when the weather outside is frightful...

- We made it to Michigan yesterday...barely. We left around noon and picked up Alaina in Philly. The weather was fine across Pennsylvania and into the beginning parts of Ohio and we were making great time. Then came the first accident. We sat for an hour on the highway about 90 miles east of Toledo while a large accident got cleared up. Luckily we were: a) about a quarter mile behind the accident so we weren't involved and b) about a quarter mile behind the accident because the Ohio Turnpike had to be backed up at least 20 miles. After they clear up the accident we got moving and the roads were treacherous. Sticky slush tried to pull the Subaru all over the road but the Subby refused to be man-handled in such a way. It rained through out the rest of Ohio and hovered near the freezing mark making any driving above 60 mph foolish. As we entered Michigan the roads cleared a bit, which almost had me thinking I was on the well plowed roads of the New York State Thruway. I soon found out how wrong I was. It was only a matter of time before the road became barely "plowed" if you even want to call it that. It was not uncommon to find myself driving back and forth between the lanes merely because that's what the plow had decided to plow. Numerous SUVs were off the road, only further confirming my beliefs that many SUV drivers think they are invincible and are in fact, not even close. Our speed was around 50mph for this section and once in a while on a good stretch I could push it to the blistering pace of 55mph (for anyone who knows how I like to drive, 55mph felt like walking but I was smart and held back from speeding). Interstate-96 brought slightly better paved roads and we passed a few plows (I will save my diatribe against the poor design of Michigan plows for another blog post). We passed plenty of accidents and plenty of people flying along the highway at a good 30mph (they obviously hadn't been driving from New Jersey all day). The worst accident we passed, which we likely barely missed, was a tractor trailer completely spun around and 2 cars off the road near it. The vehicles didn't look too damaged but we called 911 to alert them and police were already on the way. I only hit one spot of slush that tried to make the back end come around but with a little correction the Subaru again refused to be driven off the road bringing to mind the civil rights era song lyrics, "We shall not, We shall not be moved." The precipitation at this point was minimal and our greatest danger were the bad road conditions and even worse drivers including the mini-van who was tailgating me for a quarter-mile. We got off 96 onto 28th St safely, though the exit ramp was a mess and pulled onto Jefferson SE at approximately 3:58 am Subaru time, 3:53 EST. We quickly unpacked the car and hit the pillows, relieved to be done driving.

So we're here. And we're excited.

when the clock says stop we're all gonna drop

- I are currently in Day 4 of the DTTOYTDLEADSTWDST Project '08 (see the last post for what the acronym means) and I am doing pretty well. The list is being checked off at a quick pace and I am proud to say that I have not felt as though I have wasted a day of break so far.
- I just got back from the Bonner Foundation staff White Elephant gift exchange and unfortunately got stuck with one of the gifts we brought, which to say the least, was pretty bad. Luckily the format of this gift exchange was things that we pretty bad, so plenty of other people got stuck with bad things.

their green grass is green, our green grass is brown

- The weather has been absolutely silly lately. I went running Saturday in tights, long sleeve thermal, gloves, and a hat. Today I went running in shorts and a t-shirt. That is just silly.
- Today is the first day of the "Do the Things on Your To-Do List Eric and Don't Spend the Whole Day Surfing the Internet" Project '08. It was mildly successful. I luckily started with applying for an exam I need to take in February. I say luckily because, unbeknownst to me, today was the last day to sign up. Sweet life Eric.
- I am thinking of starting a monthly mix-CD give away. It will go something like this: I will post a blog entry which says "This Month's mix-CD is ready" and the first three people to respond with their addresses or SBN's will get a free copy of the mix-CD, postage paid and all. The mix-CD will contain songs that I have been listening to a lot during the month, or that are fitting to the time of year. There may be repeats month-to-month, as mix-CD maker, I reserve the right to do that, because I can. This may or may not also be a shameless plug at keeping people's interest in the blog peaked.

run, run, rudolph whizzin like a merry go round

- Fall semester 08-09 is done! I finished up this morning with a Greek translation exam on 1 Corinthians 13. We translated it during the semester and it's a pretty easy passage so it was no problem. It feels good to be done and hard to believe I have only 1 semester of seminary left.
- Miriam and I are enjoying another relaxed weekend at home, she's currently doing some craft projecting and I am celebrating the end of the semester by wasting time on the internet doing nothing productive.
- We don't take off for Michigan until the 23rd and Miriam still has to work this next week and a half so we've set up quite a list of things I need to accomplish during the time. Lists are good for me because without them I, a) do absolutely nothing and b) tend to forget anything that Miriam asks me to do or I think of to do.
- Some of the things on my list:
- Schedule dr.'s appointments
- Not waste the entire day on the internet
- Get new banjo strings/learn to play banjo
- Clean up my crap
- Clean up our storage unit
Big things!

- Just a quick correction that the title of the last post should have been 2 Kings 2:23-25 not 3:23-25

2 Kings 2:23-25

This weekend was Miriam and I's first weekend with no travel since September and it was wonderful.
Thursday brought a holiday party at the Borough which was quite fun and included a rousing game of Blokus.
Friday night was the Christmas dinner and dance at the Seminary. The dinner was disappointing but the party and dance were very fun. We danced hard, until they blew the amp and the music stopped for 20 minutes or so. By the time the music started again Miriam and I, like the old married we are, were too tired to continue dancing it out and retreated back home.
Saturday was a day filled with absolutely nothing and it was awesome. Miriam and Emily spent the day running errands and doing things. All I did was make 2 loaves of bread and clean the toilet. Other than that I spent the entire days in sweats basking in pre-finals laziness. That night we went to a surprise birthday party for our friend Jenelle which was very fun and included a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting (my favorite).
Sunday brought its usual churh-i-ness which was fun and tiring but I survived.
This week is finals week and my motivation is near an all time low (a bit of senioritis perhaps, something my parents will likely shudder at the thought of, given my senior year of high school)
That is all for now.

the day that will live in infamy

Burt Reynolds Day '08: The Day When the Mustache is King

staring at the sun, trying not to breath

Some pics from Thanksgiving weekend in Upstate.

get paid!

