Kevin in Minnestoa

Friend

2009-11-16T00:18:00.002-02:00

Sunny Day Real Estate

2009-09-26T19:53:00.003-02:00

Here is the set list that Sunny Day played for us on Wednesday 9/23/09

Friday
Seven
Shadows
Song about an Angel
Grendel
Guitar and Video games
Iscarabaid
5/4
New Song
J'nuh
Sometimes
(small break)
In Circles
Spade and Parade
48

Can I say any highlights? It was all amazing. Personal favorites were Seven, Grendel, Guitar & Video games, Iscarabaid, In Circles, and 48.

Grendel was pretty amazing because I was not expecting it. G&VG was the only song off of How it feels to be something on, also happens to be my favorite off that album.

Wow, just wow.

Keep going SDRE.

For my fans

2009-05-19T20:40:00.002-02:00

For my Wife

2009-04-28T20:56:00.002-02:00

Look at how happy she is.

Shows

2008-12-08T13:58:00.004-02:00

Something Adam Baker told me about 4 years ago just began to make sense. He was giving me a bunch of music and I was lamenting that I would never get to see some of the bands because they aren't together anymore. I was saying something like "Man, if Sunny Day ever got back together, I'd be there, no matter where, I'd be there." Adam then told me that he'd rather just go out to dinner with his friends. At first I thought, man, I'm just a way bigger Sunny Day Real Estate fan than he is. But now, after the happenings of last week, I started to understand what he was saying. I had the opportunity to go see Jeremy Enigk on a Sunday night in Minneapolis. Nealey and I were going to be able to go. It was going to be amazing. Nealey & Jeremy Enigk, how could I go wrong? However, weather had prevented us from making it up to Minneapolis to see the show. We were bummed. But, he was playing in Milwaukee on Tuesday night. I could drive right after school and get there, watch the show, sleep in the car a little on the way back, and take a personal day for Wednesday. But, Nealey was not able to go. Somehow, driving to a show by myself wasn't what the even was supposed to be.

The show is supposed to be a shared experience. Not just me. It wouldn't be what it could have been if i had gone alone. If I go to Jeremy Enigk alone, without Nealey, without Mike, its not what it is supposed to be. When I was first getting into Enigk, that was with Mike, while I was dating Nealey. The show is meant to be shared with people. So, I'm ok with not driving alone to see Enigk.

Nealey and I went to see Starflyer 59 and David Bazan, it was great. A great shared experience.

The Claims of War: Render unto Caesar

2008-11-05T14:13:00.002-02:00

from "Learning in War-Time" (The Weight of Glory)

The war will fail to absorb our whole attention because it is a finite object and, therefore, intrinsically unfitted to support the whole attention of a human soul. In order to avoid misunderstanding I must here make a few distinctions. I believe our cause to be, as human causes go, very righteous, and I therefore believe it to be a duty to participate in this war. And every duty is a religious duty, and our obligation to perform every duty is therefore absolute. Thus we may have a duty to rescue a drowning man, and, perhaps, if we live on a dangerous coast, to learn lifesaving so as to be ready for any drowning man when he turns up. It may be our duty to lose our own lives in saving him. But if anyone devoted himself to lifesaving in the sense of giving it his total attention- so that he thought and spoke of nothing else and demanded the cessation of all other human activities until everyone had learned to swim- he would be a monomaniac. The rescue of drowning men is, then, a duty worth dying for, but not worth living for. It seems to me that all political duties (among which I include military duties) are of this kind. A man may gave to die for our county, but no man must, in any exclusive sense, live for his country. He who surrenders himself without reservation to the temporal claims of a nation, or a party, or a class is rendering to Caesar that which, of all things, most emphatically belongs to God: himself.

Word.

Still no answer

2008-10-22T14:00:00.003-02:00

Home-Owner

2008-10-14T21:24:00.002-02:00

Here we are. It looks a little like we bought a sign or a hill that has a sign on it. Rest assured that there is a home that comes with the hill and sign. More pictures of that later.

Tapes, The

2008-05-04T15:04:00.004-02:00

The Tapes have been quite enjoyable lately. I've been listening to it pretty much since I got it. Nothing has pulled me away from it. Yes, I have the new Notwist album and that will eventually take my attention. I have been supplementing my listening with some Sufjan lately. I think I have gone too long without listening to Mr. Stevens. But, back to the topic at hand.

I enjoy every song on this album. I would be really interested in a whole album that follows "A Silver Song" sound. I especially like "A Flickering Flame." The "You are the Light of the World" is a good reminder and charge to everyone. The album has taken a lot work and time to put together and the sound is very satisfying. Nice job guys!
Visit www.michaeledwardsmusic.com/ to pick up a copy.

Hey...Man

2008-02-20T12:25:00.004-02:00

So I thought I was gonna post some of my favorite lyrics from mineral songs. Here goes. Disclaimer: I'm not down. I do miss my wife. Mayo keeps taking her away from me.

I only hope that you could be proud of me.

How blessed we are.

When I was a boy I saw things
That no one else could see
So why am I so blind at twenty-two
To the hope that is all around me
Filling up this room

Sometimes I read and reread
The birthday card you sent me

The humble and righteous and meek
Are teaching me who's will to seek

I wouldn't mind if you took me in my sleep tonight
I wouldn't even put up a fight
I wouldn't care if you took it all away today
I'm sure I wouldn't even miss the pain

How will I drink from that stream
How will my heart sing your praise
How will I lay down in green grass fields
When my soul is so afraid to
Rejoice.

I wanted to tell her how beautiful she was
But I just stared

With my arms out like a scarecrow

Hot Dog

2008-01-14T11:30:00.000-02:00

This is the best thing about a 12 hour drive (other than the destinations).

I placed my stigmata on your hands

2008-01-10T02:12:00.000-02:00

1 Year

2008-01-06T15:51:00.000-02:00

Today, January 6, marks one year since Nealey and I had started a journey together. It has been an amazing year filled with new and exciting experiences. My love for Nealey has been confirmed over and over. We are truly a three ply cord. Lord, we ask for more amazing time together.

Kill your hope

2007-12-13T15:19:00.001-02:00

Dead

This stuff

2007-11-07T13:43:00.000-02:00

Rare? Is Safari rare? At least they aren't Nazi enough to say that I must immediately change my browser in order to view and edit my fantasy football team.

I thought Sportscenter was better than this. How can you put "SportsCenter Minute" and then have 2:10 listed as the time? This is like the old insult that kids used to use: "Your Mom is so dumb, it takes her 5 hours to watch 60 minutes". Yeah, SportsCenter, your Mom...

Evangelism Songs

2007-10-08T23:20:00.000-02:00

I think there was a comment on the Pseudobook Review that mentioned "Fake Empire" being the evangelism song for The National. The song that converts the listener to being into the band. I just wanted to get some thoughts on other bands evangelism songs. I'll throw some bands out there but, feel free to mention bands that I don't.

Arcade Fire - ?

Belle & Sebastian - ?

Death Cab for Cutie - ?

The Decemberists - ?

The Fire Theft - ?

