Questions

As I explained yesterday, I have had a rough go at it lately. Now I don't like pity parties although I acknowledge that I do have them on occasion. I would also acknowledge that there are many other people in this vast world that have it worse than me. That being said, I am sick of life crapping on me. I also don't know whether or not it is an okay thought to have. Part of me says that we need to be grateful for what we have been given and that we should be fine with anything that comes our way. On the other hand, when bad things happen, it is natural to be worn down by them. That I believe is an okay response, but when it becomes an unhealthy response: I don't know.

Now the other part of this is God. I happen to believe that God is in control of everything, but I also happen to believe that sometimes life just happens to us. God lets it happen, but it still just happens. That means that there isn't necessarily a reason for why some things happen. There could be good brought out of it, but like I said before, sometimes life just craps on us.

But there are also many places in the Bible that say as Christians, God loves us very much and if we follow Him, blessings will fall. So if you love someone and you can do something about it, do you just continue to let crap happen to them? No. Then why is al this stuff happening to me. Why am I in a job I hate and is rotting my mind away? Why have I been rejected so many times during this job search? Why, when I was created as an extremely relational person, am I still single? Why is there no leading in any direction? For a God that wants to have a relationship with us, He is being awfully quiet. That's not a good way to build a relationship with someone. Lots of questions here, no answers.

In another realm, have a happy new year's. Enjoy the holiday and spending with whomever you are spending time with. I will not be blogging for the next week as I will be in Nashville from Monday to Thursday. Peace.

A Year to Forget

This year is coming to a close and as I look back on it, it has been a rough one. I'll try to not get to negative here, but it could sound like whining. Here are some things that have happened to me:

• My job search extended to 20 months
• I came down to the final two candidates in 4 jobs and was rejected every time
• My grandfather died
• I was alone for yet another year
• My car's brakes warped due to being pulled out in front of
• My muffler almost fell off
• I broke my wrist
• I got shoulder bursitis and possibly a tear
• I injured my achilles tendon
• The last three happened with no health insurance
• I was unable to give to others many times
• I saw a man get hit by two cars
• A trip to Germany which had been eagerly waiting for the last three years, I found out I wouldn't be able to go on

There haven't only been bad things. There have also been some good things. There haven't only been bad things happening though:

• I got to see U2 live
• I went to an NFL football game
• I get to go to Passion
• I got to go to the beach for a couple of days
• 3 good friends got married
• A couple of friends had kids
• Friends of mine found jobs
• Friends of mine bought houses
• I went to a couple of other concerts
• I was gifted a Christmas tree
• My brother got a promotion

Bad things happened to me, good things happened to friends. I just hope that next year doesn't have near the headaches that this year had. I hope that life doesn't crap on me as much next year. None of the above were in any particular order.

This is by no way a complete list. I am positive that I forgot some things good and bad that happened. So please don't get offended if I forgot something. This was just what jumped into my head today.

Grand Detail

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing King Kong. It was awesome. It was cinematic wonderment. Peter Jackson has such a great gift for showing pure beauty on the screen. Whether it's the sceneries that he chooses or the attention he pays to the digital effects. The movie was staged in the 1930s and with the attention to detail, you felt as though you were watching the 1930s live. I was completely drawn into the era.

The story was well written to not only bring you through to the end, but also to really make you care about the characters. It will do a good job of tugging at your heart's strings. The cast was well chosen with some of the highlights being Naomi Watts who does an incredible job playing Ann Darrow and can scream with the best of them. Adrien Brody does a good job of playing the nerdy scriptwriter. Jack Black, although not in his usual role, is serviceable.

King Kong was well done. The expressions that they gave his face and eyes were incredible. The effects were astonishing and the action sequences astounding. The face-off between the ape and TRexes was incredible. It was just an extremely well done movie that did not feel like it was 3 hours and 7 minutes long.

I jumped, I yelled in surprise, I yelled in fear, I cheered. I am not vocal at all in movies, but this one created vocal reflexes. It completely drew me in. Go see it. It is definitely worth the price of a movie ticket.

Reflections of a Four-Christmas Weekend

1. You can customize your order at Red Robin
2. Thanks SM
3. My shoulder hurts
4. I love my family
5. My antifreeze looks good
6. I have a new battery
7. Mmm, wings
8. I'm a meat-eater and proud of it
9. It is fun to laugh
10. It is even more fun to make people laugh
11. It is interesting hearing a joke repeated over and over and over...
12. The 8.15 church service is definitely early
13. One or two, but not all
14. Dad's side, immediate family without bro's family, Mom's side, immediate family with bro's side
15. Three big meals, three days in a row is too much
16. Cream cheese cookies
17. I haven't been to McDonald's in 6 or 7 years
18. 16 people around two dinner tables is a lot
19. The Ravens won
20. Is Boller good or not, he's starting to confuse me
21. I got a lot more for Christmas than I deserve
22. A family or two will get a goat and clean water
23. My niece loved the trains
24. I'm not a loser, but many times feel like one
25. Why is life's success or failure many times based on relationships and jobs?
26. Based on those two things, I am a failure right now
27. 6 days til I'm in Nashville for Passion '06
28. I had an absolutely wonderful time with my family
29. Church with a liquor license, interesting idea
30. 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' is my favorite Christmas show
31. My grandmother held up very well for this being the first holiday season without my grandfather
32. Ten Thousand Villages
33. Samaritan's Purse
34. To give is better than to receive

A Holiday Wish

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

To all of you. It is a special time of the season. Enjoy spending time with family and friends. Laugh, cry, smile, and express any other emotions that come. Let this be a peaceful and loving time of year. Here is a nice little Christmas story for you.

The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus--"God saves'--because he will save his people from their sins." This would bring the prophet's embryonic sermon to full term:
Watch for this--a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;
They will name him Emmanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us").
Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.

Life, Hope, Peace

This is a song that was written by David Crowder and is on his most recent release. I need to set this song up for you so you get the idea. The song starts off with a machine beeping with the heartbeat and then getting slower, eventually flatlining as the person dies. I know...depressing. But there is hope in the song.

Are we left here on our own?
Can you feel when your last breath is gone?
Night is waiting heavy now
Be quiet and wait for a voice that will say

Come awake; from sleep, arise
You were dead; you’ve come alive
Wake up wake up; open your eyes
Climb from your grave; into the light
Bring us back to life

You are not the only one
Who feels like the only one
Night soon will be lifted friend
Just be quiet and wait for the voice that will say

Come awake; from sleep, arise
You were dead; you’ve come alive
Wake up wake up; open your eyes
Climb from your grave; into the light
Bring us back to life

Rise, rise, rise, rise, rise
Rise, rise, rise, rise...
Shine, shine, oh shine
We will shine; we will rise
We will shine, shine, shine

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas

Because of the wonderful ability to procrastinate that I have, I didn't start my Christmas shopping until this week. Monday night was the first time this year I bought a Christmas present. Some people would say that waiting this long is crazy, but I can assure you that for me it is quite normal.

Anyway, on to Monday night. It was an absolutely wonderful time. I had so much fun being out walking around looking at things and then buying for the wonderful people in my life. It was relaxing and the crowds have started to get a bit smaller. At one point I picked a nice cup of coffee while I was traversing to the next store that was on the list.

I, of course, had my santa hat on bringing smiles to everyone I'd meet. Tonight I get to go out again and hopefully will finish up my shopping and have as much fun as I have been having. Try to have fun this season. Remember that these traditions we have aren't meant to be torturous implements, but things to bring us joy. And enjoy seeing your family that you usually don't get to see.

My Favorite Christmas Song

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like eskimos

Everybody knows, a turkey and some mistletoe
Help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight

They know that Santa’s on his way
He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh
And every mother’s child is gonna spy
To see if reindeer really know how to fly

And so, I’m offering this simple phrase
To kids from 1 to 92
Although it’s been said many times many ways
Merry Christmas to you

Football

It's time to talk football of all nationalities. First we shall start off with American. My Ravens won a football game 48-3 last night. This was a great win for a team that has been doing so awful all year, but it creates a problem. When a team does poorly, changes in personnel should be made. Specifically for this team the quarterback and coach should go. But when a team win a blowout and a quarterback plays great for one game it creates a false sense of a good team. One game does not a team make great. Hopefully people won't be fooled and will realize that the team is still 5-9.

In the World Cup the draw for the final 32 teams took place a couple of weeks ago. The USA landed in a nasty group, but most likely not the worst group. This could be looked as horrible, but I don't think it is. I believe that it is a chance to gain worldwide respect. Many people dislike the USA soccer team throughout the world and especially in the US(Mr. Mind the Gapper). If the USA plays in a hard group and comes out of it with some wins, that will gain them some respect in Europe and throughout the world. So the team has a fantastic opportunity in this World Cup. And my early pick for the winner is that Holland beats Brazil in the finals.

