work all of Christmas Break, Thanksgiving, Spring break, and every weekend until closing in April was really not worth the free season pass and $8 an hour I'd be getting. So I called back and declined. I am sort of thinking I'm an idiot right now, but I did what I thought felt the best. It'll hurt a little financially, but it's just not worth it to miss out on that much. I'll work over Christmas break or something. Ha. It's time to start thinking about that crap now.

I am coming home in two weeks. My momma called me up and said that the church was willing to fly me down to Vancouver to play the bass for a Sunday. They apparently have a prospect for a new worship leader (ANSWER TO PRAYER!) and they want me there to play. Sounds good to me. Home cooked food would be enough to get me there.

Speaking of food. I'm hungry. A lot. I should go find sustainance.

I missed dinner to watch a really stupid movie called Idiocracy. Sort of a dysutopic sort of situation where everyone is super stupid. Uh. Yeah. Waste of time.

Everyone take it easy. By everyone, I mean the maybe 2 people that actually care enough to read this.

Day 24. I Really Did Nothing Today

No. I'm serious. I should be so much busier than I actually am. I was in my room all afternoon and evening. I got out for a 30 minute skate-break, then came back and did more of nothing. I think I need to go meet more people, because this is abso-friggen-lutely ridiculous.

Other than doing the assigned reading, I listened to messed around on the guitar, played Halo with Cameron, listened to Dire Straits, played cards, and ate something that made me feel like crap and gave me really bad gas. No. I mean HORRIBLE. John even spoke up. Amazing.

The parents are coming in three days! I probably should figure out something for Evan and Kelsey to do. Mom is easy, she just wants to look at pretty buildings, look around campus, and go to a quilt shop. Dad is the chauffeur. I don't want Evan and Kelsey to be bored. It's such a cool town, and I want them to have fun. I still need to contact the parents and let them know what to bring, which is probably just going to be Risk, a few Xbox controllers, and a card table if they've got one. I can't really think of anything else.

I can't really think of anything else. Being alone a lot makes my mind wander. To those of you at home reading this right now, I miss you. A lot. Any time any of you are going to be in the area, don't hesitate to ring me. Bellingham is about an hour and a half north of Seattle. That's what I mean. Up-to or north-of Seattle. Call me.

Facebook is good, but it's no substitute for a real live person.

And that, I bid ya'll good evening.

Day 23. I think. It's Been Almost a Week

A lot has happened since I wrote last Wednesday. A few things kept me from writing. One, the prevailing sunshine over the weekend kept me outside and up late writing last minute papers. By the time I thought to write, I was snug in my bed saying "Rats, I forgot AGAIN!" I tell you all, I live in a beautiful place. My suitemate Brandon and I went on a hike and caught the last day of sunshine. From the top of the ridge to which we hiked I was able to see where exactly Bellingham is geographically. To the east: Mt Baker and the North Cascades, which really are different from the mountains back home. To the south are the Chuckanut mountains, which are really more like big hills than mountains, but they're still awesome. To the north the Coast Range of British Columbia is visable, although the sky has to be pretty clear to see them well. We hiked a little further down the trail and caught a view of the San Juans and the Puget Sound to the west. It's amazing. Ya'll really have to come up and visit!

I went to church on Sunday in the small town of Ferndale. Some friends from Vancouver had told me to check it out, so I did. It was almost entirely older people. In fact, I venture to say I was the only college kid in the room. Fun. Met the pastor, told him where I was from and so on. I doubt I'll go back, just because it was so far. And it was awkward. It seemed like they had a good thing going though. I got a real sense of community from them.

Got a letter on Saturday. I never thought I could be so excited ever in my life. SWEET! Someone wrote me a letter! It was from my grandma, and I just wrote her back today. Now I've just gotta get my act together and get the blasted thing in the mail. For which I have to go to the post office. Which is at the complete other end of campus. SUCK

I do believe that was everything eventful that happened. I am pretty tired, for reasons unknown. It's probably the crappy school food.

