Summatime

Not much is going on in Michigan these days.

But really, that's just the affects of having the semblance of a routine and no extraordinary things breaking it. I have actually been busy, living this summer for play.

I am no playing basketball and ultimate regularly (2 to 3 times a week). Last night was my first night back at ultimate since final semester at Purdue. I was nervous (I always get nervous before unknown competitions), but ended playing pretty well. Since it was pick up and not a club team, summer league or college team, the offense was pretty selfish, and defense was one dimensional, but it was still fun. I played third handler which is definitely not a typical position for me. I handled at sectionals during my last year at Purdue, but that was only because no one else was there who could do it. And with our offensive stack moving all over the place, I took it upon myself to be the anchor for lining up and setting up our O. As a result, I did not have any huge catches for scores, but I did throw some hucks. Granted they were in general pretty floaty, but for the first time back, very solid.

I also got a climbing membership for the month that I am back. Apparently, Houston has pampered me in this regard, because the Texas Rock Gym is *significantly* better than Higher Ground. Really, higher ground has a much cooler location, but the location's limitations dictate a three room layout, each room being the size of my living room. Its tiny. The size makes me very self-conscious if I am there late in the evening, when it is busy. Because of the nature of the climbing sport, there usually are large numbers of really experienced climbers and not that many newbies. So while there is not any judging going on (I have never heard "man you suck!" or anything akin), I am watching what other people are doing, and they are watching me and everyone (I assume) is mentally grading themselves in respect to everyone else. Maybe this doesn't happen, but I imagine it happens.

Speaking of imagining things into reality, I started reading this book called "Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls". My aunt lent me the book last summer after she found out I would be teaching middle school. Accompanying the book was some disclaimer about how crazy adolescent girls are. Well, I decided to start reading the book, finally. One of the things that really struck me, and explains a lot of the behavior I noticed over the past year, is that adolescents (specifically girls, but probably boys as well) are developmentally just beginning to be able to think critically/abstractly. As a result, they generate countless faulty syllogisms that originate from "I feel so therefore its true" or from "Here's one example so it must be true".

Let me give you an example. Students in my class say to me things like "You never call on me for ______". This is a case of the first faulty syllogism. The student has one example, or maybe even a couple examples of me calling on other students instead of him/her. They *feel* like I am purposely ignoring them. Since the feel it, it must be true. I *am* ignoring them. This state of disregard on my part then necessarily stretches infinitely backward and forward in time. I have *never* called on them and I *never* will. Which really, if you think about that feeling, is pretty serious, albeit completely based on falsehood.

Students in my class also say things like "Other math classes don't get homework every day! Why do we?" This is the second faulty syllogism. The student usually has one friend who doesn't have homework. They then extrapolate that to everyone. For a more concrete example of this mistake think: "That famous actor bought his 16 year old daughter a brand new Mercedes CLK for her birthday. Therefore ALL parents buy brand new Mercedes for their children's' 16th birthday. Therefore I should get a brand new Mercedes for my 16th birthday."

Ahhh, youth.

Check and check

The final presentation for my senior design project was today. We had a whopping 15 minutes to cover a semester's worth of analysis, design, manufacturing, assembly and test. I think that we did a pretty good job.

We spent 10.5 hours yesterday assembling our project, since half the parts we needed did not arrive until yesterday morning. It was pretty satisfying seeing this theoretical nebulous thing turn into a (almost) working tool right before our eyes. Of course there was a lot of blood, swearing and throwing of random broken metal pieces, but that all comes with the territory.

Tonight is Village Fest, which is a concert to raise money for a girl in the community with cerebral palsy. Service Mosaic (read: Nate) found out about Megan and her mom through Love INC. Her mother is single, and works really hard to keep her home and make payments to frequently take Megan down to Riley's Children's Hospital. All the proceeds that the concert earns will go to the purchase of a van which can easily transport Megan (she is bed-ridden).

Tomorrow I am headed up to watch the regional ultimate tournament in Naperville, IL. I don't get to play because I played on the B team for sectionals, but IL is in the general 'home' direction, and I can stop and see the illustrious Mr. Jonathan Caldwell (Monsieur General) at Wheaton College.

And then it is home for 4 days of errands and reading and running and outdoors and not school.

P.S. 1 final separates me from the completions of this thing called college.

-Monsieur Fluer de Agrippa Sans Ferdinand Mon Sharc de Tuna

One down

And one to go.

I turned in a project for Machine Design II today, which represented a month long investment into equations, text, modeling and analysis. I like looking back at projects from this side, seeing all of the work come together, and in this case, seeing a complete and (almost) actually functional gearbox. I think I like the process of these projects too. Except when they are so large that I do not know where to begin.

With that project complete, MDII is basically wrapped up (except for the technicality of a final exam next Thursday), which leaves only Senior Design. Final presentation for Senior Design is on Friday.

I think I am looking forward to it.

Being done.

No, I *am* looking forward to it.

Puddlegum

My thoughts have been running all over the place of late. I am finally getting some distance from Love Triangle Shenanigans that consumed much of December and January. An over ambitious spring break trip is right around the corner. Graduation looms. Teach for America just shipped me a bunch of reading material. So I guess I am just going to talk about a bunch of random stuff.

