It's iLove

I am simple enamored with my new old iPhone. I purchased it this past week from a friend at work when he moved up to the new 3g, and I am extremely happy with my choice.

My love for my iPhone is primarily driven by my obsession with the new slew of apps to use on the fly. I am seriously starting to wish I had some kind of coding expertise so that I could join in and create some apps while they are still in start-up phase. I think most people still do not realize the impact the iPhone is going to have on the world. I don't mean just the iPhone of course. The gPhone or whatever else will rival the iPhone may very well take the crown in the end. However, whichever one ends up on top will have a great impact on the development of communications for the next decade everywhere.

I for one love the idea of having everything in one device: my phone, my music and video collection, my emails, my social networking, a remote control for every device in my house. The potential is simply astounding.

Therefore, despite having no actual coding knowledge, I have determined that I am going to learn some coding and (hopefully with some help from others) try to develop some elementary applications.

One of the top apps in the app store at the moment is called iPint. It is a simple, even crappy game in which you use the sixaxis controllers to slide a beer glass down a bar top. Upon completion of the level, you get to "drink" a pint of frosty beer. When it comes down to it, the application is nothing more than a slightly creative advertising tool, but it works!

I want to be in on that. I want to gain an expertise and be able to approach companies and tell them about the power of this new medium and how I can help them get a foothold in it.

I know, I'm probably shooting too high with this one, but I can dream can't I? Anyway, I'm going to try to get OSX installed on a computer and attempt to start learning to code with Apple's SDK. We'll see how that goes.

All Grow'd up

There have been a number of occasions throughout the past four years of my life in which I have really been faced with the fact that I am now an adult, responsible for my own decisions and "free." This week is one of those times. I am currently sitting in a little coffee shop in Boulder, CO, working on a business plan and other work for TeacherHubs. I am skipping school this week and paying my own way to be here. I had to get no waiver signed by my parents, no blessing. In fact, if I wasn't such a nice and communicative son, my parents wouldn't have the slighted idea that I was anywhere but Abilene. I like the fact that I now bear all responsibility for any decisions I choose to make. My parents can only offer advice from here on out; not mandates. It's slightly nerve wracking, but even more exciting.

I will blog again

I know I'm writing this to nobody, because nobody will probably ever read my blog again. I swear to you though, nobody, that I will in fact start blogging again. I'm going to try to update at least twice a week. It was a wonderful feeling to blog every day when I was in Oxford, and I would simply love to work back up to that.

It's great for my feeble memory to be forced to recap my day, or at least some portion of it. Otherwise, I might as well have never experienced it in the first place because it simply escapes me.

Ok, anyway, I'm off to bed now. I'm heading home to Longview tomorrow morning. Yay!

The Calm Before the Storm

So this weekend was pretty awesome. I am so glad I decided to take off of work for a couple days and go home. It was so great to see everyone and get a bit of quality R&R time. Sometimes life is just good. This was one of those weekends.

Ashlee dear, thanks so much for dinner. It was exquisite, as always. The pork chops were wonderful, and it was the best apple pie I've ever had. I'm really suprised you're not married yet, as you are pretty much the greatest housewife ever.

Sorry to those of you who felt somewhat neglected this weekend. I guess my priorities were... elsewhere this weekend. You're just going to have to come to Abilene to visit. I would love to have you.

I have somehow managed to squeeze 2 months of work into 3 weeks. I am nearly caught up for the year. Now I just have to work out the details for the upcoming projects I have. Starting next week, I am going to be working like crazy for the next couple months. There is so much coming up it's insane. My calendar presents a pretty daunting sight.

The people are starting to trickle in at a higher rate. I'm really excited. I love it when the campus is teeming with people. Won't be long now.

Logic-based faith is so fragile sometimes

This afternoon Maher and I were in the library sampling some iced beverages from the Starbucks there when I heard somebody moaning really loudly behind me. I snuck a glance over my shoulder and saw what I thought to be a retarded guy sitting at a computer making noise.

Suddenly the guy stiffened up and started convulsing. I turned and looked as he fell out of his chair and started writhing on the ground, moaning and screaming. I’ve never seen a seizure before, but it was fairly interesting. The barrista called 911 while Maher and I went over to try to help somehow. We really didn’t know what to do, so we worked to keep him on his side so that he didn’t drown in his spit and vomit until the paramedics arrived. ‘Twas quite interesting.

After the ordeal, Maher looked pretty depressed/pissed. I asked him why that was, and his reply was merely, “sometimes I really hate the devil.”

I asked him why on earth he was thinking about such a thing at that moment. Where did he see the devil in that event? He told me that conditions like seizures were caused by Satan.

Of course, this left me feeling puzzled. I responded by saying that the cause for the seizure was rather due to the negligence of the guy in forgetting to take his medicine, because it was in fact a recurring ordeal for him, and it was probably onset by one of the flashing banners on Myspace which he was looking at at the time. The onset could have been stopped had the guy taken his medicine. Was Maher suggesting that the devil’s effect can be stopped merely by a medicinal product?

He then basically said that we have become a little too quick to explain away everything that was previously attributed to the devil. I inwardly scoffed at this statement, thinking that of course, things have changed a great deal, and now people realize that not everything that happens around them is the result of a direct command by Satan or demons.

I started delving into that thought a little later though. What are the implications of the fact that everything previously attributed to the devil can now be explained scientifically? There are a lot of mentions of the devil and demons and such in the bible. It was an understood fact back then that spirits had a lot of influence on the world. When I think about that though, I often say, “well yeah, they didn’t have the means to explain it back then, so they used spiritual terms. They described extraordinary occurrences the only way they knew how.”

