Pearl Harbor Day?

For most of you December 7 is just another day. For us, it is the day we chose to spend the rest of our lives on earth together. 5 years ago Brandon and I said "I do". On one hand, it feels as though we have always been married, that we have always been a team. Yet, 5 years sounds like a long time to me and it has just flown by. I can say hands down that I married the best man in the world. Brandon and I have always had lots of jokes about how different we are, but the reality of being so different in how we live and view the world is that he is my perfect balance. For those of you who know Brandon, you know that he brings joy into your life. I have laughed every (and i am not exaggerating) day of my life since Brandon walked into it. He protects me, cares for me, speaks truth to me, and knows how to love me. I am the luckiest.

Slide Rules and Abucuses

Mom and Dad,

I love you, but this sounds vaguely familiar.

Christmas!

I noticed tonight that it had been too long since one of us had posted. The silence is due to the fact that it is crunch time for us. There are three weeks left in the semester and so much to be done in that time! Here are a few pictures from last weekend. In the midst of our hectic schedules we are still finding time to be festive!

The top picture is us in front of the big Christmas tree that is in Daley Plaza. We took this picture last weekend with my sister and her husband. We found out it is not one big tree, but 60 smaller trees put together. Brandon was very disgruntled by that fact, but he still smiled for the picture.

The bottom picture is us in front of our tiny, but mighty, Christmas tree. We can only fit a small tree in our apartment living room, but I still love it. Having a small tree really simplifies decorating, it only took about 20 minutes from start to finish.

Jeenyus!

Abe got the tip for this blog test from Matt Proctor's blog and we thought our results were worth sharing. We are so smart, s-m-r-t!

Test your blog and post the results.

Get a Cash Advance

Happy Thanksgiving!

Brandon and I both had to work this Thanksgiving so traveling to be with family was out of the question. We decided to host Thanksgiving dinner at our place. We were joined by my sister, her husband, their new baby Wes, and our friend Cyril. I got up at 6:30 to put in the turkey. My first turkey ever! It cooked beautifully.

We spent the day cozy in our apartment eating good food and celebrating all that we have to be thankful for. Brandon and I both enjoyed snuggling our new nephew who is such a blessing. Brandon is at work now until 2 am. I just had my second piece of pumpkin pie. What a grand day! Tomorrow we put up our tree. I love this time of year.

Go Elf Yourself!

After watching this.

Beard Check

Dear Sirs,

This is a courtesy notice to remind you that we are now nearing the midway point of No-Shave November. Thought I'd share a picture of where I stand as an encouragement to you (J. Sanchez) to continue in this hairy venture. The beard is not as strong as it has been. But where my beard is weak, my resolve is strong.

"Continue to fight the good fight of the beard. Hold fast to the beard to which you were called."
1 Beardithy 6:12ish

*** As an added bonus, please note (Shane) the button down oxford shirt. It's not much, but it is a fair distance from my usual semi-soiled t-shirt and hoody. While this is certainly not the fashion show you might have desired, it is partial proof of the renaissance de couture in its burgeoning stages.

keeping up appearances

In a conversation last week I made a mention that I wouldn't mind starting to dress "nicer." My dress has always been a source of interest to those in my life. From Seth Barker wearing his hat "like Brandon Mick" to my in-laws, not-so-subtly, buying me a suit for my birthday last year to someone borrowing a shirt from me to use as a Halloween costume this year. For some reason, my appearance seems to summon all sorts of emotive responses from people.

All of that is fine. I'm used to it. But when I said that I wouldn't mind starting to dress "nicer," my wife responded, "Well that's nice, you are almost thirty."

Nice honey. Nice.

Paul Soupiset

My very own Soupiset watercolor! I fell in love with Paul's work last Lent, when he was in the midst of his lentenblog series. So when Jake announced he was giving away a Soupiset watercolor as a prize for the relaunch of his website, I had to get in on the action. Special thanks to JakeBouma.com and Paul Soupiset. Thoughts on this piece will come soon.

Family

The baby is here! After a really rough labor and delivery I have a new nephew. He is blonde and adorable. I got to hold him tonight and he is just incredible. I am so grateful to have this new addition to our family.
My Mom, older sister, and her kids are also in town. In between hospital visits we saw lots of Chicago. We took the kids to the Shedd Aquarium, Lincoln Park Zoo, and the Chicago Children's Museum. It was busy but so fun.
Today is Haley's 2nd birthday. She got to pick out a bitty baby (I think thats what it is?) at the American Girl Store. Haley was so excited!
It has been a weekend filled with blessings. We have so much to be thankful for. Pictures of new baby will be forthcoming when we get parental consent.

