And now for something completely different...

Dad's count has been up and down, hit a high for the last few days today so he went for a walk around the ward for the first time and made a phone call. He was in good spirits, and his sister Sue flew down from NY to Raleigh and drove in with his brother Paul. They all had a good visit. i saw my childhood friend Amy tonight for dinner (my best friend Jason's younger sister who is my age). We got to catch up. It's now officially my little sister's b-day, the 27th, and she's 20, so officially not a teenager any more. That is weird. Random thought: i badly need a hair chop.

Updating to keep busy

dad's hemoglobin was back down last night when they checked it, so he feels lousy again, and this morning he's already had 2 units of blood, so i think he's in for today and christmas for sure

Only 2 days?

Well, it has apparently only been 2 days, but much has happened. Had to take my dad to the doctor tuesday afternoon, he was flu-like as well as being run down like when he was suddenly anemic the other week. Wednesday, he rested a lot, but began turning yellow and being really fatigued and all sorts of symptoms. On thursday, i went in to substitute librarianize, and my mom took him to the doc and he was straight into the hospital. i saw him that night and mom and i went home. She went back friday morning and when he was en route to the restroom, he passed out and fell and was immediately put in intensive care. His numbers for hemoglobin dropped rapidly over two days, to less than half what they should be and didn't go up until they transfused him yesterday. He went down again this morning and they are transfusing again at a faster rate. He will not likely be home for Christmas Eve or Christmas, and they still don't know what is causing any of it, just what is happening. His brother and his wife are going to arrive any minute and i have to get back to the hospital. The phone rings off the hook with family and church folks, but it's nice to know so many people are pulling for him.

Subbing in

Dad had to go to the doc for more tests today, mom had to take him, i Subbed for her in the Library at Clear Creek Elementary. i got to read the night before Christmas to a few classes and help them color stockings and ginger bread houses. The Library Assistant had all the kids go around and say their name, then around again for favorite color, and then around again for favorite weather. i was near the beginning and i said Carolina Blue. This illicited an answer of "Carolina Blue from all 7 of the remaining kindergarden boys. For weather, i said "Carolina football weather," and two of the boys tried to say that, with very little success (yes, they're just kindygartners). Then i visited with Rob, my youth minister and we discussed OT and grades and such. Finally got my paycheck from the Y, and finished my Christmas shopping with Kelley. i'm afraid to add up how much i've had to spend these past few weeks on stuff, gas, food.
Party last night was great. About 15 or 16 former ARPC youth made it. Gag gifts and tons of food. Nap time.

Finalsly

i am finally done with dreaded finals, OT's weeping and gnashing of teeth, etc. First chance i have had to write. Found out one of my friends here, Susan Deitrich is the sister-in-law of my college friend, Cheryl, random. What a small little Presbyterian world.
My trip back with Melanie was more than interesting. Let it be stated from the start that i do not blame, nor am i angry with Melanie MacFarland. She did have the sun in her eyes and she did have very little sleep and one should not underestimate the distracting impact of my left profile. Driving south to Charlotte and/or Atlanta from Richmond is pretty straight forward. One takes I-95 for about 20 or 30 miles south to Petersburg, where it joins I-85 and takes I-85 south all the way to Charlotte... or Atlanta. We were about 100 miles south of Petersburg, just crossing the North Carolina border when Melanie asks, "Shouldn't we be on 85 by now?" Ohhhh dear. So i pull out the map and see that we can fix this little one hour detour by taking Route 185 through Macon, Podunk, Norlina, and finally... Warrenton! Warrenton, the biggest of these little bordertown settlements is maybe the size of Concord Mills shopping mall. The roads suddenly don't match our map because they have different names and so we stop at a hardware store (safe bet we guess) for directions. As in Gilmore Girls, this isn't actually a hardware store any more, but the Hardware Cafe. We ask for directions (which are semi-correct) and buy matching t-shirts that say "i got hammered at the hardware cafe." We got pictures a little down the road with the Sherwood Forest sign and stopped again (this time for correction on the directions from the woman at Hardware) to ask a auto body guy how to get to 85. We make it to 85, go to Biscuitville (Mel was a biscuitville virgin) and finally made it back to Concord.
i hung out with Ben for a bit and saw the other Gibsons and then worked for my dad today doing clerical work in suit and tie and being polite to clients. Lucky me, migraine boy, we were at a metal stamping factory all day, where the machine pound holes in metal sheets. Yay. (note the enthusiasm) But hey, it pays and it's not OT. This blog is too long, so peace out.