The Get Up Kids - ?

Gloria Record - ?

Mineral - ?

Sunny Day Real Estate - ?

The Notwist - ?

Pedro The Lion - ?

Radiohead - ?

Starflyer59 - ?

Sufjan Stevens - ?

Youth Group - ?

Let me know your thoughts. Answer any or all. I have my picks. I'll let you know if we are on the same page.

School Thus Far

2007-09-14T13:11:00.000-02:00

School has been going really great so far. Classes are not overwhelming yet. Other faculty and staff have been an awesome blessing. I must say that I am truly blessed to be here at Schaeffer.

A typical day (not a typical day)

2007-08-15T13:42:00.000-02:00

Enjoy

Turn signals

2007-07-31T15:10:00.000-02:00

Have you ever sat in your car waiting for the left turn arrow to send you on your way? Have you ever, by chance, caught the view the turn signals of the cars behind or accross the intersection? The lights all blink at different rates! Okay, I can understand different makes of cars blinking at different rates, but I have seen the same make and model of car blinking at different rates! Madness!! Let me know what you think.

BTW, I am now faculty at Schaeffer Academy. A K-12 classical Christian school. I will be teaching Calculus, Geometry, Pre-Algebra and some other possibilities. Praise God.

Interview: June 29, 2007

2007-06-29T17:45:00.000-02:00

Tonight I have my second interview with Schaeffer Academy. This one is with the whole board. There will be 6-8 people there. Schaeffer Academy is a K-12 Christian school that uses a Classical Education style. A lot of it is adapted from Dorthy Sayers. She wrote a "short" essay titled "The Lost Tools of Learning". In that essay, she discusses what this thing called the Trivium is. The Trivium is: Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. All three of these areas are to be stressed in every subject. That's right, Math and Grammar.

So, I say this to ask you to pray. Not that I get the job, but that God would have what He wants to happen. Pray that it can be clear that if this is my position, that it would be obvious. Pray that it is 100% in His hands.

Apoc.

2007-06-27T00:56:00.001-02:00

Here it was.

You can obviously see the world was about to end.

Nealey

2007-06-21T13:52:00.000-02:00

This is my wife. She likes coke. (Not Cocaine)

23

2007-05-24T22:53:00.000-02:00

May 24, 2007. I turn 23 years old. Today I expected to wake up, take a shower, read Bruce's sentimental blog about Kevin, and go to work. Well, only three of those four things happened. To find which one didn't, just check Bruce's blog.

When I look back at my 22nd year, there has been a lot that happened. Graduating from college, wrapping up youth group at Grace Brethren, playing shows with my best friends in the world, practicing so many hours in the studio wanting it to never end, learning so much about myself, learning so much about Nealey, and of course entering into a wonderful journey together with her. 22 was huge. I can firmly say it was the best year of my life. I just pray that each coming year will out due the previous year. Since 22 was huge, I know God is even bigger, and 23 will be more amazing than I know.

I'm in a Band...

2007-05-16T03:29:00.000-02:00

What can I say?

The Plan is Huge

2007-05-15T00:30:00.000-02:00

Jesus, you are holding me up today.

December in April

2007-04-21T18:09:00.000-02:00

Nealey and I thoroughly enjoyed over an hour and a half of Decemberists last night. They were great. Very tight, very enjoyable, very entertaining. I was really happy that they played a bunch of their older stuff, not just stuff off of Crane Wife. Included were: Billy Liar, Sixteen Military Wives, Mariner's Revenge Song, The Tain, The Island, Yankee Bayonet, O Valencia, The Perfect Crime 2, Shankill Butchers, The Crane Wife 1, and others. On Yankee Bayonet, the lead singer of My Brightest Diamond sang the woman's part. It was a lot of fun.

Get into Couch

2007-04-17T22:56:00.000-02:00

Here is the new couch Nealey and I just got. It was a lot easier to buy it than to get it up three flights of stairs.

My Wife

2007-03-26T22:45:00.000-02:00

She got her hair cut. She looks great.

Role Model

2007-03-22T18:55:00.000-02:00

Yes.

Some of my friends

2007-03-12T23:48:00.000-02:00

Mike and Joel just left a day ago. It was very nice to have them out here to spend time with me and Nealey. We took a trip up to St Paul area to see 300. I did enjoy it. I though it was a good depection of "the warrior". The Achiles, Hector, Hercules. These are people we read about in English class (or on our own). To see visually what a warrior lookes like in action, it was very helpful to me to develope the idea of the warrior/leader/legend. After the film, we wanted to venture into the city to hang out. It was the weekend of high school hockey state playoffs. The town was busy. Our time was well enjoyed. Nealey and I are very grateful that Mike and Joel made the drive out here. They are truly gentlemen.
Also, we parked on the street where there was a wall of snow between the street and the sidewalk, we went over the wall.

Friends

2007-03-04T00:24:00.000-02:00

I have the best friends in the world. I want to talk about them. Even if some of the people I talk about aren’t my close friends, they are part of the whole. It is not my intention to embarrass them. This is just my attempt to share a small piece of why they are my friends. I won’t be able to talk about everyone here; it’s not possible. I want to attack it in a list manner.

Nealey Cray – She is my companion, the closest person in my life. The one I love and choose to spend the rest of my life with. The person I can be most vulnerable with. She makes me laugh and smile. She encourages me. She makes me feel so very special. She is so smart. I like her for her mind. Listens to everything.

Mike Edwards – Many long conversations have come out of nowhere. Back smashing I’m so free. Very important in my musical, spiritual, and human development. Mike has given me countless hours of music. Mike is someone I can talk to. Mike is the first person I call when I get back to BG. Mike makes me laugh. Creative and honest in everything. A deep thinker. Someone who reads a heck of a lot of stuff.

Justin Edwards – When I was first getting to know the Edwards’, I though that Justin Edwards and Paul Runyan were different people. Justin has the most unique sense of humor. Enjoyed planning WWI, WWII, and phlash-light with. Loved practicing for the Pseudobook show at Howards. I think I could have practiced forever without ever having the promise of a show. I almost burst into tears during our practicing of Failed Filmmaking. “I wanted so badly to start on this journey with you by my side, but it was just not in the cards for us this time around”. To spend time with those guys in that studio, that was awesome. One of the most creative persons I know.

Greg Jenkins – This guy never ceases to amaze me. Greg playing Nealey and I’s song at our wedding was one of the most beautiful moments in my life. Constantly creating music that is “hot”. Almost got “the ‘beaties” with him via Circle K. Encouraging, loving, and funny.

Ben Lucas – A man that is so very insightful at a Bible Study. Versatile in music. Smooth voice. Encouraging. One of the fullest laughs. Open and honest. Able to listen and share advice. Very intelligent.

Mark Dally – Contently growing in the Lord. So encouraging. So energetic. It has been such an honor to see Mark grow in so many ways: musically, spiritually, as a man, a man of the Lord. Mark almost makes me cry with his music. I give him so much credit for climbing in the back of my car for the drive up to the Great Fiction.