Baby on the Way!

My sister is in the hospital working hard to bring my new niece or nephew into the world. We got a text at 3 am from my Bro-in-law that they were at the hospital. No news yet! My mom, my sister, and her kids are all on their way here. I cannot wait! Pictures to come soon!

www.jakebouma.com 4.0 prize giveaway!

I wanted to bring it to the attention of our blog's readers that Jake Bouma will be launching version 4.0 of his website. In celebration of the event, he is giving away some great prizes. Click on the picture, below, to see how you can get your name in the drawing.

The Today Show in Chi-Town!

I got up uncharacteristically early this morning with my friend and co-worker Steph. We headed down to Michigan Avenue to watch the taping of the Today Show. I had very low expectations and it ended up being a riot! The crowd was relatively small when we got there, so we were able to be right up front to watch the segments being taped. I was somehow always in the wrong spot so you won't see me on TV. I did get ridiculously close to Matt Lauer...who was a very pleasant man! Here are some pictures of our morning excitement.

MMMMM, Zingers.

My evening, as pictured above, made me think of Brandon Barker. What makes you think of Brandon Barker? Take a picture and post it, I dare you.

Family Visit

My parents came to visit last weekend. As usual, we had a great time. We ate at three really great restaurants and had great conversation. We also celebrated at a baby shower for my sister and her little one that will be here so soon! I always love when my parents come to visit.

Patricia Anne Wood-Mick: 1924 - 2007

Tomorrow we will be heading to central Iowa. We are going to bury my grandmother. She battled a plethora of cancers over the recent years. She fought hard, but lost the war on Friday night. She died peacefully at home, surrounded by her boys (my three uncles and my dad) and her husband, Bernard (of 59 years).

Abe and I had the privilege of saying good-bye to her last weekend. Though she was tired, she was perfectly clear in her love for us. And though her voice was failing, she told me she was proud of me. I mostly just sat next to her and held her withering hand. But as I walked out of the room for the last time, tears streaming down my face, she belted out a strong and hearty, "Buh, Bye!" It echoes in my soul.

It was the same "Buh, Bye!" that I'd heard thousands of times growing up. You see, of all my dad's brothers, he was the only one that settled down out of town. So we'd have to travel a couple of hours to be with my grandparents. That being the case, we had to say "Buh, Bye" an awful lot. I've been saying "Buh,Bye" to this woman my entire life. And I'm sure that when I was really young, those "Buh, Bye's" stung. But growing up, through the adolescent years and beyond, I became used to them. It was just that time when my grandma would follow me to the curb, remind me to buckle-up, tell me to get some Coke or something to keep awake, warn me to watch out for the "other guy," tell me that she loved me. And as I'd pull away, inevitably with the window down, I would hear her call out, "Buh, Bye!" But it would barely register.

Until last week. She called out and I knew. All the years came rushing back to me. And it stung.

Please pray for my family. My grandmother was incredibly important to us all. Pray especially for my grandpa. I can't even begin to fathom the depth of his loss and the breadth of his grief.

Brandon and Abbey Simpson

Thanks to Jake for this time-waster.

Hello...Are you still there?

Abe recently informed me that she would no longer carry this blog by herself. I am to pull my own weight or it is over. The shop will close, the carpets will be rolled up, and the candles blown out. So I figure that I ought to publish something, as it is the only fair thing to do for our viewing public. For a life without LITGD is hardly a life at all.

Speaking less facetiously about life, you might be wondering about where I have been and why I haven't posted for some time. Well I guess that you could describe my life, as of late, more appropriately as a mere existence than a life truly lived. I'm not sure what's been going on, but I just haven't cared...about anything. My summer, following my summer class, was spent in front of the television. I sank into a world soaked and reeking of the Discovery Channel. And though I now feel like fast friends with Adam and Jamie and the other Mythbusters, I hardly feel as though I am alive.

School is re-acclimating me to the waters of the living. But the process is slow. However this morning I was truly alive. I awoke at 8:15, after sleeping through my alarm, with an hour-and-a-half commute standing in between our sleepy bed and a 9:15 class. With a flurry of arms and legs and a few expletives, I raced to get to class before it was over (that is if you can call crawling traffic a race). I was late, very late, but I was alive like I haven’t felt in a while. There was something about the urgency of it all that may have crash-paddled me back to life.

The semester that lies ahead looks to be challenging, but good. I just hope that I can wake up for it...both literally and figuratively.

My New Girls!

