It's Official...

As of last night, I moved from a Peace Corps applicant to a Peace Corps nominee!!!
WOO HOO!!!!!
Now I am just awaiting my medical packet, so I can get started with all of that.
I have tonight and tomorrow off if anyone wants to do anything.

I am going to go see No Country for Old Men tonight. It's done by the Coen brothers (Fargo, Raising Arizona), so it has to be good. Other than that, there is not much on my agenda. I finished Blessed Unrest and started The Spiritual Brain. Now, I want to be a neuroscientist. Yuan is going to let me know how it is since she is taking a neuroscience class next semester.
Well, I am off to play trivia with Brett now.
Later ya'll!

As I type...

my Peace Corps recruiter is on the phone with a placement officer in Washington D.C.
I am in the process of being officially nominated for a secondary education teaching position in Sub Saharan Africa.
Guess what I would be teaching....
MATH!
At last, I return to my one true love.
Ha. That is too dramatic, but since I have been thinking of returning to math since I started seminary, it's kind of strange that I am now landing in a position to do so. Landing is definitely the appropriate word there too.
For now, I am waiting for my recruiter to call me back and confirm some things for me. This news could all change if the placement officer nixes my application for not having a math degree.
But, I work at 10. I will keep everyone posted.
Later!

i am reading a million books right now

my life consists of reading, working, and occasionally playing brain age 2


I WISH THE PEACE CORPS WOULD UPDATE MY STATUS ONLINE!!!
it will either say i am accepted and am a nominee
or i am not accepted
if i move to a nominee, then i get a vague place, date of departure, and project
then i can start all my ridiculously expensive medical, dental, and vision stuff

i guess ill just keep checking my email obsessively

brett, lets get us some babies made

it's been a long time...

i shouldn'ta left you without a dope beat to step to
step to
step to

okay so anyway
i think i got food poisoning the day after thanksgiving
i do not know who the culprit is yet
oh well
work is still fun
i work nearly 38 hours a week
which leaves me with very little time to blog
i hadn't talked to brett or yuan in almost a week
which means something is wrong
weird
now im gonna go read
and i am still leaving you wanting that dope beat
damn

short post

today i work 2 to 10
then i go back to tuscola for the night
then its turkey day, i probably wont be able to blog, but we'll see
i bought a godiva double chocolate cheesecake for the family
thanksgiving makes me miss a certain someone
so does christmas, and winter, and the snow, and the cold weather, and flag poles, and churches, and books, and music, all music
i need to go

Yuan...this post is for you.

get it yuan!

its like me to yell boom and continually knock you down

this is the best telletubbies dancing video ever!

okay, i dont have much to say

i am having dinner with jami tonight at 2 chez

should be a good time

yuan saved my life with medical information

stay tuned for more information

oh, josh, i miss brett too

lets go kidnap him

please

blogging in the middle of the day

the problem with that is nothing has happened yet
i mean really what have i done
i texted brett
i beat him at msn you know it trivia 5 times
he beat me zero times
i checked fantasy football
i won
i emailed jami about dinner this week
i checked my peace corps status...still no change (though my fingerprints should be there by now; transcripts are on the way)
i called yuan to tell her josh blogged about brian
now i am going to go read
oh i played brain age 2
today i was 21
i can never get 20 on this one
oh well
also i bought a button this weekend that says, "oops, i forgot to have children"
it makes me laugh
maybe ill blog later about the 10 million books i am reading
later
and my blog wont let me change the color of my font today
kimberly, how do i fix this

my weekend

too much of this:
p.s.
purple one = yuan
red one = me
yellow one = anna
green one = brett




a little bit of this:



and a lot of random fun

sorry i didn't blog yesterday, i guess i was just too enthralled with supermannin' dat ho

crazy hair lady

yuan doesn't make any sense
the right side of the bed is determined by lying on your back in the bed
not by standing at the foot of the bed
although anna makes a good point, what if you lie on your stomach
anna and i listened to death metal on the way to yuans
weird, i know
i ate too many cadbury eggs
yuans clock keeps flashing
and for some reason this wont automatically spell check for me like it usually does
yuan is going to be 40 by the time shes an actual doctor
i broke all of this skeletons limbs
yuan wouldnt be my friend if i had no arms and hands sticking out of my neck
every young mans battle is the worst book you have never heard of

I sincerely aplogize...

for not blogging yesterday.
I was busy all day (getting fingerprints, running errands, and whatnot) and then, worked last night (first time in the music department).
So, now I am blogging twice today.
This is post one.
Anna and I are leaving to go see Yuan in a little bit.
I have not packed yet.
Imagine that.
I will blog again from Yuan's house.
Yesterday I saw John Halpin at B&N, talked to Scott and Jami from B&N, and heard that Val Perry was in B&N while I was there (she didn't come back to the music department).
And I work with Abbre, so it was a Eureka filled day.
Okay, I seriously need to pack.
I kind of want ice cream, even though it's freezing outside.
Will post again soon.

