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im_cavin_in
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Name: jamie
Location: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Birthday: 8/2/1981
Gender: Male
Interests:
Jeee-sus
Young Life
Music *playing/ writing / listening / discussing*
My teams *Iowa, Kansas, the Royales, + the Cubs*
Frisbee
Deep convos
Cheap gas station coffee
Chiiiipotle
Wintergreen Orbitz gum
Being counter-culture to the counter-culture...if that makes any sense
People who challenge my noggin'
Expertise: making mix cds
chatting with babes online *had to have a shameless ND quote*
overanalyzing
smelling good *ok, maybe not...dangit!!*
laughing at pretty much anything
cheering for the above teams and being wayyyy too heartbroken when they lose...unless it's the Royals, then I survive
buying hats
wasting time on the web of world wideness
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  CJamesPTF
MSN: jtfromic
Member Since:
1/19/2005
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| big day #1 - arrival in seattle
(since then...much moving in + settling + ikea, etc.)
this is the park less than a mile where i live...green lake, lots of running, recreation + goodness:
i won't go into detail, but seattle has been great, i've been enjoying it immensely. 20 minutes of rain in 2.5 weeks, pretty happy with that so far.
big day #2 - new running shoes
yeah, they're pretty sweet. it's weird having a different brand of shoes after going hardcore asics for the past 3 pairs. i can feel how the nike's fit me differently, which is nice, but takes a bit to get used to. i can feel my foot being stretched a bit differently, and callouses developing in new places. plus they look kick-A.
big day #3 - saturday
iowa football. game one. montana grizzlies. serious, serious business.
Albert Young...running back. badass, huge part of the hawks this year. FYI, i will be getting up at 8am and leaving at 8.30 to catch the 9am PST kickoff from kinnick. And yes, there is an Iowa bar in Seattle that is open at this time, serving breakfast when Gameday starts. Hawk fans are hard to beat.
big day #4 - sunday night
yeah, i'm seeing dmb @ the gorge, night there. typically a highlight of the summer tour, the gorge is a fantastic place to see a show. and i got tickets a week ago, for less than face. they're lawn, which won't be a great view...but i think i'll cope. my first dave show in a couple years, yeah, i'm excited.
big day #5 - 1st day of school!!
ok, so this isn't a Mars Hill photo, but it was on the website, and it fits...it's artsy, nuff said. so anyways, it's my first day of school in a few years, and i'm pretty excited. it will be a long day, 9am-7pm...but i'm sure adrenaline and excitement will get me through. now if only Amazon would deliver my books so I can have one of them read by Tuesday.
now, time for the only serious note of this blog...
since returning from my assignment at wildhorse (lots of thoughts on this i won't start on), i have really, really been thinking about my motivations for my actions. good, bad, and mindless. i have come to realize that i often do things out of boredom, the need is borne from familiarity rather than compulsion. so it has been curious to get out of myself a little bit and realize that this is how i am. it has been a stark realization in the face of my sinfulness. i have seen that i fall to temptation not out of a real desire to follow the temptation. rather, it seems like my thinking is "eh, i'm not doing anythign else, and this is kinda what i always do..." and thus, I give in, even knowing what I'm doing is foolish and destructive (to myself or another). i was wandering through the Bible while thinking about this, and it gave some interesting direction + thinking points. i won't get too deep into any of it, but it was good.
so, off on this grand adventure of the next few months. it will be interesting, too be sure.
take care, friends, love Jesus.
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lots i could talk about...i was in florida last week with ku friends. it was glorious, i won't get into to much detail. lots of sitting on the beach, a little sunburning, much laughter w/me + mr. benjamin statler.
now i'm in washington. kennewick right now, hanging out with katie, which has been fantastic. kennewick is kind of a cool little community, part of the "tri-cities." it's suburban, but with no big city around it...if that makes sense. more on being in the PacNW later.
this is stuff that has been floating around/popped up in the mind. not in order of importance, so don't take anything toooooo seriously.
