Today is my mom's birthday! Woot! Happy **nd birthday! (Can you guess the number??)
Anywhoozle, Sunday...what a day. Wait, Saturday first.
Saturday...we spent alllll day at the beach, till the sunset, then came back home to the mission. Then we asked lovely Bonnie if we could go to the Nut House to "bake something" which turned into a massive, semi-epic-fail of a dinner(hamburgers and hash browns) and cookies.
Hamburgers = most successful food of the evening. Great burgers...just kinda plain without ANYTHING on them. Bun...burger...splash of ranch. That was it. Kinda missing something...I couldn't pick out what it was though.
Cookies = grainy, but still kinda good, almost success.
Hash browns = FTL. No words. They cooked...and cooked...and sucked. And failed. And stuck to the pan. And burnt. And failed more. And epically failed even more to correctly cook like hash browns are supposed to cooked. So yep. I've never seen food find the garbage can so fast. It's like salmon...they knew how to get home, even if they'd never been there. So that was our meal. Then we were listening to Jim Gaffigan's new sketch (amazing stuff) when our administrator walked in. 10:00pm. Giving his son a tour. Who gives tours at that hour??? That was awkward. Whatever. We took the cookies home and watched Jim Gaffigan's "Beyond the Pale" DVD. Again, epicness. And that about sums up our Saturday. Not a whole lot, really.
Sunday: This morning/afternoon, I was woken up by none other than Abby!! Well, technically it was Deborah who threw the book at my face, but she was bringing Abby to me. And what a surprise that was (Abby is our friend from Sacramento who used to live here. She left in December, but is back this week with her fam fam). Soooo worth waking up though. She brought me five 32oz Gatorade's, a box of Cadbury Eggs, a box of Goldfish, and a thing of REAL marshmallows. Nothing against Mexicans and their eating habits/manufacturing practices, but they've just got the whole marshmallow recipe screwed up. Flavor is off, texture is off. And a game of chubby bunny shouldn't be over after I put one marshmallow in my mouth. It's hard to play that game when they're the size of a small meteor. That was the highlight of my day. Then at 2, Kelcie got off work, and her, Deborah, and I walked into town to get boles(??). It's basically on Otter Pop on crack. It's like the size of a baseball bat, and made with real flavoring (or what I assume to be real flavoring...then again, anything can be real flavoring when you're comparing it to Otter Pops). And I thought I remember something interesting happening on the way home...but I sure can not remember right now. Besides all the random guys yelling strange things and whistling at us. Mostly me. I take it all in stride though, it's so flattering.
On the walk home from boles, we passed Hans as he drove by, which sparked a grand ole story I forgot to share awhile back. So, a little back story, Hans is this elderly(60s? Late 60s?) man who works out at Rancho de Christo. The ranch is the mission's men's rehab center. It's about half an hour away, and they have something like 10-15 men there recovering from drugs, drinking, all that stuff. Just a place they can go to find help, reach God, and recover their lives. Hans and his wife live in SoCal somewhere...not exactly sure, but I'd assume near LA, San Diego, or somewhere in between. They spend a couple weeks here, couple weeks there, back and forth. His wife is the violin teacher here at the mission. They've been involved here for years, doing this and that. He's helping (maybe leading??) the construction of the rehab center. So, anywho, this guy Hans was speaking in Sala the other day, and he shared this story of a miracle at the rehab center. I don't know the exact time period of this story, but it was at least fairly recently, like this year. He was down here, working at ranch, and trying to figure out how to get a roof on their church. Apparently at this time, there was no roof. So he got an estimate. got a roofer to come out to the ranch, and provide the estimate for him. He took that estimate back home with him to SoCal that weekend, got up in front of his church, wrote the estimate down on a piece of paper, and held it up in front of the congregation. He held it high and said, "This is how much it would cost to put a roof on the ranch's church building in Mexico."
The very next day he got a call from a guy in Canada. Thousands of miles from SoCal.
He said, "Is this Hans?"
"Yes, this is Hans."
"Hi, you don't know me, and I don't know you, but I live in Canada, and I have this check sitting here. God told me to call you and give you this check. Is there any way you can use it?"
"Yes, there is. How much is the check?"
"$15,000."
That estimate he held up on his paper at church?
$15,000.
I beg you to try and tell me that's not a miracle.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
BEDA - April 4th
Today, Saturday the 4th of March, was spent relaxing on the beach. Just like old times. It was Kelcie, Deborah, me, and we successfully spent a good majority of the day doing nothing. I literally got to the beach, laid out my towel, sat on it, and didn't move for the remainder of our time there. I caught some sun while listening to a fantastic book called Buy•ology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy, by Martin Lindstrom. I can't wait to finish it..it's has a plethora of unbelievable findings - Did you know that 10 million cigarettes are bought every minute? - and all sorts of other intriguing things. Very Well-written book, as it should be after 3 years of research. These guys went all out. Anywho, then we stayed all day, waiting for the sunset. Last time, we had an unfortunate aquaintence with us who said "this sunset is ugly." Which was sad. So today, we went, just the three of us, and watched it. But, we all decided that the one back in January (the "ugly" one was much better than this one. And that reminded me of my revelation I had at my last sunset. I thought I'd share that with you all, because it really had an impact on me, and I got some great comments from people who read it. So here is what I wrote up after my last sunset, but accurately describes most sunsets, if not all. Here goes:
So, back in January, Chris (my roommate), Deborah, Kelcie, and I went to the beach. Chris and I went body surfing/boogie boarding and played catch with the football. Kelcie and Deborah went on a long walk on the beach. And then we ate at that restaurant there on the beach, Gaston's. By that time, it was almost five, and the sun would be going down in like half an hour, so we decided to stay and watch the sunset on the beach. Oh my word, soooooooo beautiful. But that's not my story. My story is...my revelation of man's journey towards finding God. And it all came to me so fast, it was too exciting, and I came home and drew up this big diagram of it and everything. Anywho, I'll stop bogging you down with nonsense and just jump right into my story. So here goes:
I was sitting in the sand, admiring the sunset, when I started thinking about just how beautiful the sunset was, and just how powerful God is, creating such beauty. The thought of the sun going over the horizon, and creating all these wonderful scenes us just something that goes under-rated all the time. Watching sunsets is so...moving. Perfect. Awesome. Awe-inspiring. They amaze me. But, this one was one for the history books. At least to me, cause in my putting too much thought into it, and looking for a relationship to God from His sunset, something really hit me. This is going to be hard to explain on here, I'd much rather have you on the beach with me so I could really explain it like it should be, but this will have to do for now.
So there I was on the beach, sand all around me, and this beautiful sight in front of me, encompassing the entire sky. And I thought of a little grain of sand. An insignificant little grain of sand. And I realized that that was me. And every piece of sand was someone. But for what I was concerned of, I was a little insignificant piece of sand in a vast world of never ending sand. And, I don't know if you've ever sat on the beach and watched a sunset before, but, what happens is, when the sun goes over the horizon, you have to be up on the beach a ways to actually see the horizon, and the fading sun. If you're down at the water level where the waves are sliding up the beach and then fading back into the ocean, you can't see the horizon. The towering incoming waves are much too tall, and they block out the sun and most of the beautiful sunset. So, there I am, little grain of sand, at the edge of the water, looking out towards the ocean, but only seeing big waves come crashing in front of me. And it hit me again. The sunset is God. The waves are temptations, sins, things that keep us from God, that keep us from seeing Him, seeing his Light, seeing his Beauty. Every once in a while, you'll get this random break in the waves where the ocean is barely calm until it stirs up another wave, and you get a glimpse of the sunset for a split second. You get a glimpse of God. But then once again, those towering waves come up again, and God is out of sight again.
And it just kept going. The wind? That's Satan. He blows us around like no one's business. What's a little helpless piece of sand to do when a powerful wind comes blowing through? Well, you might say he has no other choice but to give in and follow that wind. How can it not be pressured by that wind? I'll tell you. That sand must latch on to other pieces of sand, harden themselves, create a bond that that wind can't break, therefore not being manipulated by the wind. If the sand is hard, it's not going anywhere. The wind is just going to blow right over it, and it's going to take all those other pieces of sand that didn't latch onto anyone. The ones that didn't have a friend to trust, a friend to create a strong relationship with. The other pieces of sand are our friends, our relationships though life, who we decide to trust, who we bond with. The stronger the bond, the harder it is to waver, correct? You create a stronghold with your brothers and sisters in Christ, and that wind can't touch you. It will just blow right over you. There still is one problem though. God's still out at the edge of the horizon, still being beautiful as ever, watching what's happening on the beach, but wishing people were watching Him, watching His sunset, and not focusing on the wind or the scary crashing waves.
