Moving Back to Texas

What’s Been Happening
I haven’t updated in a long while. Some of you know that through a series of events I still don’t understand, I was fired from Salamone Builders, Inc. / Chicago Panel & Truss after just three months.

Before you ask, I’m serious when I say I don’t know what happened. My screw-up(s?) seemed minor compared to the kind that were commonplace in that office. Mine didn’t even lose the company much in the way of money. Right now, I’ll say that I misunderstood a second set of instructions as to counteract a previous set and did not send an e-mail before I left for the day. When confronted about it, I answered a loaded question honestly. They didn’t like the response. I corrected my mistake by sending the e-mail and got an immediate response, but the paperwork was already being written for my termination.

That I was officially fired for a moot point assuages the sting.

I’m still not sure that it wasn’t just used as an excuse because they hired me for a position, realized that training me for it was going to take a bit longer than they liked, and then fired me once my projects were substantially complete, because I didn’t get along with my new manager.*

What’s Happening
Regardless, I’m out of work and living on borrowed money. This is embarassing and crushing because I moved to Illinois (on my dime) to work for this company thinking that it’d be the start of a new leaf and I’d be making a financially secure future for Michelle and myself.

I’m packing up my things (which means going offline for a week or so) and moving back to Texas to live with Mom & Dad until I get on my feet and Michelle and I marry (August 4th, for those following along.)

What Will Happen

The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
3He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

I don’t know what this portends for the future other than 1,131 miles back to Houston, waiting 10 days for the rest of my things to catch up, schilling my résumé while I try to figure out what I’m supposed to be, and trying to come up with a new header image for this blog. Not even sure who, if anyone, still checks this thing.

My anthem for the past week and the week to come, “Though He slay me, I will praise Him.” Meditate on it. It is working wonders in my heart as I practice praising Him while my earthly eyes see only troubles.

*Because I care about representing the events accurately, I should say that the italicized paragraph is conjecture on my part.

Hawking Supports God’s Creation Ex Nihilio

In an address to the freshman class at the Univ. of California – Berkley, the renowned Dr. Stephen Hawking announced that he now believes that the Universe originated from creatio ex nihilo.

“If one believed that the universe had a beginning, the obvious question was, what happened before the beginning,” Hawking said. “What was God doing before He made the world? Was He preparing Hell for people who asked such questions?”

An Article from Cal-Berkley’s The Daily Californian »

Nothing says, “I love you” like yellow laytex gloves.

In case anyone is wondering, I love Michelle Faith Grogan. (yeah yeah. mushy, I know.)

Many would assert that the past two years of taking her to dinner, talking to her on the phone nightly, my marriage proposal and the constant beaming smile while in her presence are the largest proofs of my affection and devotion. I disagree.
It’s Thursday night and, because Michelle and Melanie are coming to visit for Spring Break, tonight is my last opportunity to play World of Warcraft for 10 days. I know it doesn’t sound like a huge deal to you, but if you have a friend who is or has been addicted to this game, you probably understand that I just said “I’m an alcoholic and tonight is my last chance to get a beer for a fortnight.” I play 40ish hours a week and am part of a guild that competes at the highest levels. My uber-dorkdom knows few bounds.

To reassure you that I don’t take this blog seriously, I am not about to assert that giving up WoW for 10 days isn’t a big deal. I’m not even going to try to convince you that alcoholics make regular use of the word “fortnight.” I won’t even pretend that anyone but Michelle will read this.

An Observation on the Culinary Habits of the American Bachelor

When a woman carries 15 large pizza boxes and 3 empty 2 liter bottles to the trash, the neighbors would likely ask her if she enjoyed the party.

I carry 15 large pizza boxes and 3 empty 2 liter bottles to the trash. The neighbor looks at me, quirks an eyebrow and asks, “Single, huh?”

In other news, I’m cleaning my apartment, because Michelle and Melanie arrive tomorrow to spend 9 days of their Spring Break with me. 5 pm tomorrow can’t arrive soon enough. Hope they aren’t too bored while I’m at work, but I know we’ll have a blast in the evenings and on the weekends!

The Song that makes me cry, except now when I’m already weeping. Today, it gives me the courage I need to continue in God’s Mercy alone.

Father,
Thank You, God, for Andrew Osenga and these words he sang. Thank you for preparing this song in my heart over the last four years and thank you for growing me up enough to finally start to understand it and to hope in You. I can wish I didn’t understand what it’s like to have declined checks and debtors calling, but You have me back in this Valley again for a reason. Please, deliver me when You are ready, God.

Friends and Loved Ones,
Apologies for any mistakes in the lyrics, but they aren’t up on the web, and this album was amongst those stolen from my truck when it was broken into, so I’m typing them while listening to my iPod.

Baby, Don’t Worry
Track 6 from
Souvenirs & Postcards (Buy it here, or after the 28th, here.)
W&M by Andrew Osenga

Man, It must be your machine.
There was money in there yesterday.
Man, It must be your machine.
I’m tellin’ ya, I swear I just got paid!

Oh, she wanted her some flowers to plant in the yard,
Shovel, hose, and spade.
And watchin’ them walk those aisles,
puttin’ them back on the shelf,
something broke inside me that day.
Something broke that day!

Chorus
Baby, Don’t Worry!
You know we’re gonna make it if it kills me.
Baby, Don’t Worry!
You know we’re gonna make it all right.

Baby, Don’t Worry!
You know we’re gonna make it if it kills me.
So close your eyes,
Sleep, and dream tonight.

There’s a message on the telephone,
like the one they left there yesterday.
Oh, we sent them fifty bucks two weeks ago.
They never seem to go-o a-wa-ay!

This is just like the stories our parents told us.
Babe, you know they’re doing fine.
As long as we’re together, we’ve got it all;
the rest will just take a little time.
Just takes some ti-iii-ime.

So Baby, Don’t Worry!
You know we’re gonna make it if it kills me.
Baby, Don’t Worry!
You know we’re gonna make it all right.

Baby, Don’t Worry!
You know we’re gonna make it if it kills me.
So close your eyes,
Sleep, and dream tonight.

Dream of our children growing,
getting married, children of their own.
Dream of back porch, a new couch, whatever you want.

Me, I’ll keep these old cars runnin’.
I’ll wear these tired old clothes.
We’ll get out of this one, Baby.
We’ll show ‘em who we are.
We’ll show ‘em who we a-a-a-are!

Bridge
Hey, Baby, Don’t worry!
You know we’re gonna make it.
Well, Baby, Baby, don’t you worry!
Baby, Baby, Baby, no, no, no-o-o!
Don’t worry no-o-o-o-o-ow!
He’s got us now! {Repeat until fade}

If you’re reading this, I ask your prayers for Michelle and I through August. The Lord has formed a crucible of distance, a wedding quickly going over budget, schoolwork, a new, difficult career, and my debt in which our relationship is being tested and purified.

and I can’t handle it all.

I love you.

The Chasing Song
Track 2 from
Carried Along (Buy it here.)
W&M by Andrew Peterson

Now and then these feet just take to wandering
Now and then I prop them up at home
Sometimes I think about the consequences
Sometimes I don’t

Well, I realize that falling down ain’t graceful
But I thank the Lord that falling’s full of grace
Sometimes I take my eyes off Jesus
And you know that’s all it takes

Well I wish that I could say that at the close of every day
I was happy with the way that I’m behaving

‘Cause Job, he chased and answer
The wise men chased the Child
Jacob chased her 14 years and he
Captured Rachel’s smile
Moses chased the Promised Land
Joseph chased a dream
David, he chased God’s own heart
All I ever seem to chase is me

Well, they say a race can only have one winner
And you know you’ve got to pull out front to win
God knows the only time I’m winning
Is when I’m chasing Him

Well I wish that I could say that at the close of every day
I was happy with the way that I’m behaving

‘Cause Samson chased a woman
and he chased the Philistines
I’m not quite sure what Jonah chased
But I know he caught the sea
Cain, he chased the harvest
While Abel chased the beasts
David, he chased God’s own heart
All I ever seem to chase is me
And Jesus chased the moneymen
And he chased his Father’s will
He chased my sin to Calvary
And he caught it on that hill
Saul, he chased the Christians
Till his blindness made him see
David, he chased God’s own heart
All I ever seem to chase is me

Pray for No Snow.

I know the concept of not wanting it to snow is foreign to my loved ones Back Home in Dixie, but right now they’re calling for 30% chance of frozen precipitation and light, wintry mix at O’Hare tomorrow. I’m supposed to depart at 5:40 a.m. (no that’s not a typo, I just love you all that much!), arriving in Houston at 8:40 a.m.

Lord willing, my flight will not be delayed, nor cancelled and I will make it to Bush IAH just in time to go to Lindy’s bakery with Michelle to eat samples of wedding cake and then gorge myself at the nearest tex-mex joint. (I miss enchiladas and a decent salsa almost as much as my family! Is this what withdrawals feel like?)

In the words of Sam Hall (as sung by John cash), “and I miss you one and all, damn yer eyes.” I don’t know what that means, but it’s a great song. Even Burt would agree.

P.S. Yes, I realize i’ve lived in Illinois for 6 weeks now and still have not posted “snow pictures.” I’m almost to the point that I’ve adjusted to the cold enough that I can venture out and take some pictures. Of course, the first weekend that it snows is this weekend.

Today’s Quote of The Day

“Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.”

Mark Twain (1835 – 1910)

Congratulations, Melanie!

So my sister-in-law-to-be just learned that she’s been accepted to Texas A&M for the Fall Semester. congratulations to the newest member of the Class of 2011!

Gig’Em, Melanie!

(If you have Facebook, you should add her to your friends!)

Matthew Pillsbury does great work.

Matthew Pillsbury has two Bachelor’s and a Master’s, but that still understates the artistic genius of this Yale grad. His most popular work hinges on using an antique 8×10 camera (a “large format” camera used to create “higher definition” photographs, popularized by Ansel Adams) to take long exposures (60-90 minutes) of people as they watch TV or use computers or visit museums. It means that there’s little trace of the constantly moving humans, and surreal depictions of the surroundings they create, all lit by screens.

He’s on display at M+B in L.A. and I found him through an article in Wired Magazine.

Read the Artist Statement on the photography of humans and technology, then view his work on the M+B website: http://www.mbfala.com. It’s just fantastic and I must encourage you to take a few minutes to appreciate this, as I can only link you to his copyrighted, but beautiful, Screen Lives exhibit.

I’ve Been Wincing for 48 Hours and I’ve Enjoyed Every Minute

The verdict is in. Wincing The Night Away is great. I mean not just “worth the $12” good, but “I don’t understand why folks are complaining” great. No, the album isn’t 12 “New Slang” or “Saint Simon” knockoffs. Yes, it is darker and less cheerful. It’s still amazing. I’m a huge fan of Tracks 5-7 (Phantom Limb, Sea Legs, and Red Rabbits) as well as track 10, (Split Needles). They’re all fantastic and I don’t regret purchasing this album in the least. If you should buy it, you likely would enjoy it as well.

Also, congratulations to Michelle, who just received an email from The Alamo Drafthouse saying she won her very first iPod by filling out an entry for their newsletter sweepstakes! I’m so happy, Sweetheart, but now I have to think up a different Valentine’s/Birthday Present in a hurry!