I just got back from RA retreat. We were in Michigan for the weekend training the new group of RAs. It was a really fun weekend and I adore my new group of girls. It is going to be a great year!The freshman arrive tomorrow, I am excited to welcome them to campus.

Moving Day!

We are moving again! Not far, just back to our old apartment. We are excited that we now have real carpet in our living room and bedroom instead of industrial carpet. It is really soft and very white. Brandon is sure that we will have it stained immediately.
That is what is keeping us busy. My RAs start arriving tomorrow and our retreat starts next Wednesday. I can't believe that my summer is almost over.

Going Camping!

It has been a busy week for us. Brandon is in class this week so I am remembering what it is like to have a husband who is a student. I think we have seen each other for maybe 5 hours this week. Which makes it even better that we are leaving town tomorrow after Brandon gets out of class. We are headed to Mirror Lake, Wisconsin to go camping with the whole Mick family. I am really not much of a camper so this could be really interesting. The last time Brandon took me camping was with Epoch at Valley. I told Brandon after that night I would never camp again because, quite simply, I am not a camper. I am sure we will have pictures and good stories come Monday night.

Back Home!

We arrived home this morning from our vacation. We were in Montana and Yellowstone for a week and then in Iowa visiting family and friends. We drove to Montana and back stopping along the way. We stopped at The Corn Palace, Wall Drug, Mount Rushmore, Devil's Tower, Big Horn Canyon, and a few other places. It was a wonderful time of relaxing and being with people that we love. We stayed in a cabin with my family. Montana is gorgeous and we loved breathing fresh air! It will be hard for both of us to get back into regular life after 2 1/2 weeks of vacation.

Ahhh, Chicago.

I've talked to literally ten's of people who say they would love to live in Downtown Chicago. I never have been able to get there. What with the the 3.5 million jerks (***edited for younger readers) that live here, the inconvenience of it all, and the constant feeling that you are not beautiful enough, rich enough, or good enough to be alive and breathing their air, it has been hard for me to utter the words, "I love Chicago."

But tonight it came to me. You see, I am a scent guy. I smell everything. Smells impact me in a profound, if not unusual, manner. I get it from my dad, I've been told. As I was walking home from work, amidst the regular smells of hot asphalt, exhaust fumes, and raw sewage; it hit me. The scent of a blossom. I'm not sure what it was; whether it was a tree, bush, or flower (my mother could tell you exactly... she's a genius when it comes to horticulture) but it was sweet and succulent and wonderful.

And it meant the world to me. Chicago, the miserable place that it is, has had this effect on me a number of times and I've never noticed it. Here in man's kingdom, the city, I have been absolutely raptured by some of the smallest and inconsequential things. Surrounded by filth, hatred, and fear; the smallest glimpse (or scent) of beauty sends me sailing.

For that I am grateful. For that I can say, "I Love Chicago."

Some friends, some golf, and not some of the same old buffalo

Abe and I had a phenomenal weekend. I would have blogged about it earlier, but when I installed some regular software updates and restarted, my computer froze on the start up screen. So the rest of my afternoon (Monday) was spent at the Genius Bar. We are all straight now, it was actually about a 10-minute fix; it’s just that the Genius Bar in the Apple Store on Michigan Ave. in downtown Chicago is a bit busy (understatement) on a Monday afternoon.

Anyway, our weekend.

Friday and ½ Saturday – You can read about it here. We had a blast!

½ Saturday – My brother-in-law, Joe, and I golfed Cog Hill. We golfed the #2 course, not Dubsdread (The sight of the BMW Championship PGA Tour stop), but still had a blast. Joe informed me today that he has already set up our tee-time for next weekend on the same course. I’d love to play one of the other 3 courses that are located there, but Joe made quick friends with the starter on the #2 course who promised to get us out early in the afternoon if we booked a twilight tee-time and showed up early. So I guess we will have to suffer through.

Sunday – Abe and I took off on a little day trip to Michigan. A good friend from college was married a few years ago on a beach in New Buffalo and I remembered it to be an entirely quaint and lovely town. We spent the afternoon basking on a hazy, sun-soaked beach while talking of our life and future. Lovely. It was a fantastic time of retreat and regrouping for the Mick’s.

Some pics from our trip.

Another Year Older!