Lastly the Champion's League draw took place last Friday. It ended up creating some difficult matches as well as some easy matches. It also pits what are quite possibly the two best teams in Europe against each other in the round of 16. That would be Chelsea and Barcelona. While this would be wildly entertaining, it is also a shame. With one of these team going out in the round of 16, it will make the trip all the easier for the eventual winner of the Champion's League. So I say, Go Chelsea!! although Rover would like me to root for Barcelona. (not gonna happen dude)

Reflections of a Buffalo Weekend

1. Snow, Snow, Snow
2. Riding in snow is not the funnest pastime of all
3. Subway can be a good dinner
4. We went through a beautiful ski resort town
5. I was really annoying
6. A drink to calm the nerves is good
7. What a beautiful house
8. I love open spaces
9. I really, really like wood fireplaces
10. Warm apple pie
11. Godlen retrievers are pretty
12. Throwing a flat football didn't work to well
13. Wegman's is the best grocery store I have ever seen
14. Their hoagies are okay
15. Alcohol is cheap in NY
16. I haven't started my Christmas shopping yet
17. Tailgating could be really fun
18. My experience was fine
19. The Buffalo Bills game was cool
20. Drunken behaviour is not fun to watch
21. The game wasn't very good
22. A guy ran on to the field and that was absolutely hilarious
23. It was cold, but not too cold
24. I love hot showers
25. There is something that is so nice about laying down near a fire and lit Christmas tree and dozing off
26. If only the previous comment included a nice, soft woman to snuggle with
27. I was told this weekend that I would make a yound lady very happy one day
28. Homemade sauerkraut can be very good
29. Thank you so much to S&J T
30. Thank you to Mr. Lackey for everything
31. Mr. Lackey's house is going to become a nice pad
32. It's nice to crash on a couch
33. I am very low maintenance
34. 6 days till Christmas and I am nowhere near ready

Gross Incompetence

Yesterday, we here in central Pennsylvania had a winter storm. This storm started off in the morning with some snow which amounted to about 2 inches. Then we got some ice which covered everything before it turned to a bit of rain. I was out and about till about 9 last evening. The roads were crappy then, but the precipitation was coming to an end. In fact, no more frozen stuff fell and I didn't even have to clean off my car this morning.

Well imagine my surprise when I cam out a bit before 9 this morning and the roads were absolutely crappy! Yes that is the case. PennDoT had around 12 hours to clean off the roads and they just sat on their duffs. That is completely ridiculous. Those roads should have been nothing but wet when I went out. It was even a few degrees above freezing.

Then I had something that happened that encourage my irritation towards PennDoT. I wa coming over a hill on my way to work and there lay in front of me a large patch of ice. Off I went a-spinning down the hill. There was oncoming traffic trying to spin up the hill. Fortunately, I went towards the side of the road and as I was doing my 180 I came to rest in a snow bank. Scared the dickens out of me. Due to my low speed, neither I or my car was hurt. I started my car, put it in first and drove off.

I am very thankful that things went the way they did. I have a feeling I had someone helping me out. It could have been a lot worse than it was, especially since there were cars on the road that I could have hit. Anyway, thanks to the Big Man Upstairs.

Off to Buffalo I go to see a Bills game. It is my first NFL game live and you can be sure to get a report next week.

Two Pink Golf Balls

Last night I experienced a common tradition, a white elephant gift exchange. Now I have experienced many of these and last night was nothing special. It has just given me an opportunity to talk about this strange phenomen.

There are many different ways to do this exchange. The general idea is that everyone draws a number so they have an order to go in. Then the first person picks a gift, the next person decides whether to take the first person's gift or pick a new gift. This goes on until the end. some variations are whether or not the first person gets to pick again after everyone has opened. Or the gifts may never be opened so they are chosen based on the packaging and not what is inside. You can limit the number of times a gift can be stolen. Rather than numbers, you can go by birthdays or last names. There are just so many options that can be done. I am sure there are many that I have never seen or forgotten.

Now the gifts can also be strange. Some people given nice things, some people give used things, and some people just go straight for prank-type gifts. Here are some of the classics that I witnessed last night. There was a pair of sparkly blue male briefs that made it out, they have been going around for a couple of years; a lion that was 4 feet long and two feet tall and had been around for at least 15 years; a pig that danced and sang 'My Girl'; SpongeBob Squarepants underoos; Butt Paste( Not sure what it was about and don't really want to know); a chili kit; and many others.

But last night I saw the white elephant gift to take all white elephant gifts ever. It was called Bubble Butt!! I have never seen something this great and funny. This is what it did. It was a man that was bent over with his pants down. Connected to the back of his legs was a grey bucket to hold the bubble mixture. Attached to his leg was one of those bubble things on a pivot. When you pushed a button, the bubble thing would dip down into the mixture and then raise up. It was at this point that air would blow out of the man's butt and create bubbles. Then repeat until you turned it off. One of the funniest things I have ever seen.

As for me, I just got a Mr. and Mrs. Potato head ornament.

I wonder what turkish delight tastes like?

This past Friday I had the pleasure of joining a few others in the watching of a little know movie called "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." I had been long excited about the coming of the film and was excited to finally watch it.

It was a wonderfully fantabulous movie. Overall, I felt that it was very well done. Whenever a movie is done from a book, I always have concerns. With this movie you don't have to worry about that. For much of the movie they stay very close to the story and never remove or add any major elements. They mostly keep it accurate even down to dialogue. This was a pleasant surprise.

The greatest strength of the movie was the cast. They did an incredible job with everyone. The white witch was cold, Aslan was regal although I didn't really fear him. Susan, Edmund and Peter all did very well at portraying their parts. Mr. Tumnus really made you feel happy and comfortable; yet at the same time torn with fear when he thinks about turning Lucy over. The beavers have wonderful character. They really spent some time trying to make the beaver's marriage real. The interaction between the two was loving, jovial and felt real.

By far though, the one that stole the show was Lucy. She drew me in. I never really wanted her to go off the screen. She was honest and innocent. I was just amazed how wonderful and honest her expressions were.

The CGI was fine. The advantage of having a CGI guy direct the film is that you have some excellent CGI which this film really relies on. The only time I felt that there was too much CGI was in the very beginning.

So go and see the movie. Enjoy the wonderful story that CS Lewis tells and the writers leave virtually unadulterated. Enjoy the beautiful scenery that is shown your eyes. Enjoy the cast that give you an honest look into their lives. And as a side note...can I adopt Lucy?

Opining Can Happen Sometimes

For the past couple of days, a fairly big news story has been Stanley Tookie Williams. He is the co-founder of a gang that was convicted of killing four people and sentenced to death. He was put to death early this morning.

I usually try to stay away from politics and volatile issues here, but I am actually going to venture into this one. I don't agree with the death penalty. I used to. And then I wasn't sure, but now I am sure. I just can't agree with a government choosing whether or not a person can live or die. It seems like God should be the only one who can take or give life. We can't give life so why should we choose to take life. What if we are wrong.

What is wrong with the option of putting the criminal away for life. That will keep the person off the streets and keep our lives safer. The person can choose to do something positive with their life in prison or not. That shouldn't change their punishment, but in the example of Tookie Williams, he did many positive things from behind bars.

I have a lot of trouble finding anything positive coming out of the death penalty. We are not God so we shouldn't try to play God. I know that many of the readers of this blog will most likely disagree with me on this. You are even welcome to leave comments stating why you disagree, but let it be known that this is a position that I did not arrive at lightly. Or an opinion that I throw around lightly.

Reflections of a Narnia Weekend

1. We got about 8" of snow and it is awesome
2. I don't mind driving in the snow
3. USA is in the near-Group of Death
4. Argentina is in the Group of Death
5. The US has a real chance to make a big impression in this next World Cup
6. I won't be going and it really depresses me
7. What is the catch to God giving us the desires of our heart?
8. I like surprises
9. I like free stuff, too
10. Narnia was awesome
11. I am so glad I went and saw it
12. I think I shall talk about it in more detail at a later time
13. Older people have so much wisdom
14. I hope to have that when I am advanced in my years
15. It is good to get together with one's grandparents and to just listen and learn
16. It is niced to be accepted
17. What is luv?
18. Seattle's Best coffee is good
19. Malls are too busy during the Christmas season
20. I have yet to begin my Christmas shopping
21. I have no free nights this week and a packed weekend
22. I like parties
23. I had a good wine on Saturday
24. Catching up with old friends, ah...
25. Some people don't like parties
26. Some people try monopolize other people at parties
27. Pretzels, cheese dip, roast and CT-wonderful combination
28. I haven't slept well for the past 4 or so nights
29. Good micing was done on Sunday morning
30. It is nice to be invited places
31. The Santa hat has made its appearance
32. We didn't talk about sex
33. I am not sure if I enjoy white elephant gift exchanges
34. I like nurses
35. "Snow Day" isn't a really good movie but has some really good memories attached to it
36. The Ravens lost again
37. On the road in the ACC is not as easy as on the road in the Big East
38. Congratulations to UMD who won the Division 1 soccer championship
39. I feel like Eeyore today

Miscellany

Yesterday was the anniversary of Pearl Harbor. I can't imagine the horror of waking up to explosions on your ship, but it must have been awful. Remember the wonderful things that our veterans and current military personnel have done for our country.

Today is the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's death. He was an incredibly gifted man whose musical relevance has not been matched by anyone else. The way that he and McCartney were able to write music that hit the nerve of what people wanted to here and adapt is incredible.

Here is a joke for you: (One that especially RK will enjoy)
Two muffins are in an oven. The first muffin turns to the second and says, 'It's getting hot in here.' The second then says, 'Hey, it's a talking muffin.'

Here comes Santa Claus

Every year, during the Christmas season, I break out my Santa hat. I have had this hat for years and probably for the last 5 or so, have worn it consistently. I started out wearing it every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas. For the past couple of years, I have cut back the start of wearing the hat until the second weekend of December usually coinciding with the TWB Christmas party.

