oh bother

DISCLAIMER: This blog post has a couple of references to boogers.  Please do not read this blog post if you do not want to read about things related to boogers.  I tried to describe it as sensitively as possible though, because I myself am a squeamish person when it comes to bodily stuff.

Illness is not fun…

And it seems like it is all around us lately.  H1N1 is not something people are trying to get.  We’ve had a few cases here on campus.

I had my semi-annual sinus/allergy problems this week accompanying the weather changes.  This of course came at the same time that swine flu was around with similar symptoms.  For this reason the nurse had me watch my temperature very carefully.  If my temperature got to 100 degrees it was an automatic quarantine for 24 hours until after the fever went away.

My temperature didn’t get that high…

But I thought about it, and there would be some neat things about being locked in my room…

ADVANTAGE ONE: You are forced to relax

ADVANTAGE TWO: You can watch movies.

ADVANTAGE THREE: You are forced to relax.

I have not gotten to experience the enforced relaxation yet, but I guess overall I would rather be healthy so I can keep busy.

But I have learned a lot of lessons from my sinus cavities…

LESSON ONE: The best time to blow your nose is within five minutes after taking a hot shower.

LESSON TWO: Eating cloves of garlic helps clear things up.  YUM.

LESSON THREE: I don’t know whether or not this is just a placebo effect going on, or if it really makes a difference–but Mountain Dew makes my sinus headaches go away.  I don’t really like the taste of Mountain Dew, but this seems to work.

LESSON FOUR: When the drainage causes my voice to go, I’m not sure what it sounds like to everyone else–but I think my voice sounds similar to Winnie the Pooh’s.

LESSON FIVE: I snore more horribly during this time.  One time freshman year I found kleenexes in and around my bed.  They were not mine.  I was disturbed.  I asked my roommate Daniel, who bunked above me, “Daniel, I found these kleenexes in and around my bed.”  He said, “Oh, sorry.  You were snoring so bad last night that I stuffed them in my ears.”  Shoot.

LESSON SIX: They say you need to drink lots and lots of water while you are sick.  So I always do.  But during this time you will find yourself having to get out of bed more often to use the restroom.  It isn’t the worst thing in the world to have to do.

LESSON SEVEN: Moustaches make blowing your nose more complicated.  I won’t go into detail.

I guess I should stop there…sorry.

Postal Service

Getting mail is very nice.

I used to not like to order things off the internet because I didn’t get the expedient satisfaction that I would when I bought something from Walmart.

But sometimes you don’t have a choice, and you must order an item online–but the feeling is super great when you find it has arrived to you via the United States Postal Service/United Parcel Service/Federal Express.  UPS is my favorite, because they have the best delivery trucks (different link for each word).

Now, I have been a big Switchfoot fan for several years, for maybe a decade.  I have purchased all of their albums (except their live ones–I do not like live albums) and so of course I pre-ordered their newest CD online back in September.

The album, called Hello Hurricane, is to be released this Tuesday, November 10, 2009.

I got this today:

I didn’t believe it at first.  I didn’t think I was supposed to get it until Tuesday.  But I opened it up and it was true! There it was.

Yes it was very nice.

Now, I have some news for you…

BAD NEWS: My camera charger is messed up.
GOOD NEWS: It had a two-year warranty.
GOOD NEWS: I bought it less than a year ago.
BAD NEWS: I have to mail it in for them to replace it.

So my next couple of posts may not have as many pictures.  But I will try to provide something good for you senses anyway.

WHAT’S GOING ON ON CAMPUS NOW???
Well, the Board of Trustees have been visiting.
You Can’t Take it With You is being performed.
Knox County Symphony is going to playing in our Chapel Auditorium tomorrow night at 8:00.  I go every year.  For the last two years I have gone every year :)
Homecoming is next week.

It’s a very exciting time.

attempt two

A week ago I posted the blog about mid-term break in Paulding County.  Unfortunately, while I could see the images on my web browser, I failed to realize they did not show up on other people’s computers.  I apologize for the lack of pictures.

I think I have it fixed now.

I am going to go now…but I will give you a good new post here soon.

Mid-Term Break in Paulding County

We didn’t have class on Monday or Tuesday.  This was in order to commemorate National Brandied Fruit Day.  Just kidding.  It is not a good idea for us to celebrate alcoholic holidays.