Now, how does a little piece of sand witness the beauty of God and his sunset when he's stuck on the beach, since we've already established that a piece of sand never sees the full beauty of God's sunset from the edge of the ocean. Those gosh darn waves keep rising up and getting in the way. The temptations keeping us from God NEVER stop, and they only get bigger the farther you go out. The closer you get to God, the farther you are from Satan, the harder he tries to get you back by sending bigger waves at you. Keeping you from God. They just won't stop. So how is a grain of sand supposed to see God from his standpoint, at the edge of the water, looking out at the waves, a small glimpse of light up in the sky? I don't know about you, but I'm 6 feet tall, 160 pounds, and I'm STILL afraid of those big scary waves out there. How is that going to look to a grain of sand? The waves are going to toss him and turn him like none other. That's not going to look inviting at all to a grain of sand. But what other way does he have of getting to God? That's his only option. The tough way. The way with trials and tribulations. The way not taken by many. But that grain of sand saw a small glimpse of God's sunset, and the only way to see the full splendor of God is to be right out there with Him.
So that grain of sand...he goes all out for God. He jumps right in those waves. Yeah, he gets pushed around, bullied, told what to do and where to go. But his heart is set on the beauty beyond, and he pushes on. What does he have to do? He has to overcome. He has to "rise above" the waves, overcome the waves, not get pushed farther and farther from God. Every now and then, the "perfect wave" comes along and throws him so far off course, he forgets where he was headed. But eventually he comes around, and remembers his original plan, and where his heart was headed. He puts his trust in the sunset beyond the waves, what he knows is there, but never really seen. He has faith it's out there, but only because he's seen glimpses of it here and there. The rare times when the waves are low enough for him to see the sunset for a second. He blinks, and there appears five more waves coming at him. But what seemed like a coincidence, there really was more to it. Divine intervention allowing God to be viewed by those grains who are looking in the right direction. Some would say chance. Some would say coincidence. I would say God. And as this grain of sand overcomes and overcomes, rises above temptation after temptation thrown his way, God becomes more and more visible to him. His light is being shown throughout the entire known universe to that grain of sand. His beauty radiating of the backs of the waves he just rose above. And it seems as if the grain of sand has reached the end of his journey. He's seen the full splendor of God in His sunset.
But sometimes, that sun will go down. And it will go dark. And it seems as if, through all that hard work, you lose your sunset, and you're left on your own. But that grain of sand is persistent. He just witnessed the most beautiful thing he's ever seen (apart from those dead clams on that beach of his) and he sets out looking for that sunset he so gloriously witnessed. And he looks. And he searches. And seems to be lost in those waves again, the ones he thought he overcame and wouldn't have to deal with anymore. And after searching his heart out, when he least expected it, there came the sunset again, but in even more beauty than the last one.
Even though he lost sight of the sunset, it wasn't gone forever. It will ALWAYS come back to him, in even more beauty. And that grain of sand will never be as perfect as that sunset, never be as beautiful as it was in the dimming sky, he can always keep searching for it, and it will always be there for him, day in, day out. Usually the "day outs" though. :)
So, back in January, Chris (my roommate), Deborah, Kelcie, and I went to the beach. Chris and I went body surfing/boogie boarding and played catch with the football. Kelcie and Deborah went on a long walk on the beach. And then we ate at that restaurant there on the beach, Gaston's. By that time, it was almost five, and the sun would be going down in like half an hour, so we decided to stay and watch the sunset on the beach. Oh my word, soooooooo beautiful. But that's not my story. My story is...my revelation of man's journey towards finding God. And it all came to me so fast, it was too exciting, and I came home and drew up this big diagram of it and everything. Anywho, I'll stop bogging you down with nonsense and just jump right into my story. So here goes:
I was sitting in the sand, admiring the sunset, when I started thinking about just how beautiful the sunset was, and just how powerful God is, creating such beauty. The thought of the sun going over the horizon, and creating all these wonderful scenes us just something that goes under-rated all the time. Watching sunsets is so...moving. Perfect. Awesome. Awe-inspiring. They amaze me. But, this one was one for the history books. At least to me, cause in my putting too much thought into it, and looking for a relationship to God from His sunset, something really hit me. This is going to be hard to explain on here, I'd much rather have you on the beach with me so I could really explain it like it should be, but this will have to do for now.
So there I was on the beach, sand all around me, and this beautiful sight in front of me, encompassing the entire sky. And I thought of a little grain of sand. An insignificant little grain of sand. And I realized that that was me. And every piece of sand was someone. But for what I was concerned of, I was a little insignificant piece of sand in a vast world of never ending sand. And, I don't know if you've ever sat on the beach and watched a sunset before, but, what happens is, when the sun goes over the horizon, you have to be up on the beach a ways to actually see the horizon, and the fading sun. If you're down at the water level where the waves are sliding up the beach and then fading back into the ocean, you can't see the horizon. The towering incoming waves are much too tall, and they block out the sun and most of the beautiful sunset. So, there I am, little grain of sand, at the edge of the water, looking out towards the ocean, but only seeing big waves come crashing in front of me. And it hit me again. The sunset is God. The waves are temptations, sins, things that keep us from God, that keep us from seeing Him, seeing his Light, seeing his Beauty. Every once in a while, you'll get this random break in the waves where the ocean is barely calm until it stirs up another wave, and you get a glimpse of the sunset for a split second. You get a glimpse of God. But then once again, those towering waves come up again, and God is out of sight again.
And it just kept going. The wind? That's Satan. He blows us around like no one's business. What's a little helpless piece of sand to do when a powerful wind comes blowing through? Well, you might say he has no other choice but to give in and follow that wind. How can it not be pressured by that wind? I'll tell you. That sand must latch on to other pieces of sand, harden themselves, create a bond that that wind can't break, therefore not being manipulated by the wind. If the sand is hard, it's not going anywhere. The wind is just going to blow right over it, and it's going to take all those other pieces of sand that didn't latch onto anyone. The ones that didn't have a friend to trust, a friend to create a strong relationship with. The other pieces of sand are our friends, our relationships though life, who we decide to trust, who we bond with. The stronger the bond, the harder it is to waver, correct? You create a stronghold with your brothers and sisters in Christ, and that wind can't touch you. It will just blow right over you. There still is one problem though. God's still out at the edge of the horizon, still being beautiful as ever, watching what's happening on the beach, but wishing people were watching Him, watching His sunset, and not focusing on the wind or the scary crashing waves.
Now, how does a little piece of sand witness the beauty of God and his sunset when he's stuck on the beach, since we've already established that a piece of sand never sees the full beauty of God's sunset from the edge of the ocean. Those gosh darn waves keep rising up and getting in the way. The temptations keeping us from God NEVER stop, and they only get bigger the farther you go out. The closer you get to God, the farther you are from Satan, the harder he tries to get you back by sending bigger waves at you. Keeping you from God. They just won't stop. So how is a grain of sand supposed to see God from his standpoint, at the edge of the water, looking out at the waves, a small glimpse of light up in the sky? I don't know about you, but I'm 6 feet tall, 160 pounds, and I'm STILL afraid of those big scary waves out there. How is that going to look to a grain of sand? The waves are going to toss him and turn him like none other. That's not going to look inviting at all to a grain of sand. But what other way does he have of getting to God? That's his only option. The tough way. The way with trials and tribulations. The way not taken by many. But that grain of sand saw a small glimpse of God's sunset, and the only way to see the full splendor of God is to be right out there with Him.
So that grain of sand...he goes all out for God. He jumps right in those waves. Yeah, he gets pushed around, bullied, told what to do and where to go. But his heart is set on the beauty beyond, and he pushes on. What does he have to do? He has to overcome. He has to "rise above" the waves, overcome the waves, not get pushed farther and farther from God. Every now and then, the "perfect wave" comes along and throws him so far off course, he forgets where he was headed. But eventually he comes around, and remembers his original plan, and where his heart was headed. He puts his trust in the sunset beyond the waves, what he knows is there, but never really seen. He has faith it's out there, but only because he's seen glimpses of it here and there. The rare times when the waves are low enough for him to see the sunset for a second. He blinks, and there appears five more waves coming at him. But what seemed like a coincidence, there really was more to it. Divine intervention allowing God to be viewed by those grains who are looking in the right direction. Some would say chance. Some would say coincidence. I would say God. And as this grain of sand overcomes and overcomes, rises above temptation after temptation thrown his way, God becomes more and more visible to him. His light is being shown throughout the entire known universe to that grain of sand. His beauty radiating of the backs of the waves he just rose above. And it seems as if the grain of sand has reached the end of his journey. He's seen the full splendor of God in His sunset.