This train of thought immediately leads me into dangerous and all-too-familiar territory though. If it is so easy for me to explain away demons and spiritual warfare, then what of all of the New Testament? Is it not possible that Jesus was turned – through people and stories – into God simply because he was so great it was inexplicable to the people then? Could it not all be some sort of Life of Brian escapade? After all, the first gospel was not written until at least 30 years after Jesus’ death. I’m pretty sure most word of mouth stories change quite drastically after 30 years. Everything gets blown out of proportion, and details get blown to the wind.

Certainly, some people call this sort of talk heresy. How can I possibly doubt the 100% validity of the Holy Bible, written by God himself? The thing is… every single book was written by a human. Humans – however well-intentioned they are – tend to fabricate and stretch things. I have no doubt that the Bible is based in the truth, and it’s principles are what we should use to guide our lives. But is it infallible? I think not…

No, I’m not necessarily doubting the divinity of Jesus. I’m just wondering; how much of the Bible is… stretching the truth? I hate this kind of thinking, because it never gets me anywhere. Why do I have to be so questioning and logical? I just want to accept things. I know that I will never be able to logically explain everything concerning God, so why do I seek explanations so fervently? Oh well, I’ll accept things when my brain gets old and lazy I guess. That seems to be the trend.

The Joys of Summer

I have recently realized that I have a serious problem; I have no idea how to relax. It is just not in my nature to not be accomplishing something. Today has been driving me mad. I woke up and decided to practice my omelet-making. Then I went about cleaning up my apartment. At some point I realized that I need to be a bit more active and that pushups, though great for my triceps, don't really do much for my biceps, so I went to Academy to buy a couple dumbbells. After thoroughly wearing myself out by watching the news while pumping iron, I did my laundry in UP's enormous and beautiful laundry facilities.

Then I realized... I have nothing to do, and nobody to do it with. Now that I'm finally living in my own place, I have a huge desire to play the host; to cook for and entertain people. There's simply nobody interested though... After calling everybody I know, I realized that I was in fact completely alone. I guess I have become somewhat socially dependent over the past few years, even though I suppose I'm socially inept at times. I panic at the thought of having absolutely nobody to talk to or do anything with. I can handle boring activities and even doing nothing, if I have somebody to do it with, but the thought of being bored alone... That terrifies me.

I played my guitar and read a book for an hour or two, but it was still driving me insane that I wasn't actually doing anything. At the moment, absolutely all of my social interests lie in some other town. Every single person I have called within the past couple days is in another town, or they're working, or with their girlfriend...

Haha, I am now sitting on Jeff McCain's bed in the Sig Shack, just to be within a hundred feet of a person I can communicate with. At the moment Jim Kizer is the only other person here, and he's just playing World Of Warcraft, so it's not really much better. Why do I feel this immense... emptiness? Actually, putting it in that language really helps me. I think it's good to have a reminder that there are always going to be times when there won't be people and activities around to fulfill me, and I should be seeking my fulfillment elsewhere. Of course, I can say that all day long, but actually attaining it... That's something entirely different. I've been seeking happiness and fulfillment a bunch of places recently and forgetting that it all ultimately comes from God. It's time I relax and get to know him.

Finally Settled?

Friday I left work early and started moving into my apartment (UP 316). It was nice moving into a place that's entirely mine. I have my own bedroom and bathroom, and until my roommate gets here, my own kitchen and living room. Tyler (my roommate) left pretty much everything he owns in his room, so rather than having to buy a ton of dishes and kitchen supplies, I have access to everything I need. 'Tis great.

Friday night I was feeling fairly lonely and was quite daunted by the enormous pile of stuff I had to figure out a way to organize, so I called my mom and convinced her to drive out. She showed up mid-Saturday and we began the process of bringing method to the madness that I had created. It was so awesome to have her there helping me. I have no idea how long it would have taken me to accomplish all we got done in a day and a half. It was also amazing to have her to buy the things I needed and help me stock my completely empty fridge. Under her guidance, I also cooked a couple meals. I'm sure I'll call her every time I cook something from now on, but I feel like I have a hand hold in the kitchen now.

I'm kinda sad that my mom has to leave me now. I'm at work now, but she's still in my apartment organizing stuff for me. It's been so awesome having her here. She saved my life. I hate to see her go, but alas, it's time I grow up and get used to living alone. It's a different sensation, moving into a place with no roommates or family. It's cool, but I'm not sure I like it so much. Nah, I love it. I'm pumped.

Finally back

So I'm finally back to Abilene. It was great to get back home and see friends for a few days, and I wish I could have had longer at home, but I was eager to get here as well. This has been an emotionally draining summer and I'm tired of saying goodbye to people, so now it's good to be at my final destination. I suppose from here on out I'll be eagerly counting down the days until school.

I have a fairly confusing housing situation here. I arrived at the house I'm staying in with 5 other guys and walked in to find only 1 person lounging about. I looked around for where I was to sleep and realized that I didn't have a bed here. Supposedly we're going to get a mattress in the next few days for me to use, but I'm actually thinking about moving into my apartment early. I don't really want to deal with the rowdy, late night, no AC atmosphere here for $200 a month when I could more easily settle into my own place and get settled for the year. I'm going to go talk to the housing people tomorrow about the idea.

Tomorrow I start work at 8, but I don't really know exactly what I'm doing. I asked Dean Barnard where I should go for my first day, and he told me to just spend the rest of this week in my SA office working on whatever I need to do to get situated for the rest of the summer. I guess I'll get started on some of the projects I've been putting off. It is now time for my summer to end. It's a shame... I don't feel like it's begun yet...