Win Lose or Draw

A new Win Lose or Draw will be posted here at 6 am Wednesday 13 December 2006. Please feel free to re-post this post on your blog if you wish.

Turkey Day

I know Thanksgiving was a while ago, but I haven't posted about it. Here's our "turkey," isn't it cool?

While we wait...another Win Lose or Draw: All the Time

Alright, here's your hints: There are 4 boxes = 4 words. The third box is not as complicated as it seems. It's just a helpful tool for everyone who every draws.

Nice girl...

Just three of the cool things that Shelli made for my birthday. (Yes it was ages ago, apparently I never post...). Thanks Shell!

Win Lose or Draw: All the Time

Saturday Night Live

To you, the following clip may seem merely a low-quality representation of an average Animal Planet show about sharks. To me though, it is remarkable because the person you see is my cousin. Now it would seem that mostly the surprise is that my cousin is on TV. Not so--I've seen him on TV before (he's a marine biologist who studies sharks and sharks are good TV material.) The real surprise is that (1) I randomly found him while channel surfing on Saturday night--not something I often do--and (2) I saw first his arms and hands holding a baby hammerhead shark and thought, Those look like they could be Stephen's arms and hands; he studies hammerheads a lot, because, after all, Japanese arms do look different from white ones (no offense to anyone) and then I thought, That kind of sounds like Stephen, and then the face on the screen was, indeed, Stephen.

My cousin on TV on Vimeo

Our first film

Watch Piece on Vimeo

For all you Brian Regan fans

It's the "spring smitch for lunatics like you!"

We interrupt our scheduled programming...

...for this news report.

I got into grad school.

I liked it better when I wasn't accepted into grad school---I could put off important decisions. We'll see what happens. I'll keep you posted.

Charades

We also played a bunch of charades using Apples to Apples cards. (If you have A2A you should try it.)

Really, the fun cannot be communicated effectively with these pictures.

Also, Michael played too, but apparently we took no pictures of him. Probably better that way.

Just kidding, Michael.

Midterm Break Part Two

We also went to Pennsylvania over break:

Nice view from Michael and Angela's house.Shelli and Shelby.
Helping Michael with his class. The things you do for friends...

Stay tuned for more fun.

Long week

This week has been kind of non-stop since we got back from break. But here's a little tour of the first part of break:

Hershey Store, Niagara Falls
The family (well...some of it...we apparently never took a group picture.)
Our favorite haunt.
She likes moose. Really.I like Harleys.
We both like this.
That's a wonder of the world behind us (Niagara Falls)....(although theoretically, we're "behind" it.)The tallest building in the world.See?

I win

For anyone who's ever argued with me that you're supposed to stop way back from the intersection at Calvert and 56th. The cop didn't.

this week

This week has been too much. Too much wrongness--all over the world. It's funny when I hear a song I really like but I have no idea what it says, but then I look at the words and they just seem so right too. This week it was "Into The Day" by Bebo Norman. Jesse bought the CD and I really like it. (I don't usually post about music, but this really resonated with me.)

You could turn a hundred years and never empty all your fears
They’re pouring out like broken words and broken bones
They could fill a thousand pages, be the cry for all the ages
And the song for every soul who stands alone
The ache of life is more than you are able
Hold on love, don’t give up
Don’t close your eyes
The light is breaking through the night

Then soon (but, not soon enough) we'll

Step out into the day, all the clouds and all the rain are gone
It’s over now
Step out into the sun, for you have only begun to know
What it’s all about
As the hungering dark gives way to the dawn, my love
It’s over now

Also good for me this week is Andrew Peterson's "More." Pastor Rich gave a bunch of us The Far Country from which I had several songs, but not this one. It was good for me.

There is more
More than all this pain
More than all the falling down
And the getting up again
There is more
More than we can see
From our tiny vantage point
In this vast eternity
There is more

There is more than what the naked eye can see
Clothing all our days with mystery
Watching over everything
Wilder than our wildest dreams
Could ever dream to be
There is more

Blue Angels

Blue angels on Vimeo

Blue Angels

On Sunday we went to the Lincoln Air Show. It was great fun. Whether or not we saw the Blue Angels we had a great time laughing and spending time together.

