It Is Done

The gears are in motion. The proverbial ball is rolling.

As of 11:50 PM CST tonight, at the old bell tower, I am an engaged man.

There is an old cowboy saying I think is worth quoting: If a woman can't make you miserable, she can't make you happy.

Today I am happy.

Tomorrow I will tell you the story of the Ring, which I have been painfully silent about for several weeks now. (Heck, if I split it into three posts, I might even call it the Trilogy of the Ring!)

May you all be given blessing upon blessing, even as I have been blessed this day.

I hope Mom forgives me for waiting till tomorrow to call her instead of waking her up at 2:00 in the morning tonight.

The Spacious Firmament on High

by Joseph Addison; based on Psalm 19

The spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue, ethereal sky,
And spangled heav'ns, a shining frame,
Their great Original proclaim:
Th'unwearied sun from day to day
Does his Creator's pow'r display,
And publishes to ev'ry land
The work of an almighty hand.

Soon as the evening shades prevail,
The moon takes up the wondrous tale,
And nightly to the listn'ning earth
Repeats the story of her birth;
While all the stars that round her burn,
And all the planets in their turn,
Confirm the tidings as they roll,
And spread the truth from pole to pole.

What tho' in solemn silence all
Move round this dark terrestrial ball?
What tho' no real voice nor sound
Amid their radiant orbs be found?
In reason's ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice,
For ever singing as they shine,
"The hand that made us is divine."

Tonight's Minutes

• There is room check
• Don't have tobacco on campus
• Sign-out/Late minutes
• Clean the sink after you shave
• Don't dump food in the sink
• RAs are available if you need anything

This concludes the mostly negative series on hall meetings. I will now move on to more positive things. Like bed. Good night!

Irony

This morning when I got up there was a sign on the bathroom door:

Mandatory 2nd Floor Meeting Tonight, Midnight. $25 fine for not attending.

Seriously, is there anything in this meeting that couldn't be covered by sending out an email? Or printed on paper and taped to our doors? Or that couldn't have been covered in the midnight dorm meeting Monday night, for that matter? Or again, that I haven't already heard every time since I was a freshman?

Last night SC had her floor meeting at 11:00, but she was already pretty exhausted by 8:30. So we watched Spirited Away in Sewell lobby to keep her up until the meeting, but she didn't make it, and my RHD had to get on my case because she was laying her head on my stomach. She was feeling horrible, and it was still only 10:15, so I turned off the movie and walked her back to her dorm, where she went to bed. I don't know if she got fined or not. I know that the rules are the rules, and all fallen human institutions become bloated with bureaucracy over time, but I hate this feeling of helplessness. Sometimes I feel that its time for me to be an adult, to see myself as one, to assume responsibility for things in my life, but then sometimes I get these reminders and I feel like I'm a kid playing games in a sandbox. I don't blame my RHD as a person for enforcing this institution's rules, but I still marvel that he asked me why in the world I didn't want to live on campus this semester.

Per last night's post, I still can't wait to graduate, but I also realize that wherever you go in life, whether work, school, or church, you'll always have to deal with this kind of stupidity one place or another. The only thing is that at Lipscomb you don't really have a basic refuge from it.

I don't know if I'll go to tonight's meeting or not. I guess I will, because I think I'll be able to sleep in some tomorrow. And because I don't want to pay $25 for sleeping instead of standing quietly in the hallway for 20 minutes.

Hall Meetings

LU, go shove them.

...

I can't wait to graduate.

In A...A...A...Albuquerque!

Saurkraut aside, it's been a great trip. We are now at the Albuquerque International Airport, awaiting a flight at 4:45 back to Orlando. With what glee did I exit the boarding ramp and see the sign that read, "Wireless Internet Access Available"! With what sudden downfall did I remember that my screen is dead. But that's OK, because for you, my reader, I am willing to post using EXTRA large fonts in order to bring you the latest in the Gourd's life.

I hope soon to post many pictures of the California trip. Until then, I will recap a little. It was great to see all of my dad's family again. Everyone is doing well, and my cousins were all grown up! We cousins got along sublimely, and I even got to meet a few of my (once removed) nephews.

I picked up "The Divine Conspiracy" last night on recommendation from Mr. G. I've only read the firstchapter so far, and I have mixed feelings. I totally agree with what he's saying, but he seems to be saying it very quickly, as if he's said these things so many times before that he can't remember what's common knowledge and what he's trying to remind us of. In that way it seems to lack a logical structure, but perhaps that will pick up more as I read. He's certainly on the right track, IMHO, and his personal "kingdom" approach is a refreshingly new idea to me.

