STEVE IS A ROCKSTAR

and hell did just freeze completely over.

I said I would do this when it happened, although I assumed it would happen years from now, but it has happened and I must let everybody know. Up to this point, all of you have only know the Steve Hubka that is single and unable to be anything else. Today I have crossed into the land where most of you reside without thinking twice about it - the land of dating, engagement, and marriage... and here I am with you! That's right. Me. Her name is Meagan, and her having cats isn't enough to keep me single, so there you have it. Best DTR I've ever had (and I realize some of you are trying to count all the bad ones I had, but there weren't that many, so don't waste your time). This is weird, I know. Trust me, it's not crystal clear on this end, so I can't imagine it's making much sense on your end. Just don't scream out loud when you hear this and then have to explain what you were doing screaming in your office when you were supposed to be working. I don't want to be responsible for anybody's work troubles just because the unthinkable happened. As Kyle said just a bit ago, Hell might be icing over as we speak. Pigs are flying, the Red Socks won the World Series, Kurbis is reading one of my blogs - what has happened to the world?! Well, I've got to keep this short. I would have called more of you to tell you the exciting news, but it was late when this all went down, so I thought this can wait. I mean, true love waits, right? Nevermind, that was crap flying from my fingertips. Robbie said that if I get a girlfriend, I have to get a job because he pays his school bill once a month but pays something for his young lady every day. And I thought I was poor before. Crap! Well, I hope this is something to get the blog abuzz with speculation. You guys should put together a pool for how long this will last. Put me down for ten bucks on the square that crosses the column for "Two weeks" with the row that says "She discovers he plays the banjo." I'm game. Well, I couldn't let this news slide under the radar, so I hope you enjoyed this momentous blog from the long-winded alum some of you have called friend... now I'm just getting sappy. I can't complain about being single anymore. But it was so fun. Well, when the world gives you lemons, you just have to finish that sentence so it sounds like I'm saying something worthwhile because my mind is a bit all over the place and lemons aren't really registering on a cerebreal level let alone in a metaphoric context. And no, I won't be too busy to blog any more (sigh in despair, I know you want to). Last time I had a girlfriend, I was a blond, I had only a driver's permit, I was 5'6" and weighed 120 lbs, rode a BMX bike home from school, was despising the early portion of a second Clinton term, and was still going to the same school as my older brother. I didn't know grad school existed, would have laughed at a school mascot called the Purple Storm, and would never have dreamed that living in the gym would be a realistic part of my future. Okay, enough, I know. I've gotta get some sleep anyway. What can a man do in this day and age? Something right, for once.

You realize that in the last four days we've blogged as much as we normally did in a month? And it wasn't even mostly my useless ranting. But you can't keep a good man down (and now I'm wondering if I am really down, and exactly how long I have been), so here I am without anything except stories of my odd life. Actually, the real reason I wanted to get on here was because of a phone conversation I had yesterday morning with an amazing girl you all know. I'm not trying to make anybody jealous (nobody has yet come forward in my life and told me that they were jealous of me in any circumstance, although I don't know if jealous people do that, but I would still maintain that nobody would have reason to do so even if jealous people were also forward people), but I was told to say hello to everybody from Ms. Molly Jane Donelson, and so I figured this would be the best place to do so. We gave China Molly, they gave us the fortune cookie and gun powder and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, so that's a pretty fair deal I think. Molly is doing great - she's practically binding her feet and lighting incense at Mao's tomb - she's just doing great. She told me I would love China because "in the land of China, they don't got nothin'," wait, no, that's not what she said; she said that clothes are utility, not fashionability, and that the pace of life is wonderfully slow, and that I would agree with how they run their educational system (just for the record, I really don't condone torture or any sort of psychological punishment), so apparently I need to get to the land of 1.5 billion people. Wait, I don't like crowds, I'm a fan of indoor plumbing, terrible at kung fu, and completely at the mercy of any cute Chinese girl between 18-45 (they age really well) on the earth - in other words, I'd be having a massive panic attack in the middle of Tiananmen Square in a pile of my own excrement after being scorpion kicked by a twenty-year-old 4'8" Chinese girl who I had smiled at in the middle of her Cultural Revolutionary training. Hmmmm. Maybe Tibet would work for me. On second thought, I'd better just get back to my work here. The problem with offending China is the demographic weight of your offense - only comparable to India or Los Angeles. I'll stick to taking pot shots at Canada. You know how much Tibet and Canada have in common? Not much more than they both want to be their own countries. HA! See, no real demographic weight. Try it yourself some time. Well, this is enough blogging for now. Kyle can't be right - I won't just blog ten times in a row to make up for everybody blogging so much. I've already given Krista too much to deal with.
Oh, and Duerk, the trailer just about made me cry I was so excited. The rest of you would know what I mean if your soul-mate was in one of the most important movies of our generation (and maybe I am talking about Where the Heart Is, so get off me). Duerk, check out the fourth disc of the new release about the making of Star Wars. Way good. May 18th. Is somebody's wedding that day? Am I allowed to pick Star Wars over somebody's wedding? I think that's a valid question. Sorry the rest of you have to put up with nerds like us.... no, wait, I'm not sorry. We give the rest of you guys a fighting chance with the ladies. I'm on a roll tonight! You don't have to agree with me; I'll never know. I'm really done now.