Happy Thanksgiving!
We arrived at my parent's house last night around 5:30. Miriam got out of work early which was fantastic, meaning that we could beat the terrible traffic. Surprisingly though most of the traffic we saw was heading into New Jersey. Apparently Thanksgiving is the only time of the year when people aren't desperate to get out of NJ.
Ran the Cardiac Classic 5k this morning. It was a brisk 35 degrees or so this morning but I still ran in shorts and a singlet with t-shirt underneath. My buddy Matt won the race and I ran a 28 second p.r. for a 17:55. Pretty exciting for me since my previous 5k p.r. came at the end of XC season my junior year of college when I was arguably the fittest I've ever been. The race felt pretty easy and I ran really smooth through the whole thing which was great. Miriam was a champ and braved the cold to cheer along the way and my Dad was out as well with the dog taking pics. Jane ran it as well.
After that we headed over to the Busman's for bagels and to see lots of camp people. Dinner was amazing at the 'rents though Mamma B went to bed around 1:30 with flu-like symptoms...bummer. We finished the preperations and had a great meal but it was sad that she didn't get to see so much of her hard work get devoured in no time by hungry Barnes's.
Overall a great turkey day. I've decided that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Namely, I love racing in the morning, heading to Busman's, seeing family in the afternoon, and then hanging out with the Hileman's in the evening. It also doesn't have the over-commercialization of Christmas to go along with it.
Off tree hunting tomorrow with the fam and then who knows what!

T.E.E.O.

- Haven't posted in a while so here goes:
- I still find myself very excited about the election results.
- Was on the High School retreat this weekend. We had a really great retreat, despite the rain we made it work and I think the students had a blast. It was very weird that this was my last High School retreat with this youth group. This being my third year working with them it is going to be really hard to leave the program. I'm trying not to think about it
- I've gotten to talk on video Skype with my nieces Grace and Hannah and nephew Sam a couple times these past few days while Miriam has been visiting Mark and Rachel in Michigan and that has been really good. I spent nearly an hour this afternoon talking with Sam and Grace. We played a couple games of guess the number between 1 and 10 and Grace read some poems and Sam explained something he was building it really was quite great. It was a bummer not being able to go but being able to see them and talk with them anyway helped to make up for it.
- I am getting pumped for Thanksgiving. Really hoping to run a good race at the Cardiac Classic in the a.m. and get some major eating in during the p.m. followed up with some football watching (I only watch the NFL on Thanksgiving anymore. I don't really care about it, but some traditions just don't die!)

startin up a brand new day

I woke up this morning tired. Tired but with new eyes. Driving Miriam to work this morning and being in Wegmans getting groceries I realized that I was just really happy, no other words to explain it. I can hardly explain what I feel in coherent words but I now see America with new eyes. I know that Barack will not solve all our problems. I know that one person is not the answer. I know that we have a long road to go and there will be times where I think the decisions Barack will make are stupid. But that doesn't stop me from being excited and pumped to see where the next 4 years will take us. I by no means think the US is God's gift to the world and the greatest nation ever. But I do believe that America has a lot to offer; a lot that it needs to offer to the hurting places of the world. It will be nice to see someone in office who (hopefully!) thinks America has more to offer than just more bombs.
Voting yesterday was electrifying. Being able to press the button for Barack Obama/Joe Biden filled me with giddiness. My mother called at 6:55 am because she has just voted and in her words "was all tingly." That right there shows what kind of candidate Obama was. No one would have been going as crazy if Kerry has won in '04 because most people were voting against Bush and not for Kerry. People were behind Obama, were excited about what he could do.
I also can't forget to mention the sheer awesome-ness of partaking in such a historic vote yesterday. Racism is by no means defeated in America but a lot of people stood up yesterday and echoed the words of MLK when he said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
This is a great day indeed.

straight up tell me...

Oh it happened.

vote

VOTE TODAY

and it's a big, a big hard sun

Snow in Central Jersey seems to be something a bit rare in the winter months but snow in October?!?! That's just unheard of! I had to get out the camera to take a picture to prove that is was so. Today was quite a change from yesterday's sunny 60ish temperatures. High near 40 today and blustery. Did go running around 5:30 and the weather really brought me back to running in Geneva during cross country season as fall progressed, it sure got cold up there.
Election day is a week away. At this point I'm ready for it to be over with. Why not just hold the election tomorrow? Is anyone actually still undecided?
Big night tomorrow at the soup kitchen most likely. Our highest numbers ever were 408 at the end of last month and this past week we had 400 which is amazing because it wasn't the last week of the month. This being the last week of the month should make things interesting. It is amazing how the need in this country keeps on growing.

here's comes the rain, do, do, do, do

- Some pics from the trip to the farmer's market today: Enjoy!
- Miriam's friend Alaina is town visiting which is fun except it's rainy here today which it always seems to be when we hang out with Alaina, bummer.
- I have been working with the Comic Life program on my Mac to make posting pictures cooler. Blogger's formatting is pretty bland with just the box formats of one picture stacked on top of another. But with Comic Life I can tile the photos and put them all as one which in my humble opinion is more appealing to the eye. I am intent on putting up more pics so the few people who actually read this blog can see what Miriam and I have been up to. Also, if the pics are too small to see you can click on it and it should zoom in: sweet!
- I had my mid-certification interview yesterday for ordination. It went really well and they are pleased with how I am doing and what I am doing. It's good to be affirmed in that for sure.

two wheels to freedom

Rode today for the first time in almost two months. I was inspired to ride by some work I was doing on the bike yesterday and the cooling fall weather. Kind of hard to not ride a cyclocross bike during cyclocross season, kind of sac-relig. Here are some pics:

oooo, how do you not smell that peppa?

