Thursday, May 31, 2007

I got the job!!!

Praise Jesus!

Yesterday may just have been the 3rd best day of my life...right after being Confirmed in the Church and graduating from the University of Oklahoma!

First, I got my final grade turned in and now I'm all clear to graduate from Harvard Divinity School!!! The ride has been bumpy, I've got a few bruises, but I'm graduating all the same!

Second, I was offered the job at Cornell! YEA!!!!

I'm going to be working in the Cornell University American Indian Program doing Student Services work! That basically means that I'll be working on recruiting and admitting students, doing financial aid, retention (making sure the kids graduate), and other general work to support the students and their families as members of the Cornell family (pic of the Cornell campus below).
I'm sooo excited! This is my first real job...well, I used to be a restaurant manager, but now I don't have to wear a uniform or make peoples food (unless I want to), and that is a bloody huge step for me. I've been doing "Joe" jobs for so long I just might accidently ask students if they want fries with their diploma :-)

I can't believe that they're going to pay me to work with other Indians...it's been my dream job to work with American Indian students.

Christ has provided me with so many blessings in my life and this is just the most recent.

Thanks Be to God and Boomer Sooner!

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Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Damn global warming!

Now, I'll be honest that I think this whole Global Warming thing is a crock! I really, really believe that the scientists are way off on this...check out this video from the BBC.


But, what in bloody hell is going on south of the border!


Evidently due to an increased demand for Ethanol Mexican farmers are plowing under their fields of Blue Agave (below) and planting corn (story here), which is used to make Ethanol. Now, I can't blame the farmers, they're just trying to plant crops that will yield the biggest profits.

But in case you aren't aware...Blue Agave is the KEY ingredient in Tequila!!! It isn't just a matter of planting corn now for profit and then switching back to Blue Agave...it's also the fact that Blue Agave takes 8 (EIGHT) years to mature!


So that means with less Blue Agave being cultivated there will be less Tequila!


WE COULD BE FACING A TEQUILA SHORTAGE!!!!

AAAAAHHHHHHH!
Say it ain't so!


Tequila Shortage=Daquiri Shortage
Tequila Shortage=Margaria Shortage
Tequila Shortage=Tequila Sunrise Shortage
Tequila Shortage=Bloody Mary Shortage
Tequila Shortage=Long Island Ice Tea Shortage
Tequila Shortage=Humorous Drunk People Shortage

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Yes Carolina, it is a sport!

Is NASCAR a sport? (NASCAR.com)
Carolina Cannonball and thousands (if not millions) of other people believe that it is not. If one were simply looking at the driver and their car as the only pieces of the puzzle then NASCAR might not qualify as a sport. However, car and driver don’t make a NASCAR team. And “team” is the key word here. NASCAR is a team sport.

NASCAR is a TEAM sport!
A NASCAR team is made of many individuals, of which the driver, while a key and important component, is still only one member. A NASCAR team contains a Crew Chief, the Pit Crew and finally the Driver:
Crew Chief:
the person ultimately responsible for the team’s performance on the track…equivalent to the Coach.
Pit Crew:
The Pit Crew includes a number of positions including
--Front and Rear Tire Changers—sure you can change a tire, but have you ever tried to change two tires in under 15 seconds?
--Tire Carriers—carry replacement tires to the car, and take the old tires back.
--The Jack Man—jacks the car up, easy you say? Ever try to jack up both sides of your car in under 15 seconds?
--The Gas Man—has to lift gas cans weighing up to 90lbs when full
--The Catch Man—holds a second 90lb can of gas, and holds a catcher to gather any spilled gas from the refueling…spilled gas=fire hazard!

This is just the core of the race day team…there are also Spotters around the track to watch out for debris, wrecks, and lets the Crew Chief and driver know what they can’t see. Then there are the mechanics…car’s gotta run.

For a more thorough description of a NASCAR team go
here.

The Drivers:
Regardless of what some of the drivers look like (darn Tony Stewart) they are fit athletes that must be in awesome condition to complete a race. Here are some interesting facts:

--On turns, NASCAR drivers can experience 3Gs of force against their bodies—comparable to forces pressing down on shuttle astronauts at liftoff. The drivers will experience this approximately 1600 times during a 400 lap race.
--Temperatures in cars often exceed 100 degrees, reaching as much as 170 degrees near the floorboards, and this is experienced for 3+ hours.
--Drivers lose 5-10lbs of sweat during a race.
--When drivers lose this much moisture its difficult to rehydrate quickly enough and they will begin to experience loss of focus and reflexes.
--During a race a driver maintains the same heartrate, 120-150 beats per minute for 3+ hours, the same as a marathon runner and for the same length of time.
--A study in anticipatory timing (no cf) found that racecar drivers possess the same ability to anticipate as a quarterback or hockey goalie.

Sure, a NASCAR driver is extremely dependent on the machinery of their car, but how can anyone look at those facts and claim that a NASCAR driver is not an athlete?

So, if you put all this together…the team aspect, the athleticism needed by the Pit Crew, the athleticism of the driver…is NASCAR a sport? I say yes! But, that’s not all there is to NASCAR.

