Excitement abounded. I stepped out of the car and I was there: at the place I’m housesitting for the next three weeks. Normally most people wouldn’t use the word ‘excitement’ with the concept of housesitting. This is a definite exception, though. Crazily enough, I coordinated my work schedule with my housesitting schedule. Besides a handful of ‘exceptional’ (in both connotations), whenever I’m in Ft. Worth and working, I’m also housesitting. Moving in yesterday, I started a short period of stability in the next four months of my life.

Coming home from work this evening two things were obvious: I needed to take the trash cans back in and I needed to go grocery shopping. A year ago both of those small tasks drove me crazy; I used to think there was better stuff to do with my time. Now, they’re the two anchors that made me smile when I walked in the door.

In reality, my entire week has been filled with clutter removal. I’ve helped Dr. Gunn reorganize his office (no laughs from those who have seen it!). Like many professors, Dr. Gunn has a lot of books and a lot of papers that fill all of the space they can. Like gaseous matter, they grow into the shape and size of whatever contains them. In this case it was around a small trench that went from his door to his chair to his desk. The trench is slowly leveling out and will look a lot better next week!

So, after I got home and, with a smile, brought the trash cans back in, I took a relaxing trip to Tom Thumb and stocked the refrigerator and a shelf in the pantry. And what type of food was I stocking it with you ask? My dinner tonight might give you an idea:

Cabernet Sauvignon and Macaroni and Cheese At first glance these two don’t go together. A nice, great tasting wine with a cheap pasta dish makable by 10-year-olds. After going to Italy and learning to cook, I appreciate food more than before. Macaroni and Cheese is a classic that still tastes great. Sure, the little parmesan I melted into it helped it become even better than the package directions; but, even without that additional flavor, it was creamy and great with the wine.

To finish this post of randomness, let me introduce you to one of my new favorite songs: “Out Tonight” from Rent. A big downside of Italy was a delay in movie releases. I’m pretty sure Rent and I crossed the ocean at the same time; we were just heading in opposite directions. Never getting into the music of it, I was enamored the music video when I first saw it and then downloaded it. What a teaser! The music video is better than any trailer they could have made.

And for one more dose of randomness on the joy going on in my life, here’s a quote from the book I’m currently reading (Sailing the Wind-Dark Sea by Thomas Cahill) on Ancient Greece (Athens in this case):
Once a year, the citizens voted on whether or not they should hold an ostracism. If the majority voted yes, each member of the Assembly then wrote on an ostrakon (potsherd) the name of the person he felt the city could best do without. Whoever turned up on the most ostraka was banished for ten years, after which time he could return, his property still intact. In this way, would-be tyrants – and not a few other nuisances – were eliminated. (If at first the primitiveness of this procedure shocks you, consider for a moment what benefits it could bring to your city.)

Engravings have to be one of the coolest art forms I’m getting into. No, I’m not creating them (I only wish I was that talented!); I’m capturing them. In Florence I saw paintings in all styles: frescoes, tempuras on wood, oils — they were still all paintings. Engravings are simply ink stamped on with intricately carved plates.

This semester I’m working for Dr. David Gunn. I’ve been cryptic, or in some instances just non-straightforward, with people on my plans for this summer because they’re never cemented. Even still, there are unknown variables that pop up occasionally that 5 months ago I would not have been able to handle. I’m working for Dr. Gunn on a project: 1 and 2 Samuel. He holds the Bradford Chair in the Religion Department and luckily could hire me as a research assistant.

Many people knew for the past 2.5 years I’ve been working on sequential versions of KingQuest for Dr. Gunn. In the spring semester of my freshman year I had an advising session with Dr. Schmidt, my Greek professor and advisor. That session was when he recommended I find a way to do Florence while at college. That same session he also realized that I liked computers and had me find a time to go upstairs and meet Dr. Gunn. Dr. Gunn, in a transition time, was in the late stages of a commentary on Judges and was looking ahead to the commentary he would write on 1 and 2 Samuel. For Judges, he and his team were using a Filemaker Pro database that a past employee had designed. He had one issue for me to tackle: I had to figure out a way with the 1 and 2 Samuel database to devise a system where data could be saved without losing changes that were happening at the same time from others.

Their system was one where a simple coordination of who had the latest copy of the database on a certain day would solve the problem. I knew there was a better possibility though. That summer I designed a revised version of the Judges database using Microsoft Access and then went up to Seattle, WA for my internship. Coming back from that I knew so many new and better techniques that I overhauled the design and during my first semester of my sophomore year, worked in the library and programmed the new version in a SQL Server database where multiple researchers all fed the data into one collection. That semester I still didn’t have the tools for allowing him to get it out (conveniently), but I knew it was a start.