This is HILARIOUS:
http://www.ucbcomedy.com/videos/play/2692

Seriously, watch it, it has potential to change your life

he's got two left feet and he bites my moves

- Had a nice little weekend this weekend. Jane got into town Thursday afternoon and we filled her visit with Karaoke, Hiking, Ultimate Frisbee, cooking, and other fun things. Saturday we met my parents at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in Madison, NJ to see Romeo and Juliet. One of my dad's former students had the part of Romeo. I really enjoyed the whole show, the way it was done was superb. Romeo did a marvelous job and my Dad was quite excited to be able to see his former student perform. We went into the green room afterwards to meet up with Jordan (Romeo) and he greeted us with an excited "Mr. Barnes!" I am sure he was pretty stoked that a former English teacher of his drove 2.5 hours to see him perform.
- I have off from school this week which is pretty exciting though I have plenty of work to be doing. I have my mid-certification interview this Friday for ordination so I am busy preparing for that. I don't have much of an idea of what will happen during it but I am confident I can go in and let them know I am learning and still feeling quite called to ministry (now it's just making them believe me!)
- Middle school retreat coming up this weekend at good ol' Camp Bernie. I have been really looking forward to the retreats this year so I am stoked about this one.

2 blog posts in 2 days, consider yourself lucky...or cursed
- We went to see Toni Morrison read from her new book "A Mercy" last night. It was really cool to be able to hear such an amazing writer read from her own work. Her voice was really soothing and part of my was glad I was not on a couch because I would have fallen asleep hardcore!
- I found out today that I am going to India in January with Western Seminary. As an RCA student at another seminary I can apply to take advantage of Western's Intercultural Immersion programs. I did find this out until this year and it would not have worked until this year given that finals had been after Christmas until this year. I had originally put Oman as my number one choice but got a call from the dean of Western this morning saying things had changed and India was an option so I changed my number one choice and lo and behold I will be heading to India. I do not have a lot of info on it quite yet but I am really excited to be going. I tend to feel a little bit behind on the whole world travel front given that Miriam has been all over including spending 6 years of her childhood living in Liberia (I've only been to England and Bermuda. Canada doesn't count)

on the road again

- We had a great weekend in Upstate. Trip back on Friday night was a bit stressful given that everyone from NJ and downstate NY leave on the weekends to go elsewhere but we made it to Duanesburg unscathed. Saturday brought beautiful weather and a fantastic run along one of my favorite routes to run. We had lunch with my grandparents and enjoyed a housewarming party at Jenna and Jordan's new casa where we saw a lot of camp friends which was awesome. Sunday brought a drive out to Geneva and Canandaigua for a wedding of two college friends. The ceremony was great and the reception as well. We saw a lot of people I had not seen since graduation which was awesome. Nothing like saying, hey haven't seen you in two years tell me in three sentences what you've been up to and oh yea, I got married! It wasn't too overwhelming for Miriam and it was good to have her there with me. The drive back took 5.5 hours and we got back at 2am, that part wasn't as fun.
- A few observations I made while in Upstate:
1. The leaves were amazing and being able to see them on rolling hills is just what the doctor ordered.
2. Way less people drive SUVs in NY than do in NJ, nevermind that you would actually find an SUV useful in NY winters whereas in NJ they are completely useless.
3. I miss space, NJ just doesn't have a lot of open space.
4. I forgot how many political signs people put up around Rotterdam. What was interesting though was there were many more signs for local and state elections than the presidential one. I wonder if that has to do with the fact that Obama would take NY even if he didn't campaign there.
- Speaking of voting, I had to drive to Trenton on Friday to register to vote because they never submitted the form I filled out when I got my license to register. I blame it entirely on "the man" trying to suppress my vote.
- Jane is coming on Thursday to visit which should be a lot of fun.
- We are reading Gilead by Marilynne Robinson in one of my classes and I am nearly done and want to read the whole thing again, it is an amazing book. We have next week off so I plan on doing just that.
- Election day is three weeks away, I feel like I get more nervous everyday. I am anticipating some sleepless night as it gets closer.
- Miriam and I put our Obama sticker on the car this past week and I have actually been able to look at the back of the car again and not focus entirely on the NJ plates that we have.

i've never felt so strange, standin in the jersey rain

- Art, Music, Justice tour was excellent. We really enjoyed the music and the overall message. Would have liked to see some more music but can't complain too much. One of the artists, Charlie Peacock could have to used to just not talk. His talking drove us nuts, he attempted to preach a short sermon and it was annoying, just not the place for it. But a good weekend overall, we enjoyed hanging out with some of Miriam's friends from her days working at Messiah (I suppose I can start calling them my friends now as well)
- First full Sunday at Westfield this week. We played a rousing game of number hockey in High School fellowship that further proved to me that number hockey is the best game we play there.
- I try not to get too political on this blog but lately Sarah Palin has just been pissing me off. I really get tired of the attacks trying to question Obama's patriotism. News flash: People don't run for president who aren't patriotic, that would just be idiotic. I am also sick of the Republicans trying to use Jeremiah Wright's sermons as fodder for attacks against Obama. Taking parts of his sermon's out of context does make him out to be un-American but if you listen to the sermons he's telling the truth. One of my preaching professors cites Wright's post-9/11 sermon (one of sermons used as sound bites) as a good example of prophetic lament. I respect the man because, if for nothing else, he's not like so many preachers these days whose allegiance is first to the United States and secondly to the Church. That's not biblical. Ok, enough ranting.
- As we head up to NY this weekend I am really looking forward to seeing the leaves changing colors, hopefully we haven't missed too much.