Thoughts from Krista- A Faithful Reader of the Blog:

"Well, I was trying to be updated on the post-Crown happenings, but I honestly find it quite overwhemling to even go to that page considering there are like 30 entries from Steve since the last time I read it. I feel like I should be allowed to contribute since I had a dream last night about Kurbis and Bethany's future wedding... it was strange - let's just say I was serving Starbucks drinks made out of cottage cheese instead of espresso.

But if you do post something again soon, tell Duerkop that every time I bike past W. Charlotte St. I think of him.

Rainy in River Falls,

Krista" (from an e-mail)

I saw Rob Micheals.

So a funny thing that I thtought I would share quickly, I went out to lunch a few weeks ago with a friends to this Asian place where you can see the people cooking your food and low and behold I saw Rob Micheals the old soccer coach cooking, it was weird, but is some news I thought I would share on this blog. Oh and yeah I don't quite know how to spell his last name.

I agree with everyone else in saying that I miss all of you, I am often reminded of a lot of you because I have pictures of my friends from Crown all over my office and a couple of weeks ago I shared a message about friendship(s) and told stories about some of you and how you had touched my life.

I won't get to sappy.

Lots of love, Kris Clemens

Wow, it has been unbelievable and amazing to hear how everyone is doing. I just returned from visiting Crown. Sarah Bubna gave her senior testimony today, and I'm pretty sure that it was an unofficial allumni day. It was good to see Daniel and Renee Bubna, Lenny, Justin Winzenburg, Nate Miller, and Kris Clemens. I am one of those people who has spent hours reading these posts and not very much time posting myself. But, as I sat in chapel today, I realized how much I miss seeing and spending time with everyone at Crown. It was weird to be back, but I was also flooded with so many great memories. Like most, okay, all of you, there are things about Crown that I disliked and disagreed with, but I do know that God brought each of us there for at least one reason, friendships. Many people have told me to enjoy the time that I have in college because once you graduate you will lose contact with everyone. I hope to prove them all wrong. Hope you all have a great day!
Bekah

I think yesterday was the most posts in one day ever. Woops, I'll take the blame for that one. Kyle, seriously, can you steal thunder from a man that can't even buy a drink at a bar? My thunder was stolen six years ago, so if anybody sees it, please let me know - it's really made my life a bit slow. Yeah, I am excited that everybody's posting, but Lynnea's right, I'll act like normal and steady myself for the coming long winter of blog silence that is inevitable. I seriously think I'll be writing on this thing in my nursing home. Oh well. Two short ones in a row. That's a first for me. Man it's good to hear from everybody. I've gotta go to class.

So amidst this flurry of blogs I can check in. Gabe, I am embarrassed and a little apprehensive about the fact that the CMA decided to send out some national promotion stuff with my picture in it twice. I was at Crown for three and a half years and I never made posterchild status. Next time they want to publish a picture of me I am going to send them to Wakefield. Very strange. Very awkward. I don't even usually like denominations very much but they sign the paycheck so I will just smile and nod. Other than that things are going well...nothing much to report except I am trying to figure out if I should buy a fake Christmas tree or go for real...any thoughts? I probably shouldn't even put one up since I was told we won't have snow down here by Christmas anyways. Alright, that's all for me...Hubka I know you are just beaming with the influx of blogs....you could actually probably write ten times in a row to make up for all these other people stealin your thunder! Peace.

