Leading Off - It has been a very busy time in my life over the last couple of weeks. I started work, I’ve moved into a new place, a new season of ministry has started. It seems like I’ve always got something to do these days.
Elder Affairs - The job is going well. That is, I understand everything that I’m supposed to do and I’m doing it. I like the people I’m working with. The commute isn’t too bad. But… I spend eight hours a day in front of a computer screen. Which has it’s pros and cons, to be sure. Let’s face it, I’m a major introvert. I get worn out easily if I’m around people for too long. So by the time I leave work I’m ready to party! I was downright animated at Nav Night last Thursday. I guess I wish I had a little more interaction with people here at work though. I don’t even see Liz or Helen much just because I sit in the back end of the back cube row. I rarely have a reason to leave my space; they rarely have a reason to come back here. But all in all I like my job. It may not be exciting but it’s within my capabilities and it’s paying the bills. It’s a blessing from God and I can’t let myself forget that.
Living Situation - Alright, alright. So I actually did end up moving into the old Larkin house. At the last second Darren and I found a third guy. I moved in the weekend after I started work. On a coin flip I managed to secure the master bedroom. I’ve got everything moved in, though there are still a few things to do here and there. It’s not a bad little house, though we need to give it a name soon before it just stays “the Larkin house” forever. Any suggestions?
About the third guy in the house. His name is Jacob and he’s with Campus Crusade. I had never met him before but Brent Kanyok gave him my number. He’s twenty but not a student; he’s a construction worker. Right now he’s working nights, 9 PM to 7 AM, on the remodeling effort at J.C. Penny in the Governor’s Square Mall (he’s brought home two old jewelry cabinets that “they were just going to throw out” that he wants to turn into a bar; we’ll see). He’s a little messy. Okay, so he’s downright messy. I walked in yesterday afternoon after being gone all weekend to find the living room trashed along with him and a friend each passed on our couches. The TV was on with the start screen of some N64 game buzzing away. Jacob’s face was lying on the couch buried in three uneaten pieces of pizza. I’ve got a picture of it that I’ll have to share when I get it uploaded. Anyway, he’s a nice guy. Really talkative, doesn’t like to be alone, which it awkward when I do want to be alone. But he’s what Darren and I needed in order to move into a better house so we’ll take him.
Speaking of Darren, he actually hasn’t moved in yet. He’s moved a lot of his stuff into the house, but he has yet to spend a night there. He doesn’t have his own cell phone, and until he does I don’t think he’ll be living with us. He’s been giving out his sister’s number to anyone who would need to get in contact with him, so if he’s not near her when calls come in then he might not hear when a potential job offer or interview comes his way. He said he’d be moving in some time this week though. I look forward to that. The dynamic of having three people living in the house rather than just two is something I can’t wait to have.
EDGE Corps - All four of our EDGErs are now here in Tallahassee. Stephanie and John arrived last week in time to go on the rafting trip. I’m making a monthly contribution to John, or at least I will be when my first payday comes. I really dig this EDGE team. I don’t feel like I know any of them all that well but I get a vibe from each of them that I like. They are going to make a tremendous impact this year.
Dorm Ministry - Since my last post a lot has changed in terms of my vision and focus for this coming year. With Jacob’s busy class and work schedule and impending transfer to Loyola at the end of this semester we have decided not to team up in Dorman Hall to reach out to his floors. Instead the vision is a little less cohesive. I still intend to meet one-on-one with Jacob. He is very excited to be taking Intro to Old Testament this semester, but would like to learn the Old Testament from a faith perspective and not just a scholastic one. So we’ll be meeting to discuss what he’s learning in there and how it relates to Christ and what we’ve been talking about for the past year. I have to admit, I’m really excited about this. I’ve always wanted to dig deeper into the Old Testament with another guy. It’s a little daunting since there’s no real path to follow, but it should be an adventure.
Now that I’m not going to be ministering in Dorman I had to find a new focus. I chose Kellum for two reasons. First, there was actually only one guy “outsider” (someone not living in the dorms) who was helping out in Kellum before I joined (and before John got here; his focus is still up in the air). Second, Andy has a vision to give every person living in Kellum a Bible this year. That’s big vision and seems pretty impossible. I was drawn to it immediately. I have no idea what it’s going to look like to try to distribute these Bibles in a meaningful way, not just as handouts to people who will just throw them away.
So far I haven’t really connected with any freshman guy. I probably haven’t put in enough face time over at Kellum but it’s been hard with all the other things that have been going on. I eager to see what will happen, but I’m also a little nervous that I’m not going to make a connection of any importance with anyone.
Rafting Trip - I think this is the third year in a row I’ve been on the rafting trip, maybe the fourth. In any case, this one was very different. First, I was one of the drivers. Now, I don’t mean to brag but… wait, yes I do! I have the best road trip car ever! So much space for bags in the back. So much leg room for people in the second row. And you’ll hear no complaints from me and my navigator up front. All around, the perfect car for the job. On the way up my car listened to The Great Divorce. We got a little separated from the rest of the group on more than one occasion (note: not lost, just separated). But we made it up to Tennessee without any trouble.
The actual rafting was on Sunday. Since FSU brought so many people we had to get volunteers to join the half-day trip rather than go on the full-day trip. I decided to volunteer since I’ve done the full-day trip before. The next thing that made this trip unique was that this was the first time I’ve been rafting where I fell out of the raft. My hip landed on a rock too; I’m still pretty sore even as I type this. You know it’s true what they say in the safety speech: it really does feel like it’s happening in slow motion. But as always the rafting was a lot of fun, despite the injury.
The time spent with friends was good too. I got to talk some with our newly arrived EDGErs, catch up with some old friends from other campuses, and even toss the old disc around. On the drive back we stopped in Atlanta to see Mark Higman and his wife Kat. Mark was a student here at FSU for much of while I was. We were in a car accident together back when we were going to Joe Landon’s bachelor party. That’s the kind of thing that bonds two guys (the accident, not the party - no sketchiness there). The time spent seeing old friends was, as always, the high point of the trip for me.
Word of the Day - barbutchie: n, a woman who has qualities or traits of both a ‘barbie’ and a ‘butch’, or who is performing an action where both traits are present [example: a woman taking out the trash in high heels]
FSU vs Miami - I should have put up a prediction before last weekend began, because I wish I had expressed to you just how confident I was that FSU would win this game. And then I would have told you just how nervous it made me that I was that confident. But I’m glad it was close and I’m glad we hit all of our field goals. People around here are already talking about this being the beginning of an undefeated season. I’ll believe it when I see it. People were talking like that after beating Miami last year, though I admit they sound a little more serious this year.
I have to admit, I’m not all that excited about football this year. I’m sure it’s due in part to the fact that I may not be going to any of the games this season, but there’s more to it than that. I got into it last night, but even as I sit here this morning and think about the result of last night’s game I’m not inspired or even all that excited. Maybe it just needs to grow on me for a while.
Florida Marlins - I can’t believe it, but the Marlins are only 2 games out of the NL Wild Card. I don’t think they’re going to make it, but just imagine if they do. They have given me a reason to watch September baseball.
The rest - I’m really tired today and I’m having a hard time concentrating on my work (i.e. this blog post). And it doesn’t help that Facebook changed up their format since the last time I logged on, so there’s all kinds of new things to explore and figure out. I already can’t wait for this week to be over. I just want a weekend where I can relax and not feel obligated to go anywhere or do anything. I think I’m starting to burn out and there’s still so much to be done.
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