Thoughts from Kerouac

"I believed in a good home, in sane and sound living, in good food, good times, work, faith and hope. I have always believed in these things. It was with some amazement that I realized I was one of the few people in the world who really believed in these things without going around making a dull middleclass philosophy out of it." -Jack Kerouac, On the Road.

There haven't been many Kerouac quotes that I've connected with while reading his classic, On the Road.
But this one hits home.
Describing his attempt to relocate his family and settle in after years of "madness,"
Kerouac tugs at the heart of a growing problem:
The American dream as the middleclass fatality.
Trying as capitalists, countless work, toil and labor to become mundane and meaningless,
Living dreary and desperate lives in search of prosperity while inhabiting poverty.
The middleclass struggles to accumulate karma,
As though they live for reincarnation, dying daily for the upper class.
And when the few move castes, they find nothing but dullness.
That is, death.
This philosophy is what Kerouac avoided and one I want to remain absent.
Because when I tell stories as an old man,
I want them to be about what I did, not what I have.
And I want to be like the Jazz players Kerouac describes,
Arousing an audience, going, going, going, exciting with every note, until I no longer have breath.

Adulthood

I've been living life as an "adult" for nine months now.
And it has been really, really hard.
I'm not sure if it is how ridiculous life has been in 2011,
Or if that's just how life is.
But I've come to this conclusion about adulthood:


Adulthood is a labyrinth that traps the un-persistent,
Confuses the masses, and misleads the unguided.


Over the past few months, I've felt trapped, confused, and mislead.
Not to the point of hopelessness.  But enough to notice it.
And through these emotions, I've recognized 2 things:
The necessity of community.
And 
The church at work.
Moment after moment, my community has encouraged and supported.
And time after time, the church has moved and responded.
The stories from those interaction create value in the venture.
Without community and the church, 
Exploring the labyrinth of life would be nearly unbearable,
Because being trapped, lost, or confused is easier when others are right there with you.

Life As It Is

Well it has been a while since my last post.
My apologies.

Life lately has been,
Well,
Life.
Full.  Crazy.  Unexpected.
And I say that in a good tone.


Sonja and I recently got back from Seattle.
We decided to go a week before our departure date.
A little spontaneity is good.
It was a terrific trip.
Here are some highlights:


Sonja Ferkel, Airport Delays, 2 Flights - 3 planes, Keenan Donahue, Pike Place Market, The Gum Wall, First Starbucks, Jared and Julie Marling, Ethel Marling, John-Mark and Leslie Marling, Lela Marling, Rooftop dinner, Rain, Seahawks, Mariners, Tom Douglas, Tacoma, Alki Beach, and sunshine.


It was nice to be able to experience the town that I've romanticized for so long.
Of course it didn't compare to the city I had conjured up in my head,
And the culture was less than anticipated,
It wasn't overly odd or out of the ordinary.
It wasn't super artsy, hippie, or hipster.
It was simply a city.  Plain and simple.
And it was strangely enjoyable.
Sometimes I feel cities try too hard.
But Seattle was subtle and pleasant.


Then we came back to the mid-west and "normal" life.
But I'm coming to find that life is anything but normal.
Unless normal is an ever-changing variable of scenery and relationships and challenges.
Which it might be.  And that's fine.
But what I learn in the variety of life is that change is necessary to become anything.
To further yourself personally, relationally, professionally, you cannot stay constant.
Staleness is the death of life.
Bland, flavorless, and boring.
So I gladly accept all of life's twists and turns,
No matter how difficult they may be,
Looking in the rear view mirror at the man I leave behind.

A Normal Saturday

I had to work today. 630 AM- 330 PM.
This is my schedule every other week.
And it makes for a very long Saturday
And a short weekend.
However, I have become acquainted with long work days.
And today was just as normal as any other.
At least until lunch.

Over the last week, I've made it a point to eat lunch at home.
I do this because it's cheaper, healthier, and mostly more enjoyable.
But today was Saturday.
So, I ventured toward the mall food court.
The heat nearly stopped me as I exited the cool indoors that was the bank.
Nonetheless I departed for Chick-Fil-A.
As I journeyed the short lot separating the bank and the mall,
A car screeched as another honked.
I thought to myself how close death is to us all.

About the midway point, I witnessed a young couple struggling with a child.
The dad joked about leaving the stubborn toddler in the car.
The mom didn't laugh as she rolled her eyes and left him to deal with the kid.
I found myself contemplating their relationship and my own.

Near the mall entrance, something caught my eye.
A young couple seemed to be fighting as several passerby's watched.
I was one of them.
A twenty-something year old girl was rushing away from the scene.
She appeared to be crying.
She turned and yelled something through her tears,
Inaudible to my ears and un-understandable to the young adult boy.
He replied in a shaky voice full of desperation:
"I don't care about work, I only care about you."
It was clearly too late.
The woman screamed without turning back.
And she raced past me.
I looked at the boy who's white face wore a look impossible to forget.
Although his efforts were tardy,
He sprinted toward confrontation with his new ex.

