www.Banion.net

Long Week

2005-08-02T22:42:00.000-04:00

This is so far the longes week of the summer, and its only been 2 days so far. Much of the summer has passed, and now we are at MidAtlantic District Teen Camp. Its a pretty good time, but very exhausting. No time to write anything else though...I'm leeching wireless in the same room that all the teens are about to come into for their nightly activity.

Summer Min Week 1

2005-06-23T22:13:00.000-04:00

This week has been crazy. It hasn't been to busy in terms of what we're doing, but the travel is crazy. We had a great Sunday morning service in Fitchburg MA, and then on Monday we headed down to New Jersey. After spending the day in Philly on Tuesday (including a brief visit to the Liberty Bell and Betsy Ross House) we headed up a youth group service that night with games and such. Wednesday we left bright and early for New Hampshire and a youth service up there. Intersestingly enough, the pastor, youth pastor, and our team thought we were doing a service for the youth, while the congregation thought we were doing a two hour concert. Anyway, we faced that like a warrior...we made it through, doing an hour long event for the whole church and then an hour with the youth. We then spent the night at Windsor Hills and all day today cleaning cabins...that was the most unique experience of the week. And now I'm back here at ENC. Oh, so much travel in so little time. Speaking of travel, time for a Wendy's Run!

Summer "Vacation"

2005-05-31T22:43:00.000-04:00

I'm at home until Sunday...its a pretty boring time, but I've gotten to hang out a bit with some old friends. So far the highlight of these past days at home is wing night at Quaker Steak and Lube. It was a good time. And good wings. I'm full. Only a few more days, and I'm off to do Summer Ministry for ENC>

It is Finished

2005-05-22T09:43:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Joe Donahue, who yesterday became Mr. Joe Donahue upon marrying Julie Quinlan, now Julie Donahue. It was a great wedding for a pair of great people who will live a great life together. They're moving, so I'm not sure when I'll see them again, and I miss them already.

Everything I probably forget to tell my parents on the phone

2005-05-10T23:08:00.000-04:00

The title should be self explanatory, and since they're probably 98% of the people who visit my blog, its fairly important. Lets start at the beginning (that's a very good place to start).

A couple weeks ago was SGA chapel, and during that chapel SGA passes out several awards. One of them is a servant award for helping SGA a lot behind the scenes. I received one of these silent servant awards. Joe Donahue affectionately named it the "Silent Giant" award.

This past Friday was the Junior/Senior Banquet, to which I was invited by none other than Shavonne Brumfield, my summer ministry teammate. Don't get any ideas, I was hanging out with Mike, Owen, and Joe the whole time. But the food was good, the company was great, and then we went out for some late night food at Bickford's.

And now, finals week, one of the most frustrating times of life, is almost over. I spent the first half working on two very large papers, culminating a semester's work of knowledge into these papers. It took from Saturday until Tuesday, semi-nonstop. Well, maybe I had a lot of breaks. But I hate writing papers and I'm so happy they're done. One final tomorrow, one on Friday, and then I get to watch my friends graduate on Saturday. Congratulations guys!

Restored 001

2005-05-01T15:56:00.000-04:00

Today was our first public appearance. We led worship at Hingham COTN. All in all, it was a good time. We got there with plenty of time to practice for worship and a special, and it all went off flawlessly. Except the special made the service run a little wrong, but that was good. Our boss was there, and he seemed to like our job. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come throughout the summer.

Almost Done!

2005-04-30T18:15:00.000-04:00

School is almost over! Only two more (large) papers, and three finals. This, interspersed with work, and a brief hiatus to Maine for Joe Donahue's wedding, and I'll be on my way back to Pennsylvania before starting up Summer Ministry training in June. It's going to be a challenging few weeks leading up to a challenging summer, but it will be so much fun, and so amazing. I can hardly wait!

The end approacheth!

2005-03-10T19:53:00.000-05:00

It is almost the end of spring break! So, pretty soon I'll see my friends who went to the Virgin Islands for a week, and pretty soon I'll be back in the normal day to day routine. Not that I mind, its been a boring few days at home. Spent a lot of time doing nothing, a lot of time playing with Legos, and a 12 hour Lord of the Rings marathon. Yeah, its been a slow week.

Spring Break!

2005-03-05T18:56:00.000-05:00

Finally, a break from the business of life! Sadly it has been replaced by the monotony of dull doing nothingness, but its ok. I'm back in Norwin for the week, pretty bored. But it'll give me a chance to play some video games and work on my OS. If anybody happens to be traveling through Pittsburgh this week, let me know so I can have something to do.

Its a beautiful day in the neighborhood

2005-03-01T09:58:00.000-05:00

Its snowing outside. It looks wicked pretty. But there should be a snow day....everywhere but ENC cancelled. Oh well, I'm down at work right now. Mwhahaha. Anyway, I've finally gotten started on putting pictures up on my website. Right now is my Africa pictures, I'll see if I can put up the Syracuse pictures a bit later.

Linux World Expo '05!!

