10. DVR. As evidenced by the Thursday night unexplained non-recording of The Office, our weekend had to be totally rearranged. From out of nowhere, our DVR just decided it didn't like the NBC lineup on Thursday. Must-See-TV turned into I'm-Not-Going-To-Let-You-See-TV on NBC from 8 PM-10 PM. Weird. Thankfully, NBC streams their shows online, and Kim and I were able to watch it on the super-Mac last night.
9. Yellow Highlighters. So far this semester I've gone through 4 yellow highlighters. My Scriptures book glows. It's eery. Kim had a coupon for any "post-it" brand item, and instead of getting herself post-its for her classroom, she found me a nifty yellow highlighter with flags, too! I'm pumped to try it out.
8. Note Cards. I've become a full-fledged note card nerd. I even have a case I keep them in. For my Theology test tomorrow, I went and asked my professor if I could bring in some blank note cards, so that I could outline my thoughts onto the cards during the test. He gave permission. I wanted to give him a heads up that I'm a loser who in his second academic life has been reduced to memorizing things and writing them down.
7. Grapette soda from W-M. Caffeine-free, just the way I like it. And 12 packs are only 2.27. Much less than Sprites, Welch's, Sierra Mists, etc. The days of being on a tight budget have forced me to be frugal.
6. Bottled Water. The H2O in Waco is atrocious. We bought a filter for our faucet, but I like cold water. Water never seems to be cold enough in Waco. Even in the fountains. TX seems to favor Nestle's Ozarka brand spring water. Cincinnati was Ice Mountain country. Whatever. They taste the same. I probably drink somewhere between 20-30 bottles of water a week.
5. High-speed Internet. Worth every penny. The place I work at infrequently is still on dial-up. I thought I would be one of their next clients if the stupid thing didn't connect faster the other day. For those who don't know, I'm an attendant at a funeral home (I know, creepy, and strangely, it isn't as bad as you might think).
4. The Study Room at Truett. Andrew calls it my "office." I thought about getting my name printed on a brass plate and putting it outside the room to see if anyone would notice. There are way too many distractions at home to get adequate studying done. This room provides perfect solace for someone looking to escape and hide for awhile, uninterrupted. Occasionally, a fellow Truettite will wander in to share the room. I tend to bug them too much, and they take off soon after. I don't do this on purpose, but more because I get lonely. Paradoxical, I know. I hide out, then wait for someone to join me because I'm lonely. There's a sermon in there somewhere. As Chris says, "That'll preach!"
3. Unlimited Long-distance. I prefer it at home, as opposed to my cell phone, but I'll take it where I can get it. It's a lifeline to those outside Waco, TX. We moved here at the end of July. We've left the county once. For someone who left the county daily, travelling all over greater Cincy for whatever I wanted, this has drastically tied me down. Only through phone calls, and my upcoming #2 entry, am I able to correspond with loved ones. I call my mom a lot. I try and reconnect with a friend at least once a week. When you're new to a city and community, it's hard to be yourself. You need that comfort that you've left behind. You need that familiarity. In new places, you feel the need to withhold something, to be mysterious, in order to make a connection and feel accepted. I've always been pretty extroverted, but it's easy to become introverted when you move.
2. The Super-Mac. I admit it. I'm addicted. I'm still learning all it can do. I never realized how dependent I am upon my Mac until it died the other day and I forgot my charger. I had to take some notes the old way, and it killed my hand. I can type a lot faster than I can write, that's for sure. Never again will I leave the house with Super-Mac without his jumper cable. Computers have come so far since my first go-round as a student. They weren't really portable then. At least not for those in my income bracket. We had to go to the Computer Lab, which was a metal building that was really hot. Then, they finished the library, and moved the computer lab to the basement of the library. It was infinitely better, yet still low-rent compared to today. Now everyone carries their own around in a backpack. Thank you Lord for technology. My History paper will be incredibly easier than it would have been 13 years ago when I started college. Dang, I'm old.
1. My family. I know, I know, way to cop out on that one TJ. But they really are everything to me. I am reminded everyday how much they mean. My incredible wife, mother to our precious daughter, is the perfect helpmate for me. She is my best friend. I fail to realize this as often as I should. In studying for our Christian Worship project, our assigned passage is from Isaiah 45:1-3. As another guy and I were reading through the text and exegeting it (ooooo, big word, eh), I noticed 3 times, God tells Isaiah, "I will..." do something. Those three phrases took me back to August 7, 1999. In our wedding vows, instead of "I do"ing like everyone else, ours were phrased with "I Will." To me now, this more accurately conveys that we have to make a conscious choice all the time to follow our vows. I Will. Kim, I will, do all these things and more, each and everyday I breathe on this earth. I love you so much.
And Lydia. I know I've said it before, but I have learned more about God's love for us since she was born than I ever have from any book or Sunday School class or lecture. If God feels the same way about me that I feel about her, wow. When she smiles and laughs, I smile and laugh. When she doesn't feel well, I ache that I can't take the pain away. When she learns something new, I beam with pride. When she snuggles with me, I feel her heartbeat and know she is safe. Okay. Let's just say, I live for my wife and daughter.
Also, my mother. As we enter another season of our relationship, I need to learn not to be too critical. As we transition from me always looking to her for guidance, to her looking my way, I pray I will be the one she needs to help her make good decisions. I think dealing with an aging, widowed mother has given me a new challenge. A challenge to be a better husband, father to my own family, as well as a better son to someone who needs me now like never before. It's so tempting to withdraw and let my distance serve as an excuse from not being more actively involved. To shirk my responsiblities as a son. To ignore the relationship with my siblings, so distant physically, age-wise, and emotionally. I never thought finding the balance between all elements of my family-life would be so dangerous. Not trying to be a bummer, but this is the reality I find myself in.
So what do you think? Is my list lacking anything? What would be on your list?
I guess I need to get back to studying now.
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