Julie and Bish's "Webpage o' Drama"

So I'm on the airplane today on my way back from Houston, and I'm reading this giant "One volume Bible commentary" that I got from my dad's. It has some interesting stuff in it (stuff that's more debatable than what it says, but hey, I think most commentaries have a doctrinal slant), but all around it's pretty good.

So on the way home I was sitting in between this huge guy that was all up in my space and this black guy that was really cool. At the end, we were waiting for our rides and I asked the black guy, "So how is being married anyway?"

We hadn't talked about religion at all at this point. He said, "It's all of your wildest hopes and worst fears all rolled into one. When it says "for better or worse," you definitely need to mean it. You'll see awesome things and horrible things."

Then he paused a sec. Then he said,
"And you gotta be straight with the Lord too. You gotta make sure you agree with her [obviously, the wife] about the Lord so that if He's got something in mind for you that you don't, you guys can work it out together. If you guys disagree about God, it's not gonna work."

He couldn't talk about marriage without bringing up God, which I thought was pretty cool. And I guess I feel reassured I did the right thing earlier this year.

Go me, and go random black dude!
See yall at XMAS CC tomorrow, and if I don't see you I'll post again on New Years day.
-Bish

Howdy Jules!

It's awesome that you're having a good time down there. That's pretty sweet and I hope it stays like that until school starts again.

I remember that when I was a kid, I used to look at streetlights and blur them to make them look like "starbursts" (I never used this term before for anything except referring to candy). But I know what you're talking about. That is kinda fun but it's been a while... like maybe 13 years?

As for the losing friends and family - it's not easy. When someone dies, for me, it always brings perspective on life and on what really matters. My grandpa died when I was in 5th grade and he had enough money to live until he was 93, and he never spent any of it and hoarded it all away. Well when he died I remember mom talking about it and it had an effect on the way I view life. Will you spend your life making money so you can live till you're 93 and die at 63? Or should I live each day like the next isn't coming? Well, I don't do either but hopefully I'm closer to the second option. With time, you'll get over the loss of your papa. You'll never forget him but you'll come to terms with it.

Yay for random posts. Yay for Christmas. Yay for XMAS conference (2 days), Yay for XMAS food. Yay for playing hearts with Sarah Lorenzo and Cece.

It's XMAS, so I'll forget the boos! Yay for Jesus' birth!

Bish

"Oh come, oh come, Emanuel
and ransom captive Israel
who mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice, Rejoice, Emanuel
has come to thee o Israel"

Hey my dears!
Merry Christmas!!! Sorry i havent written since I've been home, but my computer messed up big time, and I couldnt get online for days! Yay for Bailye fixing it though!! :) Just want to warn you readers that this post is going to be extremely random, and who knows if it's gonna make any sense at all!! hehe! yay for late night posts!!!
Anywho, break is going really really well so far. I've got to hang out with my family tons, including my sis which is always awesome! I had my party for work at home, which was sooooooooo much fun!!! I had no idea if i was gonna stay long 'cuz in years past it had been a blast, but last year i stayed all of 15 minutes. But I seriously had a really good time-i love my work people!! they are absolutely hysterical, and they had a dj and this band who I am now officially obsessed with. These two guys were sooooo amazing, and I really have to see them again really soon!!!! but yeah, definitely lots of dancing, and catching up with people i haven't seen in a really long time, and just pure crazyness!!!!! i have pics and lots of stories!!! hehe!!! besides that i have just been hanging out with my peoples, enjoying chicago, shopping, goofing around with my fam, and working a bit. i seriously love my job--i dont care that some people think im nuts, but waitressing is sooo soo much fun!!! you get to meeting some of the nicest people, and like tonight I got to see a cute older couple that use to come in all of the time and got to talk to them for a while, which I absolutely loved! and i got to watch my dad's best friend's little boy yesterday (u know, the cousin that really isn't related type thing). but he is just soooo cute too (wow, how many times have i used that word already??), and just kept me entertained for hours asking me for some "prenzels" and asking "did i scare u" when he hid and popped out at me. Seriously adorible stuff. :)
but anywho, for a crazy tangent to begin, here goes: ok so i am at midnight mass tonight with my family, and my neighbor who i have written about before ends up in the pew right in front of us. She lost her husband this past summer and this is the first Christmas without him. I seriously have no idea how someone deals with that!!!! I mean, I am sitting here missing my papa like crazy. Seriously, Christmas is soooo sooo weird without him, and I have no idea how tomorrow is going to feel either. And going to the cemetary kinda makes u feel like you are spending time with him too, but in the end, you are just left with this empty feeling, tears all over your face, and just a gazzilion memories racing through your head. And then it just gets my mind going 24/7 cuz ok, he was my papa and i have so many memories of him and had spent so much time with him. But then im thinking to myself, but he was mom's dad. U know? i mean, okey okey, duh julie, of course it was your mom's dad. But i'm just sitting thinking of how much I miss my papa, and then to think that my mom has my gazzilion memories times like a million cuz it was her dad. this probably isn't making any sense at all. But then these thoughts with my neighbor missing her husband at this time? I serioulsy have no idea how people handle these things, cuz my heart is breaking for my own loss, but breaking for theirs as well, b/c i cannot even begin to imagine their pain, u know? ok, wow, i seriously do not have any clue if this is even making a tiny bit of sense, but hey, just a rant u know?
anywho, on a lighter note, just a random thought that i would totally love your feedback on. First of all, you probably will think im nuts because of this, but hey, a. if you read this blog u kinda already know that, and b. this post is already crazy enough, so might as well go on, huh? anyways, so my miss amia and i have talked about this since we were little kids, and i asked my sis about it in church today and she thought i had completely lost it. hopefully some of u will know what i am talking about, but judging by the fact that amy and i were seriously made for each other with our weird thoughts (she will prob. kill me for posting this) and by the expression on my sis's face tonight, maybe you won't.. ok here goes: did you guys ever look at lights...like christmas lights specifically and widen your eyes, so it looks like they are exploding? like they are these huge starbursts? or as my sis would say--like you were just blurring them? (she has no imagination at all!!!) anyone? anyone?? let me know!!! hehe!!! but anywho, i should prob go to bed now because this post is already out of hand. Hopefully it isn't as random as i think it is, but i really believe it is, so i apologize!!!!!!!! I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!! I love you guys!!!! Sweet dreams!!!! ~Julie

