My friend Brain.

Well, after being discriminated against(or Virus and Spam Blocked) most likely an evil plot by the creators of this blog to keep me from infected others with nerdisms, I was invited to post. I figured I would start with a picture to describe my life in Florida.



As you can see the beach is being covered by more beautiful things, implying I do not see the beach often. Although we (incoming students at the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL)) did go to Cocoa beach the first weekend here. Life has taken a dramatic shift from that life to more one where we sit inside and play with calculators and write funny symbols on paper to describe the world around us.

Personally, I am really enjoying myself and things are working out really well. Classes are becoming more taxing, but interesting at the same time. The most important piece of news over the last few weeks is I am now in a research group and adviser, which I will be with over the course of my Ph.D. career. The group is, the Laser Plasma Group and I am looking specifically into research with Fiber Lasers. If you have questions you can ask me now, but I will probably answer you in a year when I have more knowledge and experience.

Other than those things there is a good group of students that I hang out with, about 50/50 domestic, international. International students are from Germany, Italy, Iran, China, South Korea, and India. We usually do one or two things a week (outside of classwork) so it is a completely different than the life at Samford where a person in a situation where there are multiple things to do.

In terms of Orlando, I have not ventured to tourist heaven or hell (whichever you prefer), but in about 10 minutes I will head closer than I have ever been because we are going across town to get Indian food. I pretty much stay between two places; my apartment and CREOL at UCF, occasionally I venture from that building to other parts of campus and remember I am still on a college campus (with 46,000 students). The city to me seems to have no culture. Actually I read a joke once,
Q. What's the difference between Orlando and Yogurt?
A. Yogurt has more active culture.


I'm sure there is more to tell, but I am leaving.

~Sims

my friend brian

so i feel i must share a recent skype adventure. i hardly use the thing, but tonight found a chat conversation from kris (which was decidedly one-sided...the girl can talk). as i was doing this, a little "hi" from brian pops up right underneath. so i am overcome with joy that my pseudo food twin has decided to talk to me. yes, brian sharon has actually initiated contact.

so i'm pretty enthusiastic in my responses, even though it's the standard small talk. i explain that i'm eating honey nut cheerios. he says cool, he likes those too. "really? weird! you mean we like the same foods??!" is my response. it seems, however, that the witty comment is lost on my friend brian who gives the standard internet chat laugh. 'man, studying has made brian a bit dull,' i think.

a lull in the conversation...
me: how is louisville?
him: wha?
me: you do live there now, right?
him: haha, what makes you think that?
[my brain]: uh oh...
him: hmm wrong person, right?

yes, that's right. i have now unwittingly joined the ranks of the lonely and the desperate--the internet daters.

we did end up having a lovely chat, though. i expect a proposal by a tuxedo-clad emoticon any day now.

Contacts List

Bored at work again. So I decided to put our contacts list on Google Docs. This means anyone with a Google account can update their contact info themselves.

If you don't have a Google account, you can still see the most current version at:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pORmrb7zuFz2brEK4jyXPcg

You can edit the spreadsheet at:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pORmrb7zuFz2brEK4jyXPcg&hl=en.

Google Docs is easy to use - it's pretty similar to Microsoft Office, except for the price. Anyway, using this, we can all update the sheet from anywhere in the world.

If you need to be included, just let me know in a comment.

Our friend Cheese...

So today Cheese and I had lunch. We talked about our friends and the incredible things they were doing and how they were going to change the world someday. We decided we're pretty proud of everyone.

After lunch Cheese takes me around and shows me the Bing, where he works, introduces me to fellow interns, etc. It was awesome. I had never really grasped what exactly Cheese was doing and how big a deal it was. I still didn't understand.

On our way back to his house (there was no poop in the tub), Cheese tells me that we're going to stop by and see Miss Kitty. You see, Miss Kitty usually sits out on her porch all day and waves at cars. Everyone knows Miss Kitty. But Cheese hadn't seen her out there in a few days and wanted to check on her.