Instead we celebrate the middle of the semester!  Four days of freedom from academics come to the students of MVNU.  How do they spend those four days?

Some stay on campus and chill–or catch up on homework–or work.

Some go home and spend time with their families.

Some go on a mission trip to Washington D.C. with Mandate.

Some do other things.

This year I decided to go to my friend John’s house.  It was a nice little retreat.  We watched television and movies, ate food, and went on a canoeing adventure.

On the way to his house we decided to eat supper.  This is when I had my first (and perhaps last) White Castle experience.

It was good, just not a very good fullness-to-price ratio.

On the way to John’s house we passed many fields of corn.  John lives on a field of beans.  Soybeans.  Soy milk is squeezed out of soybeans.  I do not like soy milk.  But that’s okay.  It is still neat to go through a field of soybeans.   Regular milk does not come from Cowbeans.  That would make an interesting field to walk through though.

One day we went to Fort Wayne.  Fort Wayne is special because it is in a different state.  At the mall we saw this really neat shirt, that Colts fans who also own “wolves howling at the moon” shirts would choose to wear…

We also went to a store that has a bunch of halloween costumes in it.  I had to ward off an evil halloween monster.

Not only were his weapons sharp, but they were also shiny.

Bennett meets Bradley

I think I might post three posts in one weekend.  I hope to…

Post number one begins now:

Global Rhythms came back to MVNU.  This group of choir students from Miami University (OH) joins forces with diverse pro musicians to create a program featuring styles from all kinds of cultures, especially India and Africa.  I love it.  Especially the A.R. Rahman song they sang at the end, called Chale Chalo.  It’s been one of my favorite songs since they first performed it last year.  Click on this link to see the video from the movie it comes from.  They getting ready for a cricket match.  It’s exciting.

There was also a guy in the choir that my friends claimed looked like me.  I wasn’t sure.  He had big curly hair.  But in the dark he kinda did look like me.  I went and found him after it was over.  His name is Bradley.   I got my picture taken with him.  I only look like him when the flash isn’t on…

But when the flash is on, not so much.  Oh well…

Lai-lai-lai…

Some weeks I don’t know why I do any of the things I do.

I felt like that at certain points this week.

It’s hard to see the big picture.  Are the things I am doing really making a difference?  The community service things we do?  Am I helping anybody through them really or is it ever just something I do out of obligation?

Tonight a few of us went to the Laurels nursing home.  The first woman we visited was soon in tears.  She was dealing with an issue with a family member and she wasn’t sure what to do.  Either way it was a painful thing.

In those moments you feel almost useless.  What can you do to make her problem better?  Nothing.  None of us really knew what to tell her.  But we listened.  And we encouraged her…

And twice she said, “I’m so glad you came here tonight.”  She kept telling us what a difference we made visiting her.

All we did was walk into her room.

I watched the Prince of Egypt twice this week while doing things around the room.  It is a beautiful movie.  But this song sang by Moses father-in-law Jethro stood out to me today–it really makes a good point and it helped me conquer those feelings of doubt I’ve been having…

The McChicken meets the McDouble

Sometimes in College you find new ways to be unhealthy.  I don’t know if it’s necessarily the goal of the average student, it just happens.  You stay up late.  You perform stunts that are fun, yet potentially dangerous.  Tonight I was discussing McChicken sandwiches with my friends, and Kenta shared with us how he loved something he called the “McLovin’.”  We asked him what he was talking about.  He told us…

A McLovin’ is a McDouble (double cheeseburger) with the patty from a McChicken sandwich placed in between the two beef patties.  So, imagine a Big Mac–but instead of that unique bun in the middle of the patties there is a slab of chicken.  But no special sauce.

When my friend John and I heard of this phenomenon, we were slightly frightened.  But the temptation overwhelmed us.  We went to Mcdonald’s and both bought the necessary ingredients.  I bought an extra McChicken, just because I wanted one by itself.

We created our “McLovin’s” and took a picture with John’s cellular device.  Here is what it looked like two bites in:

It was edible.  But not preferable.  You know how eating fast food burgers gives you that “uuuuuhh–uhh” feeling afterwards?  This kinda gives you an exponentially more significant effect.  But the problem was afterwards I had two buns left, that only contained lettuce and mayo:

I ate it.  A lettuce and mayo sandwich.  It was much better than the McLovin’.