An interesting fact I learned this week. When a baby poops it can come out with a velocity that could break the sound barrier. If the diaper is not in place the mess can span an entire room. Fatherhood has been better then I have ever imagined it would be. People warned me for months before hand how hard and consuming it would be to have two babies, but they never prepared me for how good it feels. I have come to a whole new level of responsibility in life and it is unbelievably humbling. It has brought me to reliance on God more than I think I have ever had to rely on him.

Well, that was pretty mushy. I am surrounded by women know so I guess I am getting sentimental. I enjoyed hearing from you all. Wakefield it was great to hear from you again. I would love to get together sometime to hear about how your life in ministry is going.

Kyle, I saw your picture on some Alliance promotional materials we received for our missions conference. Way to be a poster-boy for the Great CMA.

See you all later,
Gabe

Hello to all my friends, this is my first blog I just joined and can only write for a minute. I am already seeing how addicting it could be sit and read all your entries, it's fun to be connected!

I hope to continue hearing about all your lives. I am serving as a youth pastor at a church in Minnetonka, it's crazy how God has a plan for your life a plan that you never thought would happen for you. It's been fun, challenging and well all those things and more. I am continuing to learn........

I'll write more later, Hubka please keep writing!!!!

Okay, I went a bit crazy. And everything I post on this blog I write only as a post, never beforehand. Really. But now I'm writing to tell you Minneapolis people important news. I'll be showing up for Fluffy's wedding on the 17th, and I won't leave until the 21st, so I'd love to see whoever's around (I assume everybody near enough will stop by the wedding, but if not, it'd still be cool to hang). Who else is going to be there? I gotta get to class. See Marty, I can keep it short. But I probably wouldn't if I had more time. Bye.

As the maker of this blog, I must say, when I began it I had no idea what was going to happen. Will anyone write but me? Will it last longer than a month? Thankfully, I soon realized that both of those were answered with an assertive "yes." How long will this last? I cannot say. But I do feel the need to give a short commentary on the nature of the blog: It goes in cycles. As we all go through different times in our lives, we obviously will have much to say at some times and not much to write at others. So Steve (and anyone else feeling his anxiety at a week gone by with no postings), calm down, it will be okay; people will post again, as is always the case. And don’t be shy about posting twice in a row (thrice might be pushing it…just kidding). Another note, as Adam as shown us, there are SO MANY people who read this blog regularly without posting. I am aware of quite a few, and there is nothing wrong with that. I would rather have them read and not write than not read at all. Not only that, but there are several out there reading this blog who never went to Crown, who use it as a means of entertainment (and I think I can safely say they have been entertained). So keep reading, keep posting, it doesn’t need to be anything "intellectual," "earth shattering," or any other adjective people frequently use as their excuse for not having anything to write.

And as the time draws near when Gabe and I would normally begin sending out flyers for our Christmas Party/Caroling Extravaganza, I realize that even though we are not throwing a party this year, I am thankful that I am part of a graduating class who cares enough to continue the community without it. This blog has provided a place to share announcements about engagements, births, deaths, and everyday occurrences, and that is exactly what I intended it to be (Hey I’m the only woman who writes on this thing, I get to be sentimental). I must say I was a bit afflicted when Steve quoted Kyle as saying the blog is dead, and I realize that someday it will be. Maybe in a year, maybe in five years, or ten…but for now, let’s just enjoy it instead of worrying about it (that is not meant to be a reprimand, but an encouragement). And I’ll end with a quote from Marty that articulates my feelings better than I could have: "I also am forever grateful for the relationships that Crown has brought me. The people whom I know will be lifelong friends and will always genuinely care about me forever. We sure are lucky to be part of a graduating class that still reads message boards to hear the hopes, joys, and disappointments of each other's lives." Keep it up, friends.

So I'll break the silence. I can just hear Hubka breathing a sigh of relief knowing now that he is safe to finally cut and paste the 15 page word document he'd been writing in hopes that soon someone would come in and blog something.

Geez....now that I'm actually here I'm not really sure if I have anything to say. I really don't want to talk politics. That was sooo two weeks ago its not even funny. Besides, I'm bitter about the whole thing....sigh....btw, Contgrats Duerk....