Stuart Clark – I went to High School with Stuart. I didn’t really know him that well. I met up with him at the Skillet concert at Dayspring. He started talking about a bible study they were starting (gentlemen’s club). I didn’t even know Stuart was a Christian, and he didn’t know that about me either. We didn’t really live our faith in high school. Even though we were both saved, we didn’t know anything about each other.

Maria Miller – A leader. A person who is always looking for God. A caring individual beyond what I could ever have done. Surprisingly into dance (step).

Joel Manahan – Possibly one of the most insightful people I know. Always making connections. A very social being. Has the longest posts on his blog ever. Someone who is honest with who he is. A music magnet.

Tess Khory – A person who is willing to take risks. A person who can draw amazingly. Agrees with me when I decide who hasn’t posted in forever. An insightful person who has a very unique sense of humor.

John Wade – A person who is willing and wanting to serve God. One of the youth that I felt most connected with. A very gifted person.

Josiah Shepard – One of the deepest thinkers I know. An honest man who can achieve his goals.

Dan Lyon – Such a unique person. Gifted artist musically and photographically. Fun man. Felix Thundercrom.

Jeremy Cordy – Probably the most inappropriate sense of humor ever. A man who wants to server God and is finding his place doing that. A creative artist with his scripts and movies.

Brett Horner – A man who always laughs when he sees me. He probably laughed at my wedding. Someone who listens honestly and earnestly seeks what God is saying to him.

Matt Horn – My “pop” friend. A quick funny man who fits in musically with almost any crowd.

I’ll stop for now. If you think of more people that I should talk about, please leave a comment.

Worst Vocals Ever.

2007-03-03T22:05:00.000-02:00

So I was on the New Amsterdams myspace, looking at some of the comments. I decided to click on Electrick Noise. The song "Conflict" played. It was abhorrent. If you want to experience what I did, click here. There is also a dumb Articles of Confederation question on the end of the song... yes, the song was so bad, I listened to the whole thing.

Haircut, get into it.

2007-03-01T00:48:00.000-02:00

I got a haircut. It went well. I have an interview this friday at John Marshall High school for a monitor position. It is for the remainder of the school year. This would be a great opportunity to get a foot in the door. Interview, friday, John Marshall.

Anti-Justin's World

2007-02-24T03:08:00.000-02:00

Justin, you had it man. You had the real winter in the palm of your hand. Well... It had you in the palm of its hand. I mean do you even know places like this picture taken here even exist anymore? Have you taken in so much sun and 70 degree weather as to forget what month it is? Do they even know what a wind chill is in Southern California?
I took this picture as I stood in the middle of one of the busiest streets in Rochester. I stood there with no cars coming toward me nor any cars coming from behind me. That is because Rochester is supposed to be hit with 12-16 inches of snow this weekend. I hope we have basketball Saturday morning.

Ikea

2007-02-20T13:58:00.000-02:00

Nealey and I went to Ikea in the Twin Cities on saturday. We purchased a desk, add-on top unit, some filling system, hanging folders, and some floor mats. We went on a saturday, that was a mistake. We overheard one employee saying that they probably get 18,000 people on a saturday. It was pretty busy.

On monday I drove up to Apple Valley where Questar Educational Services is, to interview for a job. I recieved a job. It's not exactly the best job, but I do like what the company works on. I will be working on an Indiana project scoring and analyzing student responses from one of their state-wide tests. This is a temporary position, but I hope that it will lead to a permanate position with the company. That job starts in April, I will still be pursuing employment in the area. If something else comes up, then some decisions will be made.

Yep

2007-02-09T15:27:00.000-02:00

From the weather channel's website.

Music

2007-02-07T02:54:00.000-02:00

Okay, so I was in the car a lot this weekend listening to a lot of music.I started to compile a list of songs that I would love to play for a show. Of course, the best show is original music, but, if we did do a cover show, these would be among the songs I would do. In no particular order:

David Crowder Band - Do Not Move
Death Cab for Cutie - For What Reason
Death Cab for Cutie - Sound of Settling
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife 3
The Fire Theft - Heaven
The Fire Theft - It's Over
The Get Up Kids - Close to Home
The Gloria Record - Miserere
The Great Fiction - Dream Emotion
Jeremy Enigk - Been Here Before
Jeremy Enigk - Cannons
Jimmy Eat World - For Me This Is Heaven
Justin Edwards - Vampirate VI
Kent - The King is Dead
The Killers - Bling
Luxury - Diary Standard
Luxury - Mincemeat
Michael Edwards - To The West
Pedro the Lion - Magazine
Pedro the Lion - Second Best
Seasons - A Momentous Moment's Momentum
Starflyer 59 - Something Evil
Sufjan Stevens - Put the Lights on the Tree
Sunny Day Real Estate - How it feels to be something on
Sunny Day Real Estate - Guitar and Video Games
Sunny Day Real Estate - Days were Golden
Sunny Day Real Estate - Fool in the Photograph
Sunny Day Real Estate - The Rising Tide
Youth Group - Happiness' Border

I think that is it. As you can tell I'd like to play a lot of Sunny Day. Of course this set is brutally long to the point of impossibility. It would be awesome. I think Pseudobook should start practicing for our reunion show in 5 years. Give me your thoughts.

@ the library

2007-02-06T19:06:00.000-02:00

I'm at the library today writing thank you notes, looking at Ikea furniture, and getting a library card. For those of you who did not know, I made an epic trip this last weekend. Thursday afternoon, I was chatting with Mike Edwards about the Great Fiction show. I remember seening them with Justin a while back and it was amazing. The thought ran through my mind, "That would be so awesome to see them again". And then suddenly, it started to happen. Let's do it. Can I do it? This is crazy. I can't do it. Yes I can! So, I talked to Nealey for a bit. No, I did not have to do any convincing. And I was off. 4 p.m Central Standard Time. I would arrive 600 miles later at the Edwards house, at 3:00ish Eastern Standard Time. You do the math. It was so good to see friends again. Lunch with Ben, Jeremy, Mike was great. There was a point during our lunch that was so amazing. Jeremy was saying he wanted some music for his film. After some small conversation, Ben was like, "Yeah, I'm in." Yeah, it was amazing. I love my friends, I just live real far away form them, that is all except Nealey. Nealey is such a great friend. Heck, she's my wife. I love my wife.

Yeah, there is some snow here

2007-01-31T02:32:00.000-02:00

Nealey and I went for a nice walk on Monday. We saw that it was snowing and decided to join the snowflakes. Here is but a brief sample of what you can expect in Rochester.

