The Face that Launched a Thousand Insults

"Bri, You make the worst faces!" Thanks Noell
"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.

Tom's ER Card

My suitemate met a really cute Doctor in the ER when he was having severe bowl problems last week. Because we're all oh so sensative to his needs, we've had direah of the mind and constipation of the self-restraint. Here is the card he sent her this week...

(picture removed for content reasons and the sanity of fellow students, available upon request)

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.

Eddie Izzard would be proud

"No smoking in bars in California now. Yeah. Pretty soon no drinking and no talking!!! You'll be like 'Hey, me and some friends are goin to the library tonight, wanna hang?'" Yeah, so while Melanie headed for the library tonight, Lindsey dragged me off to Mack's, a bar in downtown Richmond. Happens to be a great place to study on dead nights like Mon-Wed. She knows the owner (Mack, of course) and all the barkeeps so she knows half the folks there on dead nights. Got a decent amount of reading done. Been since probably halloween since i last smelled reefer, so that was fun. Annnnnnyways. My sister called me again. Third time in a few days, totally makes my week. Had a great talk with Christina and Chuckie about feminism. Checked up on the cousins' collective blogs. Time for some shut eye. With no class till 1pm on Mon-Wed, i end up staying up late, as i always do anyways. i actually saw Noell off to work this morning at 4:45, and she sent me to bed. Weird. 2:30AM, guess i'll hit the rack...

Wallyworld Madness

So we all went out to dinner Tuesday night at B-Dub's and then to Wallyworld. We were there far too long. We were in search for Pirate costumes for tonight's party. Our search for shirts and belts took us all over the store. As a joke, i went over and tried on a brown corduroy jacket, something i would never wear and came back. However, they all raved over it and insisted i buy it, in addition to a Superman hat. It all goes with my khaki's and Vans. Apparently most of my clothing already and my best look is the "pot head" look. Oh well, i like all my pot head friends. However, this is solidifying the incident in Elwood Thomson's where the old guy assumed Noell and i were pot heads. YAY!!! i can die happy now.

This Blog: Rated "Arg" (for Pirate and Adult Advisory)

So the retreat this weekend was awesome. We had 20 or so high-enthusiasm, high-octane youth this weekend at what they call YoCo (Youth Council, instead of the PYC title found elsewheres). The youth were brilliant and hyper-creative, adrenaline pumping high school kids who took this weekend to bond and get to know eachother and us "adult" leaders while begining the brainstorming and planning of the retreats and rally day for this year. The theme was "Pirates of the Lake: Dead Man Risen" and included alot of Pirates of the Carribean (and Harry Potter) theme elements including a pirate sorting hat for assigning committees. The YoCo Coordinator is Adam, and he is a 4th yr in the dual degree MDiv/MACE program at Union; Liz was here for a yr before going to VCU as she is a dual degree MACE/M of Soc Work; and then there's Erin, Lindsey, Tiny, and myself also here at Union. So yes, Union is running the adult side of YoCo in the Presbytery of the James. The kids ran me ragged with treasure hunting, obstacle course stuff, swimming, running, dancing, music, skits, and the most hardcore game of Ultimate Frisbee i have ever been involved in (that's saying something). i'm excited about how this will go this year and for the kids. Please shoot them a prayer if you get the time. They're really good kids. They also knew Emily Riehl, so we got to have fun catching up on that.
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).

And the rains came down, and the internet came up

So it's been raining all day, good indoor snuggling weather we've all decided, but few of us here have snugglers or time to snuggle with all there is to do. On the up side, internet is finally back. i had no class today, so afte ri got reading done last night, i wasted tons of my time on making a belt and continuing the electrical projects necessary to build my halloween side arm... a light saber. (take a moment to laugh, giggle, roar, snicker, jeer, etc) i have also just been recruited to being an Adult leader for the PYC here in Richmond. i'm very excited. More to follow on that later.... Okay, so as i finished that sentence, the internet went back down. i cannot begin to tell you how lousy it's been since we got back. ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRG!!!

Patriotism

So i thought a convo i had with Noell deserved some thought. i'm a patriot. i'm really tired of Liberals and Conservatives telling me (or eachother) that they can't be one. This all springs from today's Chapel Service that i didn't attend because i knew it was going to be one of those flavors of anti-patriotism. It seems to most far left folks, you can't be a Patriot because it means you hate the rest of the world. Yes, i'm generalizing. Bite me. And then to most folks on the right, you can't be a Patriot unless you hate the rest of the world. AHHHHHNNNNN!!!! Wrong! You can be a Patriot without thinking the rest of the world is horrible or not worthy of God's attention. Being an ardent Texas Rangers fan may mean liking your team the most, but you have to have a base appreciation for baseball in general first, besides a respect for the skill of other players in the league to appreciate the skill of your own players. You don't have to hate every other country or system of government, or the people opressed by dictatorships just to love the United States and the freedoms it stands for. Likewise, you aren't disqualified from being called a Patriot simply because you think that communism is a nice theory if you recognize it doesn't work in real life, much less with a country this size. You are no more un-patriotic if you believe Christ calls us to live a higher standard of living than our laws or system of government dictate. Patriotism is defined by a deep love for a country that gives you freedoms to express these ideas and work hard, peacefully, to see them realized, and in appreciating the men and women who fight to protect that dream and to see it realized for God's children in other places who yearn for it. THAT is Patriotism, and that is what my relatives and friends have fought and bled for. They don't serve because they think our country is infalible, nor do they hold it against anyone for not taking up arms beside them. But i'll tell you what... i am a Patriot because i love this country and all it has the potential to do, the freedom to do, the choice to do. i refuse to let anyone tell me Patriotism means hating others, or not hating others means i can't claim the title of Patriot. i'm gonna march right down the center of that because i believe this country is scrwed up, but it's the best one there is, and i support anyone whose dream is to just plain do their best to fight for freedom and defend their neighbor's right to the same...

And on the eighth day, God created the World of Presbyterians because it was small and doable

Small world... i was up last night after watching Snatch with Jessi and Christina. We got discussing how Christina went to Davidson and just graduated. i thought immediately that she might know Page Mowery, but no (Still don't understand that). She did however know Elizabeth Ann, which was great. She didn't know she'd been writing for the paper all summer. Fun stuff. But then Jessi asked if Christina knew a Kristen Nickel, a girl Jessi was in Hungary with for YAV. She did. More importantly to this story, so did i. (i even still had her business card in my wallet from 4 years prior) How? My summer between high school and college, i was at Montreat with my church group and was hanging out with... Page Mowery. She introduces me to this girl her age at Davidson and we hung out for a few hours at the Huck eating ice cream (yes, that's how long it takes me to eat an ice cream cone). Well, she mentions that she's leaving for Budapest in a few days and was trying to figure out what to do with her car, etc and the troubles of getting to the airport, as she is orriginally from Michigan, with no family nearby, and it's summer. i offer to take her and a few days after we're back, i do. So i became the connection between Christina knowing her at Davidson and Jessi meeting her in Hungary, 4 years before the three of us all met. That is the small world of Presbyterians.

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

Typing on stereotypes tonight

So i realized that while i may not fit into any categories of typical "male" or typical "geek" or "slacker" or "prep" or "youth minister" or "presbyterian" or any number of things, i managed to be a typical "guy" in one arena... FOOD. Not just in eating or in not gaining weight no matter how often or how much i eat at my age, but in food purchasing. Last night... me and tom and noell and chuck go to Ukrops because noell wants to grab items for making something and i need some items for the cookout. We get to the checkout and noell is getting like 500 kinds of veggies and roots and seeds and sprouts and greenhouse odds and ends. What do i have? Ritz ranch chips, Habanero Doritos, Double-stuffed Oreos, and 2 six packs of glass bottled Coke. Then today, noell and i scope out the new grocery market after she teaches me to drive stick. She buys safron and kala-lillies. i had peanut butter and a gallon of milk. Even the check out girl commented on it. On the upside, a lil girl in Ukrops made my week. She was spinning in circles and we she stopped she looked up at me in my Hawiian shirt and went "woooooooah." Tom and noell never let up about it. PS: saw Cars at the Byrd... AWESEOME!!!

It's really been too late for a long time...

Today was fun. i slept in and got up way late. We had lunch for the first time in the dining hall. It was okay, but nothing to write home about. Not like Lenoir or anything. Spent the afternoon playing Ping Pong with Erin and watching Star Wars with folks. Someone's way cute kid was showing off on the piano for me. He liked having an enthusiastic one person audience. i miss watching cute kids and thinking really hopeful future thoughts. Maybe some day. i did dinner by myself and it was great. Spent the evening with some new folks watching the Devil's Own. Then i found Noell, Tom, Chuckie, and Jess hold up in Tom's room with lots of refreshments and loud music and joined in on a very college dorm room party thing for a few hours. It had to move to my room when his neighbor complained about the noise. i'm now drifting off into dreams and memories with Ben fold's... "It's too late..."

Inundated with Incredible Interlopers

Alot of new folks here now. We got a few from Texas and a couple from NC and other places. All wonderful people and our dorm is now about twice as full, making the kitchen and meal times that much more interesting. We all crowded in tonight and Noell made Potato soup and we all watched Take the Lead. i was the only one who had seen it. i think we're all going for Tango lessons tomorrow night, which will be fun.

Brian, the Superglue Emergency Contact

i made it up to Chapel Hill and got to spend Saturday at the football game seeing tons of PCMers and whatnot. Terrible game. Our defense sucks and the officiating was terrible. Was great to see people. Our typical Carolina fans streamed out of the stadium when the fat lady sang. We have a group of "hardcore fans" known as "Fever" and they were all lined up way before the game was over to sign the attendence sheet as they were leaving. Wow. i'm always majorly disappointed when i see students of UNC, who i know have a wardrobe half in Carolina Blue and come to the game in a gray tee. White, is in fact, one of our school colors, and semi-acceptable if you manage to scrounge up a hat or some face paint or pom pom. Grey... no, not actually one of our school colors. Wow. Well, Kelley and i hung out with Andrew Otey for the night, got pizza, and discussed everything from numbers being imaginary and the universe being infinite to mating practices of slugs and such. We went to church at UPC on Sunday and then hit up Rams Head for lunch. We picked up Brice at State and headed for Richmond. We got Brice over to his sister's and Kelley and i watched Chichago with some of the gang. Brice stayed at his sister's. We picked him up and had lunch there and i did some grocery shopping. Poor Noell called me today with a superglue emergency. She needed some for her shattered frames for her glasses. i now have some on my finger tips and i can't feel them as i type. Such is life.

Strolling down the sidewalk on Memory Lane

So last night and tonight, i spent some time strolling down that ill-lit street. i feel like my memory lane wanders through the countryside, only to occasionally dart down dark alleys. i was searching for things to take from my parents house up to Richmond and came across a few treasures. i first found an AP lab manual i borrowed from Brian Pridgen 5 years ago and could not find to return, a source of pretend feuding between my family and that of my sister's bf. i also found a picture from 9th grade church basketball days. Back when i was taller than matt brown and eric templeton, or almost; back before steven johnson had a kid; back before mr johnson got parkinsons; before erik blackwelder was engaged; back when elliot was still with us. i also found my overstuffed PYC notebook from highschool days. It was crammed with retreat info, notes on meetings, old lists of my Rules of Life, and dozens of handwritten and typed phone lists from youth group, PYC, and triennium. People's names were circled and starred. Many of those people are in other jobs, off to college, or getting married and having kids. Each name and list and goofy doodle or sign or nametag had some weird inside joke attached. Missing alot of folks just now. But mostly, i just wanna get back to Richmond. i am really excited about prolly seeing UNC football tomorrow, but home feels mostly like Richmond for now. It's definitely where i'm most welcome and at home and feeling fulfilled right now. That's a good feeling. i have alot more organizing and packing left before i can sleep. More on adventures in Richmond soon.

If weasels were easles

Thoughts on weasels...

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

So last night, after work, i headed to the Gibsons' and Ben and i shot some pool. My first game was very good, and i beateded him. Yup. We watched Jay play japanese anime. Then we decided that since the library was prolly closed after 10, we'd go see how late Harris Teeter was open. We spent 10 minutes in the PopTart isle comparing favorites and brand choice before moving on to sodas, where we found glass-bottled Cokes... YUM!!! So we purchased them and with no further ado (remind me to pontificate later on how dumb an english spelling that is for a word pronounced that way) continued on to Hollywood Video. We looked at every single new release and almost every oldie, and settled on All the President's Men. Did you know Reverend Camden was in it? HA! That's what i thought. Well he is. On the way back from getting it, we drive through the neighborhood between Hwy 29 and Weddington. We turn a corner and find ourselves stuck behind a 1950's Ford in the middle of the road (mind you, it's not all that narrow, and had he been in his lane [no, it's a neighborhood, so no painted lines and it was kinda late]) we coulda gotten around. Alas, no, he was dead center of the road, filling his gas tank from an old gas can. The poor old man, as we moments later ascertained when he pulled in his driveway, was only 100 yards from home when he ran out. The more amusing thing though, was not even that this man, as old as he was, was out so late, or mid-road, or out of gas, or happened to have extra in his truck. What was most amusing was that when he turned to look at us, he was smoking... as he filled his tank. Yay Concord. That reminds me...
Two fish are in a tank. One turns to the other and says "you man the guns... i'll drive"

What is it that binds us to this place...

Quick update on the last few days... So i've been working for days upon days at the dreaded indoor pool. It's been a blast, as usual. i made it up to Chapel Hill Sunday night to see important peeps. Saw my sisters and (in alphabetical order): Alex, Amy, Anna, Brian, Caroline, Caroline, Devin, Duckworth, Heather & Molly, Kincaid, Leigh Ann, Matthew, Megan & Lisa, Mike, Rachel, Sam, Sarah, Seth, Steber, The Pot head Couple, and Wes. Was a grand visit, albeit brief. i totally miss CH. i just got back from Invincible with Ben and his pal, Robert, who tried out for American Idol (he might be on TV, so stay tuned). Anyways, i highly recomend it. Great movie, great football, great music, and hey, the Dallas Cowgirls get some screen time (more than the Cowboys). You must have time to go see it if you're reading this. And if you never saw V for Vendetta or Inside Man... why didn't you? Seriously.
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!!

