Get it right now

In church yesterday, one of the elders(?) got up to speak about plans for the future of the church and some of the things regarding costs and fundraising and whatnot.  In it, he quoted Jeremiah 29:11, which is quoted roughly anytime ever that someone needs to be reassured about the future.  I like the verse, I really do, but I really wish it would be put in better context.  Namely, I wish people would stop ignoring Jeremiah 29:10, "When 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place..."  Jeremiah 29:11 should not be used as an encouragement that everything will be okay if you can just wait out the current sufferings.  Yes, things will get better, but maybe not for you.  God never promised that good things will happen to good people on this Earth.  This post now sounds depressing, but I swear I didn't mean it to be that way.

On a happier note, I'll mention the other verse I wish people would stop forgetting which is I Corinthians 12:31b.  This is much more forgivable as everyone know I Corinthians 13 is the love chapter, but I wish everyone would start quoting it with 12:31b which I actually referenced as 13:0 when I did scripture memorization.  The half-verse is "And now I will show you the most excellent way."  This is something people need to realize.  Yes, noone actually thinks that love is a bad thing and what not, but this is that needed reinforcement that love is the first and foremost goal when interacting with others. 

Going through these thoughts yesterday was a good reminder than I need to get back into scripture memory.  I've still got my list from URC from 2012 of the one scripture verse to do each week.  I've fallen behind badly on it, only having the first six weeks done.  I need to be much more intentional about spending time on it and I'll try to catch back up over the summer. 

Home, where my thought's escaping

After a couple of long travel days, I've made it home and it feels good to be back.  I got to sleep in my own bed and my head is freshly shaved and I'm doing laundry and in a few minutes I'll head out to the grocery store so I can prepare my own food and it'll be wonderful to be back in charge of all of those little things like that again.

Friday was a day spent in travel.  I spent four hours in the San Juan airport which is somewhat boring, but any airport would be.  The flight to Fort Lauderdale was fine and I was seated next to friendly skinny people, which is helpful, but at the end of the flight, they started going off on health food stuff, lauding the effects of juiced kale and quinoa and chia and stevia and discussing the differences between masticating and pulverizing blenders and by the time the plane touched down, I'd never wanted McDonald's so much in my life.  The thing is, Fort Lauderdale's airport blows.  There was an Uno Express, an overpriced Greek place that I went to and was sorely disappointed in and a Dunkin Donuts express, which I went to visit after my spicy chicken wrap failed to sate my hunger, just in time to see it close at 8:00.  My flight in Fort Lauderdale was delayed half an hour so I got to spend another two hours there before finally getting into Chicago at 11:30 local time, which isn't that bad, except I had been up at 5:30 eastern time to get some pictures of the sunrise over Condado beach.

Saturday was a good day.  I got to catch up with Ben and Roger over lunch and we just talked for several hours and made potential plans for the summer.  I got to visit Binny's again and now my wine rack is significantly less embarrassing.  Namely, there's actually wine in it now so you can tell what it is.  Lisa and I then drove up to Gurnee to meet Sara and Rick for Sara's birthday which is a tradition I've really come to enjoy.  Its so much better than the first time Sara and I did it a couple of years ago when we were both miserable.  I then drove back home again last night and got in around 12:30-1:00, but it meant I wasn't driving this morning so I'm glad I did it.

So yeah, spring break was good and I'm glad I traveled and experienced new things, even if it was solo.  I think I got some decent pictures, if no super exciting stories to go along with them.  It was a fun trip, but I'm glad to be back home.

But ordinary's just not good enough today

San Juan is growing on me.  The past two days have been good.  Yesterday I went and saw both San Cristobal and El Morro forts.  The thing that surprises you is just how massive they are.  It was really cool to walk around and explore.  Alongside that, Old San Juan is much better than Condado.  Old San Juan has appeal and charm while Condado is kind of a craphole for what's supposed to be a fairly ritzy area.

Today was a beach day as I went for about three and a half hours in the morning.  I'm ever so slightly darker with sunburnt calves, but it was fun and I've finally made it into the Atlantic Ocean.  After that, I wandered around Fortaleza street, growing slightly depressed because souvenir shopping was all tacky and mass produced.  This isn't new, but its fairly newish to me and that's what was depressing about it.  If I had been here long enough to learn something about the Taino culture, maybe things would have been different.

As I mentioned in the last post, the hotel has a rooftop deck that I enjoy, partially because it lets me look out over the city and also because it lets me enjoy the stars.  Tonight, there were other people up there and at the end of my time up there, I walked around the rails and just looked in to open windows, not in a voyeuristic way, but just because I wanted to see what the locals were doing.  I wanted to be let into their lives for just a glimpse.

