July 23, 2001

I am at work right now. Back working in the computer lab on-campus. Yes, I have a job. In fact, since last wednesday, I have 3 jobs, which have been really a blessing for me. Like I said before, God has provided in abundance, which is really great. Since last wednesday, I now work at our student bookstore, in the computer lab, and at Kaplan. Unfortunately, Kaplan has not gotten back to me about training and such. I hope they do soon. Otherwise, not much has been going on in my life. That's kind of where I stand now. Not much going on. It is definitely much better than just sitting at home, on the computer, or in front of the television. I have come to realize (yeah, I know, after 4 years of college) that home is just not a constructive place for me to be. It's weird how a certain place can evoke a certain feeling. When I am in my apartment, it is a feeling of inaction, of being in a rut. It's like I cannot fight the calling of my computer and the television, enticinging me to spend time with them. This feeling of assoctiation is interesting, though not necessarily in a good way. At least not in my apartment. Fortunately I feel the need to study when I step foot into a library. So anyway, if I am out of the house for most of the day, even better for me. I purposely scheduled my work at the bookstore to start at 8am on weekdays, so that I could take advantage of my mornings, and discipline myself to spend my time more wisely. I think it is working out, though waking up at 7am is tough. I should get used to it, though, because when I finish school (many years from now), I will not be able to wake up at 11am or noon like I'm used to doing. Also, not having much money this summer has been good for me as well. Saving money is a good thing, and I have had to do much of it.

All this work is also good because when I am not home, I am active. That means my thoughts are on whatever task I may be doing...leaving less room for my mind to wander into sin. You may thing that this also means that I have less time to think about God, but I know I don't spend enough time with him as it is, but before I found employment, I wasn't spending any more time with Him, so it's not like working is preventing me from spending time in meditation and prayer. In fact, I am feeling more of a sense of urgency and need to pray and read the Bible. I think I am learning mor eand more the true value of time. I hope it will translate to me being more studious as well.

On a lighter note, I have been doing some reading for leisure this summer, something I have not done for a long time. I have been able to read for fun the books that I have enjoyed when I was younger, mainly in the genres of scifi and fantasy. I read a book by Terry Brooks in the Shannara fantasy series, as well as L.A. Confidential, by James Ellroy. This second book probably sounds familiar because it was made into a movie starring Kevin Spacey and Russell Crowe. But I have to say that like most books adapted to the big screen, this book is much better than its movie counterpart. It goes way beyond the movie in terms of plot complexity and character interaction and development. I would have to say that the movie is a more idealized, stripped down version of the book, with about 20% of the book's complexity. Ellroy's writing style is like nothing I've read before either. He uses multiple adjectives and abbreviations, and it seemed to me that he dared the reader to keep up with his pacing. There were a number of occasions where I had to read a paragraph, a page over again because I did not get what he was saying the first time. But it was a good read. The book I am currently reading is Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. I have read this book numerous times in the past, but I am reading it again so that I can get all the details down for when the movie version comes out this December. Check out the website, lordoftherings.net to see the trailer. It's really cool. I am so SO excited about this movie, almost to the point of obsession. It's not healthy, but it's hard for me to keep my excitement down. I encourage everyone to read the Lord of the Rings this summer, or at least before the movies come out. FYI: Lord of the Rings is broken up into three volumes, the Fellowship of the Ring, the Two Towers, and the Return of the King. The movies will be split up in the same way, with the first coming out this December, the second in December 2002, and the third in December 2003. I hope it will be bigger than Star Wars, because it surely deserves to be. Okay. Closing time soon. Cya later.

Thoughts Index

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws