Long Time No Post

Heh. I can't believe I haven't written anything here since my 23rd birthday. Here's a rundown of all that I can think of that's happened since then:

-I went backpacking in Pisgah Nat'l Forest over Fall Break.
-Thanksgiving was good.
-I survived student teaching and had an amazing experience.
-I finally graduated from NCSU with my second degree: BS in Mathematics Education
-I became an Owner at my church in Raleigh, Vintage21 (www DOT vintage21 DOT com).
-I moved into a house in Raleigh (and finally off campus).
-Christmas was good.
-A friend and I drove to Connecticut after Christmas to see our girlfriends (I'm dating the older sister, he's dating the younger) and had a great time.
-I started working as a substitute teacher for Wake County.
-My grandfather passed away. (I don't want this event to seem glossed over. It was a difficult but good time for my family because my grandfather had not been well for a few months. He's happy and 100% healthy in the presence of God now.)
-I got hired to teach full time in Wake County and will start that job this coming Monday.

I feel that I've missed something, but maybe not. Those are the big things that have happened. Maybe I'll be writing more often since I'll have things to write about one the new job starts (high schoolers are fun).

By the way, if you are a high school teacher and you are going to need a substitute, please leave him/her plans. High school age students often need something to do to keep them out of trouble.

Application Rejected

I applied today to have my membership in the Double Deuce Club extended. I was informed that barring extreme circumstances, including but not limited to: carbonite freezing, stasis, or time spent in hyperbolic time chambers, membership in the Double Deuce Club is strictly limited to 365 days (or fewer, depending on receipt of application).

So I am no longer a member. But I have been wished well and I look forward to watching others join and enjoy the benefits.

YAAAYYY!!!!!

Apparently I'm not the stepping stone I thought I was and a certain passerby just needed time to figure that out!!!

(translate: Crystal and I are back together.)

Country Song Lyrics & Scripture

If you're going through hell
Keep on moving, Face that fire
Walk right through it
You might get out
Before the devil even knows you're there
-Rodney Atkins

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
-Psalm 23:4

A hasty poem

"Stepping Stone"

Feet plod, carelessly treading toward their goal
Some stop, some linger, some turn back
Ahead, there lies a stone,
A point on a path to something else.

Several feet stop on the stone, embracing its warmth
Noticing the nooks that hold and comfort
After a time, the feet change or grow
Realizing the stone no longer fits

With each foot that lingers
The stone grows accustomed to the weight
Learns to enjoy the wiggling of toes
Shares in the joy of resting feet
Then he too realizes the feet no longer fit right

"I can change"” cries the stone
Desperate to hold on to the feet that loved it
But the feet know the stone is just a stone
Unable to change to suit their needs

The feet tell the stone that they do not regret pausing
But the stone must remain, on the path, cracked, bruised
The feet walk on, knowing that in time, the stone will change
But for now, it is just a stone,
A point on a path to something else

-J.J.

I am a stepping stone

to be used in people's lives until they find out that I'm only worth stepping on to reach a higher, better place.

Well, no more. This stone is taking itself off the path and going to go do something purposeful, like hold up a wall or keep goats out of the garden.

Cultural Experience

So this past weekend I went with my brother and his roommates to the Marrakesh Cafe on Hilsborough Street. For those of you who don't know, the Marrakesh is a hookah bar. Hookahs are Arabian devices for smoking tobacco with out actually burning the leaves. And the leaves are generally flavored (we had melon and tropical fruit). Now I can honestly say that if it weren't for my brother, I would probably have never stepped foot in the cafe. But I'm glad that I did. You see, my trip overseas last summer (and the training beforehand) really help me to see the good things in foreign cultures. And, with the help of my brother's roommate Chris (who did a tour in Afghanistan) I realized that the Muslim/Arab people really have a zest for life. They live life in a way that shows that they mean it. Chris said that everyday was a celebration for these people. And, thanks to the Marrakesh Cafe, I got to see a piece of that.

I walked into what used to be a Starbucks and saw people sitting around the edge of this cafe (at tables and on the floor) smoking hookahs. I could be wrong, but I get the idea that smoking a hookah for some cultures is like having tea or coffee for others. It's something that people do when they get together. But one thing I noticed is that there were all kinds of people in the cafe. The majority were of Arab descent, but I saw "emo kids," rednecks, blacks, and even those crazy kids with popped collars, all gathered around one thing. I just thought it was cool to see such diversity. The other thing that stuck out to me (and helped me notice the cultural zest for life) was the dancing that occurred (belly and otherwise). I'm not normally a fan of overtly sexual dancing, but I was able to appreciate the belly dancer's dancing as a celebration. What really brought things into perspective for me was when several Arabian guys got up and did what I'm assuming was a traditional dance in the middle of the cafe. I like watching people celebrate life, because as far as I'm concerned, life is worth celebrating (see Philippians 1:21). Not to mention smoking a hookah can be relaxing is better for you than smoking processed cigarettes or cigars (still not as healthy as not smoking at all, but you get the idea).

Clearing out the Tumbleweed

So it's been a long time since my last post. Three months to be exact. So I suppose I'll give a little rundown of what's been happening since that last post.

My last spring semester ended in a 4.0. (To note the difference between Computer Science and Education classes, I have yet to make below an A- since I started working on the Education degree.) I spent a few days at a friend's river house to wind down before the summer of work and classes began. We had a great time and even got a couple of 4-wheel drive vehicles stuck in clay so badly that a tracked vehicle dubbed the "crawler" had to come down and pull them out. Pictures of the trip can be found here.

After that was training for my Swim Instructor job and general relaxing before classes got rolling. I've been in two weddings since the summer began (and invited to at least two more, sorry Mike & Beth, sorry Chris & Lauren), and both were fun. I actually got to be the best man in my friend Nick's wedding and it was cool to be able to hang out with him again. And the bachelor party for my cousin Tony's wedding consisted of hanging out at the river, playing XBOX and riding in boats, jet-skis and on wakeboards and tubes.

My two classes ended around the end of June and I made an A+ in both of them, which pretty much guarantees that I'll graduate magna cum laude in December. I've got my placement for student teaching in the Fall: I'm at Enloe, which is a diverse magnet school. I kind of hope that my cooperating teacher teaches the "normal" students and not the "magnet" students, but I'll be happy with whatever they give me.

Since classes ended, I've been working a lot more. I work 12 hour days on Monday and Wednesday and 8 hour days on Tuesday and Thursday. I usually have Fridays off, but because of rain cancellations, I worked last Friday and will work again this Friday. But the pay is good and I really enjoy helping kids learn how to swim.

The second weekend in July, I flew up to Connecticut (A 1.5 hr flight is much better than a 13.5 hr drive.) to spend some time with Crystal. We went to Dinosaur State Park to look at dinosaur footprints, saw Pirates 2, went duck-pin bowling and ate things like steak and bison burgers. It was a good trip, but not nearly long enough. I'm keeping an eye on flight prices, but it doesn't look like I'll get to see her until she gets back for school.

By the way, I've read 17 books since the summer began.

***non-nerds, stop reading here***

I've also had the time to join a Warhammer 40k and for the first time since I started playing 40k (around 6 years ago) I'm participating in a Games-Workshop global campaign. You can see pictures of two of my battles here. My record stands at 2-2-0, which I'm not ashamed of at all. It's fun to have a chance to play against people other than my brother, Fisher, or Hugh. The campaign continues into August, so I should have plenty of opportunities to play.

Well that's all I have to say really. Maybe I'll post again before the summer's out.