...

Until next time.

Peace.

Day 17?

GOOD NEWS! I was able to procure a parking pass for this year. It's a ways away from the dorm, but that's ok, because I don't have to worry about moving my truck every two days anymore for fear of being towed. It's certainly exciting for me.

In addition, my interview with Mt Baker Ski Area is tomorrow afternoon at 3:00. So pray for whatever needs to happen there to happen.

Finally got an email off about my analytical research essay proposal. Hopefully he says it's ok. I really don't want to think about another topic.

I am also finishing up a book for my American history class, and the subject matter which we are discussing is luckily something I find fascinating. This is good news. Learning things you don't care about sucks.

I found a group of guys for a sort-of Bible study. They call it "Core Groups." I'm not sure if it's Corps, though. I should double check. It's out of CCF, which is one of the on campus ministries here. Anyway, being there was super encouraging. I got this really strong feeling of comraderie, a kind of "we're all in this together" thing. Very cool. One of the guys got me to say I'd go to CCF on Friday, so I guess I'm doing that.

I really need to go to Costco and get some in-between-meal snacks. A big box of 'em. If anyone reading this is at Western and feels the same way, give me a call or Facebook me and we'll work something out. I do have a card and a car...

And an interview tomorrow.

And I'm hungry.

Day 16. Drank A Lot Of Water

Yes. I drank a lot of water today. Don't ask me why it's worth mentioning.

Woke up bloody early this morning, only to get to class, assignment finished and in hand, and have it be cancelled. Yes, there are worse things in this life, I just would have preferred to have not gotten up.

Did some looking on my history paper, figured out what I want to write about. I think I'm going to look at Chinese immigrants in Eastern Oregon, specifically John Day. Which, some of you know, is where I lived before moving to the 'Couve. It provides incentive for me to care. Otherwise, I went and check on my truck. It's still there. Did some reading for tomorrow, and I have all my stuff together.

It is time to investigate the possibility of food. And Halo. It's become a bit of a passtime in floors 1 and 2 of Gamma 9.

Now. Excuse me while I go frag my friends.

Day 15. Back in Swing

I woke up this morning and it was sunny! That was exciting and pretty much set the tone for the whole day. I wore flip flops and a tee shirt, I was productive, awake, and even got a fair amount of slack line and outside time in. I also played guitar a bit.

Yes, I did do my homework, and I have class at eight in the morning. JUNK

The weekend was good, I spent it at home and beat Halo 3, as well as hung out with the family and friends. I had both the Mooch AND Burgerville, neither of which is available in Bellingham. Overall, I felt rested, and I slept a LOT. It was nice. I ate real not-dining-hall food. It was nice.

Well. Halo. I think.

Day 13. Home for the Weekend

I am so sorry I've been slacking on these things. It seems as though I am continually preoccupied with other things. Last night I did some catching up on my bass playing, and I needed that a lot.

Drove down yesterday afternoon to good ol' Vancouver. Mostly ate stuff that wasn't school food, played Halo 3, and watched the Office. It felt good to veg.

Today wasn't much different. I woke up and Mom had chocolate chip coffee cake and a pot of coffee waiting for me. OH. MY. GOODNESS. It was like heaven or something. It was the coolest thing. You don't realize how cool it is until you have to skip breakfast and walk 10 minutes to get your coffee. PLUS it costs $1.25. That was pretty much the highlight of my day. I love my mom.

I just got back from Simon's new place. We (Pirate, Chadd, Simon and I) shot each other up on Halo 3. I won every game. That felt good.

I'm tired now.

Good night.

Or good morning.

Whichever you prefer.

Day 11. Sorry I Missed Yesterday

Today I went to classes, ate lunch, and then went and played outside all afternoon. Up here, a nice day means it's not raining. Today was a nice day. I got to skateboard. And I got to slack line. This is very cool.

So I did some research tonight. Well, kind of. I know what I want to propose for my analytical research essay. I requested a book from SUMMIT. And I'll read it and propose when it comes in. It will have primary source documents in the bibliography. It helps to know these things. Work smarter, not harder. Well. I could probably work a little harder.