Then I ate my other McChicken with extra mayo and it was wonderful as always.  My count for the semester is up to 18.  Keep in mind a bit of those have been surprise gifts.

I don’t know that I will ever eat that experiment again, but I am always happy to try something new and healthy!

Hawkward Moments

BAD NEWS: It has been more than one week since I have posted.

LAME EXCUSE: I had sweet photos to share with you, but I saved it to the camera’s internal memory. So it would be necessary to use the USB cable to upload it, BUT I could not find my USB cable.

GOOD NEWS: I found it today.

GOOD STORY: We were sitting in Homiletics class.  I was having a great time learning about how to preach.  One great thing about this class is I get to sit next to my friends Seth and Brent, as well as behind my roommate (and friend) Daniel Coutz.  Seth sits on the left.  Brent sits on the right.

This class meets in Campus Center 243.  Now any MVNU student that has been in Campus Center 243 knows this classroom is special for two reasons:

REASON ONE – It has a sweet poster with leaders of the Holiness Movement of the 19th century, like Phoebe Palmer.

REASON TWO: There are two skylights in this room.  Fancy, right?  Yes.

Now on this particular day we heard a sudden scratching above our heads.  Seth and I look up.  There is an object on the window!  Dialogue happens…

BENNETT: What is that?!

SETH: It’s a hawk !

BENNETT: Whoa!

I happen to bring my camera with me everywhere in my bookbag, in case something like this takes place.  So I gave my camera to Seth and he took these photographs before it flew away into destiny:

Dr. Petersen, who was filling in as our professor that day for Dr. Houck, said that will probably never happen again.

I hope it doesn’t.  I hope next time a pterodactyl lands on the skylight.

That reminds me, this morning in chapel a baby in the back made a noise that sounded like pterodactyl.  Or at least the sound was what I think they sound like.  I’ve come to this conclusion based on my recollections of educational experiences in my life.  The perfect sound for a pterodactyl comes about in my mind as a result of the following formula:

SOUNDS OF JURASSIC PARK x  SOUNDS OF THE LAND BEFORE TIME XVII
SOUNDS OF THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS + SOUNDS OF CHILDHOOD NIGHTMARES

The end result is a sound similar to this sound (click on the word “sound” to hear the sound).

Okay, so the baby this morning didn’t sound quite like that.  But if you ever find me, I will imitate it for you.

CoSMO 2009

At the beginning of each semester, Community Service and Ministry Opportunities gives a presentation in a chapel service and gives students the chance to sign up for different community service groups.  John and Daniel helped me make a video for it.  I want to show it off so here it is:

ABCs of Summer – 2009 Edition

I want to summarize my summer for you, going into the new school year.  Here’s something for every letter of the alphabet:

A – A Hole is to Dig
I have a dream of publishing a children’s book.  So as I started early in the year, I decided to continue reading up on a large amount of children’s literature.  One favorite of mine and my friends is one titled, A Hole is to Dig, a classic my friend Nicole introduced to us.  It was written in the 1950s by a woman named Ruth Krauss.   Mrs. Krauss wrote many great books, most of which are very silly.  Maurice Sendak, author of the beloved Where the Wild Things Are, supplied many of her illustrations.  I recommend this book for purchase.

B -Bicycles
I bought a good bike off my friend this summer.  Three days later I was getting ready to go to the store to buy a lock for it, but I discovered that day that the bike was gone.  It never came back.  The good news is my friends Ryan and Lindsay Allen gave me a wonderful bike recently.  I am at peace.

C -Chalk
I decorated the outside of our summer apartment with chalk.  I tried washing it off.  You can still tell where it was.  I feel bad.  But I think there’s a pressure washer somewhere…

D – District License
I got my Nazarene District Minister’s License renewed for the West Virginia North District in June.  Woop!

E -Easy Mac
Instead of the cafeteria serving me meals this summer, I had to feed myself.  So I found good deals on easy-to-make foods.  I found cheap Easy Mac at Dollar General.  I bought too much of it.  I got tired of it.  Now I have two whole boxes left.  Anybody need some Easy Mac?

F -Free music
I bought an 8 GB flash drive.  It comes in handy.  It also came with a link to a site where I could download 50 free songs.  This was a glorious discovery.  I downloaded great music, and I listen to it all the time.