2005-02-15T20:28:00.000-05:00

Today was a very good day. Joe Donahue, Wes Rankin, and I went into Boston to the Hynes Convention Center for the Linux World Conference and Expo. We met a bunch of people that are as crazy about technology as we are, and got lots of free stuff. And I bought a really cool shirt. With all the stuff that's been going on lately, and all the stress I've been going through, this was a great day and helped me relax a whole lot. Then, when we got back, I had a successful evening of doing my programming homework. I actually learned some things, too. And pretty soon, I'll be off for another Summer Ministry meeting. I can't wait for this summer, it is going to be so amazing.

Things are coming along well for SALT going to Bethel and to Syracuse. I never would've thought that even with all this chaos, things would be coming together. Details are still fuzzy, but the team members are just being amazing, and really surprising me with their dedication. With all the other stuff that's gone on, I'd felt alone and forgotten that my team is below me trying to support me in what I do. Thinking about them really encourages me, and I hope that as their leader I can likewise encourage them, so that their work is not in vain. Thanks to the members of SALT for daily reminding me of what it means to be the body of Christ, and showing me that I am not alone even though I may sometimes feel like it. Thanks be to the Lord for blessing me with my responsibility, even though it is so much work.

Huh, never thought I'd be thankful for hard work...guess that just goes to show that God can even move a stubborn guy like me.

Good Great am I Busy

2005-02-13T21:12:00.000-05:00

Well, lets just say that I am wicked busy. I learned the value of having leadership training at the beginning of the school year. Why, you may ask? Because having it several weeks into the second semester means that people like me who have no understanding of the hierarchichal structure governed by various beaurocratic offices and the wonders of "insurance" are suddenly thrust into a world where every iota of detail must be expressed in the proper format.

Talking to Joe Donahue eases the mind, as he's been there before. So its probably not as bad as I think it is right now. But its still wicked ridiculous. So yeah....prayer for Syracuse is defintiely in order. Its definitely going to happen, but I still have the issue of transportation to work out, due to the glorious fact that multiple school vans are out of commission. Nevertheless, God is good, all the time, and all the time, God is good.

Let the games begin!

2005-02-10T19:00:00.000-05:00

Its been a fun past few days. A little bit of reading for class here, a little bit of work at ITS there, and a whole lot of fun in between. Its snowing again, a lot better than the rain we had all day. I like the snow. I like it very much. This week is TWIRP week and next week is MOP week, which stand for "The Woman is Required to Pay" and "Men on the Prowl." Yeah, a school wide Valentine's activity experience. w00t. So this week has the potential to be interesting, bad, or about the same. People are strange sometimes is all I have to say. I suppose I could include myself in that category too. The ram in my computer finally died, which is OK, because I've known for about a year that it was getting bad. Hey, when you buy no-name brand from no-name vendor, you get what you pay for. But it gave me a very good 2 years of use.

Aside from that, next week will be good. I'll finally have to start doing homework on a daily basis. Well, that's my goal anyway. But more importantly, on Tuesday, Joe Donahue and I will be going into Boston all day to the Linux World Expo. Yeah, open source software! For those of you who don't understand, we're basically going to a whole bunch of booths and trying to get free stuff. It'll be a good-great happy day, a day worth of following good-great happy valentines maul day. Oh yeah, that'll be a fun time too.

Huzzah for parents sending me food.

Huzzah for my laptop.

Huzzah for the beginning of Maulware Linux.

And huzzah for my pictures of Africa that I hope to have up in a very short time. As in, by the end of the month. We'll see how that turns out.

The road goes ever ever on....

2005-01-26T09:17:00.000-05:00

Once again, another semester starts. The snow is falling, and I am content. Needless to say, a semester for which I must maintain all A's is intense. But, I think I can have it under control. On a lighter note, the upcoming weekend is looking to be full of relaxation and computer restructuring, as I intend to work on my servers and laptop. Striving for the level of efficiency desired will be much work, but in the end, I hope to have the most stable machines and most comprehensive servers in Quincy. A tall order, but at 6 foot 6, I think I've got an advantage in these matters.

A Last Note from Mozambique

2005-01-17T00:46:00.000-05:00

Dear ones,

Our time in Africa is rushing past at a dizzying pace; tomorrow
morning, early, we pack up and drive to Swaziland to visit some of the
most historic sites in Nazarene denominational history, including the
location of the very first mission station in Africa, founded in the same
year that the Church of the Nazarene itself was founded. We will also
visit the current mission station and a Nazarene hospital. Then, on
Tuesday afternoon, we head to S. Africa and Kruger park -- a huge
game park where we will enjoy photo safaris, hunting for lions,
elephants, hippos and other wild life. We promise to keep our distance
and rely on zoom lenses!

these past few days have been as instructive, interesting and tiring as
all the rest. On Thursday morning, the Field Director for Portuguese
Africa, Dr. Paul Sueia, addressed our group, helping us to understand
church organization and the ways in which the US church can partner
with the church in Africa to help spread the Good News. Africans, we
were reminded, no longer need US evangelists -- the church is strong
in Africa and has many willing men and women who will gladly give
their lives and energies over to preaching and missionizing. The US
can support African efforts by sending teachers -- of theology, church
history, English and other topics. We are encouraged to trust in the
marvelous possibilities for the future of the church, if only we have the
courage to trust the Holy Spirit and each other. We also tackled topics
that currently present the most challenges to the church in Africa.