Bish, I think I'll join you in the late-night boredom. I can relate to the being smothered with parents. Granted that mine aren't miles apart, I'm still overwhelmed at times. My dad works nights and my mom works days, so somebody is always here. It's been like that the majority of my effective life. I grew up planning stuff around when the parents went to work so I could get away, my social life is non-existent. My dad and I are almost polar opposites in priorities. His non-church going ways have definitely been a factor in my life, and his example is always looming before me. I am nervous about whether or not I may have kids (God willing), just because I realize how responsible and how much of an example mine is. Now don't get me wrong, I love my dad and he's a pretty strong moral character, but there are just different parts that I wish I could change. I would feel more steady in my future, even if an example can only a possible foreshadow. Well, enough whining, down-spiritedness from me:

Semester re-cap: This has been one heck of a semester, even if it feels like a really short semester.
Well, I was looking at my math notebook in a vain attempt to study for the final and I start flipping through pages. It goes Chapter 11, secton 1-7 then jumps to chapter 12, section 5. Right inbetween there, that was when the kidney stone struck. That was an interesting time. I'm usually pretty good with pain, but when stuff inside just doesn't make sense, I guess that's the limit.
Meeting Nick and Andy has been awesome.
Great games of Ultimate.
Our creative date was awesome! The way that actually got pulled off and put together, just resoundingly awesome. And being asked back out was impressive, Weston Girls do rock...
Work has been a blessing throughout this past year. I've now worked at both the library and the Center for Advanced Study for more than a year now. Sadly, money is an issue with me and going to school, but God has definitely blessed me and he continues to bless me. I have about 40 hours worth of web work to do, and I'm to work at the library during the rest of break(after the new year) with a raise going into effect with the new year.
The Incredibles is an awesome movie if you want to laugh.
Iron Man is an awesome old tv series to laugh at.
PAR bible study rocks!
Trips to the costume shop.
Samurai 7 has been fun watching with the guys.
I will be staying in the dorms next year, I'm easily confident in that fact. I'll be roommates with a friend from Manteno, he'll be a freshman, so hopefully I won't be a negative influence. (Jake and Nick will be right next door!)
Halloween as a digital pirate, come on! It doesn't get much better than this!
Spending time with the guys > sleep (especially near the end, cards, etc.)
Get a routine to the gym next semester?
S'mores (Stress-Free Saturday) was lots of fun.
Won $10 in the Spades tournament with Michael.
I'm still not good at making small-talk or opening up about myself, but hopefully I'm improving.
Fall Get-Away was an awesome time and always impressive. The roadtrip there and back was great too. Shirt-Ninja made his debut to fight the fire.
Growing in my relationship with God, helping define myself and who I want to be, my priorities, and defying examples laid ahead of me. (See top for details).
Barn Dance was lots of fun, and yay for cute pics (as mentioned previously by Jules).
The November drama... enough said.
Super Secret Projects galore, being fulfilled, or being initiated.
Biking to class is such a blast. Outracing buses to Loomis, brakes failing upon reaching Green St.,and bobbing and weaving around those petty pedestrians.
How many Meijer's trips does it take, even if Nick doesn't have any particular reason to tag along?
And, since Bish pointed it out, so that if it wasn't obvious, it is now... Laura is one awesome girl. Spending time with her is always fun, and I hope I can at least say I've made a new friend.

So, I think that may be about it. (I'm obviously forgetting things.)
Merry Christmas all!
~Jason

Song of the Post: Maroon 5 - Must Get Out (This is a good one for after Christmas shopping.)

As I sit here in complete boredom at 12:52 a.m., I don't know what to think. Why do my parents live so far apart? It sucks... and I'm not here to blame them. But why?

First of all, why do I care? Well - think of it this way. I like to spend time with my parents and family. I love them all dearly and due to them I am the person I am now. But I really don't think it's natural to spend more than maybe 3-8 hours at a time with parents. After a while, you get bored. I get bored of my own friends sometimes in that length (not often though). And when you don't have that much in common, it's just brutal. However, in my current situation, I have to go and spend time with my dad in LONG CHUNKS. These chunks are seriously long. Like, FREAKING TEN DAYS LONG. I can't handle ANYONE I KNOW for that long!!!! Now, when I'm here, every second I'm not with dad he's like "Where are you son?" cuz he wants to see me. I know he wants to see me, he never does. But all we do is watch TV! We played cards but he didn't want to play again... just a total bummer for me. He wanted to go watch the end of Ace Ventura 2, an awesome movie that we SAW THE PREVIOUS NIGHT. I'm all up for hanging out with the family, but I can only take so much.

