A Psychological Run

Today I went on a run that could possibly be the most taxing run on my mind that I have ever gone on. Many thoughts ran through my head, and more than often we were stopped and had to start up again along the way. We started off at my high school in Garner, and ran our way through town. It was really cold out and very taxing on my legs, as I was wearing shorts. I was running with my buddy Tyler and my brother Michael, both of who I respect as runners. Anyway, we ran through a part of town that is fairly new and dogs began to chase us! We slowed down and stopped and let the dogs sniff us for a while before their owner came out to talk to us for a while. We started up again just ten minutes into our run and continued our way through town for about 15 more minutes during which my brother got sick and had to turn around. Tyler and me then turned and ran down a very long road that is just straight out and back. There's something about running on a road that doesn't end for miles and is nothing but empty corn fields that is eerie. Not a scary eerie, the kind of eerie that you feel as if there is more to this life than you think. Seeing endless land just laying out before you makes one think of a more omnipresent presence out there. I like to think of it as a psychological run with God. An endless stretch of road where it is you, running, and a higher presence.

Faith and Wartburg

This blog is in regard to our discussion about faith on Wednesday.

I really enjoyed watching the Lutheran Song on Youtube and having a class discussion about Lutheranism and Wartburg. I thought a lot of people had many good things to say, and even though I didn't agree with everything that was said I thought as a whole my faith grew from the experience. I especially liked talking about how we perceive Wartburg as a "school of the church." The idea that Wartburg should be a school to challenge our faith more than nurture it was very eye opening to me. When I came to Wartburg I thought I would find many peers worshiping the same as me and as eager as me to test my faith in the "real world." That has not always been the case. My faith has been challenged as I am now responsible to worship on my own time and focus on what I want my faith to mean to me. I am faced with so many struggles everyday with how I want to live, and that helps me grow as a Christian. New temptations and sin come into my day all the time, and having strong faith helps me meet these challenges head on. I will further discuss this topic in my next paper about what I believe.

Erik

Table Tennis: A New Fad

Big chunks of my day are now laid out with one sole purpose, getting better at table tennis. Often referred to as ping pong, table tennis is a great sport and doesn't require a lot of sweating and running. Table tennis is a very inexpensive sport, paddles can cost anywhere from $5 to $50 and balls cost under $10 for a pack of six or more! More than usual I play with my pals Josh Hones and Josh Trueblood. Neither of them played much back in their respected towns, so I came into our games with a lot more field experience. I have a table back at home, and I utilized it very well. Although I usually beat up on both of them, they are getting better and our games last longer now. As Christmas presents we have even joked about getting each other new paddles! My first night at Wartburg I got beat by a person I should not have lost to. Since then I have attacked table tennis with a much needed enthusiasm that has led to many hours practicing my serves and backhands and endless nights on youtube watching professionals play each other. My knowledge has increased tremendously on this sport, and I feel that maybe someday I should enter a table tennis tournament. Even if that never happens, the memories of playing with some great friends will be beneficial for the rest of my life.

A "Heated" Debate

Today's debate on global warming in class got really heated! It was awesome to see a side of people that you don't usually see, and it was sometimes a little scary watching people tear each other apart. I enjoy debating immensely and for a while in high school I thought I wanted to be a lawyer when I grew up. I was involved in mock trial, my mom was the coach, and won two outstanding attorney awards in the two years I was involved in it. Although I get really nervous talking in front of crowds, thinking quickly on my feet is something I feel I specialize in. I'm the kind of guy that always wants my opinion to be right, and so I love tearing apart opponents, especially the opposing council in today's debate! I think it's the inner lawyer trying to get out. I'm going to change my major. I've already decided that being a Political Science major is probably the best fit for me. It matches up well with a history major as well, and possibly even law school??? Who knows... I guess I'm still stuck in this part of my life where I just want to keep running and playing my trumpet and gaining knowledge in my classes here at Wartburg. It's kind of scary when I think about it. I wish I could be one of those people that has their whole life figured out. But I guess I have to do what I do best, think quick on my feet :)

