Wednesday, December 27, 2006
And now for something completely different...
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Updating to keep busy
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Only 2 days?
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Subbing in
Party last night was great. About 15 or 16 former ARPC youth made it. Gag gifts and tons of food. Nap time.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Finalsly
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.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
The only thing more exciting than covalent bonds...
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
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Change
A yittle of this, a yittle of YAV
Merry Christmakah to Jew and Gentile alike...
Monday, December 04, 2006
We had a BALL!!!
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Infamous
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
Monday, November 27, 2006
The hurtful 4 words
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Yay b-day
Thursday, November 23, 2006
On the Road Again
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Old Dog
Sunday, November 19, 2006
What break?
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Decent solution
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
Monday, November 13, 2006
Teenagers said i was cool
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Celebrating the temporary
i wish it would stop raining
Monday, November 06, 2006
Gettin' it done
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.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
There's a 30% chance of actual scholarship in the forcast...
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?
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Mental Health Day
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Talk Nerdy to Me
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Wedding Canoes are a Must
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...
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Marc Party
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Fishy
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Eye of the huricane
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Elmo Sighting!!!
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Much Needed Release
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Minds Like Concrete
Mac Attack
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Moruv Zorba
Saturday, September 30, 2006
The Face that Launched a Thousand Insults
"Usually when they're a foot long, they're skinny!!!" -Jessi
This is what happens when one mixes memosas with waffles and silly girls and a Saturday afternoon. Yikes.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Tom's ER Card
(picture removed for content reasons and the sanity of fellow students, available upon request)
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Boarding
So, while we didn't get 13 inches of snow like Colorado yesterday (thanks for calling Jen!!!!), i did buy a snowboard...er... sorta. i went school supply shopping with Noe Noe and got a whiteboard. Well, it's not white. In fact, it's red... and the shape of a snowboard... and... the size of a snowboard. Gnarly!!! Yeah, and it's magnetic too. i'm pretty much the envy of the whole dorm. i also took my first trip to Dot's tonight with Noell, Chuckie, and Melanie. Had an AMAZING burger. Will be the first of many trips. That's all... peace out.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Eddie Izzard would be proud
Friday, September 22, 2006
Wallyworld Madness
Monday, September 18, 2006
This Blog: Rated "Arg" (for Pirate and Adult Advisory)
Last night a bunch of us went to our burger joint we like before a worship service. While we were eating out on the patio area, this cute lil asian girl was whirling around dancing and i was watching her, until she fell and scraped her knee on the gravel. She seemed okay until i asked her if she was and she looked at her knee. In true little kid fashion, she then burst out into tears. She came over a few minutes later and looked at me and said "i have a boo boo on my knee." So i gave her a little sympathy and told her i saw her dancing. She pointed to her mother and her mother's friends ans said "i was giving them a movie (whatever that means)." i nodded and she said "i was showing my... i only have a mommy (smile)." We all tried to keep from giggling at how cute she was, and "mommy" came and got her as their group left: "haha, now that you know all that, you can enjoy your dinner," mommy said embarassingly. So we all waved out goodbyes. This made all of our womb's ache (not just Noell's).
Thursday, September 14, 2006
And the rains came down, and the internet came up
Monday, September 11, 2006
Patriotism
And on the eighth day, God created the World of Presbyterians because it was small and doable
Also, 1st day of class was good. Gonna be reading alot and hands on work for Pastoral Care.
If you're reading this, take some time to remember where you were 5 years ago this time, and ask yourself what you've done to encourage peace in your corner of the world, or another, or what you can do, and remember why that's important.
Luke reports that as Jesus approached Jerusalem he wept over the city, saying "if you only recognized on this day the things that make for peace" (Lk: 19:42).-Doug Baker (Site Co-ordinator for YAV- N. Ireland)
http://www.unc.edu/~daoust/9-11%20Cartoon%20Tribute.htm
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Typing on stereotypes tonight
Friday, September 08, 2006
It's really been too late for a long time...