So, since my parents live so far apart, I'm not only forced to spend EXORBITANT amounts of time with them (all at once), or, on the other hand, look like I don't care about them or want to hang out. I don't have a normal life here! I mean, for my dad, it's either I go and sit here at this computer for a few hours or go and watch TV with him. And I've been watching TV with him the majority of the time I've been here! And the other half I've been doing the same two yo-yo tricks I know on Lorenzo's yo-yo or playing stupid laggy warcraft 3 games. In my effort not to get sick of hanging with dad I probably make him feel like I don't care to spend time with him. That blows for everyone.

I wish that I could see both my parents in the same day. Then I could go hang out with my friends for the night. I could watch the football game with him, eat dinner at mom's, and go and play cards or something with the guys afterwards. I'd have a great time with all of them and I wouldn't be doing it because I had to, but because I wanted to. Instead it's go home to mom's and see them for a bit, PACK AND DO LAUNDRY ALL IN A RUSH, see the friends for a few hours, TRAVEL FOR 6 HOURS TO TEXAS (via airplane), and then spend 10 days straight with him. And once I'm here I have no choice about whether or not I'm going to see friends or see family. It's all dad, all the time. And if it's not dad, it's me blowing dad off... that's how I feel sometimes (he probably does too) but I can't take that much time with him (or anyone) straight!

Also, when I travel, I have virtually no freedom. I don't know where anything is! I don't have a car, or friends, or anywhere to go! I have no one to talk to and nothing to do. I have one person, for ten days. It's not my dad that's the problem - it's the fact that there's only one person I know in Houston. I mean, the step siblings count but they're so young I can't actually hang with them. I'm stuck in Texas. Yay! And dad wants me to meet the girl next door. Everybody knows that she has a group of friends and no time cuz she's at home and busy like any normal college person. And what would I do with her anyway?

The worst part: my dad doesn't like it here. My stepsiblings don't really like it here. The only person that likes it here is Pat (my stepmom). And she disappears for long periods of time without us knowing where she is. My dad never really talks about it, but he does say he doesn't know where she's at. I hope there are no shady dealings going on here.

In conclusion, I love both my parents a lot, but unfortunately they live across the country from each other and I have to spend huge amounts of time with them all at once, which drives me mad. This results in bad feelings for everyone and isn't the way it should be.

That's my rant.
-Bish

PS: When I'm married with a full time job and a wife's family to see as well, I don't know if I'll be able to see my dad more than once a year. That is depressing.

I'm in Houston now, with my dad, and a lot of times I think about my childhood while I'm around him. Although that can be depressing and sad, I recently remembered 5th grade graduation.

When we graduated, each of us got to go up to the podium in front of all the parents and relatives, give a little speech about what it meant to go to school there and how awesome and fun it was, and then go get our 5th grade diploma and go sit down. Being my complacent 5th grader self, I did as instructed. However, tonight I indulged in quite the awesome fantasy about how this could have gone.

~Enter fantasy~

I walk up to the podium and deliver my speech:

"My years at school here have been very memorable. I've made some great friends that will last me a lifetime, made some awesome memories and I've learned a lot. The thing I learned the most is that if you're smart, people will make fun of you! I've learned that I have a weird laugh and that people feel good by making me feel bad. I've learned that the girls in the class don't really talk to me because I'm not incredibly funny and I don't disrupt class all the time. I've learned that, because my clothes are worse than everyone else's, people like to make fun of me and call me names like "dirt." I've learned that I'll probably get beaten up by kids stronger than me and older than me. I've learned that I have an overbite, and people like to imitate it and make fun of me. I've learned that my soccer abilities are far below the abilities of most of the kids in this class, and because of this I am looked down upon. In fact, people would rather do something mean to me than nice, because then everyone else will laugh and have a great time. All of these things have drastically affected my self image and have made me very insecure. Now, after 6 years of ridicule and embassment, this is what I want to say right now."

"Darren Ruppert, for all the crap you've given me over the past 6 years, I just wanted to point out that now your entire family knows what you've put me through while I've been at this school. Hi Mr. and Mrs. Ruppert! I see you out there! Your little darling and precious kid takes great pleasure in making my life miserable. And Darren, I see you down there too. It looks like you wet yourself, how sad."

"There are others that made fun of me too, but maybe from now on they'll think twice about it. I'm going to 6th grade, where I'll make new friends and get to know more people. Now I'm going to get the heck out of this overrated crap joke of a school. To the people who were cool to me, I love you and you have been priceless to me. To all those rich upper class jerks that had enjoyment at my expense, I hope you get addicted to marijuana and partying and screw up your life by 11th grade. Diploma, here I come!"

I walk over, grab the diploma, and take my seat. The stunned audience looks at me. I somehow manage to hold a straight face, and, not knowing what to do, the ceremony goes on as planned. Nobody messes with me ever again.