I wonder if I am going to be any good at teaching. Here I am, 2 months from a BS in Mechanical Engineering and I am turning away from the field in which I have more than a year and half of work experience. Did you know that as a teacher for Teach for America, I still have to interview for a job with a school district? This information shocked me. What do I have to talk about? I don't know anything about teaching! Well, scratch that, I know how to be a sucky teacher. That's easy. Just stop caring about the students, speak unintelligible english, never be available outside of class and you pretty much have suckying down pat. But being good...well that's a different story. So maybe it will go like this:

Principal person: So why do you want to be a teacher?

Me: I think I can make a difference in teaching. Teaching allows me to serve a need through skills that I have.

Principal person: It says here that you have a BSME...why didn't you go into education?

Me: Well, uhh, because I thought the classes would suck?

So yea, I don't think that would go too well.


I was back in GR this past weekend, and so went to church at Mars Hill. It amazes me that Mars, and home in general, can be so filled with these emotional cues and yet be so seperate from anything I am going through now. I mean, I don't know anybody at Mars Hill anymore. Home is now a place my parents live. I don't even like my bed....yea. But what I really wanted to talk about was the sermon that Rob gave. He talked about the Lent season. Apparently, there are 'standard sermons' for each weekend in Lent. The first weekend is "The Temptation of Jesus".

In general, I have not really gotten 'into' Lent. I don't really see the point in giving up some thing for 40 days, and really that is about all I knew about it. This idea of a standard sermon, however, really struck me as meaningful. It was like I was suddenly part of this world wide community, all of whom are experiencing a similar thing, for similar reasons. It's kind of like when you take communion and you pause and think about how many millions of people have taken communion down through history and that at that moment, you are partnering in this recognition of the divinity of this man who came and loved so freely. There is something in that, being part of that group.

And this brings up all sorts of other questions. My parents don't really 'hang out' with other people all that often. How do they 'do life' with out a strong community around them? All people have something in common, in that we were all created by God, we are all human. How much similarity is enough for community? Why do we insist on seperating ourselves so much, into economic, gender, race, relgion, profession?

Finally, a piece of inspiration from the incomparable Catch-22:
"Major Major had been born too late and too mediocre. Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them. With Major Major it had been all three. Even among men lacking all distinction he inevitably stood out as a man lacking more distinction than all the rest, and people who met him were always impressed by how unimpressive he was."

I think I'll graduate

Last semester I took an independant research project as a technical elective. I had a advising professor, a project and a goal, but I was quite lacking on motivation or something because I never did anything. Well, I set up the test, but that was it.

At the end of last semester, I emailed my professor and basically said, "I did not do anything, give me an incomplete and I'll finish next semester." So that was what he did.

So here I am, on the 20th of February, the last day to change grades from last semester (according to the University). I have not finished my testing, but I actually started it, finally. I wrote up this very very incomplete report detailing the project I have been working on, e-mailed it off to my professor and then said "Well, that's that."

If I pass, then I will graduate in May. If I don't, I will have to take Maymester, and then graduate in June.

My professor emailed me back and said "I called the office but they were closed already."

I think I want to graduate.

Law Breaker

Well, I have been reading these things for a while now, especially Mr. Driver's and a slew of ultimate blogs. I really liked the idea of keeping those interested folks at home up to date on the Teach for America happenings, once they go down, and I also like the idea of having a place to post all the random junk that comes out of my head.

Here's an example. The other week I was sitting and listening to the TNT sermon on James chapter 2 and I got this idea for a drama to cover the idea of the Law and its function.

Lights fade in to show a angelic looking dude, sitting behind a table. Behind him are some type of door or entryway, emblematic of "those pearly gates". Some old guy, preferably an adorable one, walks approaches the table.

Table Dude: Hello Mr. ______! It is so good to finally meet you and speak with you! Your life has been one we up here have taken a fond interest in, for you have truly been a shining example of a righteous life.

Table Dude turns around and opens a file cabinet (or shelf type storage) and pulls out two very large 3-ring binders. The first is very very full, while the second is almost empty. He opens the very large binder and starts leafing through it.

Table Dude: Well Mr. _____, it says here that when you were 12 you went on a mission trip to Haiti with your family. It really set the course for your teenage years.

Mr. ______: Smiling in memory, I remember that trip! Oh how I loved playing soccer with the kids at the orphanage. They were so much better than me, but we had a great time. Does that have my whole life in there?

Table Dude continues leafing through the binder, pointing out some other really 'good' things that Mr. _____ did, while Mr. _____ reminisces.

Table Dude puts away the full binder and opens the empty binder. There is a single sheet contained in this binder. He starts to look it over and looks disturbed.


Table Dude: Well Mr. _______, it says here that during your freshmen year of college, you took some legal pads from a company you worked for.

Mr. ______: Thinking, Yea, I remember that. I took the one I needed and then 3 extra for the upcoming school year. Everyone was taking them, and I was going to have a tough year financially, so I thought every little bit would help.

Table Dude: It even says here that you gave them back two days later.

Mr. _______: It just messed with my conscience. Every time I went home, they would haunt me.

Table Dude: Well Mr. _______, those pads did not belong to you. That was stealing.

Mr. ______: Well, I guess, but I gave them back right?

Table Dude: I'm sorry about this, but that doesn't matter. You still stole.

Table Dude turns around and pulls out a huge stamp. He stands up, inks the stamp, and proceeds to slam it down on the page with all his might, while yelling "Law Breaker!" He continues to yell "Law Breaker!" at increasing volume, while Mr. _____ falls down to his knees, cries, and the lights fade out.