One from hither

The silence is overwhelming. Enough to prompt something from... somebody asking for a blog post from me. Well, I can't very well pretend that I've got a ton to say, but I'll dredge up something reasonable. Maybe just rewrite and come back tomorrow :)

Here's some pictures from recent trips, as well as a few (a lot) from Lillian's trek at Philmont.

Venturing crew 342 @ Philmont, NM

ICOM Camp 2009

AquaticsCampout 09

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Well, I've been awfully busy recently. Terribly awfully dreadfully busy

Classes started at SFA three weeks ago (ONLY?!), and I'm taking dual credit - English, Calculus, and Political Science. It's enough to drive me quite crazy trying to keep up with all that homework alone, and then adding on top of it apologetics and debate... I'll never have a boring day for the next 4 months! :)
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Ok, a couple theories about that strange combination of waves in the air that form something reasonable to our ears and brains, especially those that come in the form that we know as music :)

* Music has a profound effect (and I do believe effect is the appropriate word) upon its listeners. This comes in many different forms, sometimes merely a subtle change in attitude, sometimes prompting a particularly long musing, quite often even changing a persons view of the world in 5 minutes. That being said, be careful what you're listening to :)

* It's a proven fact -- people who listen to or play a lot of music will start to 'hear' mentally music that isn't being played and sometimes can't even willfully stop doing so. Sure, some of us get a particularly annoying song get stuck in our heads, but it just might become incessant.... (or how about waking up thinking of some song? Not just thinking *about* it, but hearing it... is that normal, or do I fall under that classification? :D )

* Tastes are mostly acquired through long periods of hearing some one particular style. I mean, how many clerks at walmart, kroger, hobby lobby, and so on can not get used to Christmas music playing *over and over and over again* all season long??! (Pet peeve of mine)
I can name probably a few people who at one point couldn't handle some type/style of music, but through hearing it over and over again against their will, decided either to ignore or come to like it. Yes, I'm referring to country music, those who know me that well. I couldn't stand country music probably 5 years ago. Now, it's not quite so bad... I could even like some, depending on who is doing the singing!

Anything I forgot?

* DON'T try to foist your own opinions about any particular song/album/group on somebody else. They'll come around eventually if you make a reasonable case :)
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I know, I'm probably on one side of a fence here. Or sitting on it? Man, I just can't get away from life sometimes...

Anywho, here tis the conclusion of one more night's typing away at a keyboard. If you absolutely must hear something from me, send an email, send a comment, or just look around in the archive, I did write things in the past :)

So, folks, I'm off. Goodnight, God bless!
-Petr

Living up to a past potential

Wisdom from the rabbit: "If you don't know what it is, it will probably kill you."

Wisdom from the dog: "If you don't know what it is, it's either dinner or it's invading your territory."

Courtesy of the Hippo's mouth, somewhat indirect. Ironically, the Hippo is about as far from a hippo as is humanly possible.

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A bit o' music. Newsboys, riel kewl stuf (IMHO). You know it's the 40th anniversary of Woodstock? No, I don't intend to link to something from that :)

Wherever we go

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You just might be working hard if the heat from the day is having little effect compared to your own body heat. And the sweat dripping from your forehead? It can hardly distract from the imperatives of getting the job done. And even that poorly hidden desire to have had more to drink and eat that morning can do little to change the way you work.

You might have your second wind if the throbbing headache or the pains of an empty stomach die down and turn into roars of "BRING IT ON!!". Then again, that might be the barbecue that you know tasted much better going down, and would be poorly advised to come back up on your hard work. Not that it happens, of course, because you really have a second wind, and the most lethargic that you can possibly be is as much as walking around in circles for no particular reason.

Then you might be tired... if that throbbing headache returns, if you are both light headed and heavy handed at the same time, if you start having thoughts of when the day will be over, and most importantly, if you start trying to define 'tired' and come up with potential posts on a blog.

I had a long, but good day :)
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What is it with sunsets? Especially in strange places, where the novelty is striking. The sun setting behind a mountain range, shadows being cast over the strangest of objects, darkness where there won't be any for another 12 hours. That last one is quite possibly a motivator for interest. There's a sense of finality in shadows extending to places, in lack of direct sunlight for the end of a day. And then it starts all over again the next day! How's that for regularity?