I really don't want to talk about work right now either. I mean, its going OK....Let me be the first to say, however, that living off of commission is a pretty hard thing to do. Lets see, do I expect to make 2 grand this month or should i think more along the lines of 800 big ones. I'll lean toward the latter and splurge on some easy mac, spaghetti o's and shrimp flavored ramen. Geez, I'm poor....

The wedding is exciting. Jess and I just printed off a whole bunch of CD's as favors and....hey....wait a minute....that's only exciting to us. Foiled again.

Anyways, I concede to Hubka. Fire away, buddy.

Wakefield! It's blog-prude - that's the person who won't blog even when the relationship permits that sort of sharing. I tried calling your old number, but I got Naomi's voicemail, so I assume that it wasn't coincidence. I don't know where your number is, but I'll figure it out some time. I understand that not everybody can blog all the time, but I only want to hear about everybody's lives and what they think about things (maybe you all are the infamous sidewalk-chalk writers and I have offended you).
Gabe, I miss hearing about your life as a papa, but I completely understand that you don't have the time to toss up a blog. You'll have time in like eighteen years, I guess.
Oh, I did have a great story from today. I am the perennial good samaritan as of this afternoon. I walked an old lady across the street! I never thought that would happen until I was an old man trying to catch the local nursing home hottie, but nevermind that. So I emerged from my car today in the Safeway parking lot (Safeway is a grocery store, in case you're in the provincial quandry of the Midwest) to beside a little purple Dodge Neon parked rather poorly with a woman that couldn't have been born after 1924, and just thinking I should be pleasant, I said hi. Maybe this is why I'm normally anti-social, but she must have taken this as a sign that I actually was a pleasant person which is something we all know is not true. She asked me if I could walk her across the street. I said sure. So I walked up to her and she put her arm in mine, and what is the first thing she says to me? "Ya know why I needed your help? I'm drunk." I am high tea on the outside and a Detroit race riot on the inside, trying to shake off what this lady just said to me, especially since she didn't laugh about it or anything, and she was having trouble walking. "You don't really think I am drunk, do you?" That is nearly as bad as the "does this make me look fat?" question, only in that I had no clue where I was supposed to go with that one. "Yes! You had me convinced," I thought, but tried to just laugh it off as she explained something about her foot being injured. Even before the drunk comment, I didn't believe that this woman was in a good position to operate a motor vehicle (is a Neon a motor vehicle - because then we have to include all those cars that you just pull backwards a bunch of times, too). So after probably a minute and a half shuffle that crossed fifteen yards of parking lot asphalt, I asked her if she wanted me to get her a shopping cart, and she indecisively refused, so I bolted to find my two loaves of bread and get the heck out of there before I had to get a cat out of a tree or save a baby from a burning building. I'm allergic to both cats and fire (maybe just heat - yes, even though I told myself I was not going to be burned tonight while making dinner, after cooking the pizza I managed to scald the roof of my mouth. Idiot! And now all I'm thinking about is Can't Hardly Wait, "Yo Jaina... wanna dance?" "I'm allergic." "Allergic... to dancin'?" "Yeah.").
So Wakefield, that was for you. Peeople, write something. The blog doesn't get better acting like a kid in time-out. Just tell me I'm wrong.

Will nobody post anything?! I mean, is everybody busy, or are your lives really just that boring? I've been waiting for days for somebody to post, and I have some big news to relay, so I'm done waiting. As of right now, I do not plan to continue in my graduate program after this semester. I realized that I have no desire to write history, and that's the entire point of this program. I want to teach, and so maybe I'll be in a M.A. in Teaching program or something like that here soon, or maybe I'll go and live under a nice interstate bridge somewhere warm, but either way, I have no desire to be the guy writing your children's history books. Crazy, eh? I guess there's a reason you guys always called me "Crazy Steve." Now that I realize that wasn't true, maybe you should start.
More great sidewalk chalk ranting to recount. I read this on the way to the library in a brightly colored peach scrawl: "America's foreign policy: F*** the world!" Now that has little power in and of itself, but as I was still reading it, my head turned to notice the mother and her elementary-aged son walking right behind me, and I wondered if I was okay with that show manifestation of freedom of speech. Most of the other new writings were about moving to Canada (good luck and good riddance), but one I didn't even understand right away. See if you get it right off the bat: "Neo-cons: Christian Fundamentalists on Crusade." It took me several seconds of focused concentration to understand that it was neo-conservatives they were refering to. I'm just baffled. I mean, I used to want to write political stuff with sidewalk chalk as a form of protest, but my dream always included quoting Plato in the original Greek in front of municiple government buildings. Now I want to do that here, but maybe not Plato (though I would blush to think that any of these wild-eyed chalk writers have taken the time to search the great works of the world to understand what is going on and why their slant will bring their lives no value or peace). Ask serious questions, you have the chance to get serious answers. Ask flippant questions with only a feeling of shocking propaganda, and you will get only agreement or disagreement, but no real thought or answers. I should listen to myself, right? Well, could somebody get on this thing and say hello or something? I refuse to post thrice in a row.