I am going home. Tomorrow, actually, for the weekend. I am still a little hesitant, but the campus seems to kind of shut down on weekends, and it's kind of boring. I would go play outside, but it tends to rain as previously mentioned. So if you are a loyal reader of TTT (that's short for Trying To Think,) and you live in the 'Couve or surrounding area, give me a call this weekend if you are interested in hanging out.

I could probably use a hair cut.

Or not.

I am tired.

I want waffles.

And ice cream.

Day 9. ALREADY!?

Today was the first Monday of school I have had to endure here at WWU. I didn't have to get u very early, my first class was at 11, so I think I got up at about 10. Getting up earlier is useless because I can't have breakfast. I decided against it because not having breakfast was cheaper. I think I might splurge next time.

Endured my first round of Lets-Bash-The-Christians today. That was fun, especially because I don't know ANYONE at all. I wanted to stand up and just yell "OK I know the friggen Salem Witch Trials were bogus, I know that the Crusaders were after money, I know that the Native Americans living here were treated horribly..." and just go on and on down the list. It seems to me that the Puritans and the Church back in the Crusades seemed to forget about the most important element of Christianity, at least to me; LOVE. Kind of a big deal, considering we're saved from Hell because of it. I can expect many of these lectures in the future, of this I am sure.

Had my first waffle at dinner today, that seemed noteworthy. It's not really that cool, but I thought I'd mention it.

Went to the gym to climb around on the rock wall as well. I'm addicted, but I'm not gonna do it anymore until I get some chalk and some shoes that fit. JUNK, my hands hurt.

I also really want ice cream right now.

I also really want to go flip my board around a few times. I haven't skated since Friday!

Homework's done, but I can always read.

But I'm not going to.

BAM!

Days 7 and 8: The Weekend

I've slept really well this weekend, although I am definitely ready to go back to school.

Yesterday was spent doing...well, not that much. I crochetted a hat that fits a little better than the previous one, and is better at keeping the wind, rain, and elements. I made my way around Bellingham a little bit due to my getting lost. I found my way out to the road to Mt Baker, got a new skate deck, as well as some crochetting supplies.

I went to church this morning, and that was super fun, I had a pretty good time. It's different than Glenwood, for sure, but it was good for sure.

Went to the rock wall today for the first time. My arms are killing me, but I had a lot of fun climbing around and figuring things out. I will definitely be down there a lot, because it's a pretty short walk from my dorm.

I'm pretty wiped out, and don't feel like I have done that much, so I'll leave it at that.

Day 6. The First Friday

HAHA I just tried to show Dan, who lives down the hall from me, definitely drunk as a skunk, how to slack line. Probably the highlight of my day.

It's Friday night and I haven't really done that much yet. I went out and skateboarded for awhile and tried to get back a few of the tricks that I lost, it's a never ending battle to keep the ones I have somewhat decent.

Other than that, I consciously missed a free concert because I wanted to get some fresh air and keep my slackline-legs while the weather is still good. Which is why I'm sitting at my computer right now while stuff is going down all around me.

I made it off campus today to find some yarn (and of course I can't find my crochette hooks,) as well as some earplugs to make sleeping a bit easier. And if Alexandra hadn't been with me I would have kept thinking that the school provides laundry detergent. My, I still have much to learn.

So I am going to go and find something cool to do. I'm hoping to find a cool hike to take tomorrow, I've gotta get out of town for at least a little while. There's so much to explore!

Day 5. School Food's Starting to Suck

I was walking through the cafeteria yesterday only to see the same stuff I have been seeing for four days. I think I just got water.

My utopia class was yesterday, and it's going to be pretty interesting. It's a good think I like reading.

I'm going to apologize for the shortness of my day 5 experience. It really wasn't that eventful, mostly just read, listened to Car Talk, and attempted to brainstorm for an analytical research essay for which I have to write a proposal.