They were both behind me as i entered the mall into a crowd of faces.
I looked around as i replayed my short voyage from the bank to the mall.
For me, this was a normal Saturday at the bank.
But for so many others, today changed their lives forever.
And it was in that moment that i realized the importance of every day.

Every day is full of uncertainty.
You never know when you will wreck your car.
You never know when bitterness will expose itself.
You never know when it's the last straw.
And that uncertainty develops our stories.
Uncertainty characterizes our lives.

Today started as just another day.
Little did i know the significance in the uncertainty of the sunrise.

Fantasy Football Logo

Here's my fantasy football logo.
My team name is the US Bank Skank-Bills.

"Blink" Book Review

I just finished Malcolm Gladwell's book, "Blink,"
Tag-lined "Learning to think without thinking."
I have to say, this was a necessary read.
Often i can get bogged down with the details.
With every aspect of analysis.
Tirelessly debating the pros and cons.

Example:
A few weeks back, I went to Target with the intentions
And the cash to buy a TV.
With Sonja by my side,
And a movie picked out for the new screen,
I managed to talk myself out of buying the TV
And into buying a pizza.

Gladwell's book is not so much about not thinking.
But more or less about training your gut instinct.
He provides an example in the first pages of the book:

A museum was presented with a rare statue.
Pre-Roman Empire, unknown artist, beautifully made type of rock.
The museum was skeptical.
There were less than 20 of these statues remaining.
And none in this condition.
But the museum was curious. And they needed a show-piece.
So, because of the rarity of the statue, the museum had every aspect inspected,
Every dimension analyzed,
Every detail looked over.
It was compared to other works.
Its history was learned
Its insides were tested.
The geologists, historians, and scientists agreed.
Everything checked out.
The museum bought the piece.

They then took the piece to the art experts to show off their purchase.
All the experts hated it.
They said, "Something is not right."
"I hope you didn't buy it."
Turns out, the statue was a replica.

Because the museum ignored their suspicion,
Because the museum wanted this statue to be true.
Because the museum needed a show-piece so badly,
It wasted millions of dollars on a fake.

Blink is that moment in time where subconsciously we make up our mind.
That instant where snap judgments are made, where emotions exist, where thinking is natural.
The moment when we know that "something is not right."
Or the moment when we know "That something is special."

That moment is quick.
It happens in a "Blink."
And all our past experiences,
All our current conditions,
All our knowledge and emotion go into that moment.
And it all combines to create a notion of instinct.

But we can choose to ignore our instincts.
We can want something so badly
That our feeling for the situation,
Our ethos about the experience,
Fades into the night like lightning in a distant storm.

We can train our instincts.
We can study art endlessly.
We can know history.
We can even know the rock.
But when our instinct screams, "no"
And our heart screams louder, "yes,"
Can our instinct persevere?

Gladwell hints at this throughout the book,
But stays focused on the idea of the snap decision,
Blink of an eye moment.
However, I'm much more curious as to how
And when we decide to relax in that moment.
To trust our gut. To follow our suspicion. To go with instinct.
Because wisdom not only lies in instinct, but also in timing.

"A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" Review

My break from Time Magazine has lead me to not only read 1 book, but 2 books.
The second book i picked up was:
"A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" by Donald Miller.
I have to confess, I'm a Donald Miller fan.
I read three other books by the author.
And i enjoyed each of them, none more than "Through Painted Deserts."

Anyway, I enjoy Donald Miller because his diction is very verbal.
It sounds like a conversation.
It doesn't sound like a book,
It sounds like a recorded discussion.
And so I was excited for this read.
And it did not disappoint.

"A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" is a book,
About story and a movie.
But mainly story.
It's about how we are all living a story.
And our stories have meaning.
And how those stories also give meaning.
With a hint of post-modern thinking,
Miller describes life as a series of stories that make up something bigger.
A corporate story. A Story if you will. The Human Story
And these smaller experiences give meaning to the larger Story.
The trick is to live a life with stories worth telling.
Experiences that deserve to become memories.
Not just to stockpile memories like water in anticipation of Y2K,
But to prove at the end that you lived.
To show that you managed your life as well as your money.
To provide value to your breaths.
But Miller takes it farther than an encouragement to do something.
He reminds us that we need to do something that is something bigger.
Life isn't about our story. It is about our Story.
And how your experience fits into it.
Because life is not lived independently, but intertwined.
So live your life with people.
Make memories with others.
Incorporate in the something bigger, corporate, Human Story.
And in the End, that Story will surely be memorable.

"The Tipping Point" Review

I am a subscriber to Time Magazine.
I like reading Time because I feel connected to the world.
But I have found that after reading the weekly edition,
I have no time to read anything else.
So, I decided to take a break from it.

But I didn't want to take a break from reading.
So, I picked up a book my sister got me for Christmas:
"The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell.