The afternoon was spent luxuriating over tea at the Polana Hotel, on a
cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean. A grand hotel in the truest sense of
the word, and "home away from home" to visitors like Jimmy Carter
and Queen Elizabeth II, the Polana evokes the heyday of Portuguese
colonial rule, with sumptuous surroundings, beautiful gardens and
delicious food.

Friday, Phil LaFountain and I both lectured, then the group lunched
and went shopping for souvenirs (a first crack at shopping was made
outside the Polana, where bargaining with street vendors was
undertaken with varying degrees of success and lots of help from the
Restricks!) This trip was to the handicapped handicraft store (say
THAT 3 times fast!). The marked prices and lack of haggling was a
relief to many of us -- American shopping did not prepare us for
haggling in the marketplace. The crafts, truly beautiful, were all
created by handicapped artists, who use this shop to help support
themselves. Look for some of our purchases when we get home --
you'll agree that the selection was superb!

Saturday was a bit more leisurely, with a trip downtown to buy
capulanas, the most versatile garments every devised and the
everyday wear of most Mozambican women. Large rectangular pieces
of cloth, they come in every possible color and pattern (the store was
dazzling and overwhelming in its selection) and are used primarily as
skirts, but also as slings for carrying babies, as cushions for carrying
carefully balanced loads on one's head, as pillows, as blankets, as
seat cushions, as ponchos, etc. We spent about 45 minutes in the
shop and, when we returned to the van -- parked on a busy street with
lots of pedestrians and merchants -- our still-locked vehicle was
missing its radio! Apparently, a not uncommon occurrence.

Last evening, we attending a showing of the Jesus Film in "the bush."
We drove about 2 hours north, then turned onto a wide dirt road that
led into the sugar cane fields. After a while, we turned on to a
narrower dirt road, then on to a dirt track, then onto what might, with a
little imagination, resemble a dirt track in the making. Then we
stopped under a huge tree and set up a screen and sound system with
the help of a local pastor who regularly comes from the nearest town to
preach to the field hands who lived out among the cane fields. We
were concerned, since there had been no advanced notice, but the
pastor assured us that such was not needed -- all visitors were noticed
and word would spread quickly among the neighbors in the fields.
Sure enough, as darkness fell, people began arriving and we ended up
with about 200 in attendance. After praying fervently for help in fixing
technical problems and preventing rain, we all listened to Jesus
speaking to us in Shangaan. Most of the audience responded to the
pastor's invitation to accept Jesus as savior. What an amazing
experience it was -- a time of friendship across cultures, races and
languages, with all of us enjoying the warm African evening.

This morning's church service was at another bush church, this closer
to Maputo. The congregation greeted us as we have come to expect,
with warmth and grace. The building was made of reeds and had a tin
roof, the seating was backless benches, but the church was rich in
faith and friendship. We sang our Shangaan song, and received hand
made gifts at the close of the service, to thank us for visiting!

We are packing up and heading to bed early tonight -- we'll be back in
Boston at 1:30pm on Friday, assuming that flights and weather
cooperate. We love and miss you!
Mary Lou and all

More from Mozambique

2005-01-13T00:33:00.000-05:00

Dear family and friends,

Greetings in Jesus' name from sunny Mozambique! The temperatures
continue to soar into the 90s most every day, though we did have a
lovely respite on Sunday and Monday, when it was overcast, breezy
and in the 80s. A soaking rain one night blessed us with luxuriously
cool and refreshing sleep.

Since our last communication, the days have continued to fly. We are
just over half done with our time in Africa, and our days in Mozambique
are few indeed. Every day brings new challenges and insights, for
which we are grateful -- sometimes right away, and sometimes in
retrospect!

We visited our last District Assembly on Saturday, in a well-to-do
church in a lovely suburb of Maputo. The Portuguese influence was
pronounced in the architecture and the language spoken -- no
Shangaan! In spite of the affluence, still no air conditioning. The
church was packed tight, with everyone in Sunday best (men in suits
and ties!), enduring the heat and high humidity. The regional director,
Dr. Fred Huff, ducked out of the Assembly after only a short while
(maybe an hour or two) and was gone for a very long time. When he
returned, he had with him several helpers, all carrying cases of Coca
Cola! There followed a brief pause while everyone in the church was
served a badly needed and delightfully restorative bottle of Coke. It
proved to be the decisive factor in keeping many of us alert and
attentive for the following hours of the meeting. Dr. Huff has set a
welcomed precedent -- we'll have to suggest it as the new standard in
US churches, too!

Sunday was a short church service -- only 4 hours! -- during which
candidates from all over Mozambique were ordained as elders in the
church. The service was in 3 languages: English, Portuguese and
Shangaan, and was followed for us by a trip to a restaurant downtown
and an evening party at the seminary, in which newly ordained pastors
and their families, we ENCers, and seminary students and their
families sang songs, played games and visited. A group of youngsters
sang us several songs, the first of which was especially directed to one
of our students who shares a name with the song's subject: Jonah.
Three of the young, male seminaries introduced themselves to the
group with a pointed reference to their bachelor status...and their
shared desire to become husbands. Our young ladies apparently
seemed ideal candidates!