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Inundated with Incredible Interlopers
Monday, September 04, 2006
Brian, the Superglue Emergency Contact
Friday, September 01, 2006
Strolling down the sidewalk on Memory Lane
Thursday, August 31, 2006
If weasels were easles
Ashley Newton:
Ashley: don't worry! we are not underwater
me: good, lots of rain?
me: been pourin here
Ashley: oh yes
me: no thunder though
Ashley: weasels and weasels of rain
me: hahahaha
me: been rainin cats and dogs and weasels?
Ashley: i think life would be more interesting if 'weasels' was a unit of measurement'
Ashley: it's much more exciting than ounces, or inches
Also...
Eagles may fly, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines
Tales from Concord
Two fish are in a tank. One turns to the other and says "you man the guns... i'll drive"
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
What is it that binds us to this place...
PS: photo was not taken on most recent visit
Pee.Pee.S. (for you Nono and Patrick): the prank call on the radio talk show this morning was to a girl who was DD for her other 35-yr old gf's the other night. One of the drunkies peed on the wall of a gas station as it was late and it was closed. So, another one of the drunkies called the station today and told them to prank the driver. They told her she and her car were caught on serveillance, and really had her going about a court date. That girl stood her ground though and wouldn't rat out her friend. A fellow DD i can stand by. You go girl!!
Friday, August 25, 2006
To Pee, or not to pee...
The grass is always greener
When you water with your weiner
Outside
Monday, August 21, 2006
Peace and long life, and may the force be with you
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Shabbat Shalom
Got Dar Williams stuck in my head...
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Toolin' Around
Also, came across an old link, if you have a weak stomach or you're a girl, don't click. If you're a guy or you have a sense of humor about how the world turns... http://www.glumbert.com/media/lovestory.html
Friday, August 18, 2006
If you throw a cat out the window while driving down the highway... is that kitty litter?
"The need of the other is the presence of God in your life"
Carson, our Hebrew guide, teacher, rabi, and friend is the only reason any of us will make it through this intensive 7 week course. He's also one of the most insightful men i have ever known. Had i been keeping up this blog all summer, each entry would have started with one of his quotes. But i won't recap all of his ideas. You'll just have to hear them in my sermons ;-)
Fun trip to Wal-mart and the animal shelter today to help Loren pick out a kitty cat. We're gonna go pick up the lil tyke on tuesday. He was the most admirably persistant one who wanted to be taken home, all tiny and tan and white and stripey. Tonight, we have another cookout, so like a fat kid in dodge ball... i'm out!
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Summer Richmond Recap
Well, several of you have asked me how the summer is going, how Richmond is, and what life at Seminary is like. i'll try to answer as much of that as i can to summarize the last 6 weeks, going on 7.
LIFE IN RICHMOND: Let me start by describing my new life here outside of class, as that is more interesting to most of you. i am living in a 3 story dormitory. The first floor is offices and a sort of "Student Union" lounge area with a big screen and pool table and ping pong and food tables and the mailboxes for all of campus. Yes, i know, i couldn't get away from the Student Union at UNC, and now i live in one. While the outer doors to this building are locked (fortunate, as we are located between the 2 worst neighborhoods in Richmond), no one shuts or locks their mailboxes, and few people here shut or lock their doors unless they go away for the weekend. Those of you who were kind enough to come in, turn off my TV, my light, and shut my door for years in college, know that this suits my open door lifestyle nicely. i sometimes close it when i go to class, but it surprises anyone when they find it closed.
The dorm has room for about 25 or so, mostly set up in two-room suite style. i have my own sink, but share a shower and john with my suitemate Tom. Tom (aka: Hazakane- the old man) is a second-career student in his late 30's from Conn. He's a great musician and great guy to pal around with. He's also the most hard working anal-retentive student in the class, along with Noell (aka: Nono), my other best friend and self-dubbed big sis. They're both a good influence... in the classroom.
Noell, 26, is from East Texas, and therefore automatically a kindred spirit and besides being a coffee junky, Starbucks employee and caffeine pusher, is a conversation junkie who eats up all of my late hours :-D
Also in our study/get into trouble group is Charles (aka [in descending order of use]: Eesh Gadol- Big Man, Chuck, Chuckie), the 6'4" is also mid 20's, from Ohio, and most recently was teaching special Ed in New Mexico. He's one of the nicest, most easy going folks i've ever met, and totally reminds me in looks and personality of Jeff Goldbloom.