But sometimes, that sun will go down. And it will go dark. And it seems as if, through all that hard work, you lose your sunset, and you're left on your own. But that grain of sand is persistent. He just witnessed the most beautiful thing he's ever seen (apart from those dead clams on that beach of his) and he sets out looking for that sunset he so gloriously witnessed. And he looks. And he searches. And seems to be lost in those waves again, the ones he thought he overcame and wouldn't have to deal with anymore. And after searching his heart out, when he least expected it, there came the sunset again, but in even more beauty than the last one.
Even though he lost sight of the sunset, it wasn't gone forever. It will ALWAYS come back to him, in even more beauty. And that grain of sand will never be as perfect as that sunset, never be as beautiful as it was in the dimming sky, he can always keep searching for it, and it will always be there for him, day in, day out. Usually the "day outs" though. :)
Friday, April 3, 2009
BEDA - April 3rd
Good day to all you April 3rd-ers. We're moving right along on this wonderful Tour of April. I just typo'd April, and suddenly (randomly) got the urge to anagram "Tour of April" so here we go:
Tour of April
1)To rap Of Ruli.
2)Pail For Rout
3)Rat Pro Of Lui
4)Liar For Pout
5)Frat Pool Uri
6)Fool Air Rupt
7)Pour For Tail
8)Prof. Our Tail!
9)Loop Fart Rui
10)Pro Fail Tour
And there you have it. Wow...that was more fun than I thought. And so utterly random. I'm definitely going to do that more often! Hey, if you've got a word/phrase you want me to anagram, leave a comment below with said word/phrase! That will be wicked sweet. Please...someone...that was fun. It'll just take you a minute. Anything. And word. Any phrase. Heck, do more than one if you want.
Moving on! Today was an epic day, to say the least. But wait, I need to sum up yesterday first before I start with today.
Yesterday, I finished my most recent book, Paper Towns (SPOILERS), by Nerdfighter and world suck decreaser, John Green. All in all, fantastic book, which comes as no surprise seeing as he also wrote Looking for Alaska (2005) and An Abundance of Katherines (2006). As of now, though, I think I like them in the order of release, his first book is my favorite, followed by the second, and third. Which is weird...I think at least, cause normally, it's like, ohh, "I love this author, can't wait to finish his new book (unlike Karissa)!" And then that new release is my new favorite book. But it's exactly opposite with this guy. It's fine, I still loved Paper Towns...I just liked Alaska, cause it was a lot deeper. Dealt with a lot of teen issues, in an extraordinary way. Katherines was just downright hilarious. And I loved the math that went on the whole time. And Paper Towns, I think, was right in the middle of those two respects. It wasn't overly deep, but enough to really make you think. And it wasn't dying on the floor laughing (although I was crying at one point), but it definitely had its funny parts. There is ALWAYS that one guy who is just there to make you laugh. And he did. I really want to read Alaska again though. It's been awhile. And I totally recommend recommend all these books to anyone...over the age of say...16? 17? I don't know. They definitely have their moments. And the perk? You get the second best(only to HP) fandom to go right along with you. You have a blast, watching author John with his weekly videos, loyal decreasers of world suck and a Made of Awesome brother, Hank Green, to join as well. The only thing the John/Hank Green - Brotherhood 2.0 Nerdfighterness is missing is a podcast. That's where HP owns. I also realize that it's A LOT easier to have a HP-related podcast than a Nerdfighter podcast. Or...at least was. Cause we didn't know what would happen with HP back in the day. There was room for speculation and such. John's books don't have that factor. Not that they should..not they're missing that. Just different writing styles. Anywhosies...yeah...John Green...hilarious man. Great writer. Epic YouTuber. And anagrams quite well!
And NOW for today...
Wow. Today was an epic day altogether. We (Kevin and I...Kevin being my computer supervisor) finished the new staff lounge. Bought, stripped, rebuilt, and programmed four new computers for the computer-less staff to use. Pictures below! That room was the old PR office. The PR peeps got moved to a new office in the Visitor Center. Then the construction crew took over and remodeled the room, preparing it for a small, private phone room, and our four computers. We've been working on these computers for weeks. Kevin is still programming the server, to be used for various projects and networks. It currently has 1.5 terabytes (1500 GBs). Yeah baby! Now that we're done with the new staff lounge, we have a new one! Take the old staff lounge apart. Yay! We've got about 8 ANCIENT computers in there (hence the need for new computers), so we're dismantling those 8, donating them to a youth center in town, and clearing out the room of anything and everything related to the old lounge. Then, we're remodeling it...cause...well, it's quite shabby. I'll get pics of it tomorrow, before and after we start taking it down. And, finally, the reason it's being remodeled is because...it's our new office!! Yay computer department! No more jammed messy upstairs hideaway...even though I really did like you. Best room I've ever had. You've been nice to me. And I loved sleeping with you. It was dark, quiet, and you kept me warm. My new room won't be so kind.
Our new room, after remodeled, is going to house an office (with couch and projector...the techy kind of "office"); a workroom with workbenches running the length of the walls for computer building/repairing; a large portion of storage for spare computer parts, network and system tools, wires, printers, and who knows what else; and finally, a server room, housing all the servers/databases for the entire mission, and we're also going to be re-wiring the four different networks we have here to go right into the server room. Instead of one in the school, one in the office, one in the Bible school, and one in our room. So that will be nice. Easy for Kevin to keep all the networks up and running from one physical location. And yeah...I think that's about it regarding a computer department update. I'm sure I'll have more tomorrow, or this weekend.
The last story of today is the one dealing with the whole administration controversy around here. As stated before, the San Clemente board came down last night, to deal with the flooding of letters they've received from staff here regarding our administrators. They sat in meetings ALL day today, personal meetings, with roughly 30 different people (or so I heard). And the story is that the meetings went very well. The board listened. They were fair. They were understanding. And they're going to take action against the administrators, in some form or another. But something is being done, it's a huge step in the right direction, and the atmosphere already feels a little different knowing that we're not alone anymore. Administration over-ruled. Take that. We're all volunteering here to work for God, not you, and the way you treat us doesn't make us want to do either. We just want to get out of here, before you kick us out for no good reason. But no more. Board members FTW! Yay!
Ok...wow, I think that will be enough ranting for tonight. It was just overdue. This has been going on for months. It was time to get it out and let go of it. And now, to more exciting news...BED!
Time for bed. It's 3:50. and I have to get up in 3.5 hours. Awesome. Goodnight!!
Bonnie and myself. She's UBER awesome and I love her and she can cook like only one other. Dorothy. They're just about tied, I would say. But Bonnie pwns in life outside of cooking.
Daniel...Juan Carlos' son. I found him messing around in the staff lounge as I was setting it all up. He's not allowed in there, as cute as he is.
Our brand new staff computer room, full of computers that actually work and don't explode. Oh wait...I'm getting them confused with Macs. :)
No, these work wonderfully.
OK, my only problem with this is..how do you attract customers in your store with that?? What kind of marketing plea is that?? Reverse psychology? What? What is it? How can that be productive to running a business when it''s on your front door?? i don't understand!!
This is the inside of our new staff server. Yes, as you can tell (probably not though haha), that was four 500GB hard drives and 8GB DDR2 RAM. It's haulin'.
Tour of April
1)To rap Of Ruli.
2)Pail For Rout
3)Rat Pro Of Lui
4)Liar For Pout
5)Frat Pool Uri
6)Fool Air Rupt
7)Pour For Tail
8)Prof. Our Tail!
9)Loop Fart Rui
10)Pro Fail Tour
And there you have it. Wow...that was more fun than I thought. And so utterly random. I'm definitely going to do that more often! Hey, if you've got a word/phrase you want me to anagram, leave a comment below with said word/phrase! That will be wicked sweet. Please...someone...that was fun. It'll just take you a minute. Anything. And word. Any phrase. Heck, do more than one if you want.
Moving on! Today was an epic day, to say the least. But wait, I need to sum up yesterday first before I start with today.