Monday morning was spent with Margaret Scott, director of theological
education by extension (pastors teaching at satellite sites across
Mozambique and in the other Portuguese-speaking countries of
Africa), and with the Mozambican coordinators and teachers in the
program -- all of whom also serve as pastors, are taking advanced
courses themselves, must support themselves (since churches rarely
can afford to pay their pastors) and deal with difficult daily challenges,
including travel over primitive roads using bikes, feet and the
occasional public transportation; AIDS; and poverty. Their courage,
devotion, sacrifice and indomitable hope are both humbling and
inspiring.

Tuesday we heard from Dr. Filimao Chambo, the principal of the
seminary, and a truly extraordinary man. He, along with his wife,
Samantha, spoke to us about the issues of economics and integrity in
ministry, and especially when dealing with the corruption so common in
governmental circles here and around the world. The challenges to
faithful living are many, and can be deceptively innocent looking, yet
can end in derailing many a minister's/missionaries personal and
professional lives. We left better informed and encouraged to keep
integrity as a carfeully guarded cornerstone in our own lives.

Both afternoons were spent preparing apartments for married
seminary students, who will be arriving shortly to begin the school year.
Rooms needed painting, sweeping and scrubbing; it has been a
pleasure to think about those who will be coming, and to pray for their
settling in and for the work that they are undertaking. The level of
dedication and determination is high, as schooling can involve leaving
family back home, facing financial crisis and even dealing with culture
shock as they come in from outlying areas.

Last night we visited with the youth group at the Matola Church (site of
the Assembly mentioned above.) We took turns teaching each other
choruses, and heard a short and lively sermon delivered jointly by Prof
LaFountain (in English) and by his translator, Dr. Restrick (in
Portuguese.) Testimonies of God's grace followed, and we concluded
the evening with a Bible Quiz (Matola youth vs. ENC students.) Much
cheering and clapping encouraged the competitors, and the final score
was very close: Matola 25 and ENC 24.

This morning we heard about the history of the church in Mozambique
from Dr. Restrick, we debriefed concerning all that we thought we had
seen and learned at our various assemblies and services, and now we
are on our way for a dip in the pool we visited early on.

More soon. Know that we are safe and mostly happy (sometimes tired
and cranky, but a night's sleep revives us!) and that we can hardly wait
to share all of our adventures in person!

Mary Lou and the ENC contingent

ENC Team in Mozambique

2005-01-07T16:04:00.000-05:00

Dear far-away family and friends,

Finally, a moment to collect thoughts and pass along a brief description
of our latest adventures. The days fly by, and we tumble into bed tired
and happy, only to awaken with the birds and start again.

On Wednesday morning we walked around the campus of the
seminary, our home away from home. The buildings are all new and
modern, with a nicely organized library, a large and airy chapel, and
lush gardens behind the married student apartments. The new beds
arrived this morning for the married students (replacing their grass
mats), so the sheets we brought along will be used right away. We got
here just in time! In the afternoon, we accompanied Dr. Restrick to the
airport to greet some church officials who had flown in to preside over
a series of District Assemblies (for non-Nazarenes, this is the
equivalent of a diocesan meeting, presided over by a bishop --or
District Superintendent -- and a top level leader -- a General
Superintendent.) While waiting to greet General Superintendent Bond,
we noticed a sign, which read as follows:
ATTENTION
IS PROHIBITED
Dear Passenger: For your own safety, do not accept any parcel's,
letters or other object before Departure. Bec use you may carry to
aircraft prohibited articles, dangerous goods, or even a bomb.

Thursday began VERY early -- everyone up by 3:30am for a 5am
departure, followed by a 4 hour van trip north to the District Assembly
at Chibuto. When we arrived, they served us breakfast at tables set up
under trees and delivered on lovely dishes. The assembly was marked
by enthusiastic and devout attention to the work of the church, with
pastors giving reports of good work happening all around. Old women,
young mothers with babes in arms, men of every age, all gathered
together to report on the miracles they had experienced during the
previous year. As honored guests, we were introduced and given
seats of honor at the front of the church. In return, we sang them a
song, "To God Be the Glory," with the first verse and chorus in English
and the second in a local tribal language called Shangaan. The
participants were delighted with our efforts, smiling and clapping and
offering loud "Amen"s. After the meeting ended, we were seated at the
places of honor for a dinner, shook hands with all the kids -- who were
tickled pink to have visitors all the way from America -- and headed
home. We made a stop at a pristine beach in Xai Xai. The sand was
white and fine, the water deep blue and the offshore coral reef
provided spectacular breakers. We all had the chance to play in the
Indian Ocean -- a first for me, at least! We crossed the Limpopo River
on the drive home, and even managed to remember a few lines of a
Kipling poem about the river.