Traveling by yourself does give you time to think.  In relationships, women focus on love and men on respect.  Tonight, I think I've realized that I almost treat love like respect in that it has to be earned which is a pretty messed up notion, but it would explain some things.  Cheryl once told me that I intentionally seek out girls with issues.  She was probably right and it might have been because if I find people with issues who want to be better, I look like a better person in comparison and therefore more worthy of being liked/loved/respected/whatever.  Cheryl was a prime example of this and that was a great blessing of a friendship until I got cocky and drunk and did the one thing I absolutely could not do and promptly ruined it.  The obvious exception to this is my family and I love them because we've been through so much together and I know that they truly want what's best for me.  I'm sure there's more to these thoughts but there at an infantile stage in my thought process.  I'll get back to you when I flesh it out a little more.

He's out back counting stars

Originally, I was going to entitle this as "Don't preconceive what I'm all about" as a follow up to yesterday's post, but this seems much more appropriate.  You all know what I'm about already.

Yeah, things got to me yesterday.  It was bad enough that I was nervous this morning as I went out to my car and was relieved to see that it hadn't been towed/stolen/damaged.  Once I returned the car, a weight was lifted off because it meant I didn't have to worry about getting lost anymore or the possibility of racking up huge fines from damaging it.  Once I've turned it in, I'm down to basically walking everywhere with the exception of dropping $20 on a taxi to take to the airport on Friday.

The stuff that I needed the car for today was fantastic.  The hike up to El Yunque peak was fantastic.  I still have this innate ability to get out there too early (this time, despite bad directions from Google. Thankfully, there were road signs to help me out and the drive in the forest is actually a lot of fun with a lot of sharp twists.)  I was the first one on the mountain and was able to hike to the peak in silence which was a therapeutic blessing.  The downside of being out there first though was it meant I got to the top before the clouds had burned off.  My photos from the top look a lot like my photos from Clingman's Dome where you can see a lot of vegetation within 50 feet and then a lot of cloud.  Besides that though, the forest was beautiful and it was a fun hike, even if it wasn't all that challenging - my feet still function!  It did make the hassle of yesterday worth it to enjoy today.

I spent the afternoon exploring Condado and I have to say, I'm honestly not all that impressed with San Juan.  Even with the supposedly glitzy area that is Condado, its a little run down and graffiti is prevalent and the beach wasn't anything that astounded me.  I fully expect to enjoy the rest of my time here including tomorrow in Old San Juan, but I don't think I'll be making plans to come back any time soon.  If I did, I'd probably stay out in Fajardo so I can chill in El Yunque and check out the bioluminescent bays.  One really nice thing about my hotel here though is the rooftop lounge, which isn't anything fancy, but it was fun to spend half an hour out there tonight just chilling and watching the city in the dark and talking to Tori on the phone.  Further, despite being in the middle of the biggest city on the island, the light pollution isn't that bad and I was actually able to get a good view of the stars.  It was definitely better because I had the place to myself, but it was a nice moment.  I may try to get up there tomorrow morning to see if I can watch the sun rise.

So yeah, today was better.  Thank you Lord.

Just when you think that you're down and out

After day one of spring break solo travel, I can safely say that solo travel so far is overrated.  Today was just tough.  Up at 5:00 so I could be on the road at 6:00 to catch a 9:00 flight then seven hours in the air, which was closer to eight.  Then, a few issues with my rental car made it somewhat more expensive than I thought it would be and I came to the realization it would have been cheaper and significantly less of a hassle to just have booked an excursion to El Yunque for tomorrow.  I feel like I'm putting this pressure on myself to make this trip absolutely awesome because I haven't dropped much money on traveling before.  That's definitely not helping my mindset.  Further, the roads in San Juan are tough seeing as how when you approach Old San Juan, they loop and everything is one way.  I got turned around looking for parking several times since my hotel has very little and the frustration just kept building.  I just took a 30 minute shower hoping to wash off my physical stink as well as the stink of what feels like a failed day.

Lord willing, tomorrow will be better.

If I could change, then I'd really be amazed

Its almost here.  Soon enough, I'll be in San Juan hanging out in warm weather.  I'm a little nervous about traveling solo for the first time.  I mean, there were all the trips for jobs and math and Gatlinburg last year, but this will be different because even though Puerto Rico is U.S. owned, it feels bigger since its not a state.  I'm sure I'll be fine, but right now, I'm making myself more nervous than I should be.  I'm definitely excited, but probably a little more anxious than I should be just because if anything goes wrong and I don't enjoy myself like I should, its all my own fault.  Part of it is the monetary aspect as well.  Despite the flight being relatively cheap, this has still cost me a decent amount for what essentially amounts to a 3 day vacation and I still live like I'm making twenty grand a year.  Prayers are appreciated as well as wishes of good fortune.