Miss Kitty is awesome. She's 60 but could pass for 40. (Jen- she talks just like Kayla. Not even kidding.) Anyway, Miss Kitty loves Cheese. As in, there are pictures of him on her refrigerator. It's really cute. Miss Kitty took me around her house and showed me everything that Cheese had done, repeatedly calling him a real hard worker. She even pulled out a cooking pot and showed me where she used to have to place it everytime it rained before Cheese fixed her ceilings. Miss Kitty used to have a room that was so full of crap that no one had walked in it in 3 years. She explains that since Cheese helped her clean it out, she doesn't sit on her porch as much because her neighbors like being in her house. Also, she doesn't have to sleep on the couch anymore because the invasive crap is off her bed.

I sat on Miss Kitty's couch as she showeed me her photo album. Cheese's face was on every page and every time she saw him she squealed with delight and said "Look at Andy! There he is! Working real hard!" I was starting to understand what Cheese does. He lives in the ghetto and serves people. He knows their needs and meets them. He gives people like Miss Kitty a safe haven on a street where people rob convenience stores and then stash their loot in her backyard (she's still real upset about that and thinks the thief should have gotten more time). He looks for opportunities for her great-nephew to serve with SOS and be discipled. Cheese actively loves people.

As I was driving home I was thinking that it's similar to what Matt does with his guys that he leads, what Wardo does with the freshmen he is investing in, what Pat does with Younglife, what Em does with her hospitality, what Eric and Emily are doing teaching, what John is doing in NI, Will in Maryland, Jen in DC, Candis every day of her life, etc, etc, etc...

What I'm saying is I'm proud of (and convicted by) you guys and the intentionality with which you live. It's incredible to see how the Gospel is being spread through you all serving others. Also, we should all understand what Cheese does because it's freakin' incredible. Also, I've been real emotional lately so if this is sappy... well, I'm not really sorry. At all.

Pat, I would say productivity is high.

My Productivity Is Low!

This post will be lame. If you're opposed to lame things, stop reading. And consider dropping my friendship altogether.

It's lame because it's about work. But maybe I'd like for you to understand this extremely mundane part of my life.

Here's the deal. I'm supposed to be 93% productive. This means 93% of my time should be on projects that make money. I can spend 7% on things like reading email, filing, and working on projects that don't make money.

This is fine, except that I have no responsibility, and no way of creating work for myself. I sit here until someone gives me something to do.

Right now, I am 54.7% productive. Awful. If this keeps up, I'm going to get fired, and it won't be my fault.

Also, someone stole my work computer this weekend. Which is funny, because our office has around 50 computers in it, but whoever broke in stole 2 computers and a postal scale. Moron.

So I'm bored. I have no work to do. My productivity is sinking below the 50% mark . And now, you, reader, must decide if you even want to continue a friendship with someone with a 50% productivity.

I know it's lame. But you'll have something like this too. Nurses have to keep people alive. Teachers have to produce good test scores. Sims has to discover cold fusion. Kristen has to become Lord of Catanthiopia. Candis has to convert Malaysia. Matt has to... umm... he has to... uhh.... Parks has to sell coffee. And Brian has to be a barrister at Starbucks.

Meanwhile, I'm bored, but I'm getting paid, and that's better than nothing. And, since everyone wonders what it is that I actually do, since we all know cartography has been defunct since Magellan met up with some hostile Filapinos, here's something I made. Ahem, helped make. My boss drew the lines, and I colored them.
Special prize for anyone who can guess what place this map is showing!!! Everyone has been here. Here's a hint: focaccia, flowers, and a 3 and 1/2 year Quest.

Come Pick Candis Up.

