Stardate: -316373.7

Here's a picture of my new car. It's a 1994 Mazda Protege. I like it a lot. And here's another picture.




















Last, but certainly not least, is a picture of my new laptop, a Dell Inspiron E1405:

Stardate: -316371.64

I have no games this week. Summer ball starts after the state high school playoffs, hopefully by the first week of June at least. I drove to Harrisburg on Monday with another umpire, only to find out that there was no game. At least I get paid for driving out there. Kind of an inauspicious way to end my first high school season.

I biked to Springfield yesterday and had lunch with Vjera. It was interesting to me to see the wide variety of people that I rode by on the bike path: Homeless people still all bundled up as if it were 40 degrees; random people strumming guitars; business people taking walks during their lunch hour and chatting avidly; and every once in a long while, a hardcore biker in spandex breezing past me, not an easy feat considering that I don't exactly meander myself.

Speaking of which, I need to go to Springfield again for the umpire meeting tonight, so I'll have another opportunity to do ride-by people-watching.

Stardate: -316358.64

I can't upload a picture to this post right now. I don't know if the problem is with Blogger or our internet connection. It's frustrating to have such a fast computer and such slow internet. We're trying to upgrade our internet, but it hasn't seemed to have had any effect yet. What it is a beautiful thing, though, is when I look at the battery meter when my laptop is disconnected and it says there is 4 hours and 58 minutes remaining, and that is only 73% of the battery power. I'm quite glad I have a nine-cell battery.

Earlier this week I was at a parking lot in Eugene and I saw a car that had a lot of bumper stickers on it. So, being the nerd that I am, I pretended to talk on my cell phone while I intentionally wandered (is that an oxymoron?) around said car and counted all of the bumper stickers. 155. That's a lot. My favorite, easily, was the one on the front of the car that said, "I HATE bumper stickers."

Yeah, right. I don't believe it.

Another week, more people over to our apartment. This week it was girls on Tuesday and Wednesday night. J.C. barbecued on Wednesday night, and nearly died in a dramatic explosion (or so he tells me). Then tonight, I invited my parents and younger brothers over to have dinner with me. My sisters were both busy. I guess, in a small way at least, it was a coming of age for me as an adult, to have my own apartment and to invite my parents over for dinner and cook for them. I'll never repay them for all the meals they cooked for me, or the countless other things they gave me, but at least they know I love them in return and that I made it to adulthood.

Stardate: -316339.07

Today I was attempting to unlock the door to my apartment for the first time with my new key and the key got stuck in the lock. I called management, went to do a game, and when I came back, there was a new doorknob.

Then I was taking a shower and the water wasn't draining. My roommate, David, went in to check it out, and informed me that you have to hold the handle at just the right place.

I guess this is why we pay $100 a month less than we would if we were at a different apartment complex.

Stardate: -316335.37

A week later, and my laptop is here. Maybe I'll post a picture of it sometime, after I have my Canon photo software installed on here.

It's interesting, and perhaps quite remarkable, that this is the first computer I have owned. I made it through five years of college without one, just using the computers in the library and those at other common places on campus.

There's hope on my part that having a computer will result in more blogging. Perhaps also more writing in general, more keeping in touch with people via e-mail, and maybe I'll even join a social networking website (probably a good bet that the first one won't be MySpace).

I remember that about a year ago, I was reflecting with one of my friends that it was interesting that I was at the end of my five years of college and I did not have a car, a cell phone, or a laptop. (Actually, I didn't have a bicycle or a digital camera either.) Now, here I am, and I have all of them. Do I feel different? Not really. But I have a growing conviction that with every thing that I own, I have a new opportunity to honor God and impact the world.

So, maybe I am different than I was a year ago. Maybe a lot.

Stardate: -316329.85

One of the things that J.C. and I have talked about as roommates is inviting people over to our apartment, for dinner or the like. We'd like to do it an average of at least once per week.

Our first experience with this was last Thursday. We invited nine people, most of whom came because we planned it while we were at college retreat. J.C. and I were both gone for several hours before dinnertime, so earlier in the day I had chopped chicken and vegetables and threw them in the crockpot. I also set the rice cooker on delayed timer.

In retrospect, the evening was a success. But when I reflect on why, I can't pinpoint it on the food or the odd and sarcastic conversation, though both were very enjoyable. Maybe it's because there's something about connecting with other people our age, people who in a some way are in a similar place in life as we are, and finding a sense of camaraderie with them.

So, thank God for crockpots and rice cookers. But even more, thank God for friends who make life less lonely.