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.