Jessi (she hates nicknames and terms of endearment, forget Cool Kid, Saint, or anything else, even though she is) is mid 20's and from SC, where she went to PC. She's here for ministry and Social Work. She's just a big kid with a heart of gold and borrows my movies more than anyone for background study noise.
Alex (Animal- think muppets) and Pete (Tiny- think ironic) also live on the hall in a suite where Berry French currently lives, but is prolly leaving. Alex is a kiddy shrink of sorts in his late 20's and a little too into Star Wars, but this we can't really fault him for. Pete played baseball for Montreat College with Aaron, my shift leader at the YMCA this summer (small world).
We have a great kitchen (smile x 10000) on our hall with several fridges, stoves, etc, where we all spend time cooking and studying for hours upon hours each day after class each morning. We prolly study off and on (more on than off) from after lunch/nap time until at least 1am most nights. We party a little and crash weekends. Every Friday night is a cookout. (Also ironic is the fact that i don't drink, but my mini-fridge is generally stocked with all the beer from my hallmates and occasionally, my OJ)
WEEKENDS:
Mostly we rest, watch tons of movies, and study some more.
We managed a weekend down to Raleigh at one point very very briefly to see Tom's folks and ride around in his father's restored antique Model-T and 1915 Buick. WOW
We (Me, Noell, Jessi, Tom) also drove up on our long weekend to Conn to help Tom with yardwork to sell his fabulous house and to drive back his other car to sell. We took in a Broadway Show (Sweeney Todd) and saw my cousin Katrina in NYC. On the way back, we scouted out Princeton some and saw Jessica Anderson (Patchett).
The Class:
i have now taken classes in Latin, German, French, and Spanish, a little of Italian, and picked up enough Thai to get by, count, etc. Hebrew... is... HARD!!! imagine yourself on a journey beyond sight and sound... you have now entered... the Hebrew zone... duh duh duh (cue creepy bongo drums and the guy in black and white).
Recipe for Baby Hebrew:
Take a 2 semester course of BIBLICAL Hebrew that might be taught in college/gradschool (entirely new eastern alphabet and grammar system)
Read right to left
Intensify by stressing cultural and historical significance
Stir in theology
Bring to a boil with a test every day
Season with a professor who has taught it for 16 years and lived in the land of milk and honey
Squeeze entire contents of these 2 semesters into a pan roughly 7 weeks long and too wide to cross
Let cool for about 2 weeks so that one may forget it all, and then add Old Testament class
Yum.
Ok, so now you're caught up. If you read this far, you must really have a boring job, or you're procrastinating, or you love me. We could do a pie chart of those possibilities, but i think it would be humble pie and very depressing. God Bless you all. More to come...
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
To masticate or procrastinate...
So in an attempt to procrastinate before stuffing more Hebrew into my head today, i Googled my own name. i learned a few fascinating things...
1) There are 3 Brian Daoust's in the world: 1 is me; 1 is some dude in Canada, of no importance except the surviving relative of a recently deceased Daoust up there (i'm sure he has a cat or a dog or hamster or wife who love him dearly); 1 is the guy i knew about, a few years older, Amherst Alum with all sorts of good records in Baseball/Basketball or something (makes up 99% of the internet entries on my name)
2) i was quoted in the Salisbury paper 6 years ago when i spoke at Josh Day's memorial service
3) Hayley White wrote a blog entry about me that i never read or knew about, months ago when i "rearranged her Pokie and Gumby figurines" and "ruined her childhood." Oh well, after reading her blog from then to now and realizing how much i miss Hayley and all the gang from UNC, not so much CO or those "filler states" ;-) i made a blog...
First Entry: Stardate (blah blah blah)
Yeah, so i dunno if i will keep this updated much, but i feel like since i don't talk to many of you not here in Richmond, then i should give you the option of knowing how things are going. Those of you, however, with Facebook would prolly be more amused by the constantly updated photo version, especially those of you who went to State (it's like the dick and jane picture book version). Just kidding, i love all you State folk too. There's even some State fans here at Union, although, not any students... hmmm. i thought i'd start with a stardate, as i was the amazingly cool kid who kept his first journal in stardates, yup.