We tested Fate and she proved herself again (we decided to move because we didn't think we could see and just as we started to move--BAM--the Blue Angels started and the poor car driver missed the first bit.)

We asked the owner of a big rig/truck if we could sit on top of his truck. He said, "Probably not."


We found the new location of the Harley Davidson shop, coming in Spring of 2006.

Generally, a fun time, although we also learned that Blue Bunny Strawberries, Cookies and Cream ice cream is no longer available. It was a dream.

Oh, I almost forgot, we weren't actually at the air show, but we were outside of it so what we missed in seeing of the main show, we made up for by seeing the Blue Angels turn around a million times. And then we decided it would be fun to start a group called the Red Devils to compete. Or maybe secretly the Blue Angels become the Blue Devils to carry out top secret missions. Oh well, I think I need to go to bed.

Life

Sometimes I think I have nothing to blog about. Life is pretty much the same every day--nothing write-worthy. But then I remember.

What are the chances?

How often do you look through the clear plastic of a bag at the shredded paper inside (that you did not shred yourself) and see your own name?

Spooky.

Accounting

As I type, I am sitting in the microlab. I have finished the first (individual) part of my first test for Accounting 313: Intermediate Accounting. The second (team) part of the test will start as soon as all my teammates finish the first part.

In case you are wondering, "Why is Justin taking Accounting?" let me explain. I've started applying to UNL's MBA program. By started applying I mean that I've gone and talked to an MBA program advisor. It went decently well--if not as warm and inviting as Union is. I hope to fill out the online application by this week and then we'll see (1) if I get accepted, (2) if I can find money to pay for it, and (3) if I decide to go.

Just thought you'd like to know.

I win!

So I was listening to the radio tonight and the lady was like: "Free downloads for music? Be caller #9!" And I was! I've never called in and so I've obviously never won. It was pretty cool. I was on the radio. And I won. Just thought I'd share. Hope your life is good too.

PI25

Vacation Village

I'm sitting on my balcony in the Berkshire mountains in Massachussetts and I thought I'd share some fun conversations I overheard. (That's the view off my balcony).

A little boy was walking with his parents. His mom says to him (in a stern but loving way), "Honey, always look both ways before you cross the road." The boy asks, "Why?" Mom responds, "Because a car could give you a really big boo-boo." Dear readers, do look out for cars, I don't want you to get a big boo-boo.

The second little boy was throwing rocks. His mother said, "We're going to stop throwing rocks now. Did you hear me?" Boy responds, "Hold on." Thwang. Rock hits metal sign. "Okay, I heard you."

My hopes sunk (not really)

I just didn't have a snazzy title. Today we went to the Sunken Gardens and walked around. I took a picture of this lilly with my phone. You can see me taking a picture here.

As you saw, we had fun. We continued having fun all day with games, song, and laptops. Now, we're going to play Hoopla.

Happy 4th

I was almost proud to be American yesterday. Maybe at least North American. We went and saw some fantastic fireworks to a live performance of the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra. It's just really great to be out with what feels like the whole city--and here in Lincoln you see the multiculturalism that America can be proud of.

In any case, I was near giddy with excitement. I like fireworks. I liked the live music. I like the friends I was with. Happy fourth.

Life lessons

At the Bohbarlenberder wedding this weekend I learned that sometimes you don't get what you want, no matter how much you want it. I don't know if I smelled funny or if maybe I was holding a poisonous berry but this chipmunk hopped on everybody else but me.




But I've also learned over the past month+ that sometimes you do get what you want--if you're patient and trust God. The chipmunk pales in comparison.

Fireflies

I've never been in Lincoln in the summer. I've never seen the abundance of fireflies on Union's campus. The other night I stopped to take in the wonder that is the firefly, the lightning bug. I don't know much about them (I hear they don't live very long) but I know that God made them--maybe just for our enjoyment. I imagine their glowing butts have some other purpose, but a little part of me believe he did it just to fill our summers with wonder and magic. It worked for me.

