Thats Mr. Bouncer Matt to You

Last night I helped out a friend by checking ids at the door of his bar. Little did I know all the crazies would be out, with it being so close to halloween. Night went smoothly though. No one game me much trouble and there wasn't anyone underage that was trying to get in. Highlight of the night came early on. Had only been there about an hour when the door flew open (being in the basement there are a number of stairs that come straight down from the door to me) I looked up just in time to see, and get out of the way of, two flying raccoons coming down the stairs. Yeah, I know, I didn't think they could fly either I thought it was just those floating squirrels that could do that. Well I don't think that they had done much of it either cause they botched the landing and died upon impact. So here I am, my first and only night on the job, and now I have two dead racoons at my feet. I lectured them for a few minutes about the effect of alcohol and how it can be liquid courage for some and cause problems. When I sensed that they weren't really listening I kindly showed them out the back door.

/

things of the day

worst moment of the day: waking up at 11am realizing i over slept 2 hours

best moment of the day: catching Brielle just before she was off to work

best food of the day: chinese kung pow beef at chung garden (5.25 for plate, egg roll, and hot&sour soup).

today's comforting fortune: you are the master of every situation

today’s confusing fortune: you are the master of every situation

today’s ominous fortune: you are the master of every situation

guilty pleasure of the day: tegan and sara

procrastination of the day: with the sun shining and fairly warm, i am happy to say that it is turning on my heat (i have aspirations to wait until i can see my breath)

hope of the day: that my insurance writes me a check for the stuff that got stolen

website of the day: thinkwonder.com

i had 1 job!

Came back from volleyball deciding that it was time to make a decent meal. Buttered some bread, on the outside, spread some Grey Poupon and mayo on the inside, thin coating of sharp cheddar on each side, layed out the thinly sliced ham on top the cheese, added some freshly cut green peppers and onions, and layed it on the prepared pan to warm and melt the chesse. And I sit down now with it sizzling on my plate. Bread a fine golden color and cheese oozing a little from the sides. Wonderful. (From this angle you would have no idea that the bottom is burnt beyond recognition).

The heat is still off and it actually warmed a little with the needle just under 65 (if you dont know what I am talking about then you missed some comments on others blogs. go ahead and catch up i'll wait for you. sheeeeeeesh, some people have no concept of community. oh! your back. good job). I did struggle with turning it on today. Lastnight I slept in my clothes (an old habit that started while I was the CA of east campus at Dordt), so convenient and considerably warmer, and also wore a simple tan winter cap. Jack would recognize it if he was given the chance. I seemed to have a memory of it being stretched over his blossoming dreads back in the day.



Thats all i got for now. Back to Legends of Zelda (I realized the other day that I never really beat it as a child and so I downloaded an emulator and am working my way through it. Strange at times, I seem to know where things are fairly well yet, but am getting stuck often enough that it is turning out to be a good challenge.)

yeah. . . so

Ate some food just now so that I will be able to play volleyball tomorrow. It tasted really good and although I did not overeat I feel a little sick. With it being over I think I am still the same. Not sure what I expected.

Last night someone almost fell down my elevator shaft. Would have hurt. Might have died. It happened so fast that I didn't have time to panic. Just helped lift him back up.

Black Heart Procession creeps me out alittle but I keep listening.

A Change of Mind and Soul

I have just committed myself to a time of fasting. Actually it was earlier today but by posting it I hope to feel more accountable to myself. Promises to myself seem the least important to keep no matter the context in which they were made.

In preparation I am reading through the appropriate chapter in Celebration of Discipline.

My goals for this period include:
- calming and stilling my body
- recognizing the role food normally plays in my life
- treating everyone with the same patients and respect that I do when I am satisfied and not in want
- recognizing that the peace needed to do as such comes from God and not me
- bringing my sinful self before God each time my body complains

I realize it is encouraged to keep these sort of things private, but I know that I will not follow through with it unless I have some others to keep me accountable.

May God keep me humble as I struggle to make this an experience and not an accomplishment.

The Peasants Rejoice

Today they opened the street in front of my house.

While they have some more brick work to do (i.e. sawing at all hours of the morning), the end really is in sight. I will admit that it looks great. Although, with the theatre being down around %40, my employees have been hurting for hours, and me fighting boredom I am not certain it has been worth it. Originally they said that it would take 6 weeks, maybe 8, and with this clocking in at just over 14 it is hard to not be a little bitter or at least sore about it.

I enjoyed myself very much in Sioux Center this past weekend. I hope to make it there again soon.