Major Perk

So aside from the 50% off my white chocolate mochas at B&N, I also get to participate in the "Book Loan" program. The program allows every employee to check out any hardcover book that has a dust jacket for up to 2 weeks. This means that I will be reading way more than I was (which was a lot to begin with). My first book is "Blessed Unrest."
http://www.blessedunrest.com/




Kimberly, I think you would like it.
I had to include you in my post or it just wouldn't be right.
You should actually get paid royalties for me using your name.
Then, you could kick out your neighbors and own your whole apartment complex.
Or...
Or you could buy a house. (the double "or" is there for emphasis)
Clearly, that makes more sense than owning your apartment building.
Anyway, this book is great thus far.
If I read a book every 2 weeks, that will be 26 books a year.
I will be the most well read person this side of the Illinois River, considering the diversity of the books I read. Maybe I will do some sort of review on each book I read from B&N.
In 2 weeks, look for a review of "Blessed Unrest."
Then, the announcement of my newest undertaking.
It can be like Oprah's book club minus Oprah plus Stick.
Ha.

My Job...

Good news. I know two of my fellow coworkers.
Nobody else knows any.
Brett, there is a boy who looks and acts just like you.
You would like him.
He wants to be in the music department.
He got put in cafe.
I didn't...YAY!
But, I do get 50% off of anything I buy in the cafe.
WHITE CHOCOLATE MOCHAS HERE I COME!!!
That counts in any Barnes and Noble, so yay for me.
I saw Kyle (I am going to butcher his last name) Groenewold there last night.
Philosophy Kyle if that helps.
Guess where he was...
the Philosophy section.
Oh, Abbre works there (from Eureka) and Selena, one of Pam's friends who is really cool.
So, I have to get past being seasonal.
I get paid every week.
Bad thing, no benefits as a seasonal worker.
So, I am still freaking out about this medical stuff.
I do not want it to keep me out of the Peace Corps and there is a real possibility that it might.
Yuan, loan me some of your loan money...haha!
What else?
I am reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.
I got it when I went to B&N with Josh and Kimberly.
Kimberly, why is it that you make it into nearly every blog post of mine?
Weird.
Um, everyone at Barnes & Noble is crazy nice.
I find out today whether I will be in books or music.
Though seasonal workers mostly work at the cash register, which is fine with me.
AHHHH!
I also get a discount at EB Games and Game Stop.
I want to read a book called Consciousness, an Introduction by Susan Blackmore.
It was recommended by a friend.
I looked it up last night at work.
It's $92.
It's also a textbook.
At least I get 30% off though.
I am just going to borrow it from my friend hopefully.
Cannot be making unnecessary purchases these days.
So, that covers everything I think.
More training and orientation for the next 3 nights and then it's off to Yuan's to make hot dog dumplings....mmmmmm.
I know you are all jealous.
I am done.
Ciao.

quick

i love my new job...so far
i have a migraine
this is going to have to count as a post
im going to bed
later

lazy sunday

didn't do a thing.
start at b and n tomorrow.
am reading buddhism and science.
it's a dense book.
i miss school.
not divinity school, but school in general.
i am having a bad feeling about this peace corps thing.
no money and no insurance is not helping.
realizing that maybe i meant nothing at all in the first place.
suddenly i am okay with that.
at least for the moment.
hmmm...

Problems

I cannot order my transcript from Brite because their site isn't working properly.
I am going to have to have medical and dental work done and I have no money.
I don't know of any cheaper way to get that done without insurance, which I cannot afford.
In other news, I start my new job Monday.
I get to see Yuan on Friday.
We are making hot dog dumplings!!
Yes!
Kimberly doesn't like cheese...except Velveeta.
I am bored.
Again.
That's it.

Greatest Compliments I Have Ever Recieved

This one came in October of last year:

"Whatever you choose to do about your graduate training, make sure you place yourself in a position to be fully challenged. You've come too far not to have the opportunity to reach your already blossoming potential. You've experienced a difficult, joy- and-sorrow-filled journey, but it is one that will aid you wonderfully in serving others with a genuineness and a compassion that few can manage. As the beneficiary of more than my fair share of your kindness and counsel, I can say with confidence that I know whereof I speak...

I hope this note finds you well. I will indeed treasure yours. Someone asked me just last week what it was that drew me to teaching... you are it."

As if that wasn't enough to make me cry...

I got this one today.

"'I've long maintained that you have much to offer in terms of relieving the suffering of others, and I hope that you have the opportunity to do that beyond feeding the beta fish at PetCo! And I think consciousness studies, frankly, is the most interesting field. Before I left Eureka, I was voraciously reading works on consciousness. No field offers such a rich confluence of perspectives (biology, psychology, philosophy, religion), and none is as challenging. I can think of maybe only two students in 15 years of teaching who have the intellectual wherewithal to understand and contribute to that literature, and you are one of them."