every step i go i grow another second young

- I've been a little Upstate New York-sick these last couple days. As the temperatures get colder and fall moves in I can't help but yearn for some rolling farm country or the Adirondacks. Miriam and I are heading upstate next weekend which will be excellent. We're off to a couple friends housewarming party in Glenville and a wedding of two college friends of mine in Geneva. It should be a great trip, we're stoked about it to say the least.
- I stumbled across a group called The Gaslight Anthem in the latest Rolling Stone and the description of them as a punkier Bruce Springsteen jumped out at me so I checked them out. They are awesome to say the least. The group is from New Brunswick, NJ (about 25 minutes from Princeton) and sing the usual Jersey-themed lyrics which seem to be about getting away from where you are. Needless to say these songs have resonated with me in my state of desiring to get the heck out of NJ. While I usually turn to bluegrass when missing Upstate NY this time I turn to a little Jersey-road music.
- Week 3 of classes is done and I've begun to set a good rhythm in place.
- Miriam and I are heading to Messiah College for the weekend to see some of her friends and to see the Art, Music, Justice tour which features Derek Webb, Sarah Groves, and Sandra McCraken. Should be a great trip.
- The beer Ben and I brewed is done and mighty tasty. We're pretty excited that our first attempt turned out so well. We're planning on brewing again in a couple weeks.
- Phish are getting back together and playing 3 three shows in Hampton, VA. I've seen them on their last two 'final' tours and loved it. I listened to them a little earlier this summer but before that hadn't listened in a year and a half probably. I haven't seriously listened to them since the last time I saw them. I'm hemming and hawing if I have the desire to see any of these shows.
- Nov. 4 is fast approaching. Register to vote if you haven't yet. I'm eagerly and nervously awaiting that day.

blame it all upon my rosary

- Miriam and I went into NYC last night to take advantage of free train week for students and to see a favorite band of ours, Basement Band. B-ri got me into them during my first summer at camp and I've subsequently got Miriam into them. I saw them in Albany back in December or January and was quite stoked to see them again; they did not disappoint. A little flustered by the sound guy telling them they needed to start out right after setting up because they needed to be off within in 35 minutes the show started a little slow but built in huge momentum. They covered a Dylan song and rocked it. They also played a number of my favorites of theirs including "Charleston" which has some of the most amazing harmonies I've ever heard; with that song they completely sold the crowd who was filled with some of their bands and some to see bands playing later in the night. They end the night with a Fleetwood Mac cover (The Chain) in which Amal, their female vocalist was a dead ringer for Stevie Nicks. It was such a great show and tough work I imagine selling yourself to an audience in NYC but they did excellently. We are excited to see them again sometime soon. If I was a record exec, I'd sign them...NOW!
- Just finished up the first week of classes and it looks like it will be a good semester. I'm only taking 3 classes compared to the normal 4 to 5 because of the curriculum shift here and it should be great. I should be able to give more attention to each class than previously before. One of the classes involved creative writing which excites me, haven't done too much creative writing here outside of sermon prep.
- Youth group has begun to start up at Westfield which I am really excited about. I also started my other internship there working at their soup kitchen in Elizabeth. It is raw. I'll be posting more about it I am sure. But if you need any proof to refute Republicans who say the economy is not bad shape come along and you'll see they're lying. It is good work they do there and very much different from any soup kitchen I've been to before.

thunderstruck

It's thundering big time here right now, it's awesome. I love thunderstorms and the sounds of pouring rain. We hadn't gotten rain in a few weeks and we had an all day pour-fest here on Saturday and now it's at it again. Good for the earth I suppose. I learned to appreciate rain two summers ago when the first week of camp it rained and rained and the lake rose nearly 3 feet. That was crazy.
I was listening to NPR on my way back from the market this morning and they were interviewing a guy who is working for a company working to bring inexpensive high speed internet to third world countries. Now my first thought was "really, do they need high speed internet there, what about food, medicine, and clean drinking water first?" But then he acknowledged that high speed internet was not the answer to all problems but these countries also needed better communication tools overall and better means of transport, not one mention of food, medicine, and clean drinking water. Now I don't deny that third world countries need better means of transport and better communication tools but high speed internet... really? I can just picture it now, a small village in the Congo where people still live in fear of militia attacks and constantly deal with dysentery because of unclean drinking water and AIDs in still unchecked, but hey, at least they can watch YouTube and surf for porn, now how's that for progress?!
School starts up again in less than a week. Can't decide if I am excited or not. I will keep you updated.

while you be makin it rain, i be makin it snow

It's been a little while since I've written so lots to tell:
- I finished Greek last Friday. It felt good to be done and felt good not having stressed a lot over it all summer.
- Miriam's parents have been in town since last Friday which has been great. My parents came down for Saturday afternoon and Sunday which was also really good. The pics are from our hike on Monday. We hiked Bearfort Ridge in northern Jersey which I'd been to once before and has to be my favorite place in NJ. You can see the NYC skyline a few times during the hike (which none of the guidebooks mention which we think is a way to keep people from flocking to the trail like crazy). We also saw a black bear during the hike which is cool in a scary/exciting way especially since it was a cub and the mama bear was no where to be seen so we freaked a bit thinking we were in between the two (never a good idea). A little retreat down the trail and some noise making scared the bear off and we finished the rest of the hike with our nerves a little on edge. We also saw a 3 foot long snake, some salamanders, and crossed the NY/NJ border on the AT. Quite an interesting hike to see a bear and the NYC skyline, perfect example of the craziness of NJ.
- Had to run home yesterday for a meeting with my classis (the group that ordains me). They tested me on some things and I passed, one step closer to being ordained!
- While driving through Schenectady yesterday I saw someone with a bumper sticker that read "Say NO to FOIS GRAS: Ban force feeding." It also had a picture of a goose or duck being force feed. For some reason this bumper sticker really pissed me off, not about the force feeding of geese/ducks but about the fact that this was this particular person's "cause" of choice. I couldn't help but think, really, this is what you are angry and protesting about? Some delicacy that less than a tenth of a percent of the world's population could probably afford to eat, let alone have any interest in? What about something that affected a few more people, perhaps people going hungry right in Schenectady or the War in Iraq? But no, you chose to be pissed off about Fois Gras. I know I shouldn't judge lest I be judged but this really pissed me off for some reason.

