LIfe goals...

I was thinking tonight about some of the things I want to do before I die. In no particular order,

• Meet George H.W. Bush
• Watch the sunrise at Cracker Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana with my bride
• Sell a million dollar consulting project
• See U2 live
• Ride the tube in London (Mind the Gap!)
• Rim to Rim to Rim the Grand Canyon
• Finish a marathon
• Get a picture printed in National Geographic Magazine
• Raise a child in the way of the Lord
• House train a puppy
• Try every kind of pie at Pine Country Restaurant in Williams, AZ
• Scream "I'm debt free" on the Dave Ramsey Show
• Play the bagpipes in Ireland
• See the Aurora Lights
• Bag a 14er
• Watch the Texas Aggies win a National Championship
• Paint our kitchen
• Ski a double black diamond
  
• Live in Missoula, Montana ("The world is full of bastards and the number increases rapidly the further one gets from Missoula, Montana" Norman Maclean)
• Learn to play the guitar
• Eat cake and drink punch in a plaid sport coat at my 50th Wedding Anniversary
• Pay for my grandkids to go to college
• Drive a Porsche convertible 90+ mph
  
• Watch the sunsets in Maui (again)
• Never lose my wedding band
• Give a toast

I realize that some of these are easy, like paint our kitchen, and some will be more difficult, like getting Becky to spend the night at Cracker Lake, but they are all attainable. Some are immediate, like meeting Bush 41 (he's getting up there!) and some are very long term (50th Wedding Anniversary), but I want to do them all.

An era is over

This is not my 90 days entry. I am cool enough to separate my God-life from my real-life. ::Struck dead:: No, I just feel like I need to be able to share every aspect of my life.

So today is the last day of the semester for the classes I take notes for. What started as "gas money" in the Fall of 2007 has replaced selling dope on the corner (as if), and today, it is complete. I have mixed feelings for this. It is, after all, my job and my livelihood and I will no doubt grieve not collecting its paycheck. However, it has become mundane and, lets be honest, who likes going to class MORE?

This job had its advantages and disadvantages, like everything in life. It was pretty care free and I was able to call my own shots, but I got taken to the cleaners this April 15th because of my "contractor" status. Also, the office got to be a hassle to deal with. I did learn lots though. I learned more than my share about political science and history. And I learned the trials of running your own business (sort of) and being completely responsible for yourself. For example, I learned it is better to send your notes in before you go to the Fox and Hound on Thursday, because at 1 AM on Thursday night, you don't want to be editing class notes.

I also felt (partially) responsible for the education of tomorrow's youth. Hehe.

Today is my swan song of note taking. I will no longer be making humorous announcements, such as "My name is Patrick and I'm the Notes N Quotes guy. I sit in the back of the class and take notes on my laptop. So if you miss class because you broke up with your boyfriend or your flirting with the guy next to you so he'll be your boyfriend, we have the notes!"

My favorite professor I have ever taken notes for was Dr. Carney. This guy was a stud. There is no doubt that he has made one of (if not) the largest impression on my collegiate career (I also had him for two history classes, without a paycheck).

Day 1: Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 16:16

I know today has two posts, but that's fine. They are two related, but different posts.

Today I read the above passage. It was great. I went to Starbucks, got a tall Pikes Place, and shared a table with a freshman cramming for a political science test (I am a political science master, FYI). I busted out my Bible and I know I scared the bahjeezus out of him. I gave him a reassuring look like, "I can rescue you from Hell." Not really. That would have been cool though.

(Reading your Bible at Starbucks is Stuff Aggies Like. That's not a real blog, but I think I might go for it.)

God created our planet in about 35 seconds worth of NIV reading. It would easily, take three lifetimes to experience its total beauty. As someone who loves the Outdoors, I love reading the story of creation. This story has been told to me many, many times, but it never really hit me until going to Montana. Growing up in Missouri and Southeast Texas where everything is flat and "boring" it is hard to get an appreciation for what the Lord did. Only until I saw mile-tall cliffs, acres upon acres of glacier, grazing bear and moose, and indescribably blue lakes could I understand the power of the story.

With that said, I honestly feel sorry for the athiest backpacker. I have been told that worship is "our devoted response to God" and have had discussions with wonderful friends about how spending time in the Outdoors is a form of worship, because we are responding (enjoying, thanking, etc) to God's goodness by experiencing it. How can the athiest stand and watch the sun rise up, over the Grand Canyon for example, and think, this was chance?