Oswald Chambers says, "A human being is capable of depression, otherwise there would be no capacity for exaltation. . . . When the Spirit of God comes He does not give us visions, He tells us to do the most ordinary things conceivable. Depression is apt to turn us away from the ordinary commonplace things of God's creation, but whenever God comes, the inspiration is to do the most natural simple things--the things we would never have imagined God was in, and as we do them we find He is there."

I'm glad God made fireflies as an ordinary part of summer so that I could catch another glimpse of him in the midst of my humanity.

Postponed

In case you've been reading and were planning on praying for my Grandma on Monday (which I appreciate), her surgery has been postponed until April 19. Of course, if you've already scheduled time to pray for her on Monday, it will not hurt. And, if you could remember her on the 19th as well, it'd be great.

Grandma

This is my grandma. She's over 80. She still lives on her own, walks regularly, goes to the pool for aerobics, knits and crochets for ADRA, volunteers at the tuck shop at the nursing home (she lives in seniors' apartment building), is a greeter at church, and cooks the most fantastic food ever.

Grandma is having open heart surgery. Again. You see, she had surgery....maybe 10 years ago? (Long enough that I can't remember. And it was before I left for academy in 1998.) She had a heart murmur and so they replaced one of her valves with a pig heart valve. And they figured it would last as long as she did. But she won (she's quite competitive--we have to keep an eye on her
when we play games). And now her pig valve needs replacing.

But obviously there's a difference between open heart surgery when you're 70-something and when you're 80-something.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not one to worry. Worry can't change anything. And so I put my faith and trust in the all-powerful God that has held Grandma in his hands for over 80 years.

And I also believe in prayer. So if you have a moment today and especially on Monday, April 10, if you'd send up a thought about my grandma, I'd appreciate it.

Michael

In case you've been missing the fun over on MySpace (www.myspace.com/okimisan) here's a few pictures of my good friend Michael Shofner. It is not his birthday or anything but it is almost a holiday that is very special to us both. Michael, if you're reading this, we'll be thinking of you tomorrow.

Crazy and more

So we're walking in downtown Chicago with an hour before our next appointment. The girls are shopping. We're not really interested in that. All of a sudden we hear ourselves saying, "Boy, what are all the firetrucks for?"


View this clip on Vimeo

Yes, if you counted that was all four streets from that one corner. I kid you not, there were at least 14 firetrucks visible from where I stood plus at least as many fire SUVs, police cars, and ambulances. AND since the Hilton (the hotel where the problem seemed to be) was down one of those four streets, the corner on the other side of the Hilton probably had more emergency vehicles. I can't confirm that though.

Lessons we learned:
(1) Freeon is dangerous and it can leak and hurt you. (I had no idea my fridge was unsafe).
(2) Apparently, in Chicago, there are plenty of people who can free up their afternoon to stand around with mouths gaping wondering what's going on.
(3) Human nature, one might think, would lead people to run away from a corner with so many emergency vehicles. You know, maybe something's going to explode, let me save myself. Nope. Let me get as close to what seems to be the source of the emergency as I can. I MUST know what's going on even if I get hurt.

Anyway, it was incredibly mysterious and also we thought if we waited long enough we'd get on the news. Nope.

Chicago

Jesse and I hung out together most of the time. We had fun. This is me trying to take a picture of us. That's my intense look of concentration.

This is most of the students in the group outside the Chicago theatre.

This is a stunning view of downtown Chicago. Unfortunately, when you use a flash, it highlights the screen on the windows of the Hancock Observatory.

Have you ever seen a dolphin swim upside down? No, this picture is not upside down. They just swim on their backs. That is a good life.

Speaking of dolphins. Recognize this place?

This is Sue. She's pretty darn amazing. You can't tell, but that's just a model of her skull attached to her real skeleton. Her head weighs too much for her body to support. Wow.

Sentinel! For all you who appreciate The Matrix with me. From the Museum of Science and Industry's Robot exhibit.

Perhaps one of my favorite things in Chicago's downtown. A mirror kidney bean. This wonder of modern engineering is found in Millenium Park outside of the Art Institute. You might scoff, but it does incredible things.

See? Bet you can't tell that I'm taking this picture. Even if you click on it.

Okay, well the fun and games are over for now. I need to get sleep before work tomorrow! I'll post another very exciting event that occurred during our trip tomorrow.