G -Grandparents
My grandparents came down to my home in Parkersburg, WV for the 4th of July holiday, which happened to be my Grandfather’s birthday.  I hadn’t seen them in a while.  They are special people.

H -Hockey
Hockey is right up there with football as my favorite sport.  And I have been a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins longer than any other team in sports.  They lost to my Dad’s team last year.  This year, they beat my Dad’s team.  And I got to see them win the Stanley Cup, the same year that my Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl.  It was a good feeling.

I -Ice Cream
Summer is a good time to eat Ice Cream.  The Dairy (will be featured in a future PIMVYKA) is a local ice cream place that gives large portions for cheap.  Also, a Coldstone opened up in town–but I’m not sure I will go there very often.  The Dairy is awfully good itself.

J – Job
My mother got a new job this summer.  This is neat.

K -Kokosing
I waded in the Kokosing River with my friend Bill one day this summer.  I found neat rocks.  And smooth glass.  And an old television set.

L – Lighter
I lost approximately fifteen pounds this summer.  Stupid Easy Mac.

M -Movies
I watched more movies this summer than probably any summer ever before.  I saw many popular movies that I had never seen before.  New favorites include: Enchanted, Chaos Theory, Star Trek, Phantom of the Opera, and Boy in the Striped Pajamas although it was horrifying.  Worst movie of the summer: Transformers 2.  Ugh, don’t get me started.

N -Nuptials
Lots of weddings happening.  I ushered my friends Jeff and Erica’s wedding in Michigan, but I missed Jared and Meagan’s wedding.  I made them a video to make up for it.

O – Oil Leak
My car had an oil leak.  It was an expensive repair.  I don’t want to think about it.

P -Prayer Rock Garden
My friend Brian Miller introduced me to an amazing Prayer Walk that a church has outside.  I had never seen it before.  I will show you pictures in a future blog post.

Q -Queen of Dairy
Dairy Queen is being built in Mount Vernon.  It’s got a cool looking building so far.  Lots of shades of brown.

R – Road Trip
As I said up there and in an earlier blog post, I went to my friends’ wedding in Michigan.  It was a four and a half hour trip there.  I went and came back on the same day.  It was one of the most fun road trips I have ever experienced.

S -Student Leadership Conference (SLC)
Student Leadership Conference is the week before the new students come.  During this conference all the student leaders (small group leaders, community service leaders, student government folk, resident assistants, etc.) get together and plan for year.  Its a very exciting time.

T -Trekkie
I am not a Trekkie nor will I ever be, but the new Star Trek movie was very impressive.  It was well cast and the plot worked well with the characters and the graphics.  There wasn’t a dull moment (unlike what you would find in the very first Star Trek movie).  I saw in the Mansfield dollar theater.  It was a good choice.

U – Umbrella
I have a new umbrella, with a neat rectangular shape.  It is from Knox County Hospital.

V – Visits to the nursing home
I visited the nursing home every week.  It was really a good opportunity to build relationships with the residents there.  I learned how to communicate better, and what to expect from each of them.

W – Welcome Week
Welcome Week was very exciting, and it just reached its close.  Lots of events welcoming the new students, and plenty of excitement surrounding move-in day.  All of the new students received these welcome bags that my former co-workers created:

X – X-tra Mayonnaise
I have developed a strong liking for McChicken sandwiches from McDonald’s.  For one dollar I can get something almost heavenly between two buns.  I always get them with heavy mayo, and a cup of water-no ice.  I love going to the drive-thru at night and seeing my favorite McDonald’s employee, Geri.  She is one of the nicest ladies I have ever met at a fast food restaurant, and I always hope she is there when I pull up.  She makes me smile.

I am keeping a tally of how many McChickens I eat this school year.  Class started on Tuesday.  So far I have consumed four.  One was a gift though :)

Y – Yummy
I rediscovered the amazingness of a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich this summer.  When I wasn’t eating Mac & Cheese, I was eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  The typical lunch would consist of three or four PB&J’s, usually with Aldi’s crunchy peanut butter, Smucker’s grape jam, on Walmart’s split-top wheat bread.

Z – Zesty
If I had to pick an adjective to describe the summer, it would be zesty.  That’s all I have to say about that.