Everything that the Lord made is good, pleasing, and perfect independently. However, the true beauty of His creation is similar to the Law of Increasing Marginal Return. Lemme explain LIMR. The more you have, the more valuable it becomes. The best example of LIMR is the telephone. What good is one telephone? It's worthless. The value of the telephone lies in the fact that everyone has one and you are able to use it to call someone else and have a conversation.

Knowing that, I can easily say the beauty of His work compounds when God's creations are concurrently enjoyed. A mountain range is more enjoyable with a beautiful sunrise. The ocean is more beautiful because of the fish that swim in it. The smell of a flower is more enjoyable when it is from a lover. Does anyone else think this way?

Intro: The Bible in 90 Days

So Becky and I are in the coolest small group ever. We really are. We have Aggie friends, cajuns, theatricals, engineers, deep thinkers, racers, singers, writers, and parents. Other than spending weekends with Becky, they are the cherry on top of my Sundae/ Sunday(pun). Our church pastor and staff went through the Bible in 90 days. What an awesome task. He described this to the church body and the Flicks, our small group captains, subsequently challenged us to read the Bible in 90 days. What an awesome opportunity to change your life.

This will, no doubt, impact the direction of the blog. Not that this blog really has a direction excepting my thoughts that are caught somewhere between the kiddie pool and the roped off deep end, but I hope to use this arena to share what the Lord is doing in my life through the reading of His word. I think that last sentence was a run on.

So, if I don't post about what I read that day, leave rude and disparaging comments about my lack of Bible reading. This isn't the best forum for discussion, but we could figure something out.

Also, JT said he likes to go to bars and talk about the Bible. I figured this should help me get to the bar to drink with JT.

Anticipation gets old.

OK. So in less than 4 weeks I'll be a college graduate. After that I'll be in the Grand Canyon. After that, last but not at all least, I'm getting married. So much happening so quickly and yet so much I can't really "prepare" for.

I like the idea of being a college graduate. However, life will be different. I'll be required to shave regularly, wear real shoes, and possibly comb my hair. Not that these things are bad, or that I don't ever do them, it will just be different. I'll have to take things more seriously.

Then I'm going to the Grand Canyon. Next to marriage, I don't think I have ever been so excited about anything in my life. I went to Glacier NP and Big Bend NP, and both were beautiful, but I really plan on being slapped in the face with God's grandness. And I'm ready for that. I'm torn between trying to look at photos others have taken (to get an idea for what I want to shoot) and going into it blind. I want to both minimize my exposure to the GC and both see how to best capture its majesty in film (really, digital media). I think I'll starve myself from looking at pictures of the canyon and wait to stand in awe of one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

My life will be a huge step closer to complete on July 5, when I take Becky as my bride and make a vow to love her completely as long as we are both breathing. This will, without doubt, be the greatest moment of my life. I have not seen her wedding dress yet (and I don't plan on it). We are planning on doing "First Sight", which is actually really, really cool. Becky will get all tooled up and I will have someone else make me look presentable. Then I'll go to the worship center and wait. Becky will walk down the aisle, and when she's ready, I'll turn around and marvel at her unspeakable beauty. And most likely shed tears of joy during this most-intimate moment. This, while untraditional, will allow us to spend these moments together. I might say something sweet or give her a flower or something mushy.

So those are the three things I am most looking forward to in the coming weeks. One will be met with mixed feelings (graduation), one will be awe-inspiring (Grand Canyon), and one will be completely indescribable (the first sight of Becky in her wedding gown). The anticipation of each, while different, is starting to get old. I'm kind of ready for them to happen.

new math equation: face+mt. aggie=pain

I went to downhill skiing today with every intention of being a good student. I got up on time, I washed my pants in the kitchen sink (will explain later), grabbed my trusty chaco sandals and drove to mt. aggie (a feux snow hill on campus). Apparently after the skills test has been completed, you sled down the hill. The last time they did this I skipped class because I was a little reluctant to wake up for a 9:10 class only to goof around (as if skiing isn't goofing around). This led to me overwhelming enthusiasm for barreling down a 100 foot long artificial surface on thin plastic material. It was fun until... CRASH! This hurt like a mother. I actually didn't realize it was this bad until I got back to my truck and reviewed mentioned wound.

I really feel like if the teacher had any medical knowledge he would have put me on the last chopper out of 'nam instead of letting me participate (read: dominate) the remaining sled races. I'm not trying to brag about ability to race downhill clinging to a child's toy (clearly, look at my face in that picture), but I am tough as nails.

