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Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Surprises...

So I am going on record and saying surprises are cool and fun.

Michael, Emily, and I embarked upon a quest of epic proportions (as Michael has stated in his photo album on Facebook).

The destination: a small camp in the middle of Mississippi.
The goal: to surprise our friend Jessie.

So we embarked from Dayton and traversed to Birmingham the first night, whereupon we were welcomed by our friend David Sutton.

We spent the evening watching soccer, playing rook, and Killer Bunnies.

Killer Bunnies!!!

We departed the next morning and continued on our way to Mississippi. Upon arriving at the camp (after thinking we were lost, but realizing we weren’t) we found the office and began to try and find out where Jessie was…and thanks to her fellow counselor Jessica we found her cabin and proceeded to knock on the door.

When no one answered, we sent Emily in to find out if she was there. After about 2 minutes of shouting, “What are you doing here!?” She proceeded outside to discover Michael and myself on the porch swing.

(Jessie has a remarkable description of the event from her perspective on her site here).

Surprise!!

HA HA! Victory!

Jessica came by and we were introduced (officially) and talked for a little while.

Jessie making the connection gesture as Emily and Jessica talk about Peru.

After which we all piled in Matilda (Michael’s van), and proceeded into Louisville. (Now pronunciation here is very important it’s sounds more like Loose-vulle with ville being dropped slightly and the Loose being faster). We asked Michaels GPS to show us someplace to eat and we picked Mary Lou’s Biscuit bar. Alas and alack the biscuit bar was closed, but that didn’t stop us from getting a picture outside of it!

Next we asked the GPS to find a KFC, and were successful…in finding the now closed KFC location… so we decided to head back to BJ’s a nice little restaurant we had passed (and incidentally NOT on the GPS) where everything on the menu was on a chalk board, and everything was $6.

The closed one!

Cheesy smiles =P

Them taking pictures of us, taking pictures of them, taking pictures of us...

And this one’s for Jessie =P

We proceeded to walk around Louisville, went into a couple antique shops and spent some time in the local coffee house talking.

That evening back at the camp we went out on the pier talked, looked at the stars, and saw some shooting stars too!! It was a whole lot of fun!

Boy that flash was bright...

The next morning we were up bright and early for a walk around the lake of the camp.

Emily taking a picture of Jessie. (Here is Michael taking a picture of me taking a picture of Emily taking a picture of Jessie (You can see the same photo from three angles!!!).

Whoops! There's that directional orientation problem again...one second...there we go...

Jessie!

Michael contemplating what being lost in the woods would be like…

All I said was act like you like each other…

The four of us!

All in all, I would say the trip went off with much success, and we all enjoyed ourselves very much.

Hooray road trips! Hooray surprises! Hooray friends!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Warning About "The Happening"

For those of you who are thinking about seeing M. Night Shyamalan's new movie "The Happening" I need to strongly caution you all.

The Happening is a horror suspense movie. Normally Shyamalan lets your mind fill in the details via his suspense, but in this movie he shows you the details. This might not be saying much, but even after avoiding watching most of those scenes (by closing my eyes at least when I knew they were coming) I still ended up having to leave the theatre because of how graphic the suicide/death was. The horror was also compounded by the idea that he portrays behind why the people commit suicide/die.

I do not recommend this movie. In fact I recommend if you have problems with death and suicide (especially with suicide) avoid this movie.

Friday, June 13, 2008

"It's Away!"

The package is off to Korea, step one for my part is complete.

*victory music*

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Mondays

I hate them.

Yesterday was not a good day at all. It began with me not being awake or functionally cognizantly until around noon (normally I’m groggy for a couple hours and am wide awake by 9). I made several mistakes at work because of that (nothing major just frustrating little things). Finally I’m awake and work is going better, until my car won’t start when I am leaving one of our jobsites. I get it started in a couple of tries, but not a mile from the jobsite it begins over heating. This is not good.

So I pull into a church parking lot, pop the hood and look around, coolant is everywhere. Jared gets there we take a closer look, and I take off the radiator cap…nothing. There was nothing inside the pipes. I added the half a container of coolant I had in the car and we looked underneath…too see coolant coming at a steady pace from the area around the water pump… this means one of two things: My water pump has ruptured somehow and it’s going to be very expensive to replace, or a hose had burst and it won’t be as expensive.

Either way though the coolant was dripping off the oil pan…which could mean coolant in my oil system which could spell certain doom for my car.

That wasn’t the worst of it though.

The worst of it was the lies. The lies that I hear so often were much louder yesterday than usual. The lies that say all that God does is take and take and take. That whatever I want, whatever I cherish, he will take from me, because He wants to be the only thing in my life.

Do you see the lie? How subtle the truth is mixed in and only several words are changed, but the meaning changes, and therefore everything changes.

So as a result I was in a pretty horrible mood yesterday because I was wrestling pretty hard against the lies. That evening, then My Boss, Jared and I needed to work late on a jobsite to help get more of it finished. I had a rotten attitude, I was complaining, etc. I was being the most depressing, annoyed pessimist I could be (which those of you who know me, know how bad that can be).

My Boss however, decided to point out that is could be worse. He pointed it out in a joking tone, but being quite serious at the same time (if you know my boss at all you understand). He continued to make fun of Mondays, etc. and it finally started to sink in, what he had said; I really was ok and it really could have been worse.

I have so much to be grateful for, most of which I don’t even realize until it is put right in front of my face with neon blinking lights. Even if it just things that have not happened to me.

Still however I could not bring myself through, because I would bring up something that hadn’t happened, but I didn’t care about it.

We got off of work at 10:30 and I went back to the apartment, and continued to wrestle with God, and this lie. Finally God grabbed my attention. He allowed me to see my depravity, and then reminded me that He loved me, loved me to the point of being willing to take all of the burden on himself.

