…the complete and utter disdain for anything that requires more than 5 minutes of your time, is beyond reach of your current physical location, or requires genuine neurological synapses between the extremities and the brain.

this is the first time i’ve stopped…totally stopped…since christmas. before that?…spring break of sophomore year.

happy vacation!

i wish bob dylan was wrong, but gosh darnit if he wasn’t a prophet as well as a talented musician.

if you haven’t caught wind of the new “times” in the office of marketing and pr (ompr), take a seat b/c you’re going to need it. it is true, there have been some personnel changes on 3rd floor old main. the casualties? our beloved scott trobaugh (graphic designer) and becky kasparek (editor).

the very talented scott trobaugh will soon begin a new job in lancaster (for you auslanders, that’s pronounced “layncuster” not “layncAster”) with a marketing firm. you might remember him from the redesign of the messiah college homepage, the front cover (and feature) of this past winter’s issue of the bridge (in which he did AMAZING illustrations), or from your first year t-shirt (just a few of the pieces scott recently designed). this particular change has struck a little too close to home. scott has been a mentor, role model, educator (mostly in the department of music and cultural studies-i owe my love of coldplay in part to him), and most importantly a friend. any attempt to say thank you will fall short. i wish him the best.

the departing of our editor, becky, comes with both a smile and a frown as well. becky is leaving us for a noble cause…her newborn daughter! fortunately, she won’t completely be leaving us as she begins her first semester as a messiah college faculty member. there are some very lucky first year students out there that will have the privilege of learning from becky in their first year seminar. so while this is technically goodbye, it’s more like “see ya around, professor!”

to end on a positive note, i would like to suggest that the annoying little redheaded actress may have been on to something. though yesterday was arguably the worst day of the summer so far, i’ll be darned if the sun didn’t come out today (until about an hour ago when the heavens unloaded in a fury). i must face the reality that we will mourn, regroup, and continue on. the little carrot top may have won this round (though i would argue that the mac and cheese at lottie helped a great deal)…but i shall live to die another day (did i mention it was cliche friday?).

so this is how the past 8 weeks or so have been…

7 am-wake up
8 am-start work
noon-lunch
12:30-do homework
1 pm-back to work
5 pm-dinner
5:30-do homework
11:30/midnight-go to sleep

that’s right…homework…and a lot of it. i apologize for not blogging in a while. i have had a lot of things to say, it’s just that i’ve been, well, insanely busy. subsequently, any writing that didn’t reward my task-oriented, selfish, and over-achieving mind with some flavor of an “a” ultimately went unwritten.

this summer i have been managing a schedule that has included a full-time job at messiah college and two online classes (a theology class at messiah and an ecology class at hacc). originally i was hoping to get a part-time job over the weekends too…i’m glad that didn’t work out! here’s a free tip: take classes over the summer, but don’t take two AND have a full-time job. i’m not sure what i have is “burnout”…but there’s this unquenchable “worn” feeling deep within what the hebrew language refers to as my nefesh (plainly understood-and butchered-in contemporary evangelical terms this means the whole body…both the body and soul). i’m not tired…just worn. it’s weird. so don’t say i didn’t warn you.

quick recap since i’ve blogged last (and really the only thing that matters): the release of the new coldplay cd viva la vida! if you aren’t currently listening to this cd as you read these very words, you’re priorities aren’t set right! i know the critics have come down kind of hard on this cd. here’s the reality: coldplay at their worst is still infinitely better than most bands at their best. it’s good stuff and you NEED to be listening to it about 2 hours ago (so that by now you could have listened to it once, let it sink in, and have the same mindset as I do right now)! i started listening to coldplay after my first year of college and haven’t stopped…and this cd is already in my well-worn coldplay playlist. listen to it until you can put my blog post’s title in context. listen to it NOW!

in other news: LISTEN TO THE NEW COLDPLAY CD VIVA LA VIDA!

that is all.

PEARY MANILOW!

limited engagements available (he’ll probably be thrown away by friday due to the heat).

this special concert series brings back all the favorite hits from the good old days, such as:

looks like we made it (into a fruit salad)
can’t take my leaves off of you
she’s a starfruit
rags to ratatouille
raindrops keep falling on my stem
it never rains in southern california (which is why i’m leaving)
there’s a kind of blush
baby, it’s cold outside
the long and winding row
bluer than blueberries
and of course:
copacabanana

don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity! visit old main 3rd floor to meet with singer and song writer peary manilow!

credits:
wardrobe, make-up, and hairdresser-brandie stonge
song writers-mackenzie martin, dan custer, barry manilow

last week i went over to my friend isaac’s house for dinner and to play in the back yard. it’s always a new adventure…that day it was a river. for some reason he wanted to create a river in the back yard down by the sand box. he liked it…but his parents didn’t seem to be too excited about it.