Updates

2007-01-29T00:29:00.000-02:00

So, I have some updating to do. Before I start, some really quality songs have come up on shuffle lately. Nealey and I have the 20GB iPod going most of the day. Including Mike's "Part of your World", Ben's "Le Musique", and an epic almost 10 minute "Baby I'm Yours" Seasons jam. Okay, now the updates.
The Rummikub record is now K:3, N:1. Nealey won the most recent game. I have started to hang some art and clocks on the walls here. The apartment is looking quite nice. Nealey starts work in a week. Things are going well.
Nealey and I saw Pan's Labyrinth. I enjoyed the movie a lot. I feel like I am holding back a little. I can't like it as much as I want to. I spoke to Mike a bit about the movie and we talked about some of the things I am about to write. The movie doesn't really explain the "other world" a lot. It just presents it, in a way that is somewhat "believable". I suppose that is the nature of a fairy tale, it doesn't take time to explain why everything is the way it is, it just is. There wasn't any long history on how little fairy came to be friends of Pan. There wasn't some explaination as to how everything came to be. It just starts, there was a kingdom... One item that I could have liked more was the character of Pan. First, I didn't like his voice all that much. Second, I wanted his part to be larger. I know he is supposed to be mysterious because we aren't really supposed to know if he is good or bad. However, as a whole, I enjoyed the movie a lot. Very pretty, dark a lot, great music.

Mike

2007-01-25T13:26:00.000-02:00

Mike is officially the person who updates the least. Even less than Joel, that's saying a lot. The committee (wow, that felt weird to spell) of one has ruled.

Nealey and I

2007-01-18T23:35:00.000-02:00

Nealey and I are enjoying our dinner tonight. Below is a picture of that. We have been settling in here. I will spare you the pictures of boxes everywhere, those will come in a later post. There are boxes everywhere! We are making progress though.Our bedroom is about finished, not swedish. The office is going to be the room we do last, and that is looking like it is going to be a challenge. Nealey and I played a game of Rummikub. I will update you on the standings everytime we play. K: 1 N: 0. We have also seen a couple movies. We saw Children of Men. I thought this film was amazing. Nealey did not because of the violence. We watched The Illusionist. Nealey enjoyed this film. I liked it except for the "here is everything you wanted to know in a montage" ending. All is well in Minnesota.

Minnesota Cray

2007-01-14T20:22:00.000-02:00

Nealey and I have reached Minnesota. We are in our apartment however, our belongings do not arrive until Tuesday. We are sleeping on an air mattress that we bought from Wal-Mart. The apartment is large. We have had to do some substantial cleaning throughtout, there is just dust everywhere. Also, I think one of our neighbors, either the one to the right, or below us, smokes. There is a strong smell in the kitchen, but nowhere else in the apartment, thank goodness. Here is a pitcure looking into the living room. And yes, it has started snowing.

Mike and I in Minnesota

2006-12-27T13:20:00.000-02:00

Mike and I made it safely here to the great state of Minnesota last night around 10ish. It wasn't that bad of a drive. We went through Chicago at a good time and I think that saved us a lot of time, rather than going around the city. We made a couple of stops, McD's, Pizza Hut, Gas/Pee. These are pictures of Mike and I at the Pizza Hut. Our waitress was nice and consistant. After anything we said, she said, "Sounds good." The last one is a picture of Mike after our long night of partying. Oh, did I forget that?

Christmas is here.

2006-12-26T01:15:00.000-02:00

Here is a picture of me with fire from the new fireplace at our families new house in Toledo.

It is true, Mike Edwards and I will be taking a trip to Minnesota tomorrow, December 26th. I will be searching for an apartment for Nealey and I. We will also be able to enjoy some Roscoes, a really amazing place. I'll try to post some pictures up here.
Sooo close to marriage!

Wow!

2006-11-20T20:27:00.000-02:00

So there is a lot happening now. I have 11 days left of student teaching. I have 46 days left until I start the rest of my life with the woman that I love, Nealey Hearns. God is soooooo good.

These days

2006-10-31T09:27:00.000-02:00

Wow, Jeremy Enigk is really doing it for me right now. All I have been listening to is Sunny Day Real Estate. The album "How it feels to be something on" is always playing. His voice is so thick with something, but not in a bad way, in a very good way. I don't know why I haven't fallen in love with this album before. Like I said, I have been listening to it pretty much non-stop execpt for a nice listen of Ken Stringfellows "Je Vous En Prie" from Nealey. That was very nice. Like I said, I'm just sayin', you know what I'm sayin'? What are you trying to say?

Lets get some thoughts on the "How it feels to be something on" album. Is there a favorite song of yours?

Also, here is a picture of me at 5:30am today. It's by my bed in my recently cleaned room.

Thursday night, @ the bible study

2006-10-26T21:37:00.000-02:00

Tonight is bible study at my house. I just had dinner with my mom.

John Osinski

2006-10-09T19:24:00.000-02:00

Today I was walking down the hall at BGHS and saw a familiar face. I knew the face waling toward me. I couldn't place it at first, but as he walked near, we both realized who we were looking at. This person was John Osinski. See picture:

John had just graduated from Ohio State University in Math Education certified from 7th to 12th grade. Just like me. It was so cool to see him in school.

I have been thinking about St. John's a lot lately. I am realy glad that I was able to go to school there. It really did prepare me well for college. Also, it is so much more than a school, its an education, and there is so much more meaning in everyday and every class. It is much, much more than a school.

Oh God, where are you now?

2006-09-25T21:53:00.000-02:00

Well, it's gone. Probably for the better.

Busy

2006-09-16T12:18:00.000-02:00

Life has been pretty busy lately. School is expanding over the walls that keep school in. I really like taking pictures. I don't know if I am any good by anyother standard than I like them. Here is a picture that I took at like 5 in the morning.

Student teaching

2006-08-31T18:39:00.000-02:00

I have been in the class room for almost two weeks now. It's not bad. I really like teaching. I wish my class sizes were a little smaller. I am teaching Intermediate Algebra now and will pick up Algebra II sometime. The day seems really long now. Getting up at 6 isn't fun, but I'm getting used to it. It's really all about going to bed at about 10:00, 11 is pushing it. I'm very glad to be teaching now rather than just sitting observing and taking attendence. I'm a teacher for pete's sake. Today at lunch I planned to use my planning period to use photobooth to take some photos, here are some of those amazing results.

'Sota, again.

2006-08-10T20:39:00.000-02:00

We're back in Minnesota again. It was a long drive. We took some photos of Nealey's future employment. Here is a picture of Me, Nealey, and her dad in front of her actual hospital. She works on the top floor which is the neuro surgery.

We will get back sometime on Friday.

Disc Ghost

2006-07-22T10:02:00.000-02:00

That's a nice picture. Disc Golfer Greats roam the course at will.

So we are going to see Rob Bell on thursday. I'm pretty excited about that. I also found this cool park near Cleveland called Swings-n-things. There is a multitude of fun fun things to do including batting cages. (I specifically mention this for myself, Justin, Charlie, and anyone else who is struggling in Softball). Nealey comes home in less than 4 weeks. Man it has been a long summer. I am quite excited to see her again. I'm sure Jeremy would like to hear all the gross stories that she has.

In closing, does anyone know Matt Edwards birthday?

Also...

2006-07-11T19:27:00.000-02:00

Was Joel Manahan in Kazakhstan in March? Does this light bulb tell the story? And in Borat's home? You tell me.