Yesterday, I finished my most recent book, Paper Towns (SPOILERS), by Nerdfighter and world suck decreaser, John Green. All in all, fantastic book, which comes as no surprise seeing as he also wrote Looking for Alaska (2005) and An Abundance of Katherines (2006). As of now, though, I think I like them in the order of release, his first book is my favorite, followed by the second, and third. Which is weird...I think at least, cause normally, it's like, ohh, "I love this author, can't wait to finish his new book (unlike Karissa)!" And then that new release is my new favorite book. But it's exactly opposite with this guy. It's fine, I still loved Paper Towns...I just liked Alaska, cause it was a lot deeper. Dealt with a lot of teen issues, in an extraordinary way. Katherines was just downright hilarious. And I loved the math that went on the whole time. And Paper Towns, I think, was right in the middle of those two respects. It wasn't overly deep, but enough to really make you think. And it wasn't dying on the floor laughing (although I was crying at one point), but it definitely had its funny parts. There is ALWAYS that one guy who is just there to make you laugh. And he did. I really want to read Alaska again though. It's been awhile. And I totally recommend recommend all these books to anyone...over the age of say...16? 17? I don't know. They definitely have their moments. And the perk? You get the second best(only to HP) fandom to go right along with you. You have a blast, watching author John with his weekly videos, loyal decreasers of world suck and a Made of Awesome brother, Hank Green, to join as well. The only thing the John/Hank Green - Brotherhood 2.0 Nerdfighterness is missing is a podcast. That's where HP owns. I also realize that it's A LOT easier to have a HP-related podcast than a Nerdfighter podcast. Or...at least was. Cause we didn't know what would happen with HP back in the day. There was room for speculation and such. John's books don't have that factor. Not that they should..not they're missing that. Just different writing styles. Anywhosies...yeah...John Green...hilarious man. Great writer. Epic YouTuber. And anagrams quite well!
And NOW for today...
Wow. Today was an epic day altogether. We (Kevin and I...Kevin being my computer supervisor) finished the new staff lounge. Bought, stripped, rebuilt, and programmed four new computers for the computer-less staff to use. Pictures below! That room was the old PR office. The PR peeps got moved to a new office in the Visitor Center. Then the construction crew took over and remodeled the room, preparing it for a small, private phone room, and our four computers. We've been working on these computers for weeks. Kevin is still programming the server, to be used for various projects and networks. It currently has 1.5 terabytes (1500 GBs). Yeah baby! Now that we're done with the new staff lounge, we have a new one! Take the old staff lounge apart. Yay! We've got about 8 ANCIENT computers in there (hence the need for new computers), so we're dismantling those 8, donating them to a youth center in town, and clearing out the room of anything and everything related to the old lounge. Then, we're remodeling it...cause...well, it's quite shabby. I'll get pics of it tomorrow, before and after we start taking it down. And, finally, the reason it's being remodeled is because...it's our new office!! Yay computer department! No more jammed messy upstairs hideaway...even though I really did like you. Best room I've ever had. You've been nice to me. And I loved sleeping with you. It was dark, quiet, and you kept me warm. My new room won't be so kind.
Our new room, after remodeled, is going to house an office (with couch and projector...the techy kind of "office"); a workroom with workbenches running the length of the walls for computer building/repairing; a large portion of storage for spare computer parts, network and system tools, wires, printers, and who knows what else; and finally, a server room, housing all the servers/databases for the entire mission, and we're also going to be re-wiring the four different networks we have here to go right into the server room. Instead of one in the school, one in the office, one in the Bible school, and one in our room. So that will be nice. Easy for Kevin to keep all the networks up and running from one physical location. And yeah...I think that's about it regarding a computer department update. I'm sure I'll have more tomorrow, or this weekend.
The last story of today is the one dealing with the whole administration controversy around here. As stated before, the San Clemente board came down last night, to deal with the flooding of letters they've received from staff here regarding our administrators. They sat in meetings ALL day today, personal meetings, with roughly 30 different people (or so I heard). And the story is that the meetings went very well. The board listened. They were fair. They were understanding. And they're going to take action against the administrators, in some form or another. But something is being done, it's a huge step in the right direction, and the atmosphere already feels a little different knowing that we're not alone anymore. Administration over-ruled. Take that. We're all volunteering here to work for God, not you, and the way you treat us doesn't make us want to do either. We just want to get out of here, before you kick us out for no good reason. But no more. Board members FTW! Yay!
Ok...wow, I think that will be enough ranting for tonight. It was just overdue. This has been going on for months. It was time to get it out and let go of it. And now, to more exciting news...BED!
Time for bed. It's 3:50. and I have to get up in 3.5 hours. Awesome. Goodnight!!
Bonnie and myself. She's UBER awesome and I love her and she can cook like only one other. Dorothy. They're just about tied, I would say. But Bonnie pwns in life outside of cooking.
Daniel...Juan Carlos' son. I found him messing around in the staff lounge as I was setting it all up. He's not allowed in there, as cute as he is.
Our brand new staff computer room, full of computers that actually work and don't explode. Oh wait...I'm getting them confused with Macs. :)
No, these work wonderfully.
OK, my only problem with this is..how do you attract customers in your store with that?? What kind of marketing plea is that?? Reverse psychology? What? What is it? How can that be productive to running a business when it''s on your front door?? i don't understand!!
This is the inside of our new staff server. Yes, as you can tell (probably not though haha), that was four 500GB hard drives and 8GB DDR2 RAM. It's haulin'.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
BEDA - April 2nd
So..here we are again. Hello all. Another day to write out my mind. Right now, I'm watching DFTBA Radio on BlogTv. Just finished watching Maureen Johnson (and she mentioned my name too!!!) and Mr. Hank Green is coming up next (yes, he is a geeky environmental webmaster). During Maureen's stint on the BlogTV collab channel, she read from her new book, Suite Scarlett, started a new matching service for Nerdfighters, and prepared the way for Hank. I am currently watching him now...and he's dressed as a girl, in a tutu and a tank top, eating dinner with his wife while watching Sex and the City...all the while, 300 people watch him live. Creepy? Not if you're a nerdfighter. Weird?? Yeah, a little.
Ansyways...now down to mission news. Hmmm, well, this week has been absolutely fantast, in regards to the meals haha. Monday, we had taco salad. Tuesday, Mexican/normal pizza. And today, spaghetti. WITH meat! Mhhhmmmm. So good. This is a rather surprising week. The kitchen's just been pumping out the good stuff. And watch, now that I say that, tomorrow it's going to be lentil soup. I know it. I can feel it coming. Whatever, it's French toast for breakfast, so that can hold me over!
Today, Chewy (Jesùs) didn't have school, so he came on the garbage run with the visitors, Paul, and me. (Pictures to be added below). For some reason, today was like a mission wide Toss Out Your Fluorescent Tubes Fest. So we had like 8 of them at the dump, which was wonderful. And yes, we have a game for that. We have a game for everything at the dump. Trust me, we make it fun. Anyway, so we take our fluorescent tubes and, naturally, use them as baseball bats to smack rocks into the garbage piles. The only bad thing is, you only get one hit out of them. One solid connection and your tube is done. But it's so worth it. The pressurized gas inside explodes and shoots the end of the tube deep into left field. While the rock uneventfully falls to the ground. We have a game for oranges, fluorescent tubes, glass bottles, teddy bears, tire tubes...uhhh...what else? Or, mops. And a couple more, I just can't think of them right now.
Also, the FFHM board came down from San Clemente today to discuss "certain" things which I do believe I am not at liberty to discuss at the moment. They're having private meetings with a large number of the staff here to get a better look at what is happening with our admins (and by admins, I mean admin, singular). But, hopefully, by the weekend, I'll be able to share the epicness held within. You know something's wrong when the board has to come down to sort things out, and our own admins here can't do it. Oh wait, what admins here? They're all too busy abusing their positions. I feel like I should go on a huge rant right now to express my anger over certain admins...but alas, he's figured out how to use the Internet, so I shouldn't partake it such atrocities. Not yet at least. But the day he's gone...boy, it'll rip. And there will be rejoicing in the streets (dirt that cars drive on), singing in the rain (if we had rain) and dancing through the strawberry fields (trust me, we have those)! Man I wish I could just let my madness out right now. but it's late. Time for bed. And the board is still here till tomorrow, so I'll chilax for a bit, keep on the down-low, until the time has come for me to share. Sound like a plan?
And, to end a successful blog like my buddy Leo Laporte:
Another blog....is in the can...
Making good use of random things we find in our garbage. Yes, we went all the way to the dump with that hip styrofoam dude on our suburban. He felt special. I could tell.
The Maintenance Hefe, Mr. Shatto.
Paùlissocoollike. You know it. He doesn't work at the mission, is affiliated in no way whatsoever, but shows up every Mon/Wed/Fri, to help me with the garbage run. Never late. Hardest worker around. Has no incentive. Speaks no English. Has one upper tooth, making it hard even for the Mexicans to understand him. Has no family..immediate or distant (that we no of). And above all, has the best attitude around. Not a single complaint. Doesn't stop working. Goes the extra 5 miles for anything.
Visitors Wendy and Matt, myself, and Paùl, chillaxin' at the Nut House.
A visitor, Wendy, and Paùl...and Fernie sneaking into the background.
