Lil' smokies. I bought lil' smokies. I never buy smokies! But on Monday, not only did I snag the smokies, but I also bought the 16 oz. KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce to go with them. After my shopping spree, I wheeled the $97 worth of groceries and random household items out of the store, feeling pretty accomplished. But as I drew closer to the car, reality crept up on me and I couldn't help but wonder, "What just happened in there?"
Well, I'll tell you what happened – I was consumed by the financial invincibility of the $100 Hy-Vee gift card. Gift cards have some sort of psychological hold on me, and the more I think about it, the more I don't like gift cards. And hey – I still have $3 left on that one! Which brings me to my first beef.
Companies LOVE gift cards. When you purchase one, the absolute worst thing that can happen to that company is the customer spends the entire amount at their store. Bummer! On the other hand, the best thing that can happen is if the customer loses the card, forgets about it completely, or doesn't spend the entire amount by the time it expires – money in the bank! Think about it – you're paying money for a piece of plastic worth the same amount of money that can only be spent at one particular place. Voluntarily limiting our spending power? That's just plain un-American!
Point two on gift cards: they aren't real money. Are they? Sure doesn't feel like it. I would never have spent $97 in a single trip to Hy-Vee if I was paying in cash. “Hmm, the coffee aisle smells good. I usually buy Folger's...but...I have a gift card – might as well try the Bergie's Colombian.” Next thing you know, I'm sitting with $3 left on the card, and about six unopened Rice Sides in my cupboard three months from now.
I'm not saying that gift cards are wrong for everybody. Gift cards are absolutely perfect for two extremes of society: penny-pinchers and addicts. For the pinchers, gift cards are a great idea because they force “luxurious” spending. You know as well as I do that if you give a cheapskate some cash, they'll throw it into the bank or blow the money on something practical! Boring. Better get 'em a Dave & Buster's card and force them to enjoy themselves like these winners:
As for the addicts, it's pretty much the same principle as giving a homeless guy a sandwich instead of a dollar. When you give someone cash, they can spend it wherever the heck they want! But with gift cards, you have complete control over spending location. This type of control is very strategic when you want to send a subliminal message. Card to the the Gap? Your fashion could use an update. Card to Nutri-Shop? Get in shape. Or in my case, cards to Chili's and Outback Steakhouse... “Take a girl out to dinner, already!"
In conclusion - mom and dad, please don't be offended by this rant I really do appreciate the gift cards! The Hy-Vee card is actually one of the more practical ones I've seen, and as for Chili's and Outback...well, let's just say I'll work on that.
But who knows, maybe I'll just let 'em sit. Not like it's real money, anyway.
Maybe I watched too much Bob Ross as a child, but I can't help but get excited when I see a blank sheet of paper. I'm no painter, but give me a pencil, pen or sharpie, and I'll doodle up a storm. I was reminded of this on Sunday when I was looking through some of my course notes from my four years at Iowa State University. These pages were usually limited to barely-coherent scribblings on western civilization, american literature, astronomy - things that I remember very little about today. In fact, the only thing I really find interesting about these pages anymore are the curious shapes and characters found in the margins.
Almost every one of my notebook pages contained some sort of illustration - cubes, spirals and stars were my default drawings, but on days of peak boredom I put together some all-out masterpieces.
Looking back on these drawings makes me think there's a lot to be said for using the margins. Sure, I could have paid better attention in class, but then I wouldn't have these great pictures to look back at. I could be really cliche and say that every day is a blank page, but tomorrow's not. I've got places to go, appointments to show up for, deadlines to meet...but there's still a couple slivers of blank space to work with. I could leave the margins blank, I suppose, but someday I'll look back on tomorrow and the margins will be all I care about. Plus, drawing ninjas is pretty fun.
The church is often referred to as "the body of Christ" - probably the best way I can think of to illustrate the unity that Jesus prayed for in John 17:20-23. However, when I read Jesus' prayer for us, I sometimes wonder why his main request for the church is unity. Why not boldness? Why not protection, like he prayed for his disciples?
I won't claim to have any definitive answers here, but the question did spur a thought process:
There are a lot of different types of bodies out there. Tall, squat, muscular, hairy, slender, etc. Most of a body's appearance and behavior is due to its DNA - the inherent genetic code at the foundation of its growth. Christ followers also have a foundational DNA - that given by the Spirit (love, joy, peace, etc.). Our physical and spiritual DNA is inherited, but there are a lot of aspects of the body that we can control, through two well-known disciplines:
Diet.
Think about what the body of Christ is consuming (and I'm not talking bread and grape juice). Think about a typical day - do you discipline yourself to consume daily portions of Scripture (bread), have authentic fellowship with friends (protein), and supplement that with beneficial knowledge and productivity (vitamins and minerals)? Or do you find yourself continually going back to the cookie jar for extra helpings of distraction (sweets, empty calories)? As for me, I know that all too often I'm not only taking second helpings, but I'm the one baking the cookies and cramming them down people's throats. Don't get me wrong here - there are tons of great "desserts" out there, but discipline is necessary. Entertainment isn't bad - but only as part of a balanced breakfast.
Exercise.
Each Christ follower has a specific role to play in this body - and just as in our own bodies, these parts need exercise to function at their full potential. What is your spiritual fitness level? Are you training yourself to be used to the maximum, or are you the type of body part that is content to move only when needed, and just hang out in between uses? Once again, I find that all too often I'm willing to do just what's necessary, without pushing myself to be of maximum use. Discipline is again the key here - it takes discipline to open your Bible and journal, just as it does to go to the gym and lift.
Which brings me back to unity. Why did Jesus put so much stress on this?
When one part of the body rises up against another in the church, we call it division. When a part of our physical body rises up against another, we call it cancer. Cancer is among our most feared diseases - its spread is unpredictable and its symptoms can go unrecognized for years - the only way to effectively destroy it is to catch it early. Does this sound familiar at all? It's the same with division in the church. If not caught early, division will eat away at the body from the inside, and by the time it's caught, it won't be healed without exhausting and harmful intervention (chemotherapy).
This begs the question: are we treating division in the body of Christ with the same seriousness as the medical community treats cancer? Are we vigilant in examining ourselves for lumps and cutting out the tumors? I have no answers, but I think a higher awareness is warranted.
On the bright side, one profound difference between a physical cancer and a spiritual cancer is the hope for a cure. Despite all of the work on a cure for physical cancer, it is not promised to us, whereas our spirit's cure will come in the future establishment of Christ's kingdom.
"...we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." - Ephesians 4:15-16
So in case you hadn't heard, the top high school basketball recruit in the nation plays here in Ames - a 6'6" hotshot named Harrison Barnes. On Friday, he held a ceremony in the Ames High School gymnasium to announce to the world where he would be attending college next fall.
Now, let's be clear - I have never seen Harrison play before. I have never been to an Ames High basketball game before. But as a journalist, I take note when something newsworthy is going down in my neighborhood, so me and my buddy Justan Spaid took part of our Friday off to go wallow in the hype.
We filed into the gym with hundreds of other fans, our hearts racing as Harrison led up to his announcement. He had it narrowed down to six schools: five NCAA basketball powerhouses (Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA, Oklahoma) and one agricultural powerhouse (ISU). The odds were stacked against us, but I definitely wasn't the only one sporting cardinal and gold, ready to take it off and spin it like a helicopter just in case a miracle happened.
It didn't. Turns out Petey Pab was right - this one really was for North Carolina.
And it was the right call - I mean, seriously, when Michael Jordan meets you in person and tells you where to play ball, that's where you play ball, right? And for those who would say Harrison "betrayed" us - come on, you can't help but root for this kid. I've read a lot of articles about him during the recruiting process, and almost every one of them mentions his excellent character on and off the court. He also goes to my church, and the pastors there have said he's a classy young man who is trying to live his life for God (click here to see him dunking on college pastor Mark Arant).
So, it looks I'll root for the Tar Heels for awhile, and who knows - maybe in a couple years Harrison will even inspire me to turn on an NBA game now and then.
Personally, I'm just waiting for his breakout role as MJ's quippy sidekick in Space Jam 2...
Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. I was 3 years old when it all went down, so I don't really remember it, and I'd say most of today's college students are in the same boat. So what better way to celebrate an event that we don't remember than by reliving it for ourselves?
Some of you may have seen a large cardboard wall standing in front of Parks Library yesterday. The ISU German Club put it there to represent the Berlin Wall, and they encouraged students to spraypaint their own messages of freedom onto it. I covered the event for the Tribune, so I approached a few students who were painstakingly putting the finishing touches on their designs.
"So, what message are you trying to get across with your painting?" I asked.
One of them, looked at me, shrugged and continued to paint. "We're just trying to get our names out there, you know? Just trying to give ISU a little taste of New York."
"Oh, you're from New York?"
"Nah, man."
As inspired as some of the graffiti was, the best part of the event was at 4:00 p.m. when it came time to tear down the wall. About 30 people crowded around that makeshift bulwark of communism, and a self-proclaimed female Ronald Reagan impersonator announced, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear off this -er- tear down this wall!"
The crowd proceeded to pummel the crap out of the cardboard with two red wiffle bats. Now as a reporter, I know it's my job to strictly observe...but when they're handing out free swings at the Berlin Wall with a wiffle bat, I'm gonna take my chances every time.
Looks like it's time to play catch-up again, so here's a quick rundown of September and October!
I'm still working for the Ames Tribune. Sometimes I love it - I'll get an interesting story that's really fun to tell, like this. Sometimes it's not so hot - on slow news days I find myself writing stuff like this.
Since the Ames Tribune is a newspaper, they don't have a lot of money - this means I only get to work 30 hours a week. This sounds like a bummer, but I'm actually pretty thankful for it. This allows me to keep on doing the things I love at Cornerstone Church, such as acting for D6, playing music for weekend services and Salt Co. and playing keys for Anthem. (By the way, Anthem has some great new songs in the works - mark your calendars for December 4, you won't want to miss it!)
"James & James" is still going strong with the release of a new EP and a critically-acclaimed Halloween show, featuring a tribute to Simon & Garfunkel:
James and I have a ton of fun together, both on stage and off. James is a solid guy, and we've had some great times of encouraging and challenging each other in faith this semester. If you want to keep track of upcoming shows and other goings-on, join our facebook group or check out our blog, which gets updated almost as often as this one.
Looking back, I'm seeing all the ways that God has blessed me since I came back from India. It's been a tough stretch in a lot of ways - everything was so different when I came back that I really had a hard time finding "home." I struggled to find my identity as I started a new job, got over a broken relationship and experienced some pretty confusing culture shock (e.g. "Hey, why are all of these cows fenced in? Shouldn't they be standing in the middle of intersections and taking up space on the sidewalk?").
But God is faithful - He has come through for me in so many ways in the last couple of months. I've got great friends, and some wise mentors who are teaching me what it means to be an independent, hard-working, disciplined-but-still-fun-loving follower of Christ. I've got no idea where I'll be in five years, but for now I'll trust in the One who's got it figured out. I'll write stories about Iowa State's garbage to the best of my ability, continue to pursue the things I'm passionate about and have a lot of laughs along the way.
And who knows - maybe I'll even blog about it every once in awhile.
Take Senator Tom Harkin, a bunch of Japanese beetles and a puppet talent show, and what do you get? Well, some might say you'd come out with a better plan for health care reform than what's on the table right now, but I'll just call it my first two weeks at the Ames Tribune.
That's right - by the grace of God, I actually landed a job in the field I studied, which is no small feat considering newspapers are disappearing faster than you can say "baby panda." I applied for jobs at many newspapers in the area, though the Tribune was the only one with any openings. I also applied for some other fallback options, including construction and carpet sales (you can start out making $35,000 at this gig! The only thing is, you would be selling...carpets).
I found out I got the job while I was in India - it was such an answer to prayer. It's a huge blessing to be able to stay in Ames where I have great friends and an influential church where I get to use my gifts in the arts for God's glory.
As far as making a living goes, I get paid to talk to people, learn new things and attend events like "Puppet Idol" at the Ames Public Library.
I'm officially the Iowa State and higher education reporter, but if you've got any good story ideas, send 'em my way! And if you think your story isn't newsworthy enough for the Tribune - two words for you: Puppet Idol.
As most of you know, I spent all of June and July in India and just got back around a week ago. It was one of the most difficult and rewarding experiences of my life. Honestly, I'm still trying to process it all, but this post will be about my general experience of living in another country. If you want to hear the awesome God stories, I would love to tell them - but you'll have to sit down with me sometime.
Here we are, from left to right: Lee Beukelman, Elena Noll, Laura Benson and myself. This is on the morning of June 1, when we really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.
Our project for the summer was to hit the campuses of Delhi University and make friends with students, so we could learn about their culture and share about ours. We made a lot of close friends during our time there - by the end of the summer we could step onto the campuses and always run into someone we knew, or at least someone who knew us. We were the token white people in our neighborhood, and the media went to town with it. By the end of the summer, our team had at least 5 photos in the newspaper and one appearance on the national news (in the background). Here's one example:
I'd never been a minority before I set foot in India. It's not like it surprised me that I looked different than everyone else, but it was a feeling I'd never really dealt with before. When we stepped into a room, everyone's eyes were instantly glued to us. It was pretty common to see people pull out their cell phones and snap photos of us as we walked down the street or rode on the subway. Sometimes this was fun - I was more than willing to pose with random groups of Indian guys - but sometimes it was just too much attention. There were several times when I just felt desperate for an escape, a place where I could just be alone and unnoticed, but that's not easy to find in a city of some 20 million.
Aside from the crowds, first thing you'll notice about New Delhi is that it is boiling lava hot. Temperatures got up to 120 degrees (F) while we were there. Here's the second thing I noticed - it's dirty. There are cows roaming aimlessly in the streets, stray dogs picking through piles of trash on the sides of the road, and let me tell you - I have smelled some things this summer that I have never smelled before.
Needless to say, my first impression of Delhi was not good. The first week was difficult - I would get up in the morning, take my bucket shower (no shower heads) and dread walking out the door into the scorching heat. I questioned whether it was worth it - what good could I possibly do in a place like this? I was made to be an American - there are some people who can thrive in places like this, but I'm not one of them.
I was wrong - I knew it then, and I'm assured of it now. Sure, the living conditions aren't as comfortable as America - but is that necessarily a bad thing? People are still happy there and they appreciate what they have. The power may go out randomly twice a day, but it's a fact of life - you deal with it and keep on living. Indians have some of the strongest families I have ever seen. Family always comes first, and most children live with their parents their entire lives - even after they're married. I think America would do well to take some lessons from India in how we treat our family and friends.
However, India's strong sense of tradition is holding the people back in a lot of ways. For example, the caste system has been a source of oppression in India for thousands of years. Some say it has disappeared in the urban areas of India, others say it's stronger than ever. Both sides will agree that it still exists in the country, and still plays a big role in the social structure of the country. It seems that one's sense of identity in India is almost entirely dependent on one's parents - your parents decide your religion, who you will hang out with and, ultimately, who you will marry.
Regardless, I fell in love with the people of India. I miss my friends in Delhi and I hope for a chance to go back someday - if only to see how things have changed. The current generation of Indian students seems quicker to question some of the negative aspects of the culture, so it will be interesting to see what happens in that country in the next 20 years. That said - I thin the majority of Indian culture is amazing. The clothes are beautiful, the food is unique and spicy (I'm still partial to Chinese...) and their festivals...well, let's just say Indians know how to party.
If you get the chance to travel overseas, do it - I can't encourage it enough. It's difficult, especially when it comes time to transition back to life in the U.S., but I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. We watched God move in some powerful ways while we were there and it was an honor to be used to further the work in India. If you want to hear more, I'm glad to tell it - I've barely scratched the surface.
In conclusion, here is a list of note-worthy things I did this summer:
Got charged at by a bull on the sidewalk.
Ate this:
Learned how to play cricket and taught Indians football. Both equally hilarious to watch.
Opened a can of pineapple with an Indian can opener (a hatchet).
Threw up at an Indian amusement park - that's what you get for going with two Indians who aspire to work for NASA...
Played "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias on guitar for people about 3 million times.
Got attacked by a large monkey in the foothills of the Himalayas. I have always hated monkeys (click here), and now I have even more reason to.
Attended the International Toilet Museum, where I learned to appreciate human waste sanitation and received my own ball of petrified human "excreta." Click here for video.
Rode on a man-powered ferris wheel (see video below):
I took the last final of my life today. Here's how it went down.
I woke up bright and early - 6:00 a.m. The Jl MC 460 exam doesn't start 'til 7:30, but I still needed to buy my blue books and get some last minute cramming in before the test started. It's a big one - 3 essays and 10 short answers. But I put on the face of steely confidence as I walk out my front door. I'm James Pusey. I'm wearing my "Da Bears" shirt. And I'm ready.
I've been cruising in my dad's truck lately because my car was having some issues for awhile. The car is fixed now, but I still like the feeling I get when I'm ridin' high in the Nissan Frontier. On my last day, I need the confidence. Plus, my dad makes these awesome mix CD's and coincidentally the song playing as I turn on the ignition is "Takin' Care of Business." I crank the tunes, throw on my dad's "sunglasses" he got from the optometrist, and I'm off to the WestSide Market to pick up some blue books.
I arrive at the C-Store a minute early.
So I wait. I buy my blue books. They cost 30 cents. In the next two hours, I proceed to fill every page of those two blue books with arguments about intrusion, copyright, federal regulation of commercial speech and fair use doctrine. I purge all of the information I'd binged on an hour before, knowing I won't remember much of it two days from now. I'm okay with that.
I turn in the test and walk out the door into a flood of fluorescent light, the whole world ahead of me. No more grades, tests or group projects. I think of everything I'm thankful for - God's purpose in me being here the last four years, my parent's love and tuition payments, all of the people I've met since I've been here. What a ride.
So for those of you who get your kicks and giggles watching me screw up the news - here's a gem for you. This was the last news broadcast of the semester, and probably the last time I'll ever get a chance to report the weather on live TV, so I decided to make it worthwhile.
Here's a photo from the first legitimate pay-to-get-in-and-buy-our-CD show by James & James at Zeke's on Saturday night.
We had a turn out of about 100 people, which is intense - especially on a night when there were two other large (not to mention FREE) concerts in Ames.
It's no lie that we have the most stellar fanbase ever - it never hurts to have some great friends who support what you're doing. We just released our first album, "Guadalupe," which should be up on iTunes fairly soon, so be sure to check that out.
If it seems like the whole James & James thing has kind of gone to the next level recently, it's thanks to this incredibly talented and creative guy: Bradford Johnson.
He's one of James L.'s good friends from Des Moines who offered to take some photos and design our album art. We went down to Des Moines for a few shots, and next thing you know we've got some really legitimate looking posters, then he offered to work things out with a printing company to get our CD's packaged and shipped, then he even created a ballin' techno remix of one of our songs (by far the most radio-worthy song on the album).
Countless other friends have also helped us a lot recently - Bobby Scott took a ton of time helping us record our tracks, and many more gave time and talent to the making of the album, not to mention all of the contributors and guest stars we've included in our shows.
Basically what I'm getting at is that this whole James & James thing all comes down to great friends. So to all of the supporters, know this - James and I are blown away by the encouragement we get from all of you. We've always been about putting on a good time for our friends, so here's to many more fantastic shows down the road!
Last weekend, myself and five other Salt Company guys road tripped to Wichita, Kansas, for leadership training with FI. These five guys and myself are leading teams overseas this summer, so the head honchos over at FI decided it would probably be good if we got a little bit of learning in us before we leave the country.
We arrived at the church in Wichita at about 3:40 p.m. Friday afternoon, and despite being 10 minutes late, we were greeted by a big smile and firm hand shake from tall, gangly-looking guy named Rusty C.
Here are some notes on my experience with Mr. C. over the weekend:
When he speaks, listen, because what he's saying is purposeful, pertinent, and probably profound (yes, I appreciate alliteration).
This guy can teach you how to fly fish in under a minute.
I have never envied a southern drawl so much in my life.
So there were somewhere between 20 and 30 of us training that weekend, from universities all over the country. I have to admit...when I saw this rag-tag group of college leaders, my initial gut reaction was, "I wonder how many of these people were home-schooled?" Needless to say, I had to do a little attitude check on myself at that point - and throughout the weekend, God did a lot of shattering and convicting me of my pride.
Here's just one such pride-shattering moment brought on by a question posed by Dave Mitchell, one of our speakers: "Are you leading out of self-promotion or selfless worship?"
If I'm completely honest with myself, I know that I sometimes pursue leadership positions simply because I like titles. Salt Company Leader, Worship Leader, Program Director, FOCUS Team Leader - they all sound really good, jot 'em down on the resume! But where was my hear when I accepted these challenges? Did I step up in order to meet a need for the kingdom, or just to quench the thirst of my own ambitions? There were probably elements of both. But the truth of the matter is God has used me in every one of those positions for the benefit of His kingdom, no matter what my original motivation was. And that's whats great about God - he is able to use even dumb people like me to do His work.
Here are some other little tidbits from the weekend:
"Vision is the clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be."
Gravitate toward conflict and call fouls early. "A straw never breaks the camels back if we're continually unloading the camel."
Leadership must be earned, it's a privilege granted by the follower. Serve according to their needs - not your own strengths.
Here's a treat for you - this is one of my most glorious moments on the I-State News. Like many of you, I've stumbled across this sub-par newscast on Channel 18 from time to time, and I always thought, "You're reading words off of a teleprompter - what could be so hard about that?" Well, my cockiness was rewarded on this day...
You can see more shenanigans like this one every Tuesday and Thursday on Channel 18 at 3:30 p.m.
There are some things that make me laugh no matter how many times I see them. This is one of those things.
