[threadless]

I just purchased a shirt online from this great t-shirt company Threadless. I think it fits me perfectly... (ha. pun)

Go to Threadless and buy yourself a fun t-shirt! If you use the links I've given in this post and purchase something, I get $3.00 off my next order!

Here are some previous shirts that I've purchased from Threadless





Enjoy.

EDIT: So, I don't know who it was, but someone has already used my link to buy a shirt! That's $3 buckeroos off my next order! Whoever you are, thanks!

[sister]

She's the bomb. I love her. This is an old photo, but it gets the job done.

Love ya, Amber!

[my bad]

Okay, I don't know how much longer I'm going to do the whole posting my title in brackets thing. Probably til the end of the month...

With business aside, let's get down to the heart of the matter. Over the last several days, I've realized that I've done what I kinda vowed not to do: Let the events that have happened to my friend affect me and my relationship with God and with other people.

Since last week, I've fallen flat on my face into sin, hurting God and other people. I've kinda withdrawn myself emotionally, putting up a barrier between me and my friends. I've lost some of the joy and zeal that I normally have. I've let tiredness become an excuse for most things.

Lately, I've been hearing people say, "Hindsight is 20/20" and it's very true. I see the mistakes I've made this past week, and I'm going to work hard to spot when I start doing them and quit it right then and there.

Thus, If I have hung out with you over the last week and I haven't been myself or I don't seem to be giving myself fully to the company, I am deeply sorry and apologize. It's not in my nature to be withdrawn or constantly 'tired'. I hate that junk. So for that, I ask forgiveness.

I'm ready to go back to being filled with energy and joy. I like that a lot better than this sad and depressing state I've been in the last two weeks or so.

With that being said, I was watching the news tonight after American Idol on FOX and there was a segment on this Cal State Fullerton senior who has been living out of his truck for almost the last two years. My friend Emily was telling me about people she knows at USC who live out of their cars during the semester while taking care of all their hygienic needs at the university's gym. Anyway, the guy keeps a blog and it's a pretty interesting read. Already in the first half an hour of the segment getting air on FOX, he's received almost twenty comments on his blog entry for today. Check out his musings on what it's like to live in your car at www.gotruckyourself.blogspot.com. Tomorrow he's doing an interview for national television. He also was contacted by some of the press in France. Crazy.

Alrighty, not much else to say I suppose. I saw Wicked on Sunday night at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood with my mom. It was my gift to her for Christmas. I must say, it was absolutely outstanding. The vocal performances were right on and I was just blown away by the set design. Good show.

That's it for me tonight, I'm trying to keep the posts a little cohesive. I have more to write about, but I'll save it for tomorrow. Tonight was fun. More on that later.

Cy

[beginnings]

I drop by his place tonight. He's in his room so I hang with his roommates for a bit watching V for Vendetta. He comes out, says hi to me, gives me a hug, and grabs a drink of water. As he retreats back into his room, he waves at me and says,

"Cy, I'm saying goodbye for now. I probably won't be seeing you for a while."

I get up and give him another hug.

Well, he's moving. Most likely at the end of the month. I'll be sad for a little bit, but the joy from knowing he's taking care of himself and getting better overwhelms any sorrow I can feel. I see this as a new chapter in his life and my own. A chance to end one story and begin another. I wish the best for him and hope he keeps his smile.

Sometimes clichés are great: If you love something, you'll let it go.

I love you, man. Take care of yourself. Get better.

[caption]

I exit my English to find this scene in front of me. I notice it almost immediately, make a comment in my head, and walk past it. I stop dead in my tracks and decide that I need to take a picture of this. I backtrack and as nonchalantly as I possibly can, grab a snapshot with my phone.

For the sake of humor and drawing attention away from things too serious, please caption this set of photos:

[good news]

I realize that I've been very depressing lately, but with good reason.

However, you always have to stop in the madness of sadness (like that one, huh?), and smell the roses for just a second.

Monday was a great day for that. I got my Winter Intercession grades:

SOC101 - Introduction to Sociology, an online class with Professor William Lund - A
MUS102 - History of Jazz, a swinging fun class with Professor Gary Gregg - A

Those two A's mean that (you're going to hate me) I continue to maintain a 4.0 GPA in college. This will be the transcript I'm sending into USC for Fall 2007 admission and I'm very proud of it. According to the dean of the business department, I'm a shoe-in, but we can only wait and see.