That's my fantasy. I'd just like to say that I greatly enjoyed making that up, and I thought it awesome enough to be put on the blog.
Peace everybody!
Bish

Hello hello my dears!!!!
Yay for being done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I apologize to those who are reading this who aren't done yet!) I cannot say how good it feels to be able to say that-but no worries, the rest of you will join me in my happiness later!!! Now i get to hang around here, relaxin' and having some fun until tomorrow afternoon when I leave for home! :) Yay for being able to do whatever I want!!!
Hmmmmmmmmm....recap of the semester? wow, i don't even knwo where to begin. But before I do, kudos to you Bish for posting names....yeah I definitely won't do that....yes, i'm a baby! hehe!! but this semester was probably one of the hardest in college so far for me. Classes were definitely interesting (yay for Bruce being done FOREVER!!!!), and OF COURSE there was drama, b/c really, when is there ever not drama somewhere? And if you do find a couple peaceful moments, right when u think that: BOOM!!! It just reappears! hehe! But I must say I did learn a lot this semester, not regarding classes, but about life in general. I just realized how precious every day in life is, and that sometimes it just doesn't make sense to get upset, or not throw yourself whole-heartedly into everything you do. Regrets are something really hard to live with, so if you ever wonder about things, or need to tell people things: do it now, for none of us knows what the future holds for us. Wow, this is sounding pretty morbid and I apologize!!! Anywho, yeah this semester was definitely full of many challenges and setbacks, boys driving me crazy, and lotsa fun!!! Yay for amazing friends, lots of laughs, gettin' caught by the police by having an "illegal" (kinda) bonfire, frisbee, barn dances, late night talks, frosting fights, ..the list could seriously go on for quite some time. But my dears, I just want to thank everyone for making my semester one of a kind, and for being there for me through all the ups and downs. I love you guys!! I hope all of you have an amazing Christmas, and a break full of relaxation and fun!!! Hopefully I'll get to talk to/ see a lot of you over break! And to my fellow bloggers: yay for another drama-full semester with lots of crazy posts!!! You boys are the best! :) I will def. post over break and I hope you guys do too!!!! Love always, ~Julie

Hey!

Here's the status:
1. I leave for Houston in an hour and a half.
2. I arrive in Houston in 5 hours.
3. Andrew liked Jason's previous post a lot: called it "thesis level" writing. We should create a new field of study - dramatology.
4. Biddle is a sweet game, like Balderdash.
5. Team Double Nil is awesome at spades (unless Bish tries to go nil for no reason).
6. Nick is my favorite new person of the semester!
7. My financial outlook is pretty good - PCB is looking quite possible again this year.
8. My sister rules and we had fun looking at everyone's online pictures.
9. Becky is hilarious when she tells my sister that I'm her hottest friend. *[EDIT: This was Jeremy rice from Becky's screen name. I had no idea, but still hilarious]
10. Christmas conference is coming in two weeks! Yes!

I didn't push XMAS conference as much as I should've in Bible study, but hopefully the guys will be psyched for a sweet trip to PCB. The shameless plugs start on the first Bible study and won't stop until we're at PCB. And Andrew might end up going to indycc with us, how sweet is that?

I'm in a towel, half naked. This is not rare. However, I am going to go and put on clothes, deposit a check and pack up my stuff. Finish finals well everybody and I'll see you later.
Bish
PS: Everyone said the flaw in my plan was that I couldn't get A-'s and B+'s with minimal effort in my classes. They were wrong. =)

Hey everybody!
Well, in less than 12 hours I'll be off to St. Louis and, subsequently, Houston. I was looking back at the history of the blog today in a moment of complete after-finals enjoyment. The thing I noticed, most of all, was a line that said,
"Maybe my friend Jake will end up with my ex-girlfriend, Erin. Go figure. Good luck Jake!"

That is shameless drama. But guess what, today it's more like:
"That one guy that I know kinda well likes this girl. We'll call her girl Q. Well, guy B used to date girl Q but now that one guy who is guy B's friend MIGHT MAYBE POSSIBLY go out with girl Q. Go that one guy!"

Screw that. In the middle of drama, there's something to be said for leaving out names and being vague. However, I think that at the end of the semester, now that all the drama is said and done, we can recap what happened with some names.

Well, the semester began with a bang. Good times at the many Cru parties. Then, I started mooching football tickets and hung out with Lisa a bit. I thought she was pretty cool, maybe worth dating. Oh well, time goes on and I don't see her for maybe a week and a half. Busy with follow ups and what not, I realize she's a pretty good friend and shouldn't date her. I know she knows about this now (I'm f'd) =) so I don't mind posting. Oh well, I bet this ended up for the best, although it started a trend of me liking close girl friends, probably not a good pattern at all.

Then, I start hanging out with LeAnne a bit more. She's pretty fun, and on one random Sunday afternoon the guys convinced me to and I randomly ask her on a date. Dressing up like a Jimmy John's delivery guy, (and I pretended that actually WAS a delivery guy, fooling the security guards) I take her lunch at work and ask her on a date. For the record, I still think this was pretty stinkin' awesome. She says yes, but changes to a no on AIM that night. Then my friend Padiak goes for her (drama!). Oh well, I make a whiny blog post and move on.

Then at the Halloween party, I meet a cool girl named Emily. She's easy to talk to and pretty, so over facebook we end up setting up and going on a date to a coffee house. She's really fun but her religious differences make it a bit hard for me to imagine a future together. After hanging out one more time I break it to her (shamelessly and regretfully (regretful that it was over the AIM)) over the AIM and it's over.