Duerk, glad somebody else saw the a. b. (that's shorthand from us veterans of the aurora borealis). Hey, now that you've got some time, you should get some good reading done, and I know you're not big into the lit scene like me and Lynnea and Miller, but if you're up for some good history that really sheds light on the workings of something we history people may take for granted, pick up de Tocqueville's Old Regime and the French Revolution. Very readable, very interesting. Or just stick to milking cows - whatever!
Lynnea, you knew I would have to respond, didn't you? Oh, and before I start jabbering about feminism as I have perceived it on my campus, I'd like to remind you of two things: Tutoring service? Pretty girl's phone number... service? Both would be greatly appreciated.
From my last comment, and my four years spent with all of you, one can surmise that I find women as the sort of enemy for whom I readily become a traitor - and sadly, I'm the sort of traitor that is sent back to his own lines because the enemy has no use for his treachery. But beyond my despondant place in this war, if women are the enemy (I don't think they are, but they could be), then it is only because they think it would be better if social power rested in their hands in a clear and decisive way - as it supposedly already does with men. The problem here is that women want to do what men already do - use their power to manipulate the other gender, but the difference is that women have a why that men never have had - revenge, and it is all the more sinister in its foreseeable outcomes. But enough about women wanting to be in control - I would venture to say they already are in more ways than I can possibly imagine.
I wonder why Gayle Rubin wants a sexually egalitarian society. This is one of the problems of the desire for equality that looms on our national horizon - we wish for there to equality where there is none. The sexes are not meant to be equal. I mean that quite completely, and now some people may be annoyed or offended by such a comment, but we aren't built equally, so why should we try to exist as sexual equals. By no means do I wish to see either gender lord over the other, but with two human beings there is no equality to be grasped by reason or sense, for the only equality within humanity is humanity itself - the place where we are equal is in our hearts before the throne of God, and nowhere else should we seek complete equality - something implied by the idea of equality itself. Relationships cannot be the source of all oppression, as Rubin claims, for that would mean that society, the generalization of human relationships, would be one giant repression, and to be freed from society would mean to reach all human potential. Imagine that: Six billion people wandering around, foraging for sustainance and interacting with no one! Thankfully the population troubles I predict would no longer be an issue. No, relationships are one of the clearest expressions of humanity - and like all human expressions, they have most certainly been corrupted, but corruption does not mean that what was corrupted was not once good - and can still be.
So women are perceived as the enemy only when they go against their role - whatever that relational role has been determined to be? I am not against women asking the important questions in life, nor even breaking out of those relational roles that take away from their womanhood, but the problem here is that many women try to break out of... being female, and that is somewhat due to our culture and civilzation giving some false and dangerous impressions of what that means, but it also seems to be an expression of antinomialism that is to be one of two character troubles that will destroy our society in our generation.
"...an androgynous and genderless society, in which one's sexual anatomy is irrelevant to who one is, what one does, and with whom one makes love." Just quoting the end of your... quote, there, Lynnea (and in my normal style, as an aside, Lynnea, I realize that this is not your view in toto, nor do I believe I am fighting against anything but the author of an essay you were relaying in jest to my comment from yesterday... anyway, just putting my thoughts down, so I hope they do no one harm). There is the essense of a great plague on our society - the thought that sexuality, that gender and all else quoted up there should have no effect on one's personhood shows that there is no clear understanding of what or where personhood is derived, and what it should include. Virginia Woolf explains in A Room of One's Own that if women were to come in contact with the men they sought to create - men that cannot be distinguished from women in manner or personality or position or relation - that women would no longer want the men because they wouldn't be men any longer. The androgynous society would marginalize the greatness of humanity found it opposite and yet balancing genders. I like women. Now I know that quote will come back to haunt me some day when I'm running for public office.
I want to do exactly what Robbie says I'm not allowed to do: I'm going to take these girl's (I assume it's a girl saying that her body is the only thing she owns, because any right-minded male would end up including an automobile, a baseball card collection, or an Xbox) comments to DUM DUM DUM! THEIR LOGICAL CONCLUSION. So here we go. First, let's just be serious and acknowledge that woman are obviously not the enemy, so the desire for some to withdraw the government's legal position concerning something like abortion cannot be seen as an attack against women and nothing more. Shoot, I'll take a war on terror to a war on women any day... the terrorists have limits to what they can do. Seriously, though, can a woman in America today claim that she is being marginalized by our government because the President was re-elected? I find this sad.
And the final quote, that a woman owns her own body... well, do any of us really own our own body? I mean, here's the problem with the perception of limitless ownership - can we do whatever we want with whatever we own? The obvious legal answer is no. I cannot take a car that I own over the speed limit without expecting legal consequences. I cannot simply throw my computer screen out the window of a twenty-story building simply on the basis that I own it. So ownership does have limits, and that includes our bodies. Now if we push this issue into the realm of abortion, it may become a bit more blurry than speeding cars and throwing computer monitors, but I don't think it goes pitch black, either. Maybe everybody is tired of this tirade, so we'll save the abortion debate for another blog - or maybe a blogger where somebody would really argue another side - maybe I'm thinking we're a bit more monolithic than we are, eh? Hope nobody's too offended (except Kurbis, but he didn't make it this far anyway, so I can use one of Brad's adjectives for God to apply to Kurbis - it rhymns with kiss my___).
I dreamt last night that I was in Iraq running around war-torn city streets with President Bush. It was pretty wild. A terrorist with a handgun tried to shoot me, but I grabbed the gun and twisted it in his hand so he shot himself. Is that supposed to symbolize something? And more than just I'm way messed up? Also, our President was pretty "kick ass" with this machine gun in my dream - so maybe some of it was true. Who knows? I'll quit now. And quit praying that I'll get arthritis in my hands so I'll quit typing. I'll type with a pen between my teeth if I have to. I hope everybody is doing well. Gabe - how's papa life? You're busy, so don't worry about answer. Okay, really done this time.