My friend Brian Kalina is responsible for this. If you know Brian you are probably thinking to yourself, "Yeah, that sounds about right." Here are some more of my favorite Kalina Kreations.
I think Michael Scott put it best when he said, "Monkey problems? Why would I have monkey problems - I hate monkeys."
Ever since I first watched the live-action Leslie Neilsen film, "Mr. Magoo," I have been afraid of baboons. Ever since I watched "Congo," I have been afraid of gorillas. Ever since I watched "Jumanji," I have been afraid of poorly-animated computer-generated monkeys. Call it unfair media portrayal, but behind every negative stereotype is some shred of truth - and today my primate fears were justified.
This is Travis, a pet chimpanzee who used to live with his 70-year-old owner and starred in ads for Coca-Cola and Old Navy, until he viciously mauled some woman and ripped her face off. I just listened to the 9-1-1 call on CNN.com (click here) - the whole thing just baffles me. Here are some issues that I feel must be brought up.
1) Why does this woman own a monkey? The average chimpanzee is 5-7 times stronger than the average human, and approximately 400 times worse at communicating its emotions in a healthy manner. The question is not if this monkey would rip somebody's face off, it was when.
2) This monkey used the toilet, brushed his teeth and drank wine from a stemmed glass. Stop training your monkeys! People are concerned about a robot uprising - but what about monkeys!? Treat them like humans, and what do you think is going to happen? Trust me, if you give a chimp a wine glass, he's going to want civil liberties to go with it.
3) Travis had a reputation! Apparently back in 2003 he got out of the house and "wreaked havoc" in the streets of Stamford, Connecticut. I have no idea what this rampage must have looked like, but I can tell you it was probably a little more terrifying than this:
In conclusion - don't own a monkey. If you're a 70-year-old woman living alone, definitely don't own a monkey.
So, me and blogging have been on a break for about the past five months. My relationship with blogging started fiery and passionate, but after about a week I realized that it takes some dedication and commitment to keep it going. So, in keeping with my natural male instincts, I ditched it.
But now I'm back. For those die-hard followers of this blog (e.g. Mom), this probably feels a lot like the last season of "Lost" when the writers strike caused it to be off the air for like half of a year. So let's do a recap of what has happened in the last five months.
Previously on James' life:
(Steve, if you're reading this, just insert "Time warp! Time warp! Time warp!" between each of these months).
September
I turned 22, and I got an accordion for my birthday. I also realized that the gap between 21 and 22 is bigger than any other birthday I have experienced thus far. If you're not there yet, it's very strange. It's the only age differential that I have not looked forward to. When people ask me how old I am, I want to say I am 21 - an age with lots of opportunities and seemingly few obligations. Instead I have to respond, "I am an adult who should probably have his life pretty much settled by now. No, I do not have a job lined up. No, I am not dating anyone. Yes, I do live an apartment that is referred to as 'The Hang Zone.' I am the downfall of this nation."
October
I don't remember much about this month, so I used my Gmail archives to see what I was up to. As far as email is concerned, October was defined by unopened messages from Joe Biden and tryouts for Cornerstone's Christmas production, "Esmerelda." More on that later. This was also the month of an epic Halloween party, where I dressed up as Matt Foley - motivational speaker.
November
This month started off with a bang, as my dad and I got to attend Iowa's huge upset over the then third-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions. If you did not know this already, I am a Hawk fan, born and raised - this does not mean that I hate the Cyclones, I just root against them when they play Iowa.
There was also a major non-upset that happened this month, with Obama winning the election. I am a journalist, so it's pretty much in my job description to freak out of my mind at the mention of his name, to squeal with delight whenever he goes to the gym, and to sit on the edge of my seat wondering what he's going to name his dog. I'm glad the election is over.
December
This month was defined by long and numerous rehearsals for "Esmerelda," in which I played the role of Pickory. I got to wear a very uncomfortable wig and costume and speak in a British accent for about a month. This was a great experience - the DVD is coming out soon. This was also the month when at one point my room looked like this:
The rest of the apartment wasn't much better. Go here for a detailed photo essay about how this was dealt with.
January
Last month, I started my last semester at Iowa State. I also found out that I will be going to South Asia for two months this summer on a Focus mission trip. Last month was also the beginning of a new musical collaboration in my life - Island Justice.
The existence of this video solidifies the fact that I will never be elected to a major political office.
So, there it is in a nutshell - it's fun to reminisce. Who knows how long this recommitment to blogging will last, but I don't foresee that I will be taking any more 5-month breaks.
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