This Week

What a week it's been!

The Holy Cross Summer Conference: Saturday to Sunday.. I don't know if I mentioned this in my previous entry, but if not, here it is: I met someone there that I have been talking to online for a long time. Jill. She's very cool, as I mentioned. I also met Jen, Will, Meryl, and many other faces that I'm so bad with names that I either don't know their name, or never learned it. Props to all of you, though, as in less than 48 hours you have shown your quality. I stayed up until 3am Saturday night talking to Jill, and she stayed up til 7 because she had to monitor the halls incase anyone needed anything.

Grand Haven: Monday. After working on ProCPR, I went to Grand Haven with Julie and Scott, and met up with Tyler, Mike, Maria, Lindsey and Addison. That was cool too. Just sat and talked and then went to Applebee's.

Rick's house on Tuesday, working on the business. We're getting so close to launching this thing, I can feel it. The design is really starting to come together nicely, and I'm starting to be happy with it for the first time since I initially designed it nearly a year ago. It's far above version 1 of the site design that I made. Paula, Jeannette, Sarah, Nick and Pat showed up while we were working on it. We watched some hilarious videos on http://www.tallyhall.com

Which brings us to today's adventures: they haven't yet begun.
The rest of the week is as follows:

Tonight: Millennium Park: Hilarity ensues
Thursday: Antioch GR.. St. Thomas has Theology on Tap at 7:30 with Dr. Dave DenBraber speaking, and I think it'd be cool to go to that, but we'll see.
Friday: A Night of Worship at the Kreslin's followed by possible campout!
Saturday: Rachel Z's open house followed by Guy's Night
Sunday: Antioch in Muskegon

Holy Cross Summer Conference

I just got home from South Bend / Muskegon Antioch. I went to a Summer Conference at Holy Cross College. It was a very fun time. I met some awesome people, and especially one person that I had only met through Xanga, and I'm pleased to say that she is in every way as cool in person as she is online. Cooler even. We stayed up til 3am (4am GR time) talking about many things. Her name is Jill, and I must say, wow, talk about a fun person to hang around. I hope to get the opportunity and privelage to hang out with her again sometime in the near future. I could go on for a while about her, and not just her, but many of the people that I met last weekend. I am just very very tired.

Open Houses and Beach Parties

Went to Laura's open house. That was awesome. Great food, good conversations.. then went to the beach party. Lemme see if I remember everyone that was there without missing a name.

Jennifer, Angie, Ashton, Jeannette, Paula, Sarah, Mary, Joe, Pat, Mike, Scott, Tim, Noah. I think that was everyone. If I missed anyone, I apologize.

I'm going to bed, gotta get up early to leave for South Bend for the weekend.

St. Thomas

Tonight was rather interesting.. after the Antioch meeting I decided to go to Boston's to see if Chris was working (I went to school with him at St. Thomas.) Well, he wasn't there, but I got hooked to the basketball game. Not sure why, I hardly watch NBA basketball. Anyway, I ordered a pizza at the end of the third, to go, and when I came back into the area where I was sitting, some dude was in my seat, but I let him sit there and took a nearby seat.. after a minute or so, I learned that this guy's name was Paul and that he was Catholic and also lives right by St. Thomas, where I went to school. We talked and talked about all sorts of crazy stuff, it was awesome. At the end of the game, I said goodbye to Julia and gave her a hug (she's a waitress that I've gotten to know from my frequent visits to Boston's, visiting Chris and other old classmates that come by to chill). I think I'm going to start taking my laptop in there sometimes when I do designs and work on my screenplay, so that I don't have the temptation of the internet to distract me... just the people at Boston's.

Song: Things I Prayed For

Artist: Eli Stone

Things I prayed for when I was young
That my father would love me like his only son
That my mother would be patient with me
And my sister would not leave
And if my grandpa could see me beyond his grave
That he'd think his little man was so great
That my hair would not stick up in weird places
And I'd be someone someday

Years go by so easily that sometimes I forget
Years go by and make me see that there's no time for my regret
No time for my regret

Things I prayed for in my teens
That God would forgive all my evil deeds
That my father and my sister would come home
And mom could meet our needs
And if my grandpa could see me beyond his grave
That he'd say a prayer for his family's sake
That my hair would stick up in weird places
And I'd be someone someday

Years go by so easily that sometimes I forget
Years go by and make me see that there's no time for my regret
No time for my regret

Things I pray for now in my twenties
That God would still love me
That my dad would like his new family
That I could hug my sister, that my mom could rest
That my wife would still melt every time we kissed
And if my grandpa has seen me beyond his grave
How cold and silent he has remained
That my hair would not fall out in weird places
And I'd be someone someday

Years go by so easily that sometimes I forget
Years go by and make me see that there's no time for my regret
No time for my regret

These are the things I prayed for
That I'd be someone someday

Batman Begins

Hey everyone..

