Rain

My my, does the Lord have a sense of humor.

This morning I decided to move a little slower around the apartment. I figured that no one would really miss me around the church that early in the morning, so I could take my time in getting to work and it would not really make that big of a difference.
What a silly fool I am.
Had I left the house when I was supposed to, I would have had a fairly enjoyable walk to the train and to the church - I would have remained dry for the entire "commute" and would never have known that the weather was about to sway. But alas, I am a doof and took my time when eating my morning oatmeal. I left the house when it was still dry out, but managed to walk no more than twenty steps outside of my apartment building when the sky decided to dump on me. I managed to get completely drenched before I made it into the local pharmacy four blocks away where I bought some garbage bags (to make a poncho). I was able to dry a tad in the train and was relieved to see that the rain had stopped by the time I got out on the other side. Sadly, though, the rain decided to come down once again while I was about six blocks away from my work. I think it was God telling me to be on time more often.
Most entertaining moment: the looks on everyone's faces when I walked into the rectory as a drenched mess. I actually took the button-up shirt that I had one downstairs to run through the dryer. I must have resembled some sort of distressed wet animal to get the sympathy looks I got today.

Other than that, I am still feeling a bit on the lost side here. It is a great challenge to come into a job that someone else started (who also did amazingly in the time that he was here). But now this is my baby, and I have no idea how to get it up on its feet and running again. The kids are really awesome (at least the ones I have already met) and are already asking when the first youth meeting is. I hate that I don't really have an answer for them yet.

Hopefully next week I will be more oriented to the place... that would be great.

First Day

Today is my first day at work, and I have definitely come in blind to this one. Right now there are a ton of people to meet, names to memorize and places to see. I am happy though. Working in a church comes with a wonderful opportunity to meet all types of people from different walks of life and to really expand my perspective on what this world has to offer.

But I can't get ahead of myself... I've only been here for a few hours. The best I can do is look back. Sadly though, it's going to take a bit to fully cover the stories of the past few days... so I'll do it later.

You can be content in the idea that I am alive and in a good job.

Time is running...

out on me.

Tomorrow promises to be full of last minute projects of preparation for my departure to the east coast. It is all still very unreal to me.

I am excited for a new adventure, but partially freaked out by the radical change I am about to face. My life is about to change in a BIG way. I hope I come out a better person.

I am sure of one thing though- I will never lose my love of parks. New York will probably increase my infatuation with some of these beauties:
*Bryant Park * Central Park * Prospect Park * Riverside Park
and those are just the first four that I decided to list. I look forward to finding various spots in the city that resonate with me. It will be a struggle to feel at home in a place where the buildings outnumber that trees, and there aren't any mountains to be seen in the distance.

I'm posting this, when I should be doing something productive...

I found a new band that I like.

Given, this new band [Jack's Mannequin] features the lead singer (Andrew McMahon) of another band I enjoy [Something Corporate] - but I am excited to find more music to look for. There may be more common members between the bands, but I am not really the type to know all names and personal histories- I just learn about what intrigues me. McMahon is one individual who has developed quite the story since I saw "SoCo" in concert during college. From wandering around myspace, I found out on the JM page that he is now a survivor of leukemia.

It is always compelling to hear news of personal tragedy. For some people, it is almost like a drug for empathy. Feeling others' pain is sometimes easier than conquering one's own issues. Reading this particular person's press release and his various blog postings really opened my eyes of how much can happen in one year and how small events truly do change the world on an exponential level. I love the connectivity of it all. One reason I have loved his music is because I feel his lyrics, there is a poetry to his words. I do not know how his cancer has changed or affected him (I don't know him and I am not a stalker) - but I do see the ripples of it. I hear it.

I love the power of the song lyric, especially when it doesn't give away all the secrets of a song immediately. I want a song to pull me in. I want to be confused. I want to discover the story the reveals itself with every listen. I want to feel, think, see, hear something new and different each time I listen. This might make me sound emo. Let me add this: I don't like the super-whiney lead boy. (Basically, I gag on groups like Dashboard Confessional unless I am in the ultimate sappy mood- which isn't too often.) To be simple, I must also like the tune of the song. (Which is another reason I like McMahon- he plays piano and uses it well.)


Too bad I am only limited to the music posted on myspace, for I am in debt at the moment and will be poor this coming year. (And I have not joined this century in the age of the iPod.) But when I get back and have a little more moola... I'm gonna have a CD buying party. (And yes, I like supporting good artists and actually purchasing CDs... though I will never turn away a burned CD from a friend.)

Oh consumerism, I am a victim of thee.

Sadly, I must depart to the depths of my room now and begin packing. I distract myself so easily, it is hard to get anything done. Ever. I loved this little tangent on music, but I seriously don't think my opinion is that valid- I can only say what I like (and I am heavily influenced by my music biases against crap... and pop.)

Disgusting...

Seattle Weekly features an article on a topic I have far too much experience on, especially having lived in suburbia my entire life.

RATS - Yes, I have personally seen rats around my house. Last year they were adventurous enough to climb a tree that went right nest to my living room window. Primary problem: my dad has bird feeders that he doesn't want to get rid of.
*If you want to hear of the most disgusting thing EVER, read the whole article- these things creep me out to no end.

I guess I should build a little thicker skin though, I am moving to one of the world's largest cities- a place where rats thrive.

One week?!?

Officially, according to my cell phone countdown, there are: 7 days and 19 hours until my scheduled flight to the East Coast and into my first year of life beyond school.

As expected, I have yet to pack one item.


I waiting for the extreme anticipation and excitement of leaving. I ain't feelin' it yet. I'm almost detached from everything for the moment.


It's been a quick summer. Mostly dull with a sprinkling of occasional good times. Most loved memories: conversations over coffee, berry baking, mannequin dressing, random concerts, bra shopping, and latte art.

The summer isn't over yet though! Hopefully there are a few good memories left to make.

11 days...

It has now come to my attention that my summer will soon be coming to an abrupt stop. In between now and August 16th, I not only have to make the challenging decisions of what I will absolutely need to live in New York for a year- I will also be packing up my entire room (in preparation for my family's potential move in March), I will be saying goodbye to some close friends (and "hi-bye" to others), I will be finishing out my job in the world of retail clothing sales, and I will be trying to mentally prepare myself for life in a city I have never visited.

Not to mention, I need to start thinking about the whole "job" thing that I will be starting once I have actually arrived in NYC.



I would be lying if I said I wasn't intimidated by the coming few weeks/month.