Needles

2006-07-11T18:48:00.000-02:00

So, I'm afraid of needles. I also don't like the way it is spelled when I write it out here. I don't know where it stems from. Some things just don't help my fear though. Like this guy:
I got stiches once. I thought it hurt a lot. My mom keeps telling me that I have tough skin. I don't know what that's means. I also don't like getting shots. This picture doesn't help either:
I don't like the doctor or "service" as they are called at certain institutions. The whole drip with out of focus service is a bit daunting.

Okay

2006-07-10T16:03:00.000-02:00

Brett Core - Turn it down
Will Graver - Turn it up

Kevin

2006-06-28T15:11:00.000-02:00

This is Kevin. He kinda acts like me. I think the relation is second cousin. This is my cousin's son, that make's him my second cousin, right? He's cool.

Disc

2006-06-27T16:38:00.000-02:00

Believe it because it happened. Today, June 27th, 2006 around the 2 o'clock pm hour, I, Kevin Cray, got a hole-in-one.
It was hole number 8. Justin R. Edwards is the sole witness. There were some other guys there with their shirts off, so they don't count. Its was pretty exciting. I ending up shooting a -5. Not bad.

Storm

2006-06-22T15:14:00.000-02:00

Yes, there was a storm last night.

I tried to capture some video with iMovie through my laptop. I took some screen shots.
What do you think?

Video Shot

2006-06-10T14:03:00.000-02:00

We (Me, J, Jer, & Joel) shot a video last night. It's about what happens at the church when no one is there.
In other last night news, J forgot a half drank can a pepsi at my house, I confess, I did take a sip. I was really thirsty. Here is the can.

Pod Casters

2006-06-09T14:43:00.000-02:00

I witnessed the recording of "What the crap is podcasting" Here is a picture:

That was fun. Do a search for Pseudobook on iTunes to find the cast.

Nealey is in Mayo, Mike on the west coast, Joel in School, Greg in bed. Chris Smith (Stuart's Bro-in-law) was talking about some workings of circles of friends. He was talking about when you have a bunch of friends and they hang out all the time, but then one friend moves away or something, and you find out that you don't hang out at all any more with the rest of your friends. My question is, what happens when all your friends leave?

I stayed up way too late with Mike on Tuesday night/Monday morning. We watched The New World on my Laptop, which was amazing, my laptop and the movie. I also started listening to The Dark Forest.

Justin, I don't know if I'm supposed to have this song, but I am really glad I do. On Your Way. This song is quite amazing. I don't really have words to explain how makes me feel when I listen to it. Maybe it provokes some feeling of eternity, and what everlasting really is. Thank you for writing that song.

Currently in Minnesota

2006-06-01T19:36:00.000-02:00

So we made it here safely, drove a lot, and are really tired. The sunrise was pretty cool to see in the morning.

This was us getting our final tanks of gas before hitting the pike.

This is my driving partner.

Some of that sunrise.

Nealey's new friends.

That's all for now from Minnesota.

Summer

2006-05-28T23:26:00.000-02:00

Okay, I understand that I haven't posted in a really long time. Sorry about that. A lot of things have happened since then. I finished the spring semester on the dean's list. That felt really good. I will continue with student teaching at Bowling Green High School. This wikk finally be my last semester. I'm pretty excited for all that the future holds. I played in my first show ever. Justin Edwards was nice enough to ask me to play guitar for a show in Dayton. Wow was that a blast. Needless to say, I need to work on my music memorization skills. I really enjoyed playing at the show and all the practicing time before it. I look forward to the next show I can be a part of. Most reciently, Nealey has completed her term of taking TB medicine. No one can understand what this medicine does to a person, not even me. It is a true blessing to have the medicine available and now finally completed. I turned 22, our softball team is 2-0, keep it up, and I am now the owner of a MacBook. It is pretty exciting. We took some pretty funny pictures with photobooth, I'll let you see some here.

Wow

2006-03-23T15:32:00.000-02:00

I was walking home from class today and spotted a peice of my childhood... kinda. When I was younger, we had remote control cars. It was one of the coolest Christmas presents I had gotten as a kid. Well, I spotted my remote control car walking home. Although it was no longer remote controlled or the size of a basketball, it was huge and contolled by a guy named Jim. How do we let this happen? What is the purpose? Obviously Jim needs his contraption to climb the hills of Bowling Green. His huge tires help him keep traction while he tears through the parking lots. How... and why does this happen?

Effect Pictures

2006-01-29T22:34:00.000-02:00

Pics of Jan

2006-01-27T17:31:00.000-02:00

January

2006-01-25T15:48:00.000-02:00

January has been quite amazing. I've read more than I ever had before, and not just for classes. School has been busy but it will get worse. A couple of reasons why January has been great are: WWII, wow is actually happened. I remember the off handed comment at Howards when Cambridge was all present and I said, "why don't we go on next and do WWII?" Justin laughed. A couple days pass, Justin calls me, "We want to do it", wow! Then it happened. It was a great blessing for me to be involved and praise the Lord with such passion. Rob Bell and Mars Hill. Mike Rich, Mike Edwards, and Myself made the journey to Grand Rapids Mich. to attend a gathering at Mars Hill. Rob Bell was speaking on part 2 of a series called "The flames of heaven" You all should download the sermons from Mars Hill Website. I'll let you find the address. I've been pushed so much and am now realizing so much. Journey. Big picture. Don't put God in a box. So much Big Picture. That is all for now.

Mac

2005-11-30T12:32:00.003-02:00

I was on the Mac website today, looking at some things. I thought it would be funny to see how expensive I could get one computer to cost. Here it is:

2.5GHz Quad-core PowerPC G5
Memory: 16GB 533 DDR2 ECC SDRAM- 8x2GB
Hard Drive: 2x500GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
Graphics Support: QUADRO FX 4500 512MB SDRAM
Displays: Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel)
Secondary Displays: Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel)
Wireless Options: AirPort Extreme + Bluetooth built-in
Modem: Apple USB Modem
CD/DVD drive: 16x SuperDrive DL (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Fiber Channel Card: Fibre Channel PCI Express Card (w/ SFP-SFP cable)
Apple Keyboard & Mighty Mouse - U.S English
Mac OS X - U.S. English
Apple Software solutions: Final Cut Express HD + Motion 2 preinstalled
Accessory kit

It's a beast. And at 21,549, it will cripple you financially. Interestingly enough, that about the same price for at new 2005 Chevy Malibu Maxx. Let's look at that

Highlights:
201-hp 3.5L V6 engine
Multi-Flex 60/40 sliding/reclining rear seat
Fixed rear skylight with dual retractable sunshades
16-inch fascia spoke painted silver wheels
Rear cargo panel system
Flat-folding front passenger seat
Available head-curtain side-impact air bags(2)
Available Rear DVD entertainment system

Well that's a weird comparison.

Some pictures

2005-11-30T12:32:00.001-02:00

Here are some pictures taken with the SD400. It was fun.

2nd

2005-11-30T12:32:00.000-02:00

Mike asked me if I was going to get out of November with only one post.

I guess not, Mike.

Cru

2005-11-04T10:23:00.000-02:00

WOW, the blogging world must be on overload. Mike Edwards with a whole new blog! Brilliant! Joel Manahan with another signature lengthy blog (not a criticism)! This is amazing! So I figured I better not be left behind. If Mike and Joel are updating then I really should be.