That next summer I was in Cambridge and I created a full-text search tool of the database. Then came the need for something else, something better: a usable version. The one before had been great, but it was limited to only keeping track of 6 different types of bibliographic information. It also was in an MDI form which is useful for programs like Photoshop and Word which are incredibly complex, but not one like KingQuest (the program that uses the database). Last year came the process of building and rebuilding features in KingQuest to make it user-friendly for both the researchers and the professor (or whoever) using it. It also is now more secure with everything going through a web service instead of straight through the SQL port. In the end, only one tool remains: the export functionality. Making KingQuest export to different bibliographic software applications will be the final challenge for this version.

Now that I’ve graduated I had to find something to do; using the software I designed seemed like the good next step. I still have graduate school starting in the Fall, but this Spring I wanted a way to be down here in Ft. Worth. Luckily the stars aligned and things fell into place: I’m working for Dr. Gunn and housesitting for Dr. Schmidt, my advisor who is on sabbatical. So now I’m here for a couple of weeks, around the country for a couple of weeks, and finally back here to finish off the semester.

There will definitely be more coming about my job and what I’m doing, but for now, let’s leave it at: I’m loving the ‘groovy’ engravings!

Since returning to the United States, many habits and patterns have returned. One of those is my morning “pop” (i.e. Diet Coca-Cola — or Coca-Cola Light in Europe). Like the Italian morning espresso, my morning drink gives me a good dose of caffeine to start the day; the difference is that my caffeine usually comes in at least 10 times the amount of liquid as the Italian version. On most mornings, I get my drink at a convenience store between my house and my parents’ office. This convenience store, Quiktrip, is notorious for its speedy registers and friendly employees. Like my morning wave to my baker in Florence as I walked by his shop, Quiktrip is a part of my routine when I live in Iowa.

Tuesday morning I was distracted. My mind was racing in different directions as I tried to coordinate airplane tickets, essays I was working on and phone calls that I needed to make. My Quiktrip run was just one more thing I needed to check off of my to-do list. Going into the store I made my way to the fountain drinks and impatiently waited for the liquid to reach the lip of the cup. Turning around to grab a lid and straw I almost bumped into an older man. His looking up and smiling at me was what jolted me out of my frenzied state. I paid for my drink and went out to the car and sat while it warmed up. The 28 degree (Fahrenheit!) windy weather had made it through my coat and drinking my cold drink at the same time was making me wish I had left the car warming when I went into the store.

Then I saw him. The older man I’d almost bumped into was walking out. Something caught my eye as I watched him walk in front of the parked cars. What was his story? Looking at strangers I often try to figure out a story and this man’s was no exception. He was in his early 60s and had an unkept beard and was wearing a brown light hunting coat over a charcoal hooded sweatshirt. At first I thought he was a nearby resident. He made his way with a steady but unhurried gate past the cars and into the adjoining street.

Carrying a refillable coffee mug and a sack filled with two Krispy Kreme donuts, I knew he had to be a regular of the store. What was it, though, that made him stand out? Waking up from the moment, I realized that the car was warm and I should probably head back to the office. Doing so would have been a travesty to the process I was in.

The man made his way across the street and walked towards the railroad tracks 30 yards away. Was he homeless? He wasn’t walking fast enough to make me think he was cold or unused to the weather. Where was he going?

He walked past every house he might have lived in and made his way onto the railroad tracks. Still unhurriedly, he made his way along the tracks towards the river. I lost sight of him when he crossed through the levy gates that close off the rail line in the event of a flood.

There is a good chance I will never know his story. He may have been a homeless man living off of the river embankment. He may have been a worker who worked on the other side of the levy and was just taking a shortcut. He may simply have been a guy who was scoping out an area to hunt in. Something about him, whether it was his look, his pace or his smile in the store, made me stop and shut-out the fast pace of my day. Something … caused me to mentally return to the moment every time I went into the store later in the week. What else will cause the changes in the coming months?

Today I took the plunge and did (hopefully) my last standardized test. I knew I hated them when I applied to college, and the graduate school one is just as bad. Luckily, it was the GRE, which from what former roommates have told me is the least damaging of the big four (GRE, GMAT, MCAT, LSAT). Still, I probably should have prepped a little more than I did.

My rigorous preparation schedule started in Italy. Isn’t Italy the place where everyone is supposed to start thinking about standardized tests? What better inculturation method is there than to think of standardized things in one of the least standardized countries in Western Europe?!? I’m only half joking; the writings I did for my website in Italy were some of THE BEST preparation I could have done for the Writing Analysis section of the test. Two essays in 45 and 30 minutes respectively? Not a problem! I did a five paragraph analysis of a dinner in under 10 minutes when I was over there!