Time: 1:04 am
Location: Hoover
People: Candis, Jamie, and Kristen
Ugly babies: none
Books: Mountain Rain, Surrender or Starve, How Shall We Then Live, and Celebration of Discipline

YOU WILL NEVER BELIEVE OUR EVENING... ! We left the guys house, one of us thinking to herself, "That was the last time I'll see any of them." Candis thinking, "Wow that was a lot of hair on the porch." And Jamie thinking, "I really would like a corndog right about now." So, all of these thoughts were of course kept inside as Candis got in Jamie's car and Kris with Sarah, all intending to reconvene at Emily's in a matter of minutes. I (Jamie) dropped Candis off at her car infront of O'Henry's and she asked me to follow her to the gas station to fill up before heading home. It being rather late and all, I agreed, and we drove to the BP on Columbiana. Kris, still an emotional wreck, couldn't see the road and decided to pull over when she spotted our vehicles in the near distance.

To be honest, I was real annoyed that Kris hadn't stopped her crying. Candis only made it worse when she started doing step sing moves from the '05 show (Rhythm of the Night) to cheer Kristen up. I excused myself and made some lame excuse about needing to buy a box of Little Debbie Zebra Cakes. I left Candis just as she was about to do the popcorn move, and right before Kris' mascara began streaking down her cheeks. As I was walking away a colossal black tour bus pulled into the station. Candis immediately stopped her performance...but Kris was still uncontrollable. I went in, purchased my Debbies, and strolled back across the lot to the puddles surrounding Kristen and now Candis. Just about that time, who should emerge from the colossal tour bus...none other than a dark haired, greasy, singer song writer wearing a nasty pit stained white t-shirt with jeans. To be frank, it was at that moment that I wished I could have performed my 5th hair cut of the evening. Anywho, it was nearly impossible to walk by Kristen without thinking she had broken her femur, thus greaseball stopped and asked, "Is there anything I can help with?" Candis responded by saying, "Well, actually she's moving to Ethiopia for 2 years and she just said goodbye to some of her really close friends...you know what that's like, saying goodbye to close friends and all, so it's hard...ya know?"

As Candis chatted with the friendly dirty man, I pulled my tear streaked friend to the side. I told her to collect herself and to seriously consider whether or not dirtball may be THE Ryan Adams. Our suspicions (?) were confirmed when a band member (?) yelled across the parking lot, "Hey Ryan, you want anything?" Candis, totally oblivious, was now consoling Ryan about the difficulties of life on the road and how hard it was always saying goobye to his mom. Candis had also managed to learn that Ryan was in a band heading to Chicago, and that he wasn't looking forward to the 15 hour drive ahead of them. Candis called us over to meet her new friend. My knees a little weak at this point, Kristen nudges me over to the now famous greaseball. Losing all control, I blurted out, "You're Ryan Adams...I'm your biggest fan!" He politely smiled, thought about dodging the question, and finally confessed. Kris, always thinking of others, asked Ryan to autograph her snot soaked tissue for our friend Will who, "can play your music sober!" Candis, finally aware of the magnitude of the situation we have so providentially stumbled upon, blurts out, "Congratulations on being sober! How long's it been now? 6 months? That's great! What an achievement!" This clearly made our new friend uncomfortable, but Candis' bubbly personality proved irresistable that night. See ya Nate, hello Ryan! The band loaded up, Ryan headed back to the bus (Candis' number in hand), promising to call the next time he was in town for a show.

Candis is now reconsidering going overseas, I am now the one in tears, and Kristen is still thinking, "That was the last time I'll see any of them."

Too Candid?

Hey People-

Sooo, I just got back from a meeting with the missionaries I went to India with the past 2 summers. They wanted to chit chat about how I felt about this past summer and my leadership experience and talk about the future of our relationship. What this DTR conisisted of was them asking me if I would lead another trip this summer. Uhm, not to mention they need a decision in 2 weeks. So, if you're out of the loop, this past summer was incredibly hard and I still can't translate it into words. The leadership aspect was the most mentally challenging/ exhausting expereince of my short 22 years upon earth. So, for them to ask if I would think about returning to something hard and exhausting would be to go against every single desire that I have at the moment.
However...there is still this pull I have that makes 12% of me open to the idea of returning. Towards India, towards the 10/40 window, towards being a part of showing the Church in America what goes on beyond the Church in America, towards things totally outside of my comfort zone. I know that God can multiply that 12% and that makes me worried. I would greatly appreciate your prayers over the next 2 weeks...because if I were to be honest, my confession would be that I have really come to enjoy my comfort. If I were to identify the root of it all, I would have to confess that I am terrified to be used by a God that is so big...because although He's good, after this summer, I'm not so sure what that means. Thanks for your prayers.

body massage machine.... go!