My dog Porgi

I have a dog named Porgi. She is a mix of a pug and a corgi, thus her name being Porgi. Since I left home I have missed her greatly and look forward with massive anticipation for the next week when I get to go home and play with her. My family got Porgi when I was ten years old. I still remember the first night she was with us she wouldn't stop whining and crying, so my dad stayed up all night with her and put her to sleep with some jazz music. Porgi is my dad's dog through and through, but I think that she is starting to miss me more and spends more time with me when I am home. Porgi's younger years were spend terrorizing my brother, sister, and me and all the neighborhood kids. She comes from a herding ancestry and is extremely good at nipping at the heels of people. Since then she has settled down quite a bit and has enjoyed countless days of naps and walks around our house ( we live on about a 4 acre yard in the middle of town ) Porgi's worst enemy is the word "downstairs" and whenever some says "downstairs" she will immediately begin to bark and start scratching the door to get to the basement. That is where her mortal enemy lies: the dreaded sump pump! It is hilarious to watch her growl at it and make sure that we stay away from it unless it might attack us as well. Porgi is getting old though. She has a bad hip and isn't much good for walks nowadays and she sleeps all the time. I will miss her when she leaves us and will spend as much time as I can with her before that day comes.

End of State of Fear

I just finished up State of Fear by Michael Crichton and loved it! What an excellent choice for a book about global warming, Mrs. Wright. What interested me the most was that Crichton used this book to express his opinions on global warming, his opinion being that he didn't really think that it was a major issue. I never thought that I would hear the day that I didn't think global warming was an issue anymore. That just doesn't sound like me! I wish I could be more environmentalist, but I'm kind of lazy and am just too busy all the time (sounds like a lot of bad excuses doesn't it...) Anyway, now that both sides of the issue have entered and gone through my brain analysis I have come to the conclusion that whatever Crichton says, I will believe. Haha! I have just come to respect Michael Crichton so much while reading his novels that his ideas just catch me and drag me along for the ride! For example, the ending of State of Fear really struck me that we need more groups to help support the impoverished people of the world and help give them food to stave off starvation. I believe there are bigger issues to address than global warming since all global warming is is a THEORY. State of Fear has drastically changed me outlook on global warming and in turn has made me more educated in this field of science. Thank you Michael Crichton.

Global Warming

This college experience is really making me think about many opinions I have had in the past. I have always thought that global warming was a major issue to this planet, but after reading State of Fear my opinions have changed. I believe Michael Crichton to be a very smart and influential author, and I respect him very much. I also believe that Al Gore and the many environmentalists of our world are also worth my respect. But who is right and who is wrong? Both groups back themselves up with a plethora of scientific charts, graphs, and evidence to support their theories, because global warming IS a theory as of yet. I suppose I am a little more biased to side with Crichton because I am a big fan of his books, and plus I am also a Republican. Putting all funny business aside for right now, I am having trouble determining what side to go on now that I know many more facts than I used to. Environmentalists say that the world we live in may not be here in 50 years because of global warming and some argue that global warming is a myth! Everyone in this debate is educated so it is a legitimate discussion with both sides pushing against each other. In the end though I may side with the group that says global warming is an issue, because even though it may not be in reality, the cutting back on inefficient energy consumptions may save our planet 1000 years from now.

My Trumpet and Me

The Spanish call a trumpet "trompeta" literally meaning trumpet in English. I play my trompeta here at Wartburg in the Symphonic Band. We had our first real concert last weekend and my family came over to watch! My dad was my band director in high school and it was an emotional concert for me as I watched him silently cheer me on in the crowd. Having my dad as my band instructor in high school was an honor because he is the person that I most respect in my life. If I end up being half the man my dad is then I will be happy. Watching him in the background as I played made me feel old. I never thought that I would see the day that I would be in college and not have my dad to help me out through a band program. He didn't hold my hand or anything, I learned to play well on my own, but he was always there when I had questions and now I have to go to different people to become a more educated band student. I have grown as a musician in the past few months and with a different instructor my horizons have been broadened. People are right when they say that you learn a lot about yourself in college, and I learned that even without my parents help I can accomplish many things on my own. It's a different way of thinking when you decide what's best for you and not having someone else decide what's best for you. One piece of advice that my dad left with me was to read the newspaper every morning and stay informed with the current events of this planet.