This season I have not really been looking forward to the wearing of the hat. Because of this, I have been thinking about why I wear the hat. I started off wearing it because it was fun and original. Very few other people wear Santa hats around and walking around with a big red hat on your head takes a little bit of crazy. But anymore although this brings a bit of joy, it is not enough to motivate me to wear the hat. Other things have happened throughout the years that will motivate me to wear it. It seems to bring laughter and happiness to other people. By wearing the hat, people come out of the world a bit and will either smile at me or say hi. Kids love it and point excitedly and tell their mother that it is Santa. They don't care that a 28 year old guy with no white hair is under the hat. They're just happy to see the hat.

So this Saturday, I shall for the first time this season, put the hat on. I will wear it till Christmas and hopefully bring many smiles to other's faces. Plus I think my friends would lynch me if I didn't wear it.

Tis the Shortness of Life's Breath

This past Saturday night I was driving home from an enjoyable romp around Christmas Candylane with my mom and sister. I had just come off the highway and onto the secondary road near my street when the horrible events began to happen. There was a man that was trying to cross the three lanes and evidently didn't not look. Without describing too many gruesome details, the minivan in front of me tried to miss the man but was unsuccessful. The collision sent the man off the front of the minivan into the middle lane of traffic. My mind seemed to slow down into slow motion as these events were unfolding. As I brought my car to a stop, I saw this man just laying motionless in the middle lane as another car came along in the middle lane and hit and dragged the man under the front of the car for a few feet.

At this point I was in shock at what I just saw and didn't really know how to deal with it. I have never seen a person die in person. That last breath pulled from them in a final stroke of life's brush. And here was this man lying trapped under a car and not moving. In the midst of this shock, my mom was yelling at me to call 911. She yelled it a couple times at me before I was brought back to reality and got on the phone. She had basically already jumped out of the car to go over to see if there was anything that she could do. Some people were there and one of them, who seemed to be a nurse, was bent down on the ground checking the man out. Once I got on the phone I had been pulled out of my shock and was going about the business of giving the 911 operator as much information as I knew, while still trying to process what I had just seen.

After I got done with the phone and got out and was standing there watching the police and paramedics work. I was shivering and shaking and it had nothing to do with the chill in the air. It was strange and for the next couple of days when I talked about it, I would shake. In fact now as I write this, although I am not shaking a lot, there is still some.

We found out the the man had a pulse and was in a small part responding. I have found out through the news that the man is still alive and should make it although he is still in critical condition. This was fantastic news for me and those that were there. I would never like to see someone lose their life. Sometime though, I may have to witness that event.

I have tried to process this over the past couple of days. I figured that writing about this would help me. As time has past, my response has calmed down from the jittering that was happening for a while. I don't think I will ever fully forget this. I can't even imagine what it would have been like if that had been a family member or friend and the person had died.

To see in person, such a shocking moment is almost surreal. I hope that at some point I can react with the decisiveness and quickness of my mom. I would have gotten there in a few seconds, but what she did was incredible. It's people like that that can make the difference.

While we humans are incredibly durable, we are also fragile and life can be taken from us so quickly. There is something about the word breath to this. It is a simple thing, yet means so much more. It's almost as if as we breath our souls breath also. And as our breath leaves us for the last time, our souls follow suit. I am not sure what to do with this, but I can at least be thankful for every day of life that I am given by God. And my friends and family that have been given this same great gift. And pray for those around the world that are suffering. Whether from injuries and an accident like this. Whether people who are threatened by other humans. Or by humans threatened by disease and poor health.

Reflections of a "It was the Best of times; it was the Worst of times" Weekend

1. Having heard the Nutcracker 2.5 times, I am pretty tired of it
2. Drinking, smoking and sex is not all there is to life
3. All three of those are misused entirely too much
4. Smoking kills, DON'T DO IT!!
5. I am sick of headaches
6. It is not always fun to be a procrastinator
7. Mmmm, coffee
8. A friend moved closer, yeah
9. It is not smart to hike during deer hunting season
10. Cracker Barrel breakfasts are good
11. Their grits aren't
12. I got a Christmas tree and it was quite the surprise
13. If you can, visit Fresco Cafe for their wonderful food
14. Hershey's Christmas Candylane is pretty
15. Tomorrow I shall explain the 'worst of times' part
16. It snowed Saturday night
17. My first time driving in the snow this year with of course a bit of fun spinning
18. CS Lewis is a fascinating man
19. I sometimes watch football with a bunch of Ravens haters and that is tough
20. The Ravens won on a game ending field goal
21. My stupid driver's side window fell off of its track
22. I'm beat
23. I don't like it when my family and friends have to deal with bad things
24. I really really don't like Duke
25. They pulled a game out of their butt last night
25. Giving mechanics money is a necessary evil.

How Do You Start Off Your Morning?

Whenever I walk into work, I'm am guaranteed to hear two things: 'Hello' and 'How are you?' The first one is easy to respond to because you just have to say 'Hi' back. The second phrase though is a little trickier. My usual response is something to the effect of 'Fine, I guess. Nothing has happened yet.'

How should we start off feeling for the day? I guess the correct answer would be great, but that isn't really true for me. What is true though, is that the day starts off fine for me and depending on what happens it will go down or maybe a bit up. We could start off our days on a negative thought, but then many positive things have to happen for us to be happy. I choose to start off on a positive note, but not too positive. If it's too positive, and bad stuff happens, the fall could be hard, but if it's a bit positive, I at least start off happy.

I think it is important to start off happy. But I am also a cup half full kind of person. If we always expect the worse, we are never happy unless something good happens. If we expect good stuff, we can be happy unless something bad happens. Since I think many things don't fall in either the good or the bad, starting happy gives me more happiness.

Maybe I should start off great. Nah never mind. I am answering this question at work, which most of you know I love sooooo much. Not. I hope I didn't ramble too much.

The Women of Messiah College

I am not sure where this is going to go, but I'll try it anyway. As most of you should know, I graduated from Messiah College. What many of you may not know is that Messiah College may just be the center of the world for beautiful, available women. Okay this may not true and I may just find most women to be beautiful, but go with me on this one.

I was recently at Messiah in their student union to watch some football. (I only live about 20 minutes away and they have a big screen which is good for watching football.) While there for the few hours, I was reminded of all these women. They are still quite the lookers and remind me of my days there.

When I went to Messiah the male/female ratio was somewhere around 40/60. Because of this, us men had a wonderful with all these ladies. Well as some can attest to, my dating history while in college was quite pathetic. Why, you may ask? I am not really sure although it most likely was through fault of my own. With all that possibility, it would make sense to take advantage of the dating a little more often, but I didn't.

So when I go back to Messiah, I have mixed feelings. I think about the opportunities that I missed, yet all the other amazing opportunities that I had. I wasn't really sure that I had a point to this, but I have come across one in my ramblings. Don't live for tomorrow, live for today. If you have an opportunity or risk, take it. It may never come again. We only get to live this life once, might as well enjoy it. As many have said, "Carpe Diem"

November 29, 1975

Thirty years ago to the day, my parents got married. So because they have hit this milestone, I figured I would congratulate them in a public space. Thirty years is a long time. It is longer than I have been alive. Thirty years in love with one another through the ups and downs of life. They haven't always agreed, but they have loved. That is something that I only wish that something I will know and experience.

So how do they do it? Commitment. Tis an interesting word. The root is commit so let us look at what dear ole Webster defines it as: to pledge or assign to some particular course. In their case it was a commitment to each other. To love and honor one other till death do them part. That's not a commitment for a couple of years or until they get sick of making the commitment.

So many people nowadays treat marriage flippantly. Then when they come upon hard times, they just quit because they don't like it or don't want to try anymore. That's sad. I wonder if the same problems would be there if every day each person made a commitment to love the other and make the other happy. I don't think they would be worried about how happy they were if they were thinking of the other person and not themselves.

Anyway, here's to my parents for staying together for thirty years and let's hope for another 30 years or until God decides to take one of them home with Him. Also congrats to all the other marriages that have stood the test of time.

Reflections of a First Snowfall Weekend

1. That's right, it snowed; YAHOO!!
2. I love snow, so white and p-urty
3. Ah, to relax
4. I know a secret
5. I don't like migraines
6. It was a nice surprise to find out that my bro and fam were coming for Thanksgiving
7. Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, etc...hmmmm
8. I like when kids are old enough to interact with you
9. Football
10. The kick-off of the Christmas season which I am definitely not ready for.
11. It's been 9 points since I talked about snow
12. Congratulations to the Messiah soccer women for their first ever national championship
13. Congrats to the Messiah men for their fourth championship in six years
14. I believe I can now say 'Dynasty'
15. It is tough to do reflections for a four day weekend
16. I slept a lot
17. The Christmas decorations are up at my folks place
18. Fun was had by all, all weekend
19. People are much more pleasant to be around when they are happy
20. Duh!
21. I enjoyed Ocean's Twelve for the fourth or so time
22. I like steak
23. Pizza needs mozzarella, but it can survive with other kinds of cheeses if you put lots of meat on it
24. We are starting a new Christmas tradition
25. It took a lot of planning
26. "'C' is for cookie and cookie is for me"
27. I like model trains
28. I am currently reading 'Let Your Life Speak' by Parker J. Palmer
29. My mom is a big Eagles fan
30. There is a lot of misinformation floating around about stem-cell research
31. Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow
32. Billick and Boller must go
33. I did no shopping outside of grocery shopping this weekend
34. Highlighting an organization, Samaritan's Purse
35. 7x5
36. Work, work, work
37. I love leftover turkey

Thankfulness

So the day after I wax on about discontentment, I shall write about thankfulness. I am definitely not as thankful as I should be. For some reason, when times are tough I can over-focus on the reasons that times are tough.

