America

I feel like that title fits with the spirit of Memorial Day Weekend 2010...and what a weekend it was. Good friends coming into town on Friday night...a solid day of work on Saturday...and a Sunday full of teaching 7th graders, watching Star Wars, and going to Lincoln. Needless to say, I'm proud to be an American where I know I will always have the right to have fun exactly the way I see fit...that's the American way. By the way, if you ever get the chance to teach 7th grade Sunday school, DO IT! I am so excited to get to know and work with these kids over the course of the summer. My housemate Jesse and I will be co-leading this venture and I think we both have some solid ideas on what we can do to help these younglings (Star Wars reference) grow in their faith. They seem to be eager to get to work and have some meaningful education.

In other news, the Dermody Cycle has begun. I started with the last poem and wrote the first few measures. It's gonna be epic...ish. Stay tuned for more updates on these musical ventures. Speaking of musical ventures, I am going through this phase where literally, "All the world is a stage". I sang Lady Gaga's Bad Romance in the middle of the candy aisle of Hy-Vee tonight. Was I embarrassed? Not at all. Thanks to some wonderful advice I received from a Miss Katie Krause this spring, I don't have to be embarrassed about something if I don't want to be. Whether or not this is good advice to tell someone who makes a fool of themselves on the daily is debatable to say the least, but it is definitely working so far. My confidence level couldn't be higher (and neither could me "weird looks from other people" level) and I appear to be destined for broadway; singing duets with Neil Patrick Harris.

Oh...by the way. I have a challenge for all of you out there in the world, but especially in the USA. I think we owe it to our men and women in the armed forces to have an ice cold Pabst Blue Ribbon in their honor. I personally will spend many minutes on the deck of the bar thinking about how much I appreciate their willingness to sacrifice and serve for our great country. There is no better way to honor them than by drinking a beer that sports the red, white, and blue with authority. Here's to you armed forces members and veterans of the armed forces. Cheers!

p.s.- The actor who plays the Sheriff of Nottingham in the latest Robin Hood movie is the one and only Matthew Macfadyen...better known as Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Awesome? Of course it is

Victory

Tonight at approximately 10:30 pm, I defeated Lady Gaga in a best of 3 pool series. I decided to enter myself in the women's bracket this time around so I can hopefully meet up with the top-seeded Calista Flockhart and regain my dignity. Wish me luck. Cheers!

Don't worry...I'm still alive

This morning I received more validation that this blog matters to people. You the public have spoken up and I have heard you. Caledonia Gerth came into class this morning looking rather distraught. I aksed her, "Caledonia my dear, what puzzles you?" With a tear forming in the bottom left corner of her eye she replied, "How come you haven't posted lately?" My heart was broken. I have let you all down (all four of you who actually read this) with my negligence. But rest assured, I'm back and here to stay.

In other news, Last week a wonderful gift was bestowed upon me. May must be the month of acquiring new things. First, a new (at least to me) blue sport coat which I informed you of last week, and most recently, a set of poems by a friend. I shall give you some backstory on how I came to acquire these poems. Last year...correction, many moons ago (much more epic) I met a girl who was wearing green pants. I feel in love...with the pants. I bargained with the lass night and day just hoping that eventually she would get so sick of me that she would have to give those pants to me. Alas, she was far to strong willed for me. I decided to offer something in return. That's right...I would earn the pants. What resulted was the finest original, atonal piece of work ever written on Concordia's campus. It was centered around a musical style known as "sprechstimme". I wrote this atonal musical as a surprise for her in hopes that she would be moved to part with the pants. In the end...she was. I wore the green pants to school the next day...and then twice in my room over the next year and a half. Life was good...but then something magical happened.

Earlier this semester, the lady and I collided in the lunchroom. We got to chatting about a myriad of things and somehow we ended up on the topic of those pants. She asked if there was ever a chance that she could get them back because of the sentimental nature she had for them (and since I had only wore them once in public). I knew that those pants originally belonged to her father and how much they truly meant to her. Being the business man that I am, I decided to cut her a deal. It just so happens that I had been toying around with the idea of writing a song cycle. I'm talking straight up Schumann and Schubert. I needed some original poetry though. I asked the gal (eventually I will reveal her name) if she would write a set or original poems for me in exchange for the pants. She gave me that smirk she always gives and said, "You got it" (This quote may or may not be accurate). Anywho, Last week she made good on her end of the bargain and posted them works on my facebook wall. I encourage you to check them out. I can't wait to get started on setting them!

That being said, I now have three different pieces I will working on this summer (Basho, Psalm 139, and the Dermody Cycle).

Special thanks to Rachel Dermody who not only provided me with some loverly poetry, but also a great story to tell and an even sweeter memory. Here's to you pal. Cheers!

A coat for a coat

So it has been almost a week since my last post. Life after undergrad is so very new. I am taking a course here for the next few weeks as well as transitioning into the working class world. My buddy Mikey P and I just started a new job working at the local furniture store in Seward. At first, I was a bit intimidated by the prospect of working in such a place under a very "type A" boss. However, Mike and I soon realized that this job would not only be easy, but dare I say...too easy. For example, we spent the entire shift from 10am to 5pm doing absolutely nothing. Actually, I shouldn't say that. We did play a card game from about 1:30-5:00...it's a sweet game called Dominion. Needless to say, I am going to make a fair bit of money this summer doing a job that might be better categorized as play rather than work.