NASCAR is about Strategy!
Don’t forget that a NASCAR race is all about strategy…when to get gas, how much gas, when to change tires, how many tires, does the chassis need adjustment, mechanical problems, working with other drivers and teams, avoiding wrecks. And, heck just plain driving….how would you like to drive a manual transmission car in 3+ hours of rush hour traffic? The stress of that alone would kill most people, not to mention the other issues above.

NASCAR is a sport!
So yes! I believe NASCAR is a sport, and yes, some may call it a sport for rednecks…and it’s true that stock-car racing began as a way for bootleggers to compete against each other during prohibition in the south. And while NASCAR is still firmly entrenched in the south, many of its top racers (Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and others) are from other parts of the country. Not to mention that most of the races today take place outside the south in Indiana, California, Nevada, and even in New England (Dover, NH)!

NASCAR is about family values!
How many professional sports do you know that staff chaplains at each of the tracks and have pre-race worship services? Sure, a lot of athletes in a number of sports will come together to pray before a competition, but NASCAR comes together as a family…everyone from wives and kids, to the entire crew and owners…to worship prior to each race. Faith is so important an aspect in NASCAR that even Hollywood sought to make fun of it…



Boogity, Boogity, Boogity!
Let's Go Racin' Boys!

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Sunday, May 27, 2007

The End...and IPod Shuffle of the Week

Well, I'm finally finished with all of my course work here at HDS!! OMG! I can't believe I've actually completed this wild ride. It's been bumpy with lots and lots of potholes, but I made it through the gauntlet...though I might need to have my alignment checked.

I'm still waiting to hear about my grades, but I should pass everything. So, unless something really crazy happens (fingers crossed!), I should be able to graduate from this taco stand! Hard to believe. Oh well, one phase of life is over and now it's time to move to the next one. But what will that be???

Oh, and I'm reviving the IPod Shuffle of the Week that's been on vacation for a long time...

IPod Shuffle of the Week:
1. Spicy McHaggis Jig. Dropkick Murphys
2. Love's Got a Hold on You. Alan Jackson
3. Lovely Rita. The Beatles
4. Who'll Stop the Rain. Creedence Clearwater Revival
5. The Lucky One. Faith Hill
6. Supersonic. JJ Fad
7. Need You Tonight. INXS
8. Remember When. Alan Jackson
9. Complicated. Avril Lavigne
10. Gimme the Car. The Violent Femmes

The rules, for bloggers who want to play:
Get your iPod or media-player of choice set the thing to shuffle, then post the first ten songs that come out. No cheating, no matter how stupid it makes you feel!

Thanks Be to God and Boomer Sooner!

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Cornell update

So, I got back from Ithaca, NY today and I'm really glad to be back in my own room and in my own bed...even if that bed is a horrible, horrible dorm-style twin-xl!

However, I had a fabulous time at Cornell! I had a great time! I didn't know it was possible to have a good time, nay a great time, at an interview...did you? Well, I did!

I really enjoyed meeting the people involved in Cornell's American Indian Program and various others from the admissions office to the minority affairs. It was really a great day.

I don't know if I'll be offered the job or not, but I truly, truly enjoyed my time there. Ithaca is absolutely beautiful! Hilly, very, very hilly! But beautiful. The lake, the stream, lush green valleys and woodlands...ah, I forgot what outdoors looked like since I've been in Boston.

What a great day, and a great opportunity! Wish me luck and keep me in your prayers!
On a side note...I realized while at Cornell that their school color is Red and so are the colors of both Harvard and Oklahoma (though, both are officially Crimson which is a shade of red). I'm not sure what that means or implies, but I just found it fascinating that the same color keeps appearing in my life.

Thanks Be to God and Boomer Sooner!

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Monday, May 14, 2007

updates...

So, I passed my Theological Spanish Exam and am now set to graduate from Harvard Divinity...that is assuming I pass all my classes. Harvard has a very odd schedule and so we are still finishing up classes through next week. I've got two more papers to do and a final on the 25th, then graduation is on June 7th.

On Thursday I'll be flying to Ithaca, New York for an interview at Cornell University. It is for a student services position (recruitment, admissions, etc.) in Cornell's American Indian Program. I'm excited about the opportunity...wish me luck, send a few prayers out, and I'll keep you informed.

Other than that things are pretty quiet around here...of course it is finals period for us, so that might explain it.

I'm excited about graduating, but kind of sad at the same time. I don't really have any family and graduation is just another one of those life moments when you'd normally have family around and everyone's happy. But, I'll be by myself and as much as I try to tell myself it's ok, it still gets to me. Seeing everyone with their families and the happiness they experience makes it just that much more apparent that portion of my life is missing.

I probably won't go to any of the commencement activities because of that. I don't know, I'd rather be by myself and alone, than be by myself in the midst of others. Also, most of the good friends I've made here aren't graduating because they're in the MDiv program which is three years and mine is a two year program.

It's happy and sad, maybe melancholy is a better word(?), all at the same time. But, then I'm also stressed with this interview and finishing up classes too.

Oh, well...

Thanks Be to God and Boomer Sooner!

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Woo-frikkin'-Hoo!!!!

Hell must've frozen over because somehow I managed to pass my Theological Spanish Exam!

So, now I'm clear to graduate from HDS!!!

I'm not sure how I did it, but I'm pretty sure that Jesus had something to do with it.

Thanks be to God!!


This is pretty much a self portrait right now!