As the only female who seems to write (semi) regularly on this blog, I find it my duty to respond to Steve's questions on the complex sidewalk writing: "Dear America: Women are not the enemy." I just so happen to be studying feminist literary theory this week and have decided to let the feminists explain for themselves. In Gayle Rubin's essay "Traffic in Women," she writes in order to determine "whether or not it is realistic to hope for a sexually egalitarian society." She determines that it is our relationships alone that oppress us, or make us seem as an enemy of sorts: "A woman is a woman. She only becomes a domestic, a wife, a chattel, a playboy bunny, a prostitute, or a human dictaphone in certain relations." When a woman fights against such roles she is placed in from her relations, she is seen as an enemy of the sex/gender system established in America (and most other places for that matter). Get it?

Rubin takes this a bit further to propose a dream of "an androgynous and genderless society, in which one's sexual anatomy is irrelevant to who one is, what one does, and with whom one makes love." This may or may not have been the message attempting to be conveyed through the sidewalk chalk scribblings. As I think of my predominantly male audience reading this, anyone see a problem? Just trying to stir up some discussion.

Okay, I know I'm breaking my own rule of never posting twice in a row, but this will be truly short. I answered my own question: Cats. So, now you can all breathe a sigh of relief since my existential quandries were plaguing your day-to-day affairs. But a new question, less problematic, just curious...
Did anybody else see the Aurora Borealis last night? It was only the second time I've seen it, and wow was it great stuff. Really clear and everything. Just a question, mostly for you Minnesota folk, or maybe Oregon folk (singular), or maybe you St. Louis folk (probably not) - where else is everybody? Oh, and just one last note. Thanks to some clarifying sidewalk chalk writings I've noticed around campus, I am now enlightened, and so I wish to pass on the eteral truths that I assume are a response to the election:
"Dear America, women are not the enemy." That does reverse my position.
"Put Cheney in chains." Then what?
"My body is the only thing I own." Apparently she forgot the sidewalk chalk.
These are serious writings, I think, from people trying to say something, but sadly I think I'm missing the point. If somebody else gets it, please inform me - I'm a bit dense.

