Valentines Day

A poem for those without a Valentine,
Who have no one to wine and dine
Rejected by the one for whom they pine
The road they walk is a fine line

Between the choices they made and a lonely place
Wondering who could love their ugly face
Crying like they were sprayed with mace
Hoping Cupid would show some grace

Plotting mean and demented schemes
All pulled from recent teen movie themes
Using whatever tactics the situation deems
Trying to steal or trick the One of your dreams

You want to believe in the underdog tale
But you are no celebrity, all broken out and pale
You know that in real life you're destined to fail
So best count all your chips, cash out, and bail

Try again with someone your own speed
Take a look in the mirror and take heed
Sometimes needing a hottie is a thing of greed
So ask out an uggo and do a good deed

Squint your eyes and maybe you won't mind
Cause they're also wishing they were blind
But dare to glance and you will find
You have just been Valentined

Happy Valentines Day to all those witout a date!
Everyone else... life has given you enough, you don't need any well-wishes from me.

2009 Predictions

:::I started this post on January 2nd, but just remembered it and finished it up.  Less guesswork now that we're over a month into the year, but oh well:::

The coming year is bound to bring a lot of new things in my world and the surrounding worlds of my friends and family.  So therefore I am going to list some predictions for the coming year.  I guess we'll see how I do.

1.  New Engagements:

• Marriage was such a popular topic last time, I figured I'd start with engagments this round.  Ok, first I'm going to put Jeana, since that seems like a gimme, if it isn't already official.  Kristin is also up there because she seems to expect it, and Kristin tends to get what she wants.  I'm also throwing Lacey in as a pretty sure thing, seeing as how she has her timeline all mapped out, and I believe an engagement is set for this year.  Seth is tricky, but I'm still pulling for him, so Seth is also added in the 2009 engagement list.  For my sake I hope it's not that soon, but Jamie is probably getting close to an engagement as well.  But who knows, he tends to drag his feet on some stuff.

2.  Apple Losing Some Steam

• Everyone knows I am an Apple fan and that they've been doing a great job.  But it seems they've made a few strange decisions lately.  They also lost the great Steve recently as well (but only for a little while, so they say).  Without Steve, Apple hasn't done great in the past.  So although I do believe they will continue to increase in market share, I also believe they will lose a bit of their wow factor and completeness in meeting the desires of the public.

3.  Obama

• Obama is President now, so "change" is bound to happen.  I think Obama will get most of everything he wants this year.  Huge division will come between Democrats who are further wooed by Barack, and the Republicans who will become more rigid about opposing him, under the command of Rush Limbaugh, and other such blunt conservatives.  Taxes will go up, babies will die, golden parachutes will deploy, and gay marriage will be on its way to legalization during this year.  I sound like a huge Obama hater, which I'm not, I just disagree with a lot of his stuff... and I don't think we can quite put a finger on his moral character yet... but it is shifting a tad.

4.  The Office

• Jim and Pam will get married.  Dwight and Angela will kind of get back together.  Michael will go off and on with Holly.  Ryan will have to make his way back into the show somehow, maybe as a pizza delivery boy or a manager at a competing paper company.  Toby will become interested in Holly and battle Michael for her (not really for any of that).  But Toby will receive the key to the city.  Phyllis will miraculously conceive a child to Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration.  Angela will find some sinful activity to replace her deceitful relationships.  And Kevin will get Scrantonicity back together to play for Jim and Pam's wedding.

5.  Me

• I will start reading/learning more.  I'll continue to get more video gigs and develop my little production company.  My cell phone service will switch to Verizon.  I will get a new car.  I'll go on a few dates, and break a few hearts.  I will develop back problems from my continued sleep on a futon.  I will be pretty consistent at the gym, seeing as how it is becoming 24hours!  So I will therefore be in good shape finally, and flocks of women will swoon over me.  I will find a new home church that I feel like I belong at.  I think I might finally start being adventurous when I feel bored and alone, and go meet new people/cause havoc.  Regardless, of any of this, I want this to be a good year where I grow as a person and help others grow too.

iWreck

So, since my failed attempt at buying an iPod, I am now successful. I am an iPod owner!