On to washing clothes in the kitchen sink.... I must admit that I don't actually wash dishes in the kitchen sink. I might be the worst roommate ever, but I really don't do this often. I will load the dishwasher, but if I doesn't go in the dishwasher, it is meant to be dirty. However, after realizing that my fake ski pants weren't clean (and not having enough time for a wash cycle) I had to wash them in the sink. With Dawn. Desperate times call for desperate measures. This worked really well actually. So well that when I found my tumbling shorts in the dirty clothes I took them to the sink and gave them the same treatment. Don't get me wrong, I'm not abandoning my washer (which is older than dinosaur bones, fyi), but this is a very efficient means on clothing my self in clean duds. It's kind of like camping in your house. If that's possible.

News flash: 1/2 price cheeseburgers taste better than full price cheeseburgers

It's true and we all know it. Discounted food is naturally more satisfying than its regularly priced counterparts. Every Monday, for almost two years now, we have tried to go to Chicken Oil in Bryan to get 1/2 price cheeseburgers on Monday night. If you add fries and a drink, it totals $6.15. I like to order my burger without tomatoes and using an alias. Last night I was John Wayne. I don't think the lady believed that I was really John Wayne.

Another way to increase your level of dining enjoyment is to have a nice dinner companion. More specifically, one who is willing to fly all the way from Houston just to eat greasy cheeseburgers that move through you like a Kenyan in a marathon. Andrew flew his plane to College Station again for dinner. It was a beautiful day and I'm glad he did. I had been working on homework most of the day, so it was a welcome break.

I took some pictures of his plane as he was landing, doing his taxi, debriefing, and then again at sunset before he left. They are in the picasa, but are also embedded below. I got a few that I was really pleased with.



I'm thinking I will have to do something special as my college career comes to an end.... You'll just have to see.

spaghetti oxymorons

First, let me begin by admitting my dislike for spaghetti. It's not that it's a bad meal or anything, it just wouldn't be my first choice (or second, or third). However, if it was presented to me as a gift or something I will gladly eat it, but I will never cook it for myself.

With that said, what is up with this? New Traditional Favorites? Am I the only one with a problem with this?

Life with my Aggie Ring

The world is a much better place with 4 oz. of 10k yellow gold on your right hand. The air is clearer, people are nicer, the blind can see.... I wish. It is nice having an Aggie Ring, but that is all it is. It's an Aggie Ring. They say "It is the most recognizable symbol of the Aggie Network" and that is kind of sad. Why can't it be our love, our passion, our difference.... its only a ring?

Don't get me wrong, I'm very proud, but it just seems a little .... overrated. There, I said it. And I've made a bunch of people upset, but oh well.

However, the weekend's events were well. After camping out and being in Group 1, I went to get my Aggie Ring about 4:15 with my family. It was nice having them all there. My mother handed me my ring and it was beautiful. We took some fun pictures (embedded below, including Becky before Ring Dance).

Ring Dance was a lot of fun. It is more fun if you know the rules to Texas Hold 'Em, so for your convenience, I have provided a link to the rules. Once I knew the rules, I did alright.

Before Ring Dance we went out to dinner at Cafe Eccel. This was terribly disappointing. I'm giving them 1.85 Gillies (out of 5 Gillies). What gets 5 Gillies (so you can have a comparison)? Here is a list of all things receiving 5 Gillies:

• Montana
• Berger Cookies
• National Geographic
• Naps in hammocks
  
• Lupe Tortillas
• Hot Tamales
• John Fogerty
• Chacos
• Google

All things receiving 1 Gilly:

• Flat tire while it is raining
• Transmissions that go out on the way to Lupe Tortillas
• Cold yellow cheese
• Veggie burgers
• Breaking up with significant others
• Watching What Not to Wear while Survivor Man is on
• UCLA vs. A&M in the Sweet 16 (specifically, Donald Sloan not getting his call)
  
• This

All in all, I would give life with my Aggie Ring 3 Gillies. I hope this helps you understand. Having an Aggie Ring is exactly between a sinking ship and Montana. Becky is not listed because 1) she would probably refuse to partake in the Gilly-rankings and 2) she is way too cool for any amount of Gillies.

In other news, I went to Lake Bryan today to ride with Daniel. It was pretty good. We haven't been in a while and we are both slow and out of shape. I definitely need to pick up some movement since I'm getting married in less than 3 months and want to look good in my Borat-like bathing suit I'm going to wear at the beach!

Also, Becky and I went to Research Park on Sunday. It was a beautiful day and we had a good time at the park! I posted some pictures in Picasa.

Aggie Ring Day!

Whoop!