But I am blessed with many things. I have a wonderful family that is always there to listen and support me in everything. Their love for me is incredible.

I have had breath everyday for over 28 years.

I have awesome friends with whom I can laugh, talk, party, study, cry, and just have fun with. That pretty much goes for my family too.

I have a roof over my head, food on my table, gas in my car, heat under my roof, and a phone to talk to those lovely friends and family with.

I have the use of all of my limbs. (This is now in there since I broke my wrist and loss use of it for a couple of months) These allow me to play sports and music with the joy and love I have for each of those things.

I have friends that are having incredibly good things happen to them.

I have the ability to read.

I have things that I am passionate about. Whether it be music, God, sports, or even very small rocks.

I have humor without which life would be very boring.

There are so many more things that I am thankful for. It is a good exercise to think about these things. In the next month I will see snow for the first time this fall/winter season. I will get to see an NFL game in Buffalo, and I will get to go to Passion '06. So smile and be of good cheer

Is it all it cracked up to be?

contentment
n : happiness with one's situation in life

This is a word that gets thrown around a lot. I have a question. Must we be content? I am not content right now. Is that a bad thing? I have been taught for years that it is. I am not sure anymore. The dictionary definition doesn't really seem to help. Although it doesn't seem like a big deal to go through periods of not being happy with one's situation in life. Everyone has times where they don't really like where they are. Of course except the one's that go through life with the golden spoon.

So is contentment a choice or determined by circumstances. On the one hand, we can control how we respond to things and even through a rough period, be happy. On the other hand, there are just some things that happen in life that would not make anyone happy. The correct response to these circumstances is to deal with them and not buzz through them merrily on your way, avoiding at every turn.

I don't know the answer, I am just not sure that how I've thought about contentment before is the correct way.

Reflections of a Wedding-rific Weekend

1. I don't like traffic
2. My muffler needs a little help
3. Harps are beautiful
4. I love German architecture
5. Sardines in a huge church is challenging
6. 'Herbie: Fully Loaded' is one of the top 5 or 10 dumbest movies I have ever seen
7. Penn State is in a BCS bowl game
8. Messiah field hockey lost in the championship game :-(
9. Messiah men and women's soccer teams advanced to their respective final fours
10. The weekend was beautiful
11. Mr. Lackey's sister got married in a simple but beautiful ceremony
12. I am so happy for her and her new husband
13. I wish them a long, healthy and God-filled marriage
14. The food for the reception was good
15. Mmmmmm, cheese
16. I danced the night away with 3 wonderful ladies
17. I love to have fun
18. I really believe that it is a gift and calling of mine to bring laughter to people
19. They didn't smash
20. I finally met all of the Lackey clan
21. I had a great time at the wedding and reception on Saturday
22. Anybody want directions?
23. Family meals are fun even when it's not your own family
24. I love lasagna
25. I like pie
26. It is nice to watch football on a Sunday afternoon
27. My Ravens won; pigs are flying somewhere
28. I love sleep
29. I was really tired last night
30. I just crashed and it was wonderful

Hawaii Five-O

Well, normally when I am told to do something, most of the bones in my body want to resist. Just the way I am. So when Mr. Mind the Gap told me to do the five things that he did, my first reaction was to not do it, but he is a pal of mine so I shall acquiesce.

Here we go...

Five Places I'd Like to Visit (to which I haven't already visited)

1. Germany
2. Italy
3. Colorado
4. England
5. Pacific states

Five Favorite Restaurants

1. The Firehouse restaurant
2. Primo Italiano
3. Appalachian Brewing Company
4. Macaroni Grill
5. Sweet Water Tavern

Five Sporting Events I Would Like to Attend

1. NCAA Final Four
2. Super Bowl
3. World Cup
4. Champions League Final
5. Winter X Games

Five People from History Are Having Dinner at My Place

1. My grandmother
2. CS Lewis
3. William Shakespeare
4. Peter
5. Ludwig van Beethoven

Five Things I Don't Know

1. Women
2. When I will get a job
3. What romantic love is
4. Why I am loved for the screw-up that I am
5. Why some people get crapped on and others get blessed beyond belief

And it is time for me to tag someone. Drum Roll please...
LINDY GAL!!!

These are a Few of my Favorite Things

College Basketball is upon us. For those of you who don't know, college basketball is my favorite sport to follow. I am a diehard Maryland fan and with that also comes a diehard dislike for Duke. Anyway, I just really enjoy the passion of college sports and I love the journey to March Madness that college basketball has.

If Penn State wins this weekend against Michigan State in football, they go to a BCS bowl game. This would be a great accomplishment for a team that was really bad last year. I am still not sure if JoePa is the right person for the job, but the winning shall parlay that feeling for a bit.

One person I know is not the right person for the job is Brian Billick. He has coached the Baltimore Ravens into crapdom this year. It takes talent to take a good team and make them bad. He needs to go.

In totally unrelated news, a friend of mine is getting married this Saturday. I am so happy for her. She deserves it. I really do take joy in other persons' happiness. It lifts my day to see something good happen to someone else.

Ground control to Major Tom...

Sunrise, sunrise, looks like morning in your eyes

"If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse" (Proverbs 27:14). Take that you happy morning people. I don't like mornings. I don't like alarm clocks either, but it is the culture that I live in so I shall learn to deal with it. I had never known of the existence of the verse in the Bible, though. Very fascinating.

Related a bit is an observance that I had on Saturday morning. I rarely see the sunrise, but certain events caused me to be up and on the road before the sun rose. The interesting thing about it though was that it was already fairly light out before the sun rose. This is very much different from a sunset. It's indicative of light and darkness.

When light invades darkness, everything is immediately light. Yet when darkness invades light, the light holds on till it is snuffed out. Look at the sunrise where light has already chased away the darkness before the actual sunrise, but if you watch a sunset, you can still see light in the far west even though everywhere else is dark. I just found this interesting.

In other news, job searches suck. Mine is going on 19 months.

The Beauty and Skill of Songwriting

This past Saturday I had the privilege of seeing Jeff Tweedy. He is the leadman of Wilco. Opening for him was Glenn Kotche. He is the drummer for Wilco, but also has some side projects involving experimental drumming and percussion. He was very entertaining to listen to although some of the songs he did ran for at least 10 to 15 minutes. That was a little long for me. He was very talented and not afraid to be unconventional.

After he was done, Jeff Tweedy took to the stage. It was just him with his guitars. It was wonderful. As I have stated before, I have an affinity for stripped down performances and music. Especially when the person really interacts with the audience. Jeff Tweedy really was engaging. It was good to hear. He has definitely had a checkered past. He was in rehab for drugs a little while back, but has cleaned himself up. He definitely let everyone there know that drugs were not the smartest things to do.

His music was simple and he wasn't the greatest musician. That being said, he is a fantastic songwriter. It was a pleasure to listen to. The way he could weave lyrics and music together was an enviable thing. So although I would not recommend him for his beliefs or lack there of, he is definitely a man of talent that is using his gifts to bring smiles to many people's faces.

Reflections of a Music-Filled Weekend

1. I love music
2. I am glad that I am used despite myself
3. Does Josh McDowell only give one talk?
4. I like Superchick
5. I've taken some flack for that
6. The sound guy wasn't very good
7. It is wrong to wake up at 6 am
8. It is wronger to wake up at 6 am on a Saturday
9. The Icon band did a good job
10. I like to watch football
11. Jeff Tweedy was very good...more to follow
12. I don't mind walking if it saves me money
13. It is fun to hang out with the guys
14. Two concerts in one weekend is awesome
15. They were both free
16. Free is MTG's favorite word
17. Sunday was striped shirt day
18. It was good to talk to you, JS
19. Watching the Ravens with a bunch of Ravens' haters can be annoying
20. I won at darts...
21. Then lost
22. All of Messiah's teams advanced in the NCAA tournament
23. I have a secret obsession
24. I need to learn to go to bed rather than falling asleep on the couch
25. College basketball season is starting up
26. Congrats to one of my friends who recently started dating

Veteran's Day 2005

First off, thank you to the men and women who serve in our military. They sacrifice their lives for our freedom. No matter whether or not you agree with the current situation, we should always be thankful for these people's work. They don't make the decisions, they just try to protect our country.

As to why today is Veteran's day, I have the trivia answer for you. On November 11, 1918 at 11am Germany surrendered to end The War to End All Wars. That is why November 11 is Veteran's Day. It is sad that the human condition is what it is and that World War 1, as it became to be known, wasn't the last war. We have had many more. Whether or not you believe that war can be necessary or not, it is a horrible thing. Let's hope and pray that this century is not as bloody as the last one.

Anyway, I am very thankful for the freedom that I have been given in this country. The freedom to worship as I please. The freedom to disagree with people. The many other freedoms that are too numerous to name. I owe all of these to the people that have fought for this countries freedom since the Revolutionary War.