Today was another District Assembly, this one in Maputo and only 20
minutes away, at the largest Nazarene church in Africa (in
membership, at least) and pastored by a powerhouse of a preacher --
and a delightful woman, too! Much of the business meeting was the
same in format and similar in content. We were blessed both days
with translators who helped us to understand the mixture of Shangaan
and Portuguese spoken by the participants.

As we have travelled, we have seen all modes of transport, from
women with baskets and buckets balanced atop their heads, to carts
pulled by teams of oxen, to cars and vans.. We travelled past
traditional reed huts with thatched roofs, and past modern cement
homes that look much like those in Florida. In all conditions, we saw
lots of Coca Cola and cell phones! The days continue to dawn at 80
degrees and climb into the 90s, but breezes at night (both natural and
man-made) help with comfortable sleeping.

That's all for now; dinner is ready, laundry is being done and beds
beckon. We love you all, and wish you could experience these
marvelous days with us!
Mary Lou and the

Tuesday in MoÃ§ambique

2005-01-04T15:53:00.000-05:00

Greetings from sunny Mozambique!
We all arrived safe and sound after 29 continuous hours of travel, most
of it confined to increasingly cramped airline seats. The longest leg,
from Atlanta to Johannesburg, lasted almost 17 hours, with a brief stop
at Cape Verde (Portuguese-speaking islands off the coast of Africa) to
refuel and pick up passengers. The trip went off without any significant
hitches, the customs and immigration people smiled and waved us
through, and we have been enjoying temperatures near 30 degrees
Celcius (80s to near 90F).
We have been greeted warmly and are already beginning to feel at
home, transitioning between the familiar west and the new and unusual
in Mozambique. After a delicious home-cooked meal (lasagna, garlic
bread, tossed salad and fresh fruit), and visiting with local Nazarene
pastors and seminary folk, we started turning in -- 40-50 hours after
waking up -- only to be awakened at 3am by a rip-roaring
thunderstorm. Thunder, lightning, wind and rain that ushered in cool,
refreshing air that provided comfortable sleeping weather for the rest of
the night.
Today has been spent easing into our new locale, taking a driving tour
of the city of Maputo -- a truly cosmopolitan city, combining African and
Portuguese customs and cultures along with the Dutch and British
influences of South Africa and a strong influence from India. Lunch
was at the seaside (well, the oceanside) at a beautiful outdoor
restaurant with tasty food, including pizza with tunafish topping, and a
pool for splashing in after eating.
Tonight, we have a birthday party for a Restrick family friend, a
backyard BBQ and an early evening (though early is a comparative
term when travelling with college students!)
We are all well and delighted to be here. We have already begun
taking pictures and making notes to tell you all the details when we
return home.
Peace and Grace,
Mary Lou Shea and the gang

Tubing and Laptop

2004-12-29T21:28:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a good day. I went tubing with a whole lot of people at a local ski resort. Lots of fun. There was a limit of 4 people going down together as a group...we ignored that a few times. We had a group of 11 people going down together...needless to say we caught a lot of air. And I also got my new laptop yesterday. It is good great. Its got nice wireless. Comes in handy when my dialup isn't working.

Huzzah for Christmas Shopping!

2004-12-21T10:49:00.000-05:00

Well, the shopping is over and done with. That's right, I've found all the deals, all the steals, and hotrod wheels. Well, not exactly. Anyway, now it is time to sit back and enjoy the break. I'll work on some computers, sleep a little, and eat a lot.

Less than two weeks!

2004-12-19T08:52:00.000-05:00

Well, this post could be referring to a number of things. It could refer to my upcoming birthday. It could refer to the new year. It could even refer to my trip to Africa. But no, this refers to the passing of an era. Thats right, Pennsylvania's fabled common law for marriage is reaching the end of its day. For those of you unfamiliar with PA legalities, this law allows a couple to declare their intention to be married and live together and receive all marriage benefits, without having to have a marriage license. Sadly, no common marriages after December 31, 2004 will be legally accepted. So, if anybody out there is looking for marriage and can't afford the marriage license, hurry up and marry me before we this costs money!

Yay its snowing!

Words of Wisdom

2004-12-17T18:17:00.000-05:00

Its after my treks between home and college that this really hits home.
Found this fun little thing at http://www.explorer4x4.com/faq.htm

I'm 16 What Mods Should I Make To My Explorer
You will not like our response. But this is the hard truth...

Sell your Explorer (which costs over $.60/mile to operate) and get some small, used, ugly econobox with a miserly 4 cylinder (that costs more like $.25/mile to operate) Explorers are great, but they really cost a lot of money, both to buy parts for and feed. Plus the modifications you will eventually want to make on your Explorer can easily run in excess of $15,000

Given your age, we would take all our "spare" money (and all but the basics should be spare) and invest it in school, present and future. Get the hottest computer (Pentium MMX, preferably Pentium II or even newer) you can afford with the newest software, especially C and Java, and learn to program these languages. Take any available money and put it in a growth stock fund until you graduate from High School, then wait for a market high and get out with the money invested in a BBB-grade bond or preferred stock fund (about 8.75%) to provide income while you are in college or trade school.

If you are headed to college, consider this: Double major in college, that is do a full major in something you love (e.g. Art, Photography, Music Classics, History, Anthropology, Biology) and do a full major in something that will always provide you some good income (e.g. Business, Computer Science, Engineering). It will take you 4 years plus one additional semester.