Tuesday night I was again annoyed. Some people were talking about an upcoming church service in which 4 people were going to be sing a song. The comment was made "I'll definitely be there" with much excitement. It bugged me that a song would be the motivation to be present in church. What about the preaching of the Word? What about witnessing to someone you don't know? What about praying for eachother? Fill my bucket, fill my bucket, fill MY bucket! That's not what this is all about.

In other news, I went with Stuart to Cru last night. It was the first time I had gone to Cru. The Tapes played, it was good. Michael Brown talked about the questions behind the questions. I know it is a seeker sensitive place, so I wasn't expecting deep Biblical teaching about some passage in Numbers but, I did leave with questions. Which is good because it made me think. There was a part when M. Brown was asking a bunch of questions about God, in my head I had a personal answer for practically everyone. It was good to feel strong in my faith. The other thing about going to Cru was a weird feeling within me. I almost felt nervous. Okay let's think about this. Why would I feel nervous? Am I not sure of my faith? Am I going into a new environment? with new people? who I don't know? Do I really know what to expect? Let me say this, I haven't really been a part of something this size (people-wise) who are my peers for a faith-based meeting. I've usually been older or, there was a more diverse crowd, older people and younger people (like church). But that feeling subsided. It was a good night. And I have a question for Justin, where do you get those number puzzles? Could I join in on the fun? That's all for now.

I Love you Nealey

Convo., Prayer

2005-10-25T15:52:00.000-02:00

I had another really good conversation with M. Edwards. It seems like these conversations sneak up on us. We don't really have the preset purpose. It not like "Okay, this is the time when we talk about things". It's just our lives verbally expressed.

I actually had the feeling in my to earnestly pray for someone. Don't get me wrong. I pray for people. I care, I'm not an empty person. Nealey and I pray together and I honestly feel and yearn for these things to happen. I really felt it recently. The power of prayer is awesome. I felt the need to pray. So I did.

Rescue is coming

2005-10-24T10:49:00.000-02:00

There is darkness in my skin
My cover is wearin' thin, I believe,
I'd love to start again
Go back to innocence and never leave

Don't give up now
A break in the clouds
We could be found

And there's nothin' wrong with me
It's just that I believe things could get better
And there's nothing wrong with love
I think it's just enough to believe

Don't give up now
A break in the clouds
We could be found

Rescue is coming,
Rescue is coming
Rescue is coming
Rescue is coming

And there's nothing wrong with you
And nothing left to do but believe something bigger
And there's nothing wrong with love
I know it's just enough to believe

Don't give up now
A break in the clouds
We will be found

Rescue is coming
Rescue is coming
Rescue is coming
Rescue is coming

Now, Now...

-David Crowder Band, Resuce is Coming (B Walk Down Stairs), A Collision

This may be one of the most powerful songs I've ever heard. So well written, musically and lyricly. It is such a song of hope. Rescue is coming and it is Jesus Christ. What if the rapture comes tomorrow? Do I live like it? What if we are rescued from the slings and arrows of everyday life? What if tomorrow I'm standing before my Creator? Do I look like I have that hope in me? Do I look like that is a real possibility? Is the joy there? Because if you are a believer, you better believe this is one of the most joyous moments.

Sweet

2005-10-21T11:43:00.000-02:00

Alright. You have all seen the sad king, now witness the king transformed. I give you...Happy king.

I had a great conversation with Mike yesterday night at GBC. It started with TMSE practice in the basement, after that Mike stayed and banged on the piano. You can really see his music is heartfelt, it's deep, not shallow. I heard a lot of the new family project and the solo project. It was good to sing along with some classics. Can we call them classics yet? After we had some really good conversation about being Christians and being human. It was good.

Ben (not Genson), Mike (not Jordan), Justin (not Timberlake) this afternoon/evening.

Sad king

2005-10-19T13:01:00.000-02:00

Here is the sad king. He sits alone...

Me

2005-10-12T12:21:00.000-02:00

Think I can get any sponsors for my blog?

Anger

2005-10-12T10:07:00.000-02:00

I've been a bit angery lately. By lately I mean, from after worship practice tuesday to waking up today (wednesday). I know why, but then again I don't know why. I'm trying my best here. It seems like I have so many people to not let down,

Parents
Girlfriend
Girlfriends Parents
The Board
The Youth Board
The Youth
Friends
Teachers
Students
Boss

and above all, God. I trying not to let anyone down. I'm trying my best. The Youth Board doesn't want me to let down the Youth, shouldn't they go to the Youth to see that? I really am tired of people just wanting things and not giving any effort for them. I am trying to submit to God first and foremost, and I don't know if they see that. I'm not doing it in order for them to see that, I'm doing it for the reasons that matter, because let's face it, the Youth Board aren't the ones directly touch by my ministry, I'm doing it for the Youth, the future. I'm doing it for God, to be a submissive servant, a teacher, a guide. I'm trying my best. I'm putting in a lot of effort.

Here it is!

2005-09-30T09:58:00.000-02:00

Alright. With the help of Joel, I have successfully got my "song" loaded. I had fun making it, that's what counts right?

HERE

Crazy

2005-09-28T10:08:00.000-02:00

Life has been kind of busy right now. There are lots of things going on. I am thankful that I work every morning or else I probably wouldn’t get up and be able to get stuff done. I continue to forget the weekly journal for Dr. Meel’s class. Mike, I won’t make fun of you for telling me how hard it is to remember. This past Sunday was so crazy. I lead worship at Grace so, I woke up at 5am, did the powerpoint at church, turned the sound system on, got some mic’s set up and levels correct. At around 8am people started arriving for worship practice, which was good because they were actually on time. Everyone gets there; we are ready to go, but not really. No one has their music ready, no one knows what order the songs are going in. AHHHH, I really thought we had this ready earlier in the week on that one day, what’s that called?.. oh yeah, WORSHIP PRACTICE! Oh well I finish this later, I gotta do a proof.

Song

2005-09-16T18:23:00.000-02:00

I recorded a song. It's not really a song. I recorded some notes put together. I'm not sure how I'll get it out.

I had another dream

2005-09-14T14:53:00.000-02:00

Let me first start by saying that Monday night's dream also included Justin Edwards getting married. I was like, whoa!, I thought I was the one getting married soon.

Tuesday night's dream was pretty crazy. Jeremy had taken an eight million dollar loan from a church. (I know it doesn't make sense). I got stung in the foot by a bee. I had this weird feeling in my foot after I got stung. Also, Eric Barton was shooting me with a revolver and I killed him with a rifle. (Note: If you just skipped down to here, this is a description of a dream I had last night, not actual events). It was kinda crazy.

I also tried to solve a math problem in the shower today. I was drawing on the shower door, doing some algebra. I think I've sunk to another low.

Youth group is at Covenant Church, come on out and support Pawn and the Tapes.

Taken, Blessed, Broken, Given.