i look good

forgot to post this in the last post.  Our wedding photographer put up some pics on his blog.  They are dope.  I look good.  Miriam looks better.  'Nuf said.

blog.danieljpesta.com 

my mercury's in retrograde

- Almost 4 weeks ago now I decided I was going to be a runner again.  Since finishing up cross country my senior year of college I have had quite the love-hate relationship with running.  I'll go through a phase in which I'll train, run a race, do well, have fun, then half a week later decide I hate running and strictly cycle.  Then 3 months down the road I'll start running again, the annoying part of course being that I would have lost all the running fitness I built up.  This past running-hating time period was probably the longest I've had, despite the fact that I ran a 25k during that time period (though not on more than 20 miles a week).  But now I'm back running again, this week I'll probably do just 20-21 miles but I'm building up again and deciding between the Harrisburg Marathon (Nov. 9) and the Philadelphia Marathon (Nov. 23) with the goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon, which will entail running sub-3:10, which is within reason if I train well.  I've been running in the high heat of the day down here (between 2 and 3pm when it's anywhere between 80 and 95ish), which is something I've never done but I'm enjoying.  But enough about that.

- I've been working on a bike I found next to a dumpster in our apartment complex and I've come to a stand still.  I cannot get the bottom bracket off (the part that helps the cranks and pedals to turn) which makes sense considering the bike is probably 15+ years old and a little rusty and no one, likely, has taken any of these parts off before.  But it's fun and it is good to learn on a bike that was free as opposed to one you paid for.

- We watched Smart People last night, very funny movie.

- The NBC announcers for the Olympics are, at times, completely terrible.  During the Men's 10k on the track the announcer continuously called Abdi Abdirahman "Abdi Abdirockman" and at one point called Jorge Torres, "George Torres" before correcting himself.  They love to put at least one person on the commenting team who has absolutely no idea what they are talking about on every sport, makes sense...not.  Michael Phelps is an animal, though I think it is high time for them to quit constantly talking about him, let's hear about some others feats.  Track cycling was fun to watch, Chris Hoy, who won 3 golds for Great Britain is a beast.  I'm sad the Olympics end on Sunday but I suppose it is good that they don't go forever, keeps them exciting.  

- This post was entirely too long and did not real say much of anything.  

everything i spit is pure gold...

- Spent most of the last week up at Fowler.  Miriam was chaplain for the whole week but I had class Tues-Fri.  I was able to take my test early and head up on Thursday which was nice.  So good to be up there for a bit.  Confirmed my decision to not work there for another summer but it still is a place I miss.  A few former staff were up this past weekend and we had a great time.  Some good canoeing and hanging out on the swim dock were fantastic, just what the doctor ordered.

- Jane and I did some hiking last Sunday and then Miriam, Jane, and I did some on Monday.  I love the Adirondacks, they truly are a beautiful place.

- I-87 has now replaced I-287 as my least favorite road to drive given its abundance of Jerzey and downstate drivers that fill it up and drive really crappy.

- Greek is going really well, just started the 6th week which means less than 3 weeks left which is great.  It is hard, though, to believe summer is almost over.

let's raise a toast to saint joe strummer...

Pretty average week so far.  Miriam has been at work a lot this week because of a conference the Bonner Foundation was hosting.  While it meant she was at work until 9 Monday and Tuesday and had to go in on Sunday, it did mean I got to mooch 2 free meals which was awesome.  For those who don't know I love free stuff, I'll take advantage of anything free, even if it makes no sense to take advantage of it.

We're heading up to camp this weekend which I am really looking forward to.  Miriam will be chaplain all next week while I'll be taking Greek...meh (though we don't have class Monday so that is nice).  It will good to see all the changes up there and to see people, not to mention that the Adirondacks have to be about my favorite place on earth.  In the few days I'll be up we'll hopefully get in some good hiking and canoeing.

Read two more books so far this week: Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris and Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut.  Ferris' book was a fiction novel about a marketing office trying to survive in the early 00's.  It was really quite funny and a quick read.  I have never worked in an office but I feel like it probably gave a good portrait of office work.  Vonnegut's book was by far the weirdest of his I've ever read but good none-the-less.  I think I need a break from him though.  3 of his books in 2 weeks has left my brain fried.

I've been listening to The Hold Steady's new album and it is freakin' great.  They are truly a modern day Springsteen with a little more punk mixed in.  I also recently downloaded an older Drive-By Truckers album, The Dirty South.  The album came out in 2004 and it kicks major ass.  The album is a driving Southern Rock album that is able to embrace and at the same time rise above the hick-ish stereotypes of the south.  

i try not to set precedents just stack dead presidents

-I've read four books in the last week:

Cat's Cradle and The Sirens of Titan, both by Kurt Vonnegut

The Legend of Colton H. Bryant by Alexandra Fuller

Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

This is surely one of the nice things about not being at camp for the summer.  I would always show up at camp expecting to read one or two books and come out reading one or two chapters.  So far this summer I think I've read nearly 10 books already, it's grand.

- Yesterday Miriam and I nearly got pinned into a guardrail by a NJ Transit bus while out riding. I swear that drivers in this state could care less if they kill a cyclist.  Needless to say NJ Transit will be receiving a complaint from the Barnes' about that driver.

- We video-Skyped with Miriam's brother and sister-in-law and their kids last night.  Technology is quite a nice thing when you're 11.5 hours away from people.

 

hott in...so hott in hurr

So it's been about a million degrees here the last week or so.  It has been quite an adjustment being back in real place with real heat during the summer.  It would get hot in the mountains but usually we'd be near water in some manner or on the water and that made it bearable.  In Jersey it's just hot, no relief.