The only thing more exciting than covalent bonds...

MALE BONDING!!! That's right. Something i don't get much of, so i am making a list of male bonding activities to engage in before i die (note: some are already accomplished)

Italicized are accomplished, in alphabetical order:

Bar Fight
Camping
Drinking and darts
Fishing
Hide a body
Hunting
Ice fishing
Karaoke (specifically "You've lost that lovin' feelin'" in a bar)
Late night Frozen pizza topped with own copious loads of red meat and Asian hot sauce
Peeing in the same toilet
Peeing while walking outside
Pro-Baseball game
Pro-football game
Road Trip
Tailgating
Watching Super bowl

Any i'm missing?

Change

what's the deal with college students these days? instead of "down with the man" or "down with the gov" or "save the planet" or "anti Vietnam" they line up for democratic and republican parties and support either republican presidential candidates who kill the environment or democratic presidential candidates who fought in the Vietnam war and claimed to have "committed atrocities" there. i'm so confused, why are there so few green party and libertarians? why do college students continue to protest and rally, when that strategy hasn't wrought political change in over 2 decades, and yet believe that a government they protest every other weekend will some day provide all the answers? if young people today had one iota of the faith in God or even each other that they have for a government they hate, where would be now? and what are we doing about it this minute?

A yittle of this, a yittle of YAV

Finally got my pastoral care done Monday night by meeting two of my YoCo kids for pizza. They are both applying to UNC (among 5 or 6 other choices) and we had a good time. My verbatim went pretty well, especially since it was read with Tom playing one teenage girl, and Charles, the other. Gene played me, which was fantastic. Made me look great. I was up to 3:30 putting final touches on it, and then up by 8:30 to do my first phone interview with the YAV office about taking next year for mission service. After a lot of questions, she wanted to reiterate that i may not get Northern Ireland and to consider other options. i promised to remain open, but it is unlikely i will take the year off for any other program. We'll see. Then there was a beautiful chapel service with bells and music. I have tons more reading yet to do for OT and Theology to be ready for next week, as well as a Theology paper due tomorrow on a reading i have yet to do. Luckily, i am now done with anything related to Pastoral Care and Spiritual Formation. Holidays bearing down...

Merry Christmakah to Jew and Gentile alike...

We had a BALL!!!

Saturday night was Calvin Ball and pretty much everyone did a little dance and got down that night (i'm not even gonna guess at anything else). An open wine and champagne bar got everyone in the holiday spirit and people cut loose like i have never seen. The women were gorgeous, and i'm not sure i knew most of these men could clean up so well. Nor did i know everyone could dance... er, that anyone could move in such ways. Fairly sure i downed more than eight sodas, six of which were mountain dew, so i couldn't sleep till about 3 or 4am. It's nice also to see the professors come out too and bring spouses and dance. A good time was had by all.

Infamous

i had my interview last night at St Andrew's United Methodist for the Director of Youth Ministry position. It went really well, but they have 2 other candidates to look at. They have 20 or so in their 6-12th grade group, much like my Baptist group a few years ago. They're apparently really smart and involved and would be a great challenge. We'll see.
Our grafitti wall i did the Hebrew for is featured in a local art magazine available all over town, and the online excerpt can be found here: http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=13446

The hurtful 4 words

i once read that the three most beautiful words in the english language are "I love you." However, the four most hurtful words in the english language are "I love you but..." i'v mulled this over for years, and most recently i've been trying even harder to say nothing even close to this. Too many people i am closest to in my life use if not these words, this mindset. My father is not the only one at all, but i know he doesn't read this. Besides, anything he has a tendency to do is likely something i need to work on myself. He has a great propensity for cutting down others, others' opinions, views, likes, dislikes, etc, and become incredulous when anyone asks that his own likes, opinions, etc not be thrust upon them. Most of us can deal with others disliking our favorite dessert (more for us), but when someone whom we love or admire hates what is dear to us, it chips a small part of us away. i refuse to tell anyone that they can't have a dream. Personally, i need to work on not being my father, and today that means i will humbly have to let people love what they love. No, it's not big of me, but it is decent. Why are things like that so hard? i miss having weekly goals like tying my shoe.