So then I decide girls are the devil (or that I have no luck with them, either one) and decide to back off a bit. More realistically, I decide to stop dating the girls that I know so well. That didn't work in high school and I'm a fool to think it'd work this year - but I guess I'm a slow learner.

Tom still is going out with Julia. Erin has a new guy named Kevin (this is ... a possibiltity for I am not sure?) but there's not a lot of word what the deal is there. Jason likes Laura (obviously) and she's going to Miami =(. Jake's with me on the girl's are the devil idea and we'll have bachelorhood together for a bit (unless things go better next semester - yes, I still have some hope). Nick is rocking out, feelin' pretty good where he is I imagine. Michael has his status quo. Some things never change.

Jules is Jules... she has her own drama, blown out of proportion, and always of the same sorts it was way back when. I guess I told Michael (my roommate) this post would be no holds barred, but I definitely didn't say what I could've just now. Jules has drama - that's the end of that. (Jules, the holds were barred for your privacy. You should feel special). =)

Other than that, we had a massive influx of email that I decided to not post. We had a crazy November and then a pretty standard December. I'm cool with where the blog is right now, but I'm trying to bring out a bit more drama than there has been in the past.

Anyone who cares probably knew all this stuff anyway - if they didn't now they do. It's cool, my relationships with all girls mentioned here are pretty good and I don't think they'll care about anything I said. I'm kinda dumb and fickle for liking so many girls, but I guess I'm learning. I need to take a lesson from Jason on that one, I think.

Long post = lots of drama... or waste of time. This one was a lot of drama for sure. I hope you enjoyed it!
Merry XMAS and I'll post from Houston I promise.
I love you all!
Bish

I think I may be back to 100% status (physically). The kidney stone has not been heard from or felt for at least a month now. My shoulder is as good as new and I can't even remember what the third pain out of my triumvirate of pain was!
So, yay to that!
Main point of post: Good luck to all on their finals!

Life has enough drama without a person knowing what you're thinking, I know I've had this happen before. "Am I that transparent? Nope, never mind, they just read what I typed up on xanga/blog/etc." I am not saying that this is a bad thing, but sometimes drama needs to cool down so the participants can actually know what ground they're standing on. Open communication is always a good thing, and there can't be enough of it if you're honestly hoping for a relationship. You now know what I am thinking, what's on my mind, and can probably extrapolate all sorts of things based on other information, we'll get to this a bit later. But, one of the things I've been pondering with the way things work out has been the brainwashings that we must've underwent to believe these thoughts. I may just be speaking for myself and no other guy is like this at all, but let's see where this goes...
Male Motivation~Common mis-beliefs that lead from cause to effect, from life to drama.

There's always a deeper meaning.
Secret messages are always encoded into female speech. We've been noticing this and learning to pick up on it. Ever since junior high, when girls started talking about things we didn't know or understand, we figured that they must be speaking in a foreign language or secret code. This quest for deeper understanding has led us to where we are now. Relevent examples: If a girl's away message says something about baked goods, and she talks to Bish shortly afterwards, this is probably some subtle hint from the girl, right? Baked goods practically equal Bish.
Another example that the guys have actually used, if a girl has her away message say something about computer problems, I receive an IM saying, "She's calling to you, Hardware Boy!" or something similar to that. If you know me, this isn't too far of a stretch, I would gladly extend any help I could, especially to damsels in digital distress. These interpretations of girls messages are definitely expandable beyond the realm of AIM, I'm just too pathetic to have any worthy examples from elsewhere.
The deeper meaning goes hand-in-hand with the over-analysis, and Bish summed this one up nicely: "As I kick into my automatic over-analyzation mode, I realize there are 3 things that must be considered.

1. What was said.
2. Body language.
3. What we want the result to be."
Clearly, we are biasing our thoughts with what we want for the actual outcome. This is a source for hope and dreams in relationships when we don't have any actual experience to draw from (such as myself). When it seems like girls are sending "mixed messages," most likely the message they are sending is just opposite of the message we want them to send. So, just blame it on their indecisiveness (they are girls after all), and wait for the next chance. The same holds true for "leading guys on." Did she actually give any reason where I might think we actually had a chance or was it my dream two nights before where we went out for dinner, a symphony concert, and then stayed at a bookstore coffeehouse until 3 in the morning just talking and hanging out?
Lesson 1 - Cautious Optimism; Have hope, have dreams, but take a break and don't bet it all on red.

She might like you if you were you, but better.
The girl might like me if I had less here *pokes stomach* and more here *pokes bicep*. I have to believe this one to be a subconscious thought process that never actually reaches the surface unless we question our actions. I try to keep a regular routine in getting to the gym, but if I like a girl, there isn't much that can get in the way of going to the gym. Although I would never want a girl that is shallow enough for physicality to solely matter, I still visit the gym or go jogging a lot more frequently. Don't get me wrong, physical attraction is necessary for a relationship, but the difference it makes to be able to bench 250 lbs shouldn't be sufficient cause to have or to not have a relationship.
In asking girls to save us from this thought, I think the least we can do is extend the same courtesy. A girl is more than a pretty face, and we must treasure what they hold deep inside. I think this is given, perhaps even taken for granted, but it is a good thing to hear a reminder for. This also extends beyond looks, it is all aspects, all qualities of a person that must be considered. If we could improve all properties of our lives, surely we would, whether it be physical, mental, spiritual or others that can't be grouped. To be the best for our significant others and ourselves is only a natural desire.
Lesson 2: Be the Best 'You' You Can Be; Be yourself and be content with who you are. If you aren't happy with yourself, why would she be? Same goes for knowing yourself, if you don't know who you are, how will she?