We had a great holiday weekend. Brandon's mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew all came to visit us. Brandon's parents brought Lucy with them so we got to have her visit us for the first time since we moved. It was a busy weekend full of sight seeing and eating. It was really fun to take our nephew to the zoo and watch him with all the animals, he is so big now and such a doll.
Monday we celebrated Brandon's 28 birthday, he is old! Brandon hates birthdays, but I know it meant a lot to him that his family was here to share it with him.
Brandon got back tonight from a trip to Iowa, he had a great time catching up with friends. I leave on Friday to go to Minneapolis for a work conference.
I will try to post some pictures of what we have been up to. I still haven't put any up of our new apartment but will try to soon.

A Great Saturday

Brandon and I both had a wonderful Saturday enjoying the perfect weather. Brandon golfed 36 holes of golf. He golfed with our brother-in-law and they walked all 36 holes. I think they decided that 36 holes is a bit much if you decide to walk it.

I spent the day with my sister. We went to the Lake and sat in the sun talking and reading. We went out to dinner and then watched a chick flick. It was a relaxing, fun day. It was one of the first that actually felt like summer. I look forward to many more.

Summer!

It has been a busy month! I have been really caught up in work lately. The end of the school year has been a sprint to the end. Yesterday was graduation and all of the students checked out of my building last night. I had to say "good-bye" to the 11 Ra's that I have been working with all year. I have to say that I haven't even begun to process the emotions that I know are coming. I am really awkward with saying good-bye to people, I would rather just ignore the fact that we are parting ways. I will miss those 11 women so much, they have been such a blessing in my life.

So, what else have we been up to? Brandon finished his first semester at Wheaton. Brandon's sister got married to a wonderful man, it was a beautiful wedding. I celebrated my 27th birthday. My family came to visit for a weekend, we had a really great time of shopping (the ladies), golfing (the men), and eating!

Brandon is in Iowa this weekend watching his sister graduate from college. I did not get to go as this is one of the busiest weekends for my job. I am going to spend the rest of the afternoon packing up our apartment as we are moving again! We are moving across campus for the summer while renovations are done to the building we live in. I am annoyed about moving, but thrilled with the place we get to live. It is really nice, I will post pictures when I get a chance.

Happy Mother's' Day to all the wonderful women in my life who are raising children. I hope you feel very loved today!

Done.

I just returned from turning in my final paper of the semester. Though it was a difficult semester, I learned a lot, loved doing it, and can't wait to start again in the fall. I have a summer class in the middle of July, but will enjoy the next couple of months.

I will celebrate my completion by watching Futbol this afternoon. Manchester United is my best hope since Chelsea went down yesterday.

Abbey and I will begin talking soon about our summer plans, outside of the already planned family vacations. I hope that it will include some time in Des Moines. There are some people there that I love.

But for now, I have to go paint my chest red and black and practice my Rooney-esque knee slides across the carpet.

Peace.

Full Weekend

We went to Iowa this weekend. We left Chicago on Thursday afternoon and returned today. We were busy from the minute we left town, but it was so good.
Thursday night we spent time with old friends catching up. It was such a comfort to be with friends who know us deeply and care about us just as deeply.
Friday night we celebrated my nephew Jacob's 6th birthday. I cannot believe what a kind, wonderful boy he is. We ate good food at my Mom and Dad's house, and enjoyed some much needed laughter.
Saturday we met up with Brandon's side of the family to celebrate Easter and have a bridal shower for his sister who will be married in two weeks! We got to spend some time with our three sweet nephews who are growing so fast! Lucy was glad to see us and we were glad to see her! I don't have any pictures from this weekend since I forgot my camera. Bummer. It was not exactly a restful weekend, but it was full of time with people that we love dearly.
Happy Easter!

Product Review: The Dyson Airblade

I have become, since moving to this deplorable city, rather misophobic and, thusly, have become quasi-obsessed about hand washing. Today I am studying at Caribou and upon entering their restroom was greeted by this interesting looking contraption. It is the Dyson Airblade, the newest innovation in hand drying equipment. It is wicked awesome. You simply place both hands into it and draw them out slowly. In only a few seconds (seriously, I was blown away at how quickly this works) blades of forced air, one on the palms and another on the backs of your hands, sweep all existing moisture from your hands. It works much the same, in principle, as those dryers that blow the water around, but not off of, your car as you exit a car wash. However, this thing really works. Amazing.

They call it a molestache, I call it awesome.

I feel like I've got some decent growth here. I attribute it to the fact that my chest still doth protest any further hair growth, so the hairs have revolted, marched north, and burst forth from my upper lip. Abe hates it. I love it. I'm just wondering how long it will take her before she shaves it off in my sleep.