Yay b-day

i got a great surprise on my b-day last year at midnight, and this year i was pleasantly surprised with a birthday dinner out. Jen drove me around with a blindfold for awhile and stumbled me into the restaraunt. i got in and realized that Marc, Christina, Elizabeth Howell and Smith, Noell, Lindsey, Jessi, and Chuck were there. Not everyone was back in town and some people were working, but it was a huge turn out and a total surprise. Apparently though, there are pictures of me stumbling through the parking lot blindfolded. Thanks J-Bu

On the Road Again

Well, i finally hit the road again tomorrow at 8am with Elizabeth to head back home to Richmond. Very ready. Had my fill of indoor family closeness 3 days ago, and now i've had enough triptophan to incapacitate a kindergarden class. While it was good to see a few familiar faces and receive several nice meals and birthday cards, i believe my parents are slowly going around the bend. i'd like to pretend it's early alzheimers or dimensia, because if it's not, they're just damn nuts and a pain in the rear. i think my mother means well, but it's too stressful to be around. i've gotta find more laid back people to enjoy holidays with. At least NY trips included my easy-going aunts and uncles and cousins, with the cost of 16 hours in a 6 passenger vehicle with my parents and barry mantilow/rush limbaugh/judy garland. My sister gave me the Leggo story book version of the Ten Commandments!!! And i also got a great DVD of Norah Jones live at the House of Blues, and a couple great t-shirts. i got some sleep, but built up some stress, so i'm glad to be headed back to a mostly empty dorm to do research and sleep some more. i don't see me being a professor of Old Testament any day soon. Happy Thanksgiving.

Old Dog

You can't teach an old dog... anyways, got in my yearly phone call to Phillip to wish him a happy birthday first. i'm sitting here with my cat sound asleep in my lap. Since i've been home, she's slept with me every night. i'm apparently the warmest body in the house. i also sleep on the floor, so i'm easy to get to. i got off work tomorrow, so i don't have to work on my day. i'm prolly gonna tag along with little sis tomorrow for Christmas shopping and maybe go see the Bond movie tomorrow night. Jen called from Houston at 1am just now to wish me an official happy birthday since it's now the 22nd in Texas. This just in: Cats twitch in their sleep...

What break?

i really don't like to just complain on here, but i feel i am not really getting a Thanksgiving break, more like a day. i'm in Concord for a week, but working almost every day, and working on my Exegesis paper in my "free time." i'm even scheduled to work on my birthday, for which again, i have no plans except probably a few birthday cards with my parents and maybe a pie or cake with them too. They, by the way, are driving me bonkers. i don't like the person i am around my parents. They bring out my old middle/high school tendencies to fight and bicker and snip and brood. i miss my Union peeps. There's almost no one i know in town at all. Well, cheers.

Decent solution

i've decided the only way to fix seminary and the government is to take all the morally corrupt politicians and put them in church pews and take all the seminary students who believe in government more than the church and put them in congress

and the middle of the road libertarian faithful dance around happily, scoffing at the vast evangelical moral majority right wing conspiracy and the left wing left field government worshipping bunny hugging hippies

Teenagers said i was cool

Yeah, so 2 things can put me on top of the world: 1- my lil sis wanting to hang out; 2- teenagers thinking/saying i'm cool. i got to hang out with some of the coolest high schoolers ever this weekend, my YoCo kids. Last retreat i got to hang out with them. This retreat, we got to bond. i did alot of A/V work for the retreat, but i got to play and eat and joke and dance and campfire and swim and talk and laugh and mostly cut up with these rock stars. Quality time was had. i got back my first exegesis paper when i got back from the retreat and i'm glad i waited till then to get it. It wasn't great, but not terrible, pretty average, but any question that brings to why i am here is answered beyond any shadow of a doubt when i have a good, mediocre, even a bad weekend with youth. They affirm my call. i love these kids very very much. They are insane and they make tons of mistakes, many of the same ones i made, but they are God's children, and they're my kids and there's nothing i'd rather do. i think my professor, Carson, says it well, "i believe in the promise of who you are." On a side note, it's been 16 hours since my second cup of coffee this morning, and i'm still going strong. Yikes.