Ansyways...now down to mission news. Hmmm, well, this week has been absolutely fantast, in regards to the meals haha. Monday, we had taco salad. Tuesday, Mexican/normal pizza. And today, spaghetti. WITH meat! Mhhhmmmm. So good. This is a rather surprising week. The kitchen's just been pumping out the good stuff. And watch, now that I say that, tomorrow it's going to be lentil soup. I know it. I can feel it coming. Whatever, it's French toast for breakfast, so that can hold me over!
Today, Chewy (Jesùs) didn't have school, so he came on the garbage run with the visitors, Paul, and me. (Pictures to be added below). For some reason, today was like a mission wide Toss Out Your Fluorescent Tubes Fest. So we had like 8 of them at the dump, which was wonderful. And yes, we have a game for that. We have a game for everything at the dump. Trust me, we make it fun. Anyway, so we take our fluorescent tubes and, naturally, use them as baseball bats to smack rocks into the garbage piles. The only bad thing is, you only get one hit out of them. One solid connection and your tube is done. But it's so worth it. The pressurized gas inside explodes and shoots the end of the tube deep into left field. While the rock uneventfully falls to the ground. We have a game for oranges, fluorescent tubes, glass bottles, teddy bears, tire tubes...uhhh...what else? Or, mops. And a couple more, I just can't think of them right now.
Also, the FFHM board came down from San Clemente today to discuss "certain" things which I do believe I am not at liberty to discuss at the moment. They're having private meetings with a large number of the staff here to get a better look at what is happening with our admins (and by admins, I mean admin, singular). But, hopefully, by the weekend, I'll be able to share the epicness held within. You know something's wrong when the board has to come down to sort things out, and our own admins here can't do it. Oh wait, what admins here? They're all too busy abusing their positions. I feel like I should go on a huge rant right now to express my anger over certain admins...but alas, he's figured out how to use the Internet, so I shouldn't partake it such atrocities. Not yet at least. But the day he's gone...boy, it'll rip. And there will be rejoicing in the streets (dirt that cars drive on), singing in the rain (if we had rain) and dancing through the strawberry fields (trust me, we have those)! Man I wish I could just let my madness out right now. but it's late. Time for bed. And the board is still here till tomorrow, so I'll chilax for a bit, keep on the down-low, until the time has come for me to share. Sound like a plan?
And, to end a successful blog like my buddy Leo Laporte:
Another blog....is in the can...
Making good use of random things we find in our garbage. Yes, we went all the way to the dump with that hip styrofoam dude on our suburban. He felt special. I could tell.
The Maintenance Hefe, Mr. Shatto.
Paùlissocoollike. You know it. He doesn't work at the mission, is affiliated in no way whatsoever, but shows up every Mon/Wed/Fri, to help me with the garbage run. Never late. Hardest worker around. Has no incentive. Speaks no English. Has one upper tooth, making it hard even for the Mexicans to understand him. Has no family..immediate or distant (that we no of). And above all, has the best attitude around. Not a single complaint. Doesn't stop working. Goes the extra 5 miles for anything.
Visitors Wendy and Matt, myself, and Paùl, chillaxin' at the Nut House.
A visitor, Wendy, and Paùl...and Fernie sneaking into the background.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
BEDA - Blog Every Day April - April 1st.
Queue the blogosphere! It's Blog Every Day April! Officially. Well, at least in Mexico. It's not yet in Hawaii...but has been for hours in London, Paris, and Agloe, New York.
So to start off this epicness, here is the reason why this BEDA exists.
And here is the required Manifesto, digitally signed by me, proving my dedication to this project:
THE BLOG EVERY DAY IN APRIL MANIFESTO
I commit to this idea and am determined to create something EVERY DAY in April, including weekends. Every day, I will find something to say. I embrace the reality that there is always something to talk about, if you are willing to take the time to look for it.
I, Tobin Fekkes, promise to blog every day in April.
And there you have it.
But, back to the blog part of this blog (yes, as opposed to other parts of this blog).
So, my friend Eli and his camera had spring break last week, so on Thursday, the 19th, he was flying down to San Diego, and I was going up to San Diego. I went up with Dan (our PR guy) and his mom, cause they were going to SD. Saves a costly bus ride! But they were leaving on the 18th. So I made some extra plans for the 18th, cause Eli didn't fly in till Thursday night. My plans that day were to get to San Diego so I could get on a train to go all the way to LA before dark. My friend, Mauri, attends Chapman University in Orange, so I was making a stop there to surprise her.
There were trains leaving SD at 3pm, 4pm, and 6pm. I had to get on the 6pm one AT THE LATEST. I wanted earlier, but that was the latest I could go. So we were leaving the mission here at 8am. Which we did. Got a nice start. It's 4 hours to the border, roughly 2 hours at the border waiting in line, then, since the time zones, the US is an hour ahead of us, so we move an hour ahead, then an hour to the train station. So just counting that: that's 7 hours. Leave at 8, get to SD at 3pm. Except...we stopped in San Vicente for an hour. 4pm. Another hour in Ensenada. 5pm. Then across the border, we made a couple stops. I was sad when I realized I wasn't making the 3pm train...and then the 4pm train. Then I started freaking out, like I wasn't going to make the 6pm train either. It just kept getting closer and closer. I had to be on that train, no matter what, and I was so worried I was going to miss it. The whole ride up, I was just praying and praying that this would work out, and that if it didn't, that God would show me the next step. Cause if I didn't make that train, I was stuck in San Diego for a night and a day, all by myself, with nowhere to go, nothing to do, and nowhere to sleep. I was just putting it in God's hands the whole way up. That I wouldn't be worried about it, I wouldn't be freaking out, that I would just have the faith that He would be taking care of me. Not going to lie...I was a bit scared. So we're going, we cross the border at 5pm(4pm back in Mexico) - yes, a little worrisome. I was trying my best to stay calm, I swear. But Dan still had to stop at Target for awhile...and we still had to get to the train station, which was still half an hour away. I still had to buy my ticket, heck we still had to FIND the train station. So what happens? We get to the station AS THE TRAIN is boarding! Is that luck? Is that coincidence? I think not. I made it on the last train. God had his hand in that. And he wasn't done. I got to LA at 8(yes, dark had arrived, but at least I was there) and the station was in the middle of nowhere, and by nowhere, I mean in the back of the Anaheim Angel's parking lot. Literally. And I still needed a ride to my friend's college from there. So, I'm walking off the train, and praying, praying, praying that I would be able to find a way to her college...anything, doesn't matter. The only thing worse the being stuck in Downtown San Diego for a night is being stuck int LA/Compton/I'mgoingtodieville. I just needed to get there. I went through the tunnel going under the tracks to the station on the other side, come up in the station, and what is sitting there??? A taxi. One, single taxi. All alone. Waiting for me. And he was the nicest guy. Talked in some random Indian language. But definitely a nice guy. Took me right where I needed to go. How blessed was I that night? Uber blessed. And that's not even the end of it! I got to Mauri's campus, and the people were so nice, showing me exactly where I need to go to find her room. And then when I got to her room...she wasn't there. But her roommate was, Keri. And that was perfect. Now we could plan the surprise. And we chilaxed for awhile, waiting for Mauri to get back from working on her homework. haha, homework? At college? Really? They've really corrupted her.
The last thing is from earlier that week: Sunday, the 16th of March, three days before I was supposed to leave. So, Sunday I was told I had a ride all the way up to LA with Dan. But then I discovered that he's only going to San Diego, so I have to find a way to get from SD to LA If I want to see Mauri. And I was set upon seeing her. That was like my biggest priority of this trip (after being with Eli, of course). I was surprising her, she didn't have a clue I was coming. We'd talked about meeting up somewhere, but nothing worked with her college schedule. So I was going up there to meet her. But that fateful Sunday evening, I lost my ride to her. I was devastated. My heart and mind was so set on seeing her. Surprising her. So I spent that entire night searching for a way to get to LA; all the trains, buses, and everything..nothing was going. I tried everything. Any way to get to LA. All the trains left early in the morning, hours upon hours before I would be getting there. As you already know though, I did catch a train. How, you ask?? I went to bed that Sunday night, just pained and so torn about not being able to surprise her. I kept looking the next day, anything that I could use to get to LA. I couldn't find anything, so I went back to my trailer, almost in tears, and just sat on my bed for awhile, praying that God would show me a way to get to LA. Then I did devotions for awhile longer, followed by more praying, that He would just open a way for me. I was so desperate.
After I finished, I went back to my computer, just to see of anything happened. I checked the Amtrak site first...and what was there? A train from San Diego to LA? Nope. 3 trains from San Diego to LA. 3 trains for my choosing. Again, luck? No. Coincidence? I think not. The power of God? That's more like it. Haha. So yeah, that's my tale of my trip to San Diego. It was just so full of...well, God, I guess. Teaching me to be patient and stop worrying so much. It definitely was encouraging. He's a powerful God, that's for sure. Now...if only he could get me to go to bed earlier...