Which leads me to how we spent our Saturday: at the Jersey Shore...yes, the Jersey Shore...and yes it is nearly as ridiculous as your mind is imagining right now.  It took us 3 hours to drive a 1:45 hour drive because of traffic.  We also were headed to Ocean City which, is a little farther than the closest beach to Princeton but Miriam has a friend working their this summer.  Let's just say Ocean City is everything about New Jersey that makes me sick...amplified: lots of people, lots of gaudiness, lots of unnecessary SUV driving, and lots of unchecked consumerism.

I also got ran off the road by a tractor trailer last week...it was awesome.  It really makes me glad I don't remember anything about getting hit in September because I am sure something like this past week would make me not want to ride.

We saw The Dark Knight on Friday and it was out of this world good.  Heath Ledger's Joker makes Jack Nicholson's Joker look like child's play.  The movie was really dark but that just added to its awesomeness.  I really can't say enough about Heath Ledger's Joker, it was flawless.  He never broke character and the character he developed was classic.  Movies like this don't aren't normally Oscar worthy but Heath Ledger should get at least a nomination, regardless of the sentimental votes he will get because of his death.  Go see the movie...now.

gimme da loot gimme da loot

So one week of greek down.  It isn't too bad so far, so much easier than Hebrew already.  I know it will get really difficult at one point but it is alright for now.

I have come to resent the English program at Schalmont (my school district) for not teaching good grammar skills, it has really hurt me trying to learn language.  It is hard to know what an indirect object is in Greek when you don't know what one is in English.  My dad, who was an English teacher before becoming assistant principle told me that there was a movement away from teaching grammar in the 90s, sweet...thanks English educators for being dumb.

We've had a few people over this week at times for meals and it has been fun.  It is nice to host people in our new place.

We got a KitchenAid mixer for a wedding gift.  I've used it twice already.  I made cookies today (they were awesome) and I made bread yesterday.  The bread turned out about 75% good I'd say.  Yeast is tricky and the bread tastes good but didn't rise a ton and thus is only about an inch tall.  Oh well, it's a learning process.

n-e-double u jerze

Today was a sad day: I took off my NY license plates and put on New Jersey plates.

Yesterday was a sad day too: I had to hand in my NY driver's license and get a NJ one.   The upside: my picture looks good. 

So I haven't written in quite sometime but as you can now imagine, we are finally settled into NJ for good, and by for good I mean for a year...then we are getting the hell out.

So a recap of June:

- I got married! It was a tremendous affair and I think all involved had a great time.  Official pics will be up on our photographers site soon and I'll post the link.  It was awesome to have seminary friends, camp friends, college friends (holla!), other friends, and family all hanging out and enjoying themselves.  It was also sweet having the wedding on Sunday because it meant we had a whole weekend of festivities.

- We had a dope honeymoon in Ithaca, NY filled with lots of hanging, hiking through some sweet gorges, winery stopping and wine tasting, and other fun things.

- I spent 3 weeks taking classes that were required for RCA ordination.  They weren't as bad as I thought, though writing papers for them now sucks.

- I turned 24.

- I discovered some of the greatest cycling roads ever in between Holland and Saugatuck in western Michigan.

- I've been riding fixed way more that free wheel and loving it.

And a recap of July so far:

- I started summer Greek at Princeton on Monday.  Motivation is hard to find.

- We had a sweet party at my parents in NY complete with a performance by the Sacandaga String Band who graced us with 3 sets of bluegrass/folk/mind rocking.  It was great to see camp friends, friends from home, and other people I hadn't seen in years.

- We're almost to completely unpacked and our apartment is looking great.   

Now that I'm settled in one place I'll write more often...hopefully.

tryin to catch me ridin' dirrty

-Pics from yesterday's ride, beautiful day in the ol' Upstate NY. It's nice to ride on roads without tons of traffic.
-Had my first beard trim done by a barber. It was sweet. If I could figure out how to shave with a straight razor without slitting my own throat I totally would do it all the time.
-It has been so nice to just relax this past week and a half or so. I am feeling more relaxed than I have in quite sometime.
-The adult choir sung "America the Beautiful" in church today; I had to leave during it. Church is not the place for patriotic songs at all. There are plenty of venues for that, not the church. It was kind of a bummer to see in my church at home since they are doing some awesome stuff, it just seemed really out of place, got me.
-I head out to Michigan tomorrow to begin the big move: exciting!

something something something; stack that cheeze

- School is finished for the year, sweet.
- Went out to Michigan for Miriam's graduation, it was an enjoyable time. I ran the River Bank Run 25k while I was out there. The first 3 miles were awful but then, like so many other times, I took a poop and it was awesome from there. I rediscovered that I do, in fact, enjoy running.
- Jane and I started out for a planned hiking trip on Thursday but after one day in which 15.3 miles took us over 12 hours because of blowdown, snow, and covered up trails we decided that what we really would enjoy at this time of life is some good old R & R at home. It was a wise decision. The day we hiked was wonderful but when you're hiking herdpaths without designated trail markers and there is tons of blow down and the trail is half covered with just enough snow to be annoying it can tend to slow you down. You would think Jane and I were cutters if you didn't know we were hiking because our arms and legs are so torn up.
- I've read 3 books since school finished: Love in a Time of Cholera and Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Catfish and Mandala by Andrew Pham. Garciam Marquez is an absolute genius. His lyrical writing is amazing considering it is translated from Spanish into English and still is fantastic. I can only imagine what it is like to read him in Spanish.
- I'll be moving out of my parents house forever in a little over 2 weeks, I am excited about that. It will be nice to actually live near Miriam.

they should take this beat and make a rest in peace shirt of it

So I haven't written anything on here in a while, so here I go:

- I saw a Jeep Cheeroke with a bumper sticker on it that said "Love your mother" with a picture of the earth; obviously a pro-environment sticker.  What was funny is that it was on a Jeep Cheeroke, they obvious did not realize the irony of that sticker when they put it on there.  Also funny was a Mercedes I saw a few weeks ago with a bumper sticker that said "Buy Local Everything."  The irony in that one is of course the fact that it was on a German made car in the US.  I like things like that, they make me chuckle and make me happy to be so enlightened.