Hot Topic

I recently went to the Cedar Falls mall and entered a store called Hot Topic. My friend Josh Trueblood had a bad attitude upon entering the store, and in fact I had a bad attitude towards the store as well. We were looking for cool shirts that we could wear, shirts with bands such as RA RA RIOT and Band of Horses. Upon entering the store we were overwhelmed with New Moon accessories. That is really scary situation to be in when you are a good looking college guy. Teenage girls everywhere garbed in black shirts and black eye liner and goggling over everything with New Moon printed on it. We immediatly shot to the back of the store and found our shirts, but being poor college students we quickly decided that $20 was too much to spend on a shirt. I guess the moral of this story is that the store Hot Topic can be considered a hot and cold shopping event, one never knows what may jump out at them while in the store. There are really cool shirts with many neat bands, and then there are really weird accessories that make me flinch to look at. The whole shopping experience at a mall can be satisfying and an opportunity to learn what stores describe you. I would describe myself a Gap/Old Navy type of guy because I can be very stylish, while saving money at the same time!

My new Sport: Tennis.

I have recently fallen in love with the sport of tennis. I guess you could say that making friends with a tennis player probably made an impact on my acceptance of a sport that I am not very good at. I have always been a fan of watching tennis, but have never really taken up the sport as a hobby or for competitive play. Then I met Josh Trueblood. Josh is an avid tennis player and is on the cross country and tennis teams here at Wartburg. I met Josh as cross country camp and we soon became very good friends. He introduced me to the sport he loves to play and now I feel as if I could match his enthusiasm for the sport! Maybe not quite, but I now have a favorite tennis player, Rafael Nadal! So far I have played four or five pick up games of tennis at the courts here on campus and have throuhougly gotten beat by Josh. I keep a positive attitude though and feel that I am improving with every swing of the racket. I may even buy my own racket one day, but right now money is hard to come by... I wonder why? Anyhow, I now find myself reading the New York Times to catch up on tennis news and action and am sometimes even on youtube watching famous tennis matches. I do have a table tennis table at my house back in Garner, and frequently play that, but tennis itself is very tiresome and a good workout. Who knew that this sport would be so much fun! And I even gained a friend out of the deal.

Schoolwork

These past four days of Fall Break were very entertaining. I played a lot of table tennis, I had cross country practice every day, I watched many movies, went out to eat, met up with some high school friends, and even attended a couple of parties at night. All of that said, I did not do as much school work as I would have liked to... So I am fulfilling my day of rest with homework. God would not approve... Setting all jokes aside, I think I may have learned an important lesson here. School work should come before having fun at school's expense. I have a lot of money invested in my college education and thus should treat it importantly. My family has expectations for me; I have expectations for me. I realize that yes, I will probably get all of my homework done on this Sunday, but I feel rushed and stressed. I could have done a little bit at a time and been stress free on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, where now I am frantically writing papers and scribbling on note cards. In high school I could get away with zero work ethic and an excellent memory. College has taken my work load to the next level. I am having fun with my classes, but they are a lot of work. I think that I learn the value of work ethic when it comes back and bites me in the butt, not the way to learn a lesson. Even though I am sitting in my dorm studying frantically on the sabbath day, I know that I will try better next time to fulfill my duty as a Wartburg knight to put school before my fun time.

The end of Cross Country '09

Last Saturday my first season as a Wartburg cross country runner came to a close at the IIAC conference meet in Waverly. It was an up and down season for me full of both slow and fast times. Being a fierce competitor in high school it was tough for me to be at the bottom end of the food chain at the college level, but I knew that my freshmen season was all about getting involved in the system so that I could know how hard to train in the off season. My legs are sore, my body is ready for a break. It will be hard watching the varsity runners keep competing, knowing that if I was good enough I would be there too. But all I can do is watch and cheer now, knowing that next season I will give it my best shot to make it into the post season as well. Getting beat by Luther at the conference meet left a bad taste in my mouth that will make me hungry for the chance to beat them again next year. I look forward to an off season full of long, slow miles and then head into a long, but extremely fun track season! I am having a blast getting to know all of the cross country people and wouldn't trade any of this for all the money in the world! I feel that I have grown as a runner as well as a person this season and it has left me with many sweet memories that I will cherish for as long as I continue to run and live.