And that will be my first blog for the month. It's time for bed. And I have more Paper Towns to read.
While you're at it, check out Google's new sensation! Not one, but two!
Have a wonderful April 1st! Don't forget to come back tomorrow for...who knows what. I don't even know.
So to start off this epicness, here is the reason why this BEDA exists.
And here is the required Manifesto, digitally signed by me, proving my dedication to this project:
THE BLOG EVERY DAY IN APRIL MANIFESTO
I commit to this idea and am determined to create something EVERY DAY in April, including weekends. Every day, I will find something to say. I embrace the reality that there is always something to talk about, if you are willing to take the time to look for it.
I, Tobin Fekkes, promise to blog every day in April.
And there you have it.
But, back to the blog part of this blog (yes, as opposed to other parts of this blog).
So, my friend Eli and his camera had spring break last week, so on Thursday, the 19th, he was flying down to San Diego, and I was going up to San Diego. I went up with Dan (our PR guy) and his mom, cause they were going to SD. Saves a costly bus ride! But they were leaving on the 18th. So I made some extra plans for the 18th, cause Eli didn't fly in till Thursday night. My plans that day were to get to San Diego so I could get on a train to go all the way to LA before dark. My friend, Mauri, attends Chapman University in Orange, so I was making a stop there to surprise her.
There were trains leaving SD at 3pm, 4pm, and 6pm. I had to get on the 6pm one AT THE LATEST. I wanted earlier, but that was the latest I could go. So we were leaving the mission here at 8am. Which we did. Got a nice start. It's 4 hours to the border, roughly 2 hours at the border waiting in line, then, since the time zones, the US is an hour ahead of us, so we move an hour ahead, then an hour to the train station. So just counting that: that's 7 hours. Leave at 8, get to SD at 3pm. Except...we stopped in San Vicente for an hour. 4pm. Another hour in Ensenada. 5pm. Then across the border, we made a couple stops. I was sad when I realized I wasn't making the 3pm train...and then the 4pm train. Then I started freaking out, like I wasn't going to make the 6pm train either. It just kept getting closer and closer. I had to be on that train, no matter what, and I was so worried I was going to miss it. The whole ride up, I was just praying and praying that this would work out, and that if it didn't, that God would show me the next step. Cause if I didn't make that train, I was stuck in San Diego for a night and a day, all by myself, with nowhere to go, nothing to do, and nowhere to sleep. I was just putting it in God's hands the whole way up. That I wouldn't be worried about it, I wouldn't be freaking out, that I would just have the faith that He would be taking care of me. Not going to lie...I was a bit scared. So we're going, we cross the border at 5pm(4pm back in Mexico) - yes, a little worrisome. I was trying my best to stay calm, I swear. But Dan still had to stop at Target for awhile...and we still had to get to the train station, which was still half an hour away. I still had to buy my ticket, heck we still had to FIND the train station. So what happens? We get to the station AS THE TRAIN is boarding! Is that luck? Is that coincidence? I think not. I made it on the last train. God had his hand in that. And he wasn't done. I got to LA at 8(yes, dark had arrived, but at least I was there) and the station was in the middle of nowhere, and by nowhere, I mean in the back of the Anaheim Angel's parking lot. Literally. And I still needed a ride to my friend's college from there. So, I'm walking off the train, and praying, praying, praying that I would be able to find a way to her college...anything, doesn't matter. The only thing worse the being stuck in Downtown San Diego for a night is being stuck int LA/Compton/I'mgoingtodieville. I just needed to get there. I went through the tunnel going under the tracks to the station on the other side, come up in the station, and what is sitting there??? A taxi. One, single taxi. All alone. Waiting for me. And he was the nicest guy. Talked in some random Indian language. But definitely a nice guy. Took me right where I needed to go. How blessed was I that night? Uber blessed. And that's not even the end of it! I got to Mauri's campus, and the people were so nice, showing me exactly where I need to go to find her room. And then when I got to her room...she wasn't there. But her roommate was, Keri. And that was perfect. Now we could plan the surprise. And we chilaxed for awhile, waiting for Mauri to get back from working on her homework. haha, homework? At college? Really? They've really corrupted her.
The last thing is from earlier that week: Sunday, the 16th of March, three days before I was supposed to leave. So, Sunday I was told I had a ride all the way up to LA with Dan. But then I discovered that he's only going to San Diego, so I have to find a way to get from SD to LA If I want to see Mauri. And I was set upon seeing her. That was like my biggest priority of this trip (after being with Eli, of course). I was surprising her, she didn't have a clue I was coming. We'd talked about meeting up somewhere, but nothing worked with her college schedule. So I was going up there to meet her. But that fateful Sunday evening, I lost my ride to her. I was devastated. My heart and mind was so set on seeing her. Surprising her. So I spent that entire night searching for a way to get to LA; all the trains, buses, and everything..nothing was going. I tried everything. Any way to get to LA. All the trains left early in the morning, hours upon hours before I would be getting there. As you already know though, I did catch a train. How, you ask?? I went to bed that Sunday night, just pained and so torn about not being able to surprise her. I kept looking the next day, anything that I could use to get to LA. I couldn't find anything, so I went back to my trailer, almost in tears, and just sat on my bed for awhile, praying that God would show me a way to get to LA. Then I did devotions for awhile longer, followed by more praying, that He would just open a way for me. I was so desperate.
After I finished, I went back to my computer, just to see of anything happened. I checked the Amtrak site first...and what was there? A train from San Diego to LA? Nope. 3 trains from San Diego to LA. 3 trains for my choosing. Again, luck? No. Coincidence? I think not. The power of God? That's more like it. Haha. So yeah, that's my tale of my trip to San Diego. It was just so full of...well, God, I guess. Teaching me to be patient and stop worrying so much. It definitely was encouraging. He's a powerful God, that's for sure. Now...if only he could get me to go to bed earlier...
And that will be my first blog for the month. It's time for bed. And I have more Paper Towns to read.
While you're at it, check out Google's new sensation! Not one, but two!
Have a wonderful April 1st! Don't forget to come back tomorrow for...who knows what. I don't even know.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
I'm taking you down, April.
So.....many of you may have wondered where I've been for the past month. And, by "many" I mean the two of you besides my mom and me. And yes, I do have my reasons for being so slackerish about updating this (I've been to hell the States and back), but I also don't have enough reason that will make up for the whole month. Slap me. It's my blog, I'll do what I want with it.
But....at the same time, I'm sorry. A month is a long time to go without updating you guys on the happenings here. And I plan to make it up to you all. How, you ask?? Well, it's this little thing called BEDA...Blog Ever Day April. Now, since I don't have a camera (booohooo), I can't vlog the month of April away. I wish I could. I'd love to. I want to vlog, but I don't have a video camera, or even a camera for that matter. So I'm going to participate in the Blog Every Day April event. 30 days. 30 blogs updates. One a day. NO guarantee on it being something profound every day (me? profound? What????). Maybe you'll just get a joke or something (What do you call a constipated German? "farfrompoopin." (It only works if you say it out loud.)) Anywho!
Another question you might have: How in the world do you plan on updating this once a day for 30 days when you didn't write a single thing for the 30 days of March?
Well, to be more than honest, I have no idea. But I'm giving it a try. It's going to take about a case of Fanta Fresa and a few bags of Choco Bites.
Wait...what did he just call those? Choco Bites? Really? Oh, the Mexicans and their clever names. First of all, there is no such things as Chips Ahoy! here...so these Choco Bites (hahaha) are free reign to take over. But how can they? Well, I'll tell you. As you can see from the picture, they've got two obvious things going for them. As mentioned before, the name. Who wouldn't want to buy something called Choco Bites?? That fills me up with butterflies just thinking about it. Let's go buy some! Heck, they could call them "Ahoy! These chips are edible!" or "Chips inside this package are Ahoying! at you!" I'd feel equally tempted to buy them. Second...the Scooby-Doo advertisement on the front. I'm curious who turned them down for being placed on the front? How'd you end up settling on Scooby? I want to sit through the meeting where some guy ha to pitch the idea of Scooby on the front and making it sound like a great financial idea. Maybe it's their plea to reach out to the kids...but last time I checked, he was always get him and his friends in trouble. And I can't say I've ever seen him surf. Nor do I wish for that day to arrive.