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I would write some sort of update upon current situations, but time draws short. I may be back later. Until then, stay tuned...

God bless!
-Petr

(What, you mean this is going on the internet? Where people will read it??)

oh, and White Rabbit

Greetings, friends. Here I am, in the middle of a short quiet. Perhaps in the eye of the storm known as life...

In other words, I've not gone on any grand adventures recently that you do not already know about. 'Tis true, I did go on a short trip to Dallas with MizJ and Joshua for a debate camp, and did learn significant things about debating this year's resolution (resolved:that competition is superior to cooperation as a means to achieving excellence). I even took pictures! *GASP*

So to add on top of all of this, I have a few things to note. Firstly, the pictures from not only debate camp #1 but also pictures from El Rancho Cima.

DFW Debate Camp 09

El Rancho Cima 09

Also, I have a couple notes upon the look of this blog. I changed the name, made some changes to the colors, moved some links, and was startled when I returned. "What, it's changed?? Oh yeah, I remember doing that."

The most significant, and unfortunately saddest, change, is the moving of several blogs from "Them in Texas" to "The Ancient Archives of Blogs Gone By". The result of this is that I no longer have a link section entitled "Them in Texas." A moment of silence for those closed blogs, and my hope for you writers -- carry on with what you did, as good as it all was.

If you are reading this, you are perhaps one of the few who still post in the world of bloggers. Do not let it die! (This has been a public service announcement funded by nobody in particular because it did not need funding)

I would sing the praises of a blog above and beyond the time-consuming facebook... but I can't very well be objective, firstly because Blogs were around before facebook, I've had this particular blog for a significant period of time, and I've not actually experienced the great and terrible power of what is called facebook. My-Face, Space-Book, whatever the name :)

Well then, I've not much more to say. I thank you for continuing to read these sometimes misguided musings. Stay tuned.

God bless!
-Petr

P.S. Wow, looking back through the archives... there were some very interesting strings of comments. You guys always know how to make things exciting :)

92

92 posts.  And many faithful readers.  Thanks :)

So, where did I leave off?  Pardon the break in the logical flow while I go fish up the last post, so I don't tell you what you already know...

Ok.  I believe I left off before Scout camp.  Man that was a long time ago.  Just in case anybody's keeping track, White Rabbit :)

I shall begin with a status report.  It's only been two weeks since I got back from Summer camp.  9 days, if you want to be technical.  It was so long ago though!

So summer camp was quite an interesting place to be at.  El Rancho Cima is out in the middle of nowhere (practically, though the immediate vicinity is well populated), in the desert land North of San Antonio.  They're currently in a drought, so everything is either white from the dust or brown and dry.  The only exception is the Blanco riverbed, where we were actually camping.
Google Maps

Our typical day was started off with food provided by the commissary.  Not the best meal of the day, but filling.  Everybody headed off to their respective merit badge classes (where they -- what do you know -- earned merit badges :).  Come lunch time we would receive yet another meal from the Commissary.  I don't know how that was, I was gone most of the day.... More MB classes in the afternoon, some free time, some scheduled camp wide activity, and then dinner at the dining hall.  Real meals!  (some may argue that the rest were also real meals, but if so, these significantly dwarfed the others in quantity and quality)  The whole process of getting to eat was rather slow and painful.  Each troop would line up (sit down) on the rock wall outside the dining hall and wait for the cooks to be ready.  Since it was a first-come-first-served basis for the troops, there would be people as early as 45 minutes before dinner actually started, sitting in the heat saving a spot for their troops to show up and... sit in the sun waiting.  Sort of the "hurry up and wait" mentality for the masses.

After dinner was the best time (in my humble opinion).  There was sure to be something going on that we'd be interested in, troop swim (in the river, much fewer people), death march, or if all else failed, dominoes and card games at camp.

My story is a little different.  Every day was something of a struggle, getting out just after breakfast to the *other* camp (Horseshoe Bend, as opposed to Cockrell River Camp) for ARC lifeguard training.  Lunch was out there, and I wouldn't be back at CRC until shortly before dinner.  The class was the weirdest ever... no explanation desired.  I was glad to be through with it at the end of the week!  Thank you for your prayers!