Explaining how small things make big differences,
Gladwell defines the point in which trends become more,
Epidemics that seem to immerse culture.
These epidemics are supported by three types of people,
Along with other variables: Salesmen, Mavens, and Connectors.
Mavens know everything,
Salesmen convince everyone,
And Connectors tell everyone.
This book simply sheds light on important truths,
Truths that are rarely discussed outside of marketing meetings.
It explains that the news station you watch may affect how you vote,
That the neighborhood you live in affects what you wear,
That the smallest details in life actually have large affects in behavior.
And so I wonder: What small thing has shaped my behavior?
Or even what small thing has not shaped my behavior?

The most memorable proof presented in the book
Deals with New York's 90's Subway Culture.
Crime was rampant, graffiti covered cars, and people rarely paid.
If you haven't noticed, those conditions have significantly improved.
But it wasn't an increased presence in Law Enforcement.
It wasn't that all of New York decided at once to clean up the underground.
Instead, the New York Transit Authority made it a priority to clean graffiti.
Graffiti was the key to lowering crime rate, increasing subway revenue, and a cleaner underground.
Cleanly painted cars signaled that New York cared about public transportation.
Small things make a significant difference.

New York still has graffiti.
We all do.
But before each train leaves,
It is inspected, cleaned, and painted as necessary.
New York identified the "Tipping Point" that changed New York Transit for the foreseeable future.
I can only hope I can identify that point in my life.

Pens

I work at US Bank.
Here's something you should know about banks:
They go through a LOT of pens.
When I see a bank with pens on the end of chains
So they cannot leave the counter,
I understand. And i envy them.
Because at US Bank we supply the world with pens.
When i started my Job, I never had a pen.
And i could never find a pen.
They all mysteriously disappear.
This is a problem when there are deposit tickets and withdrawal slips that need to be completed.
So i started bringing my own pen.
It was nothing special.
Too nice of a pen wouldn't last more than an hour at the bank.
It was blue, with a translucent tube that made it identifiable.
Other than its appearance, it was just another pen.
But it was mine.
And it represented something important to me.
I actually stole that pen (sorry, hypocrisy) from a Ski Shop in Utah.
So, every time I wrote with that pen,
I was reminded of Bannanograms and Mario Kart.
Of Stephen Colbert and Taco Johns.
Of the friends that I miss,
And the memories that were made to embark 2011.
But unlike that pen, which died about a month ago (RIP),
Those memories and those friends will stay with me.

We All Have Stories.

I distinctly remember pacing the dimly lit room in disbelief,
exiting the patio door to the shrill sound of sirens
while blue and red illuminated the depressed night skies.
Rain continued to thump the wooden deck above me
as I tried to make sense of Sunday's events.

Sunday seemed to be set up as just another day.
Church, lunch, church, dinner.
Repeat weekly for eternity.

But Mother Nature had something else in mind.

The storm invaded Joplin, MO
as if it were a land to be conquered.
Sonja and I flanked the storm,
Heading to Afton for our routine Sunday Night Hangout
With the students that we have come to love.
Leaving to the sound of tornado sirens,
We peered to the west of Interstate 44
And saw a lowering cloud that characterized our drive with silence.
Shaken faces greeted us in the room where we had laughed so often.
As we learned the news of the Tornado,
The education that i had just celebrated completing seemed worthless.
We watched solemnly via web cam as a storm chaser toured the remains of the city.
They never teach you how to deal with such a sight.
Enduring the repeating pulse, each number dialed proved a friend was safe.
We decided to return to Joplin via Kansas and back-roads.
Entering the city from the west, we found a line cut through the heart of Joplin.

Story after story, work, and volunteerism filled the week.
Was this the real world about which Adults had warned?
As little help the Tornado sirens were to Joplin,
So too were the warnings repeated about the cruelty and unfairness of the "real" world.
No matter how imaginative, thoughtful, or daring my thoughts were about life after graduation,
This exceeded my expectations.
This was a scene out of a movie, not reality.
The kind of thing you don't mind watching because you know it's fiction.
And each morning, as i awoke,
I wondered if the devastation had disappeared.
I wondered if the nightmare had finally concluded

But what i found was life.
Disaster is our plight.
Each day, we face devastation and death,
and the daunting task of living among it.

But more important than the reality that is ours,
Is the fact that the warnings from adults about
unfairness, cruelty, and unjustness,
Those warnings fall short.
Not because they fail to depict cruelty in a way that us understudies can understand.
But because they stop at cruelty.
What they fail to warn against is the way people confront cruelty.
The way in which communities love.
The way in which restoration conquers.

And so as I stood on my porch today,
On a routine Sunday while the stars lit up the night sky,
I learned that we all have stories.
But more importantly, I learned that those stories persist.

