Bryan ISD - conquered
As I’m sure most of you have heard by now, the Bryan Independent School District has a new Viking on their staff: me. That’s right, those foolish people have given me the opportunity to be control of a classroom, and get paid for it! My job until May is that of a temp (or a substitute teacher for those of you who have yet to see School of Rock)! This picture was taken back when I first invaded Bryan High School at See You At The Pole. Immediately after the final “amen” was said, I had one of the plebeian students take it.
Ok, really, I’m extreme thankful to have this job, because I really need to start making some money. Notice I used the word making and not earning. If future jobs on campus share characteristics with today’s, using the word earning could hardly be justified. Don’t get me wrong, I greatly enjoyed administering a crossword puzzle over the first chapter of Of Mice and Men, it just wasn’t exactly a laborious task. I do hope that somehow I can be a good model of Christ’s love to these kids… I really don’t know how that’s going to play itself out, but I know it’s the goal. So maybe instead of trying to take over the entire school district I should just submit to my authorities…
close up
child’s play
Remember the days of yore when we were often prompted to look at two pictures and decipher what traits were different between the two? Well this is going to be a similar activity, however, instead of having two pictures placed before you, one will be provided (as you can clearly see) and the other will be mental. The fact that the other picture is mental clearly allows for more than two pictures total, because I can’t control how many pictures you have floating around in your mind. Anyway, I’d like you, my faithful readers and friends, to tell me what is different between the picture above, and the picture in your head of this same scene approximately two weeks prior to the displayed time. Please post your thoughts of the answer(s) on the comments section below. The winner will receive a prize of sorts. So play! It’ll be fun! Wonderful! Sweet! Cool!
changes next door
It doesn’t take the keenest of eyes to notice two things that are significantly different about the well-known Luther House in the picture above. The first thing any given neighbor would notice when driving by and listening to their bass-bumping car stereos is the void directly below the second floor window. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the infamous and severely weathered deer head has finally been removed from the facade of the Luther House. Some would argue that this is a sad thing, and to some degree it is. The removal of the deer does, however, improve the appearance of the house a great deal… if it weren’t for the wooden blockade that was built minutes before the house was de-deered. You see, the city has numerous problems with how disgusting the Luther House is, so much so that they often send notices telling them to remove items within the given time period or pay a fine, and remove them anyway. One item that College Station would love to see the front porch without is the couch that rests on the Eastern corner. They said that furniture that is made for the indoors is not to be visible from the street on the exterior of a house. So rather than moving the couch, John Banks in all his handiness, built a wall blocking the couch’s visibility from the street. Brilliant.
It goes without saying that the deer head which was removed went through various pranks, one of which is pictured below. Also, if you’d like to see a sideways video of the actual removal of the deer, click here and then click “Download.” Enjoy.
beginning of the end
This morning marked quite an epic event: my last first day of school ever (Lord willing, I will take no part in grad school)! Seeing that my first class is at 8:00 in the morning, I didn’t exactly have a whole lot of people chomping at the bit to come take my first-day-of-school-on-the-front-porch-photo. Who did I get to take it, you ask? Well I used my trusty tripod of course. Sure I might have looked a fool out in the front yard setting it up to take a picture of myself, but if nothing else, I got a few laughs out of it, and I think it safe to say that passers by laughed too. I’m taking an full load of 7 hours this semester, so if I ever seem exhausted or burnt out, it probably has something to do with my stresses from classes.
In completely unrelated news, I’d like to formally welcome Allen Duty to the elite, the readers of “online diary for the masses.” Welcome Allen.
the verdict
After much toil and snare, I’ve finally reached a decision on which pair of Chacos I ought to buy. Pictured above you see an electronic image that represents the sandal you will soon see on my feet all of the time. The actual sandal won’t be electronic. When I first decided to wait for the newer, awesomer, lighter Chaco, I frequently called the local REI store to get information on when the much anticipated footwear would arrive. After learning that they knew as little (or less) than I did, I opted for a different route: the source itself. I called Chaco today and learned that a select few online retailers are currently selling the new Chaco with the Unaweep sole (combination of the two previous soles, and 20-25% lighter, depending on who you ask). Well when I heard Casey, the Chaco employee, tell me this breath-taking news, I immediately went to onlineshoes.com where I purchased the second chapter in my Chaco biography. I truly am excited. Thanks for all of you who have been here through this entire process - I am exceedingly grateful.
friends forever
As anyone who is associated with me in some form or fashion knows, I hold my friends in very high regard. A friend who probably takes the cake in being held high is Colby Neal Ivey. The picture displayed before you shows Colby and I atop “Black Cat Bone,” a 9 pitch 5.10d at El Potrero Chico. I opted to post this particular photo for a number of reasons. First, this shot offers a decent idea of how tall this climb is. To Colby’s left you can see down to the bottom of the valley, and all the green stuff are full size trees (if that helps give you an idea). Second, I feel like this photograph give everyone a glimpse into the real Colby, the ferocious monster that he is, and not the meek angel he appears to be when you see him outside Francis Hall. Last, I believe this picture will give you a better look into my mouth than you’ve ever wanted before.
If you happened to be thinking that this was the same route Colby and I were climbing when our Chacos got stolen, well you’d be correct. And for those of you wondering how my decision making has come along on the great conundrum, I’ve opted to hold out for the new, lighter Chaco… but I really don’t know how much longer I can wait.
God: master painter
I have held a strong feeling for a while that the amount of people who will actually spend time reading any given one of your blog entries is directly related to whether or not you have a picture posted somewhere in said entry. That said, I’ve gone ahead and posted a picture with this entry. This is a majestic display of my God’s creativity and awesomeness, as witnessed in a sunset in Mexico. I’ve been (and will be) in a season of my life where I’m really being forced to rely on the Lord, to press hard into knowing Him better, and learning to hear His voice and wait on Him. The world around me is screaming at me to make decisions, plan my future in detail, and usually to follow the American dream. Then I see stuff like this (or any) sunset, and I just find rest knowing that the God who I’m seeking - though not nearly enough, don’t be fooled - is more than capable of showing me what to do with my life, and to take care of me as I go about living it. He clothes the lilies of the field nicely, and none of those sparrows fall from the sky without Him knowing it… of course He’ll take care of me. Now I just need to learn how to hear my Shepherd’s voice. At any rate, thanks for the cool sunset Father.
this one’s boring…
Well I wanted to make sure everyone knew that death still hasn’t been able to grab ahold of me. I survived both Mexico and now a ski trip to Colorado. I even survived a new year’s eve with about 20 girls, and one other male. Bless my heart right? Alright, well I hope to get you a picture or story from my ski trip soon, but my cable for transferring pics from the camera to the compy is at home. So this post is basically just to let everyone who was worried know that I’m alive and well. Fear not! Until next time, chairs.
this one’s boring…
Well I wanted to make sure everyone knew that death still hasn’t been able to grab ahold of me. I survived both Mexico and now a ski trip to Colorado. I even survived a new year’s eve with about 20 girls, and one other male. Bless my heart right? Alright, well I hope to get you a picture or story from my ski trip soon, but my cable for transferring pics from the camera to the compy is at home. So this post is basically just to let everyone who was worried know that I’m alive and well. Fear not! Until next time, chairs.