Joshua, Cody (an Eagle scout, now 26?  Came back as an adult) and I went with a random contingent of scouts on the longest hike possible -- Death March 3.  13 miles of up and down, starting early evening.  By the end of it, we were all quite tired and out of water.  But just to emphasize that we could keep going, Joshua and I did pushups while our fearless leader told the rest of the camp how hard it was. :)

Pictures may/should be forthcoming, if my camera worked.  The batteries were running down, and I may have used a roll of film so old that it already had something on it... but I can hope.

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And here is the prerequisite musing for the day.  Week.  However long you like.  Or however long it takes until I next post!




Relient K - Maintain Consciousness


Ok, you know I like music.  I may have mentioned it before.  Once or twice.  You see, so often you get something meaningful with a reasonable tune to it!  Perhaps this will show you what I mean.

"...and that one thing of the moment
that we all happen to like will
only very temporarily
kinda break the cycle
of the double edged sword
of being lazy and being bored
we just want more and more and more
till it's all we can afford

to keep our eyes open for just one more day
to keep on hoping that we'll stumble on our way
to keep our minds open for just one more day
cause its completely up to us
to maintain consciousness"

There are several things that are so true in today's world.

"The Double Edged Sword"
Being lazy and being bored. Two things that should never be an issue by themselves, much less together. However, the society of "more now" has brought the idea that 1) I need to be entertained (boredom) and 2) I shouldn't have to work very hard to get it (laziness). Now what is immediately apparent in that? (the obvious questions are often the most enlightening)

Consider for a moment man's purpose. The Westminster confession/catechism says "Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever". Now tell me, what part of that says anything about enjoying myself? At what point in life am I supposed to glorify God by, say, attempting to get the most out of my satellite tv subscription? Boredom is not to be taken lightly, by anybody involved. Chances are whoever it is needs to be doing something, and is merely avoiding it.

God said there would be toil. From the day that Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, from the day that the ground was accursed because of our fallen nature, man has had to work to bring forth food from the ground (and by implication, any source of nourishment). Sorry guys, no free lunch.
Proverbs 10:4 "He becomes poor who works with a lazy hand, but the hand of the diligent brings wealth."

Ok, you knew that already, didn't you. And if you didn't, read it again. It'll be important someday.

But what is more imminent for the believer is the trap of apathy. When a man simply doesn't care enough to carry out God's will on earth, he's already sunk deep in. The intermediate temptations are rather obscure, making them easier to fall into than ever before.

So often there comes a time when our time becomes a daily drag -- get through the day, make it to the next. One day down, another to come. While many of us (this I freely admit) are quite willing and able to carry out God's will in some big adventure, in traveling to Mexico to minister, even just getting on the road again, it's the typical, the ordinary, routine, that our adversary can use against us -- unless we guard against him. (Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. -1Peter5:8)

What has become of us if we are no longer passionate for the gospel? People, pay attention.
"Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked," declares the Lord GOD, "rather than that he should turn from his ways and live? ~Ezekiel 18:23
The wicked are many in number, and it brings glory to the Lord that they "turn from their ways and live"!

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An addendum to the last post -- Friday, June 12th. For a post-VBS night, we went to Cici's pizza for dinner. It was very well attended, by a large group of people that were totally unrelated to anybody we brought :) (It turned out to be the OSU golf camp)

Afterwards was in my opinion one of the better parts of the two weeks (though there were an awful lot of better parts). We went straight from Cici's to the White Barn estates (or something like that) to play minigolf. They have a very fancy minigolf course -- water hazards, scaled buildings, and what appeared to be high quality turf ;)

I would love to show you a picture or two of the windmill/watermill right in the middle, but I didn't bring my camera (sadness). If anybody has pictures of said location, for the benefit of all involved, please bring them forth!

All else is dealt with, I believe. That's all folks! God bless.
-Petr

The end of a chapter

Before I go any further, I must dispel any wild rumors (that may have been created by a. the title and b. this comment) that this blog is going to disappear.  Rest assured, dear reader, that I intend to remain 'on the web' with a periodic text and/or image post about my life and imponderables that require deep thought.  I'm going nowhere, don't you go and disappear either, thankyouverymuch!!