Netflix Rant

I really love Netflix.
It provides entertainment instantly,
Deferring a generation's lesson on delayed gratification
To power outages and money shortages.
But, as much as i love Netflix,
I have to rant about one thing:
I had Dexter Season 3 Disc 2 in my queue
From the beginning of January until the end of April.
I was soooooooo frustrated.
Every time i returned a movie,
I would cross my fingers and hope
That the next disc that would arrive in my physical mailbox
Would be Disc 2 of Season 3 of Dexter.
And when that day came, i celebrated.
Then, i watched the disc and sent it back.
And my frustration subsided.
So, Netflix, you have taught me something:
Delayed Gratification is overrated.
Send me the next disc of Dexter TOMORROW.

PS, sorry for the shallowness of this post.
TIME to read.

Newton's Law

It has been 2 weeks since i flew to Phoenix.
I needed to see a good friend after the month that was March.
It was a great vacation.
I didn't do much (other than watch baseball and do church things).
But that's all I really wanted to do.
I simply wanted to experience the life my friend was living
And watch a spring training baseball game.
And so it happened.
And then it was over.

As quickly as it splashed into my life,
My excursion dissolved into the pool that is reality.

But one thing did occur to me on the plane ride there.
Despite the overly interested man questioning me about
My life in Joplin,
My passions, interests, and hobbies,
My history in Tulsa,
And everything else that could ease his nervousness of flying,
I spent some time thinking.
And here's what I thought about.

I officially graduate college May 21st.
Five years of late nights, coffee pots, and hours of classes
Conclude with a list of names read monotonously
As family members politely applaud for everyone that crosses the stage.

But,
I have been done with classes for a few months now.
Unlike many of my classmates,
I've transitioned from the good times to the real life.
From idealism to pragmatism.
And what is apparent
Is the absoluteness of Newton's Law.
Direction continues without a force of change.
And so life persists as already established.
Set in motion for eternity until edited by the experiencer.
And what I came to grips with on that plane
Is that this is life.

Nothing is holding me back from being who i want to become.
I'm educated. I'm experienced. And there is nothing left to prepare me.
No more classes to attend.
No more years to count down.
No more hoops to jump through.
What's left is to simply live.
To live how I want.
And To live where i want.
Although I will continue to learn,
It's all up to me to direct my future.
Because Newton was right.
Nothing will change without a decisive force.
Even life.

Fantasy Baseball

Here's my Fantasy Baseball Team's Logo:

My team name is now

Sporting Ochocinco.

In honor of Kansas City's publicity aimed stunts.

Life Update

I'm back.
I took a short break.
But now, I'm here.
And what better way to get back in the groove,
Than provide a brief life update?

First, I started working 40 hours a week.
This has significantly cut into my leisure time.
AKA, my writing material.
In fact, I'm two Time Magazines behind.
But, I am making money.
And I have insurance.
Two very important things for a college graduate.

Second, life has been crazy.
Sonja's brother (Jonathan) has leukemia.
He is in St Louis.
So, I have been traveling to St. Louis on my days off.
And through this,
I have learned more about God's church
Than my 4 years at Ozark.
And gotten less rest than my 4 years at Ozark.

Third, the preaching minister in Afton,
Moved on to another ministry.
So, I have more to do.
Yet, I have enjoyed my new responsibilities
And have embraced the challenges during the transition.

Although I am tired,
Although I am stressed,
Although I feel like I am drifting away from friendships,
I can not complain.
God has been good.
And his Church has been good.
And I am thankful for that.

10 Reasons the Chicago Cubs Will Win the World Series in 2011

With the start of Spring training this last week,
I feel like this blog is a must.
Hear me now: the Chicago Cubs will win the World Series in 2011.
And here are 10 reasons why:

1. They haven't won the World Series since 1908. They deserve at least a pity trophy.

2. Mike Quade represents the American Dream and winning the world series would jump start the American economy.

3. Kerry Wood is back. That's got to be worth 15 wins.

4. The Cardinals lost their best pitcher (arguably) to a season ending injury. As much as i hate good players getting injured, this increases the Cubs chances at actually winning the anemic NL Central.

5. The All Star game is in Arizona this year. Why is this relevant? Because the majority of the Cubs players have Hispanic ancestry. And because of Arizona's crazy immigration laws, the Cubs will play extra hard to make the all star team only to spite the entire state of Arizona.

6. Albert Pujols will be a free agent. The Cubs really want him. And, where would he rather go than a World Series winning team?

7. If they don't win the World Series, the Matt Garza trade will look really bad, blemishing Jim Hendry's immaculate trading record.

8. The Pirates and Astros may be the 2 worst teams in all of baseball and the Brewers don't have the pitching to be consistent.