as the afternoon/evening continued, he decided he wanted to go for a drive. when isaac says he wants to go for a drive, he doesn’t mean he wants his parents to chauffeur him around central pa. he wants to drive his power wheels truck!

i was always envious of the kids in the commercials who had a power wheels car or truck. they always looked like so much fun. the idea of a kid driving was astounding. no longer did you have to wait till you were 16. you could have the enjoyment of driving even at a young age. It was awesome. But as the years passed, no power wheels truck arrived. it soon became clear that my childhood dream of driving one of those bad boys would never come true. then, a miracle occurred. his dad, scott (you remember him b/c he designed the new award winning messiah college homepage), turned to me and asked how much i weighed. at first i was a bit offended (not really), but then i saw what he was thinking. perhaps i still could realize my dream!as i hopped into the power wheels i realized that these things really aren’t made for adult sized people. in order to hit the gas pedal i had to reach down and use my hand. the rest is history. with isaac in the bed of the truck and me all sprawled out in the driver’s and passenger’s seats, we were burnin’ rubber and takin’ names. so thank you isaac, for making a dream come true.

all of these photos were taken by lisa trobaugh. thanks lisa!

as he threw his ticket to the floor in disgust, my friend’s first words were, “that was the biggest disappointment of my life!” though i won’t say it was the biggest disappointment, i feel obliged to politely object to this movie. be aware, there are spoilers in this post…though i would not call them “spoilers” simply because they’re not spoiling the plot…lucas and spielberg did a good enough job of that!

harrison ford is a legend. there is absolutely nothing he can do to fall from grace in my eyes. there’s just something about him that brings a smile to my face when i see him on the big screen. i need to say that up front so that it is understood that the following remarks are in no way directed toward him. mr. ford, you are a genius and i apologize if what i have to say offends you in any way. i have failed you.who has failed me and the global population? whoever’s brain child indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull was…this is directed at you! why?! why did you have to do this? indiana jones was a perfectly good trilogy…why would you do this to us?

as my coworkers know fully well as of this morning, i am very displeased with this movie. i had high hopes that it would be as awesome as the first 3, but the bottom line is that it wasn’t. very few movies would i consider to be a complete waste of my money and time, but this movie falls into that category.

first of all, who the heck is that kid? and who does he think he is? shia labeouf, you are not the successor to the indiana jones legacy. you try to touch that legendary hat one more time and i swear i will never watch a film you star in again. you hear me?! back off little boy! when harrison ford speaks to you, you say “yes, sir!”

secondly, aliens? really? come on! did you even try to be creative? not that any of the other three movies were actually believable, but give me a break! this movie wasn’t even on the charts of believability. this was their chance to weigh in on the much debated “city of gold.” this was their chance! they could have done anything! what did they choose to be the answer to this ancient riddle? aliens. give me a break.

the last thing i’ll comment on (however note that i’m trying to limit myself here…i could go on for a while) is the rediculous stunt/action sequences. like i said before, it’s not believable. indiana jones is a human. never in the first three movies did he pass into the “superhuman” or “superhero” realm. i liked that about the movies. it was different. he was more believable. this new installment attempted (but miserably failed) to bring indiana jones to a superhuman level. oh yeah, they tried to bring the shia guy to the same level. first of all, shia, know your role. secondly, i find it sad that the writers felt a need to make dr. jones into an unbelievable superhuman character. that isn’t in line with the series and that bothers me a great deal.

on a positive note, there were a few cute parts…shout out to the previous movies…witty one liners. would i say these few scenes made it worth watching? heavens no! don’t waste your time. wait for some of the clips to show up on youtube.com and safe yourself 9 bucks and two hours of pain and torture.

i will conclude with these final parting remarks. my issue with this movie stems from my complete and utter respect for harrison ford and the indiana jones movies. in my opinion, indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull disrespects the legacy the first three movies built. if you’re going to add a name to a movie, at least bring honor to what that name has stood for. add to the legacy. respect the past. what this movie represents is the lackluster state that hollywood is in. i feel bad for harrison ford. you’re so talented. why did you have to go and support this movie? you’re so much better than this! in my mind, this movie is completely divorced from the first three. this is a separate movie with little to no ties to the previous three. viewing it this way, i will be able to sleep at night.