Gentleman's Club

2005-09-13T15:12:00.000-02:00

Today I feel so thankful. For everything. I thank God for my blessings and my troubles. Gentleman's club was amazing last night. I went in with the idea that it was going to be real light, nothing too serious, we were making a video about GC. That is exactly when God kicked my butt. God is really developing our group. Tonight, prayer requests were the most intense ever. I could really feel God working. The sense of a being with your brothers was overwhelming. I really do consider each person there my brother. The privilege of prayer is way under-rated. What an honor, blessing, opportunity to communicate with the all powerful creator. I feel so blessed in my current state. Thank you God!

"I want a girl who will let me rebel and revel in it"

Truck, Church

2005-09-12T12:52:00.000-02:00

For those of you who don't know, my truck was broken for about 3 days. I felt powerless, useless, immobile. Yesterday after church. The amazing mind and hands of Mike Kruger and the wallet of Mr. Barton came together to fix my truck. Something actually physically broke off that was vital to the serpentine belt. I had no power steering which is a fun adventure for those of you who haven't experienced it. But, now it is fixed, well... drivable. We will do more work in the future on it.

Oh yeah, church. It was great, I wore my hair back in a pony tail, it was fun. My head looked so small in my shadow. Jack was preaching, is was a great message. Partly because he wasn't 100% comfortable with it. You could see that the message was very much alive and in motion within him and his life. Forgiveness is a an amazing gift.

I had a dream last night, Mike Rich was doing the dishes. Alas, it was only a dream.

Twas much fun at Sam and Josiah's house last night. So many people in one place. I think almost everyone was there. Except my beautiful Nealey. It was a great time.

Question: What does it feel like to be shot?

2005-09-07T12:23:00.000-02:00

Okay,

I've got a lot to say. I am also %100 positive that I won't be able to say it all on this post. Since my last post, I have seen the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind It brought up some interesting thoughts.

1) How much of my life have I just forgot?
So many things I have experienced, I can't even remember them even happening. How different would my life be if I had that knowledge? People always complemnt me on my good memory, is it really that good? I can tell a lot of things that most people don't remember but, I can't remember my checking account number without looking at the card it is written on. I don't remember my dreams for more than 1 day unless I tell someone. I know what your're thinking I need a journal.

Ok, So I haven't been very good at this

2005-08-24T12:54:00.000-02:00

Ok, sorry for all those who experienced edwards or manahan syndrome while checking my blog only to find a site in dire need of a new post.

School has started. It is going to be a semester of work. SI position will also offer some good times. I really want to put up a quality post, it will have to be in the near future.

Lots of things

2005-05-03T17:19:00.000-02:00

Well, I wanted to post about a bunch of things I'll list them here so that I can remember them.

Smells
Dreams

Okay. Let's start with the smells. I was driving home to BG one night. I had just crossed the maumee river and the smell hit me. It was a smell that I had smelled before. It was a welcomed smell that brought back good memeories. The smell reminded me of going to play Zombie. In summers past, wen I was living in Toledo, I would get a call from Mike or Joel or someone and be invited down to play. I would hop in my truck and speed down I-75. The smell had happend almost every time. There was the smell of the outside, and the mind set that you would be outside, running around in the woods, acting like little kids. It was great. This summer will hold more of that. We will start Zombie back up. We will reclaim the night. I asked Mike if he ever get smells that reminded him of anything. He said yes. Somtimes he catches a whiff of Kenya. I guess that means I'm not crazy after all.

Dreams. Man I had one of the wierdest dreams i have ever had last night. Justin and Mike were in it. We were at my old church in Toledo. Our Lady of Lourdes. However it was not a catholic chuch in my dream. There was a huge conference going on there and I saw an old teacher of mine from St. John's. Br. Moriconi was holdng a session at this conference I walked up to him and it seemed like he did not remember me. I told him he probably did not recoginze me with my long hair. He said, "Actually, I've gone blind. The opperation went wrong and my eyes were not able to be salvaged". Wow. crazy. This session was held in the evening when the sun was going down. It was for adults only. Mike and I had other responsibilties. Since the conference was for adults only, there was going to be a lot of kids with nothing to do. Mike and I were to tell stories to the kids. The Gospel. I think we called it the sermon on the mount because there was a hill there. So, I didn't really expect a lot of kids, but as we walked outside, there were kids covering the whole hill. I looked at Mike and smiled, "This is awesome, I'll get the camera". So I went to a basement where Justin was sleeping. I asked him if I could borrow the camera. He said sure, if and only if you have a tape for it. No problem, I got that. So I got the camera, it was huge. As big as a guitar. I walked outside with the camera and then we started. It was so perfect. So many kids listening to the Gospel. So into it. I felt blessed at that moment. Mike and I shed tears as we walked to the hill and saw all the kids. Such an opportunity. Such a perfect night to learn about God. The sun setting, a campfire burning, each kid glued to the story of God. It was one of the weirdest and most emotional dreams that I had ever had.

Church, this past Sunday.

2005-04-26T11:15:00.000-02:00

This past Sunday, April 24, 2005, was my preaching debut. It was over the passage Matthew 5:43-47. Of course Chapter 5 contains 48 verses, however, the last verse is a full encompassing of all that has been spoken on earlier in Matthew. Sunday was great. I felt really comfortable. Praise God for getting His message across to the congregation. It was really exciting and enjoyable to be up there. People paying attention to you rather than not. Not to say that the Youth Group doesn't pay attention, but sometimes I don't know if they really are listening. I used Justin Edwards song "Wrestling with Greatest Love" for part of the sermon, it was a great fit. I think people were into it. Thanks to all the support, prayers, and people who came out on Sunday. It was very exciting to see my parents in church. Mike, Joel, Stuart, Andrew, Ben, Jenny, and of course Nealey all came out, it was great to experience this with you guys there. I am going to talk about smells in a later post. We'll see how that goes.

Why I love my girlfriend

2005-04-21T18:40:00.000-02:00

Why do I love her? That wonderful, beautiful girl Nealey Hearns. She is so special to me. She laughs at my jokes, unless they aren't funny. She gives me hugs, those are nice. She trys so hard at everything. 110% isn't trying enough in her book. She encourages me, not guilt trips me. She has good taste in music, most of the time. She's got a Mac. She's flippin' sweet! Did I mention she has a Mac? She answers my phone calls to her at any time. She's got really small feet. She can kick a ball really far. She respects my decisions. She loves the Bangkok Kitchen. She makes really tasty food for me to eat. She has a sweet green jacket. She uses words I don't understand sometimes. She lets me play my music in her car. She is afraid of car washes, the automatic kind. She reads her Bible. She lives a life worthy of being called a Christian. She's got a great style. She smells good. She wears her glasses at night. She can blow bubbles with gum. She's got an awesome digital camera. She collects thermos that come with bank accounts. Oh yeah, and SHE LOVES ME!