9. Carlos Zambrano will spend more time playing baseball than in anger management.

10. It may be their last chance... the world will end in 2012.

"The Art of War" Review

I recently finished the Barnes and Noble edition of

"The Art of War" by Sun Tzu.
The classic composed by a Chinese war legend
Helped continue feudal conflicts throughout Chinese history.
Containing a blue print to successful army management,
It presents principles to follow for both leading an army
And leading anything else.
Although some points are irrelevant outside of the context of war,
Many ideas and rules translate to managing a team.
It was thought provoking, interesting, and a quick read.
It didn't really meet my expectations,
but I would like to share a story from an introduction:

(paraphrased)
Sun Tzu was born into a family that owned knowledge about war.
Much like an apprenticeship,
Sun Tzu grew under the guidance of war strategists.
Unlike his priors, he took the time to record his nontraditional principles for generations to come.
A king heard about his nontraditional management style and asked to test his principles.
Sun Tzu agreed.
But, the King wanted to test the principles with women rather than a proper army.
Thus, Sun Tzu was given an army of women,
Composed of the kings concubines and servants to teach how to march.
He assigned each company of women a leader from among the ranks.
He explained to the leaders and the army of women
The commands of facing straight, turning right and left, and turning around.
He then gave the women an order to "about face."
The women simply giggled.
So, Sun Tzu wrote the King addressing the issue:
"When an army fails to follow the commands,
It is a result of poor leadership.
Therefore, the leadership must be executed and new officers established."
The King tried to protest such an action
Because his favorite women were in the leadership.
However, Sun Tzu wrote that favoritism must not be shown to an army.
So, Sun Tzu, in plain sight of the entire army,
Beheaded each woman in leadership.
He then assigned a new leader to each company of women.
After reviewing the marching orders, he gave his first command.
The women marched perfectly.
He then wrote to the King:
"Your army is ready, sir."

"Justification" Review

N.T. Wright and the "New Perspectives"
Frankly, I am less interested in age
and more inclined toward accuracy.
A thousand years of Church tradition says one thing,
Modern theologians say another.
Let's find out who's right.
There's comedy in the fact that this debate rages
From the interpretation of a single Greek word.
Pistis Iesou Christou.
The faithfulness of Christ.
Or
The faithfulness in Christ.
Two very distinct understandings of Pauline theology.
Therefore, NT Wright pens "Justification"
to defend his stance (the faithfulness of Christ)
against the aggressive works of John Piper.
Wright does well to acknowledge both Piper's shortcomings
as well as his own potential blunders.
He recognizes that 20% of what he writes could potentially be wrong
(although he knows not what 20% that is).
Wright establishes his understanding of justification in terms of the Abrahamic covenant.
He argues that through God's promise (covenant) with Abraham,
The same promise that eventually establishes Israel as God's people,
The same promise that eventually delivers rebellious Israel into the promised land,
(There may be some allegory in there)
The same promise that produced the lineage of Jesus,
Through that promise, God did not plan to save "humanity from the world,
but to save the entire world."
Or as he simply puts it:
God's-plan-through-Israel-for-the-world
Covenant Theology.
I like that through this interpretation God isn't baffled
by Israel's sin causing him to move to plan B.
Instead, he establishes one plan for humanity.
Wright also describes being "justified" as a status rather than a conditional characteristic
through the imagery of a law court.
Being morally pure or ethically evil has little bearing on our status of justification.
God's declaration transcends morality.
We do not earn justification through morality.
We are simply justified by the Judge.
(Yeah this touches on the faith vs. works debate as well).
All in all, N.T. Wright communicates well his (post-modernism)
understanding of justification. Did he persuade me?
At least, he made me an admirer.
At most, he made me include parts of the "New Perspectives" (gasp)
into my understanding of Pauline Theology.
It was a good read. I recommend it if you want something scholastic.

The End of an Era

The snow is thawing,
The sun is shining,
And i am now employed at the
U.S. Bank near Northpark Mall.
For a while, i felt like Atlas,
Crippling under the weight of the world.
However, structure is being built around me,
While i adjust to life out of school.
Although this is temporary support,
It provides much needed relief,
Like a cool pool on a summer day.
With framing in place,
Life seems simpler.
I can study the subtleties.
I can appreciate the aesthetics.
I have something to shield me from the elements.
And as winter slowly surrenders to spring,
My life will enter a new season as well:
Full-time employment.
I'm sure this will give me stories, frustrations, and more.
But the distinctions of seasons are not boring.
The bitterness of winter,
The blossoms of spring,
The sun of summer,
The autumn leaves,
Create an atmosphere enjoyable in its time.
And that's how i see this experience.
Unpleasant, exhausting, frustrating,
Unique, fun, frantic,
But a bookmark to many memories,
Noting the next chapter in my life.

The Blizzard of 2011

We all know about it.
It's impossible to ignore.
So why not have a blog post about it?
The Blizzard of 2011.

It was Saturday when i caught word
Of the winter storm in the works.
My immediate reaction was skepticism.
This was a re-run of disappointing hype
That is the reality of mid-western "snow storms."
But this did not stop me from rumoring
The exaggerated amount of accumulation.
I spread the word like propaganda
Against the ruling tyrant in Egypt.
However, it remained unknown what this storm would produce.
Monday passed like the Thursday before a weekend trip.
As i read weather reports, hope conjured its way
Through my hardened heart.
Excitement built tension block by block,
Minute by minute.
The day concluded.
It was time to sleep.
Yet i found myself wide-eyed,
Tossing and turning, like a child on Christmas Eve.
Weather patterns drifted through my dreams.
I beat my alarm to morning. 8:03.
I didn't want to get out of bed.
Fear stirred as i thought about what was outside.
Not fear from 20 inches of snow,
But at grass springing through powder,
Reaching for the light as the Sun beat down on the ground.
Tentatively, i peered through the blinds.
With the building across the street barely visible,
The Blizzard of 2011 officially began.


