In any case, may you all be well, and I can't wait to see everyone again in the big TN.

</gourd>

Dead Computer

This will be a brief post, as I can barely see the screen I'm typing on.

I was hoping to keep a running update on my trip here in California, but the backlight on my laptop died today, so I won't be able to post as much as I'd like. I have Windows on high-contrast large mode and I can just see enough to type. Shoot, I don't even have a goofy picture link when you click the title! Anyways, things are well here. If I find a cheap monitor or something I'll start updating again with pictures.

Take care, everybody! :)

California, Here We Come!

It won't be long, now! Our plane takes off tomorrow morning at 10:30. We'll be landing in Ontario, CA (that's California, not Canada), and should be at my grandparent's house in time for dinner.

I'm excited. I hope this will be a relaxing vacation for my family. We NEED a relaxing vacation. We'll probably be reminding each other that we don't get a vacation after this one, so we need to make the most of it and chill out.

Anyways, I'll try to keep you all updated on our progress, and maybe even post some pics along the way. Internet access will be sporadic, but I'll do the best I can. Peace.

</gourd>

Come fly the friendly skies!

Cool Song

This song is from the Wolf's Rain soundtrack. I think it has a nice message about contentment. As far as the music, do you remember that guy that played before Jars of Clay last semester? It's pretty much the same style.

Could You Bite the Hand?

Another gun for hire, just another day
Whey you are done you just abuse it
Whatever you say
If you were offered some, would you wanna bite the hand?
Would you betray a friend to prove you're cold and then
Walk away

We were born with nothin' I don't want
But you need something
You want glory, I need nothin'
It's coming between us

People are born with
People are born without
Some people have, and others want
What some go without
Some people live free
Some people just want more
As for me I got all that I need

Do you still think that we're not brave if we don't bleed
We've seen enough blood and violence already, how much
Do you need?
You howl and fight your war and talk of bein' free
Won't let you in, they're just using you so
Why won't you see?

Some people are born so much closer to the sun
Holding out their hands and grabbing golden rays, they are the
Chosen few
But we both know of course that that's not you and me
And I'd be telling the truth if I said it don't matter, so
How 'bout you?

Can you tell me really
You don't need it, you don't want it?
If you can, cool, and if you can't
The difference between us

People are born with
People are born without
Some people have, and others want
What some go without
Some people live free
Some people just want more
As for me I've, got all that I need
Don't got much but I got what I need

Some people are always reaching for some things they don't need
I'll tell you right now with thoughts like that there will never be
Enough
Some people are always struggling for something that is not
I'll tell you somethin' now, I'm really fine just loving
What I got

I'm loving what I got

Roomy Update

Well, Daniel emailed me back, and it turns out he's not coming to Lipscomb in the Fall. That's kind of a bummer, but he seems like a cool guy, and hopefully we'll be able to dialogue in the future. Now, I wonder how long this will be hidden from the housing office? Probably not long. Maybe they'll give up and give me a single room for double-room price!

Right. Anyways...

Everyone has left the apartment except me. It's kind of lonely, but it also has a perk: They left all their FOOD! Here's a (non-exhaustive) list of what's still in the kitchen:

• 3 apples
• lunch meat
• several assorted cheese singles
• 1 bottle pickles
• several sauces/condiments
• scalloped potatoes
• 2 natty lights (blek!)
• moldy blueberries
• mango salsa
• oreo ice cream
• hot pockets
• frozen fish fillets
• frosted flakes
• apple jacks
• several boxes of assorted pasta
• green beans
• asparagus
• 1 unopened bottle of homemade raspberry wine from Orlinda, TN
• cheez-its
• chips
• half a loaf of bread
• a few very old mystery leftovers
  
• 1 yogurt nutrigrain bar
• an excellent assortment of several plastic storage containers

Anyone in Nashville want some free food in the next few days?

Today: Laundry
Tomorrow: Packing/storing at GSM's apartment
Saturday: FLORIDA!!!!!!

New Roommate?

So I got tired of waiting for a reply e-mail and went to Lipscomb in person today to find out if I've been assigned a roommate for next fall. (The guy I was gonna room with decided to live off campus). They had the information, and so, being the nerd I am, I decided to google for him. Turns out he has a couple of blogs.

Older
Newer

Man, I'm so excited and relieved to see that he is an honest disciple, and a bookworm to boot! It looks like he's not sure whether he'll come to Lipscomb this Fall, and whether or not he'll actually live on campus, but at least I won't be living with a random freshman who wouldn't have any homework and would want to watch (sports) TV and play X-Box all day.

I think this is an answer to prayers.