Girls will always try to discourage guys, they're just testing to see that you mean it and are willing to prove it.
When a discouragement of pursuit occurs, you can either take it for its literal meaning and back off, or you can be a "man" and press on despite the opposition. Unfortunately, emotions are not waves of enemies that can be taken down by the sword and just a matter of strength and time before you reach the other side, to victory.
Now the problem here is all in the reaction. I am quick to jump to conclusions and as the "deeper meanings" above shows, the better, brighter side of things is going to be the prefered way to take things.
Lesson 3: Persistence; Don't be motivated by fear of having regrets, but pay attention and try for open, honest communication. I have recently learned that being blunt can make things a whole lot easier. Now, just to bench 750 lbs.

You must strike before you're buried six feet deep in "Just Friends" territory.
This one goes back a long ways, I believe. This is the same as lesson 3, regrets can be incredibly disappointing and a ponderous issue to bear, but there's always the "whatever happens happens."
If you don't get a date, but end up making a friend in the process, I would count it as a win. Date= possibly limited to a one-time event with a person that you are interested in = cool
Friend = possibly life-time person that you are interested in and is interested in you, just not in that way... = awesome
Lesson 4: Ride the Wave; The outcome is hardly ours to decide. Enjoy life as it comes, and learn more about other people and yourself as you go, then you'll be ready.

Get the relationship, then you'll get to know her.
This one confuses me (not that I'm an actual experienced source for any of this information). But, I've been thinking about it since one of the posts in the November flurry. I am unsure how you get to know a person well enough to date her, without the chance of a date. I am shy and am terrible at small talk. I, particularly, dislike talking about myself. There is a feeling of vulnerability when I do that. It's part of that vulnerability that may show that you trust a person, but how did this person get chosen in the first place. Particularly in the realm of deeper things, I don't know how to express how I feel, where I am, or anything like that, maybe this is one of those things that is better shown by example, but then how can I check my motivations and know that I'm being myself (two things that I hold extremely valuable to myself).
So, for somebody to "know" me, they must have my trust. I'm not just going to open up to anybody, so part of the problem is that fear of being in "just friends territory." I assume one of these days it will all make sense in retrospect, but that day hasn't come yet.
Lesson 5: Order of Operations; I don't know, teach me.

Hey everybody!

Well, finals week starts tomorrow. In preparation for this, as hopefully you all know, we had a smores night in the grove. We all just kinda hung out and talked about whatever we talked about. It was really fun.

Now, last week I made a joke with Jules after I completely predicted her current drama from nothing more than one of her always cryptic blog posts. She asked me how I knew, and I said nothing more than "Bish knows all, sees all." It's been a joke since, although it's been surprisingly true. For instance, I previously mentioned "end of the semester Jules boy drama" which seems the case and I also said that we had end of the semester adventures. Not to mention the cookies she made me.

Well, at the end of this smores night, the police showed up. They made us put out the fire and acted really shady - they got all of our names and birthdays. Do they want to send us birthday presents? If by presents I mean fines, maybe. I am not looking forward to whatever reason they needed my ID. Then they told us to use the fire pit, which we did... stupid cops (no offense to Jules' dad). But the point is, I guess, that seems some sort of adventure at least.

And! Remember how I said that Jules would make me end of the semester baked goods of sorts? Well, she sure did. And they were wonderful, although tasting somewhat like candy corn. Candy corn cookies are still good cookies all the same. Yummy. The point is that the incredibly arrogant and cocky "Bish knows all, sees all" statement holds true. Who would've thunk it? I was just being funny.

My blog words were quite prophetic, it seems. Finals week has already lived up to its expectations. Anything else will just be extra!
Randomly,
Bish

Hey my dears!!!
This has gotta be short, but I must say your post was awesome Bish! I completely agree with everything u said about finals week, though i will admit im really stressed out about my 2 HUGE exams next week. But i do love the free time, the no classes, the friend time, and just gettin more into the Christmas season. (Though snow would also be really nice.. i mean c'mon where is it????) but just a note which i may or may not get more into later....that one big thing that nice guys don't get about girls....most of u know what im referring to...but for real, i gotta get over that. And the sooner the better. And most likely ill keep changin my mind about it, but hey, i'm a girl. And i will admit, it is what some of us, myself included, do well. And i am just keeping up with the bish's statement of "my end of semester boy drama", which is of course oh-so-true. But what are ya gonna do? ....Yeah, i dunno either!!! but if u have ideas, let me know!!!!!!! and im done! sweet dreams! ~julie

I know it's finals time, and if you're not like me you're probably feeling a little stressed. Finals week, however, has some definite bright sides that I think are worth noting. It's actually been my favorite week of the semester all 4 (and now 5) semesters I've been here, even when I have 4 or 5 finals in the course of the week. Here's why:

