In two weeks I’ll be done with school. Like, done done. Like, graduated from college done, and I’m not coming back done. (Well, probably. Not for a while anyway.) It’s a little bit terrifying: school is all I’ve ever known. For 22 years (minus the first few that I wasn’t in school) my mind has been shaped into the nine-month year. Even now I find myself thinking, “Well, when life starts back up in the fall…” But it’s not like that anymore. I’ll be working a regular job the whole year. What do I have to look forward to? Will it be more or less exciting? Will it be more or less monotonous? More or less drudgery? More or less friends? More or less work? More or less humdrum existence? So far, I’ve always had a milestone in my life that’s not very far away: finish middle school. Graduate from high school. Graduate from college. What’s the next milestone? Retirement? The next job, somewhere a few years down the line? Marriage? Buying a house? Having a kid? Buying a dog or a minivan? Reduced insurance rates at 25? Paying all my bills by myself?
There are certain types of existences which I have never wanted, which I have always been repulsed by. One of those existences is living in a suburban household with a white picket fence, where every day is the same and my whole life is filled with soul-destroying repetition and drudgery. I’m frightened that that’s what’s going to happen to me, now that I’m “growing up” and “becoming responsible”, now that it’s time to “settle down” from those “wild days” of college.
Thankfully Christ is the solid rock upon which I stand! He never changes, which means that, though I have many unanswered questions about the future, there is a stable point in the ocean of fears. And although he never changes, this does not mean he is stagnant or boring. He is always complex, always mysterious, always new. So I receive both stability and exciting newness from his wonderfully open hands. Thank God!
Acromania: The results are in. Congrats to Cary for winning this round. I’m sorry it took me so long to get this round over with, I was waiting for someone to post a submission which they never did. I’m going to try to have faster rounds in the future. For next time: NASA.
April 20th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
Thank you sir . . .
I must say, life is what you make it; monotony is a choice as I see it. Even moreso, I have recently learned that life will NEVER be dull if we are living for the glory of God, and yes, you are so right on with what you said. I find enjoyment and contemptment at my job just by challenging myself to do my very best for God, acting as a true Christian with everyone, and being a cornerstone that others may see as an example. It has been awhile since we have last chatted, and so many things in life have changed . . . for good. I have been convicted, thus my spirit in God has become overly predominate. It has been fairly new . . . a couple weeks, but it is exhilarating . . . I am excited to read the Bible, go to church, and even help with community service . . . very different.
Anyways, do not fear . . . there are always things to work toward, and if nothing else, there is always, ALWAYS the glory of God.
NASA? Hmmm . . . Narcissistic Android Singles Association . . . hey, it’s the future in specified dating organizations.
-cary-
April 21st, 2007 at 9:12 am
Oops. Forgot the last one. I’m just getting done with midterms now and got caught up in everything.
Nike Always Sucks Ass.
April 22nd, 2007 at 1:32 am
Midterms? In late April?
And yes, you did forget the last one. I had to check like five times to make sure I didn’t just miss it.
April 27th, 2007 at 6:35 pm
North American Space Agency!
Kidding.
Never Agree to Screen Apples. You know…like the poison kind.
May 3rd, 2007 at 10:02 pm
I’ve missed you sir, I haven’t heard from you in awhile, although I have attempted to contact you a few times. Congrats on finishing school, I am two summer classes away from graduating myself. Anyways:
Nerds Are Socially Awkward
And I think this still fits the alliteration bill since most NASA employees are most likely rocket nerds and therefore most likely awkward when not thinking of new ways to go boldy where no nerd…….er…..man has gone before. \\ //,
May 5th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
In the personals:
NASA Astrophysicist Seeking Astroparticle-physicist
May 13th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
Nihilists Always SEEM Awesome
It’s a little motto I live by.
June 4th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
How did I wait over a month between Acro sessions? Man, I’m going to have to get on my game if I don’t want this to die out.
Okay. Submissions this time were all very good. I really, really had a hard time choosing. There wasn’t one that I didn’t like. So I chose Kevin, since he hasn’t won yet and he’s been playing faithfully since the beginning. Everyone else gains a level. Keep in mind that you must rest at least eight hours before gaining the benefits of your new level.
Oh, and Cary gets an additional quarter point for giving a thoughtful response to my post. This rockets him into first place! Oh yeah! And Kathlyn and Indo get an additional .05 points per badgering for badgering me about getting this result set done. For Kathlyn I think that’s three comments and a wall post for .2 total, and Indo the wall post for .05. HOWEVER with a bonus like that, Kathlyn would take first place, which would contradict what I said earlier about Cary being in first place, so Kathlyn takes a .03028355126 point penalty for booing me with a British accent. That brings her to 1.29999999999 points, or second place.
These may seem like a lot of bonuses and subtractions, but keep in mind that the current first place score is only 1.3, which is a mere 30% over and above a single win. Winning even once is a massive point gain compared to any bonus, even for people who have consistently been getting bonuses. Therefore you are all encouraged to continue trying to think of the wittiest, funniest, most-grammatically-correct phrases.
June 5th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
At the risk of you retaliating and taking away points, I say this: Cary gets points for giving a thoughtful response. This is good. Kathlyn takes time on multiple occasions to remind you to let us play the game. This is good. Eric takes points away from Kathlyn just so she isn’t winning. This is not good. A good game involves frequent changes of leaders, even within the evaluation post. Especially within the evaluation post, since that is the only place that commentary and excitement occur.
I demand you think about your motives before adding or subtracting points. Doing either just to move someone’s placement around is unacceptable.
June 5th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
And not to be a point jerk, but I also heckled you on AIM.
June 6th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Would not Kathlyn becoming the leader for a mere moment followed by an immediate change back to Cary in the lead be frequent lead changes?