Apparently the #2 for Al-Qaeda, "Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the most wanted man in Iraq, was killed in a coalition airstrike near Baquba, jubilant U.S. and Iraqi authorities announced Thursday." Now, I truly believe this is a good thing, but it is interesting to see how people react to it. I found out through a message board for the band ...of a revolution (of all places), and most people were celebrating, putting up a little emoticon of two guys hoisting beers in toast. I can't say that I share in celebration of someone dying, no matter how awful. I am thankful, and sad that such a man was allowed the power to guide many awful things to happen. But i just can't be joyful in that. This is coming from someone who would avoid running over ants while riding a bike, which explains 2 things: my respect for any kind of life....and my propensity to crash while bike-riding.
So I know I shouldn't lust over material possessions, and usually I don't, but every once in awhile, something comes along that makes me think..."wow, that's fly." And I saw this jacket in an adidas commercial with David Beckham. Now Beckham is pretty hott as is, but this jacket is the business. And I probalby won't get it, which is okay, but it's sweet.
Speaking of...it’s World Cup time!! Yeah, I am excited. The US has it’s best team ever, but is in a rough group...with Italy and the Czechs. And they didn’t bring Freddy Adu along, a curious move, if for nothing else than the marketing opportunities. But no other time will parts of the entire world be captivated by one event in one area. I fully believe that most nations care about this far more than the Olympics. Americans don’t like soccer, don’t get soccer, and that’s okay. But true soccer fans are IN. SANE. And not only in that violent & rioting way, but in a devotion that is unmatched. Yeah, people in Chicago like the White Sox...but did they like the White Sox 4 years ago, when the sucked? Crap no. But you can’t do anything but stand by your country in something like the World Cup. I’m pulling for the Netherlands to win & for Brasil & France to go down hard, but man, I want the US to do well. I want Landon Donvan to finally get it done on a major stage. I want Kasey Keller to get a little payback for years and years and years of busting his butt on teams that left him hanging as a keeper. I want people to recognize that the United States is for real as a soccer nation. We have other sports, and lots of Americans can’t stand the sport, but when we want to, we can be right there. If our best athletes played soccer, man, it would be exciting. So try to force yourself to watch some soccer in the next few weeks, even if you think it’s worse to watch than golf. Realize that these men are running for 90 minutes, that they can put a ball with in a 3 foot space from 40 yards away, that they can use their head to bend a ball into the upper corner of the net. Respeck.
I’ve had a lot of people ask me what I’ve been listening to lately. And for one of the rare moments in my life, I have no good response...it’s been a little of this, a little of that. Dave Matthews has come back in a major way, as he + his crew always does this time of year. There is nothing better than driving around in the warm sun listening to Lie in Our Graves, Two Step, #36, or basically anything else. Live @ Red Rocks is essential in the summer for me. The start of Tripping Billies is pure magic for me. It seems like I always end up rediscovering high school
music when summer comes around. Good times, good memories, all of that business, I guess. But I have been checking out a handful of new bands: Straylight Run, Duvall, No Use for a Name, David Ford, Jessica Sonner, The Elected, and Jon McLaughlin...mostly courtesy of Matt Walker + MySpace.
Just finished reading James Frey’s “Memoir,” A Million Little Pieces. Real good. Real, real good. Who cares if it’s not all true, if it was fiction, people would still be calling it awesome. I admit, after I finished it, I was really curious to know what was true + what wasn’t, but it honestly doesn’t make a huge difference at all. If you haven’t seen at least checked it out yet, I definitely recommend it. Pretty engaging, the fastest read I’ve had since DaVinci Code. Given, I’ve read Divine Conspiracy; Guns, Germs, & Steel, and some CSLewis since then, but whatever. The tough thing is that you find yourself pulling for drug addicts, men who have destroyed their families & created intense pain in the lives of others. I fully believe that alcoholism & addiction is a disease, but, these are men and women who for a time chose to let their sickness go untreated. I want them to pull out & be healthy and be strong, but some of the people in the book are very likely terrible men. One seems to have some pretty intimate connections to organized crime, while another is willing to “sell” his daughter to the author. And these are the men you come to love as characters in the book. It’s an interesting development for the reader, to say the least.