And, oh yeah, there's no voting. I don't care what any of you say. Mustaches are gloriously "in."

p.s. -- if you click on the image to enlarge it, you will see that I have some pretty good nose hair growth as well... and my lip is kinda sweaty...that's gross...but not the mustache...that's awesome!

A short list of "unnecessaries."

1. It is unnecessary to charge $1.61 for a bottle of Mountain Dew.

2. It is absolutely unnecessary to eat crunchy and/or malodorous foodstuffs (including but not limited to granola, pretzels, potato chips, cereal, popcorn, crackers, anything flavored with garlic, or anything crunchy that is flavored with garlic) during class.

3. It is completely unnecessary to make me write two phone numbers as reference on a check, a ridiculous request in itself, but then give me attitude when I exclaim, “Two phone numbers?!? Beatrice, if you’re trying to hit on me, I must tell you, I’m a married man. Anyway, two phone numbers is a little overkill, you’re coming across a little stalker-ish from the start, not a good game plan.”

4. It is unnecessary for the Metra Rail to offer a discount for junior high students, while charging full price for college/grad students. Who has more money? Come on!

5. It is unnecessary to make an esoteric joke about Soren Kierkegaard and Immanuel Kant, during class, that only yourself and the professor will even begin to comprehend.

6. It is unreservedly unnecessary to have your girlfriend sit on the floor, betwixt your spread legs, so that you can give her an aggressively sensual and, might I add, an excessively thorough back massage in a public arena. (seriously, we’re going on 20 minutes here…bluck, yeck, geez.)

7. It is unnecessary to make apologies for your IBS. Rather, upon rushing into a dining establishment simply demand, with some sense of authority/desperation, the location of their restroom. After taking an uncomfortable amount of time in said restroom, exit confidently and state, "Alright, now I'm ready for lunch."

Today has been, so far and by all accounts, a grand day.

Upon waking this morning, it seemed as though today would be anything but grand. Circumstances did not bode well. First of all, Moody is on Spring Break, which means that the dining rooms are closed for the next two weeks. This means Abe and I are on our own for food, which is fine, it's nothing new. It's just not what we're used to. This brings me to the second circumstance; Abe dropped me off at school today and kept on down the road towards Des Moines. Since Moody is on Spring Break, she is on vacation and will spend a few days in the DSM. That's all fine, I'm so thrilled that she will have some time with her folks and her older sister, but that means that now, it is only I who am on my own for food. Which brings me to the third circumstance; Abe took the car.

So there I am; sans food, sans wife, sans car. All of this is combined with the fact that I'm tired (I work nights on Sunday and Monday, so by the time Tuesday rolls around I'm generally ready for the weekend), with the fact that I've been trudging through nearly 700 pages of Diarmaid MacCulloch's "The Reformation" (an incredibly thorough accounting of the Reformation done by a non-Christian scholar... interesting), with the fact that I started a new class today (Contemporary Theology: it will be incredibly interesting, but looks like it is going to be freakin' tough). Like I said, the stars weren't necessarily aligned as I greeted the day.

But let’s get to the grandness. First and foremost, it is beautiful here in Wheaton. T-shirt and shorts weather. This made a short walk from campus to the downtown area of Wheaton, following my new class, absolutely delightful. As I hit the downtown, I sauntered around looking for a dining establishment. I was hungry, so what could be better than a Mexican restaurant with bottomless chips and salsa? I tell you this baldly… nothing. I strode solo into an empty restaurant, it took a few minutes for the hostess/waitress/only other person in the room to notice me, but upon doing so, she quickly furnished me with an ice-cold Pepsi and a basket of hot, salty tortilla chips. As if this wasn’t grand enough, as I ate the restaurant began to fill. I love people watching and I must say that a Mexican restaurant at 3:15 in the afternoon is a fantastic place to do so.

One of the greatest demographics of people to watch has got to be, far and away, junior high girls. To my delight, the waitress seated a group of bubbly, awkward junior high girls directly next to my booth. As the girls critiqued everyone who walked past the window, they proceeded to order. All of them, with glee, ordered virgin margaritas. At this juncture, I must reflect on my own days as junior high student. I didn’t really have “friends,” in the strictest sense of the word. And if I did have “friends,” we would never have dreamed of sitting down for margaritas after school. We’d have been lucky to stop by Mike’s 76 for a candy bar, maybe even a pop if we were lucky. Hell, I remember a time when I felt pretty darn lucky if I got 25 cents to spend at the concession stand at the pool. Where are these kids’ parents and why have they (said parents) parted so willingly with their pocketbooks? There is nothing like a blatantly pessimistic commentary of contemporary society to put me in a chipper mood. Sounds a little dark, but honestly, I love those sorts of insights.