I get my Aggie Ring in about 2 hours... I am incredibly excited. I camped out with Brent last night so we could get our ring tickets in the earlier groups. We got up there about 10:30 and were numbers 13 and 14 on the list. I set up the tent, got everything ready, and we hung out. We went to bed about 3:00 and then got up around 5:00 when the 2%ers showed up (j/k, I really am a 2%er). It was awesome!

Here is a picture of our set up. It definitely looks like something out of a catalog:


These girls made fun of our tent, saying it was too small. However, I set it up myself in about 3 minutes, while she had to rely on these other guys to set up her huge Taj Mahal-like tent. I am secretly jealous of her large tent, but she definitely could not survive a bear attack.

I cleaned my room up a little today and got some other stuff taken care of. It has been a fairly good Friday, albeit rainy. I get to spend the whole weekend with Becky in College Station! It should be a whole lot of fun.

Next posts theme: Life with an Aggie Ring!

Engagement photos are up

Quick update....

I went and played golf yesterday, which was a lot of fun. I shot OK for not playing in almost 9 months. I'm going to play with my dad, brother, and soon-to-be father-in-law (welcome to the hypheNATION!). I need to practice a bit more so I can school these guys.

While I was playing golf several years ago (and more regularly), my friend Patrick and I came across a newly poured concrete cart path. Rather than stepping around this, we decided to make our mark. Sadly, this will probably be the longest-lasting and greatest impact I will ever make on Texas A&M University. I took a picture with my phone:


Becky and I went to a shower last night for our friends Denise and Chase. It was a lot of fun (the fajitas were fantastic). I made some new friends and saw a lot of people I hadn't seen in a while.

We drove back to Houston after that and did Relay for Life, which was just amazing. It was really neat to see everybody working hard for one common goal. I always like events that bring out the best in people. I took a few good pictures, which I'll upload in a bit.

I have (some of) the black and white engagement photos up. I only uploaded the ones I like. There in my picasa or you can just view them below.

airplanes + freebirds + friends = cool midweek dinner

Last night I went to Freebirds (which has recently sold out to the man. gahhh). I know, you're thinking, we've all been to Freebirds. However, I picked my friends Andrew and Brandon up from the airport. They flew into College Station from Houston to eat dinner with Jonathan and me. It was a blast. I miss seeing those guys during the week. Dinner was good. We swapped funny stories.

My earlier classes got canceled today. This means I have had almost 24 hours between classes. That's awesome! I talked to Becky last night and slept in this morning. College - classes = awesome. Now I'm doing laundry and hanging out.

I wanted to take some pictures last night (plane, runway all lit up), but they just didn't turn out. First, I waited until I took them back to take pictures, so I took pictures in the dark, which had as much success as a screen door on a submarine. Second, it was ridiculously windy, which made it hard to get a good picture. This wasn't a problem for the plane, but it was for the lights. I really needed to be still to get the lights. Next time, I'll take a tripod.

Earlier this month, my cousin Chase had a tennis teammate killed in a car accident. Chase is the number one player at his high school. Here is a link to a good writeup on him and his team. You should absolutely read it, it will probably make you cry. It made my eyes water a bit. I'm very proud of him. He's a class-act kid with a great work ethic.

Becky and I are down to 99 days until our wedding. She sent me an e-mail this morning that said "Happy double digits". I really am excited to get to marry her. She is my best friend and I love spending time with her.

I get my Aggie Ring in 7 days! If you don't know, the Aggie Ring is kind of a big deal. Getting my Ring is more important to me than getting my degree. Graduation is kind of a bonus. The Ring is pretty identifiable. It has opened up many conversations over the years and there are some really, really neat stories about Aggie Rings. When I was worked at the car wash, I noticed a man wearing an Aggie Ring and I told him I was an Aggie. He gave me a $5 tip for hosing down his car! When Becky and I registered at Crate and Barrel, a man (Frank) asked if he could tell me about the knives. After noticing his ring, I obliged, told him I was an Aggie, and he spent about 30 minutes detailing the knives for me and giving me his life story. It was a pretty sweet time.

My groomsman Brent and I are camping out to get our Ring tickets on Thursday night. This is merely for the fun of camping out for something. It will just be a fun way to celebrate getting my ring with a great friend.

After I get my Ring, I have to dunk it (follow the link to read more about that). Brent's wife Candice said she was going to make Brent an apple pie to dunk his in. She also said that she always makes her pies from scratch and in batches of two, so she would have an extra one, and she offered it to me. I have never, ever turned a pie down in my life. So if everything goes through as planned, I will dunk my ring in an apple pie.

TAMU campus pictures

Update: Under Armour underwear use ultra utilitarian. I tried to use alliteration. I wish I could have used a palindrome. That would have been really cool.

As planned, I took some pictures around campus today. After I got over my nerves I really enjoyed myself. It was pretty relaxing and I was able to get some good shots. They are on my picasa, which is a really, really sweet product (if you're not already using it). There are also embeded at the bottom, but if for some strange reason, you want them, you can get a copy at picasa.

I really enjoyed the fountain and the statue pictures. I got the fountain pictures with a faster shutter speed (1/600, I think). I tried to go over that, but there was just too much light coming in. I worked hard to get good composition, but I still use the "camera tilt" as my crutch. I enjoy this technique and I think it makes things look good, but I don't want to overuse it. Besides, I think people have a tendency to turn their head to see it, and I don't want to be the "Chiropractic Photographer". The statue made a good model, both he and the dog were able to stand perfectly still. Of course, if you'll notice, he had to gie the dog a biscuit to get him to pose for me. I was very flattered.

I really want to get some pictures of Sullie and Bonfire Memorial, but I ran out of battery juice and there was a street preacher at Sullie (that's a different post).

Anyways, here are the pictures that I liked most:

quick update: let's add pictures

random pictures from everywhere

blackberry test

I stayed up way too late last night working on my research paper. I
spent all day on that thing yesterday, I barely went outside, I didn't
go to class, and didn't really leave my computer chair. To make it all
worse, it was beautiful outside and had an offer from Andrew for a
lunch date, but alas IT Asset Management won out and I slaved on the
paper all day long.

Today, after turning in my paper, I plan on taking some photographs
around campus. I must admit that I have secretly wanted to do this as
long as I have been on campus. I figured since today was going to be
beautiful and I didn't get enough rest for extreme physical activity
(read: cycling or climbing) I would relax and take pics.

Now, the real reason I wanted to blog today was to test
mobile blogging (I am on my blackberry pearl).

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

phoblography...explained

I got a new camera. and Phoblography sounds kind of cool.

The camera is a panasonic dmc-fz8 and it's a pretty good camera. there are several reasons I got the camera:

1. My dad has it and I liked his.
2. It has SLR-like features.
3. SLR-features did not include an SLR-like price tag.
4. Re-emphasize #3.
5. SLR cameras are expensive. Accessories to make them work are even more expensive.

I've really enjoyed using it. It takes good pictures and has been a fun hobby. I have enjoyed learning about the F-stop, shutter speed, lighting, composition, etc. Plus, it has been really nice to have some (more) good pictures of Becky.

Becky has been a good "model" for my pictures. She's beautiful and puts up with my desire to "experiment" with photos, effects, angles, etc (disclaimer: This is starting to sound dirty. I can assure you I am only referring to photos, as we have maintained our purity).

I got a lowepro case, which are supposed to be the gold standard (and my dad already had one), a 2gb SD card, and "borrowed" the family tripod. So far, the setup has proven to be enough, and am well on my way to becoming the next Ansel Adams.

I must admit, I'm not the best. I have tried to get "fresh" compositions and capture things in a new light, but that mostly means I've turned the camera sideways or tried to blur something out. However, it has been a blast.

My favorite things to photograph: Becky, Jax, flowers, and outdoor water faucets (I have no explanation for this).

hi, i'm patrick

Why yes, I would like that blog to go.

This is my first blog post in a while. I used to xanga, until that got mega lame, and now that I am determined to let google infiltrate every area of my life, I got a blogger (which is google). Becky and I have talked about starting a blog when we get married to keep everyone in the loop...and guess what... we eloped!! (Just kidding, that would have been uber-sweet though!) I figured a blog isn't the wafflemaker she won't let me use until we get married, so I began the journey.

First, let me explain that google is the best non-female thing ever. Although, every once in a while google will give you an unexpected error for no justifiable reason, and while this is female-like, I prefer to think of google as not having human parts, particularly female parts. But that's a whole different blog.

google is a noun, a verb, a miracle, a time saver, a time waster, a search engine, an email app, and all things wonderful. google can do many things, but google will not wait (stolen from a hallmark card Becky bought for someone not me). google does amazing things and they all seem to work. and they're mostly all mobile, which is awesome, thus me ordering this blog to go.

Well, I just wanted to start this thing off right. It did not have the blessing of Queen Elizabeth, but I think we'll be fine. If she had given us a blessing, it may have read: May God bless this blog and all those who read it.