For reasons I don't fully comprehend, I've been in my head way too much for the past couple of days.  Hopefully, by getting away, I can get rid of some of that.  I know I was hoping for something similar last year with Gatlinburg and while it was a really good experience, I didn't really work out those issues.  Namely, I didn't feel all that close to God last time and I was hoping that would change, but it didn't.  I must have some been looking for the magic elixir that provides those feelings of depth and closeness with your creator and while the hikes were awe-inspiring, it didn't give me all of that, most likely because I came in with the wrong mindset.  That's certainly not the issue now.  Devotions have been going very well for the past month or so and I feel like the communication has been more sincere and I just feel a closer connection with God than I have for quite a while.  The next thing will be to really get back into a groove with scripture memory as that's fallen off recently.  I was hoping to grab my notecards this morning as I forgot to bring them home yesterday, but alas, Decker was locked this morning so I couldn't get into my office.

In other news, I am officially in a relationship with Tori.  Things are still obviously going extremely well, but the pace of things does cause a little alarm, simply because I'm still gun shy from the last relationship and I'm not fully ready to open myself.  I guess that means I also need to show her this blog so it doesn't look like I'm keeping anything from her.

I know I recently mentioned that I've been doing a better job of working out this month.  While that's true, I made the cardinal mistake of skipping a long run today.  I got home last night around 2 a.m. and for some reason, was up again around 7.  Add in the fact that I still needed to pack and that I didn't want to get out too late and well, I skipped over today's scheduled 15 miler which will probably come back to bite me square in the ass later.  As I write this, I also now realize that I didn't bring my running shoes with me so I can't even get in next weeks long run either unless I feel like doing it in my trail shoes and a t-shirt and shorts in possible 40 degree Chicago weather.  Oops.

Finally, I applied for an AU grant to get a three week stipend to research extensions of SDC this summer.  It'd be great to get the grant because it'd be a little extra cash for work I was going to do anyway and its another thing to add to the CV in the case that I decide to look around for something different in the next couple of years.  Once again, prayers and well wishes are appreciated.

Ain't it fun

I've found my new favorite thing about going somewhere warm for spring break.  Its the look you get from people who aren't going anywhere right after they hear about where you're going.  Its beautiful, but only because I've put in my time on "boring" spring break destinations.  My first spring break was back home to Lynden since we only had two months until we moved.  My second spring break was with a group out to Karen's place in Colorado.  From there, a good precedent had been set.  In the eleven years since then, the only place warm I've been was a week out in L.A. and that's only because it coincided with a workshop on Quantum and Kinetic Theory and Andrew paid for me to be out there.  Every other spring break has been spent in either Michigan or Illinois, including last year when I ran a 50k over spring break.  Yeah, I've paid my dues and I will definitely be enjoying this.

Maybe we'll get lucky and we'll both grow old

Edited - I hate going back and editing these things, but I don't really feel like I have a choice here.  So be it.

Don't stop me now, I'm having such a good time

Yep, no DLZ lyrics and I'm quite excited about it.

End of February update.

1) Work harder - The first check for my extra class came in this month and it was a nice little boost.  I'll make sure to put it to good use as Luke and I are hammering out the details of visiting Utah in May.  I've already picked up a few other supplies like a headlamp and a sleeping bag.  My biggest expenses obviously will be the flights and renting a car for a week.  Also, Lisa got the confirmation that she'll be in Vegas the week prior, so I can fly out midweek and hike around Red Rock Canyon even before Luke gets there.

Additionally, this month was much better along the lines of eating right and working out.  I ran more, lifted more and near the end of the month, started doing yoga more consistently.  My diet went to crap at the end of the month, but that might have something to do with going out to eat four times this weekend.  Mom being kind and bringing down cupcakes for my birthday made things delicious, but not overly healthy.

2) Play harder - The plans are getting there, but nothing yet.  Stay tuned.  I'll be in Puerto Rico in 15 days.

3) Travel more - Yeah, still a no.  I did get further than Fishers though as I had a date with Tori last night down in Broad Ripple.  I still haven't had a single trip of 50+ miles yet this year, but like I said, Puerto Rico is coming soon.

4) Read more - I finished Miss Pergerine's Home for Peculiar Children.  I've also knocked out A Visit From the Goon Squad (Yawn.  It wasn't poorly written, except for the chapter written by the kid, but seriously, what was the point of this book?), 13 Reasons Why, and now I'm about 2/3 of the way through Malcolm Gladwell's David and Goliath.

5) Drink better beer - I admit it.  I caved in and bought booze before spring break.  I got a bottle of wine so I could drink alone on Valentine's Day at my students' suggestion.  Since my grill is out of gas, I wasn't able to make this year's birthday dinner of steak and wine so I switched over instead to a steak burrito and a beer.  This meant I needed to buy beer though.  I picked up some Boulevard 80 Acre and some Sam Adams Cold Snap, which is fairly non-descript.  I also had a Founders All Day on last night's date that went so well.  I'll need to check out what Puerto Rico has for beer.