THANK YOU!

Can't We Just be Friends?

Over the last couple of days, I have had some very nice times with friends. First off, on Tuesday night I hung out with three other gentlemen. We played a game for a couple hours. I really enjoyed my time. It was nice to just hang with a couple guys. We had as much fun conversing and we did playing the game. To all the gentlemen, Thank you very much.

Then last night a friend came over to my place. We all have those friends with whom it is very easy to talk with. He is one of those for me. Anyway, he didn't leave till about quarter of 1 in the morning. We talked about a myriad of subjects. He offered me some thoughts, I offered him some thoughts. Just so enjoyable to be able to truly share with no pretenses. So many people we meet, we feel like we have to put on a show and not let them see the real us. It is so nice just to be real.

Anyway, I am very grateful for these two instances. All of these people along with many others are true blessings in my life. I do not thank God enough for them. I have noticed that when I have big trials going on in my life, I tend to ignore the small blessings. I can easily see them when things are well, but they can get overshadowed. If you are the same way, look for those little blessings that you sometimes take for granted.

I love relationship and community.

The Whys of Kids and Adults

Why is it that when adults are around kids they cease to be able to act like adults?

I was at a birthday celebration (for an adult) over the weekend and there were a few young children there as well as many adults. Now usually when I am around adults I like to talk with them about adult things. I quickly learned though, that this was a hopeless goal. What I didn't realize was that once the kids were there, the adults no longer functioned normally. Rather than talking intelligently about things, all they did was watch the kids. Even when they weren't playing with the children, everyone would still watch them. Starting up even the simplest of conversations was impossible.

Before I go on, let me say this one thing. I like kids. I enjoy interacting with them. I have nothing against kids. I love their innocence and joy, but back to the issue at hand. The children shouldn't be ignored, yet they shouldn't turn all the adults into robots that have lost any sensory perception not involving the youngins. It isn't even the fault of the children.

So what is the solution. I don't know. It's not to try different adults. These were friends that I have very enjoyable times with when kids are not around. Let's just hope that adults can learn that you can enjoy children and still have adult responses when around them.

Reflections of a Lost Voice Weekend

Unlike ever before, this reflections is dedicated to Mr. SM (mind the gapper) who is turning 30 today.

1. Happy Birthday dude
2. I like pizza
3. It was nice to see some certain Lancaster county college friends
4. I don't think that 'Matrix Reloaded' comes close to the first 'Matrix'
5. Penn State won big
6. It was my niece's first birthday party
7. The cake was good
8. I saw my folks 2 weeks in a row
9. That's rare
10. Chick-Fil-A is good
11. Messiah men, women, and field hockey won the Commonwealth Conference championship
12. Messiah men were ranked number 1 wire to wire in the national poll
13. It's interesting watching a bunch of white people try to dance to Latin music
14. My Ravens looked truly bad
15. GK Chesterson is becoming very popular to quote
16. 'Mind the Gap' and 'Rover' met each other
17. Some friends had a bouncing baby girl on Saturday
18. Congrats T & JB
19. Passion '06 is coming
20. I have had a resurgence of playing FIFA '99
21. Sometimes when you give a lesson, you never know if anybody's listening or paying attention to you
22. I hope to make an impact in these kids lives though
23. Pit is fun to play unless you don't have a voice
24. I was in the new superGiant
25. It's huge
26. All its special stuff is close on Sunday night though
27. Pretty much all of central PA closes early in the evening, even on weekends
28. It is not very mature to ignore people
29. Friends joy really brings me joy
30. The female form is a beautiful thing
31. Thank You, God

I Lost my Voice

Tonight was the Messiah/Etown conference championship game. They played in the regular season last week and Messiah won, but this time it was for the Commonwealth Championship. Etown came to play. Realistically their only chance to get into the national tournament was to win the match. Messiah was basically in from not having lost all season.

For much of the game it was scoreless. Both teams had chances, but neither could put the ball in the goal. Etown was definitely playing with more urgency. Messiah didn't look bad, but they didn't seem to care too much either. I was disappointed in this fact. With about 12 minutes to go, a Messiah player was mugged in the box giving us a penalty. The Etown goalie made a fantastic save, but alas the ball bounced off the goalie to be put away for the 1-nil lead.

All Messiah had to do was to just hold the lead for 12 minutes. They were doing fine until a corner came for Etown with under a minute left. As the corner went in, the Messiah goalie was mugged, but the foul was not called. In the same play, a Messiah defender hit the ball with his hand. It was deemed by the referee to be intentional. This caused two things. First the Messiah player got an automatic red card and secondly, Etown got a penalty shot. With 23 seconds left in the game, the score was tied up.

This was bad. Not only would we go to overtime, but Messiah would have to play with only 10 men. At this point I was hoping that Messiah would just hold on till penalty kicks came about. The OT period started and Messiah was just trying to keep pace with Etown. Being a man down was a real hindrance, but they played the vaunted 4-1-4 formation. Two and a half minutes into the period a Messiah player got free down the sideline and Etown did not react. The ball was sent to him and after a couple of quick moves across the box, he drained the ball into the net. MESSIAH HAD WON!!! Etown made their first huge defensive mistake and it cost them the game. Why they did, I will never understand. Anyway, the Messiah faithful exploded into cheering. The team was also very elated. For the next ten minutes or so the cheering didn't really cease for along.

A great game to watch although very nerve-racking. Thanks to Rover, Brechty, N, and SM for the wonderful company. We won!! It made me very happy.

Keytars, Mario, Grieving, a Hoedown and God

"i have never wept like i have wept these past 3 days. i am sad and pissed and grateful. mostly grateful. grateful for every second kyle was given and so thankful for the way he used his time with us."

This was the backdrop for last night's experience. These words were penned by David Crowder. It was part of his reaction to the losing of a best friend. Kyle Lake. This is incredible vulnerability. And it's always there. Not just in horrible situations. You can hear it in his voice when he sings, read it when he writes. An honesty that is refreshing.

Last night I went into downtown DC to Lisner Auditorium to see the David Crowder Band play live. It was 4 days after a dear friend of theirs had died. I was wondering how this would affect the performance. It was involved in that they acknowledged the grief, but it did not overcome them. This is how they approached it. "Death is swallowed up in victory...We Win!"

Quick review of the opening acts. The Robbie Seay Band was good. Shane & Shane could have left the building. They were okay at best. And then David Crowder came out. They rocked the joint. They seemed to enjoy themselves too. It was loud. It was boisterous. It was fun. At one point for a song, they broke out the keytar. I had hoped that after the 80's passed, I would never have to see one again, but alas I was wrong. I survived though and even got to hear the Super Mario Bros song as my reward.

They were tight musically and loose interactively. I was very glad that I went for the show. We even managed to have a hoedown at the end. I HATE bluegrass. So when I heard that the David Crowder Band had included a couple of bluegrass tunes on their latest recording I was a little concerned. It was bluegrass unlike any bluegrass I had ever heard before. It was funny to watch and not too bad on the ears.

Great night, great music from a real group of guys, not guys that have everything together and expect us to.

It's Been a Little While

I really enjoy nature. It has been a bit since I last talked about it. But today is for fall. It is beautiful. The changing of the leaves that you can see across rolling hills is just so nice. The air is cool. Today was especially beautiful. Nice cool temperatures and a brilliant orange sunset. Wow!

So, I love the outdoors. Thank God for nature today.

Addition to Reflections

Forgot to mention on Monday. Messiah beat Elizabethtown in soccer 1-0 for the Marshmallow Cup. This is the best rivalry in NCAA Div 3 soccer. A very rabid rivalry. We don't like them, they don't like us. So I was very excited to see that Messiah won. They may meet again this weekend in the MAC championship. This time at Messiah.

Sports Loyalties

When do you wish for other people to feel bad? Competition. Especially when rooting for teams that are playing each other. Last night I was watching the football game with a person that was rooting for the other team. Guess what? It was annoying. I love watching sports with people, but there is nothing like have your team fail and the other people be completely happy in your team's failure and your misery.

Isn't that weird? We are happy when others are miserable. If my team had won, I would have been rejoicing at my friends sorrow. How backwards is that? I happened to notice last night because I was the sad one. When my team threw the ball for an incomplete pass on the last play of the game, I was sitting there with my hand between my head and next to me was a person celebrating in their fortune and my misfortune.

I don't really have a point to make here, just that it is a very strange phenomenon.

Reflections of an Extra Hour Weekend

1. I like sleep
2. Stuffed crust is okay
3. Some people you understand, some people you don't
4. ST, props on your bid for a house being accepted
5. It's amazing how people are harping on Texas even though they won by 19
6. I don't like country music
7. People need to show up for rehearsal
8. I am a spontaneous fellow
9. My niece is really getting big
10. She's walking, too
11. Penn State won
12. Mint Chocolate Chip is my favorite ice cream
13. Don't touch my sound board
14. I am glad that we got the extra hour on a weekend that I had to wake up at 6.30 am on Sunday
15. Saturday and Sunday were beautiful
16. I wish I knew how to play tennis
17. I like bonfires
18. Naps are wonderful except when you oversleep for something your supposed to be at
19. Guitars and people singing around bonfires are even better
20. What happened to the Redskins
21. What's the point of Halloween?
22. I have nothing against it, but not sure why it's celebrated
23. It is nice to talk to my bro
24. Ahhh...
25. I don't like Nike

Pastor Kyle Lake passed away...