But of course an explanation is due.  I request only that you have the patience to read through a flow of consciousness about recent events... of the kind you may not hear about in the daily paper or the drudge report.

Oklahoma VBS 09

Of late I have been away from home.  'Of late' being nearly 3 weeks.  Yes, yes, to predict your questions, I had fun.  That wasn't the only purpose of being away though.  I believe I've given a rather short preview, and a review may be in order.

Pine Cove -- Physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually challenging.  Not so much as I would like on the second and last matters, but to my satisfaction.  There were some interesting topics brought up, I may just referance them in the future sometime.  Interesting to find studies of Zephaniah in a non-denominational type camp.  Gained a few friends among the campers and staff (funny how that happens)

Oklahoma -- two weeks!  From Monday evening to Friday afternoon most of the days were spent assisting in VBS (basketball camp!) and going door to door in Stillwater.  No pictures of that, I'm afraid.  We had a lovely hail storm Friday morning, it made the entire sky (did you know there's more sky when there's fewer trees around? :) dark as early night.  I'm talking major storm, and then cleared up for a hot day in a matter of hours.  It left baseball sized hailstones all over town, with miraculously few damage reports.

Anywho, Saturday we goofed off until 3ish (watched a Doctor Who movie), at which point we received two invitations -- frisbee golf or airsoft out in the middle of nowhere.  Airsoft won the popular vote, but the ticks afterward became unpleasantly common.

Sunday (after church in Stillwater) was rather slow paced compared to the rest of the week, only one major trip to Enid for an evening bible study and preview of the week at the Wagners.

That Monday through the Wednesday became a week similar to the previous, except with an entirely new setting and new schedule... so not really anything like the previous week.  Stayed at the Wagners' home (THANKS!!), went door to door in the morning (when the temperatures were only in the low 100s -- drink more water if you have a headache, please!) and had VBS in the afternoon.  I really can't say what it all was... "a thousand words cannot say..."

Training in the much needed witnessing.  That's what it was.  The Christian atmosphere, very delightful fellowship -- though I loathe to reduce them to side points, that's really what became of these past three weeks!  And now I get to go into a non-Christian environment (Boy Scout camp) and continue this witness.  Your prayers are appreciated.

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Shifting gears -- your patience has paid off.  I hope.  Ok, so recently I gained a new perspective on life -- life after the current situation, that is.  Questions crop up such as, what after this high school period?  What after college?  Where and When?  Such questions that make me close this chapter of life, resist the temptation to hold on to what I have now, and push onward, upward.  Now I don't intend to get all philosophical on you, but here is the ending of all those hopes for my high school years, the closing of remaining open doors, finishing of projects...  Fill in the blank.  I wonder how many others have done this before me. (rhetorical question)

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I had an idea to continue on to something long right about here, in this space beneath the line.  Such ideas have slowly evaporated in front of my eyes, as the clocks ticks time away.  As life goes by.  Anybody ever think about time?  I have.  It's truly amazing. 
http://ardic-is-cool.blogspot.com/2009/03/surreality.html

And thus ends another night at the keyboard.  I shall remember you, friends.
God bless, keep up the good work.

-Petr

smallish post?

Greetings and salutation once again, friends, family, passers-by, unkowns, anonymous fellows, and anybody that I could refer to as "dear reader".  Yes, that would indeed be you =D

Before I get into anything serious (maybe coming up in a future blog post), some sort of prediction of the future is necessary.

I fully intend to be gone for the next few weeks, with the exception of June 6th, 7th, 21st, 22nd, and the 27th ends the extended leave.  What could possibly take so long, you ask?  Well I'm so glad you asked =D

Pine Cove this first week... Christian summer camp in Tyler, and I spend the entire week there.  Isolated from the outside world.  No news updates, no following people's blogs or anything of the sort.  The next week I'm off to Oklahoma to visit my cousins and help out with their VBS -- did I mention they were here from Monday to Thursday morning.  We had a lot of fun with them.  I'm afraid I didn't get any pictures (I fully intend to haul a camera around for the next few weeks just to show you what happened and who was involved)....  SO as I was saying, the next week after that (21st - 27th) I'll be out in central Texas at El Rancho Cima boy scout camp.  That of course will be the icing on top of the cake, just one more wonderful trip to add to it all.  And I'll be sure to sleep about 48 hours straight when I get back, just to make sure I'm ready for whatever next comes up.