Celebrating the temporary

So in Charlie Brown's pastoral care class, we covered "celebrating the temporary" for about 2 minutes, but that's all i remember this week. It really stuck. Lately, and i mean over the last 3 years, i've discovered more and more that most of the people i know are very very temporary. i've always been aware of the situations i've been in as being temporary, the places, the jobs, the locales, the dynamics, but i've always believed in having the sort of friends that are able not only to just pick up right where we left off, but actively try to do that "picking up" without heoric effort. It's easy when you get thinking that way to be bitter about people that let you down or disappoint you, but this week the people that came to my mind where the tremendously loyal, while few, people in my life that truly inspire me and carry me through. Knowing most of them don't have a chance to read this, i can brag on them. Jason Short is nothing short of my best friend on earth and continues to amaze me by what it means to be a loyal, life-long friend. Ben Gibson does the same. Both drive me to be better than i am. Matthew Brown has stuck by me no matter what, and we've done some stupid stupid things. My sister is totally my hero, and my other lil sis. Melissa, Sallie, Jen Kling, Jessica Anderson, Ashley Newt, and several others. Maybe not many of them, but they are damn fine people. And while life is a string of temporary, they don't really fit that. i love that about them. And to the rest of the people i have known and will know, my door will always be open, even if i'm not banging down everyone else's.
i wish it would stop raining

Gettin' it done

Got alot of paper pushin' done this weekend. All of my forms and references for YAV are sent out. Now it's the waiting game. Who knows where i'll be next year. (taking bets, get in early)
We did score some Zorba's this weekend, and some sleep-in time, the first in oh so long. I made breakfast for dinner too.
We got over to Peggy's (Peggy is who also looks for little green men when she's not studying Hebrew here) church, the MCC. Still can't remember what that stands for. Part of it means Metropolitan, and part is Community. It was a pretty good service all and all. The pastor guy, who talked exactly like Bob Dunham in Chapel Hill, and had pretty cool dangly earings, preached on the lesbians. You know, Ruth and Naomi. Eh. i thought it was quite a stretch. It goes into my last blog of having a responsibility if you're in a position of authority or power to tell people what that could read as being there, and what is personal preference. Oh well, i can't seem to convince anyone but Tom of the deep need for this. Ohblahdee, ohbladye.

There's a 30% chance of actual scholarship in the forcast...

Thoughts from Theology class the other day...

Take these statements:
"And these two accounts in Genesis are definitely by two different authors."
"It will rain tomorrow"

Then consider the following:
A) Principles of science (laws of pressure, temperature, evaporation, etc)
B) Litterary principles (tendencies, styles, penmanship, word choice, etc)

Which of those two focus on constants, unchanging, predictable and repeatable? Which is more certain? (tell me you made it through 7th grade science and said A)

Now consider this...
If the results of measurable constants like pressure and temperature lead to eratic outcomes... like, i dunno, weather? How much more unpredictable are theories of penmanship and editing and how much less likely to be correct are those conclusions?

Maybe there were different authors and editors of Genesis. Maybe the two chapters our professor reffered to casually were indeed by different sources. i do not doubt this is possible, but when well informed and knowledgable scholars talk about theories on a regular basis as scientific and verifiable fact, there's a problem (hope you're listening NIB).

Besides... maybe it will rain tomorrow, but do you always trust the weatherman?

Mental Health Day

i took a mental health day friday and skipped my OT section. No big deal, first thing i've skipped here. i actually drew Tom and i a Labyrinth on our shower wall with a dry erase marker. It'll stay for awhile. Watched an animated episode of Ghostbusters from back in the day. Went and talked to Deb and to check on Lindsey to see if she was feelin' well. Jen and Tom and Chuckie and Jessi and watched the first 2 episodes of Carnivale, the HBO series, last night. Amazingly good, with lots of familiar actors. Then we Karoke-ed (is that a word? is now) for a good long while and came back to play cards till we crashed. It all got my mind off things and i heard good things from people who were in hospitols, so it was okay. Sun came out today so it may be good day for all the festivities.