Math, Math, Math, Math

2005-04-14T13:29:00.000-02:00

I think I've done it. When I look forward a couple of semesters this is what I see:
(Credit hours) Call Number, Class

Summer '05:
(3) IPC 102, Interpersonal Communications
Fall '05:
(3) MATH 341, Probability and Statistics
(3) MATH 402, Modern Geometry
(3) MATH 332, Linear Algebra
(3) MATH 313, Mathematical Logic
Spring '06:
(3) MATH 417, Advanced Math Topics for Early to Adult teaching
(3) EDFI 402, Assesment & Evaluation in Education
(3) EDTL 420, Development of Reading Content Area
(3) EDTL 367, Computer Utilization in the Classroom
(3) EDTL 474, Mathematics Secondary Section
Summer '06:
Breathe
Fall '06:
(15) EDTL 497, Student Teaching

Looks kinda crazy busy. It's all there. Everything, barring I don't re-take or fail anything, but we'll deal with that when it comes.

Camera

2005-04-12T17:26:00.000-02:00

Camera
Originally uploaded by kcray.

Here she is:

Goodness

2005-04-12T16:10:00.000-02:00

I was driving home from school on friday. I saw this girl walking on the sidewalk. She had a black sweatshirt on and it said something in white writting on it. My first impression was that it said "got Jesus?" ya know, like that got milk? commercial. I thought to myself, yeah, BG is certainly getting more Christian these days. As she walked closer, I noticed in actuality that it said "got beer?". Man, that seems to be right. What a contrast. Then I thought about the lost here in BG, what can we do to be more effective?

This was one of the most busy weekends I've had in a while. I did most of my homework on Saturday. Saturday was filled with homework. Abstract Algebra is really tough but very interesting. I was also able to be involved with a Friday Night Alive promotion seen on Justin's Website.

Sunday, I went up to Y-town to go to church with my wonderful girlfriend Nealey. I got there a little early and the weather was beautiful, so we decided to take a walk. During our walk we found some drug parifinalia on the ground. That was pretty weird. Church was great. After church Nealey and I went to Best Buy to purchase a digital camera for Nealey's up coming Mission trip to Chad, Africa. (See picture above.) It was a crazy busy weekend but also so nice to spend some time with Nealey. Nealey's sickness of the week is Typhoid, pray for her. Also, Mike Edwards scored at 1/3 last week. So far this week he is 1/1. We'll see if that lasts.

A night of Youth

2005-04-07T13:11:00.000-02:00

Congratulations Sammy, you have won the NCAA bracket challege of winners and losers. What do you win? As promised, you win a dinner with your favorite youth leader (me, of course) and my assistant, Mike Rich. There will be three locations to choose from. The place that is pronounced WHO-NAN buffet, Skyline Chili, or Panera Bread. Choose wisely... In other Youth news, like I said, I'm not going to hound you about coming to BNYC, if God has put a desire in your heart, tell me and I will put you on THE list. Also, last night at Youth Group, we were playing soccer in the side yard, the good team was winning, and all of a sudden, a window was broken. The ball went flying toward my House and broke the top storm window as well as the top regular window. It was a fitting end to a hard fought game. We'll talk more later.

A great season

2005-04-05T17:19:00.000-02:00

After out scoring their opponents 2414 to 1864 over the entire season. Then end up losing both their games by a total of 6 points. I'd say they are still one of the greatest teams in many years.
Nice job Orange Crush.

Now that's more like it!

2005-03-31T21:22:00.000-02:00

Wow this weather has been great. I hope it continues. (it's starting to get more cloudy as I type) Everything has been really crazy lately. Lot's of homework. What's that all about? We're in college I shouldn't be expected to do anything outside the classroom. Easter was nice. It went really fast. Church was great. It was a pretty big service. I need to miss a week of church soon. It has been too long since my Sunday morning was given to something else. Of course I'm kidding. I love church. Sometimes it can seem a little irrelevant but it somehow always comes around. Sometimes it feels like we hear the same message week after week after week. I'd like to mix it up a little. Ah well, our own little Christian community. Youth Group went great last night. Galatians 3, Baby! It was good to teach again. That's about it. Pray for my yellow fevered girlfriend Nealey, the vaccine wasn't too nice to her.

Music

2005-03-24T17:22:00.000-02:00

Hey, come on out to see Michael Edwards do his thing tonight. The Banjo will be rockin' and the clarinet will be laying down some smack as well. Don't forget the flute, the smooth rhythm's will fill the room. 7 o'clock shape, at the UCF on Thurstin. Eric Barton will also be creating some mighty fine sounds tonight as well.

And we're back!

2005-03-14T16:03:00.000-02:00

Almost like we never left. Break was good. It was nice to just relax and not worry about school work or having to get up early. The break started nicely with a TMSE show on Sunday night. I think Ben broke a string on purpose so that my guitar would get some stage time. I got to visit with Nealey for a couple of days during the latter half of break. It was nice. Then this Sunday night came. 11:30 at night, time for some homework due monday. It went surprisingly fast though.

If you are a student from grades 6-12, and want to go to BNYC (Brethren National Youth Conference), July 23-30, let me know. Also, if you are following along with BNYC Bible study schedule I created, You should have read or will read sometime today Galatians 2. Tomorrow and the day after that are devoted to Galatians 3. I hope you are getting all jazzed up reading the Word of God. I know I am.

Life

2005-03-09T00:37:00.000-02:00

I've been flirting with boredom already during these first couple of days of spring break. The very first day of "break", Saturday, I did absolutely nothing. Now, when people say "I didn't do anything", they usually mean I didn't do anything that amounted to something. Granted they did stuff, it just did not amount to anything. My Saturday, I DID NOTHING. The most stimulating events were receiving phone calls (2) and taking a shower. The rest of the day was compromised of sitting on the couch. In the words of Mike Edwards, "It would suck to live a long time like this".

My boredom has somewhat subsided. Music is awesome to me. I've really been getting into new (to me) bands. Eisely is good. Pedro the Lion is powerful. TMSE, You're never gonna get it, I don't think I could count how many times I've listened to it. Kent, Notwist. Music has seemed to be even more powerful to me lately. The lyrics and notes hit deeper. God has definitely blessed us with the gift of song. I once heard "God gave us music, that we may pray without words". I'm not going to say that every song is a prayer, nor would I limit what a prayer could be. God has really been awesome. He always is, it's just when I come around to acknowledging it that it blows me away.

Game

2005-03-03T15:43:00.000-02:00

http://www.geocities.jp/lledoece/nanaca-crash.html

Possibly one of the most enjoyable games on the internet.

Eisley

2005-03-03T15:09:00.000-02:00

So Mike was over and we were "narrowing down" our topics for our History of Math project. That didn't take long because we basically blurted out anything that we thought we could write about. Afterward, we listened to a bunch of music. Included in that time was a band called Eisley. (See their website www.eisley.com) Let me say that I really don't have any favorite women singers or women led bands. I have listened to and enjoyed Amiee Mann and some Sixpence but nothing to make me pursue further music. Eisley is really good, and really solid. The Vocals are strong yet soft and elagent. Their music spans multiple genres in the Album "Room Noises". I really enjoyed their style and continue to listen to them. Check em' out. On a side note, I think I will share the full story of the History of Math project/HW/Midtrem in a following post.