1 out of 5 nalgenes (the 1 attributed to the fact that harrison ford was in the movie)

today is the first day it really hit me that my senior friends are leaving. yesterday, my girlfriend, liam (the tennis star), and i went to baltimore for the day. because of this, we weren’t on campus yesterday to pack our rooms up or watch others pack their rooms. we weren’t here to take part in the senior festivities (them, take part…me, tag along). though i have watched my fellow classmates leave, it is different. i’ll see them again, so there’s less “good-bye” talk going around. but those who are my senior friends…who knows?!

one of my good friends (liam, the tennis star) just got an apartment. i’m happy for him, but that means he really ISN’T going to be here next year. he really ISN’T going to be helping messiah’s tennis team win another mac championship. what the heck?! i don’t agree.

to all you seniors who somehow stumble upon my blog…may i appeal to you in the final hour? don’t leave. stay another year. please? what if i sneak stuff out of lottie for you? all i’m asking for is one more year. is that too much to ask?

no more good-bye’s. and i’m sticking to that!

the reason for the tardiness of this post is simply due to the necessarily long recovery process. writing term papers usually causes missed nights of sleep with a side of grumpiness sprinkled throughout. i do not envy those who surround me during the closing weeks of the semester. i’m sure my neighbors are convinced i’m going insane. insanity, however, is the best cure for writer’s block. but i digress.

all semester i avoided the dreaded research paper in my biblical backgrounds class. don’t get me wrong, the class topics were everything i had hoped for. no joke! i had been waiting to take a class on the formative texts for our canonical authors. i was born for this class! the subject matter was not at all the issue.

the issue was fear. starting as a first year student in intro to bible i was struck and captivated by the author of our text. the insight drew me into the field of biblical studies and has proved to be foundational for my subsequent studies. the author? you guessed it…my biblical backgrounds professor! since taking intro to bible, this professor has achieved legendary status in dan custer’s professor hall of fame. to actually take a class by him was…well…scary! i have the utmost respect for him and now looking back on this past semester find evidence for this. his teaching has encouraged me to reach higher and search harder in my studies.

you can understand my fear then. in my mind, writing a paper in this class would result in nothing more than inadequate words on a page. don’t get me wrong, he is a gracious professor…as is evidenced by my current grade (minus the final research paper…which i’ll find out about tomorrow). my fear was that i would finally prove to this distinguished professor that my work is inadequate. this fear kept me from writing my research paper alllll semester.

you can only avoid papers for so long though, right? with each click of the keys, the anxiety drained from my mind, into my fingers, and onto the screen in front of me. who knew writing could be therapeutic! the semester long research paper, reduced to a weekend of insanity, ended last thursday as i hesitantly slid my 10+ page paper on the comparison between the scriptural exegetical methods of the dead sea scroll and new testament communities under my professor’s door. all done. subsequently, if you’re interested in discussing the interpretive methodology of the dead sea scroll (at qumran) or the new testament communities, let me know!

oh, and i learned how to do footnotes…hence the website about footnotes in the background.

that’s right…i used hebrew in my paper!

that’s at 10 inches if you can’t see that close!

i apologize for the less than spectacular photography above…i took them at 2 am after i finished writing my paper.

HAPPY SUMMER!

beside the fact that queen was possibly the best musical group EVER, there is truth to their lyrics.

for the past month or so i’ve been living the vision of life defined by the queen song “bicycle race.” i must first admit that i am not a mosier (one who tends to mosey from class to class, store to store, life event to life event). at christmas, if i have to enter the mall, i know exactly what i want to get and where i need to go to get it. it’s quite simple. i don’t understand people who mosey from shop to shop. just get what you need and LEAVE!!! (not that i’m harboring any bitterness) same at high school. i knew where my classes where and i got there as quickly as possible. none of this “socializing” in between classes…we have more important things to do! moral of the story: i’m not a mosier (i don’t know if i spelled that right).

soooo…i walk fast. i walk really fast. in fact, in order to walk faster i lean forward to create a more aerodynamic mass. what i don’t understand is why we were created this way…it would be so much more efficient if we were more aerodynamically created. whatever. so i move fast.

recently, i’ve been noticing that i’ve maxed out my walking speed. bummer, right? not for the student who lives close by!! i postulated that if i were to somehow replace my legs with wheels, i could move at least double, if not triple the speed limit of legs.

my hypothesis was proven this morning as i made it to work from my room in 6 minutes, rather than the normal 10 minutes. granted, 6 minutes is 1 minute more than the desired half of 10, however there are other factors to be considered. i saw one of my friends (one of the messiah tennis starts who won the number 5 spot single’s championship this past sunday, woot, woot!) and biked (i biked, he walked) w/ him to his class, which is not in the direct path of work for me. with this in mind, it is not irresponsible to estimate that it would only take me, say, 1 or 2 minutes to get to work from my room. 1 or 2 is much less than half or 1/3 of 10…so barring further testing, my hypothesis has been proven.

so if you see a red blur pass you by on campus, chances are it’s me flirting with the sound barrier. i will leave you with the words of the famous philosopher Freddie Mercury,

i want to ride my bicycle
i want to ride my bike
i want to ride my bicycle
i want to ride it where i like

congrats to the messiah college men’s tennis team for yet another commonwealth conference championship! three years in a row is an accomplishment worth celebrating!

follow the men’s tennis team at this website.

good luck this weekend with your individual matches…and the upcoming national championship!!