1. Free time - if you have 4 tests, that's a maximum of 12 hours spent in class. Considering most finals take at most 2 hours, that's really only around 8 hours. That leaves a lot of free time.
2. Easier - finals are easier because they're less specific than the ultra specific hour exams.
3. Chill time after finals are done - if you get done on Tuesday or Wednesday, you have a couple completely free days to chill. This time can and should be spent doing shady things.
4. Grades are basically already determined - sometimes, if you're doing well in a class, studying hard for the final will be necessary to keep the A. But lots of times any grade on the final from like a 65-95 will let me keep a B. Thus, the motivation to thoroughly learn what I already kinda know goes down the tube. And that goes back to number 1 - free time.
5. Free cookies - finals week has free cookies if you live in the dorms, at least it does in PAR. So move to PAR, solid ministry-minded CRU girls, do ministry and once a semester get free cookies. Heck, that'd sell me on the deal. And if the other dorms have cookies too, ours are better. Mmmmmmmm......... cookies. And heck, if you come over we can go and get some together, because it's not like they check IDs or something.
6. Jules' baked goods - either she gets sad cuz we're all going away (2nd semester) and gives me baked goods, or it's Christmas time! Either way, baked goods are aplenty.
7. Good times ahead - you know that, no matter how you do on the tests, soon you are going to be enjoying a massive amount of time without any school work. And that should keep anybody's spirits up.
8. Increased emphasis on seeing friends - knowing you're leaving your friends leaves you trying to hang out with friends more than previously. That usually results in good times.
9. Adventures - whether it's me getting written up for running from the RA or Julie having massive end of semester boy drama, the end of the semester is almost always good for some kind of adventure.
10. Introspection - at the end of the semester you can reflect on how far you've come since the beginning of the semester. All the things you've learned and all the ways you've grown can be seen through intimate self reflection. I would suggest finding a large rock and sitting cross-legged to fully maximize this period of self reflection; meditate. You may even want to transcend, usurping your mind from the clutches of finals week to fully experience the total measure of your inner self and how it is ever increasingly becoming one with nature. Ok, I've never done any of that, but I'd say that in some way something can be gained from looking at where you were 6 months ago and where you are now. In all seriousness that is usually something really good for me to do.

Happy finals week everybody, and if I don't see you have a great break. I hope to see you at XMAS conference! (INDYCC BABY)!

Bish

PS: Every tribe, tongue and nation or bust.

Hey all!
Well, whoo to three hours of sleep, but upending Team Victory.

So, Saturday December 11, 9 o'clock pm, you are invited to Stress-Free Saturday. "What the heck is that?" you ask. Well, basically it's a little thing I'm trying to get together. It's the end of the semester and everybody's probably a bit frazzled, so come over to the Illini Grove (just north of PAR) for some S'mores.
FAQ's about SFS:
What if I have to study for a test?
Come anyways! Release your stress! You still have Sunday and plenty of time between now and then to study.
Are you just trying to get me on the Make-Out Futon?
No, we'll be outside in the Grove, no where near the Make-Out Futon.
Why's it called the Make-Out Futon?
That's off-topic!
Why SFS?
It's a stressful time of year, S'mores are delicious(try replacing the chocolate with a Reese's Peanut Butter cup?), and you should have a chance to see your friends before the long winter break.
What if I'm a recovering marshmallow addict?
Umm... Counselors will be on hand in the form of Graham Crackers and chocolate.
What if I don't like S'mores?
Heathen! I mean... you like me   though, right? So come anyways. There should be plenty of people. Vent about your finals schedule, talk about plans for break, or just laugh like crazy when Bish, inevitably, tries to show off for a girl.
Isn't it a bit cold for outdoor activities?
Dress appropriately, I guess. I know I will, one pair of shorts and t-shirt, coming right up. Check weather.com, it's supposed to be 45 degrees and clouds are leaving after the morning! I don't know about you, but that sounds like time to open up the pool. Not to mention that there's going to be a fire going...
What if you don't know that I read this?
Come anyways! If you're reading this, you're invited. If somebody tells you about it, you're invited. If you don't find out until too late, you were invited (not my fault).
What if I think you're kinda creepy and this shindig is some shady plan of yours?
Well then, I guess I'd start off with, GET OUT OF MY HEAD! But seriously, alright I guess I can concede a little creepiness, but that's only until you get to know me and my (very) odd sense of humor, but there's no pre-planned shadiness. If shadiness occurs, *looks toward Bish*, well Bish has standard weak points plus he's easy to tackle, has plenty of chest hair to be pulled, has gender confusion issues, and is known to be extremely vulnerable in his sleep.

Any other questions? Ask me AIM: shrapnel009

Bishman77: what's goin on?
Bottman77: the usual
Bottman77: woke up today
Bottman77: went to school
Bottman77: got the mail
Bottman77: lost $650 in internet fraud

So, we have the first instance of internet drama. Pray for my friend to get his money back.

Studying!
Bish

You know what's sweet? Those last 15 minutes before you go to bed, when you make absolutely no sense and say whatever is on your mind. My best posts usually come then, but I have absolutely no inspiration.

Oh well, there will be some as time goes on.

Mah.
Bish

Arguments

So, I'm beginning to develop a new pet peeve. In all honesty, one of the reasons I get the heck out of PAR sometimes is just because people drive me crazy with arguments. Example:

Bish: "Hey, I like my major."
Person A: "Your major is worse than mine, because mine explains everything including yours."
Bish: "Yours, in practicality, can't actually do mine though."
Person A: "So what, you're an education major."
Bish: "BE OUT VILE DEMONS! OUT! OUT!"

Ok, maybe it's not that extreme. But seriously, let's analyze this stuff. I think that, in these situations, sometimes it comes down to what my friend Drew oh so eloquently summarized in his statement, "My penis is longer."

