Mid-Week Update

     This has been a really busy last couple of days. Which is a good thing. And a large pizza can be stretched into food for five meals.

     Stayed in my dorm and did homework all weekend, which though productive was a little frustrating. Missed church Sunday morning; while frustrating, I didn't quite feel up to walking down there just yet. Researched my informative speech on the history of the Winter Olympics all day instead; then went to church that night with Louise and Harry.
     Pentecostal services are...interesting. It was at this little mountain church way back off several dirt roads, very pretty building, though. Nice green carpet, light finish on the wood of the pews and prayer altars, five identical ceiling fans down the middle of the room. About twenty to thirty people in the congregation; and I was the youngest attendee by about thirty years. Louise had me bring my guitar along, so I was volunteered into helping with the music(which is a bit hard when you don't know the hymns). It was a little off-key, but joyful. Overall the service seemed very simple and down-to-earth; friendly and sincere, though off theologically at times. Shouting was heard often, and one guy marched around the room during the music. The sermon, something about the need of prayer, from what I could figure out, involved a lot more shouting and arm-pumping, with the congregation interjecting their thoughts after almost every sentence, and such a barrage of rather-unrelated Old Testament passages were referenced I couldn't tell if there was a main text it started from or not.
     There was also a lot of stories of times-gone-by and news-of-the-grandkids wrapped into a bunch of testimonies, which was interesting to watch. Though I did feel a little unsure of what the proper customs were in reacting to everything...
     It was good to spend some time with Louise and Harry.
     When I got back it was straight to BCM worship music practice, James Hoover, Mark, Daniel P. and Ricardo helped a lot with getting re-acquainted with playing with other people. Good way to spend two hours, playing music with a bunch of other guys.
     Then off to the library to print out a rough draft of my speech outline, then back to the dorm for some sleep. (after about two hours of lying there staring at the ceiling)

     Monday started off with Latin, which was good, as usual. Rushed over to the UC to get some food, scarfed that down and hurried back to speech. While waiting, worked on some flashcards I'd been needing to make and read G.K. Chesterton.
     Speech was all right. Homework for my Media Management and Planning class the next morning occupied my afternoon, there was a great game of Jeopardy on; going into the final all three players were separated by about $1,600.
     Almost no one was eating in The Underground, which was really strange, since typically at 5 p.m. on Monday nights it's packed. Shot pool with Elizabeth before SWAT practice started; I lost both games, 8-ball scratches each time. Practice went pretty well; getting ready for shows to start this weekend. Afterwards we had a meeting in the living room to discuss the direction we're headed, how we can improve things and serve more effectively.
     The speaker at the meeting was talking about genetics, euthanasia, cloning, etc. and how we ought to react as Christians, it was horrifying and sickening; the knowledge of the perversity of the world and just...the darkness of it all. And science isn't really my strong point at all in the first place, and then when you start talking about eugenics and abortion and those subjects - I slipped out halfway through, just needed to be alone for a while to pray hard.
     Basketball practice went pretty well, it went a little late, got back at midnight, so I missed Jimmy Fallon's first night as Tonight Show host. Fell asleep sometime past one.

     Nobody exactly understood the assignment we were supposed to work on over the week in MMP, so we kinda got chewed out for that. That wasn't that great.
     Met up with Zach for our weekly Bible study, then went to Westvillle with Mom, Caleb and Amy to go see Nano. Sort of one of those "helping the widows" type thing.
     Jessica had an essay she wanted me to edit, so I tried to help with that, did a bit more homework, took a shower, watched a little bit of the Olympics and went to sleep.

     I can't remember what was happening, but there was some really interesting dream taking place when I woke up. Those are annoying when that happens. Woke up with DC Talk and Brad Paisley tunes running through my head, which is always a good way to start the day. (That's happened a lot lately. I like it.) Latin went well, more Chesterton reading in the break between classes, found out I missed an assignment while out with the flu, but the rough draft scored pretty well. After speech I had to practice my speech, work on fixing errors and weak spots, at this place in the old Journalism building. Conner was working that shift, it's helpful to have a former classmate edit your work. Reworking that outline and trimming unnecessary details is what I've been focused on most of this afternoon, smacked myself upside the head with the microwave door while cooking dinner. Need to create a PowerPoint tomorrow and meet with my group for this week's advertising project.

     SWAT shows on Sunday night at the church where Dad first started youth pastoring and then Monday night at the BCM, the basketball tournament is two weeks away, my speech is Monday afternoon, Latin test on Wednesday morning, and those two 8-week video production classes start in early March. So things have been pretty crazy and busy, but that's a good thing, mostly. And they'll continue to be like that for about as far as can be seen. Of course, that's not very long, this being college and all. But, anyway, right now it's that pre-spring break sense of panic and overstimulation from the project-and test-waves gathering steam.