In other news, I went to Lincoln last night with a few mates of mine (PVK, Mikey P, Jesse, and Katie) to enjoy some of the nightlife. Jesse, Katie, and I started off at a bar downtown and then we all finished the night off at IHOP. This is where things get rather interesting. As is usually the case at midnight, there are not many sane people hanging out at this particular eating establishment. My friends we quite pleased to see that there were two young men sitting across the way from us, also enjoying a late night breakfast. However, these fine young gentlemen must have been enjoying a bit of the herb prior to coming because their eyes and overall demeanor were very...relaxed to say the least. Anywho, one of the guys was wearing a brilliant light blue sport coat (the kind that would drive a guy like me absolutely insane with envy...and it certainly did) that I admired greatly. I too was wearing one of my standard track jackets (red, white, and blue...sort of Captain America-ish) and thought it would be a good idea to make small talk with this young man about his outerwear. After expressing my desire to obtain a jacket like his own, he asked if I would like to do a straight up, no questions asked trade of coats. Of course I abided. We tried on each others coats and to my surprise, the baby blue beauty fit me like a glove. My jacket was a bit too small for him, but he was far too gone to even care. To give you a better idea of how far gone he was, I spent my time in his coat looking in the glass window to see how I liked it....he spent his time doing karate moves in my coat. In the end, we shook hands to solidify the deal and I am now the proud owner of a not so new, but still fresher than fresh sport coat. I even wore it to church today. All in all...a solid start to the summer. Cheers!

Certified

Well, it's official...sort of. This past Saturday, I completed my first of two college graduations. My dad came into town for the event and got a chance to finally see in person that his money did not go to waste. So what's next you might ask? Well today I began a Mayterm course which should prove to be very beneficial as I grow in my knowledge of doctrine and my ability to express that knowledge in the future. I am also transitioning into a new phase of life here in Seward. Some friends have moved out and back home, others are going to be heading to new places altogether in another month or so, there is still that wedding that I need to get set, and of course...it's time to get huge again. These days are truly going to be exciting. Different yes, but still very exciting. I mean, who ever would have guessed that Michael Palomaki would finally turn 21?!?! I know I am excited to help him celebrate while we watch the USA vs. England match. I've got another buddy o of mine, Peter Baye, who is also getting married this summer. Yesterday, I relived some of the wonderful memories from the summer of 2009 with some friends after church. Without a doubt, that was the best summer of my life to date. It's going to be tough living in Seward this summer under new conditions and with new people, but I think it will be great in its own way. Here's to you summer of 2010...please be kind. Cheers!

p.s.- The first few measures of I. A Pond (From Basho) are complete...I like it already

The Last Five Days

The beauty of finals week is that there seems to be a ton of time to use on things other than studying for finals. The horror of finals week as a senior is that there does not seem to be enough time to spend on the people you want to spend it on. My personal solution? Forget the finals...love the people.

In other news, I am getting pretty decent at billiards (at least compared to where I used to be). Since I open the bar on Mondays at 5 pm and usually don't see a customer until 6:30 pm at the earliest, I occupy my time by holding pool tournaments against celebrities. I have played against the likes of Martin Luther, Will Smith, Barrack Obama, etc. Some notable victories have come against Kobe Bryant, Batman (Christian Bale version), and Saul of Tarsus. Some utterly awful loses have come against Ray Charles and Calista Flockhart (aka Ally McBeal). Most recently, I defeated long time musical hero, Jason Mraz in a best of three series in which both of us won our first games by the other scratching on the 8 ball. Yes, we sort of suck. I now await the winner of next week's match between Bill Cosby and Kelly Ripa.

Take it easy friends...here's to you. Cheers!

Brave New World

As I prepare for a vast array of newness soon to come in my life, I have looked for different nuggets of wisdom to help quell the anxiety and fear that naturally comes along with change. This past Thursday, Pastor Jurchen gave a great sermon in chapel based on the text from Psalm 139. His explanation of how deeply God knows us and desires to be in conversation with us really helped me to remember that my life is part of something bigger. The same God that created the entire...well everything...is the same God who also is able to guide and prepare me for all that I will encounter in the coming months and years. Read Psalm 139, you won't regret it. I also encountered a couple of quotes from Jason Mraz that I originally placed on my facebook profile. After rereading them again today, I thought it would be prudent for me to share them with you:

Don’t let anyone get the best of you.
Another year is fast approaching. Go be that starving Artist you’re afraid to be. Open up that journal and get poetic finally. Volunteer. Suck it up and travel. You were not born here to work and pay taxes. You were put here to be part of a vast organism to explore and create. Stop putting it off. The world has much more to offer than what’s on 15 televisions at TGI Fridays. Take pictures. Scare people. Shake up the scene. Be the change you want to see in the world.
You’ll thank yourself for it.
-Jason Mraz

Though I always wish I were as brave or as wild or lost as everyone I read about. I want to explore every place and live in every era. Sometimes this delusion gets me down about the state of things, vaguely, the world. But candlelight inventory keeps me in check before bed. I'm happy to be me. Here and now. Not chasing likeableness as much anymore but choosing to do so within myself.
-Jason Mraz

After rereading them again today, I thought it would be prudent for me to share them with you: These words inspired me to step out of my box a little more. Now that college is coming to a close and "real life" is pounding at the door, it time that I truly start making some advancements and changes in how I look at life. Sure, change is very intimidating and there are so many unknown answers to some big time questions. The good news is...God is good! So very good! We don't deserve it at all...yet we are in his hands. I think I am ready to start letting go of the fear, knowing that the important things and people in my life are a blessing that I will intentionally work to keep around and that God has prepared me and is still preparing me for a life of ministry. It's a humbling thought ins't it? That God would give us the chance to do his work in the world. Here's to a new crop of witnesses; joining the large cloud that is waiting for us. Cheers!

p.s.- Happy Birthday Caledonia Gerth