So while I'd love to stick around and type until I can type no longer... I just can't do so for much longer.  Perhaps I have already done so.  I shall return


-Petr

Trust?

What is this thing we call trust?  Can it be defined by what we know?  Google won't help here.  Nor wikipedia.  Believe me, I've tried.

The first time you meet somebody, perhaps see them in passing, little is known of them.  They're merely one more person in a whole world of people, sometimes of little consequence to you merely because you don't know them.  Possible exclusions include authority figures, ranging from your congressman to the queen to the chief of staff at the CIA.  This person that you know little of may or may not know as much about you as you know about them.  At some point, some force brings the two people into contact, making them communicate in some form.  Perhaps a common interest bringing physical range down to a matter of feet.  Perhaps a personal drive to meet and greet by one of the two parties involved.  At what point does acquaintance become trust, and trust become friendship, if they can be considered consecutive?  Perhaps, yet again, an outside force, force you into close proximity for extended periods of time.  Maybe something drives a need for the ability to work together.

Again, at what point are you willing to trust the other person, even to a slight degree?  IMHO, trust can be considered as on a scale.  First impressions may have positive or negative effects on your trust of them, and second impressions can change everything you ever knew about them.  Following contact provides a general experience of the other person, wide or narrow.  By the time you really know them, they most likely know you quite well, you've seen them in action and in crisis, and you could blackmail them with their past.  Do you trust them, and do they trust you?  Is it possible to really trust them?  My own experience tells me that time after time, it is only possible to trust one person after either you having trusted them with yourself, or the other way around.

Here comes a fact of life.  It is impossible to get the full context of any human being, including yourself.  Sure, you are the only human allowed in your own mind and the only to see your deepest thoughts (save God Himself), but even then, nobody is willing nor able to sound the depths of their own soul!  So from this fact of life, it can be drawn that you will never fully know, nor even fully trust any human being, as both you and them are fallen, imperfect, sinful.  Hold that thought.

So then take a person that you know well and trust, and now depart from them for a period of months, even years.  As time prolongs the separation, it becomes easier to tolerate... and drives alienation.  Both people change, and when you meet again, you know not who exactly this person is, what happened to that person you knew way back when, and they are having the same thoughts.  It takes, yet again, one person actively trusting the other before the trust is mutual.

More can be derived from this thought of trust, that is, love (don't shimmy away, it's not that kind of "Love").  Behind this concept is much more than trust, both having their foundations in the time before the fall, even before creation in the Trinity.  So then, how much love and trust can a fallen man truly have?  The answer is that he will never have more than a fake, a shadow at the best.  In a world of the fallen, only the man of God can truly have love as it is, can truly trust and be trusted, albeit imperfectly.

Coming back to the previous -- "... are fallen, imperfect, sinful".  So then, what of the trust we are to have for God, in His Trinity, and so infinite?  Enter His revelation, the Word of God, that book we know as the Bible.  Every word written there (ok, maybe every phrase) is a revelation of who He is!  Trust is based in knowledge, perhaps?  We have the revelation of who God is, in all of what can be comprehended by a human mind.

Better yet, is not trust mutual?  Know that the infinite, unchanging, everlasting God alone can truly know us as we are.  And He alone had the greatest love to have Jesus (I don't know if 'send' is theologically correct, being Trinity, 'send' implying that the Son is separate... take it with a grain of salt) die an infinite death, taking the punishment of His church throughout the ages. (John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.")
And now, even as we betray his love daily, He trusts us, fallen, sinful, imperfect man to do his will on the earth!  How amazing must this love be, how thorough this knowledge, how great this trust!