If you intend to be an automotive mechanic, you still need to invest in the training such as Community College, including the computers, to be a good one these days. After this you will need to apprentice and maybe work for a specific manufacturer or dealership. You will be a step up on most toward building and modifying any fine vehicle.

When you get a decent job after all this, you need to save up one full years salary as a reserve. You need to begin to buy a place to live on your own before you buy toys. At the same time you need to be funding an employers retirement fund (e.g. 401k). If you are already working, even at a low paying job, you need to begin a Roth IRA. Fund the entire $2000 per year into your IRA and invest it into a growth stock fund...several after 10 years to spread the risk in several stock funds.

Here's your choices...you can have a really cool Explorer now that will probably be in the bone yard in 10 years and you will be $25,000 poorer and searching for your next "toy" car or you can be a millionaire+ at age 40 and buy any car you want. Go to Costco and buy a book called "The Millionaire Next Door" and read it cover to cover if you don’t believe us.

We’re not your mom or your dad or your guardian, who you probably don't like to listen to anyway. Yeah, we know we have [nice] Explorers...but we’ve "paid the price" and I don’t mean money…

Sorry to sound so practical, but these are the best modifications you can make at your age…right now...If you are not convinced or are already dripping with money, then by all means start building. Any modification will do wonders.

"The preceding statement has been endorsed by grouchy old farts with thin wallets and big payments."

Happy November

2004-11-04T14:13:00.000-05:00

If I was to list in order of time consumption of things that I have done this week, the order would be:
1) Play Freelancer
2) Go to class
3) Sleep
4) Eat

Its been an unproductive week, but I'm level 50. This will be a fun weekend...my sister and a couple of friends will be in town. So they'll have fun while I'm reaching level 60. And then I get to teach Sunday School....so maybe I should stop playing games and read my Bible.

Its a long life

2004-10-19T16:14:00.000-04:00

Well, the musical is finally almost over. I'm still wicked wicked busy, which is why I am now done posting.

I'm never doing another musical. Fun, but time consuming.

Its a long life....

2004-09-17T20:07:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm back at school, hard at work, working 2 jobs, overloading my schedule, and doing the musical. Neither of which should ever be done under any circumstances. Needless to say, I'm swimming in a pool of chaos, without time to do anything. But I broke the official record of viruses found by student employees of ITS, so its all good. Even though 8000 viruses on one computer still pales in comparison to some infections, but its all good. I like ITS as a job better than the greenhouse. And a whole lot better than KFC. But now I must find something to do....farewell until next month, as I am booked solid until then.

Here we go again

2004-08-20T23:27:00.000-04:00

Its that special time of year. The time when I pack up my life and move it up to college. Its a big pain, but the profits are immense. For one, I am there. Another, I am not here. All in all it is quite worth the effort, but a nuisance for the time being. In a few short minutes I'll have packed up my computer for the long drive. Its strange, looking in my room, thinking that even with everything packed up, nothing has really changed, except the mess on the floor is gone. Makes me wonder if what I think I need I actually do need...but nevertheless, if I don't pack it, I am most certain I will at some point regret it. So they cycle continues. And now a random word about PHP...it is most enjoyable. Perhaps the most fun I've had in programming computers since I first learned QBasic...so simple, does so much, but in what I am learning, I miss the brute force of creating truly new code. All the functions I use are merely accessing code written by others...thus it is merely an inefficient attempt at what I could do...but that is for another day. For now, I say my goodbyes and prepare for my hellos.

Booyah!

2004-08-19T12:11:00.000-04:00

Well, its only 2 and a half more days I have to spend in Pittsburgh. That deserves a booyah! And I finally got everything on my server to work, including my forum. And I wrote some wicked sick PHP Scripts for myself. All in all, its a great day.

And so it begins...

2004-08-13T14:19:00.000-04:00

"There is a hole in your mind." - Kosh, Vorlon Ambassador to Babylon 5

That's probably the best way to look at the story that has begun. Forged from the mind's of Second Memorial's most brilliant entreprenaurs, the story has begun and no forseeable end is in sight. To truly understand the story, read it.

http://www.joedonahue.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=14

Huzzah for Minor League Baseball!

2004-08-08T14:03:00.000-04:00

So last night I went out with some guys from our church for a night at the Altoona Curve, a AA baseball team. They did pretty good. They won 9-2. The best part of the night was defintely the sheep that came out after every run and did a little dance in the outfield. And the time it ran into the wall was fun too. But I saw some strange stuff I'd never seen before. For instance, typical WalMarts have a blue theme on the outside, with a blue stripe and a blue background on the WalMart sign. Not this WalMart. It was green. It surprised me. And then on the way home I stopped at the largest Sheetz ever. And I mean ever. It had high-definition screens everywhere with the simplest graphics, computer ordering for food, a drive through, the most powerful handdryer I've ever used in the restroom, and free WiFi for your laptop. It was crazy. Wicked huge does not describe its size adequately. Did I mention the free WiFi?