So I’m now sitting in a Seattle Starbucks, using T-Mobile wireless internet on my Dell Laptop. Yikes, I’m an F-ing yuppie. I will now stab myself in the eye with the little stirrers at the coffee station. Okay, maybe I don’t feel that bad, but I hate it when I find myself sitting as a stereotype. Oh, well.
FYI, Seattle is awesome. I have pretty completely fallen in love with the place, which is a good thing, since I’ll be living here fairly soon. The personality is fantastic...I love how cars more or less have to stop for pedestrians, because people are walking in front of you, ready or not. Not to go all hippie on you, but it feels like a kind city, which kind of fits. I’m sure I could wander out to the suburbs + find some SOBs who I don’t really like, but I think I’m going to try and avoid that action as much as possible.
I think that’s it...job interview is about an hour and a half away. We’ll see how it goes! Peace friends.
j.
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|  "Life
moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while,
you could miss it." Thanks Ferris, and I completely agree. Stuff has
been pretty nuts lately, as always. Trying to balance the YL with some
Seattle planning. And I always have 3 or 4 other random things that I
really want to do and try to squeeze in. But things are starting to
slow a bit, we had our last official YL event for the school year,
which is a bit crazy + surreal. Thankfully, my weeknights are now much,
much more open, and hopefully I will be able to spend time with these
kids who I really, really love. And last year's seniors are starting to
come back, which is all kinds of fun, imho. It is great to see them
come back and kinda different, but still the same kids who I got to be
around last year. I definitley remember my first summer back from
school, it's a crazy deal. It feels a bit like this summer, an
in-between stage, feeling like I have strong connections in multiple
places, but not able to completely commit to any of them yet. I think I
am finding a strange peacefulness in the midst of all the change that's
going on. Things are coming and going, and things will get done, and I
can relax in the middle of all that, which is pretty nice.
 "Ohh,
it's the deep burn! Oh, it's so deep! Oh, I can barely lift my right
arm 'cause I did so many. I don't know if you heard me counting. I did
over a thousand."
I've been having some excellent workouts lately,
for some reason I've been super-motivated. Probably 5 straight days of
kicking ass, which is nice. I went the entire month of April drinking
only 2 coke's, and that was because I was at someone's house, and that
was the only cold thing to drink. Hopefully, I'll be able to re-start
my no-pop-drinking. Honestly, I don't really like pop that much (except
for Barq's Red Cream Soda, holy jeez), but when it's there, you're just
like "eh, sure, why not?" And I feel a heckuva lot better when I'm not
drinking pop, it is so awful for you. So kids, make sure you're getting
your excercise, let's be healthy out there...
 "Grab a brew, don't cost nothin'"
So
Rob got a beer-brewing kit this past Christmas, and he is now fully
obsessed with becoming a brewmaster. He is very meticulous and careful
with all the brewing exploits, and becoming a liiiitle bit of a beer
snob. But with good reason, because the stuff he makes is really,
really good. He's made an English Brown, Indian Pale Ale, and something
else. Next up is a cherry wheat, which has a good chance to be my
favorite (I miss Boulevard Wheat).
But until he can brew whiskey, I won't be impressed.
 Clementine: I'm gonna marry you... I know it! Joel: Ummm... okay...
So
I may or may not be in a relationship...and so you know nothing nearly
resembling this conversation has gone on between me and the girl
involved. But with other people, holy crap. Anybody else hears that you
might be even talking to someone of the opposite sex, and they are
asking when you're going to start looking for a ring. Maybe it's the
Wheaton College influence, maybe it's just being a Christian that
brings it on, but yikes. Seriously, how great is this movie though?
Wow. I could talk for awhile, I'll spare you.
 "And I know sour, which allows me to appreciate the sweet."
OK,
I couldn't bring myself to put a picture of Tom Cruise on here, since
he's such a freakin' nutjob, and Jason Lee did say that line in Vanilla
Sky...