It was only hours later that i became stir crazy.
The Flight of the Conchords was a band-aid
On a wound that needed to be stitched.
So the roommates and I went on a walk before lunch
To assess the damage and the possibility of leaving the APT.
The odds were not good.
In fact, we had simply picked the scab
That protected the wound inflicted by the blizzard.
(Really bad imagery, i know).
Nonetheless, Potato Soup was not the remedy.
Neither was Gladiator.
Nor Stranger than Fiction.
And Million Dollar Baby fell short as well.
The only cure would be to get outside.
And so being snowed in was the present i had to embrace.

Before Million Dollar Baby (see above for link to Wikipedia)
I provided Dakota Kildoo with a video tour via Skype of our snow fall.
He was amazed.
Snow is ridiculous.
Anyway, that naturally led into a conference call
To make sure the world had not ended in other regions of the US.
Arizona, you still exist. Iowa, you too.
And the south side of Joplin, you too barely exist.

Anyway, on day 2 of literally being snowed in,
I escaped.
After a morning of the Flight of the Conchords,
We decided we had to risk it.
We had to get out. Or die.
So, we took our kitchen bowls outside to test our luck.
We were lucky.
Someone let us borrow a snow shovel.
We excavated Ray's car like an archaeologist uncovering rare fossils.
And went to Ozark to play some basketball.
With no problems coming or going,
I settled back into my nest while my roommates flew the coop,
Which brings us to the present.
Meanwhile, i have been working on what i like to call a "Blizzard Beard."
Pictures to come, i promise.
Anyway, stay safe and remember: The world still exists.

Life Update

This is a "State of Kyle" address if you will.
No real epiphanies.
No witty phrases.
No crafted literary devices.
Simply put. My Life:

I am working part time as a Youth Minister.
I am looking for a second job.
I am looking for a place to live.
I am looking for a reliable car.
And I am looking for good friends.
I do have an awesome girlfriend

Boom. My LIfe.
Simply Complex.
If you have a job to offer me,
A place for me to live,
A car for me to drive,
Or want to hang out and don't mind paying
Let me know.

On a side note, i have had extra time to read.
So maybe a more thought provoking post will appear in my blog.

The End of Salt Lake City

The following is our vacation's end.
AKA, days 6 and 7.

1-3
Our vacation was approaching its end,
But a day of adventure created a boundary
As large as a mountain,
Like a drawn curtain shielding us from the harsh morning light of our previous life.
Facing a day in the car,
Hours of driving,
And the return to reality,
We spent our final day free of confines,
Careening down a mountain,
Feet firmly fixed on a waxed bored,
Hearts and mind free from
whatever awaited our return in Joplin,
Focused on nothing but the reality of the moment.
Needing a break from absolute freedom,
Lunch made me wish we had never returned to the lodge.
My sandwich was awful. It tasted like a giant green olive.
Which i hate.
That sandwich was like the sun berating the stiffened ground
As it longed to be quenched by a torrential downpour during monsoon season.
However, i refused to allow that sandwich to chain me to the lodge.
As our lift passes expired, so did my energy.
My body longed for a rest.
Turns out being unchained, free, wild if you will,
Destroys your body.
Maybe that's why hardly anyone is.
Nonetheless, i needed to be refueled.
So we went to Dakota's to freshen up,
And feed on lasagna like cows in a never-ending prairie.
Coffee was the only proper ending to this day,
And subsequently our vacation.
So, we went to the local Sunset Coffee,
Where we listened to Dakota's IPod
And continued our tradition of Bananagrams.
Although caffeine gave us a boost,
It was clear that we were losing steam as our coffee warmed.
Returning to Dakota's House,
I didn't want to sleep.
Sleep represented the end of vacation,
The return to reality,
The end of an era,
The conclusion to our excursion.
Still, exhaustion persevered.
Sleep.

1-4
We woke up and got on the road,
Grabbing iced coffee as we had before,
However, it tasted more bitter this time.
I'm not sure if it was the coffee, or our departure
That left this taste in my mouth.
Wyoming ushered us with wind, but no snow this time.
Stopping at Dakota's sister's house was necessary to delay reaching our destination.
Wishing to extend our time away as much as possible.
Our driving continued until we reached Jordan's House in Nebraska.
This seemed like the longest day ever.
Not because of the drive, or the company, or the weather.
Instead, it was the news.
As we drove, we received word that our good friend had encountered tragedy.
A friend we had been praying for throughout our trip.
A friend we loved so much.
Emotions overcame the four of us as we wept
and prayed over the next 40 miles.
This surreal moment will stick with me forever.
Never had i prayed so hard. Never had i invested so much emotion.
Never had i connected with a group in community,
As i had in that car.
Going to church, living in a dorm, hanging with my friends,
Nothing even approached what i experienced as we traveled.
Every curve of the road, every mile post, every minute that passed,
Seemed fake. Unreal.
At that point, the only thing that was real were the four people in our car.
The road was a welcomed sight.
A seeming escape from the hurt of the world.
Reality was a harsh climate. And the road provided an oasis.
Still we had to continue our return to "normal life."
But how could we?
This trip changed me.
And returning to life seemed to be a regression.