I got one of the new 6th generation iPod Classics (120gig). I picked it up from some kid in an old Camaro. He wreaked of cigarettes, and so did the ipod, amazingly enough. But it was a good price, and he dropped another 15 bucks off the price because he forgot the charging cable, which I bought online for $1.25. It's nice of me to help fund his probable drug addiction.

The iPod was loaded with all kinds of crazy music (90 Gig worth!). I used an application called Floola to copy some of his good music off the thing before I wiped it clean and started from scratch. He also thought he deleted his pictures from the iPod, but they were still on there in a directory. Seemed like a nice guy with a nice family. No nudie pics in there or anything like that... umm, yeah.

So anyway, I've got an iPod full of sweet jamz, and my awesome Steve-made videos. I'm not like Mr. iPod; I'm not being a punk kid who has earbuds in his ears constantly. It's just a nice every now and then thing for now.

After buying it, I started thinking that I shouldn't have because my finances are lower than I thought they were. But oh, well...

Then on Thursday IT happened! I was on my way to the city, merging onto rt. 279 from Greentree. There was a van in front of me, and I was looking back to make sure I could merge onto the highway. I thought I saw the van merge on in my peripheral vision, so I accelerated. Bam! I hit him. My first accident.

I kept thinking in my head, "Oh crap, this is not what I need right now." It wasn't a hard hit; I was going maybe 10 mph when I collided into his bumper. So I step out of the car with my insurance information. I meet him there and say hi, as I hold out my insurance. He doesn't say a word. Looks at the bumper, which is slightly pushed up from the hit. Opens the back van door, which clears the bumper. I ask "do you want this?" referring to my information. He responds, as if not necessarily even talking to me, "Why the sh*t should I care? Not my van."

What a horrible attitude to have about your employer's van; but I was never more happy to hear an utterance such as that. What a break! Thanks be to God, who by his divine will, has hardened the heart of this individual for the benefit of His chosen elect! Ha, life is funny.

I also went over my friend Kristin's house. I'm especially mentioning this because Kristin is one of my few regular readers. We exchanged Christmas gifts over a month late. She got me a daily calendar from a comic strip, which I currently forget the name of, but do find enjoyable. I also got two books, one that is supposed to make me a less tense person and the other is about a guy who lived by Old Testament law for a year. It was a pretty sweet mix. I got Kristin travel Scrabble. Kristin, Marissa (Kristin's roommate), and I played Scrabble. I'm not much of a braggard, so I won't tell you how I kicked their butts hardcore.

The evening was full of fun joking, a Snuggie (I wonder if Marissa go the free booklight with it), and American Idol, which I'm mildly into this season. Kristin's roommate Meg was eating hummus, blueberries, and other Steve-approved food, which made me feel very at home. I'm not sure what exactly it is, but I really like Kristin's roommates. So I'll probably start hanging out with them when Kristin isn't around, seeing as how I don't much care for her... just kidding. But yeah, Steve love the ladies. Maybe someday "the ladies" will love Steve back.

The Going On's Of Steve's Life

I think my life is starting to pick up, in that it's becoming a bit more interesting, and in some ways a bit more meaningful. I'll just list some stuff going on in the past week or two.

Last week I picked up my friend Raymond, who has been without a job for a while, and whom I met asking for money on the street several months ago. We were going to put in a few applications online for a couple jobs he was interested in. It ended up we didn't because he didn't have a resume with him, but even so, it was great to see him getting serious about finding a job. He's getting tired of being without. The cold weather is probably making him realize how low things are for him, when he's asking for money in five degree weather. I also visited his room last week and felt kind of bad for his living conditions. But he's getting more determined to make things work.

It was funny though... I took him to Kings to get some food. I think the lady there thought he was retarded or something because he was asking to get a waffle instead of pancakes and wasn't conveying it well, so I spoke for him. And I just got the sneaking suspicion that she believed I was someone "watching" him or something to that extent. It reminded me of the episode of The Office where the new H.R. lady, Holly, thinks Kevin is retarded.