Kyle Lake, author of Understanding God's Will and (re)Understanding Prayer, and pastor of University Baptist Church in Waco, TX. He died yesterday morning after a tragic accident while leading a baptism service. Only 33 years old, he is survived by his wife and three young children. Please pray for the Lake family and the church that lost their pastor.

Do You Rub Off on People?

Every one of us has good traits and bad traits. So which do you friends pick up on? I think that as we grow in relationship with others, we pick up some of their traits and mannerisms. Which do you let rub off on you? Which of your traits rub off on others?

I can tend to be a fairly goofy guy. I like it when people laugh and have no problem sacrificing my dignity to procure laughter. I was talking to someone today who was talking about a person that acts differently when I am around as opposed to other people. This person was more upbeat and funny. Now I am not saying that I caused this, but it would be nice to think that I had a bit of influence.

I don't think that we realize how much of an effect we can have on other people. If we are mopey and in a bad mood, we can also bring others down with us. Being happy can lift others up. We need to be who we are, but at the same time should strive to bring out the best in others.

A Man without a Home

I don't in any way want to take other people's ideas and steal them, but a post on Lara's blog really got me thinking. What is home? What feels like home? For myself, I don't know. I don't know if I would say that I have a home. The place where I live right now in some ways feels like home, but there isn't that feeling of home. My parent's place where I haven't lived for many years still has some homelike feelings when I visit them. I don't know if I have a home.

Is it because I am not married? I don't know either. I do know that I long for that person to share everything with. A person and relationship where we truly become one. So is this what is needed to find home? Or is that a concept that we have been fed to believe since we were born. That we are not complete as adults until we start our own family by being married. Is there something more there. Is it a longing of most hearts for that closer human relationship that any other that we have?

For myself I don't know. I am not sure whether it is my yearning for a close relationship or what I have been taught. The church arena, where I mostly hang out, is very big on marriage and can put unwanted pressure on single people. Yet I know that when I don't even feel pressure, that I can still ache. Adam didn't have any pressure on him and he was still longing. Does that mean that is what is needed to feel like home?

Anyway, Lara, thanks. It seems that although you were looking for answers, you, at least in my mind, brought up many more questions. I don't know what is home to me. I would guess it's the place where I feel most comfortable. That is usually out with nature or in deep community. But yet, if asked, I guess I don't have a home. A residence, yes, but no home.

Blessed by Giving

Recently, I was given something that has made me very happy. Due to my job situation, funds have been fairly short and not allowed for anything special. There was something that I wanted to do, but would not be able to. Now, I will be able to due to people's generosity. It makes me very happy.

It is not only great to receive, but also to give. I get a great joy out of giving people things. To see their big beaming smile is awesome. There just seems to be something pure about giving things away. There aren't any strings attached; it's just a gift.

Gifts are different for each of us also. Sometimes, things are what is appreciated, but it also might be some time taken out to assist each other. You don't have to have stuff to give things. We can just give of ourselves.

So try something this week. Give to someone. In whatever way you can, it will make your day and probably make theirs.

Reflections of a Football Weekend

1. The Cornerstone Coffeehouse has good coffee
2. It's good to talk to friends about what's going on in life
3. I don't like the religious right
4. I like staying up late
5. Saturday stunk until somebody did a selfless act
6. College football is fun to watch
7. PSU won easy
8. I thought that the Texas/Texas Tech game would be a little close
9. It rained all Friday and Saturday
10. Messiah's hardest match of the season was cancelled
11. What's the point of shopping when you have no money to spend?
12. Pumpkin Spice Latte sounds good
13. My wrist is slowly but surely healing
14. It took a couple of knocks in soccer on Sunday and was fine
15. I am definitely a person that feels better talking things out
16. Thanks for the time dude(you know who you are)
17. Did the Chicago White Sox pay off the umpires this postseason?
18. They have had the umps make multiple bad calls in their favor in crucial spots of the game this postseason
19. I don't like Eli Manning
20. Blessed are those who mourn
21. I may get to go to Passion this year
22. Baltimore lost
23. It was good to play soccer again
24. I like hanging with high-schoolers
25. NCAA '06 is fun
26. I got a new pillow
27. Psalm 137
28. '16 tons and what do you get, another day older and deeper in debt'
29. I hope Houston wins the World Series

More Than Friends?

Is it possible for friends of the opposite sex to move to dating?

This is a question that I hear often. I also tend to think about it. I guess the reason is that I tend to be the brother-type friend guy to women. Why this is I don't know, but it's true. I never seem to be a guy that women seem to think about possibly being interested in. I am that guy which women decide to treat like their brother and never consider dating.

Now this isn't always a bad thing. I tend to have decent relationships with women. Whether they are friendships or not is another question which was attempted to be answered in 'When Harry met Sally'. But back to before that question. I have always felt comfortable around women and they are always eager to talk to me, but always as that brother type friend. Because of this, I have learned a lot about women from women. I in no way claim to understand them. I will definitely say that I don't, but they have divulged some things to me that has allowed me to get a glimpse.

Now for the question. Since I always get thrown into this thing of being the friend, it immediately kills the romantic relationship part and that sucks. So I don't believe that it is possible to move from friend to oo la la. Not that it hasn't happened. I know that it has, but I believe that that is rare exception. I believe that once you have become friends there is way too much at risk to try romance. Also, you don't look at the other person in that way because you have filed them under the friend label. So people like me are doomed.

I guess that leads to another question which has been personalized to me. Why am I looked as the automatic friend and not the dating interest. Grrr! This whole thing annoys me.

Carpe Diem

I was watching 'Dead Poets Society' last night and this phrase just seeps through the entire movie. Besides it being a great movie, this concept is something that I believe is important for us humans. It seems like we spend to much time worrying about tomorrow rather than enjoying today.

This moment will never be here again, this day is only done once. We only get one shot at life, we might as well enjoy it. As Americans we are always rushing around needing things done yesterday. Well, what if those things didn't get done? Would we blow up? Would the world end? Probably not. There are things that are important, but most things are not urgently important.

Take some time out today. Enjoy the roses. Stop to look at God's creation and soak it in. Talk to someone and find out how they are really doing. They may just need somebody to dump on for a bit. It's okay to not rush around with our heads cut off. My favorite book of the Bible is Ecclesiastes. The reason is that it's biggest point is to enjoy life.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry

Reflections of a Homecoming Weekend

1. My cast is off
2. Nothing to do with this weekend, but wanted to share
3. Robo Rally is a strange game
4. Homecoming weekend means college friends, coolness
5. Ever call someone at 2 in the morning, hee hee
6. Oh my, Mr Lackey, oh my
7. Babies cry a lot
8. Farther you get from college, the less people come to homecoming
9. In powderpuff football (girls play, guys cheer), the qb was doing a hard count to draw the defense offsides, that's crazy
10. Messiah's field hockey, women's soccer and men's soccer teams are very good (1 loss amongst them)
11. It was windy, not windsday, but windy
12. Mmmm, coffee
13. Coffehouses are cool
14. Sleeeep
15. The one thing that can be annoying about homecoming is seeing all your friends that are married with kids
16. I like to talk sports
17. I also like to talk music
18. It's a shame that Penn State lost
19. I am glad that USC won
20. Baltimore won
21. The Chili Chili Cheeseburger at Red Robin is good
22. U2 was awesome
23. I love the word awesome
24. It is one of my top 5 favorite words
25. The Skuykill Expressway always has traffic
26. Let's highlight an organization, ONE
27. I am really spiritually moved by music
28. Nothing to do with lyrics sometimes, just the music
29. PennDot is ridiculous
30. If you are going to close lanes, you should at least have people there to look like they are working

Oh, They Were So Beautiful Last Night

Yes, yes, I know. Where are the Reflections you ask? Well, for the first time in a long time, they are not coming on the lovely Monday. Why? Because something simply awesome happened last night that needs an entire post devoted to it. Do to the fact that this was an incredible weekend beyond last night, the Reflections will most likely make an appearance at some point.

So what was this awesome occasion that I must write about. Well, I traveled down to Philly last night with a certain Mind the Gapper to see a band simply called U2. Yes SM was good enough to get the tickets a while back for this show. Our tickets were general admission tickets for the floor of the Wachovia Center. The way that U2 set up the stage, they had the stage and then an elliptical walkway running out from it into the center of the floor. Because of this, there was some space in the center of the ellipse that could hold some people.

So we walked into the Center and had our tickets scanned and a pink band put on our arms. Then we proceeded to the next scanning area. U2 had chosen to fill the ellipse by randomly selecting tickets from the general admission group. As we were waiting to get scanned, I noticed that all of the tickets were scanning as floor admission tickets. Then it was my turn. I gave the nice lady my ticket and she scanned it. It seemed like it took forever for the computer to read it, but then the logo popped up. IT WAS THE SPECIAL U2 LOGO!!! Since a selected ticket holder could bring himself and a companion in, it was me and SM that would get to enter the ellipse. We then proceeded to a special place where we were given blue bands.

After a quick bathroom stop and a drink from the water fountain we decided to head down to the ellipse. We got there and it was still mostly empty. We were able to get spots next to the elliptical walkway and 15 FEET AWAY from where the Edge would be standing. It was AWESOME!!!. Here is a photo I found that I put a red X on to show where approximately we were. It is not the Wachovia Center, but does show what the looked like. The Edge was actually situated a little farther to the left for our show.Is that not cool?