In the spirit of stylistic conformity (and because I love Will Weir, esp. when he drives a total of nearly four hours to see me for five):

-Tuesday, 5:08 Pm
-The House of Y (as in our glorious chromosome) with Keith
-Books: Just finished- The Mark of a Christian by Francis Schaeffer, Looking forward to beginning- Oh the Glory of It All by Sean Wilsey
-Songs I Can't Get Out of my head: "Put a Penny in the Slot" Fionn Regan; "Marry Me" St. Vincent; "Issues" Flight of the Conchords; "The Temptation of Adam" Josh Ritter
Thing I must get out the way and go ahead and say: I got to hang out with Will & Jen this weekend and you didn't. Nahna nahna poo poo.
-Babies? Waylan Slabach had this great story one time of trying to go buy some pot, driving with the dealer to his "spot," and entering a crackhouse with dozens of babies in it- in drawers, on dressers, on countertops... (for more Waylan news, please refer to Hamilton or Cheese)

Besides realizing this weekend how much of an arrogant, judgmental a-hole I can be- particularly with churches that seem to have plenty of LaHaye, Dobson, Falwell, and Warren books lying around, understanding how God has really called us to love the ENTIRITY of His body as our brothers and sisters in merciful love, and, by God's grace, being allowed to fellowship with one of the most loving, "family" churches I have ever had the privilege of visiting (check out South Run Baptist in Springfield, VA if you're ever up that way- you'll feel like your visiting relatives), I again saw how cool God is and how perfect His plans are...

I'm busy and have this fear of being overwhelmingly so, getting burned out, and losing effectiveness, but thus far God has been quite gracious. I still meet with 11th graders on Monday mornings, have been leading worship on Monday nights at Campus Outreach, meeting with two college juniors Tuesday nights, meeting with two 11th graders Wednesday nights, started leading Thursday night worship (for a month) at Mountaintop Community, meet Friday mornings with 9th graders, meet Sunday afternoons for a youth praise band, and lead Sunday nights at Canterbury UMC (this section was for my roommates who always know I am somewhere, but never know where....), but it has been SO good. One eleventh grader, Alex, that I've known for three years finally became a Christian last weekend, and I wept when I prayed with him... I don't know if there is a more beautiful sight or more encouraging experience in the world than that.

Congrats Brian and much love e'rbody. i'll try and be less serious next time....
oh, and erin's really flippin' cool. just in case you didn't already know. i mean, dang cool. that's all...

woot for prayers

there have been requests for a report about how the DAT went on saturday.

i really felt like i bombed it. it seemed a lot more difficult than the practice test i took, and i had to guess a LOT. plus... there were two sections i didn't even have time to finish, so i just randomly clicked the last 10 or so answer really fast.

anyhow... your prayers not only worked, but God definitely went above and beyond merely answering the request for a 19. I got my score back-- a 22. I'm super excited about that, and so is Dr. MacDougall (the UAB dual-program lady). That puts me in the top 5% of people who've taken the DAT, so even if UAB doesn't work out (by the way-- it's looking more and more likely that it will work out... they want me to come down sometime in the next month or so to do interviews, meet-and-greets, go to dinner w/ faculty/students, etc.).. but yeah, even if it doesn't work out, that DAT score is high enough that i will eventually get in somewhere. but i'm hoping for UAB.

thanks a ton for your prayers, yall.

wow

i just finished my 8th hour of studying for the DAT today. my note-taking hand is cramped, and i'm feeling pretty wiped out and a lot less confident than i was hoping to feel at this point. i'm taking it saturday at 1:00pm EST, and yall's prayers would mean a lot to me. thanks everyone.

-brian