- One more final tomorrow afternoon and I am done with middler year of seminary! Can't wait.

- Thursday, it's back out to Michigan for Miriam's graduation, quite looking forward to it.

- Today was the last night of youth group for the year, pretty sad saying goodbye for the summer to many and goodbye to a lot of seniors.  I am really happy to be working there again next year.

- I got nostalgic about camp yesterday and bummed about not being there this summer.  I know it is the right decision and I will be glad of my choice come mid-summer.

I'm out. 

out of the silent planet

I've been listening to a lot of Iron Maiden and Lil Wayne recently, two very different tastes in music I know.  I've been listening to Iron Maiden because my friend Ben gave me a mix CD of theirs and they've been a band I figured I would always would enjoy.  It is true, they are awesome.  I've been listening to a lot of Lil Wayne because so many people keep talking about how he is the best MC out there and he puts out music like crazy.  The stuff I've heard of his is okay so I've been giving him a second chance.  His beats are okay and his flow is original for sure but his lyrical content is typical of the dirty south, all lyrical content focuses on money, cars, drugs, and sex which is unoriginal and kind of wack.  I am trying to listen to a wide variety of his stuff to see if there is any good tracks but so far I've been unimpressed.  

Today was my last day of class for the year.  Kind of crazy to think about how I am almost done with my second year of seminary.  It seems like just yesterday I was getting here and amazed by the place.  I still am amazed by what I am doing, just less frequently as it becomes more and more a part of me.  All that lies ahead of me now is a paper on a holistic health plan for youth, a theological rationale for 'going green' and a Hebrew translation exam.  I am loath to say it but I am really looking forward to the two papers!

i'm hot cause I'm fly...you ain't cause you not

Pics from today's ride, note the sweet pink socks in the 2nd pic.  3 hour ride along the canal path, first 2 hour + ride of the year, felt good.  Got back and cleaned off the bike then promptly went to sleep for 40 minutes because I was so tired, slept in my chamois, it was awesome.

Youth Sunday this weekend at church, quite looking forward to it.  The kids at my church rock and hanging out with them more will just be more fun and craziness than a normal week and I'm down with that.

1 week of classes left.  Hard to believe that I'll be done with 2 years of seminary in 3 weeks.  Remember how just yesterday I was a freshman in college?  Well I do.  I can't believe at some point someone is going to grant me a master's degree.  Do they really know what they're getting themselves into?  Most likely not.

still the same o.g.

Some pics from this morning's ride.  More nice weather ahead for the week, just going to get warmer and warmer. Ya-hoo.

Just borrowed Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band Live at Hammersmith Odeon London '75 from a friend it is an amazing show. It only works to solidify in my mind that Springsteen is one of the greatest musicians ever.  And dare I say in my humble opinion better than Dylan and the Beatles.  

i just kick it from my head

This past week has been a great one.  Miriam was in town for the whole week and left this morning.  The week was filled with hanging out with friends, eating good food, doing very little work, not paying attention well in class and other various good things.  Tough to see her go this morning but good knowing it's only a little over two months to the wedding and then all this visiting malarky will be over.

Went on a group ride with my Hebrew prof and other students on Wednesday and it was great.  The last time I went riding with more than one other person was with some guys from the bike shop in the town where Hobart was and there were not the most courteous of all people riding off and not chatting much with those of us who were a bit slower.  This ride Wednesday was quite the opposite.  It was filled with conversation and some friendly "racing" at times.  I was a bit nervous going into since I ride singlespeed now but I kept up just fine.  Rode Thursday morning as well and had one of my first just jersey and shorts rides in quite some time.  Rode this morning before thunderstorms started being heard on the horizon, got sun showered on a bit but nothing too major.  Can't wait for the sweet tans lines to start working their way in.

On Sunday I picked up a garbage bag full of early 90's cycling apparel for $20 and it was a steal.  I got 7 or 8 pairs of shorts out of it, 4 or 5 jerseys, and a winter cycling jacket.  Plus I picked up an old 7-Eleven pro-team jersey which I am going to throw up on Ebay to see if I can get some bank for it.

2 weeks of class left.  1 week of studying.  4 days of finals.  Done.  PTL.

so here we are reinventing the wheel

life is very good. capital letters will not be used in this post.

went up to the poconos this weekend with three dudes from seminary who are three of my five groomsmen.  we had a dope time, cooked steaks, watched basketball, took jumping photos, rode old bikes, shots skeet, all good.

went home monday night to go to my aunt's wedding on tuesday.  really nice affair.  all family.  quite good to see my aunt happy and too see the family.  it amazes me how old my cousins are getting.  it makes me feel really old.

miriam comes on friday.  that will be dope.  fa sho.  

down with the clown til I'm dead in the ground

So I'm sitting in class currently, discussing whether the so called "Christian-Right" are fascists(seems to me like they are) and whether or not they can take over the US and how all this relates to the upcoming election.

With that said: Obama '08.  'Nuf said. 

Went home this past weekend to celebrate Easter with the fam. Splendid occasion, great to be home.  Started the weekend off with dinner @ Bomber's with B-ri and Sandy, two of the coolest people on earth that I don't get to spend enough time with.  Tried the Jamaican Jerk Pork burrito over my usual BBQ Veggie Chicken burrito, it was tasty but didn't convert me from my love of the BBQ Veggie Chicken.  The weekend followed with some quality time spent with Mom and Dad, Sister Jane and the like.  Hung out with my buddy Matt Friday and Saturday night and ran a race with him Saturday morning.  The race was frigid and started into a head wind, brr! I ran it as merely a faster run, rather than race.  Matt finished 3rd, he came to lay it down and did it.  Sunday was dinner with my grandparents and uncle.  My mother made about the best damn ham I've ever had.