August Has Arrived

2004-08-02T12:40:00.000-04:00

Its been a fun summer, but it's starting to get down to the end. I just got back from Pittsburgh District Family Camp, and it was a great week. I hung out a lot with the ENC Summer Ministry team Made Alive. They're really cool. It was a great week with great speakers and so much more. I also got to ride in the new ENC Sped van. Don't take that as an insult....its not the people that are sped, its the van itself. Its huge and has uncomfortable seats and the seatbelts don't all work, and it has flashing lights and opens up like a bus. All in all its crazy. I'm also going up early to school to work in the cafeteria. It'll be a fun time moving up early and getting out of here. Now all the school needs is SciFi channel and I'll be happy.

I like retirement

2004-07-13T17:54:00.000-04:00

Not having a job is fun. Now I get to sit around, watch great scifi shows that are off the air, play with my computer, and learn how to program better than ever before. I've also gotten random stuff accomplished for SALT, so thats pretty cool. Thats all I care to write for now. Adios.

Its been a long month

2004-07-09T19:16:00.000-04:00

Its been over a month since I posted. Goodness gracious, it has been a long month. I quit work today, as my friend got fired and I didn't want to keep working at the greenhouse if he wasn't there...he helps keep me sane. But its all good, I should have just enough money to go into the school year with. Steadfast, a ministry team from ENC, has been at my house all week working with my church. They are wicked awesome. Well, if there is anyone out there besides me who checks my blog, thanks for your patience.

Hot diggity day

2004-06-07T20:11:00.000-04:00

Its days like this that you wonder what weathermen really mean by a beautiful day out. Sure, it looks great, and it feels great if you're just standing around, but if you're hard at work, then it gets you very hot very fast. I know from my (infinite) knowledge of biology that the body gives off many signs of dehydration. I would say that today I had all of them except for the passing out part. So now I know to drink lots more water. Often. But other than that it was a great day. A nice little Stargate SG-1 marathon on Sci-Fi makes all things good. But I'm tired...bed time shall come early. And Reagan died on Saturday. So passes a great man. Condolences to all on behalf of myself. Now I need to find out what to do with the time that I spend between work and sleeping...its not enough to do much of anything, and I'm tired during that time, so there's not really much to do...any and all suggestions of how to spend my free time will be taken with much consideration.

Recap the week

2004-06-05T19:29:00.000-04:00

Well apparently in the rush of the week I forgot to blog the first annual ENC Night at the Pittsburgh Pirates. So there were 3 of us, a good 0.5% of the student body, which is pretty good, considering school is out. So basically, the Pirates suck, and they lost 8 to 1. In the first inning I saw about everything, but the most interesting was the Cardinals guy hit on the head with a pitch. But he was ok. Somehow. So we spent a good 7 innings making fun of the Pirates and another 2 making fun of stupid stuff at school. But that was a great time. Even though most of the seats were empty, and we tried moving up but got kicked out of three sections, even though I've moved up before...I think it was discrimination. Just because two of us were wearing Red Sox hats is no reason to hate. But its ok. I forgive them because I'm better than them. A lot better. And I'm humble. And I hate Pittsburgh. I can't wait until school starts again.

So much for a fun friday...

2004-06-04T21:40:00.000-04:00

Well you know how it goes...work is almost over, the weekend is at hand, etc. etc. Supposedly all the cool majors from Shrader are getting kicked out to the LEAD building. By that I mean my sources inform me that Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, and Math are being moved. That leaves the so-called science builidng to Bio and Chem majors. Which means its no longer a science hall anymore. Seriously, moving have the sciences to another building defeats the purpose of having the sciences in one building...Well thats enough ranting for one night. Adios amigos.

Ugh,,,

2004-06-02T22:02:00.000-04:00

The middle of the week. What a drag. But I still like my job. Thats fun. Doesn't usually happen. Today I got to unload a garbage truck. That was lots of fun. But I was told specifically not to light it on fire. The dampened my spirits a little bit. But then it started to rain, and that cheered me right up, because I was then put to work in a greenhouse instead of standing outside doing manual labor. I had a real easy job today. I stuck empty pots on a conveyor belt. My coworkers had the hard jobs, like putting 25lb bags of dirt in the machine, or unloading the filled pots. But for 3 hours, I put empty pots on a conveyor line. Yay. Seriously.

Happy Memorial Day!

2004-05-31T15:48:00.000-04:00

Happy Memorial Day friends. Today I went to work. And work was awesome. Since it was a holiday, there were very few people at work. And of my 7 hour day, I spent 6 hours putting hangers on hanging baskets. Thats right. For 6 hours I put hangers on baskets, and it was fun. Including the hour and a half lunch break picnic. It was a very good day. Ahh, the sound of relief. Now, to program to my heart's desire!

Booyah!

2004-05-29T11:16:00.000-04:00

Got my grades back finally...only a week late. They made me happy.

Pauline Epistles- A-
Arts & Music- B+
Philosophical Quest- A-
Calculus II- A
Seminar in Globalization- A
Computer Programming I- A

GPA for Semester: 3.795
Cumlative GPA: 3.750

That means I still have my scholarship to go to school for free. That makes me happy. Now off to conquer the world.