Talk Nerdy to Me

Yes, i have indeed reached the height of Geekdom. While i did figure out last year that i could not only watch TV at work by leaving my webcam on in my room, but i could use it to watch Star Trek, one must continually search for ways to surpass him or herself. i have two laptops. One is my useless, about to explode UNC thinkpad, and the other is my brand new Dell. Tom gave me a monitor, so i can split screen and multi-task on my Dell. But now, 24 hours a day, more or less, my old thinkpad sifts through mountains of Berkley data for the SETI project. That's right, while i multi-task nerd around, my old computer is dedicated to the search for little rgeen men in the cosmos. Thought you'd be proud. The question is now... will ET look more like Worf, Clark Kent, Lenir, or Chewbacca. i'm hoping she'll look more like Starbuck, but hey, that's me. Peace out homies. And if the NSA is reading this... you must be so bored...

Wedding Canoes are a Must

Fall break... Friday: laziness, movies, food.
Saturday: So me and Noell and Jessi took off early yesterday morning for Westminster, MD to attend the wedding of Jen Mueller and Greg Stiles. It was held behind her uncle's house on this gradually sloping hill in this beautiful grassy meadow surrounded by fall-changing leaves. They had a podium, a cross, and a few folding chairs. It was about 55 degrees and the sun never stopped shining. It was beautiful. They had gospel hymns playing (blue grass style) and the ceremony was lovely. Jen and Greg had gone to a Ghanaian (from Ghana) church when they lived in Baltimore, and the pastor and most of the readers were all from it. They had beautiful accents. The sermon was lovely (except for the very out of place altar call), but it all went well. It was followed by all of us taking our chairs with us up to this tent further up the hill for amazing food and something we noticed when we first arrived... This couple, that met in the Sierra Club, had their first date outdoors, and got engaged while hiking (not to mention their camping involved on this honeymoon) had a canoe beside the reception tent. Yup, a canoe. And as i approached, my one thought was "man, i hope this is full of booze, that would be hilarious." Right when we got to it, a man said, yup, 300 lbs of ice... and beer. Lots of ale, beer, soda, and wine, wow. So we kicked back for a few hours with food and cheese and Blue Grass and we danced a bit (mostly just me and Noell). The bride and groom took a few pics and came back to us, the bride now in cow girl boots and her dress (which her mother made), another collective wow. We finally left to go see Jessi's friend for some Outback mid-afternoon mashed potatoes, wings, and dessert (we're so classy). We got back here last night and played pool and back scratched and ordered pizza. i finished off making another prayer necklace. i've gotta find a hippy bead store. Cary St just has an artsy fartsy one. This is way too long for a blog. It's raining. Peace out...

It's October 18th

Marc Party

So, what has become known as the "Marc Party" travels to different locales now. Tonight it was at Dabney on the porch. i went over and as i attempted to sit on the swing as it was in motion, was nearly knocked off my feet, spilled most of Tom's whiskey, and nearly took off someone's head. As everyone laughs at our collective clumsiness, Texas Chad slips in his usual wisdom... "You know what's wrong with that picture?" "He's got a ginger ale" Oh lord, thank you Chad, that's precisely what i'm doin' wrong.

Fishy

accodring to Noell's fortune-telling fish i am jealous, passionate, and in love. God i'm tired. i'm going to bed.