And for some anticlimax, I think of the people I consider at the moment to be like brothers and sisters, much like extended family (at least those who aren't actually extended family -- I'm thinking of my extended family as well as those others!), those who I would trust my life with.  What happens as I don't see them, don't talk to them, know nothing of what God has done in their lives... is truly disheartening.  Should I happen to meet them for a day, we will both find ourselves much different from when last we met, and trust must be built -- again.  Sure, many happy greetings may happen, but if it really has been long enough to change them or I, I may find a different person in front of me.

Not to say that you shouldn't trust those people you know, or knew.  In light of what has been said, and what God has done, we should be all the more willing to love people for who they are, not who they were, or who we think they are!

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I dunno.  People tend to think that I get philosophical late at night.  I blame it on debate -- makes me question/examine the basic assumptions that life is founded upon, including but not limited to sociology.  Humanity is so strangely unlike the rest of creation...

-Petr

Rarity

Just in case anybody should feel that this should have more posts on it, here is one.  I am still alive... no worries there, for the time being :)

For this post to have any substance to it, here's a link to pictures.  They're from the most recent debate trips.  Enough said, I think.

San Antonio_Alabama debat09

ALTHOUGH it is said that a picture is worth a thousand words.  Is that true, and if so, what is the relative worth of my massive collection of pictures?  Is a picture truly worth a thousand words, when fewr than those thousand words can tell more of a story than the picture can?   Hence I am of the position that a ratio of roughly... 100 words to 1 picture is appropriate.  At least for my purposes.  You may find that people who are more efficient in their storytelling (fewer words), or just plain better at it (many more, and probably more eloquent) have a different ratio, but that's up to them.

So although I cannot provide a full 100 words for my many pictures (when in fact it is closer to a [...] to 1 ratio), I shall provide something else for your minds.

Random trivia: "Something for your mind" is the title of a techno song

To sum these past two weeks up in a couple sentences...

First, I went on a trip that turned into two separate trips, one to San Antonio, one to Trussville Alabama, both for the purpose of speech/debate in the NCFCA.

Second, both tournaments were rather a disappointment for me on the ballots.  Many rounds were too far south

Third, the last tournament was really a breath of fresh air.  I have met (and I don't mean just met, I mean gotten to know) several people, all of whom put my whole speech and debate career in a different light, inspiring me to view my life in a different life... summary of the summary, see the page title.  Quotes are so nice :)

Fourth, see if you can identify some of the people in the pictures.  If you can't, I'm sure the person in question may come along and post a comment on their own picture, at which point you may be one step closer to understanding just who these strange people are that I *must* (HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF) working with on debate.

Fifth, I believe my audience is fluctuating, both up and down in numbers, as one comes and another leaves.  Farewell, may you travel in peace, those who depart, and greetings to those newcomers, though you be close friends or distant acquaintances -- you are welcome here!

"That's all folks!"

-Petr

Surreality

Surreal (adj): Marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream

It all adds up. Sitting here in the hotel office listening to my friends down below enjoying their own company, receiving emails this morning about next year's debate camps, knowing that soon I will have to leave this and them, and those wonderful places I was this year. Such wonderful people, and yet after regionals I may never see any of them all together again! Even seeing Andrew's description of life in the Corps -- is this what I want to do, and what will happen to these people should I do the same?

Even the description my cousin gave, of going through her parents' old stuff, and seeing how this communication and others slowly die away (I shall send you an email, F.B.!)....

What of the reality of space and time? Imagine, one moment, frozen in time, and all that is there. Each air current in each room such as this, affecting molecules in the piece of paper lying there, and the same for every other in every room of the building, and in each building of the city, and each city of the nation, and each nation of the world, and each planet in this system, then each vast empty space, and each star -- all dictated down to the tiniest detail, the quarks, or if there is anything smaller, down to each of those.

Now take this one moment of time and stretch it to each second... of each minute of each hour of each day of each year of each millenia... How great is our Lord!!!

-Petr

New month

And everybody knows that along with the new month come white rabbits...

But I'll leave off that subject, since I'm sure you're already tired of it!  Here are pictures from the recent trip to NM.  I may eventually have some pictures from this most recent National Open in Houston, but I didn't take many so don't count on it.

NM tournament and trip

I am off to do important things.  Toodles

-Petr