Hey, what do you know! There is happiness in life!

Cy

postscript: That last line was a joke. Of course I believe there's happiness in life. It just seems that in the whole myriad of sadness that this week has been, I haven't made a point of sharing the things that have been bringing me happiness. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going around sobbing all over the place.

[changes]

Life teaches you that not all things are secure. You can't always be 100% certain of what is right in front of you.

People change. Situations change. Lives change.

Granted, some things are certain for everyone. For me, my faith is certain. God is certain. Really. Does anything matter in this life? In this world that we live on? Apart from following the Lord and his commands, I don't think so.

My friend is going to be facing some hard times up ahead. His future is only as uncertain as he allows it to be. If he learns from this mistake and puts God first, I think he'll come out of it okay. Possibly even stronger and more secure.

I hope and pray that he doesn't use this as a crutch to fall deeper into sin and despair. I pray that he continues to seek guidance and help in his life. I pray that he places his value solely on God and not the things of this earth that are perishing. I hope that he comes out of this trial victorious and ready to do whatever for the Kingdom.

If he does these things, then I know he'll be taken care of. Sadly to say, if he does these things, I'll be seeing much less of him. Honestly, I want what's best for him. I still love him and he will always be my big bro.

For new life, there must be sacrifice. For him, the sacrifice is living in close proximity to us. I understand that him moving away is part of this sort of repentance that must take place in order for him to live once again for the Lord and not for himself. Yes, I'll be sad by his departure and will miss seeing him week after week, but if it is what is necessary for both of us to live in eternity with our Heavenly Father, then I am all for it. "Not my will, but yours be done." Right?

He will be third of those who have 'left'. My closest friend and mentor during my early teen years Scott moved away to Sacramento in the summer of 2003. That same month, my own father decided to leave God and the Church and live a completely capitalistic life, seeking after things so temporary and worthless. Both were a huge hit to me that year. I used those two 'leaving' as an excuse to hate and doubt God. An excuse to fall deep into sin, taking me to a place I never dreamed I'd be. I'm still healing from the things I've done and making reparations to the people I've hurt.

This time around, I've learned my lesson. I cannot use this as an excuse for failure. I cannot use this as a reason to be ineffective, lukewarm, and selfish. Rather, I must use this as motivation to fight harder because the spiritual battle that this life truly is has become even more real to me. Satan has brutally attacked someone so close and dear to my life, that I have to fight back. I have to resolute to do God's purposes for me in this life as vengeance for those lost in the battle.

I hope my comrade picks himself up and rejoins us on the frontlines sooner than later.

I'm thankful that through giving myself wholeheartedly to ministry work, that I'm learning more discernment and obtaining 'greater wisdom' (with it, I wouldn't do it. (inside joke)). Seriously though, God has been teaching me a lot. I've become much more spiritual focused and it's been a huge blessing to me. Because I'm devoting my time, energy, and efforts into other people and into the ministry, I have not had a lot of time nor opportunity for sin and all the guilt, shame, pain, and hurt that comes with it.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
-Jeremiah 29:11

Bro, I believe in you and love you. I know you'll bounce back from this even more capable and ready for the calling we've been given. Use this as an experience you've gone through to help those you encounter in the future who have a problem dealing with the same thing. To be cliche, this is your curse and your blessing. I encourage you to take the advice of those leaders that you have talked to. If that involves moving away from the Antelope Valley, I understand and am supportive of it. I hope you do this for you and for God and for no one else. Remember that I'll always be there for you and will always listen to you and hear you out. I am sorry that I couldn't have been a better help to you to keep you away from doing what you did. Unfortunately, it happened. Yes, God does and has forgiven us of our sins, but we do have to deal with the very real earthly consequences that comes with some of those sins. I believe that if you don't let this get to you and if you don't use this as a crutch, God will continue to use you for his glory. "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Ps. 37:4) Continue to seek him out, man. We can never stop searching for Christ. I love you and believe that in God, you can still do amazing things. Take care of your relationship with Him and everything will follow. You're still the bomb.com.

[second thoughts]

It's Sunday morning. 8:50a. My phone rings. It's Luke.

I tell what happened last night.

He tells me something different.

Long story short, One phone call changes everything.

Never mind.

Trust is a hard thing to come by these days.

[untitled 2]

God, you are so real to me. So real.

My eyes are red. My face streaming with tears. My bottom lip quivering. In darkness, I sit in my car in the middle of the desert, engine running, radio off. I look up at the stars. They're beautiful.