1-5
Nevertheless, we arrived back to Joplin on day 8,
Only to hang out that night as we had the previous seven,
By watching a movie and dosing to sleep.

Salt Lake City Day 4 and 5

Sorry for the delay on the chronicles of my Salt Lake Journey.
The following is the account of Day 4 & 5. Enjoy.

1-1
The New Year dawned as we slept through its first morning.
Arising to fresh coffee and great friends conversing around a room
Provided the first great moment of 2011.
Dakota's Mom, and ours for the trip,
Was gracious enough to fix us a "Christmas Breakfast."
Her cooking filled our stomachs
But her hospitality filled our hearts.
Satisfied from the enormity of eating,
All that was left was to watch a movie: Grown Ups. or was it Mall Cop?
Well, I don't remember.
"Grown-Ups" would be a perfect description of who we were:
Escaping life to mourn a death.
A time was dying, but this trip memorialized it.
"Mall-Cop" characterized the youthful passion
Retained as we fought the evil of the world.
Ok, maybe not.
But as the movie concluded, so did our morning.
Skipping lunch, we prepared to depart for the mountain.
Sonja and I decided to skip the slopes and lounge in the Lodge.
A decision i thought i would regret,
But thoroughly enjoyed.
And we had the largest serving of nachos ever created by man.
It must have been an entire bag of everything.
Dakota and Jordan enjoyed adventure time
And joined us for a break from the blistering cold.
We descended the chilly mountain face
To a bowl of thawing chili.
Concluding the night, we met two great friends for drinks at the Bayou.
A place that seemed to have little Cajun flare
But made up for it by housing our friends for a few hours.
I always enjoy hanging out with Jared and Julie Marling.
And i wish we could hang out more.
Nonetheless, this was a great night.
And a great conclusion to 1-1-11.

1-2
On Day 5 of our vacation
We still had not experienced a morning in 2011.
Instead, we rested and ate breakfast at In and Out Burger.
This day was a very different experience
Than any other on our trip.
Why? Because everything is closed on Sundays.
Corporate chains, private businesses, and the like
Lock their doors and rest.
The antonym of New York City.
But we managed to find a trendy coffeehouse entitled:
The Green House Effect.

And it didn't follow the culture.
It was open on Sunday
And made of recycled material.
After coffee, we got coffee.
You may be wondering:
If the whole city closes, why are coffee shops open?
Mormons don't drink caffeine. Soooo, yeah.
After coffee #2, we went to church.
Missio Dei (Mission of God),
A community oriented, informal, young
Church plant refueled my passion for the church,
A theme that unfortunately repeated itself.
More on that later.
Our day of rest (although different than the Mormon concept)
Gave way to a night spent at the Kildoo's
Eating enchiladas and playing games.
An experience that has become a routine at Afton.
A nice taste of the familiar to compliment the foreign
And prepare me for another day of doing.

Salt Lake City Day 3

Here is the entry for our 3rd day of vacation, but first full day in SLC.

It was a good one...

12-31

I had only snowboarded once before.

Eldora, Colorado.

Not exactly known for their mountainous ski resorts.

So to say the least, I was “stoked” about snowboarding at a legit park.

Because of the recent snow, we parked at the bottom

And rode to the top

In what seemed to be a NYC subway during rush hour

Instead of an SLC Bus at nine.

However, we made it to the slopes, snow suited up,

Prepared to take on the powder.

And so we did.

Well, Kind of.

Sonja had never spent time on the slopes,

And her learning curve was as steep as the mountain she was ascending.

Two hours later, we made it through our first run.

Tired and Frustrated, Sonja was ready for a break.

Jordan, Dakota, and I went on one last run before lunchtime

After which we met up in the lodge for a delicious deli sandwich.

A short rest resulted in the rest of the day on the Chickadee Lift

A.K.A. The Bunny Slope.

Sonja continued to learn and be frustrated.

Dakota, Jordan, and I worked on some useful skills

A successful day of Snowboarding completed,

My body’s energy completely depleted,

My frozen feet thawed,

It was time for New Year’s Eve.

New Year’s Eve is the definition of cliché.

With large expectations for both the night and the upcoming year

Most wake up in the New Year disappointed and hung-over,

With the previous night absent from memory.

However, 2010’s last day was one to remember.

Spent with old friends, Julie and Jared Marling,

Lasting memories were formed as artistically as our Sushi.

Sushi typically leaves you wanting more:

Light and un-filling.