*sigh*

I went to bed much more grateful than I had been all day. That perspective that He loves us. The truth that He loves us…it is so comforting.

My Hope (in terms of assurance) is that one day we will never have to wrestle with those lies anymore.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

KOREA!!!!!!!

Part 2!!

Day 8 begins

Matt and Sarah are off to school, while I begin the hazardous task of going souvenir shopping. I leave at about 11 get to Incedon just in time to grab some lunch (saw a BK and just couldn’t resist) the funny part was there were definitely 4 older gentlemen in business suits in the resturant, definitely having a meeting of some kind… just remember the next time your planning a meeting to take a look at the BK.

I decide to go to the nearby park which was recommended to me by Matt and Sarah, where I saw National treasure’s number 2 and 3 (no not the movies (3 doesn’t exist…yet), these are Korea’s national treasures).

National treasure #3

Again (The subway maps are starting to affect my other photos) ...

National Treasure #2 (gr... photos)

So then I proceed to spend the rest of the afternoon shopping and price checking and more price checking, and seeing who I can haggle and who I can’t etc. etc. very exhausting, so by the time I make it back I am tired, and unfortunately cranky, but never fear, because Matthew’s family is going to be arriving soon! So I proceed to pack up my things and move to Melissa’s flat (their fellow teacher from the UK who lives with her boyfriend). I get in get situated then go back to wait with Matt and Sarah for the rest of the Joss’ to arrive.

Fortunately, they didn’t have the problem I did of missing the bus at the airport like I did so they got their in a much more timely manner.

We ate dinner, and I proceeded back to my new temporary place of residence to get some shut eye.

Day 9

Over to Matt and Sarah’s very early to see what the new three addition to their house hold want to do. I end up showing them how to get to Lotte Mart (the Korean version of Wal-Mart) and then take them down to the river where we wander up and head back through the open air fish market. And the best part/what they never knew, was that I had no idea how to get back from the fish market, I was winging it (and we ended up coming out right by Lotte Mart just like I had hoped! Heheheh). That made my day right then pretty much.

Matt and Sarah get back from school and we all promptly head off to Incedon.

The Joss' (-Kyle)...

Not yet...

YES!! THERE IT IS!! Oriented North!! HA HA!! VICTORY!! I WIN!!

Matt wanted to introduce His mother to a shopkeeper lady where he had bought Sarah some things. Incidentally Mrs. Joss was a MK from South Korea, so while she does not speak it very well (35 years without practice will do that to you) However, she can still understand spoken Korean moderately well. On the way out of that particular store she was laughing, and we were curious. “Well essentially the lady said I was fat to her friend. There are two words for fat and she used the polite term but… Well it’s a good thing I never showed that I knew what they were saying. That would have been so embarrassing for them.” and she started laughing again.

So just remember, when you are speaking your native tongue they may be some foreigner around who can understand what your saying about them!

Anyway that evening we had a small birthday celebration-ish thing for me, and as Matt put it, “Ross this is probably the most birthday cake you’ve had in your life, and probably the worst too.” True it was. Korean’s need lessons on making cakes…

Day 10

We decide to nix the trip to the countryside and opt instead for going to see another Castle, while Matthew decides to opt for sleeping.

Aw.....

It was a very nice Castle, but you had to stick with the tour group on this one so rather constraining.

Kyle!! (He looks like he's up to something)

Yes tour guide lady we are listening...

Day 11

Sunday again. Time to visit a smaller of the Korean churches. Yup, they decided we were honored guests and though I didn’t understand a word of the sermon, I thought the scriptures he used together were…interesting (still not sure how some of them related).

We ate lunch at the church (which was very good), and then went back to the apartment to lock out the world for a little while.

After which we decided to go to a nearby historical site/park that Matthew found. We wandered all through it taking a look at the tombs of some of the various Kings of Korea, including the founder of the dynasty. Matt and Sarah have decided that the Park is a great place for coming during their time off.

Matt being a camera hog!

Aw....

Jarrell this one's for you...

Day 12

Monday happens to be a national holiday, so we decide to try and find someplace in the countryside and some place where there are very few people we achieved both, but not at the same time unfortunately.

I like this picture.

We arrived back mid afternoon, and that was when I finally broke down and bought Catan at the only Toys R Us in Korea (which happens to be located in the same complex as Lotte Mart)

CATAN!!!

So I proceeded to teach Kyle, Mr. Joss and later Matthew how to play. This being my last evening there Matt was willing to pose for a picture…

Matt and I!!!

I never did mention to you their sink issue. Their bathroom sink drains onto the floor (hence the little tail behind it). it does flow into a drain hole, I just thought you all might like to see how some of the plumbing works in Korea.

Gathered around the food, the girls preparing, the guys hovering...

Day 13

I need to preface this day. Matt and Sarah have both decided to go part time teaching over there at the school. Meaning the school needs another teacher.

I had been talking with many people, about it. Thinking long and hard, and finally had come to a decision. I was going to pursue getting the opening teaching position at the school. Which meant I needed to talk to Grace the director. So off to the school I go.

Only to find that she is not coming back until 2 and I will need to be on my way to the airport by then. So I got to have a phone interview. The interview was good, and I don’t want to imagine what a phone interview would have been like over an international phone line, and since Matt and Sarah have had that experience you can ask them.

So back to Matt and Sarah’s I go, grab my luggage then proceed to the airport after biding Kyle, Mr. and Mrs. Joss farewell.

The flight back was a Delta flight, not nearly as good as Korean Air. And I decided that being in a day longer than 24 hours can really mess you up.

So there you have it. Korea in a nutshell.

Matt, Sarah, and I...and I'm pretty sure my directional orientation on this xanga page will never be the same!!!