So we went through the opening act and at 9.00 U2 came on. They were great. I was not let down in the least. They were tight. They were entertaining and solid. Me being a guitar player really enjoyed being that close to the Edge. They rocked through some old stuff as well as the new stuff. At one point, somebody threw an Irish flag up at Bono. When the song they were doing finished, he broke into an old Irish song that gave homage to Ireland. It was very personal and off the cuff. There were many other moments like that throughout the show.

Some highlights were 'Where the Streets Have No Name', 'One', 'All Because of You' and 'With or Without You'. I really like how they redid 'With or Without You'. They really built it up to a big crescendo at the end unlike any other time I had heard before. Props to them for changing it a bit. So after 23 songs and about 2 hours and 15 minutes of playing they walked off the stage one by one and then we got to leave very happy.

Well, it was great and an experience I will never forget. It was worth the price of the ticket and will probably keep me quite happy this whole week. What a blessing.

Why?

Two things here.
First, why is it the dating and newly married people deem it appropriate to tell single people about dating? There is an article about singleness on RelevantMagazine.com and half the comments are from dating people talking about how they waited or went through a hard time and on the other side, a wonderful person to date was waiting for them. Guess what, I don't care. If I knew you, I would be happy that you were happy, but why do these people feel that it is their job to tell single people a bunch of crap? God doesn't give every single person what they want. It's not a contract here. Just because that is the way that God worked with you, doesn't mean that that is how He will work with me. What is wrong with being single anyway? Why can't I live my life single rather than it just be a waiting time for marriage. I am still valuable as a single person. Anyway just some thoughts. I should probably stop now before I get myself in trouble.

Second, the call made by the ump last night in the Angels/White Sox game was completely bogus. He made one call and then changed his mind in the middle. The batter struck out and the catcher caught the ball. Not that hard here. The replay doesn't come close to looking like the ball hit the ground. So the ump was wrong. Why couldn't he just say that? Because people can't admit that they were wrong. Guess what, we are all human. I think that the Angels should have finished the game under protest, but they didn't. I was rooting for the White Sox, but have changed my rooting interest due to the bad call. Reminds me of a completely blown call in the 90's due to a little "nothing nice to say" named Jeffrey Maier.

A Heterogeneous Post

My Ravens really stink this year. In fact, Mr. Brian Billick's offense (the only thing he coaches as head coach) has been truly woeful for many years. It's time for him to go. In the last game, the Ravens had 21 penalties, 4 personal fouls, and 2 ejections. That's bad coaching. I hope they can salvage a couple of wins this season.

A new blog has started up about fair trade. This is something that I believe, especially as Christians, we need to be concerned for. It is also something that I believe in. Hopefully the blog will continue and be successful in discussion. Go here to learn more about this topic.

I won the race last night. I look forward to Rover's post about it. I have been pretty dominating in the season, never finishing off the podium. The game is titled Formula De for anyone interested.

A couple of bands to check out.
Anberlin
Snow Patrol

Personal Revelation

I am a needy person. I may not look or act like it, but I am. I need social interaction. I am always happier being around people. In fact, I never get tired of being around people. When I leave a group of people, I never want to go. I am sure people knew this about me, but probably not to this level.

We never seem to want to admit our needs, but we want them met. Guess what, we were made to need and to have our needs met. My need may be easier to satisfy than others, but it still needs to be met. I think many times, we expect our friends to know our needs although we don't want to say what they are. Well, our friends aren't mind readers. We need to communicate and stop being ashamed of our needs.

Last night was my first fall night of some coffee and my journal. Very cool. I always find that I chill out much more with some coffee and the ability to right my thoughts. True last night as well.

I'm So Happy

THE YANKEES LOST!!!

Reflections of a Late Night Weekend

1. It rained
2. A lot
3. Why doesn't the word verification have words to type?
4. Things shouldn't be done expecting gratitude
5. The Gathering went well
6. I got to see someone that I hadn't seen since Virginia, very cool
7. Gameday was at Penn State
8. Penn State WON!!!
9. Ohio Sate LOST!!!
10. PENN STATE WON!!!!
11. It made me happy
12. It is fun to jump in puddles
13. The DC Festival was very unorganized with poor communication
14. It was enjoyable to see Kirk Franklin
15. Oh the hunger
16. Nothing like trying to remember places from years ago while in a rainy night
17. It's nice to sleep in
18. RK taught us about meekness
19. It is almost impossible to speak on humility
20. It was nice to talk to TB for a while
21. The Ravens really stink
22. Penalties and 2 ejections
23. It's time for Brian Billick to go
24. Darn Yankees
25. 18 innings, that's crazy
26. All time QB in football, baby
27. 10 or so touchdowns, no interceptions
28. Look at all the lonely people
29. Grocery shopping after 10 pm is nice

Singin' In The Rain

I like rain. It is so mellowing. Ever since last night I have been very relaxed and mellow. I woke up this morning and it was raining. It was so nice. I know it ruins some people's plans, but I don't have any that are affected. I do have to be careful to keep my cast dry, though. Anyway, I have been listening to the rain fall(I can hear it hitting the roof). That with jazz on all day.

As I have mentioned, I love jazz, especially on mellow days. Today is great for it. I recently got a Thelonious Monk cd and enjoyed that last night. Ahh, jazz. Just a piano, sax or horn. That's all I need. Add some cool bass and smooth drums and it's pure beauty. Anyway, I am enjoying the weather and hoping for a continuation of the mellow day. Mellow days are nice and with jazz, I believe they help to lengthen our days. Low stress, that's my cup of tea. or coffee whatever may be your choice.

Speaking of coffee, did you know it's almost impossible to find percolated coffee in England. It is a fun fact that I picked up this week. Nothing to do with anything else, but I thought I would share.

Been There, Done That, Bought the T-shirt

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Athlete at the World Cafe Live in Philly. The venerable ST went down to the show with me. Getting there we ran into the usual traffic on the Skuykill Expressway. Although this could have presented a problem due to us needing to get to a show, we had left plenty of time. As when going to a new place in a city, the primary concerns are to not get lost and what parking is going to cost. Well, the World Cafe website gave very good instructions on how to find the locale and free parking. So without any trouble, we found the venue and then the first lot that we looked to park in had open spots.

After eating a good sandwich at a little cafe, we entered the show. The venue is very intimate and it has good sight lines, yet as ST pointed out, it is big enough to still sound good. The show started at 7:30 and had two opening acts. The first act was The Working Title. They were a pleasant surprise and had a solid sound. They played for about 40 minutes.

The next act was Rob Dickinson. He was okay. Some decent stuff and some sad stuff. Lyrically he was very weak and poor. I was amazed that a guy that can't really write was performing. His songs went on and on and repeated many phrases. I got drilled into my head that 'the skin was black metallic'. I'm still not sure what that means. Oh well after an encore(very strange for a opening act. I think he planned it into his time to feel good about himself), it was finally time.

Athlete came on and started off calmly, but kicked in pretty well. They interacted with the crowd very well. It's interesting when a band that plays in front of thousands in Britain comes over to the States and plays in front of a couple hundred. They had fun though which is what bands need to do when in front of small crowds. Their sound was solid. They weren't a band that was just a studio band. Two of the biggest songs of the night that had everybody singing were 'Halflight' and 'Wires'. They were tight and sounded very good. I greatly enjoyed them especially since they are one of my favorite bands right now. I will see them again if I get the chance.

If Only I Knew

Purpose. It is such a simple word, yet such a big word. What is your purpose? What is my purpose? I have lately been feeling lack of purpose. There are a couple of reasons for this. I'm 28 years old. Usually at 28, people have accomplished some things. Let's go over it here. I have been looking for a job for the last 16 months. So I have yet to advance in any career or get any closer in figuring out what I want to do. That one's gone.

How about love and family? No wife, no kids. Heck, I'm not even dating. I haven't gotten very far here either. It's been 6 years since I graduated college and I am no further along than when I graduated. Sure I have learned a couple of things, but nothing too earth-shattering. Now I am not saying that you have to be accomplishing these things to be advancing in life, but they are a couple of the signs that life is progressing.

So, since I am a Christian, the true goal should be to live for God and to show His wonder and glory to everyone I see. I am not even sure how good I am even doing at that. I try but fail so easily. Sometimes my humanity is really annoying. I feel many times like I am the biggest hindrance for God on earth.

So what is your purpose? How are you doing at it? Do you even have one? I don't have any answers here because I am trying to figure just a tiny bit of the answer out. So share your thoughts with each other. Maybe we can figure it out collectively.

I'm listening...

Reflections of a Sisterly Weekend

1. I had fun with the sis
2. 'Finding Nemo' is very funny, especially the talk like a whale part
3. One-handed video games are difficult
4. Shouldn't a Supreme Court nominee be a judge?
5. I like football
6. My Ravens finally won
7. It was Redskin's win ugly, but it was a win
8. Penn State is 5-0 with a dominating win over a ranked team
9. MP3 players are expensive
10. 'Batman Begins' is a very good movie
11. I went WILD at TGIFridays
12. My cast is no longer plain
13. The youth group got a hold of it
14. 'Stairway to Heaven' is a classic song, but I still don't like his voice
15. 'Chick flick' in the dictionary?
16. The Patriots got their butts kicked at home, WOW
17. I know they played in Mexico, but the 49ers/Cardinals game was still horrible
18. Mmmmm, mountain pies
19. Don't waste you life
20. I hope the White Sox and Cardinals make up the World Series and the Cardinals win
21. The Orioles had another down-the-crapper season
22. Fresco cafe has good food
23. It was nice to talk with my sis
24. She is a very intelligent one
25. Soon my parents shall have an empty nest
26. David Crowder Band got to #2 in downloaded albums on iTunes and the popularity crashed their site for a bit
27. Review of their latest album coming soon

Opining

I

HATE

THE

YANKEES!!!