A few observations while in Upstate:

1) Sun does not equal warmth in winter as I was ever reminded this weekend.

2) My church at home had someone praying in the church 24 hours a day for all of Lent.  I got to take 2 hours while at home.  It was an amazing experience for the church and I am really excited to see where this goes for them.

3) Once you get into NY a little ways from NJ it feels as though the entire countryside simply opens up and is no longer so cramped.  I like that.

Back to class.

my dividenz > yo dividenz like my mercedes benz > yo mercedes benz

I found myself back in NJ last night after being gone for a little over a week of traveling.  It wasn't horrible being back in the state of NJ but it still ain't my fav.  Here are some of my observations and experiences of the last week plus:

1. Ohio is hella flat.

2. Southern PA is quite beautiful

3. Driving is much better with someone in the car with you.

4. Bowling Green's colors are orange and brown...weird.

5. Miriam's oldest nephew Sam was quite reluctant at first to call me "Uncle" Eric when Miriam and I got engaged, even when his mother and father told him to.  His response was "they aren't married yet!" It was a good point.  We visited them while driving back to Michigan and he is now calling me "Uncle" Eric on his own with no persuasion of his parents, it's kind of cool.  He also wrote about me in his Catholic education class on a slip of paper that said (blank) is a Christian because...He wrote "Uncle Eric is a Christian because he goes to church." He's cool.  I'm cool.  Nuf said.

6. Ohio is hella flat

7. West Michigan is starting to feel like a second home.  It's a nice area, I quite like it.  Now if it only had mountains.

8. 11.5 hours of driving is tiring to say the least.

So those are somethings that happened to me.  Overall a delightful spring break, nice road trip with Miriam, good seeing her family.  Now back into school.  PTL for a trip to Upstate this weekend, it should prove quite nice.

so worry not, all things are well, we’ll be alright, we have our looks and perfume

For a band to become one of my permanent favorites bands they really have to have albums that I can put in at anytime and listen to the whole thing all the way through.  I have bands I play continuously for a while but after a certain while they fade for a while, though they can work their way back into my frequent playlist.  There are a few bands that transcend this in and out category. They are: Bloc Party and Arctic Monkeys.  Pearl Jam works their way in there like a nominee waiting for the final approval of the committee for a position in the hall of fame.  

So this was all an intro to the fact that I have a new band that is coming into Pearl Jam status and has potential to work their way into Bloc Party and Arctic Monkeys status, that band in The National.  Their album "Boxer" blew my mind and caused me to buy "Alligator" which was equally as fantastic.  The true test of whether they will be able to reach BP and AM status is two fold.  Firstly, I will need to check back in, in a year and see if I still am listening to them and loving them.  Secondly, I need to hear their first two albums to see what I think of them.  It is not easy being part of my favorite bands and those bands included should feel special (tell them I said that if you meet any of them, because I am sooo tight with them, ha.)

That being said I shall leave you with my top 5 albums to play in the morning while making breakfast (preferably pancakes, coffee is also a must)...in no particular order:

Bloc Party- Silent Alarm

Bebo Norman- Ten Thousand Days

The National- Boxer

Jeff Austin- Songs From the Tin Shed

Eddie Vedder- Into the Wild Soundtrack

Over and out

gettin' hit by cars, gettin' rocked by stars

So in late September I got hit by a car while cycling.  Needless to say the Cannondale was totaled.  It was (no pun intended) a total bummer.  I really liked that bike, I mean I spent an entire summer's wages (however small they were) on buying that thing.  It was a great machine and gave me many good days and miles.  

I was bicycle-less for about 3 months as a result but once the insurance money went through I decided to buy a Bianchi San Jose.  The San Jose is a cyclocross bike (a sturdier road bike with wider tires basically) and also single speed.  I decided on this bike for a couple reasons: Firstly, Jersey road are terrible and this would beast over them.  Secondly, seeing as how I'll be commuting next year and wanting to do it preferably by bicycle, this would be an excellent choice.  And thirdly, no derailleurs means less I have to deal with mechanically.  The bike is a beast, I love it.  Singlespeed is so much less complicated and also just fun to ride.  There is no escape when the hills come, there is no down shifting riding into wind, there is no easy gear.  It's a test every time you go out on it and I love it.  

While the Cannondale will continue to be missed, the Bianchi is being in its place as best it can.  Also another new favorite motto, this one tailor-made for cycling: Live to ride...ride to death

Over and out.

Back to the Future

So I've resurrected my blog. I had to create a new one because apparently logging into my other one was impossible given that I had no idea what my user email was or anything.
So I've gotten back into the beast. Hard to believe the last time I blogged was spring of my senior year of college. Now I'm almost two years out of college, almost done with two years of seminary, and getting married in June. It's quite amazing what difference two years makes.
So in an effort to recap the last two-ish years here we go:
- I now go to Princeton Theological Seminary where I am getting a Master's of Divinity (basically I'll be like the Pope when I get out, except less Catholic)
- I am getting married in June to the amazing Miriam Ippel (we met @ Camp Fowler)
- I hiked the Northville Placid Trail last summer with campers
- I've come to realize NJ is a wild wild place
- I've come to an appreciation for upstate NY, especially the Albany area that I never had while in college
- I've calmed a bit, matured a bit, and continued to specialize it keeping it real
- I've learned more about myself in the past 1.5ish years than in quite sometime
- I got a Subaru Forester from my parents...the mini-van is no longer
- I live in a dorm room again...only for a few more months, PTL!
- I now eat red meat again...and I really like it
- I work @ the Presbyterian Church in Westfield, NJ and quite fancy it
- I took on a new life motto in December 2006: Living the dream

That's about it for now.