All that to say, this has been a tough year, for many
reasons. I won't go into much/any of it, but I do know that for as hard
as this year has been, it's also been pretty amazing. I have felt and
known the presence of God in ways that I never have before, and I have
made some of the best friends of my life in the past months. Although I
have bitched about Naperville from time to time, I am most definitley
going to miss nearly everybody I know from here.
And I am extremely
excited for where things are going. I mean, who can complain about
getting to move to Seattle. Rob always describes YL staff as "Living
the Dream," which it is for me occasionally. But I picture the next few
years of my life as looking much more like living my dreams. Not that I
have any desire to be a life-long student. But living somewhere that I
can get outside, find a church and community to love + be loved in, and
to be challenged intellectually like never before, both in class and
conversation. That's a dream for me. And the next few months leading up
to it will be grand also. Seriously, what' s life if you're not living
it??
 Dr. Cohen: Of course you're all right. You're alive.
Sam:
I know it hurts. But it's life, and it's real. And sometimes it fucking
hurts, but it's life, and it's pretty much all we got.
Sam: If you can't laugh at yourself, life is going to seem a whole lot longer than you'd like.
Andrew: Good luck exploring the infinite abyss.
Sam: What's the word that's burning in your heart?
Mark: I'm okay with being unimpressive. I sleep better.
I know, I know, Garden State, sooooo cliche. But I like it...so deal. Adieu.
May God give you more and more mercy, peace and love.
Jude 2
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| so you may have noticed i haven't really posted anything for...awhile.
i go in pretty big on/off spurts with the xanga, so if you couldn't
tell, this has been one of the "off" periods. i think we all have those
times when we don't think we have much important to say, especially
when you consider that people might be making an effort to find a
blog/website, rather than when you have them captive in the context of
a conversation. not that i have anything especially interesting to say
now, but i'm clamoring to let out a bit mentally. so be careful for
what might come flowin' out.
obviously i am excited to be heading out to Mars Hill + Seattle this
summer, but as i have been trying to figure out living situation, and
checking out the MH website...the anxiousness is growing a bit. the
floorplans for the new Mars building downtown are up, and it's cool to
see where i get to learn + think for the next few years. i am
constantly encouraged by the things that Mars Hill seems to value in
their student body. the homepage also has a "photo album" of a few
students' work. here's my fave (i think):
 The caption for the photo is Luke 19:40 "If they keep quiet, even the rocks will cry out..."
I know that seems very artsy, and I agree. But dangit, it's cool, and
it speaks to me, and I cannot deny that. So suck it, haha...
This is one of the houses we are checking out...also excited about this:
tiny, quaint...very seattle-looking. very un-naperville...which is exciting, to understate...a bit.
ok, onto the one serious thought of the day...actually from a few days
ago when i was talking with matt. we have been discussing "searching
for God knows what" by Donald Miller. he talked about the fall, which
is to put it broadly. more specifically, how different it must have
been for Adam + Eve to go from having complete intimacy with each
other, and being able to enjoy one another; to being separated from
God, and depending on one another for that void that is only complete
in the Lord. how would that change the shape of a relationship? i can't
even imagine. i don't think we don't know any better, but imagine a
relationship in which you didn't have to worry if you were saying the
right things to a girl to not piss her off, not thinking of being
feminine + attractive enough for a guy. that's utopia, at least from a
"relational" standpoint.
also, part 2...who do you think hurt more after adam and eve jacked it
up: the people, or God? that's a doozy. who felt more alone, more
guilty? yikes.
ok, enough for tonight. be well friends.
HE IS RISEN!!!
j.
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| i
was pulling out of the gym today, and there was a goose standing
basically in the middle of the parking lot lane, along with his/her
brethren. i was pretty excited to run him over, or at least give
her/him a little love tap. so i accelerate a little bit, excited for
the bird's frantic escape maneuver. but the stupid thing didn't move,
which says a lot about the intelligence of geese. but it put me in a
pretty big quandry: do i have the guts to actually hit this creature
that was created by God? ok, that's over-holy'ing it a whole lot, but i
froze. and i swerved to avoid hitting the bane of my naperville
existence. then i realized it: i lost a game of chicken to the dumbest
animal on the entire planet. and i hung my head in shame.
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