As I headed back to campus, with a full belly and a Pellegrino in hand, I decided to stop by the campus IT office for some assistance in connecting wirelessly to the network. I signed up months ago for the ability to do so, but have never quite figured out the proxies. I digress. It took a friendly, young nerd a few minutes to get me up and running. But as I waited I listened in on the frenzied conversation of a group of excitable geeks (it must be realized that I use these descriptors quite lovingly). They were jabbering away about the motion sensors in all of the new Mac laptops. Apparently there is a new failsafe mechanism in the new Macs that stops the hard drive if there is a sudden motion (drop) so that the disk won’t get scratched. This mechanism has brought much delight to the world of Mac nerdery. Smart individuals have figured out how to tinker with this motion sensor to make pinball games where you tilt your computer to play the game. It has even been used to turn your Mac into a lightsabre; as you swing your computer through the air, it makes the appropriate lightsabre sound as you accelerate or decelerate your very own iSabre. Delightful.

So here I am; full, wirelessly connected, and quite content. Though I am without an automobile, I fear not. For the train will whisk me back to the city at precisely 9:54 pm. I will, however, be a little lonely when I arrive. I love my wife and love spending time with her. We may be a little co-dependant, so the time apart will do us good. As for food, I’ll be fine. There is a Chipotle less than 6 blocks from our apartment.

Today has been, so far and by all accounts, a grand day.

Weekly Occurance?

Two weeks ago on a Sunday I posted a blog about a mouse eating from our candy jar. That same night I had to kill a cockroach that I found in our bathtub. Brandon was at work so he had to talk me through the killing over the phone. I didn't like it, but I did it and was successful. Well, it is Sunday again and what do you think I was treated to? Yes, a cockroach followed by a mouse.

I was cleaning my bathroom and went to clean the bathtub. I flung open the curtain and there was a huge (and by huge I mean 3 inches) cockroach. Brandon had not yet left for work, so I screamed and he came to my rescue. I then scoured the bathroom with bleach and Comet because there are few things grosser to me than roaches in the place were I go to get clean! I calmed down from the big hairy fit that I threw about the roach, Brandon left for work, and I was watching T.V. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something come scurrying out of our bedroom...not a cockroach, but definitely a mouse. I sat for three hours staring at the place I saw it go.

I finally left my post about 15 minutes ago because, well, I give up. I am super disappointed in myself. After the last incident I have been telling myself that I would not freak out, but handle the situation calmly and with dignity. No such luck, maybe next Sunday?

So sad.

Yesterday tickets were released for the show of the millennium. At 12 pm tickets to Ben Gibbard with special guest, David Bazan, went on sale and were promptly sold out by 12:05 pm. I, unfortunately, was not one of the lucky. I was/am heartbroken. Abe has been scouring Craigslist and we have a couple emails out there, but I'm not sure if it will prove fruitful. If anyone has any leads, please let me know.

Yee Haw!

After tomorrow I am officially on Spring Break!!! Wheaton has, what are called, "quad" classes. They are only 1/2 of a semester and only worth 2 credits. However, the professor seemed to cram 4 credits worth of work into 2 credits and half of the time. It was a very interesting class, but I'm glad it's over. I turned my research paper in on Tuesday, got my reading done for class tomorrow, so tonight I start Spring Break a little early. In good ol' fashion spring break style, I plan on going hog wild. But by "hog wild", I mean reading something other than text books. And by "something other than text books", I of course mean, Bill Bryson. I started his travel log on Australia, entitled "In a Sunburned Country," some time ago and have been dying to pick it up again.

Though I will unwind here for a couple of days, I will spend the majority of my Spring Break working ahead. Man, grad school is a lot of work. Abe's spring break, unfortunately, doesn't coincide with mine. So the plan is to leave her behind, head to my folks' house, pick up my little dog, and head for my grandmother's farm. I'm going to spend a few days in silence. The city has been smothering me and it's time for a break. I have a lot of school work to do, so the solitude should prove to help with productivity as well. I don't think grad school spring break is quite the same as how it was in undergrad.

Why am I such a girl?

Last semester we had a little mouse problem in our apartment. Our bedroom ceiling has dropped tile and a little mouse had made his home there. Brandon and I could hear the mouse scurrying around above our heads while we tried to sleep. The maintenance people came and put a sticky trap up in the ceiling. The mouse got caught within a few days. I haven't heard or seen any signs of a mouse since. Until tonight.