The Writing Analysis section had to have been my best; I’m calling that one right now. The GRE is in a format one would think I would enjoy. It’s administered on computers; it’s incredibly close to the SAT (my favorite test for the college app. process); it’s adaptive so that the questions get progressively harder or easier or back again depending on how you do. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more (well, besides the Writing section) had I done this version four years ago.

Not taking a math class at TCU probably wasn’t the best way to study for the Quantitative section. Sure, bringing math credits into college is great for letting one concentrate on courses they want to take; it’s not great, however, for keeping up with the skills. Oh well, I think I did well enough to get in.

Of the four schools I’m applying to, only one requires the GRE for the Master of Divinity degree. I have all of my campus visits scheduled:
Brite Divinity School – Ft. Worth, TX – February 9-10
Lexington Theological Seminary – Lexington, KY – February 13-14
Vanderbilt University – Nashville, TN – February 15-16
University of Chicago – Chicago, IL – February 20-21

Maybe the only thing that topped the ambiguous feeling I had after the exam was my laughing on the car ride home on how I prepared for it. I spent 45 minutes reading the suggested advice and then spent the rest of the time watching a hopeful combination in someone at the school I go to = “Beauty and the Geek 2: Casting Call.” That show may become a new favorite. I caught the marathon of season 1 last year, but there’s something to be said for having a regular, habitual thing to do. That’s probably not the best way to keep myself grounded, but at least it’s funny!

Life is full of tethers. Functioning to hold us to our roots and keep us grounded, tethers also restrict us from freedom — tethers restrict our movements. Today has been a challenge just to work. Granted, I’m not being paid for this work, but it’s a project I’m really trying to finish. Because of every tether, I can barely even get started. Now, for today’s tethers:

E-mail
E-mail is a tether that’s unescapable (at least permanently). In the past half a decade, the longest periods I’ve gone without almost constant attention to my e-mail are those where I step back from all technology: camp, spiritual retreats, hiking on the Appalachian Trail. All of these are moments where I take a break and go without. In the past 24 hours I’ve sent 20 different e-mails that were substantial (three paragraphs or more). While I’m accomplishing a lot by writing them, I’m drained!

If I have many more days like this in the upcoming month, I’m going to create my own e-mail sabbath. I’ve read about them in news articles, but I’ve never tried it as a discipline. Maybe I’d enjoy life more if I tried it. Hmmm …

Tech Support
One of the nice things about basing out of my parents’ office when I’m in Des Moines is the high-speed internet and the “other-space”. By “other-space” I mean a location that’s not at home, a location that gets rid of the distractions of TV and other things. My parents’ office is an example of this “other-space” that offers its own distractions. Every once in a while I need to help with a printer, or take a look at a new computer, or be a sounding board for programming ideas. Don’t read this incorrectly: I absolutely love it and most of the times when I’m not in this environment (or in Seattle), I miss it! But, it’s definitely harder to work and keep a smooth pace.

Music
Music is supposed to be supportive. Few people listen to music to their own detriment (unless it’s to damage hearing or to inflame their emotions). For some reason, today’s work was slowed because of the music I was listening to. It’s not that it was distracting music either: Outkast and Lonestar. How could I go bad with those two? Their melodies are creative and original; why shouldn’t some of that wear off on the listener?

Even though these three tethered me down, I tied up a lot of loose ends. All of the e-mails worked to solidify my seminary visits and housing situations for the next four months. I also signed up for the GRE on Thursday (I didn’t get any studying done, however). If I’m going to accomplish anything tangible in the next three days, notably the programming project I’m working on, I’m going to have to slam the digital door. E-mails can wait; my speakers might need to stay silent; the computer questions won’t be THAT crucial.

Hahaha, who am I kidding? …

Returning is often hard. Will people recognize me? Will people remember me for mistakes or applaudable things? Will it be all smiles or all awkwardness? Will I screw up with people’s names? I went into this weekend worried about all of the above. Friday afternoon I drove down to Keokuk, IA to try to spend time with some of the friends I made at my internship last summer. It knew it would be hard, but it has already created some great memories.