To Pee, or not to pee...

So i spent the first 4 or 5 hours at my mothers school today, splicing and cutting and connecting coaxial cable. i also got to discover a new fruit and have a 6 year old throw up all over his tray beside me in the cafeteria. Twice. i then left for the Y to work 3-9pm. Well, as i arrived, i went to the bathroom, because i really really had to go. i'm only there 15 minutes when my boss, Lisa, informs me that she thought i was never coming back and fired me. She really needs me this week though and was delighted i was back and all she needed me to do was fill out those bloody W-2's and to go take a drug test immediately. Yay. So i drive over to the place by NE Medical center to give them a Urine sample. Wohoo. Unfortunately, having JUST gone to the bathroom, i knew it was not gonna be easy, so i'm in the waiting room guzzling water like i'm trying to leave none for Free Willy. They call me back and i go in and no matter how much i think about niagra or sing Row Row Row your boat, i can't pee. That's when the lady tells me, "hey, hurry it up, we close in 5 minutes, it's friday." Grrrrrrrreat. So they had to send me over to Urgent Care by the ER and explain to them why i was there. Even more fun. So i sit in their waiting room for 45 minutes, guzzling more water. When they call me back, i nearly peed the cup right out of the nurses hand. Oh, that felt good. i'm really glad it came out that way because, to be honest, i was gonna throw up if i didn't pee. i get back to the Y and i had had so much water, i immediately had to go again. Ain't life grand? Then i have one of these "man, i'm old moments." A kid i had when he was a Cub Scout in Day camp, and i was his counselor, comes strolling out of the Y. Mind you, i had him when i only had my driver's permit. He hops in his Honda, and drives off. YIKES!!! Life is weird. Well, like Billy says...

The grass is always greener
When you water with your weiner
Outside

Peace and long life, and may the force be with you

If you haven't ever visited your Hebrew Professor in Jedi garb, you really don't know what you're missing (let alone the local post office... in august). That's all i'll say. Coincidentally, it is also another important day because it is Gene Rodenberry's b-day. i know, most of you only think of Caroline Craig on August 21st, but that indeed would be leaving out his great achievments, which could easily be overshaddowed by Caroline Craig. God bless ya both. i wrote the one that is alive and well, while watching Star Trek (derek hakokav): Generations and studying Hebrew... Sorry for the long pause (like you would know). Great guy here from Montreat college, taking Greek this summer, just got dumped by his GF of 3 years. Poor guy, pray for him, he's a good man.

Shabbat Shalom

So another Sunday... Yes, i did indeed make it to church today with a slightly reasonable bed time and Noell getting me up. i had a major migraine though from before the service untill well after lunch time. i had to leave after the sermon was over and stand outside. i took a few Aleve (which did no good), got in a great Bruch with the gang at some little bar/brunch place. Our waitress looked like Mary Martin/Peter Pan. i took some Excedrin Migraine and crashed for a couple hours. Then it was study time before we did the birthday thing for Tiny. More vocab to study. There are chapters where i know all but 3 words, and chapters when i only know 3 words. It's very scary. Pray i pass my final...

Got Dar Williams stuck in my head...

Toolin' Around

Well, i stayed up late watching Stir of Echoes with Tom. The girls were too scared to watch it at 1am. Oh well. We had fun, got up way late today. Took the Old Man's car and got over to Ukrop's for some food and made Chicken Dijon, Different Rice, and vegetables. It went over well. Then took the Old Man's car again to get me and Noell and Jess over to Cary St for ice cream. Then Vocab study and later we'll either watch something or go see Princess Bride at the Byrd on Cary. i rolly have not described it yet on here, so i shall. The Byrd is an old-style movie house from the old days of the first silent movies and has never been anything but a movie house. It's huge and ornate, seating at least twice as many as a typical theatre. It has fake side alcoves like opera house boxes and chandaleres on the ceiling. They play one movie, which changes every week or so. However, on Saturday nights, they play the movie 3 times during the afternoon and evening, and then throw on some throw-back at midnight (it's been Ferris Beuler's day off, and tonight after Davinci Code, will be Princess Bride). When we went to see X-men a few weekends ago, we discovered that on Saturday nights, they also have a man to play the huge organ in front of the screen before the movie. It rises out of the pit in fromt of the screen and the man plays Phantom of the Opera-type tunes for awhile before the show. Wow. The atmosphere is amazing. And what might an impovrished seminarian pay for this incredible evening of enrapturing music, cinema, atmosphere, and nestalgia? Two dollars. Aren't you jealous that you don't live here (excluding those of you in Chapel Hill or Texas)?

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

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!

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...

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.