Eye of the huricane

So the last few days have been a whirlwind. Lots of school work and then headin for North Cackalackey. i tried to get out of Saturday morning's meeting here in Charlotte to no avail, so a last minute trip down was organized. i grabbed the train Thursday around lunch. Old Man Boswell dropped me off. The train was supposed to arrive in Richmond at 1 and depart at 1:10 to arrive in Durham at 5:25. The clever Amtrak people didn't bother to say the train was running late until 1:02. Every train said "on time" on the board. Unlike airplane terminals run by efficient private industry, the modern passenger Amtrak train doesn't care how late it is. They seem surprised it was late when it didn't show up until 1:35 or so. Wow. Guess they are still using telegraph. i ended up sitting with this girl who was going home to Cary from college in American, so we ended up having alot to talk about. The cutest kid ever was wandering up and down the isle with his mom who was wearing a t-shirt with the Geneis 12:3 phrase i had to translate for that day's OT class. Lauren Dunbar picked me up from the staion when we arrived (nearly an hour late by now) because she happened to be in Durham testing water one street over from the station. i got to go to PCM and hang out with great folks and see people i got in trouble for not spending time with the last few times i was on the Hill. Went to a bar after with some of them, including Frank the Tank who happened to be in town. Huge day of coincidences. i also ran into Paul Seales on the way to the bar and we did "You've lost that lovin' feelin'" for Karoke. i hung out with Jess smeeks for a bit and then crashed at Matt Browns for a 4 hour nap before Kelley and i drove to Concord. Managed lunch after seeing Roy talk in the pit. i really never miss being around Charlotte or Concord at all these days. i used to some when Kelley lived here or some old High School friends or significant others, but these days there's not much here to bring me back but work. i doubt i'll ever come back here. i love Chapel Hill, but i doubt that would bring me back ever. i love the campus, but not so much the town. Richmond i love, but i'm itching to get moving to other places. If YAV works out, i guess i'll get that chance. Alright, have alot of studying to do for this week and a long train ride tomorrow after a long drive.

Elmo Sighting!!!

i did in fact see Elmo for the first time!!! Not the puppet. Union-PSCE for years and years had played host to an albino squirel and his/her descendants. Today, i saw him behind Lingle.

Much Needed Release

What a fun few days. Much needed after this week. Friday began with suckage as I totally botched my Hebrew reading in class and Professor Sam Balentine scares the crap out of me. But I spent the afternoon hunting for costume stores and Jedi robes with Lindsey and that was good. Everybody back here in Richmond dorm got to partying early and the merriment and refreshments continued for a good 9 hours or so after dinner. Lots of card playing, music, pool, movies, and food followed. My pizza got eaten before I knew what was happening, so we went on a 2AM Taco Bell/ Waffle House run, high school style. Six of us in Tom’s Honda (he was asleep, didn’t know we took it), 2 in front, 4 in the back. Don’t worry, I drove. Hit Taco Bell first for drive-thru, and then Waffle House. Waffle house only allows 5 to a table, not 6, so we left (was pretty sketchy that night too). We went back to Taco Bell and were the last customers through at 2:58AM. After staying up till 4, most of us slept in past lunch time today. I got a lamp and finished up my light saber. We all went to the Byrd tonight to see Superman Returns (even better the second time). Church tomorrow and meetin’ Old Man Boswell’s parents.

Minds Like Concrete

You know what they say: "Some people's minds are like concrete... all mixed up and permanently set." Well, while it may not be as bad as all that, i've had another one of those evenings where being open-minded and middle of the road means being the stand out and completely unacceptable. To be honest, when i argue with arch conservative back woods podunk folk (not worried any of them are online reading this, no) i know they don't care if i think they're close-minded, they are proud to be. i can almost respect that, seriously. But damnit, liberal people go around self-labeling as open-minded, and some how cannot mannage to accept all sorts of alternative ideas. Tonight, i didn't even argue for my own ideas, just that there are possible alternatives to the ones that were being posited by the group. i wasn't just shot down. For saying not that i believed in an idea, but was open to that possibility and they should at least not completely discount it, i was told by not one, but two or three people i was studying at the wrong place. Wow. Not really sure what to do with that. Frankly i think it's my fault for doing what i swore i would not do earlier this week after Charlie Brown's lecture... ever talk to drunk people. While these people were not drunk, it was unwise for me to posit any serious idea, let alone defend a minority unrepresented viewpoint. God forbid the Bible might actually depict events that may/might have actually happened. God forbid my faith be grounded in the basis that some or many of the Biblical accounts are true. i feel like not arguing for any particular theory, but the possibility of a theory should be acceptable. Where am i?