Stardate: -316157.85

Well, it's a dead week and I have three, maybe four, things I have to do this week: One, or maybe three, basketball games, an umpire meeting, and an umpire clinic.

So what am I doing with my time, you ask? That's a good question:

• Brainstorming about a new third part-time job to do in place of Alvord-Taylor (it's only a matter of timing as to when I quit)
• Reading The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
• Having lunch with Vjera, dinner with my family, hanging out with J.C. and Bethany later this week
• Taking walks in the rain for fun
• Avoiding riding my bike in the rain (I enjoy biking, but it becomes considerably less enjoyable when it's wet)
• Blogging at least twice (hopefully) and catching up on e-mails
• Finding/buying umpire equipment

Maybe it's a good thing I don't work very much at the moment...

Stardate: -316143.5

Now begins the dead period (of sorts) between basketball season and baseball season. About three weeks long, the relative lack of work I will have might have bothered me before. But recently, upon concluding that my goal in life is not to earn as much money as I can, and having been liberated from the related values of American workaholism (see the Link below to read my thoughts on the American Dream), I'm okay with having more free time.

In the meantime, I've started reading more actively, knowing the reading has the capacity to challenge me in a way that few other things can. On a slightly more humorous note, my favorite thing about baseball umpire training so far is the opportunity to make ninja noises when we call strikes (okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit). At any rate, I like that my life is interesting, and I'm endeavoring to make it even more so.

Stardate: -316127.26

It's late and I need to go to bed, but I thought I might give a few snapshots of things I did this week, in no particular order:

• Pedaled madly to make it to my game at South Eugene High after running (riding?) an errand elsewhere in Eugene
• Rethought certain beliefs I have between chapters of the book I'm reading while sitting on my family's living room couch
• Sang "Oh Where is My Hairbrush" to my little nephew Josiah while holding him in my arms
• Watched Eddie and Vjera open their massive pile of wedding presents
• Soundly beat my friend Bethany in Gin Rummy
• Left a phone message for a friend while riding the EmX rapid transit bus from Springfield to Eugene
• Blew my whistle 1,149 times in basketball games (actually, I didn't count, but that number is a rough estimate)
• Balanced my checking account and did my budget for the next month
• Woke up to the same song by Rebecca St. James three times: "If I had one chance to tell you something, it's that you are loved, more than you can ever know."

Sounds like a good week to me...

Stardate: -316113.98

Yesterday, at the wedding of my sister Vjera to Eddie Thompson, I had the distinct sense that God had brought them together, which was perhaps the best thing about what was overall a most wonderful wedding. I sort of knew a year ago, shortly after I first met Eddie, that there was no way that she would find anyone better for her as a spouse and companion than he is. My interaction with them over the past six months since I have moved back to Oregon has confirmed that, and I've also been quite pleased with how natural, fun, and serious their relationship is, as well as how inclusive they are toward friends and family.

As I reflected on the simple and (mostly) traditional ceremony held at Eugene Faith Center late yesterday morning, I am reasonably sure that I have never seen Vjera smile so much in an entire day than she did in just a few hours. She definitely looked more glamorous than I've ever seen her, her hair and makeup done tastefully and gently enough to remind everyone there that my sister is beautiful, something I've always known about this young woman who grew up with me and couldn't hide her inner beauty despite her best efforts to look as plain as possible.

I am confident that I have not lost one of my best friends, but traveled with her to another stage of her life; conversely, I am confident that I officially gained what I actually acquired a year ago when I first met him: Another brother, tied to my family in the reality of spirit and laughter more than in just legality.

So as I listened to the music of Came to My Rescue while Eddie and Vjera were taking communion together yesterday, I thought about how the words fit Vjera so well, and I thought that she might rewrite the song to say: "I called, You answered, and You gave me a husband."

Stardate: -316091.46

Considering my relative lack of desire to take training hours at another house, I'm seriously thinking about not working regularly for Alvord-Taylor in any capacity. As much as Mohawk House was at times stressful and high maintenance, it was at least interesting and somewhat challenging, which are not things that I have experienced at many of the other houses I have worked at.

The outcome of that train of thought for me at the moment is that I am considering becoming a baseball umpire. My experience as a soccer referee in the fall made it clear to me that the transition to other sports is not as difficult as I once thought. I've enjoyed watching both football and baseball at times, so I will probably give those sports a try. The advantage of baseball for now would be that it is the only major high school sport in the spring/summer, and would give me another source of income and more flexibility for my work situation even into the fall, when I could do soccer again, try football if I want, and basketball season would be again around the corner.