But overall I'm feeling much better about our relationship. I feel less like Raymond is using me and more like we're friends. Even the other day I noticed something different. Usually Raymond ends our calls by saying, "Ok, get on." It's like his trademark sign-off or something. But the other day he ended it with "love ya bro." I didn't even catch it until after I hung up. But it's encouraging to see things progress and close bonds form. And lately he has expressed how appreciative he is of how I help him.

I also had a not so great run-in recently. I've been looking to buy an iPod lately. But since I don't have much money, and I am always looking for a deal anyway, I have been searching Craigslist. There have been a few nice deals that I missed, but I saw a post for someone selling a 32Gig iPod Touch for $235, which is almost half off the $400+ price for the same thing on Apple's website. Since it had just been posted 45 minute prior, I felt I had a good chance of getting it. I texted and e-mailed the guy. We planned to meet at his work, where I could buy it, since I had to leave for a retreat at 5:30.

I got to the Oxford Center, where he works as a chef, and waited for his wife to drop off the iPods (he had two). I opened the box and pulled out the player. It seemed a little small... but it did say iPod on the back. Something was wrong. While waiting, prior to the "iPod's" arrival, I hung out at the Mac Outfitters in the same building; so we headed over there for me to compare. It was fake, but a nice try at a counterfeit. It had a camera, which the touch doesn't have. I didn't have the proprietary iPod input on the bottom. And it was a bit smaller than the real deal.

The whole time this guy was pretending like it was news to him, that this fake iPod, coming out of a real iPod box was not legit. So I left, saying pretty much nothing. When I got home I wrote him an e-mail telling him what he was doing was wrong. I told him that he cheated me out of time and gas because of a lie. He responded with two e-mails full of vulgarity. It was a bummer thing. I wonder if he has tricked anyone with his little scam.

There are two morals of the story. #1. Don't try to trick Steve when it comes to electronics... I'm onto you! #2. Let Steve know if you know anyone selling an iPod for cheap.


I was at a retreat this past weekend. It was the YFC Student Leaders retreat for Pittsburgh. It's a neat time because the kids are pretty much all serious about their walk with God. It's a low-key weekend where we can all just bond without too much work to do.

I was a little bummed that none of my kids came, even though one was supposed to be there; but oh well. I've gotten to know students from other clubs quite well from trips like this one, so I still felt like I had a place. I also was the leader of our small group discussion time. Even though my boss Chris, the Executive Director of our chapter, was in the group, he still let me lead it. I really do enjoy leading discussion groups... especially ones like this where we're all being honest. It's a time where I'm a leader in a way, but I'm also just a member. We aren't hiding ourselves, we're real about the struggles and sins in our lives, and there's something freeing about that. There are also words of wisdom, words of truth, and words of love. But I think most of all it really helps to feel like you're in a family where you're not alone in your sin and hardships.

It's been neat as I dive a little deeper into theology. I find myself filling in the gaps of discussions, where the truth is missing. Those places where emotion fluff over what the Bible says. And when you bring up a Biblical point (even if you're not referencing the Bible with it) it opens things up to an "oh yeah" sensation. And I feel students are starting to know me as a guy who asks hard questions and jumps up on a soapbox from time to time (I did both in our group). Both are good things, I believe, and I hope that things I say resonate with them. I desire to plant seeds or truth and love in the hearts and minds of both the students and the leaders. I hope I can be challenging and an example of love to those around me, and I desire for those around me to repay the favor by challenging and loving me.

With all my words and thoughts, I did feel reminded by the students of Jesus. The supernatural truth that he IS and that he WORKS. I get into the mindset where I believe Jesus gave us the answers the help us in our problems, and I forget that Jesus is the answer. That calling on him and asking of him the right things will result in him granting to us that which the Spirit has spoken to our hearts.

On a similar note, I've been reading some of the writings of the early church fathers. I think Mike is leading me on a path to reading all of them in a row. So far I've read St. Clement of Rome and St. Mathetes. Very interesting and inspiring letters. I hope to keep getting perspective so that I can answer hard questions.

Beyond that, there is a very interesting story from the past weekend, but I believe I will post that on Pragmatically Charged in the near future. So look out for it! Maybe even in a few minutes.