The New Place

So as I've said, we just bought our first house. We've been renting until now, and we decided it was time. So here are some pictures.


(Note the authentic rural-Missouri washing-machine-on-the-front-porch look.)

This stairway was what really sold the house - I love the woodwork.






It was built in 1910 - we're thinking of having a centennial party for the house in three years. Three bedrooms (which aren't pictured here because that's where all the junk is currently stashed) and two bathrooms. We'll be scraping off wallpaper and painting the walls soon.

It has a rock-walled basement that is very low-ceilinged and dungeonesque - I'm planning to film my first horror movie in it.

Y'all come see us now, ok?

Oh, and One More Thing...

Mil Millington has just sent out a new entry on his mailing list. My vacation now has reading material!

If you aren't familiar with his work, you seriously need to check it out. Especially if you enjoy the very finest in snarky Brit humor, a la Douglas Adams without the sci-fi.

Finals Week, But More So

In college, finals week was the crunch time. All the semester papers came due, and there was cramming on a grand scale. I actually relished finals week. I performed pretty well under that kind of pressure. I did some of my best work on very little sleep.

For the past month, my life has been an extended finals week. Finals week isn't as much fun when it keeps stretching out for two, then three weeks, then a month or more. Many of you can sympathize, I know. Sometimes I still perform well under the pressure. But when the pressure is over such an extended period of time, it starts to wear on the soul a bit.

The past three weeks have been a pressure cooker. Last week on Monday and Tuesday I planned five weeks' worth of lessons for Wednesday night youth groups, closed on a house on Wednesday afternoon (I still plan to post pictures and a writeup of the new house, but I haven't received permission from Cindy to photograph the interior yet - too many things still to put away), did Wednesday night youth groups (we're in full swing now with the high school and junior high separate), packed and moved on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, did a planning meeting Sunday afternoon, and preached Sunday night (on my birthday). This week has been one solid mass of video editing (a promo video for our Christian school), youth group planning, staff and volunteer meetings, video editing, unpacking, and video editing.

You may omit reading the previous tedious paragraph if you wish (now that you've already read it - hee!) and substitute the following: I'm a bit pressured. My brain is a bit fried. So this afternoon I'm quitting my job.


... for a few hours. (Did I have anyone going for a moment there?) I'm writing this blog entry, and then I'm going to go outside. I will breathe the fresh (albeit slightly allergenic) air of early harvest season in southwest Missouri. I will walk aimlessly. I will go home and find something nice to do for Cindy.

And then this evening Chad and I will be back at it, editing video like Enron execs editing financial records.

As of right now, I'm officially on vacation... until about 7 pm. Postcard, anyone?