Following the theme,

The trendy Ichiban Sushi produced an experience

That I longed for more of

Because it was so enjoyable.

Our night continued to Julie and Jared’s house,

Where we toasted the New Year with Dick Clark.

Black Eyed Peas were not consumed.

Resolutions were not discussed.

Simply put, the night led into the New Year

As previews lead into the featured presentation.

Although the upcoming year may be a different genre than previous,

It will undoubtedly produce plots similar to ones I’ve already experienced.

Uncertainty about the upcoming show settled in

As the lights faded down on 2010

And the moon ushered in 2011.

Although morning remained cloaked in darkness,

Light was inching toward the horizon,

A representation of one thing: Opportunity awaits in 2011.

Salt Lake City Day 2

The first day of my vacation was eventful. The second day was more fun.
My Vacation Story continues.
Here is the second post...

12-30

Continuing our longer than expected drive,

We left the Day’s Inn for our final destination.

With clearer roads and sunny skies,

Three quiet hours passed quickly, landing us in SLC.

So, naturally once we arrived, we ate.

After the last day of white-knuckled driving,

Noodles and Co. with a good friend was necessary.

Filled to the brim with food and good company,

We rented our Snowboard equipment,

And returned with boards and boots to Dakota’s Home.

We settled into Salt Lake City as the

Excitement for the coming day spilled over into our night.

We played games to celebrate our arrival

And the next day’s activities on the Mountain,

Mario Kart and Bananagrams consumed our time.

I love playing games because I’m typically good at them.

In fact, I tell others that

“I don’t play games I don’t win.”

Our competitive natures collapsed

As the mass of games amounted.

The pace of activity slowed as our tired brains

Strained to create words with our inconvenient tiles.

Unwinding from the drive and subsequent day

It felt great to be at our vacation,

Not in route to our vacation.

Played out from the drive and games,

We ended the day with a movie.

Despicable Me was played, but not watched

As tired bodies slumped on the couch and slipped into sleep

Bringing a much needed restful end to the day

And concluding a good start to a great vacation.

Salt Lake City

I'm back from my Salt Lake City Vacation and had a great time.
So, to commiserate my joyous escape from reality,
I will tell the story through a blog series this week.
Here is the first post in that story...

12-29-10

Phase 1: Missouri

The first leg of our journey began bright and early.

Before the rooster crowed, we were in transit,

With iced-coffees in hand, three of us set off,

Prepared for the never-ending path of pavement that lied ahead.

Tired eyes overpowered my back seat position

As Dakota entertained Sonja through a familiar drive

Past Kansas City and into Mark Twain Country.

Sonja’s portion of driving ate up the morning,

But our hunger for journey was not satisfied.

My abbreviated nap came to a halt with Dakota’s Dodge Charger

As we refueled both “Zoe” and ourselves

In preparation of Phase 2 of our journey: Nebraska.

Phase 2: Nebraska

Now my turn to drive, it was my responsibility to navigate into Nebraska,

A task I was less than excited about.

When this trip began, Nebraska was my least favorite state.

(That I had spent time in).

Why?

As an accomplished college student and camp team member,

I spent one bug-filled, rainy week in Nebraska with a hundred Jr. Highers,

Only to drive across the entire God-forsaken state without cell-phone reception.

Flat, boring, treeless, windy. Nebraska.

But our car was less than capacity and we had more company to add: Jordan.

Her farm town was a welcomed sight after enduring the first 8 hours of our drive.

After a short break, and manipulating the luggage,

We hit the road again with Jordan at the wheel.

The addition of another driver and personality created

A fresh environment from the used stale air

From which conversation and laughter flowed.

With half of our distance expired, more cargo, an approaching state, and hours to go,

A new experience inched closer with every mile Jordan drove.

Phase 3: Wyoming

Jordan wrapped up her post-Christmas drive after entering Wyoming.

After a brief stop for dinner at the second-tier burrito shack Qdoba,

Endurance developed into the lasting theme of our night.

Wyoming is worse than Nebraska.

I had always heard how awful Wyoming was, but assumed it was hyperbole.

Then I encountered Wyoming first-hand.

And it lived up to the hype of awfulness.

Black ice camouflaged the road.

Wind gusts overturned Semi’s.

Snow performed its magic act, making the road disappear

As it blew from embankment to embankment.

Flashing lights illuminating the highway warned us weary travelers of the danger

With which we were already familiarized.

Realizing the inherent danger posed by the road,

Our search for a hotel began just past Rawlins, Wyoming.

With every room booked, including the “Sagebrush Motel” in Ramsutter,

We had no choice but to push through the accumulation,

Driving over 100 miles and 3 hours to the town of Rock Springs,

Where our night was spent at the Days Inn.

Needless to say, with lofty goals left unaccomplished,

We were disappointed to spend the night in Wyoming rather than Salt Lake City.

However, we were more than thrilled to be out of the inclement weather

And safely indoors, resting for the rest of our journey in the morning.