Miller, as always, so much less space, so much more insight; I am ashamed.
My eternal quote, that I will try to keep this short, applies here, but yet again, no guarantees. This is really meant to simply inform everyone that I took the advice of my former roommate and created my own blog to post pieces of my memoirs, as well as let everybody else reminisce to their heart's content. If you want to get on the thing yourself, just e-mail me, or write something on this blogger about it, and I'll be happy to invite people, but I figure most of you have gotten quite enough of me here, so I'll just leave the address of the posted blog so you can discover you want nothing to do with it while avoiding the commitment that is involved with this blog (or perceived commitment by some like yours truly). So here's the address (sorry Lynnea that it's a take-off of yours): http://crown2004memoirs.blogspot.com/
Question for all ( I realize that nobody ever answers these questions, but I can't seem to help myself): How do you avoid becoming more attracted to somebody you don't think it wise to date, even though he/she is a kindred spirit like you have not met to this point in your life and he/she may well offer you (not literally offer, but in their very existence) the connection and desirability that you have so often longed for? That's a bit convoluted, I know. What happens when you like the person you don't think you should like (for their sake, not yours)? Okay, enough questions. You can't/won't answer them anyway.
And to end this pessimistic blog, I recommend you read Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, and then you'll think I'm at least not that bad (it's a really short play, and funny when people aren't dying or leaving their spouses or losing their life's work). Look at it this way, at least you're not reading three-hundred pages on the basis for democracy in France since 1870.