And now it's 10:07 AM of day 6, my first class isn't until 1:00, and I am listening to John Denver.

Day 4. JUNK

Woke up freaking early today. At like, 3:30 AM. That's really early, for those of you who didn't know. Went to class, pretty much no homework, although I did get a head start on the reading for my American history class. The professors seem knowledgable and pretty chill.

I really want to go find a mountain to climb. Or hike. Something besides walking up and down the hill of this blasted campus. I hear there's a rock wall in the Rec Center, but I don't particularly want to go by myself.

I am starting to get this swing of this college thing. You pretty much have to be outgoing or it's kinda boring.

I have to get up at about 7:00 tomorrow. Probably should call it a night before I get hungry and have to go get food.

Day 3. Why am I already tired?

John was still sleeping when I woke up this morning to meet with a history advisor. She was good, and had an interesting collection of books. Speaking of books, I bought them today as well, and that was lame because they cost a lot. They're all paperback and small, but I have about twelve of them to cart around.

I am starting to figure out where things are around here, and I also discovered that my dorm is about a 10 minute walk from anything. I did, however, hop on my skateboard for the first time in three days, which felt amazing. I got to go really fast down a big hill, and thought about bailing until I got the speed wobbles. At which point, I figured it was better just to ride it out than die with lots of people watching.

Also dumped water on my computer while attempting a handstand in my room (yes. I am an idiot.) So although it's mostly ok, the mouse wigs out every once in a while.

A few more things to mention and then I PROMISE I'm done. I found a place to park my truck, at least for a few days. I figure I'll check on it every day to make sure it's still there.

And, more good news. I got a call from Alexis at Mt Baker. They want me to come in for an interview! Super stoked on that one. I wasn't expecting to get a call at all, I figured they'd just find someone more qualified. I guess my outlook on customer service was ok. So hopefully they make me a lifty. That'd be cool. Or I could be a cashier and work indoors. That's be cool too. But I'd rather be outside, even if the weather does suck.

So that'll be all for today, I do believe. Classes are starting tomorrow. My first class isn't until 11:00 though. Definitely got spoiled on that one.

Day 2. For Lack of a Better Title

Woke up at 6:30 this morning to John waking up. Turns out he's an early riser. When I finally opened my eyes up, it was about 7:15, the sun was shining in them and John was half laying in his bed reading a phone book. What a way to wake up.

Went and got my card so I could eat free of hassle, then walked to the parking place. I had the pleasure of learning that I am number 53 on the waiting list for a parking permit. Sweet. Where do I park my truck, asked I. I got a shrug and a "well do you know anyone in town?" I guess that's administrative speak for "You're pretty much SOL." So I need to find a place to put my truck. If you are in the habit of praying, pray for that. In fact, maybe make an exception if you're not.

Met some more people, had fun, and so on and so forth. The night pretty much ended with Peter and I watching clips on YouTube of people getting hit with fast flying objects. Over and over again. Oh. Something that's super funny. He drives a 95 Nissan Maxima, riced out for sure, but he definitely put an Acura hood ornament on it as well as an Acura decal on the back, so people like me that drive trucks would definitely think it was an Acura. Sneaky-Sneaky.

So I Just Moved In

I am now a proud student at Western Washington University. I just have to pay my residence bill at this point. I still hate bills.

I disembarked on my journey this morning at 9:00 in my 84' Chevy, arriving at a little past 1, because my quick stop to take a whiz turned into a half-hour adventure through some suburb of Seattle. You would think that an Interstate would be a little easier to find. Ya know, a great big road running through the city. Anyway.

Met my roommate. Interesting guy named John. Should be ok.

My desk lamp is broken. The part that bolts it to the wall is loose. I really want to just grab a screwdriver and tighten them up, but my truck is a good three blocks away and to be honest, I just don't care that much.

I'm about halfway through my third water bottle of the day. Just thought I'd tell you.

I really don't have anything interesting to say at the moment. So maybe I'll write more when I think of something epic.