Second day of work

2004-05-28T22:05:00.000-04:00

Well today was a fun day. I went to work, expecting a full 8 hour day. Instead, I got a 9.5 hour day. Lovely. Take a man, make him unload plants from an 18 wheeler for 3 hours in the rain, and send him off for 6 more hours. But I had a good lunch of ham and cheese sandwhiches, so that staved off physical fatigue. But, there are much worse things in life than unloading trailers in the rain. Like working at KFC. Thinking about it, my 17+ hours in the last 2 days are more almost as much time as I worked at KFC last summer over 5 days, and I am neither insane nor bitter with the world, nor hateful of life, nor requiring late night british comedy to relax from work. So I would say that this is a very good job.

Congratulations to my friends who are marrying tomorrow. In the words of a wise Vulcan, "Live long and prosper."

Here we go again....

2004-05-27T21:17:00.000-04:00

Its been a few days since the last update of the Troxler Underground. Since our last meeting, I have found a temporary job for a few weeks, working in a greenhouse near my house. I definitely had the shortest and strangest interview ever. Lets just say, it took my friend and I 10 minutes to find the guy, because he was spraying insecticide in the "North Range" greenhouse, which itself is a full acre in size. The conversation started with "Hold your breath" and went downhill from there. The next part of the conversation is censored. He then gave us paperwork to fill out and told us to show up at 7 AM today.

Ahh, the joys of work. It was a fairly easy job. Not too hot in the greenhouse. Why Venus and cars have the greenhouse effect is beyond me, the greenhouses were quite nice throughout the day.

Schedule of the day:
5:30- Woke up, did that thing I do, had breakfast.
6:30- Picked up friend for work.
7:00- Punched in.
7:00 - 12:04- Picked weeds.
12:04 - 12:38- Lunch at Wendy's.
12:38 - 3:40- Weeded a tad, picked hundreds of baskets for orders to be delivered to flowshops all across the land.
3:40 - Present- Slacked off

So far the most interesting thing that has happened at work was a flower basket containing a bird's nest, filled with 5 young birds.

So after a full day of work I watched some Stargate SG-1, ran sound for the Daycare program, and came back here to post for my audience.

Frisbee practice schedule under construction.

Huzzah!

2004-05-24T14:39:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the newest member of the Troxler Underground, God's Juggernaut. As the newest member of the team, he accepts the challenge of managing the company frisbee team. The world renowned God's Juggernaut will soon be seen travelling the eastern seaboard recruiting for the Troxler Underground. If you run into him, say hello.

THR3E

2004-05-22T21:01:00.000-04:00

So begin's The Troxler Underground's official review of Ted Dekker's novel, "Thr3e."

"Ted Dekker, my boy, you've done it again! 'Thr3e' is a rivetting thriller that shook me to the core. The story of a struggle between 'the good, the bad, and the beautiful.' It will keep you guessing until the end, and once you figure it out, you realize its not the end, and a page later you are guessing again. Seldom have I seen an author's ability to weave together so amazing a story into one book. For Douglas Adams, the answer is 42, but Dekker emphatically shows that the answer is 3. 3. No more, no less. A far better explanation of Romans 7 than the religion majors of the world would dare attempt. Wonderful, simply wonderful. I eagerly await reading Dekker's upcoming trilogy of 2004, 'Black,' 'Red,' and 'White.'"

Blink

2004-05-21T22:14:00.000-04:00

Well, after a frustrating morning in my quest for a job, I took the afternoon and read a book. "Blink," by Ted Dekker, is the best book I've read in awhile. Actually, its the only book I've read in awhile, thanks to all the reading I've had to do for school. It was nearly 400 pages in about 7 hours, including a break for supper and watching the last episode of "Call for Help," formerly at www.techtv.com/callforhelp. For all those who need help now, I guess my expretise will have to do. Hehe. But I digress. Well, I knew it was going to be a great book when it starts out with a graduate student correcting his professor on field theory. And, he had an IQ higher than Einstein. Hmmm, remind you of anyone?? Anyway, he could see stuff in the future, and all that cool stuff, and rescued a Saudi princess and tons of fun stuff including a brief impersonation of Frodo by the princess...but again I digress. Read the book. Tomorrow, I plan on reading Dekker's newer book, "Thr3e," and then if I get a job, buy his book "Black." Definitely an author I need to keep up on.

Huzzah!

2004-05-21T14:22:00.000-04:00

Welcome to joetheanimal, latest member of the Troxler Underground. As a member, his responsibilities include protection and procurement. In essence, all he has to do is buy me food. But hey, somebody's gotta do the dirty work around here.

Job search

2004-05-18T11:33:00.000-04:00

The job search started yesterday, and will continue until I get a job. So far, all I've done is stop in at Best Buy and Radio Shack. And they both told me to apply online. Wow. So much for personal interviews. We'll see how this goes.

In the beginning...

2004-05-18T10:34:00.000-04:00

For those of you who care, this is the first post of my blog. I figured it was time I started using more of that wonderful free stuff on the Internet. Read on and enjoy, as this is the only place on the web to read about the real me.