Summer of Tommy 2.0

Oh my word. I don't think I am even going to try to account for the last who knows how many months it's been. But, just to get you up to speed:

The G8 has moved out of the Barn, sadly.
Newfound friend=Grant Snitker.
Left Seattle to take three courses in 5 weeks back at Moorpark.
Now I'm in Moorpark.

Great, feel caught up? Good, me too. I have about a week and a half left of classes. I've been taking: Social-Psychology, Abnormal Psychology and Women in US History. All have been good in their own special ways. Other than classes, since being in Moorpark I have: played scattergories and EveryBodyWins with my parents with occasional Alfred Hitchcock movie nights and a lot of house projects. I also have spent time with old-time friend david with prospects of making donuts soon. Oh and I dressed up like a cowboy once just for the heck of it.

In the near future Cynthia will be coming down and we will embark on a wild and crazy road trip across the whole freaking universe in my aunt's old-person-buick that beeps way too much. Here's the dig: day or two in MP, day or two in SD, week or so in Livertown, 48 hours in portland making a short film with Zeek, then a year or so in Seattle.

Sound good? Good. In other news, I shaved my beard. I feel inadequate and childlike now, but at least I have this one lasting image left for me to look back on:

I was in the middle of cursing at my computer for cutting my hair off.

Weekend of all Weekends

This last weekend was one of the greatest. It was the perfect balance between being ultra-productive and having some good ol' fashioned springtime fun. Here's the sketch:

Friday
hmwrk sesh.
Worked the Green Bean
Hosted a power-outage party at the Barn. We flipped all the breakers and lit about a thousand candles playing board games and tellin' stories. All our friends came and it was a good time all around.

Saturday
The day started off with a wonderful breakfast at Julias with Cynthia. We found a free bike on our way home (it's an old Ross street-cruiser. so good.)
After a great time with Cynthia I did tons of homework (preparing for my psych final) and then took a study break to go to Costco and fill up on some house food (+chicken bakes for lunch).
Upon coming home the sun came out, the temperature went up and the flowers sprouted, so Zeek, Nate, Grant and I took our studies outside. Enjoying the beautiful sun and flowers, I took my final and passed with flying colors.
Grant has been working on making a kite (see picture)- he finished it on saturday so we took it down the hill to gasworks park for its maiden voyage. Turns our Zeek's never flown a kite, so we called it the S.S. Zeek. The kite never took flight, and eventually broke under the pressure of gale force winds...go figure.
We then cooked up some burritos and brought the projector out to our front lawn and watched A Few More Dollars projected on the side of our house. So good.

Sunday
Waking up leisurely, I got some homework done, then Cynthia, Rachel, Zeek, Grant and I took off to the East and went hiking around Granite Mountain. It was a beautiful day for a hike in the mountains, that's for sure. I finished the night out on the clock at chocolati.

Now it's wednesday. I'm fervently working on my Ancient History course (dubbed the baby course...because it's a nine month long course..) in order to finish it in time. I suggest none of you take a nine month long online course ever in your life.

More news on an Aurora tour, Zeek and Tommy's Viral videos and Lingua movement in the near future.

Music for Brothers

This post if for my current-African brother, Matt, but everyone is welcome to inquire. Here is the music i've been listening to lately...you also should listen to all of this:

Sholi
http://www.myspace.com/sholimusic

Bill Callahan/Smog
http://www.myspace.com/smoggertone

Pretend (Joel morgan's band)
http://www.myspace.com/pretendrock

Ben Kweller (his new album is really good, country-like)
http://www.myspace.com/benkweller

Dan Deacon
http://www.myspace.com/dandeacon

Murder by Death
http://www.myspace.com/murderbydeath

Operation Ivy
seriously. i don't know why.

There you go. Bring this goodness to Zambia.

Lake 22

Alex Park's pictures from a hike Moorea, Dan, Alex Park and I went on in the Cascades)

Leangwhat?

This is post number one of a two-post barn-burning Wednesday update!

The primary reason for this post is to deem the last post null and void. Long story short, by way of some fancy scholastic and organizational footwork conducted by the benevolence of our good Lord in heaven I have dropped my intense history course that I spoke of earlier and of decided to pick up another class (ironically, the same class, but in person at Harvard on the Hill) in the summer. So life is the same ol' laid back, freewheelin', chocolate scarfin' life that it has been :)

I've officially started my paid position at the non-profit coffee shop/community center, the Green Bean. This is place is really somethin' else...it's nice to be a part of a business that is focused on fostering healthy community and welcoming those who aren't welcome. It has given me a refreshing hope for humanity after working for businesses that fit the mold of a selfish capitalist all too well (no, i'm not a communist. It just gets depressing to watch companies step on whoever they have to in order to keep up profitable clientele...anyhow, different discussion for a different day). I'll be working at the Green Bean on Friday afternoon/nights. If you're in Seattle, you should come hang out.

AND, I am now the Editor and Chief of Lingua next year! Lingua is the arts group on campus that compiles a student art journal every year and also puts on various events and such throughout the year. I'll be in charge of that group next year- very exciting...now if only I can get a confirmation that i'll actually be attending spu next year....

