My Schedule, Stress, Stupidity, and Surprise

I picked up my work schedule today after school, and next week looks horrible for me. Thursday, tomorrow, the last day of this work week, marks the start of a long week. I work 3:15-9 tomorrow, 3:15-10 Friday, 7-4 (truck shift) Sunday, 1-10 Monday, and 9-4 Wednesday. I requested off New Years Eve and New Years Day, so I better not get stuck trying to find someone who can work so I can make it to the NYE party.

Thank you, Northwestern College, for causing the most stressful twenty minutes of my recent life. Trust me, this wasn't an easy feat, but you succeeded quite well. How? Well, the notice that you hadn't yet received one of my recommendations for the Peale Scholarship was a good start (no worries, Janet, it was the other one). Of course, the nice guy filling in in the admissions office who just so happened to steal my name was very generous in letting me sort it out with my teacher so that the recommendation would be faxed to them this morning. Still, all you'll be getting is the written portion with a little notice that says the form was sent to you and it's the post office's fault you never received it. So take that, NWC!

On that note, more stress. I have two big research papers due Friday, and I'm just about halfway done with one of them (the less important one). This stress ties in with my stupidity, meaning I fell into some hardcore procrastination yet again recently. Thankfully, I have a nifty little stress poker chip from the lovely Kelly Castle that always helps relieve some stress (it's also lucky in poker tournaments).

Then, the surprise. I don't think I've ever mentioned in my blog how amazing Mariah is, and I probably should more often. She had asked me a while back if I wanted to go with her family to a Wild game this Saturday. We would've been in a gameday suite, which would've been tighter than a noose in The Crucible. Something came about where that wasn't going to happen, so she told me she had a surprise for me. Now, she and I will be going to the game on January 3, hanging out behind the penalty box. Have I mentioned lately how amazing my girlfriend is? I never have the resources to come up with any good gifts or surprises for her, so I'll have to think of something very clever to return the favor.

My nightime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep I ever got with a cold...medicine

Oh how I wish I had liquid Nyquil right now. I would love to be able to sleep, but this cough is keeping me up. Thankfully I have some homework to kill some time.

Council was a good time tonight. The pre-meeting meeting for youth reps was really just randomness, but it proved that we've got things fairly well in order.

Speaking of TEC, I showed up to school on Monday to a flurry of angry voices. Everyone was pretty upset at me for giving up One Act this year to serve at TEC. One of my good friends tried to give me a "You don't understand! We don't have enough guys!" speech, and I couldn't bring myself to give her my "You don't understand. I have priorities" speech. So I decided instead to ask her if she wanted me to apologize for putting service for God above One Act on my priorities. She said yes, and I told her, "That's too bad." There were two comments about my decision that kind of bothered me. The first one was meant to be sarcastic, but I just couldn't take it that way; "Aaron, is this thing just a cult that's taken over your mind so much that you won't even be in One Act?" The other one came from someone I have a lot of respect for, but they really shocked me when they said, "Oh, he just lives for TEC." I wish the potential Candidates from my school wouldn't be in One Act this year. Sometimes I feel like nobody I hang out with from school understands that it was this ministry that took all the masks I used to wear and tore them to shreds, burned them with that fire of Christ that was put inside of me.

I'm sick. I don't know what else to say. I wish I knew how to explain all this to them, but I know it won't happen. Yes, they're Christians, but I don't see many of them who have open enough minds to understand how important it is for me to go back and serve Christ at TEC just like I try to do in my everyday life.

Mi película español

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking how much you enjoy fine foreign films with subtitles; I, too, am a fan of Pan's Labyrinth. If you want to see one of the best Spanish videos ever, I know exactly where you should look (if you have Facebook, that is, and most of you reading this on Blogger do [all of you reading this on Facebook do]).

This video gives you the best features money can buy. It has movie/TV spoofs, a wicked fighting sequenc with some of the greatest moves you'll ever see, a low-speed chase, an upset Spanish teacher, and an ending that you'll never see coming.

Please, for your own sake, watch and enjoy the 2006 Spanish Video of the Year, and the theatrical feature I am the most proud to associate myself with:

Part 1
http://hs.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=21321326360

Part 2
http://hs.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=21338741360

If you can catch either of the two cameo appearances by TECcies (both Candidates at 59 and working 70 [not including me]) feel free to point them out. There's also a ninja who may be a Candidate at 70, but we're all still working on her.

Edit: There is yet another TEC cameo in the video that I forgot about. It is a Candidate from 62 that has not worked since they went through. All three of this person's siblings have worked a TEC at some point.