I just saw Batman Begins with my awesome friend Jaci. Haven't seen her in about, oh, a year and some months. I think the last time was at Catholic Central and West Catholic's play at Aquinas College. We went to get food first, which was cool. Also in attendance at the movie were the three Narnia sisters: Rebecca, Cynthia, and Rowan, and their parents, who I met in a fleeting moment after the film.

Batman was excellent. A wonderful Batman film. Long, yes, but it had some great stuff in it, and was grounded in reality for the most part. It had a very gritty feel to it, and it had some humor to it, which came at refreshing times. It began strong and ended strong and the middle was full of great characters and a fantastic beginning to a classic character.

Jaci: It was great to see you again, hopefully we'll get to hang out again soon. You're awesome. I can tell your faith is strong. Don't lose that, you are a blessing to your friends!

Jenny: I'm sorry I forgot to mention you when I wrote this, but heck yes I saw you! That was an awesome part of the story, too! Because Jaci was like "Hi, I'm Paul Martin and I know everyone!" Props to you!

Song: Eileen's Song

Burlap to Cashmere

Refrain: You have one wing and I have another
Seeking shelter like sister and brother
Through the winter and through the summer
Like one angel we'll
Fly far away

Hold my hand and we'll make it all right
From this hell that we live in
Cross the road until the light
Comes inside and lives within
It's a long and lonesome ride
When your friends have all gone home
But the roses in your eyes
They pull me in so I don't feel alone

Refrain

Sometimes I just can't help but cry
When I think of what we've become
Like a soldier lost in the night
Forgetting all where he has come from
But the mud will soon become dry
And the sun will rise again
And the shadows in our eyes
Will fade away down to lower plains
Cause'

Refrain 3x

So my friend now this I say
I won't leave you hangin' on
Hold on tight now and don't fly away
Till one angel we have become

Mario Kart

Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart Double Dash are two of the best games ever made.

Sorry this posting wasn't deeper, but I'm laying in bed, contemplating actually getting up right now or in a few more minutes to get ready for Mass.

Song: Princes and Frogs

Got this from my AWESOME friend Jaci:

You hate humans is what you say
And I understand how you feel that way
All girls dream of a fairy tale
But what you got is like a used car salesman
Trying to conceal what's wrong
Behind a smile and a song
And I'm not saying that
Boys are not like that
But I think you should know
That some of us will grow
Because...

All princes start as frogs
All gentleman as dogs
Just wait till it's plain to see
What we're growing up to be..
'Cause some frogs
Will still be frogs
Some dogs will still be dogs
But some boys will become men
Just don't kiss us 'till then

You found him is what you say
And we all want you to feel that way
The frog you've got seems cute enough to kiss
And maybe frogs seem like that's all there is
But just because you haven't
Found your prince yet
Doesn't mean you're still
Not a princess
And what if your prince
Comes riding in
While you're kiss'n a frog
What's he gonna think then
So look into his eyes.....
Are you a princess or a fly?

- Superchic[k] "Princes and Frogs" (Song 4 Tricia)

The X-Files - Episode 3x11 Revelations

SCULLY: Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been six years
since my last confession, and since then I've drifted away from the
church. I'm not sure why exactly.

PRIEST: Have you come to confess?

SCULLY: No, um, there's a man that I work with - a friend - and
usually I'm able to discuss these things with him ... but not this.
Father, do you believe in miracles?

PRIEST: Of course, I see them every day ... the rising sun,
the birth of a child ...

SCULLY: No, I'm talking about events that defy explanation. Things
that ... I believe helped me to save a young boy's life. But now I
wonder if I saw them at all. If I didn't just imagine them.

PRIEST: Why do you doubt yourself?

SCULLY: Because my partner didn't see them. He didn't ... he didn't
believe them. And usually he ... he believes without question.

PRIEST: Maybe they weren't meant for him to see.
Maybe they were only meant for you.

SCULLY: Is that possible?

PRIEST: With the Lord, anything is possible. Perhaps you saw
these things because you needed to.

SCULLY: To find my way back?

PRIEST: Sometimes we must come full circle to find the truth.
(Scully looks up at the priest) Why does that surprise you?

SCULLY: Mostly, it just makes me afraid.

PRIEST: Afraid?

SCULLY: Afraid that God is speaking ... but that no one's listening.

Happiness

As we grow up we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken more than once and it’s harder every time. You’ll break hearts too so (remember) how it felt when yours was broken. You’ll fight with your best friend. you'll blame a new love for something an old one did you'll cry because time is going by too fast and you'll eventually lose someone you love, so take too many pictures laugh too much and love like you've never been hurt because every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Erin had this in her journal. I thought it was cool.