Friday Night:
Walking into the Waddell’s house (Dave, Susie’s and Elizabeth’s — where I’m staying for the weekend) on Friday afternoon was great. Dave wasn’t home yet, but I had a quick 30 minutes with Susie and Liz before Dave came in. Luckily I’d already warned Susie about shaving my head; she saw my pictures too on the website, so it wasn’t much of a shock. Dave, however, wasn’t prepared and his first comment when he walked in was “whoa!” All I could do was smile. Then came Matt Hunt and his kids, who had seen me since the shave (mid-August for those who forgot). Susie had scheduled a card game with the regular friends, so people started arriving left-and-right. Jason, Caroline and the kids; Carla; then came the surprise I almost missed: Cathie and Steve Courtois and Taylor. Hugs were shared throughout the night and it was incredibly fun.

Saturday:
Sleeping in until a little past 8, I woke up to my alarm and the sun shining through my window. I knew it was going to be a great day (we haven’t had a lot of sun for a couple of weeks). I spent most of the morning preparing lunch and catching up with Kathy Seibert. I made a last-minute effort this week and coordinated a fun lunch with Kathy in which we invited the Millers and Mitchells over. Tom Seibert was unfortunately hunting (unfortunate only for me — I’m pretty sure he was enjoying it), so the six of us enjoyed eggplant parmesan, saltimbocca and what Mike is now calling the “Black Tie Affair” (a rich-chocolate cake). I’ve been trying to think of how lunch could have gone better; I’m convinced it would be impossible. For some reason, my recipes turned out better than ever, the fellowship was better than I could have imagined and it was one of the best lunches I’ve had in a long time. Plus, beyond that, one of the pieces of “The Black Tie Affair” made it over to the Hakes’ house afterwards – so even more were able to enjoy it.

After that, I returned to the Waddell’s and went walking with two of Susie’s friends and then came back and watched a movie while Dave hunted. When Susie and Liz returned from a swim meet, we went to “Mexico” (Fiesta Jalisco) and then came back and watched “Pay It Forward.” This drama with Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment was powerful. It might have been more powerful, had the funniest moment in the past month not happened. Buddy, the Waddell’s black lab, had been sleeping for most of the night on the floor in front of the TV. When the time came for the martyrdom-scene in the movie, Buddy all of a sudden rolled onto his back and had his legs sticking out in some incredibly awkward angles. When we saw it we couldn’t cry or keep straight faces — it was too classic! Dave blurted “that dog has been waiting for that moment for his entire life.” To have a dog act like that at the pivotal scene and then to back to a resting state was uncanny; or, should I say un-canine? I know that I won’t forget this weekend for a long time. The biggest things I’m looking forward to for tomorrow are both seeing the congregation in the new church and the lunch with the Whitakers!

One of the big themes in Outdoor Ministry is its tendency to recharge and at the same time remove all energy. Camp is full of times which are emotionally and physically draining but are still spiritually renewing. I spent these past three days at the Christian Conference Center in Newton, IA. This is one of those places that I recognize as a personal sacred space: it’s Holy Ground.

While I return to Holy Ground often, this conference was the annual retreat of the Association of Disciples in Outdoor Ministries. This movement inside of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) — (they recognize they’re not a “General”-sponsored unit; and they’re probably grateful!) — is a collection of camp managers, programming directors and regional ministers from across the denomination gathering to share ideas with each other and gradually improve both the quality and strength of our camping programs.

My involvement with the retreat was in a role not listed in any of those three categories listed above. Officially: I gave a workshop on Using Technology and helped provide support for those leading the gathering. Unofficially: I listened to Michael Kinnamon give an advanced keynote on three paradoxically unique pillars of “Disciples Identity” and how Outdoor Ministries provides a key for strengthening the identity; unofficially I also networked and spent some personal time just enjoying the moment.

Even though I should have felt like an outsider in the event (I’m barely a college graduate and not ordained or hired by a Region), I felt like an insider since I knew so many of the people there. Because of my involvement in previous youth events around the country, I knew or had talked to (on IMs) half of the attendants before the conference even began! Part of me hates that I was an insider (read: “good-old-___’s network), but looking at it I’m not worried. I try to make sure that I simply serve; at times I get nervous that I receive more than I should — but that only makes me try to give more.

Besides seeing many friends who I’ve known for over half of a decade, and listening to a great keynote, I was lucky enough to spend an hour laughing with a key group from the Upper Midwest. In our Region, we have a team of ministers and laity working to develop a curriculum for Youth Groups. I’d heard about the group before the event, but meeting with them made me more excited than I ever could have been just hearing about it. At the end of the spring, when I return to Iowa from Texas, I’m working with them on taking video footage and creating an DVD (imagine Scene-It mixed with a Macromedia Flash-based application) to supplement the curriculum. Once this happens, it’s going to be huge: just wait. I know I’ve had a lot of “duds” in previous projects — I’m suspecting this one’s good enough that calling it a “dud” will be laughable!