LIFTB 30
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Posts
Third First Anniversary
On 16 August 2007, Gretchen and I went out for dinner and a movie. The reason for this outing was simple: we were both bored and had nothing better to do. Despite the fact that I had just recently seen "The Bourne Ultimatum", Gretch wanted to see it, so I figured, what the heck, it was a good movie, why not go see it again? And so we did. We were both hungry, so we went to dinner at El Toro in Champaign before the movie. I paid. And thus it began. We saw each other every single day until the Monday before Thanksgiving that year, because I had a lot of assignments I needed to complete, and I realised that if I stayed in Champaign, I wasn't going to get them done. I came back to town on Thanksgiving Day to catch dessert with Gretch's family, and I failed to keep track of how often we saw each other after that, although I'd say it was probably close to 95% of the time between Thanksgiving and our wedding on 20 June 2008. 16 August 2008 rolled around, and I realised t...
Finally!
Hm... It has quite suddenly occurred to me that I rarely use punctuation in my blog post titles. I am not sure why this has occurred to me, but, seeing as my method of writing involves a lot of stream-of-consciousness, I figured I should let you all know, too. So after a month of indecision, uncertainty, worry, concern, contingency plans and contingency plans in case the contingency plans fell through, Gretch and I have made a decision concerning the coming year. We are staying in Champaign. I know, kinda anti-climactic, but for those who have been following the adventures in homelessness followed swiftly by the concurrent adventures in joblessness, you'll know that the past month has been quite tumultuous. I have applied for probably close to 300 teaching positions in the United States, mostly in Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri, but also in Iowa, Colorado, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Alabama, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Utah. Of all these applications, only one netted an actual job...
Concerning Ignorance
I really, really, really hope that those who read this will be willing to read all the way to the end. I don't want someone to start and get upset with me and start calling me a supporter of terrorists, or an anti-American, or anything else. I am as patriotic and supportive of my country as I can be. I love America. I love the values of America. I love what we stand for. And I cannot tolerate those who use ignorance, fear, and hate to push an ideological agenda. The following is the compilation of my thoughts on the Cordoba House in Lower Manhattan. Please feel free to comment on my arguments and tell me where I am wrong. But please wait until the end before commenting. And please don't tell me about the imam of the Cordoba House being a terrorist or a supporter of terrorists. In the United States, we are innocent until proven guilty of an actual crime. Thoughts are not illegal. And even if the imam does want the United States to adopt Sharia Law, so what? Christians are all lo...
Back To The Beginning Again
Approximately 27 months ago, give or take, I found myself taking the first steps on a path that would inevitably change my life forever. No, I am not talking about getting married, nor am I talking about graduating from the University of Illinois. I am talking about the day I cornered Rafael Ruggieri after a church meeting in early May 2008 and told him that I absolutely needed a summer job, and would be willing to do anything. See, Rafael was (and still is, for that matter), one of the older brothers of one of my best friends, Noah. And he and his wife also happened to own Simply Spotless, Inc., a cleaning company in our community. And he happened to belong to the same church as me. So, without even pulling the friend-of-his-brother card or the we-are-fellow-Mormons card (neither of which I would ever actually do, as such behaviour irks me to no end), I was able to convince Ralph, as he is often known, to give me a job. I started as a lowly Associate Custodian, vacuuming hallways in o...