Some people believe in you more than you believe in yourself. Oftentimes, they believe in you more than you will ever know. I am lucky enough to have one of those people tell me just how much potential they think I really have. I may feel like I lost my biggest fan. But perhaps, I have just been cast back into the lot of ordinary people who are admired from afar and never hear just how much a certain someone cares about them and believes in them. I have not lost my place of prominence in his life. I have just been relegated to another realm for now. I will find my way back. I won't quit.

petco

back to work i go at petco
i will not be whistling
though my beloved bird is there
soliel is his name
ill post a picture of him this weekend
he's a sun conure
kinda like a parrot but smaller
i love him
he loves me
end of story
now
what do i do about petco since i got this job at barnes and noble
b and n is only a seasonal job
but they could potentially keep me on
when i go to work tonight im going to see the schedule at petco for next wek
i also have to work 6 to 10 mon thru thursday next week and b and n
so
i cant work at petco during those hours
what do i do
dispense advice starting now please

next weekend im going with anna to see yuan
that should be fun

and maybe tomorrow night josh and kimberly are free for dinner
that could be even more fun
we could pretend it was someones birthday
im voting for kimberly since she says shes old anyway
whats another birthday
and a fake one at that

anymore to discuss
probably not
help me out with this job thing if ya can though
later dudes

to do list

get job at barnes and noble - check
peace corps interview - check
have white chocolate mocha - check
hear about yuans disturbing dream - check
get callertunes to work - check
blog - check
tell my friends i love them - soon to be check
brett, yuan, josh, kimberly - let's get a house and play mario kart all day long
no babies though, unless we have 2 wings
ill hang out in the other wing with the dogs
babies hate me
i dont much care for them either
but
i love you guys (and girls) if i must be pc

kimberly....

loves my blog.
it defies all logic, and yet it is true.
My interview is tomorrow.
I will most certainly blog about it tomorrow, though it may be late.
I want soup...
from Kimberly...
along with hot chocolate and mario kart.
brotherhood of the stationery shirts.
or stationary shirts.
those would be weird shirts.
Hawaiian flowers.
is that how you spell that.
is this even important?
nope.
damn, i have broken my own rule.
a soccer ball made me cry today.
it looked so sad and mistreated lying there freezing in the wind.
a bad country song also made me cry.
the cold makes me sad.
and yet.
i love it more than any other season.
i suppose i love suffering.
im going now.

nothing new

I think people should only speak when they have something important to say.
Let's eliminate all unnecessary attempts at communication.
But then this would be gone too, right?
Yes.
Too many people only talk to hear themselves speaking.
What if I didn't talk for a year and only blogged?
I want to try it.
Of course I will have to have funding, because I can't live without a job, and it's hard to not talk at most jobs.
My grammar isn't great tonight.
Pardon me.
BUT...
I also don't really care.
That's all.
Don't talk unless it's important.
Please.

Boring...

my life is boring.
I worked today.
I missed the game.
Go Patriots!
Some kid bought a fish when I got to work.
I got it out for him and he told me he was going to name it Chappy.
Weird.
Still no word from B&N.
I am beginning to wonder.
This might be the most boring blog in the history of blogging.
I want milk.
And cookies.
And my DS.
Apparently, I am seven too Josh.
or Seven Two.
I feel like I am old.
Some days I wish I was 80 and on my deathbed.
Today is one of those days.
Every day is one of those days.
I have lived through enough for one lifetime I think.
I am done.

uh

I have 3 minutes.
2 chez was out of bread tonight.
i bought 13 loaves.
i bar backed.
i folded napkins.
i got paid in beer and Drambuie.
i thought of old friends.
i cried.
i miss who i used to be.
i need to sleep before i cry more.

Music

I am in love with David Ford.
http://www.myspace.com/davidford
Check him out.
My favorite song is "I don't care what you call me."
When he sings "rain on down, " I get chills.
It is sooooooo good.

I have been writing some music lately.
I cannot sing at all, but maybe someday I will have the guts to put some music up on here.
You all will just have to look past my horrid vocals.
No joke, they are awful.

I have to work again today. Gross.
Still waiting to hear from Barnes and Noble.
Still working on Peace Corps stuff.
My interview is Wednesday!!!!
Wish me luck.

Day 1

We will see exactly how long this competition lasts.
Knowing me, it will be over in a flash.
Or a flash of a flash.
Soon, to be more exact.
But I'll try to make it last.

So, I am in the process of applying to the Peace Corps for those of you who do not know.
I had my fingerprints done at the Peoria County Courthouse by someone who does this for a living. Well, the Peace Corps called me today. The fingerprints were not clear enough... to be more precise, they were smeared. Now, the lady doing them commented on this as they were being done and said that it was fine. Apparently, it wasn't. What's more, when I tried to call the courthouse to tell them, I got transferred, not once, not twice, not three times, not even four times, but five different times... all to be told by the Crime Scene Unit at the Peoria County Jail that I could have them done there for FREE. They cost 12 dollars at the courthouse. Grrrrrrrrrrr....

In lighter news, I had an interview at Barnes and Noble a few days ago. They checked my references today, so I should here back soon. If you read this and you have fingers, keep them crossed.

Now, I eat.

Later.