Just over two months before I get to get a puppy or three. I hope they look much like these



Oh yeah. I am also getting married around the same time and you should come (visit the puppies).

3 - 0

Won our third set of games tonight. So far so good. The games weren't terribly intense but still very fun. Next week we face the team that took first last year. Luck for us they lost their German pro volleyball player, who played with them last year, as he has left the country. If my memory serves me correctly he looked a little like this:



Yeah that looks about right only he was bald and a little taller. No matter how hard I tried I was unable to keep my eyes open as I went to block him.


As a side note I finished stripping the stain and varnish off of the oak desk my dad game me. It is all quarter-sawn giving the grain a unique look. Tomorrow night I can begin putting the 56 needed coats of stain and vanish on it. With a 2 day drying time I should be done sometime late 2007.

Tegan and Sara

Guess who I saw in concert Saturday night?

Good guess. How did you know?

Oh, right. The title.




They did a very fine job and sounded great. I strongly tend toward their more mello songs.

Highlight of the show: Sara and Tegan arguing on stage about some sister kind of thing.

Worst part of the show: the opening band. They were 3 caucasion female rappers. That seemed to be whinning/schreeeching and have sporatic epileptic fits that only effected their arms from their elbow to their wrists.


I would like to take this moment to thank Ashley and Brielle for mentioning this band in the past else I would have overlooked the listing in the college paper, and missed this free concert (everything is free at Grinnell. They have billions of dollars. Really.).

And, yes, I did get you something Ashley.

Oregons best. And also not bad.

The things that get you down

Selling lots of tickets to Wallace and Gromit tonight, and that is exciting, despite the fact that we have no sidewalk and the forms are up, so getting through the front doors of the theatre feels a little like a obstacle course/lawsuit waiting to happen.

I can't shake this sunk feeling I have in my gut right now. A guy and girl in their late 20's came up to the counter with three kids (siblings to one of the couple I believe) tonight to buy tickets to Wallace and Gromit. The guy asked for 3 kids and 2 adults. After scanning the kids faces I pointed out that our child rate was for children 12 and under. The guy looked me in the eye, tipped his head a little to the side, and said "yeah" as he nodded his head affirmatively and widened his eyes a little. I paused for a second and turned to ring in the tickets when the boy (around 11) piped up with “no, Taylor is not. . .” until the guy cut him off with a very sharp “Thank-You Jason.” I proceeded to ring in 3 adult and 2 child tickets as the woman turned and said “Jason when you start paying for things you will realize that things are different.” As I gave him the tickets I turned to the boy and told him that honesty is still the best way to go. She again chirped in with “No, it really isn’t.” After a slight pause, during which I looked at the woman and then back at the kid, I said “I disagree. But regardless the movie is good.”

Reliving the moment I don’t feel quite as bad anymore. I guess I did what I could and hopefully rekindled whatever morality and child still has left. But still moments like that, when that woman looked right at this little kid and said “no it really isn’t” make the bottom of my stomach drop and a little acid rise in the back of my throat. And the worst part, seem to kill any hope or fun I have floating in my heart at the time.

Till Forever

What is it that is so tempting about drawing your name in wet concrete? They poured the sidewalk in front of my house today and with it being so cold it is taking forever to cure. So right now there is a guy sitting out in his van guarding it till morning. I snuck out my front door and peaked out. He didn’t see me but as I knelt over it its smoothness and color defied my desire to mar it and I came back in.

I had a conversation with Nate last night. He is the guy that was invited to hang out with us the night my stuff got stolen; the ‘friend’ of the guy who walked off with some of my things. I asked him if he had had any luck getting my stuff back and he said no, that this guy hasn’t even returned his calls and is a bit of a vagrant. As he was telling me this I realized that he was wearing one of my missing earrings (while Brielle and Sarah were here I realized that all my piercing jewelry is also missing). He swore that he had bought the rings two weeks ago at Hot Topic. I told him I didn’t believe him and I still don’t. This is the same guy that said he was soooo sorry that this friend had done this thing and that he would make it right again. After all, he is a firm believer in karma and doesn’t what this kind of thing coming back to him. Whether or not karma is real I told him if I don’t hear from him by Saturday, that I am filing a police report, like normal people do when this sort of thing happens, and that I am sick of him assuring me that things will be fine and that he “would rather deal with this guy himself.”

Just started season 3 of Six Feet Under. Am fairly disappointed. As much as I hated what she was doing to herself and Nate, I think Brenda may have been my favorite. And so far she is nowhere to be found. Maybe they will get things rolling again. Until then I guess it is back to some good old fashion reading and internet chess.