I've been driving around west of town, looking for a secluded place to just throw open the floodgates of emotion that I've been holding on to since talking with him in the crowded restaurant. I am alone, but feel comforted. Scared, but secured. Hurt, but mended.

My forehead rests on the steering wheel as I utterly just weep. I'm at a loss for words. All I can do is cry. I think about what my friend just told me at Denny's. I can believe it. It just hurts. It hurts a whole heck of a lot. I think to myself, this isn't about me. But in a lot of ways, it is.

He tells me the wrong he has done; the hurt he has caused; the sin that pierces his soul. My heart breaks in front of him and I try to hold my composure. I can see the fear in his tired eyes. He's been up for quite a while. They're moist and red. He's been crying a lot today. I'm devastated to see someone so full of life like this. But we all have our downs.

I tell him with tears that there is absolutely nothing that he can do that will make me love him less. I tell him that he is my brother, always will be. I accept him fully for who he is, faults and all. I continue on as he lays his head down in his hands and convulses with tears. I put my hand on his and tell him,

"I'm here for you. I always will be. Never doubt that."

We look at each other with wet eyes. I share an experience in my life that I can relate to him with and tell him that it's not the end of the world. God loves to use broken sinners like us. The difference between him and I is that he got open with it quickly, whereas I let this sin infect and wound my soul while I kept it hidden for years. It only got worse until I hit rock bottom. That's when I had to be honest with myself, God, and some close spiritual friends who would let down the rope and pull me up out of the well.

He thanks me for my friendship and love, but says he doesn't deserve it. I reflect on the things I've done in my past and how I've hurt those I love as well.

"Bro, I don't deserve it anymore than you do either. But that's what's so great about God."

He nods in agreement. I'm glad it's not as bad as I thought it would be. All throughout the day, multiple things ran through my mind. The worst of which was that I thought that he would be moving away somewhere and that I most likely would never see him again. That thought killed me. Hopefully, this isn't the case.

He tells me, "Cy, I still want to be faithful. I still love God. I care about God. I care about discipleship," he starts to break into tears, "I care about you; about the ministry..." he goes on and my heart is reassured that he'll come out of this victorious and ever more faithful and sure of his promises in the Lord.

We both say our peace and I let him leave to go home and do what he needs to do. I pick up the bill for our two coffees and head out. Once in the car, I explode into hysterics. It's almost uncontrollable. I feel I need to drive away somewhere far, organize my thoughts, and pray.

I find a good place to pull over and just stop everything. I sit for a while in silence. Just thinking. Just wondering.

As I go through the multitude of feelings and thoughts in my mind, I experience sensations of pain, where I cry so hard and so loud, and sensations of joy, where I rejoice because I know it's not all in vain.

This hits me so hard because it's about the people I care for the most in this life. I confess to God that getting an awesome education, landing a high-paying job, and any other material thing I can gather for myself is worth absolutely nothing to me. What I care about is my family and what I can do to help them and make them happy. So this hurts. It hurts because I feel powerless to fix what he's going through, but at the same time, I am at ease because I know that God works for the good of those who love him and luckily for this guy, he still loves God.

I continue to pray for the ministry and the people involved in it. I pray for the mission that we have on this earth. I pray for the leaders of the church and that they'll be wise in the decisions they make. I pray that I would be completely empty of myself and filled with His spirit because the 'Cy' I know really sucks and can't do much, but if God is for me, who can be against me?

I drive off after a while of thinking and praying and sing a couple songs out loud to God. I sing about God letting his blessings and promises rain down on his people. That he would open up the floodgates of Heaven and bring consistency, sovereignty, righteousness and mercy to his people. I sing another song about being absolutely nothing, but everything to God. About how he commands us to come to Him, stand in silence and be overwhelmed by who He is. All of it. About how that silence is broken by my weeping over my own wretchedness. How Christ's redemptive blood covers my entirety and my shame. How God's powerful and booming voice shakes the Heavens with his words, yet also whispers my name. How Christ catches my tears and wipes them from my face with his hands scarred by the nails of the cross. How I am just so overwhelmed by everything God is and everything I am not.

I think about how relevant those songs are. As I drive home in song, I shed tears of happiness because of life. All I can say to my creator is, God, you are so real to me. So real. I see that tonight more than ever.

I look up at the stars in wonder of the Lord. They're still beautiful.

