On Thanksgiving my parents showed a video of our graduation to my grandparents. I didn’t watch most of it because hearing that speaker once was more than enough for me. I don’t even remember his name, some politician, I think? I did watch Nathan Miller’s speech because that I actually enjoyed during graduation. Anyway, it made me think about all of you and where we are all at now. It seems like ten years since that graduation ceremony. I remember, after all of the graduation parties and family obligations, going home and setting up this blog. Bryan and I sat with dueling computers: I looked up the e-mail addresses on Groupwise, he typed them into the invitation (you can only invite three people at a time, so it was a bit tedious). Although I invited every person in our class, it turns out that only about half of the invitations went through. Sorry about that. Anyway, we stayed up late setting up the blog and talking about its possibilities, and I honestly thought that maybe it would last through the summer until people got too busy, forgot about it, etc. Incidentally, I ended up oversleeping the next morning and LifeVoice went on tour without me. I had to be driven to our first concert by Krista, several hours late. But that’s beside the point.

The point—and yes, I have one—is that the fact that this has lasted as long has it has says a lot about the distinctiveness and closeness of our class. We desire to remain connected. I guess all of that talk about community over the four years at Crown actually made some sort of impact. But now, it has been a week or two since anyone has posted, so I’ve decided to just put an end to it and delete it altogether…just kidding. I just wanted to get Steve all riled up. No, I don’t think that the blog is in as much danger as Steve likes to pretend that it is. Once we go a few months without a post, then we can think about letting it die with some dignity. But for now, let’s just let it run its natural course, and see how long it lasts. There are several people who post semi-regularly, and I know there are many, many people who read/check the blog on a very consistent basis. The purpose of the blog is to keep those who wish to participate—whether that is posting or reading—up to date on each other’s lives and no matter how few the participants get, that purpose is fulfilled, even if only one person continued to post. The bottom line: I’m not worried.

Okay, now that that is out of the way. Let’s see, here’s a brief update on my life. 1.) Grad School: nothing exciting to report. I love my classes and will graduate in May. I have decided not to apply to Ph.D. programs until I have decided if teaching is something that I would like to do long-term. Which leads me to…2.) Teaching: There are aspects of it that I love, and some that I could do without. I really enjoy getting to know my students and developing (appropriate) relationships with them; I don’t enjoy shoving grammar down their throats. Next semester I am teaching Writing and Lit, which I think I will like quite a bit more. They are wanting me to commit for next fall, but it seems so far away and there are so many things up in the air right now. Okay, that’s enough for now, this post has already gotten too long. If you made it this far, thanks for reading. I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Why am I left to make some sort of comment on the important days that pass otherwise unnoticed by the rest of you? Oh yeah; no significant other and a minimally invasive job, no friends en terra nova, and I'm done making myself depressed. So what did I learn today? Beer and chocolate pie: Not a pleasurable combination. Football has not altered itself enough to gain my attention. Seeing the new Coca-cola polar bear commercial made me want to watch March of the Penguins again. And then I think of Thanksgiving a year ago. We were just coming off of a flurry of posting, by people like Wakefield, Kris, Kyle, ya know, people that we haven't caught in a while. I was worried the blog was dead, Lynnea told me to calm down, so just to make sure nothing has changed... (please imagine the proper voice for the following whining that is intended to just do the usual) Why is nobody posting? Woe is me! How failed I am at exciting my friends to tell the rest of us what's happening (something might not be happening, like with me since I have only some simple stories from work and otherwise nothing new)? So yeah, nothing else to say, just wasting space and time. I've gotta go clean up a mess my brother's dog made with a belt. Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving.

I'm putting up this link because it's a 70's news story that's very funny, and I used to watch it on my best friend's computer during high school. My brother was just checking out local news websites when he came across this strange thing, and the minute he started talking about it, I knew what it was. That's strange, eh? Oh, and I had finished my memoirs this week, at least completed large sections of it, but don't expect to see them. They might never see the light of day, and maybe that's for the best. We'll see. Maybe I'll explain sometime.
http://www.katu.com/stories/81055.html

Missions Conference! For those of you from the CMA you may remember that time of the year where missions conferences came around. You had to go hear from a missionary, eat different food, and go to church on different nights then Sunday and Wednesday. Well, I am no longer simply attending these blessed events, but I am in charge of ours starting tonight. We are hosting a Jeopardy game show to get to know about Russia. This could go very good or it could be a total crap shoot. I am hoping for the former. On to other news. I saw pictures of the Ellen/Andy Stumbo baby. She is cute! If you are a Crown grad and have not had babies, you are so not cool. (This is for married students only. If you are single you need not worry. you are very cool in God's eyes. Chris/Katie get a move on it!) I have had quite the amazing past few weeks. In another blog I will tell you about it. However, one question came up quite unrelated to the rest of the week that I wanted to post for our amusement and comments. I was talking to one of our office assistants who is studying massage. She was giving a massage to a lady in our church and I commented that you would never see a guy giving a guy a massage out in the open like it was nothing. This may just be my extreme dislike of light physical contact from males. I mean I can handle getting tackled or getting knocked to the ground in a game of basketball. I can even handle the occasional butt slap after at a sporting event, but if that same fellow tried to rub my shoulders It would make me crawl out of my skin. There are some guys that seem to be the rubbing shoulders types, but why? Do our shoulders ever get tight enough to put ourselves through such agony as man to man massage? I for one would rather live my life in pain than have my buddy rub my back! An girls why are you so open to the idea of backrubs femano e femano? (I doubt that this is an actual word, but it was fun using it) input on this subject would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you are a male out there reading this and thinking it would be funny to give me a backrub the next time you see me. I will KILL YOU! God Bless.

I just noticed something. Nearly nobody's address is correct anymore on our little address thing. I think Lynnea's, maybe Gabe and Folkestad, and I can't tell who else, but those are the only ones that look right or possibly right. Otherwise the rest of us are a little behind. So I was wondering if we should all do something about that, or just figure that everybody who wants everybody else's address can get them some other way. Just a thought.
So tomorrow will be eleven straight days of work around here. Just think, if I was Lynnea, I'd try to find another full-time job and go to school on top of that. That'd be fun. Lynnea, how are you doing. Have you found Michael Patrick's sister yet?
Well, I really don't have much going on. Just trying to keep up with some of you people is work in itself. Actually, I think I have no trouble contacting anybody who keeps up with this, but can you believe there are some people out there in the world that couldn't care less what's going on with me or vice versa. Shocking, I know, but such is life.
I've got a puppy whining for my attention. It's like having a high school girlfriend, I think, not that I ever had one. Hmmmm, we'll see if that one slides past the radar unnoticed. Gotta go. So, like I said, I don't want to be the only nerd that updates his address if the rest of you blogging nerds are going to do it with me, so, that's all I'm say. Yeah. Later, nerds.
P.S. Who else is pumped about Episode III coming out on DVD... and now I'm king of all nerds, whoohoo! Duerk, you're excited, aren't you. It's okay. Me too.