March Madness

Hey everybody

Ok, so I’m not really into the march madness basketball tournament, but the title seemed fitting.

I guess it’s been quite a while since I last posted, so I am posting now. What have I been up to?

I went to Lethbridge twice over the Christmas break. the first time I visited Nat and the kids and mom, then drove Mom back to Calgary so she could fly home. Then Dad and I went down for Christmas, spending a few days at Nat and Ryan with family, it was great.

Attending my last semester at University of Calgary for my bachelor of Commerce! (including a block week course). Also I was playing hockey in my floor hockey league (AFHL), but that season is now over (well playoffs are still going, my team missed). Still working with the youth group at my church (BEMC). Went snowboarding at C.O.P. and went to Utah with my dad to visit my mom and step dad, and do some skiing. We also stopped in Lethbridge to visit my sister and the kids.

I Also watched the Olympics, and they were awesome. I got more into them than I ever have before, and loved that they were always on, for the two weeks. It was weird to have them done. Anyways I am proud of our athletes and the fact that Canada got the most Gold medals of any country in the winter Olympics, ever, with 14!

What else? I have been reading a bit. I read two great books in the past few months, Sex God and Jesus wants to save Christians. Yes, one is called Sex God, and it is a Christian book! It’s actually an interesting take on love, and that sex is really about God, comparing things in life where one thing is really about something else. I suggest you read it. also just finished the second book, and it was good as well, read it.

I have been listening to music as usual, but in January Jake and I went to Scott’s parable in Red Deer, mostly just to get new music. I bought a bunch of cds: Hello Hurricane by Switchfoot, Awake by Skillet, Welcome to the Masquerade by TFK, Confessions by Pillar, Forget and Not Slow Down by Relient K, and The Good Album by All-Star United. So much good music. I also bought some new music from Itunes, some Kim Walker, MGMT and Owl City. Jake bought a bunch of CDs too, and one of them is a Junkyard Poets album, which I borrowed, and is also quite good. My favourite CDs recently are Hello Hurricane and Forget and not slow down.

My 14 most listened to songs in the past 3 months are(according to last.fm):

Switchfoot – Needle and Haystack life

Switchfoot – The Sound

Switchfoot – Hello Hurricane

Switchfoot – Bullet Soul

Switchfoot – Mess of Me

Relient K – Therapy

Relient K – This is the end

Switchfoot – Red Eyes

Switchfoot – Free

Relient K – Candlelight

Thousand Foot Krutch – Scream

Switchfoot – Your Love is a Song

Relient K – I don’t need a soul

Relient K – if you believe me

And over the last 3 months my top 5 albums are new ones:

Switchfoot – Hello Hurricane

Relient K – Forget and Not slow down

Thousand Foot Krutch – welcome to the masquerade

All-Star united – the good album

Skillet – Awake

For more visit : http://www.last.fm/user/calgarydude/charts?subtype=albums or look at the bar to the right!

Also I have been involved in a small bible study group on Tuesday nights with Justin, Greg and Jon, which has been great. We started the Truth project this past Tuesday, and it led to some great discussion.

I have been applying for jobs the past few days, so that I have a job come graduation in May. My Grad ceremony is June 10^th, which is also my niece Abigail’s birthday. I am hoping to go to Seattle on the May long weekend for a wedding of two of my friends from Capernwray – Colton and Stacia.

I am also hoping to go to Israel with a group from the church in October. It would be awesome to go, see the country, the history and walk where Jesus walked. I have a meeting for it on Sunday.

Also bought YC tickets for the youth group in February, that was tough, they sell so fast, something like 17,000 tickets sold in the first 6 hours!? at $140 a ticket, that is alot of money. with that kind of demand, you would think they could do something like that in Calgary.

I have been busy working on school stuff, have a midterm on Monday and two other assignments due, so it is sort of march madness. Also the Flames have been kicking butt lately, winning 4 in a row, also considering getting Stampeders season tickets with my dad.

Not sure what else to say, or if anyone will actually read this, but i hope you enjoyed!

Thanks for reading,

Adam

um. December 09

Hi people,

well here is another post, likely my last of the decade on here. actually technically the decade ends at the end of 2010, as the decade would start on 1. but the society ends it on the 9 of the decade, making this the last month of the...00's? I guess I don't think of 1990 as being in the 80's, so it works.

I am now done classes for the semester, but still have 4 finals left, and a fairly sucky final exam sched. one final this saturday, then next weekend I have a final friday night, saturday and monday. I am downloading a trial version of a program called crystal ball so i can study for my first final this saturday. My car is in the shop today to get the heating fixed, so I am going to stay home until I can go get it.

Since it is the end of the decade (kinda) i thought I would think back on the standout memories from the past 10 years.

2000 -
May - my first girlfriend. not a significant relationship, but my first girlfriend. it only lasted a month. (that's about as much as I'll discuss relationships on this public post...)
July - I went to a bible camp called River's Edge for the first time. my sister convinced my dad it would be a good thing to go to. I didn't want to go if i had to ride horses, but my dad (not christian at the time) convinced me to go. I had a great time, made some friends and accepted Christ for the first time.