[yay]

I started to watch a movie, but fell asleep on it for a couple of hours. I awoke to find I had a voice mail message and a missed call on my phone. I listed to the message and it was my mom.

"New Message. Saturday 6:00pm, 'Hey son, it's your mom. I'm outside and can't find my keys. Open up!"

I looked at my alarm clock. It was 6:30p. Whoops! I promptly called her back.

"Hey, boy. Are you awake now?"

"Yeah, sorry mom. Where are you?"

"I'm downstairs. I found my keys."

Whew.

Dad then got home and we watched the new episode of our favorite show that has been on a freaking 17-week hiatus. We then also watched an episode of a new show we're also enjoying a lot, Heroes.

Ah... the return of good TV.

[sigh]

2007.02.09 9:00p

I'm in the middle of Bible Talk and I get a phone call from said friend. I excuse myself from the discussion and take the call outside.

"Hey, man. What up?" I ask.

"Oh... well, a lot. Did you maybe want to get together tonight?" He asks.

I think for a moment. I really want to get together with him and let him talk about what's going on in his life. I've been pretty uneasy about it since Wednesday night. However, my friend Drew from out of town in staying the night with some of the other guys from my ministry. My hands are full. I respond,

"Um. Did you get my message I left earlier?"

"No, sorry, man. I didn't."

"Oh. Well I called to say that Drew was in town and wanted to hang with us tonight if you weren't doing anything. But I understand if you can't or don't feel up to it tonight."

He answers, "Yeah. Tell him I said what's up and sorry, but I can't."

"It's cool, dude. Hey, maybe we can get together tomorrow after choir practice?"

"For sure, bro. Yeah." I hear him say on the other end.

"Okay. I'll call you after practice is done at 11 tomorrow. Cool?" I say.

"Yeah. Okay. Tomorrow then."

"Alright, buddy. Love you, man. I mean it."

"Thanks, Cy. Love you too."

We hang up.

==

Fast forward: 2007.02.10 2:00p

My phone rings.

I answer. "Hey, bud."

"Hey, Cy."

"Still have time to get together today?"

"Yeah, but I'm going to head down below at 3p. So maybe when I get back if I get back at a decent hour?"

Any hour would be okay. I'd stay up to listen to him and hear him out. "Of course, dude. Just give me a call when you head back into town."

"Alright. I talk to you later."

"Later, man. Love you. Drive safe." I respond.

"Thanks. Love you too."

We hang up.

==

The more I think about what is going on and the more I listen to his voice over the phone, the more my heart is restless and utterly breaks at whatever pain or trial this guy is going through. I'm almost on the brink of tears when I can't recognize the joy and excitement for life that is normally conveyed through his voice. Really, all I can do is pray for him and hope that things will work itself out.

Whatever it is, it won't ever keep me from loving him. He's my brother. Seriously.

[are you kidding me?]

2006.01.28

Church was awesome, but I'm flippin' hungry now. Several of my friends and I head out to the mall to grab some grub from the food court. After pondering what I had the appetite to eat for a couple minutes, I decide on The Great Steak Company My friends Kat and Tila choose to get their food from the Mediterranean place right next to the Great Steak.

"Oh, Cy! Where are you eating?"

"Great Steak."

"Have you ever tried this stuff? It's SO good."

"Uh... not really." I say.

Just then, the man behind the counter raises a piece of meat skewered onto a toothpick, and says "Sample? Sample?"

Kat says, "Yeah, Cy! Try one! It's really awesome. No kidding!"

I grab the sample from the guy and as I do, he says,

"Yeah! Try something other than Chinese food for a change!"

I chuckle... -WAIT. What? Did you seriously just make a racially insensitive joke at me? I respond with the only thing I can think of at the time,

"Dude... I don't even really like Chinese food."

In retrospect, I should've said, "Dude, I'm not even Chinese" or maybe retaliate with "Or maybe you should go eat some hummus or something!" Nah, I wouldn't say that.

He goes, "Oh. Whatever."

Yeah... I won't be eating there.

...Whatever.

[last night]

I had a talk with Luke, asking him about another friend of ours and how he is doing. He tells me, "Not good." I figured as much. I've been calling him and he hasn't returned my calls. He didn't show up to church on Wednesday night and he missed the Men's group. It's not something he would usually do, so naturally, I worry. Maybe worry is the wrong word. I'm concerned.