I went to get a piece of candy out of this bowl that I keep sweet things in. One of those things is chocolate. I ran across this piece of candy (see picture, I apologize for the blur). This piece of candy had obviously served as a delicious meal for one of my furry friends. So, now I know that Brandon and I are not the only occupants of our apartment. Brandon is working tonight so I have to make the brave trek from our study to our bedroom by myself. This requires me walking through the kitchen where I am positive I heard the mouse. I really don't consider myself high maintenance or girlie......but apparently I am!

Saturday

I remember when weekends were relaxing. Today I spent 12 hours studying and writing for school. That includes a 6 1/2 hour stint at Caribou. I made some good headway on a paper I'm writing and took a big bite out of some reading that I have to do for a colloquium on this coming Friday. My brain was fried by the time I got back to the apartment tonight.

Abbey, sans husband, set off on adventures all over the city. This afternoon, she and one of her RA's took a drive to find a Gap Outlet. Not a big deal? Well, it's one of maybe 5 times that she's driven in the city thus far and she was happy to report tonight that she also did a fine job of parallel parking. If you think the parking isn't a big deal, then you've never heard the story of how our car got towed because she absolutely refused to parallel park it. Tonight she took off on a jaunt to a local movie theater with her coworker. They saw "Music and Lyrics," a Hugh Grant flick. I'm glad I had schoolwork to do.

We haven't had a lot of time together recently. So given a little time together tonight, we decided to make the most. She handed it to me in a rousing game of dice then we retired to watching Arrested Development: Season I. That show brings back a lot of good memories... our little bungalow, good friends, a friendly city, and our beloved Lucille 3 (if you ever wondered how Lucy got her name, the answer is found by watching AD).

It's odd how so many memories are tied to something as trivial as a canceled television show. Odd, but nice.

Where have we been?

Sorry for the silence from our end. It is pretty sad that our last post was 12 days ago. We have both been busy from the minute we start our days until we fall into bed at night. I have been meaning to post for a couple of days now, but every time I sit down to write I draw a complete blank. The busyness of my life has caused me to lack all capability of forming coherent sentences.
Last weekend we left town and went to Brandon's parents' house. We got to spend time with Brandon's family, celebrate our nephew's 1st birthday, and see Lucy! It was a really fun weekend for us. Here is a picture of the birthday boy as he eats his cake!

Abe's celebrity look-alikes

http://www.myheritage.com

She's pretty hot, but she's no Scarlett Johansson.

My celebrity look-alikes

http://www.myheritage.com

At least I look more like Scarlett Johansson than Elton John.

Brrrrr!

This is how I walked home tonight from work. It's around -10 degrees with a wind chill of around -30. A bit brisk, but I made the half-mile walk alright. I only had one problem...my eyelashes kept freezing together.

Tonight at work I saw this homeless lady. I see her most every night I work. She's doubtlessly mentally unhealthy. And tonight, I'm sure, she'll be lucky if she lives to see the morning.

This is a hard city to live in. There is no end to the need. To think of doing anything is all at once, overwhelming and seemingly useless. When I was oriented at this job, I was warned that homeless people would try to sneak into the building. I thought about what I would do tonight if she tried to sneak in. What would I do?

Surrounded by the immensity and ever-present need of homelessness makes it so easy to grow cynical. It's so easy to slip into the mindset that these people can help themselves. Why worry, they've made their bed, let them sleep in it. If you don't want to be homeless quit using drugs. If you don't want to be cold tonight, try staying on your prescribed meds. If you don't want to sleep in an alley rolled up in carpet padding, go to a homeless shelter. But that attitude is just wrong, it's just so wrong.

The fact of the matter is that I deserve to be out there. Had it not been for socio-economic, geo-political, what-ever accident I could be out there in the full, deadly reality that I can't help myself up when I'm 66 feet below the bottom rung! It doesn't matter how or who got me here... I AM HERE. The gulf between my fingers and that bottom rung is too great, and it's growing each day. And, she is there. Helpless.

I've thought a lot about what I can or should be doing with the homeless and the beggars of this city. Filling backpacks with supplies. Volunteering at a shelter. Handing out food. Something, I know, is better than nothing. And I do need to do something, it's what my Master has called me to. But it's so overwhelming. There's no way that I can fill enough backpacks. There aren't enough beds in the shelters. There's never enough food. It's overwhelming. But tonight it is more than overwhelming... it's just beyond me. Tonight people will die.

Oh God, be with the homeless of this city tonight. Be with them in a miraculous way. Keep them warm in your arms in a way that defies comprehension and nature. Lord your eye is on even the smallest bird, don't look away from those in need of warmth tonight. Forgive me.