And, a couple stories from church. Hmmm, well, the first I guess would be the pastor who gave the majority of the sermon...wearing sunglasses. Oh, and did I mention this was at the evening church??? Well beyond dark? Yeah. That definitely made me laugh. He was a good guy though. But the guy sitting behind us? Not so much. He's the one who decided that he needed to answer his phone in the middle of church. And stand in the corner, yelling into his phone? "What was that? I can't hear you!" "Hey, buddy, come over here, I'll tell you what he said, cause I can hear him from over here!"Kelcie Deborah and I were sitting next to each other, and we just turn around, see the guy, look at each other, and laugh. It was rather funny. And, just yesterday, again, Kelcie and I sitting together upstairs, and church is almost over. This little girl, say, like 12, 13 maybe, comes up the stairs walking straight toward us. Her seat is the row behind us. So, what does she decide is the best plan of attack? From the top of the stairs to her row, she pulls off a wicked chicken-head-bobble-thingy. I don't konw the correct terminology on this, but whatever you call that thing that fowl do, chickens, turkeys, like when they peck at things, bobbing their head back and forth in rapid motion. And we deprived human beings, for reasons unknown, imitate it. Well, that's what she did for for about 7 rows of people. I thought maybe something was wrong...but then she just stopped and sat down behind us. One question? What could possibly be going through someone's mind that says that's a good idea? And I thought I epically failed at looking normal.
And last but not least, the story of my awesome neighbor. His name is Edgardo, and he's the pastor's son (NOT the sunglass-wearing pastor). Anywho, a couple weeks ago, I'm sitting in my trailer, have my Bible open in front of me doing my devotions, enjoying life. Edgardo comes over, knocks on my door. I open, and he hands me a soccer jersey FTW! That was exciting, cause he had a matching one, so we could be all buddy-buddy on the soccer field. I thank him, and he goes back to his trailer. Like two minutes later, I hear him yell "Neighbor!" And I proceed to open my door to see him standing there with a bag of hot, fresh, popcorn. He follows that up with, "Reading the Bible is a wonderful thing, but reading the Bible with a bag of popcorn is even better. Here you go." Score one for Edgardo! He can definitely be my neighbor for eternity.
And...I did have some pictures to upload with this post...but they're not on my computer yet. But, hey how many days do I have to show pictures to you guys? 30! Blog April Blogfest. I'm tempted to do it Brotherhood 2.0 style...which, if you don't know, is when I screw up and miss a day of blog updates, you leave comments of some sort giving me something to do as punishment. Then I record myself doing said punishment, and share it with all you. So...we'll see how that goes. If you're for that, say so. If not, say so. That's what the comments are for. Right? Right. Freedom. Democracy. All that good stuff. As for now, I'm out. I'll see you all soon! :)
April, I'll see you on Wednesday. Bring it on.
But....at the same time, I'm sorry. A month is a long time to go without updating you guys on the happenings here. And I plan to make it up to you all. How, you ask?? Well, it's this little thing called BEDA...Blog Ever Day April. Now, since I don't have a camera (booohooo), I can't vlog the month of April away. I wish I could. I'd love to. I want to vlog, but I don't have a video camera, or even a camera for that matter. So I'm going to participate in the Blog Every Day April event. 30 days. 30 blogs updates. One a day. NO guarantee on it being something profound every day (me? profound? What????). Maybe you'll just get a joke or something (What do you call a constipated German? "farfrompoopin." (It only works if you say it out loud.)) Anywho!
Another question you might have: How in the world do you plan on updating this once a day for 30 days when you didn't write a single thing for the 30 days of March?
Well, to be more than honest, I have no idea. But I'm giving it a try. It's going to take about a case of Fanta Fresa and a few bags of Choco Bites.
Wait...what did he just call those? Choco Bites? Really? Oh, the Mexicans and their clever names. First of all, there is no such things as Chips Ahoy! here...so these Choco Bites (hahaha) are free reign to take over. But how can they? Well, I'll tell you. As you can see from the picture, they've got two obvious things going for them. As mentioned before, the name. Who wouldn't want to buy something called Choco Bites?? That fills me up with butterflies just thinking about it. Let's go buy some! Heck, they could call them "Ahoy! These chips are edible!" or "Chips inside this package are Ahoying! at you!" I'd feel equally tempted to buy them. Second...the Scooby-Doo advertisement on the front. I'm curious who turned them down for being placed on the front? How'd you end up settling on Scooby? I want to sit through the meeting where some guy ha to pitch the idea of Scooby on the front and making it sound like a great financial idea. Maybe it's their plea to reach out to the kids...but last time I checked, he was always get him and his friends in trouble. And I can't say I've ever seen him surf. Nor do I wish for that day to arrive.
And, a couple stories from church. Hmmm, well, the first I guess would be the pastor who gave the majority of the sermon...wearing sunglasses. Oh, and did I mention this was at the evening church??? Well beyond dark? Yeah. That definitely made me laugh. He was a good guy though. But the guy sitting behind us? Not so much. He's the one who decided that he needed to answer his phone in the middle of church. And stand in the corner, yelling into his phone? "What was that? I can't hear you!" "Hey, buddy, come over here, I'll tell you what he said, cause I can hear him from over here!"
And last but not least, the story of my awesome neighbor. His name is Edgardo, and he's the pastor's son (NOT the sunglass-wearing pastor). Anywho, a couple weeks ago, I'm sitting in my trailer, have my Bible open in front of me doing my devotions, enjoying life. Edgardo comes over, knocks on my door. I open, and he hands me a soccer jersey FTW! That was exciting, cause he had a matching one, so we could be all buddy-buddy on the soccer field. I thank him, and he goes back to his trailer. Like two minutes later, I hear him yell "Neighbor!" And I proceed to open my door to see him standing there with a bag of hot, fresh, popcorn. He follows that up with, "Reading the Bible is a wonderful thing, but reading the Bible with a bag of popcorn is even better. Here you go." Score one for Edgardo! He can definitely be my neighbor for eternity.
And...I did have some pictures to upload with this post...but they're not on my computer yet. But, hey how many days do I have to show pictures to you guys? 30! Blog April Blogfest. I'm tempted to do it Brotherhood 2.0 style...which, if you don't know, is when I screw up and miss a day of blog updates, you leave comments of some sort giving me something to do as punishment. Then I record myself doing said punishment, and share it with all you. So...we'll see how that goes. If you're for that, say so. If not, say so. That's what the comments are for. Right? Right. Freedom. Democracy. All that good stuff. As for now, I'm out. I'll see you all soon! :)
April, I'll see you on Wednesday. Bring it on.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Juxtaposing Mexican and American churches...
So...not really sure how to start out this post, after having such an interesting week. I guess I could start off with the reason for the title...or, be a typical marketing agent and leave that for the end, forcing you to read the whole thing to get to the point. Maybe I will do that. Wouldn't want any of you skipping out and leaving right in the middle! How absurd. Onto the news!
I don't have any new updates regarding the garbage run for this week...just normal as usual. Nothing extraordinary, so far. But what I do have is pictures from my week with the group from Outlook, Saskatchewan.
I don't have any new updates regarding the garbage run for this week...just normal as usual. Nothing extraordinary, so far. But what I do have is pictures from my week with the group from Outlook, Saskatchewan.
Prepare yourselves though...extreme exposure to awesomeness following...
The 6 of us. What did I warn you about??? Yep.
Marvin, Andrew, Lane, me, Luke, Davis
Marvin, Andrew, Lane, me, Luke, Davis
Luke and me.
Our epic ride home, with 7 people in the back of a tiny pickup.
My own little "outreach" program.
P.S. The back of Andrew's head is not, nor will ever be, part of my "outreach" program.
Again...don't forget about the warning. Marvin's especially known for his overflowing awesomeness.
Anywho, that's all I have for now, regarding that at least. I have a couple more pictures to upload, but BlogSpot only allows 5 pictures per post. Amateurs.
Now I guess I'll fill you in on my juxtapositioning. Yes, I just made that a word.
So, last Sunday night, we had our usual church service. And, by "usual" I mean, usual time, usual place, usual pastor, that kind of thing. But in no way whatsoever was it a usual service. My, oh, my. To start the night off, I got there a little after 6. It's supposed to start around 6, and if you know anything about Mexican time, that can mean anywhere between 5 and 7. Just so happens that this specific service had already started by 5:45. So I arrived there, found a seat by Giovani and Oscar near the back of church, unaware of the fact that I'd missed a couple songs already. No matter though, what's a couple songs compared to the coming events?? You'll see. And the service continued...did a couple more songs. Nice, lively, up-beat ones. Typical Mexican churches, right? Right. About the 2nd or 3rd song (can't remember exactly which song it was), this guy a couple rows from the front, hoists up this massive, blue, flag (First thought..."Go, Seahawks, go!!!!"). Upon this flag, he had drawn a picture of a cross, with some words inscribed on it. You may ask, "Hmmm, what did it say?" And my answer would be, "If this guy wasn't waving that flag like a raving lunatic, I'd be all over telling you what it said. But this guy was pouring his heart out into waving that flag, and more importantly, to worshipping God. And then, as if he was some inspiration, for out of nowhere, this lady pops up with another gargantuan flag. White this time. Both, standing in their rows, you know, the typical church rows where they give you negative eleventeen inches of leg room. Can't imagine how the people in front of them felt, what with a flag waving across their face every three or four seconds. Whatevs, they pushed on, accepting the fact they might go home from church with bruises. That seems like an oxy moron, if you ask me. Slightly ironic, I guess.
