govemeritus's Xanga

Brian at Bryan updates his life

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 09:24:53 GMT

Hey everyone,

Well, it has been an event-filled stretch of time since I last updated. Over the past couple of weeks I have 1.) Moved from 2nd tenor to 1st tenor. 2.) Made my debut in the Lion suit (picture attached). 3.) Put in my resume at a nearby church to serve as a children's minister. 4.) Realized that the more you work-out, the more sore you are, at least for the first couple of weeks. 5.) Helped prepare and serve a Greek feast. 6.) Completed one of five essays I will be writing in my English class this semester. 7.) Taken a practice quiz in Western Civilization. 8.) Been aghast at my score on said practice quiz. 9.) Determined to study hard for the real Western Civ. test that takes place next Friday. and 10.) Attended my first homecoming banquet while outfitted as the illustrious Col. Mustard. I'll send a picture of me in my get-up once I get some copies from the other people in my group.
       So, moving from 2nd to 1st tenor is quite a switch. There are fewer of us and when the bass and tenor sections sing in 4-part harmony, we also get the high notes, which is challenging, but also very fun. Chorale practice has become the highlight of my week. I can't wait until our concerts in November, they are going to be so much fun.
       Wearing the lion suit to the Bryan vs. Covenant soccer game was a blast. We students hid in the woods until right before the game started before we charged out. All the Covenant fans were in their section thinking, "Oh wow, there are hardly any Bryan students here! Go us!" And then one student stepped out of the woods waving the Bryan flag and then we all came tearing out behind him and stormed around the field, past the Covenant Scots and filled up the rest of the empty seats. And then we proceeded to beat them in soccer and in every other sport we've played them in so far.
    Classes are moving along. English has been my best class so far, I'd say. Politics has gone well, but since it's very unconventional it's hard to know how well you're doing. My group got a 98 on our Greek feast, but then I only scored a 80 on my practice test later that week, so I need to put more work into that. Worldview has been very fun, but I'm a little nervous about the project I turned in this week.
    Homecoming was fun. The entire banquet was Clue themed, so a lot of the attendees were dressed as characters. One guy didn't have an outfit, so he decided he would just go as a clue. So he painted a blue paw-print on his hand. Clever. I was Col. Mustard, complete with swagger cane and monocle.

    Well, that's about it. I hope all of you are doing well, and again I just ask that you keep me in your prayers.

    Brian Thomas

The update(s)

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:44:30 GMT

Greetings my faithful reader(s),

College life is.......well,....yeah, like that. Here are the two e-mail updates I've sent out so far. If you're not on my e-mail list and would like to be, let me know.

To all concerned and anyone else who is interested in how my college experience has been going:

College is unlike anything I've ever experienced before. On minute I'm thinking, "wow, these people are pretty cool." then three seconds later I'm wondering, "What on earth is the reasoning behind that?"

Other than that, everything is good. All my classes have gone well so far, I like all my professors, I don't think I'll be overwhelmed by my homework and assignments, and my roommate and I get along quite well.

All I ask is that you continue to pray for me, and I'll just Trust God to take it from there.

Well, the first full week of classes is behind me and I'm entering what will hopefully be the final adjustment stages.
The projects start piling up on you when you aren't looking. I have five-page rough draft due tonight, a presentation on the Sermon on the Mount due tomorrow, a Greek feast due the 24th, and a paper on transcendentalism due the 26th. Not to mention various readings and research due in between.
I'm still trying to find a job, and might have one by the end of the week, but we'll see.
Not much else has happened news-wise, mom and dad sent me my camera that I left at home (thanks mom and dad!) so the next update might include pictures. But, we'll see.

I'll leave y'all with a quote from a volleyball game I was in the other day:

"Allen, don't argue with the lady!"

"I wasn't, I was just trying to figure out what it was she meant when she said what she said."

"That's arguing!"

Love to all
Brian

The College Life

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:15:48 GMT

Hey to all who read my sporadic postings,

Well, orientation is over (thank goodness) and classes have started. I originally had two classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, then four on Tuesday followed by three on Thursday. However, I auditioned for the Chorale and made it, so that adds another class on the MWF rotation and bumps my total credits to 16. The funny thing about the chorale is that I auditioned as a bass and made it on as a 2nd tenor. We had our first practice yesterday and I think this is going to be a lot of fun.

For all those concerned my mailing address is:    Brian Thomas
                                                                        Bryan College Box 7674
                                                                          721 Bryan Drive
                                                                          Dayton, TN 37321

Home is in my heart

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 01:05:42 GMT

Well, this is the last entry from home. It's really weird knowing that I'm leaving tomorrow and won't be back for who knows how long.
Mom and Dad are driving me up to college tomorrow, we'll spend the night in Memphis Thursday night, then in some little town outside Dayton Friday night.
Although I'll be leaving, home and family will be forever in my heart.

College updates will follow shortly.