Gabe, you've got some cute girls there. Not the kind of cute girls I usually comment about, but they are as you say.
Chris, I'll figure something out with putting the memoirs somewhere sometime soon, if possible, but I'm holding off barring other strange stories that are to follow.
And I was wrong about the election. That's two elections in a row when the person I voted for won - this probably is not a taste of things to come. I was up into the night and am really looking forward to a long conversation with Duerkop to hear about the political world in all its aspects. Duerk, if you're still way-tired, tell me to call back later, and it will be so.
This may be a long post, I'm just warning you, and here's why: I have several stories to recount, and maybe they won't take as long as I think, but I'd rather you give up reading this if you wanted something short now than be mad at me later. And the reason I have the time to write on this thing is because I am stupid and while watching the news this morning, I forgot to pack my lunch, so I will be ignoring my stomach for the next hour before class. The election just messed up my schedule as a whole. So let's go in order.
Sunday was supposed to be a day set aside to work on some laundry, some reading, some writing, dishes, and probably a gamut of other things that I wanted to get to. One of the married friends that spends a good deal of time with Bob came over, and the strangest thing happened as we left our apartment complex to find some lunch for the two young fellows: We drove backwards for at least a half-mile if not further, with some surrounding traffic, and some internalized protests from this conservative thinker. But it was somewhat exhilirating, and it is much easier to gauge your impact on other drivers when you are staring at them windshield to windshield. We received some strange looks. Soon enough I found myself playing Halo early on at a friend's apartment with Bob there, as well. Shortly after starting some rousing games, the female counterparts to the men I was with informed us of several things that altered my afternoon plans. Remember, I am with two married guys and one that is engaged, with no such female to represent my interests with this group of young ladies. First, we were informed that the girls were cooking dinner. All fine and well. Second, we were informed it was to be at my apartment. I had a week's worth of dirty dishes there, not to mention no real desire to hurridly move them at someone else's behest. But this is not the end. Thirdly, we were informed that we were going to be leaving our game forthright to return to my apartment and do said dishes. Now I'll say my inner-anger meter was starting to push into the red, but I kept my exterior cool. My problem was with my apartment being commendeered by three women who, in my mind, overstepped their bounds in giving this apartment owner orders instead of asking permission and asking for help (such as cleaning). But we went home and cleaned, and it went rather quickly (it helps having other people to do dishes and things of that nature), and soon enough we were back playing Halo. My anger subsided at the thought of being fed in a way I could not recreate on my budget or culinary skills, and so we had a Thanksgiving-like meal on Halloween thanks to some forthright significant others. It was a good meal, with ham and yams and potatoes and corn-cassorole (how do you spell that word?), apple cider, pumpkin pie, just the myriad of dishes expected at other holiday gatherings, but not this one. So, my stomach was full, and my anger was greatly deflated, but I am quite sure that I am not prepared to take orders from anyone not paying for rent in my apartment concerning my apartment. Maybe I'm oversensative.
So the next day was a story of a different caliber cropped up. I go to an Intervarsity Grad Bible study with two other girls, both named Meagan (they pronounce it differently, I think), and we've only met once, so... yeah. For those of you wanting a visual, Meagan (the one that pronounces her name Meegan) looks like Cassie... what was her last name... Bethany's friend? Anyway, she not only looks like Cassie, but their personalities are frighteningly similar. But Meagan (pronounced just like you're used to) wanted to invite another girl from work to join us, and I was fine with that. Her name is Amy and she is not a grad student but she is a fifth-grade teacher here in town, and our age, interested in the Bible study. Great. So after interesting events both here and abroad have brought me to the conclusion that I have no chance to suppliment my social life with a significant other such as my roommate has, I have pretty much (as much as possible) given up on possibilities for the forseeable future. I know this sounds like it has no bearing, but it does on this story. Before I left for this Bible study Monday night, I was simply thinking to myself about this new girl I was about to meet. Both Meagans are very great girls, but both came out of recent relationships - and who says I just like any girl that is breathing and over 18, anyway? So I thought to myself, jokingly, the only way this girl was going to get my attention in any way was to be blonde and beautiful beyond what is naturally reasonable. It was amazing to me that God thought it funny to drop that right back in my lap not many minutes later as Amy arrived - blonde and beautiful beyond - yeah you get the picture. Now this doesn't mean I follow through with my assertion that I must pursue any girl with such attributes. I've still got the radar turned on passive-mode, and this young lady changes nothing, but it was funny, nonetheless. The future is unclear, but the present is crystal, and so as Hubka pursuit (is that like Trivial Pursuit?) goes, nothing is even in the works nor shall be any time soon. But isn't it funny? Ha ha ha. I'm finding myself back in the presence of wonderful girls, attractive and very sweet, and the legless dog in an endless yard scenario holds. Speaking of that, Lynnea, I hope you read this far, and understood that my excitement from last week is neither superceded nor diminished, so if you can get ahold of a phone number or pass along a 406-370-3871 number to Jane Doe, I would greatly appreciate it, although I don't know how strange that first conversation may be thanks to your impetuous outburst (I would have it no other way). My common assertion holds true in this case (no offense to you blondes): Blondes can turn heads, but brunettes have staying power.
So Bush won. What is Kurbis going to do from here? Kurbis, next time I'll vote Nader. I just about wrote Robbie down for County Commissioner here. Oh, and we can smoke marijuanna here, but I can't marry Robbie, so I guess everything went as I had hoped on the initiatives. Democracy - "A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction." I was hoping the election problems might lead to a revolution that I could be against, but not everything always turns out the way you want. But as Kyle put so eloquently, "Gabe you win. You have twins. You are more of a man than any of us." A quiet nod of admiration for Papa Gabe.

Hey there all,
I hope you like the picture of the most beautiful girls in the world. It is still so amazing to look at them an realize they are mine. The girls have made life very busy lately. Having kids is kind of time consuming. A quick question. Does anybody know what you are suppose to do with babies when they come home from the hospital? I would imagine they pretty much raise themselves!

The girls are not home from the hospital yet and it will probably be a couple of more weeks. They are doing great and as soon as they are better at eating orally they will be able to come home. Mom is also doing good after her surgery. I can truly say that I have never been more busy in life then I am at this moment, but I would also say that this is the greatest time in my life. It is indescribable how good you feel being able to hold your child. That is life now for Papa Norton

On a different note I must say that I have been very impressed with the number of people blogging recently. Way to go crown. Atta way!

Here are my little girls! 

Hey Steve! I think you NEED to start posting not only 1 or 2 paragraphs, but the whole thing! I think you need your own website to post your writings on Crown! I'd pay to read it.

one more thing steve, what is Robbie's (and I am assuming your) address? I need to send him a congrats card. Thanks.

"A man does not know how happy he really is until he is married... Then it is too late."
Just kidding. Being married it Kate is the Best thing in the world! Thought it was a good quote for Robbie though.

later
Folkestad