What concerns me most is that Luke says to me, "He's made a mistake and unfortunately, he is paying for it now." Several ideas pop into mind, but I don't want to speculate. I love this guy. He's pretty much the older brother I've never had. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but what Luke says to me is troubling. I resolve to pray for this guy and hope that God works out the best.

I absolutely dislike being in the dark on issues that deal with people close to my heart. I want to know what's going on, but I trust that the proper people do know and when this brother is ready, he'll call me up and tell me what's going on in his life. Luke reaffirms me saying, "All will soon be revealed." He shares that what's going on with our friend won't stay hidden for long; that I will soon know what is happening and that I will be hurt by it, but that I will be able to cope with it and still love him.

Now that scares me. What is going on? As I start my day, I can only push wandering thoughts of endless possibilities aside and trust that God is doing what God needs to do and that man will always have sin and that's just the facts of life.

Amen.

[untitled]

2007.02.08

I feel absolutely drained today. The marathon starts at seven this morning with the alarm clock pulsing through my ears to which the snooze button provides relief for a good twenty minutes, after which I realize that I actually do need to go to school. I make an attempt for a quick shower, skipping the conditioner this time around. A quick brushing of the teeth, shrug on some clothes and I'm out the door by 7:55a. Luckily for me, the college is almost literally right next door.

Have you ever seen that movie where someone is chasing a bad guy or a sweet sudden love interest and the pursuit leads the pursuer into some crowded area, say a train station or a busy metropolis with people pouring down the sidewalks? Finding a parking space at AVC is similar to that during most times of the day. However, at 8:00a, it's not quite as difficult. I find a spot close to the building of my first class, check my face in the mirror to make sure nothing is sticking out of my nose, double check that the car is locked, and briskly make my way to ART102 - History of Art, Renaissance to Modern.

As I enter the classroom, everyone's eyes turn to me to acknowledge my tardiness. Their eyes shift back to Rae Agahari's face to see her response. She smiles at me and quite loudly says, "You name is Cy? Right?!" I respond in the affirmative. She takes her eyes off of me as she checks off my name on her attendance sheet. I take my seat. For the next hour and twenty minutes, my attention is captured by this middle aged Indonesian woman with a distinct accent who has such passion for art and history and even more so when combined together.

She explains to us that by the end of this semester we will have gained the skill to be able to analyze artwork and be able to explain why we feel how we feel about the piece; what works and what does not. She makes a point to say that if anything, it will help us to impress our dates with our vast knowledge of art. For the men especially, it'll show we're are softer than meets the eye. We have an air of sophistication and refinement. I chuckle at her statement and raise my hand. I share with the class that earlier on in my teenage life, I took a girl on a date to the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Unfortunately for me and probably her as well, it turned out to be the most memorable date in a notorious kind of way. Neither she nor I understood any of the art despite our best efforts. It did well to shut us up for the rest of the drive home since we had absolutely nothing to talk about and I ended up falling asleep on her for a good fifteen minutes. I wasn't the one driving obviously. The class laughs at my (and her) misfortune and Rae says that indeed this will be a great class for me.

After she dismisses us, I head straight for my next subject; ECON102-Micro Economics. It's 9:30a and our teacher Ron Halcrow is late. After only an hour and a half of being on campus, I can feel my body shutting down. Before I can think to get something in my stomach, Ron comes through the door and starts lecturing about basic algebraic equations. I'm a master at basic algebra and am quickly put to sleep. I'm roused several times in between discussions of Price and Quantity in comparison to the X and Y axes, but stay unconscious for the next forty or so minutes when he lets the class out twenty minutes early. I use this opportunity to actually place my head on the desk and attempt to get some quick Zs, but to no avail. I figure if I can't actually sleep, I'll try my best to stay awake. I leave the classroom and head out to the vending machines in the lobby of the building. I grab a packet of strawberry PopTarts and a bottle of water and head back to class.

Back in the classroom, Ron is back for my next hour and a half bout with economics; ECON101-Macro Economics. Mr. Halcrow is an interesting man. He chuckles after almost every other phrase as if he is saying something either deeply profound or incredibly witty. Through most of his chuckles he interjects his signature murmuring of "Okay?" It's odd and a bit distracting for me, since I do focus a lot on people's speech habits. However, after a couple of months it will not be an issue. Last semester, Mr. Taback, my biology teacher, really irked me with his constant squinting in the first couple weeks of classes. After that, I didn't really notice it anymore, although he did continue to squint a lot as if some stinging sweat was continually creeping into his eyes. Due to my quick sugar rush, I'm able to stay awake and involved in Halcrow's Economics Part Deux. By 12:20p, I am done with economics for the day.

