What I have done the past few days . . .

It is defiantly not an elaborate title, but the past few days have consisted of many events that I thought about posted but really weren't big enough to do so. Now they are all rolled up in one. On Friday, we started something at the Church called the Zone, it is basically a Friday night hangout/drop-in. It went really well, and it is cool because the new church pastor said it is something that needs to happen, and just took out scissors and cut through all of the church red tape to make it happen. The first night went well, but our ping-pong table (which was held together by duct-tape) has already died. Personally, I would like to get a ski ball machine to replace it but that is wishful thinking (and my google searches have shown it to be very hard to find a ski ball machine for sale, though extra thought while typing this I discovered that offically ski ball is called skee ball, so maybe I will have more luck). On Saturday I wrote my first paper in a year and half. Hopefully I did ok on it. Tonight was cool because I got to hang out with Abigail, you would think living together that would happen more often, but the Olympics were on for the past two weeks and that was literally watched every . . .single . . . night! So we watched a rented movie, walked to Wal-mart to play Ski-ball (Yes, our wal-mart has ski ball), and then to Dairy Queen. It was fun. I have also been playing a lot of Star Wars Battlefront. The demo is only one map, but I have done it over and over again. I really can not describe the absolute coolness of the game. If you have acces to a PS2 then you need to buy the latest OPM (it will have some rapper on the front) and play it. Just based off of the demo, I would have to say it is the perfect Star Wars game (though I have not played KoTR). But there are few things cooler than flying in formation on Speeder bikes, while music from Return of the Jedi is playing and then an AT-ST shoots the lead speeder bike and it explodes as a ball of flame in front of me as I fly under the AT-ST's legs and then shoot a Stormtrooper. Seriously just the thought of actually playing the battle of Hoth (way more than presented in Shadows of the Empire) makes me gleefully excited. I think I can honestly say that I am more excited about Battlefront coming out on the 21st than I am the origianal trilogy coming to DVD.

Someone finally made my perfect game!

Well actually i have many perfect games. For example, Culdcept is fairly close to my perfect game since it is a customizable card game that has board game elements and requires only one purchase. However, this time i am referring to Star Wars: Battlefront. I got to play a demo of it today (and I will do so tomorrow, and Saturday, and Sunday, and so on and so forth until Sept 21st) and it was so perfect. This game qualifies as my perfect game for several reasons. First, it is a military multi-player game that is completely based on capturing the field. I know this is similar to Battlefield 1942, but I have never played that so I relate it to Return to Castle Wolfenstein on the levels where the goal is to capture the flag points (which were always my favorite). The game is clearly created to be multiplayer, but since I do not have acess to online play :( it has a single player mode with competant bots. The controls are really good, the unit diverstiy is great as well. Overall it is really fun! However what makes it is the fact that it is Star Wars! It feels like Star Wars, it sounds like Star Wars, and most importantly for a Star Wars game it doesn't suck (and for the one or two people who I know that think it is going to be like Rebel Assult 2, it is so, so much better). Being able to be a scout trooper on a speeder bike shooting ewoks is quite literally a dream come true. And when I was able to be a rebel soldier pop out of some foliage and shoot a storm trooper guarding the shield bunker was a perfect fanboy joygasm.

Stupid websites

If you want to feel slightly sickened head over to http://www.datetosave.com. Take a look around and have the horrid theology make your brain bleed. Then take a look a the store (two words: Jesus Thong) to make your heart break. Then roll initiative, and your compter skill to blast the sight to oblivion (well actually your probably shouldn't do that last part . .. though I would love it if some of you would).

unlike the infamous landover baptist, I do not think this is a satire site. I guess it really bothers me because I could really see some of the teenage girls in my group get sucked up in this wacked out idea.

I hope I remember how to write . . .

Because for the most part I have not had to do it for a year (and for the smart aliec literalist out there I mean write papers not the actual act of writing). It is important for me to do so because I am like 1 week or less from starting taking classes again. I am fairly confident that I want to be involved with youth ministry for as long as I am able (which, assuming I am alive or the second coming doesn't happen, would be a good 30+ years). So in order to better prepare myself I am going to complete course work for a Masters in Biblical Studies. I am doing it via corespondance from a place called Trinity Theological Seminary. I have researched the place a fair ammount and they seem very legit. I got information about my first class, and I have a lot of work to do! The way it is set up is I only do one class at a time and when I successfully complete all of the requirements, I move on to the next class. I am really excited about this, and I really looking forward to learning alot. As much as I dislike substitute teaching, it will acutally be really good for this because I will have a guranteed hour (prep period) every day to work on the school stuff. So that is really cool.

Mandatory video game post

It has been a while since I have updated what I am currently playing (since I know everyone cares so much). I am getting my old school vibe on with Serious Sam: The Next Encounter. For those unfamilar with Sam, it is a throwback to the origns of FPS games. Enemies come in droves but when I have a mini gun it is all good. I am currently on the last level and it is really hard. I am also playing Parasite Eve. This is an RPG for the original Playstation and I really like it. The battle system is a mix between real time and turn bases that is really cool. I am close to beating it, but I am currently stuck and I fear that I might be painted into an unbeatable corner due to the fact that I am almost out of bullets (and there are none left in the game for me to get). I also started playing Devil May Cry again. This is a game Abigail got me over a year ago, and I started playing it just to get stuck on the first boss and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't do it. So i started over and this time got by the stupid spider on my first try, and I have advanced rather far in the game.

Speaking of video games, I need to learn how to write a fundraiser letter because in Novemeber the Youth Group is going to do a video game tournament to raise money for Voice of the Matyrs. It should be cool, but I have to get prizes donated first. . .

This sucks . . .

So school as officially started, and I am still without a teaching job. I had four interviews this summer, and I have thus far recieved three rejection letters. The fourth school started today, so I am guessing they are just late in sending their letter. This means that unless something miraculous happens I am destined to another ten months, of substitute teaching. I really hate substiuting, it sucks. I hate the way that all teachers assume I am incompetent and do not know the first thing about teaching, I hate that I really have no real power or control over the students and that is accompined by a feeling complete helplessness, and I hate a temporary and meaningless it feels.
I guess the bright spot is I am still doing the youth ministry thing and that is going great, and I love it. I just desperatly wished they paid me more so I could be fully devoted to that.
This is further complicated by the fact that I know there is a very high chance that another local church is going to be having a youth minister opening. I also know that this church pays over double what I am getting now. This further sucks, because I would love to apply for the job and get paid what i want to be paid doing what I want to do, but that would be very unfair to Old Capitol. Since we just started a special youth-focused worship service 3 months ago, and we are getting ready to start a Friday night program. Also, I still feel that Old Capitol is where God wants me. I just wish there could be some way out of substitute teaching . . .

An Exodus and Return

So Ujournal blew up or something, and I moved here. In a few short sentences here is a recap of what happened the past couple weeks: I directed a church camp, and it went well. Then I went to the brickyard 400 which was fun. I had a my fourth job interview of the summer and I am anxiously awaiting my sixth "we don't want you" letter of the summer. My brother stayed with me over the weekend. Lot of video games were played (we racked up a body count that had to be in thousands). On Saturday we played in a Softball tourney and saw Alien vs. Predator (it rocked). And that is it.

The problem about being here, is no one knows it and until the link gets fixed on http://www.lomn.com. no one will come. Oh well.