Tired!

We are in Des Moines this weekend. We came to assist my parents with my niece and nephews. Not that my parents are not fully capable, because they are. They have been watching my sister's kids for a week while she is on vacation with her husband. My parents leave Monday morning for their own vacation so Brandon and I came to give them time to get things done before they go.
Caring for three kids who are five years old and under is exhausting. Josh, Jake, and Haley are really fun children who had us laughing all day! While we are both tired tonight, and it is only 10, we are so glad we came.

UPDATE:
It wasn't a matter of exhaustion it was a matter of infestation. Some little bug has infested Abe's body. I haven't seen her this ill in our entire marriage. By the time we got home last night, she was in a miserable state. Much of the same today. But I pray that she is on the mend now. I'm wondering if it's something about the DSM. Upon conclusion of our last visit there, we both came down with something. I sure hope not, because I LOVE THAT CITY.
--brandon

A new era has begun...

Could This Be True?

I was just reading the Readers Digest and I read a statistic that made me laugh.
"88% of female dog owners say their pet has at least one quality they would like to see in their significant other."
I would have to think really hard about a trait that Lucy has that I would want to see in Brandon. The only one I can think of is if he could wag his butt furiously every time I entered a room...yeah....that would be great.

Happy Belated Dad and Mom!

My parents turned 53 this last week. Not only do they share the same birthday, but they were born the same year. Usually, I send one card for them. That seemed cheap, so this year I sent my parents separate birthday cards. I also thought of this well in advance and knew that they would receive them on time, if not early! Well, thanks to the magnificent Chicago mail system only my Dad got his card. My mom's arrived later, or so I hope? So much for trying to be on top of things in '07.

They are a really amazing couple. I miss living close to them. Happy Birthday you two!

Budget???

What my wife has referred to as a "budget" is but a mere euphemism for the harsh reality that now faces me. What she has labeled a "budget" might more aptly be labeled a "spending freeze." You see, dear brothers and sisters, I have not eaten "out" in what is now somewhere close to a week and a half. Being a bourgeois epicurean, I take great delight in the finer things that one, of my standing, can afford (i.e. pizza, thai food, chipotle, popeye's, etc...). In my entire life, I have never (that I can recall or venture to estimate) gone this long without indulging my palate.

In my studies I can't help but relate my own struggle with that of a late-medieval serf (brandon) to his Lady (abbey). The time would be drawing nigh to a Peasants' Rebellion of my own, had I not learned that the rebellion was ruthlessly squelched by the nobility, reinstating their hold over their lessers. If history wasn't so prone to repeating itself, I might take a stand against my lording Lady and get myself a chicken wing or some Tom Yum, but alas I will bow to her strength and might.

Ramen!

We are on a budget. Brandon and I took a look at our finances over the weekend and made a budget that we will be following until May of 2008. We have made many previous attempts at budgeting, and failed miserably, but I am hopeful this one will work.

The student dining room does not serve dinner on Sundays. So, we went to the grocery store to find dinner. This was our first shopping trip with our new budget. The picture above is what we ended up with. 6 packages for $1.50! While I am almost sure there is NO nutritional value in ramen it tasted quite good. You can tell by Brandon's face the he is super happy about ramen (note sarcasm)!

First Day of School!

Brandon had his first day of class on Monday. We took a picture to remember the day. Since his first day of class he has been reading and reading......and reading. I believe that I may have lost my huband until sometime in May.

Holla!

It's been a while since I've posted on how things are going for me here in Chi-town. Abe told me I needed to start pulling my own weight around this blog. So here's 3 things to help get you up to speed.

1. Start class tomorrow -- eeeeeeeek, I'm nervous! Abe said she would take my picture on the stairs to commemorate my first day of school. I promised her that I would tight-roll my pants and possibly even wear a silk shirt for old-times-sake.

2. New MacBook -- It's pretty sweet. My plan will be (when it's all figured out) to record all of my lectures. This might also be the beginning of podcasting, maybe even video podcasting for yours truly.

3. New Music -- I've been hanging on to some iTunes gift cards since my going away party from Valley Church. So tonight I dropped 70 bones worth and got the following, in no particular order:

Damien Rice - 9
Over the Rhine - Drunkard's Prayer
Counting Crows - Recovering the Satellites
Seu Jorge - The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions
David Bazan - Fewer Moving Parts
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Pedro the Lion - The Only Reason I Feel Secure (***Contains their version of Be Thou My Vision--My favorite band of all time playing one of my favorite songs of all time!!)