It's not that simple, we all know. But I mean, really! When guys stupidly argue, what are they trying to prove? Their intellectual superiority? That they're right and you're wrong? That their "[insert phallic synonym here]" is longer [in the words of Shrek: "maybe he's compensating for something"]? WHO CARES? Who gains from this?

When I reminisce with people, it's usually about good times. There was one argument that was epic, regarding whether or not silver was a color. Aside from that, only about 2% of good, reminisce-worthy times are characterized by excessive argument. They are, instead, usually characterized by times we all did something together that was fun.
Examples:
1. Mission trips (dominating at frisbee with Andrew, hanging with Dewey, this crazy guy who loved mountain dew, learning to serve God, Summer Project, etc.)
2. Playing games (smash, setback, euchre, balderdash)
3. Physical activity (ultimate, basketball, tricking rangers at pere marquette park)
4. Hanging out (too many examples)
5. Asking out girls (also too many examples) = )

My point is that when we look back at the good times, they aren't about arguments. So let's not argue as much. And let's think about why we argue. It's important.

Tonight, however, my friends who don't live in PAR got in an argument. The argument was over where we are going to watch a movie. This argument was by girls. Consequently, it was of a completely different nature. The point of this argument was to get your way. Thus, I saw mind games, reverse psychology, reverse reverse psychology, guilt trips, and finally downright manipulation. It was a sad day.

Both styles of argument are bad. The one by men is definitely for pride (synonymous with length of phallic appendage). Women's arguments are for something else. I'm not sure what, because even upon winning the argument I don't think that the girl felt like she had accomplished anything. I bet that she wished the argument had never even happened. It was, by nature, negative. And if we were less mature people, it could've been downright destructive.

Thank goodness that we aren't all idiots or we'd faction off and hate each other.

Good times!
Bish

Hello hello!!
Highlight of the week: mcauley barcrawl!! you guys this was absolutely hysterical. Picture about 90 girls in their uniforms walking down green street screaming high school songs and cheers. seriously, one of the funniest nights of my life. And def. yay for seeing tons of my girlies and reliving some incredible moments. and the night had drama of its own of course, but what else could be expected from an all girls school?? just keeping it how it always was! and i must say yay for jim who saved me. And mama nelson, oooh u def. missed moving down the ladder.. u r lucky, trust me!!
Other than that, what else is new? This week def. flew by and i gots to say im not looking forward to the gazzilion of things that need to be done. but im not gonna complain right now, so at the moment, none of it exists!!! oooooooooh sidenote: bruce is done for the year!!!! :) one more quiz and no more!!! yaaaaaaaaaay!! little excited..hehehe! And yay for the little snow we had this week! me and my oh so cute roomie had some fun in it-lets just keep our fingers crossed that more comes soon! and yay for you boys kidnapping me cuz i had lotsa fun tonight! thank u!!!!!! and bish, thanks for the chat! and remember chillingsworth if i forget again cuz that was soooooooo annoying!! alright, im delirious and not making any sense-yay for early morning entries..hehe! sweet dreams my dears!! ~Julie

The following is not drama in any way, but cracked me up. I thought I'd share.

My cousin wrote this and turned it in for the intro of his "informal" English paper. He has to write it on gratitude. I bolded the awesome lines, but I seriously think this is one of the funniest things I've read in a while. It's funny in how hard he weasels and his use of vocab. It's also supposed to be a true story, which I think is equally hilarious because it's FAR FAR from true. Blatantly lying for the grade = awesome. What teacher could possibly take this seriously???? I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Piercing cold. It was 11 at night, on the day before Thanksgiving, and I wasn’t in my warm, safe bed. I wasn’t in eager anticipation of a turkey feast, and I wasn’t surrounded by the people I love most. I was on my front porch, eagerly anticipating the arrival of help, and the moment when my teeth could finally stop chattering. “Loved ones” were nowhere to be found, instead, I was surrounded by the only two words I could think of. Piercing cold. The world around me that was cutting into my skin and chilling my bones seemed to be tinted a harsh, dark blue, the color of my frozen lips.
When I arrived at my house that night, at 9 o’ clock, I was expecting a warm welcome from my sisters, who were supposed to be getting back from college around noon that day. After about three rings of the doorbell, and fifteen minutes of waiting, I assumed they weren’t home. I had no idea why they wouldn’t be, but the pitch dark inside my house provided reasonable support for my conjecture. For some reason, I began pounding the door ferociously, daring my frozen knuckles to bleed, maybe bleeding would be a little warmer. Pounding, and pounding, each thud of my clenched fist screamed for help. After two hours of frustration, and trying to avoid hypothermia, I had finally calmed down. I accepted my position, and my thoughts began to change. I wasn’t thinking of how terrible the situation was, but about all of the good things in my life. [bish here: the transition is hilarious and non sequitur] I wasn’t going to be locked out forever. I usurped my mind from the clutches of the cold, and began to transcend. My mind had left my cold body [bish again: he began to transcend!!! LOL] , and with Thanksgiving on the way, I was thinking about what I had to be grateful for. In my life, I have gratitude for many things. Most importantly, I am thankful for the hardships that I have grown from, and for all of the blessings in my life.

Ok, if you didn't enjoy that then you're just weird. Remember, when life is bad, USURP YOUR MIND FROM YOUR COLD BODY AND TRANSCEND. It's the only way to get through your day.

= P
Bish