Surprise, Surprise

The weather peeps said that it was going rain most of the day today. Imagine my surprise when I walked outside around 1 and saw/felt a gorgeous day. It was sunny, cool and with a nice breeze. It's been a frustrating day at work so the beauty was a very nice surprise.

How people can look at that beauty and still say there is no God is beyond me. Nature just screams of handiwork. Thank Him for the beautiful day today.

All I need to do is take a nice walk with a soft sun in front of me and a soft woman beside me.

In other news, I get to hang with my sis this weekend. She's coming up to my place. I am very excited about this. She is lots of fun to hang out with and I don't do it near enough. Who knows what we will do, but I guarantee fun will be had by all.

This dude is playing at Messiah on Saturday at 8 in Larsen and it's free.

Football is Here

Today in Champions League soccer Liverpool (Champions League champions) and Chelsea (Premier League champions meet). It is a classic matchup that is actually being shown on American tv. Therefore since I taped, I will get to watch it.

In baseball, the playoffs are coming up. Here's to hoping that the Yankees are left on the outside looking in.

In American football, my Ravens are sucking it up pretty good. At 0-2 they play the Jets this week who are down to their third string quarterback. Hopefully the Ravens will come away with a win.

That's a sports wrap for now.

All I can Say

It's been a rough one today and I really don't have anything nice to say, so I thought that I would post these lyrics.

Lord I'm tired, so tired from walking

And Lord, I'm so alone

And Lord, the dark is creeping in, creeping up to swallow me

I think I'll stop, rest here awhile.

This is all that I can say right now and this is all that I can give.

And didn't you see me crying?

And didn't You hear me call Your name?

Wasn't it You I gave my heart to?I wish You'd remember where You sat it down,

I didn't notice You were standing here,

I didn't know that that was You holding me.

I didn't notice You were crying too,

I didn't know that that was You washing my feet,

©1998, Inot Music
Words and Music by David Crowder

In other news, the author

of this song came out with

a new album today.

It should be a good one

Reflections of a Longer Day Weekend

1. It was nice to see some old college friends
2. Loneliness is a nasty word
3. I don't do well sitting still for 6 straight hours
4. Lunch was good though
5. I like getting out into nature
6. It's never good to have a bad Monday, starting the week off on a downer
7. Messiah men are 7-0
8. 'Millions' is a good movie
9. If you like quirky, British films, which I love
10. I like picnics
11. Football
12. I miss sports
13. I miss my guitar
14. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't
15. I got punched very, very hard
16. It hurt
17. RK felt bad because I deserved the punch, but not the ferocity
18. I encountered one of the most annoying fans at Saturday night's game
19. She never stopped saying 'Go Dave, go Dave' in her high pitched whiny voice
20. This day sucks
21. I got free stuff at a new Sheetz
22. I am happy that it is finally starting to feel like fall

The Great Outdoors

I know that this is unusual to blog over the weekend, but I sit here in Larsen waiting for the soccer game to start. I just got done touring the great outdoors. I love nature. I went for a hike over at the White Rocks Trail. It was a much more challenging trail then I expected, but I enjoyed it. It was a hard trip up to the top, but once I got up there it was well worth. To sit up on some rocks and just look out is beautiful. It is also cloudy today so when I was up there, it felt like I just might be able to reach out and touch the clouds. Very cool.

I just really enjoyed getting out in nature and getting some exercise. Especially since I was on my butt all day. Well, off to the soccer game...

Is It Worth Its Number 3 Billboard Spot?

So here I go for 2 music posts in a row. As I promised last week, I would review the album. After listening to it off and on for a week or so, I am prepared. Let me first say this. The copy protection on this cd is not the band's fault. They have no choice. The label puts it on the cd. So don't get ticked off at the band.

Now on to my thoughts. I wasn't sure what would happen after their first major label which was a smashing success. A lot of bands when they hit the big time have a let down on the next album. I do not feel that this happened for Switchfoot. What they released was a good, solid rock album with a couple, intriguing, good quirks.

They get started off rocking away with 'Lonely Nation'. It is a good solid rock song to start off the album. 'The Shadow proves the Sunshine' is quickly becoming my favorite song on this cd with some interesting vocal sounds that were obtained by singing into a grand piano. 'The Blues' is a wonderfully raw sounding ballad where the vocal track is actually from the first demo made of the song. 'The Fatal Wound' uses the harmonica and is a darkly beautiful song. 'Daisy' proves that this album is different from all the others. Although it starts off nice and calm, it ends the album on a rocking note.

For this album, the lyrics were pretty much standard fare for the band. The sound did not stray too far from what they know. That being said, there were differences in this album. Each song had a slightly different feel which was nice. Especially the last half of the album where you aren't really sure what will come next. Another good thing is that it is excellently produced. This is the first thing that hit me. Now I know that I am a sound engineer type dork, but I believe everybody will be able to appreciate the production quality.

That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. Go buy the cd. It will be worth your time and money.

A Man and His Guitar

Last night this wonderful man played a show at Messiah. It was free and from 10-12 in the student union. I greatly enjoyed this performance. I am the first person to love a good rock and roll band, but there is just something really neat about a man(or woman) and his guitar. It is clean. It is relaxing. It is beautiful. It takes talent for an artist to keep a crowd with just a guitar. He did an amazing job of this. A great simple show. If you get a chance and he is in your area, go check out Derek Webb.

At one point in the evening, he took a break and talked about an organization that is trying to get clean blood and water to the most impoverished. It is the blood:water mission. They are doing something incredible in that their goal is to build 1000 clean water wells in the poverty stricken areas. They do this by hiring local people to build the well. Not only is it giving clean water, but also creating jobs. That's a great organization making an impact.

Another thing that he mentioned was that he was not going to explain any more what his songs mean. I totally agree with him. We tend to like when song are spelled out for us clearly, but I actually think that it is a cheap form of art. The beauty of all kinds of art is that it means different things to different people. When we have to think and pull our own meaning out of art is when we can truly appreciate it. Enough of these self explanatory lyrics. Let's try to bring the poetry back into songwriting. One person that is incredibly gifted is Derek Webb.

What an Amazing Concept

"...the difference between Grace and Karma. ...Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,... It's clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I'm absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions,...I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge...It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace."

--from the book "Bono: In Conversation"

It's been said that the difference between Christianity and all other faiths is grace--the idea that we won't get what we deserve. This amazes me when I think about it. I screw up a lot. The amount that I mess up, I don't know if I ever would deserve ANYTHING good happening to me. But right in the middle of that, God steps in. He chooses to. He could have left the entire human race, but He sends grace, love and redemption instead. He wants us.

Change of Lifestyle

So, two Sundays I was walking down a nice country lane. As I saw a couple of kids playing, their ball suddenly went into the road. Now as it is a kid's responsibility not to be responsible, one of them ran to get the ball without looking out for traffic. His sibling, though, heard a vehicle coming which the first juvenile didn't hear. The tension was building, for the second kid went to rescue his sibling. Now we have two youngens in the road with their ball and an F150 barreling down the road at them.

I see this and react immediately. In a flurry of an action, I sprint for the remaining distance between me and the kids. As I get to them, I can feel the F150 breathing down my neck. THERE JUST ISN'T ENOUGH TIME!!!!

I dive into the road and grab kid number one and fling him to safety. The truck is getting closer and closer. I get two fingers on the second kid and manage to just get him off of the road. But there is a problem. The driver is oblivious and is not slowing down. With a mighty leap I knock the ball out of the way as I try to escape the lumbering vehicle. I feel myself escape the path and think that I am okay. But alas, since I knocked the ball out of the way, my left arm is behind the rest of my body. It gets clipped by the vehicle and I drop to the ground in pain, clutching my wrist.

That is how I broke my wrist.



Okay, maybe not actually, it might have been done in the midst of playing goalie in pick up game of soccer. I just may have been trying to save a point blank shot. I may also have succeeded although not without the casualty of my wrist. The wonderful high schoolers that I hang out with at my church assisted me with the creation of this much more benevolent way of how I broke my wrist. Good idea, guys and gals.

So what does this have to do with the title of my post? Because I broke my wrist, my many forms of exercise have ceased. This stinks because I like playing various sports and with a broken wrist cannot play any of them. Even the simple act of running for exercise is too high of an impact and I like to exercise.

So what do I do? Walking is an option. But there is another option that I believe I will like better. That would be hiking. In this beautiful state of Pennsylvania, there are many places to hike. Not only that, but to get out into nature in the middle of nowhere is completely awesome. So hike I shall. I love nature and to hike is low impact exercise. Therefore for the next 6ish weeks I hope to become a hiking and walking fiend. One problem, I don't really know where to take on such a wonderful challenge. I know a couple of places, but any suggestions are more than welcome.