That just about cuts it for this update. oh, I went to the tulip festival this last weekend, but I won't talk about that until I get some pictures from dan.

This is from the Agape Feast on Easter eve

Crap that is Indeed Holy

Holy crap. What have I gotten myself into...today marks the first day of my third current online class. This is a super fast, five credits in four weeks kind of deal. Looking over the syllabus today my head just about exploded. the next month and a half is going to be so busy. oh so busy...because, if you remember, I'm still rockin' chocolati, the green bean, kspu, and now lingua (yay!)...all the while enjoying friendships and sunny seattle spring. Which, enjoying friendships and sunny seattle spring could be a full-time endeavor all by itself :)
Anyhow, that is what it is, and that is how it's gotsta to be.

The Barn had an afternoon of spring cleaning yesterday, and let me tell you: so nice. So, come visit, enjoy a clean Barn, and I won't have time to hang out with you.
and my beard is really big.

marriedtothesea.com

Easter Thank Yous

All my friends and I spent Easter weekend in Oregon at Zeek's parent's house. We played with Sheep, dyed eggs, played soccer, and danced our way into Easter with an Agape feast. Hannah and Cynthia are working on a thank you letter (see picture).

Life lately has consisted of working the chocolate mines, planning David Bazan's show at spu, trying to become the Lingua editor and chief for next year, online classes, enjoying the wonders of wheatpaste, and going hiking. Oh yes, and I turned 21. woo

birthday fun

Spring Brake

I am officially the worst blog-person in the world wide web...but I think I'm okay with that. Anyhow, here I am with the wonderful Cynthia Haan in Portland visiting Jim, Robin and Amalea. This is night three of our week and a half long spring break trip down the coast. But, I suppose that before I start talking about this trip I should touch on the last month and a half of my life.

Let's see, Cynthia and I celebrated our one year anniversary last month...and then promptly celebrated Valentine's Day. Valentine's day was wonderful. Cynthia sent me on a scavenger hunt across town and led me to a mom's meatloaf made dinner in a fort in her room. Simply spectacular. Since then, I've been working a lot. Riding my bike in unfavorable conditions a lot. Planning a lot. Failing at planning well a lot. Been sad about Tim Blok moving out of the barn. Cut my hair. Had my fingernail fall off in great disgust. Talked to Matt in Zambia. and, well, I suppose that'll do for now.

Cynthia and I are embarking on a big ol' tag-a-long trip to each of our (hopefully) homes. We are driving on the coat-tails of our dear friends ashley and pj as they make their way to pj's home, which is conveniently quite close to Cynthia's home. If all goes well we will be able to make it down to the good old kraproom to celebrate the slew of Castle birthdays that are jammed into this week and next.

Our time here in Portland has been good. Jim and Robin are two of my favorite of people and I am really glad that they are living in Portland now...because I like Portland...and I like them. Anywho, at this rate I probably will not write again for another month or so, so I wouldn't bother checking this for at least another month. But who knows, maybe I'll surprise you and myself and write sooner

.

In the Last..

Let's see, in the last month or so I have:

taken five credits of school on the world wide web.
learned what it's like to work full time.
had a brother confirm he's moving to Africa.
will have been dating a single person for a whole fricking year.
learned the joy of befriending people without homes.
welcomed home dan from Turkey.
eaten my body weight in chocolate.
drank 2x my body weight in coffee.
will have visited jim and robin, finally!!!
become a professional fire builder.
shaved.
not done a lot of things that i've really wanted to do.
being able to save some money again.
thought about biking around iceland this summer.
slammed by finger in a door.
drilled a whole in my injured finger with a power drill.
written roughly fifty pages of school essays in four weeks.
made fried egg on toast approximately 20 times.
grow my hair out.
schemed.
began journaling,
enjoyed community.


That's a good list. making this list makes me pretty happy, i was kind of worried about make such a list in fear it would be really lame. but this is not lame.
i miss my ma, pa, bro and sis quite a bit these days.

This is zeek distracting me while i try to study- shame on you zeek

Complaint Free

Boomshakalaka. I am a complaint free citizen! Well, perhaps not completely, but I am well on my way. Cynthia's parents sent us Complain Free bracelets to wear together. These things are a part of a larger movement that promotes positive interaction and seeks to remove the constant quibbling and complaining out of society's speech- a kind of speech we all have become too accustom to. So, Cynthia have taken on the complaint challenge and are charging forward with all engines. Here's the scoop:

Wear the bracelet and whenever you complain you must switch the wrist at which the bracelet resides (ie, left to right or, right to left) and you are out for the day. The idea is to not have to switch the bracelet for twenty-one days (the twenty one days is not arbitrary, but in fact Science says it takes twenty one days to develop a habit).

I'm really excited to try this out. It is so easy to sit back and complain about the wonderful life i've been given and difficult to swallow my pride and think positively about the good.

well, I was going to write significantly more on this, but my computer is about to die and I keep getting interrupted (which is all too reasonable saying I'm at work).