Crimson Tigers

So I'm the only one at work today in the afternoon. How dull.... At least I was able to get some homework done, so that's always good. I really didn't want to have anything to do during the weekend, and I've at least limited any homework I will be doing.

Not much has happened since my last blog. I went to the Exclusive Company yesterday and picked up the new Alkaline Trio album: Crimson. So far, my opinion is that it's really well-produced (much like the last album), but still isn't the caliber of songs that were on From Here To Infirmary or Maybe I'll Catch Fire. Regardless, I'm looking forward to seeing their concert in June.

Oh yeah, I also upgraded my Mac to Tiger 10.4. I had a few bugs to work out the first day, especially the DHCP issue with my wireless router. That was a pain, because I guess the DHCP request from the Mac kept crashing the router. I thought updating to 10.4.1 would be the best idea, but I couldn't get the upgrade because of the issues with the router. (Duh, right?) I ended upgrading the firmware of the router, and then things worked fine. I also had a couple crashes in the first 2 days, but none since. It apparently didn't like it when I would put the powerbook in standby by simply closing the laptop. I don't know what the deal was with that, but things have been fine since. Oh well. I also got an Airport Express, and that thing's flat-out awesome. Hooked it up to my stereo using the mini-to-optical cord and I never would have expected the result.... Plus, having a wireless repeater is always nice.

I know my birthday is coming up in a few weeks, but I don't know what I want.... Probably nothing. It's all stuff anyway, right? Yeah....

Thank You Mom

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to thank someone? Of course, it's easy to thank someone for saying "God bless you" after you sneeze, or for opening a door for you. But have you ever thanked anyone because the impact he/she has had on your life was so amazing that it humbles you every time you think about it? This is the on-your-knees-I'm-not-worthy kind of gratitude. Just thinking about how you'll never be able to live up to the standard they represent will double you over in agony. Ever thanked anyone like that?

I've come to the realization that most of the women in my life deserve that kind of thanks. The time, effort, sacrifice, and love that they've put into influencing me and helping me throughout my life deserves more than a simple "Thank you." Who am I that I should deserve this kind of love? These women deserve to be reveared and lifted up in all of our lives. I don't know much, but I know I'll have to work my entire life just to be a fraction of the examples that they are.

"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 'Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.' Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate." (Proverbs 31: 28-31)

Mifflin St Weekend

Well, this past weekend was the infamous Mifflin Street block party. Notorious for random acts of drunkeness, violence and mayhem, I hear this party has been a "tradition" in Madison since the '60s. (I find it odd that they would consider a gigantic party to be a tradition, but Madison seems to be known for its party traditions; see: Halloween on State Street.) Sufficed to say, a party that draws over 20 thousand people will also leave a considerable mess. So the coolest thing happened at 7:30am Sunday morning: our church gathered some people together, went to Mifflin St. and cleaned everything up. They didn't do it to get noticed, or anything like that. They just wanted to demonstrate the love of Christ by being good servants of the community. The city always has a plan to clean up the mess, along with a local Co-op, so they were amazed to find that the streets they were intending to clean already had been cleaned. The local news even expected to tape some of the clean-up, but they arrived too late.

Powerful. This type of activity just shows one of the reasons I am making this church my home; this church has an intense passion to serve the community as a way of demonstrating God's love. The church's mission is to transform minds, and I see it happening in our community. (Romans 12:1-2) Powerful.

Aside from that, I wrapped up my second course towards my master's degree. I was impressed with how our final project turned out, and actually got a lot of positive feedback on the concept. Going into this class, I thought it would be tougher than the first, but it ended up being much less time-consuming. I'll be taking 2 classes this summer, so I'll have to see if I can handle that kind of load along with work.