2001 - May - River Roots on victoria day long weekend at camp. the unofficial start of my experience in youth group. half the camp was from my church, of which i knew no one. made new friends, like Kevin and Aaron. started going to youth afterwards
July - back to camp, this time for 2 weeks straight! I rededicated myself to christ, and got sick. a whirlwind 2 weeks.
9/11 stands out. I think most people my age and older remember this. turning on the tv in the morning, a friend came over to walk to school with me, on tv was a building in New York with smoke coming out of it. wow. went to school, found out the other tower got hit, other planes crashed and basically a day watching tv and listening to the radio at school. the next 3 days the only thing on tv was replays of what happened and discussion. I didn't fully realize the magnitude of it at the time, being in grade 9.

2002. February - Olympics - Salt Lake. Canadian hockey womens team wins gold despite biased ref. next day, the country parties as the mens hockey team wins the first hockey Gold for Canadian men in the olympics since 1952. huge.
September - nervous anticipation as I started high school at Beaverbrook.
December - my first actual job - at Sport chek! getting my first paycheck, and working overnight for the first time too.

2003 - august - outward bound camp. I had to miss out on rivers edge but went to a different camp in BC, with 8 other kids from accross the country, hiking into the mountains of BC for 17 days. wild. a challenging but good time.
sep - job at swiss chalet. stayed for 2 months, it was good money but not great, didn't like some of the people i worked with, and couldn't go to youth sunday nights as i had to work.
dec- started at Papa Johns. I had applied there with a friend (travis) a few weeks earlier. they called me a month later for an interview.

2004 - April-June - Flames Stanley Cup playoff run - the city, the excitement, upsets, watching game 6 of the SC final in the mountains, all the red, red mile - crazy times
May - my sister gets married to Ryan. awesome
summer - no camp. Rivers edge camps were cancelled. i worked all summer for the first time, and went to my grandparents 50th anniversary in saskatchewan

2005 - May/June - Graduated high school! woohoo.
June - bought my own car, first car! 1994 Toyota Corolla (still driving it!)
July/august - worked at camp for the summer (rivers edge) made great new friends and fun times
Sep - started college at Mount Royal. it was a tough first semester
November - went to my first Grey Cup game, with my dad. drove to vancouver for the game

2006 - April - quit papa johns despite becoming basically asst. manager, as semester finished because of poor pay. went to do Cribbing (construction)
June - my niece was born - I became an uncle!
july - went to work at camp for the summer, got refocused on God and made more friendships
Sep - got involved with youth as a youth sponsor! helping to lead the gr7-9 boys. had no clue what i was doing, but it worked out well
Oct- got job at marks work wearhouse after someone saw my ad on a job site

2007 - june - quit my job as i got a job at Nexen downtown, thanks to some interviews and connection from my mom and step-dad. my first office job! (and it payed like it too!) had some good hockey talks with a new friend
July - narrowed down what to do with my semester off. from my choices of: working, travelling on my own, capernwray, dts, bible school - i picked Capernwray, then chose to go to the one in Australia! applied for it
Aug - found out I was accepted to the school in aus, now had to figure out how i would pay for it. the excitement began
oct - made new friends in young adults and joined the wednesday wing night tradition
nov- was blessed with some suprise money before i was supposed to get it, to help pay for Capernwray! then went to the Grey Cup in Toronto with my dad. woohoo. also saw Niagra falls, CFL and NHL halls of fame, CN tower, Ivor Wynne stadium and some relatives from the area.

2008 - January - several going away parties and many goodbyes. excitement, joy, disbelief, amazement and more excitement, nervousness and more excitement as I was "leaving on a jet plane" to Australia. packing my bags, realizing how much i would be missed by friends and family, incredible. read my first posts of this blog to read more about that...
January - August - a reel of memories. highlights were travel weekend with friends, hong kong mission trip to newboy house, prac week in sydney, coolangatta, fraser island with friends, Whitsundays sailing trip....i could go on and on haha.
Sep - got another job with nexen, started at University of Calgary. reconnected with friends/youth/family, met my nephew
Nov - Stampeders win the Grey Cup, got my own office at work
Dec - finished with D+ in 2 courses, would have to repeat

2009
january - brother-in-law Ryan gets laid off as youth pastor. sucky, big changes at bonavista
March - snowboarding for the 3rd time of the season - had a blast and gained confidence
April - saw friend Sean from Capernwray
May - got summer student job at TransCanada. another connection gets me a job, and my best one yet (and best paying too!)
June - Ryan got a job as youth pastor in Lethbridge - exciting for him and his family. also means dad moves upstairs and I get basement suite on my own. camping with friends at end of month
August - two trips to banff, visit with friends from Capernwray (Lisa and Michi) and camping in Drumheller
Sep - year 2 at U of C also final year of University!
Nov - went to my 3rd Grey Cup game, in Calgary this time. my Dad and I debated selling tickets and went in the end, glad we did even if the Stampeders weren't in it. (Riders blew it in an epic finish)












wow, so lots of memories, obviously the more recent ones are easier to recall. it has been an amazing decade, one of terrorism, Gold, graduations, changes for relatives, Grey Cup games, faith, youth, friends, family, traditions, adventures and growth. A decade that still no one knows what to call, or how to describe (ok technology/computers/cellphones/mp3 music and facebook).

ok so here are some one liners to finish...