Anywho, this is all within the span of 5 minutes or so, the length of one song. Yes, the songs are still going, like nothing happened. In fact, I'm sure that just fueled the band. We continue with the songs, two more...three more...four more...and then these flag bearers get out of their rows and start prancing down the aisles of the church. Up in front by the band. Back down the aisles. In front of the stage. Back and forth, back and forth. And the songs continue to play. By this time...I'm just wondering, wow, lots of singing tonight. We'd probably done 9 or 10 songs by now, at least. Just a few more than the usual 5, maybe 6. And Spanish songs, Mexican style, are long, 4 to 5 minutes at least, and they involve LOTS of movement. Moving, motions, clapping, dancing, the whole deal. It's the most entertaining church ever. And one last thing about Mexican church...there's no sitting. Not during singing. Not sure why really...but you just don't. Actually, it might be because of all the movement required for all the songs. It's not worth sitting down, cause the minute you do, the next song will require you to get up.
And, all the while, the flag masters just keep going, and going, and going. Ten songs later, they're still at it like they just started...except for the dripping sweat I can see as the walk by me. Other than that, they've got God on their flags, for everyone to openly see that they're worshipping him, waving for him, living for him. Around this time, 12 songs in or so, we reach the end of a song. Or so I thought...lyrically speaking, yes, the songs was over. But instrumentally, not even close. Boy was I wrong. Altogether, there was a piano(yay!), guitar, bass, drums, and three singers. The singers stand there and act happy while the band continues on, driving the congregation crazy with their mad skills. Eventually they smoothly and discreetly switch into a similar tune, same chords and everything, different arrangement. The congregation is clapping and dancing still. And all of the sudden, I don't know how, or why, it turns into this jam session. Amazing jam session too! The band is totally improvising, on the spot, ripping out some sick licks, and the congregation is going wild. Everyone's screaming (albeit nothing in particular though). Just screaming. Like it's a concert. 5 minutes go past, and we're all still screaming our heads off. Bands continues to play. Sounds like a mosh pit. Even looks like a mosh pit. And yes, flags still being waved erratically. After a good while of that madness (the good, churchy kind of madness, that is), we move onto more singing. Only this time, for some reason that I didn't catch. All the elderly men...50s, 60s...got up and gathered around the stage, in front of the band. And what could they possibly be doing? Dancing. What else? Fast song, lively spirits, presence of God, what else would you do in that situation? dancing is the only option! So that's what they did. I wish I had a video camera, heck, even a regular camera, so I could show all you just what it was like. They were moving like I've never seen old men move (Mr. Dubya Bush running out of Office doesn't count). I'm telling you, Mexican church, quite the sight to see. 1 hour and 45 minutes later, the singing was over. the pastor got up, did a ten minute sermon, and we were done. Yes, it was entertaining. Yes, it was even fun. But yes, it was a LOT of standing and singing, but not enough worshipping.
And, to finish things off: My day-maker. Any sort of event that just tipped me over the edge, and I just laughed...and laughed...and laughed. But today's day-maker really isn't a nice day-maker. Well, it is, it cracked me up. But that's just the Mexican culture, I guess. I liked it though! I'll let you decide. Here goes...
So we're doing our singing, like so (if you missed the first novel above, go re-read, then refer back to here), lively and uplifting, and there is this lady going around and praying for people. Nothing unusual. Quite cool, actually. But...that wasn't it. I continued to watch her (in a non-creepy way), and she stopped on this guy in front of me to the left. Normally, or at least what I'm used to, is, the person puts their hand on your shoulder and prays for you. Or maybe on your back. Maybe your arm. That kind of thing. But nope. This lady puts her palm right on the guy's forehead. Again, not TOO unusual for me, but I continued to watch. Who knows why, I just did. But thank goodness I did. Midway through her prayer, she pulls her hand back from his forehead...and slaps it right back on. And I'm like...what?? What was that for? And she keeps going...getting faster and faster. Slapping this guy on the forehead. Not a little wussy slap, no. It was a full on slapping. And you could tell there was real force behind it, cause the guy's head would sway back a little with each slap. And he just stood there and took it. She was getting a good 2-3 slaps in a second. I don't know how to convey this using texts, but it was a full-on slapping session. And I'm sorry, I was so taken aback within the first couple of seconds. Laughing was not a willful thing. You know those first seconds where you're like, "Did that really just happen? Am I dreaming? Did I fall asleep in church? That really did just happen!" Those first few seconds of questioning were more than enough to get to my funny bone. Cause I just broke out in laughter. But she didn't see me. Thank goodness though...she'd probably walk over and slap me. Repeatedly.
Even though this was hardly a serious note, I tell you this to juxtapose the culture change in churches. What's acceptable, what's not. Traditions, normalcy, approved actions in church, and frowned upon actions. Namely, the US churches(my church) and this church here.(...my church too...?). For beginners, at my church, playing more than 5 songs is only going to get you complaint letters. Not playing enough hymns is only going to get you more complaints. And heaven forbid, after doing music for an hour and half, they'll take you out back and whip you into shape. Everything is all orderly, almost down to the minute. Like we have a certain hour of the day to worship our God. After that, time to go home. Any longer, and God shuts you out. Not true!
But here, at La Iglesia Mision, everyone was upbeat the entire time, as if they couldn't get enough. Even after 15 or more songs in a row. I was tired as can be, just from standing for so long (I have a bad back; kids, don't sleep with more than one pillow!), but boy could you feel the presence of God. Especially when everyone was screaming. Yeah, it may not have beautiful and tuned and on the right note, and in time with the music, or any of that. But it was for God, and it was beautiful to him. And really, how many churches in the US can you go to, and just scream for a solid 5 minutes or so? And how many can you get the whole congregation to join you? Not a whole lot, would be my guess.
Next, trying to smuggle large flag into my church will only get you kicked out. And goodness, if you stood up in front and waved that baby around, they only thing they'd be asking is where to stone you. But in this environment, anything goes. If you have the spirit of God living in you, you're free to worship in whichever way you want. Then again, he did freely give you eternal life. What more can you offer? I just feel like American chuch (at least my church, and most I've been too) are too worried about pleasing the people of the church, but not the reason for the people being in the church. You know, we need this many people to sing, it all needs to sounds perfect, songs are practised till we can all sing them in our sleep, they always go the same way, same pattern, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus. 11:00am. Welcome. 11:05am. Music. 11:20am. Announcements. 11:30am. Sermon. 12:00. Home. 12:30. Football. I was even upset when our pastor would go past 12:00. but what kind of attitude is that? A highly not acceptable one, that's for sure. Moving from a strictly one hour service to an anywhere-between 1.5-2.5 hours (usually closer to the latter) was quite the change. Can't hardly complain about my one hour service anymore.
And the dancing old men? Not a chance. No dancing at my church. Ever. Lifting your hands, yes. But that's as far as it goes. And no songs that get the entire congragation moving in unison, dancing and clapping all together, screaming out the lyrics. It all seems so hush-hush compared to here. Don't get me wrong, I do like my church back home...I just think it's a little...well, too organized and traditional. But some people like that. No worries. The next generation is on it's way up. We'll take over soon enough. Muahahahaha!
And we won't even bring up the slapping lady...I don't even know what to say about her. She'd get charged for abuse at my church, that's for sure. But, then again, as horrible as this is, making fun of a lady for praying for another guy, I would pay a lot to see her again. It was just a crack up. Come on, admit it, seeing anyone repeatedly slap someone would be funny in itslef. Watching the guy just sit there and take would only ripen it. And then throw it in church, of all places. Perfect recipe for a day-maker. And...it's way past day-maker time now...and past night-maker...into the morrning-maker. Early-morning-maker. Staying up till three is always encouraged. Especially when your laptop crashes TWICE on you while you're trying to write this. Perfect. Grrrr.
And with that, I'm going to sign off for now. I have to get up in 4 hours for breakfast. Yummy...Can't wait. Hope I fall asleep before them.
I'll accumulate some more rich stories this week to share with you. Oh, I just remembered another one. Soccer tournament. I meant to explain that one this time. Oh well, next time. Much too late for more typing. Must...sleeeeeeeeee....
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