Never let the 6-year-old hold the hose (and other lessons learned this week)

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 23:39:03 GMT

1. Never, and I mean, NEVER, let the six-year-old hold the hose when you're washing a camper. Especially if it's the same six-year-old whose typical conversation goes like this:

Me: Hey, will you and me that rag, man?
   6: Sure, but what's wrong with your sponge?
Me: Oh, the rag cleans this stuff off better than the sponge.
    6: Why?
Me: Because the sponge tears up sometimes, would you please hand me the rag?
    6: Why does the sponge tear up?
Me: I'm not sure, I think it has something to do with the way it's made. Can I have the rag?
    6: Why do they make it so it tears up?
Me: I don't know. You'd have to ask them.
    6: Oh. But, I don't know where they are.
Me: So, you just ask me instead?
    6: Yeah. So why do that make it like that?
Me: I don't know, and I just said that.
    6: Well, if it was me, -
   Me: The rag, Zach, just give me the rag!
    (Side note, Zach is a terrific kid. He doesn't ask to be pain, just because he honestly wants to know. And he honestly drives me crazy sometimes. But he's a good helper. Just don't give him the hose. Because, this is how it happens:

Me: Ooops, watch out Zach, you got me a little with the hose.
   Z: Oh, sorry. Why aren't you wearing your swimsuit?
Me: Well, I wasn't planning on getting very wet. I didn't think you'd spray me all the time.
   Z: Oh, well, you should always wear shorts when you wash cars, and flip-flops, because you're always going to get sprayed. Like this!

More lessons to come.

The Joys of Wellness

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 21:45:42 GMT

Thanks for all the prayers and concern form everyone who prayed and was concerned about my infection. The good doctor has given me a clean bill of health and says all the lingering signs of the infection should be gone in 4-6 weeks.
Just a side note, doctor's office waiting rooms are, in my opinion, proof that evolution doesn't work. If we were evolving creatures, most of us would be cured by the time we got in to see him. Just my two cents worth.

Today was my last day at work. I'll have next week to get my things in order, then I leave for Houston on the 12th. I'll get back the 20th, go to my grandparent's on the 21st, hopefully get to play paintball on the 22nd and then leave for college the 23rd.

W00t w00t!

Staying sane,
Brian

Don't Touch him! Brian's are noted germ carriers!

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 00:45:04 GMT

Being sick is the pits. Being sick and therefore ruining a trip you were looking forward to is worse. Being sick with a highly contagious infection called MRSA is even worse. Because when you have that, you have to avoid everyone, wash your hands and take shower with some weird sounding extra-strength soap.

Oh, and I have this sore/boil/infection thing on my stomach that the doctor had to cut open and drain and then he stuck a "wick" in it so it would continue to drain and wouldn't close back up. The wick is like, well, a wick from an oil lamp only thinner. And I get to pull it out Friday.

The "Nothing is going on right now" Update

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 19:17:59 GMT

Nothing is going on right now. But, I'm about to go watch "On the Waterfront" and I'll post a review of it Monday. (or Tuesday, maybe Wednesday, well, Thursday is looking good......)

Thank heaven for industrial strength cleaners!!

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 19:20:38 GMT

It was my favorite pen. It still would be if it was together in one piece, and still had the ink in it. And if it hadn't splattered said ink all over my favorite shirt. And my only two pair of cargo pants. And it would have helped if it hadn't also decorated the inside of the dryer with ink blots.
Stupid pen.
I mean, I only left in my shirt once. It was only in the dryer for an hour. The heat in there only reaches a few hundred degrees. I mean, come on! Did the black pen really, really have to explode like that? Good grief, can't it take a little heat?!
The answer is no, it can't take the heat. Or the beating. In fact it retaliated quite nicely.

Thank heaven for the industrial strength cleaner that got the stains out of the inside of the dryer.

Stupid pen!

What A Day

Sat, 26 May 2007 15:49:24 GMT

I would recommend not working nights. Because it fries your brain cells. And then, when you get a transfer to days, all the other people on night shift who also wanted to go to days get a little mad at you. Some of them get so mad they just quit. Like two of them did last night. Not good.

I headed home from working all night, meaning working from 10PM until almost 8AM with only two 15 minute breaks and a 30 minute break in between, and I was tired. Very tired. I was even more tired when I got home. Why? Because my neighbor's calf got out of the fence so I, being the kind hearted guy I am, tried to chase back in. Only, the calf couldn't remember how it got out. So all it wanted to was run around the field. So he ran. And I chased him. For TWO WHOLE MILES I chased that dumb animal until his owner showed up and helped me herd back into the gate. I seriously though about going out and buying a 1/4 pound hamburger for lunch as my revenge on the bovine race, but decided against it.

I also replaced my iPod to day with a newer, cooler one. My old one had a battery failure, rest in peace, so a new one was in order. I bought the last one they had, headed out to my car, opened the case.....and was greeted by an empty slot where the iPod was supposed to be. Fortunately, I had no trouble getting it from the electronics guy.

What a day.