Always remember that you are unique; just like everyone else.
consciousness: that annoying time between naps
there are three kinds of people: those who can count, and those those who can't
why is "abbreviation" such a long word?
nuke the whales
i started out with nothing and i still have most of it
change is inevitable, except from a vending machine
out of my mind. back in five minutes
a clear conscience is usually a sign of bad memory
as long as there are tests, there will be prayer in public schools
laugh alone and the world thinks you're an idiot
sometimes i wake up grumpy; other times i let her sleep
the severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the ability to reach it
you can't have everything. where would you put it?
i took an IQ test and the results were negative
okay, who stopped the payment on my reality check?

hehe some good ones there.
soo i think thats it, enjoy the christmas season, it feels like christmas outside. take some time to reflect on Jesus and have a dangerous Christmas!

thanks for reading,

Adam

Noooooooovember - updates, music and one liners

hey everybody

well its been awhile since i posted on here, since september started, i have finished most of my fall 2009 school semester (midterms are done!!) and started into my floor hockey season (www.alliancefloorhockey.com)
School has gone well, with some good courses, 2 Opma courses (inventory management and spreadsheets for business use), a Canadian studies class on humour, a sociology of sport class and two half classes of mgst (working with people and corp governance and compensation <- yuck). had 5 midterms last week, one for each class, it was a tough week but just like any other midterm/final week, its nice to be done. although its not as if I can just relax now, as there is still a month left with assignments, a paper and finals coming up. Although it is reading week right now (3 days off!), so I do have some time to do other things, which I am doing.
oh and hockey is going well, kinda. Our team hasn't had a great start, at 5-13 now, but we are still in a playoff spot I think, and its been fun playing. I have gotten a bit better so far, but it is hard when half the team doesn't show up for most games. Our team actually has 2 goalies, but neither showed up last night, so I got to play goalie, it was, interesting. Actually it was fun and challenging, and with the help of my teammates, I was better at it by the end of the second game, too bad that was against the better team. we lost the first game of the back to back 13-11 and the second by something like 17-8. So I had fun, even though I let so many goals in. It didn't help our team only had 1 sub, yet again. but its about having fun right? when our team shows up, we usually win, but our record shows how often that happens...

My sister and her husband get to move into their house this week, so they are up here getting things finished up for that, my dad will lose most of the furniture upstairs as they left it here til they get the new house. I need to buy a new tv or home theatre system, which will be upstairs, so my dad will use it. As I am a student, my dad will buy it and I will buy it from him next year when I move out/have money/the situation changes. So I get to shop for a TV etc, but its tough to get in the mindset of spending heaps of money, when I am trying to limit what I spend to a minimum. I need to have the perspective of what I will be willing to spend in a year, once I have a solid job and will be actually using the stuff, which is tough to do (and probably dangerous!). I am spending my money from 12 months from now, which is weird, actually it's kind of like having a credit card that doesn't earn interest until next fall. hmmm

Lately I have been listening to lots of music...wait, thats always the case haha. Ok but lately I have been listening to "the 401" and "thousand foot Krutch". I went to a concert at my church a few weeks ago and it was "the 401" which is a band I had never heard of. Good music, I bought their CD, which is called songs of Solomon, basically the love book of the bible. After listening to the cd several times and the lyrics, I understand why they named it that, but It is good anyways! Also a few months ago I downloaded (on Itunes) "Set it off" which is the first CD from Thousand Foot Krutch. I already had their last 3 but bought this one, and have enjoyed it. *Actually they have a new album out that I want to get, called "the Masquarade" not sure how to spell that haha. other music I want to get includes some Jesus Culture music, they are a good band that a friend of mine told me about. I've listened to some of their songs on youtube. Justin also shared the band "Sparta" with me, which I liked their cd.
I also would like to get the new NewWorldSon cd, the new Franz Ferdinand cd and the new Switchfoot cd (they finally came out with a new one), Hello Hurricane, which is apparently better then their last 2 cds.

ok, to finish, some one liners
Ninety-nine percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name
borrow money from a pessimist - they don't expect it back
time is what keeps things from happening all at once
lottery: a tax on people who are bad at math
I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian
never answer an anonymous letter
it's lonely at the top; but you do eat better
I don't suffer from insanity; i enjoy every minute of it
always go to other people's funerals, or they won't go to yours
few women admit their age; few men act it
if we aren't supposed to eat animals, why are they made of meat?
no one is listening until you make a mistake
give me ambiguity or give me something else
we have enough youth. how about a fountain of smart?
he who laughs last thinks slowest
campers: Natures way of feeding mosquitoes

that's all for now,
thanks for reading as always,

Adam