As I make my way over to the center part of campus, I'm greeted by one of my former classmates from my Vocal Class. Kelly and I chat for a bit about what classes we're taking this semester, how our grades were last semester, and what our plans are after the semester; typical collegiate chit chat. Somewhere along the conversation, I let her know about the bibletalk groups I lead every Monday and Thursday. Then, somehow I find out that she's been going to church down in the valley every weekend because she hasn't found a church up in the Antelope Valley yet. She had just moved prior to the fall semester. We exchange phone numbers and I let her know that our church is always looking for more people to join the singing ministry. I also let her know that I lead the church's college ministry and would love for her to come out to things. We exchange pleasantries and go on our ways.

Ten minutes to bibletalk and I having a conversation with a complete stranger named Troy about his take on agnosticism. He doesn't think so much that there is no absolute way to know God or if there is a God, but rather has quite a distaste for organized religion, denouncing everything from Hinduism and Buddhism to Catholicism and Southern Baptist Christianity. He believes in taking the good of all of those things to help shape his own morals and beliefs, but because of each Church's flaws with odd traditions and inequality regarding women, he has no faith in the institution of religion. When he tells me that he does, however, believe in God, I ask him if he would like to join us for our bibletalk where we could talk more about it. He kindly declines.

I start bibletalk five minutes late because of my lengthy discussion with Troy. Everyone else who I am expecting to be at the group is there; Luke, Amanda, Hunter, and Mike. Victor is a new face that I introduce myself to amicably. We all sit down and I have everyone open their Bibles to Leviticus chapter 4. We discuss the Sin Offering of the Israelite nation and the imputation of sin from man to animal and the sacrifice that had to made for the atonement of sin. We then discuss Hebrews chapter 10 about Christ being the sacrifice in place of bulls, goats and lambs. We talk about him being the final sacrifice and atonement for sins for all of eternity and how, in today's society, we are applying that to our daily lives; whether or not we're taking the blessing of the freedom we have in Christ and using it for his further glory or if we're keeping it locked away in some secret place in our lives. As I'm leading the thoughts in today's bibletalk, I myself am convicted to follow through on being more expressive of what Christ has saved me from: Damnation. After the bibletalk, I talk separately with Victor about having a bible study on Monday at 10:00a.

Legitimately tired and hungry, I head to the cafeteria with Mike and Hunter. These days I haven't been caring too much about eating healthy, so I order the greasy chicken quesadilla and the even greasier cheese fries. Like a starving lion in the Savannas, I eat the two orders with much voracity. After the meal, the three of us drive back to my house to watch a couple video clips saved on my computer; A South Park episode about Cartman's hand being the next pop star, Jennifer Lopez and the first episode of Robot Chicken. We laugh for a bit and try to waste two hours browsing the internet.

3:30p comes around and it's time for me to go to my three hour Anthropology Class; ANTH102 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. I find a parking spot adequately close to the campus and make my way to the Anthropology room. As I enter, I count nine students other than myself. Small class. I sign in, take two handouts from the teacher; a 17-page syllabus and a 5-page guideline for writing the research paper. For the next hour, Beth Bridgers discusses the syllabus while I try, but fail, to stay awake. I should think about getting more than five hours of sleep on Wednesday nights. Luckily for me, she dismisses the class two hours early at 4:30p. Oddly enough, I snap to attention at the words and promptly make my way off campus, to my car, and back home.

Needing some time to relax before heading out to my church's men's group tonight, I browse around on facebook, check my email, read some blogs, and write this one. On the subject of reading some blogs, I stumbled across the blog of one of the guys I went to High School with, Kai Kaapro. He was a senior when I was a freshman, but we're somehow friends on facebook. His blog contains his journal entries from during his 70-day hike along the Appalachian Trail starting in Georgia and concluding in Maryland. It's a very good read. Kai is an extremely good writer and I found myself reading several of his entries at a time with no problem. Check it out at Into The Wild.

Well, it's now time for me to go pick up Lonnie, a guy from our high school ministry, and head out to the men's group. Hope some part of my day was interesting enough for you to read, although it was quite wordy. I'll work on that for next time. It has been a while, though, since I've posted. I guess this is the accumulation of all the writing that has been stored up in me and is bursting at the seams.

Cy