Football

A few weeks ago, I won 2 tickets from work to go see the Redskins/Cowboys game this weekend! I took Steve - a rabid Skins fan - and headed out for FedEx Stadium on the far side of DC. It took me nearly 3 hours to get there: over an hour driving down I-66 almost into DC, another hour on the Metro blazing underground, and another half hour to walk from the subway to the stadium. I met Steve there, and we headed in for our seats (only about 15 rows back!) The weather was pretty miserable: lower 40's and drizzling rain for the first half. Thankfully, we were ready and all bundled up for the wet stuff and cold. The game itself was pretty good - the Skins won and are now in the playoffs! The crowd was massive - nearly 91,000 in attendance. Normally, I'm not a big football fan, but despite the fact I got home at 11PM and have been tired all day, it was fun. I wouldn't want to do that on a regular basis, though. Photos are in Fotki.

I had to work today. Given that is was clear skies and 50 degrees, this was a problem. I did try out my Fivefingers outside after work - they work great!

Barefoot heresy?

My company had given me a little bit of extra spending cash at the annual Christmas Party, which I normally use to help pay for some nifty new gadget over the holidays. This year, I went to splurge down at the local backpacking store, and my choice was a bit... eccentric this year, or so I'm told. I found a new pair of shoes, but this particular style, as you can see below, is pretty interesting:

The brand name is called "Fivefingers". It's like going barefoot, only with a hard sole. I thought they looked awesome, they're small enough to easily pack with my hiking gear, and it's a good cross between going barefoot and protecting my feet.

Although I can hear the old-school barefoot MK's calling blasphemy from all the way out here...

In other news, I'll have more pictures tomorrow night when Steve & I get back from a rather...large sporting event. Steve's going nuts about it.

Richmond

I was out this past week at a 4-day training course in Richmond, VA. The course was on how to use the MicroStation CAD program, and it went very well, although I feel that I still need more training on the specific survey aspects of the program before I am truly competent with drafting in the program. Funny but true: our instructor's name was Robert Lee.

While I was in Richmond, I managed to get most of my Christmas shopping done in spite of the uncanny ability of the local arcade to siphon off my money (and I'm supposed to be 26... I am such a geek.) We were let out of class early yesterday, so I was also able to spend a little time down at the site of the old Tredegar Iron Works downtown by the James River. During the Civil War, Tredegar was one of the largest ironworks in the nation, and was the primary producer of artillery pieces for the Confederacy. Nowadays, the site is now home to the visitor's center of the Richmond Nat'l Battlefield. I took a few pictures before heading home.

Well, I've got a lot to try and get done before the lousy weather comes in tonight, so I'll end there for now.

Out of Town

I'll be away for the next week - I'll try to have something up on Saturday and catch up.

Check-in

I've been a little in the dumps this week. Fall is nearly over, and the temperatures are headed lower in a hurry here in VA. It's not that I don't have stuff to do - my schedule has been packed with cool stuff:

• I took some friends to an early Thanksgiving dinner this evening, put on by my parent's small church group. Great food. We watched the Redskins lose, too.
• I've got 'Flat Stanley' back from my cousins in Minnesota! I try to have a little fun with the geography dude - I took pictures of him at Harper's Ferry last week, and one at the hospital with Nathan (An explanation is in order. The younger of my 2 little brothers, Nate, is in training to be a radiology tech at the local hospital. They had an open house yesterday, so he showed me around the place. We took pictures of 'Flat Stanley' getting an X-ray taken by Nate.
• Sherando! My old high school won their District semifinal football playoff match against our cross-county rivals, James Wood, by 21-14. It was pretty cold (upper 30's,) but fun anyhow. You know, as much football as I've seen this weekend, I'm really not an excitable fan. My friends were hooting and hollering, and wanted me to 'get more into the game'; I just went 'wow' and raised my eyebrows.
  
• Speaking of working out, I'm now into my 4th week of exercise at the local gym. My arms aren't doing too well, but all that running and hiking I've done over the past few years has really helped on the cardio. I've lost a few pounds (I'm down to about 162,) but that's nothing special - I've always hovered around 165 since I left college.
• Corn maze-bring a flashlight! A dozen of us got lost after dark in a HUGE 8-acre corn maze a few weeks back. It was definitely...different. Josh and I wound up leading one group around-it took us 2 hours to finish! Steve-we still think you cheated :)
  

Color Codes

~Courtesy of http://xkcd.com/

Facebook is BIG

Oy. I didn't realize how many old friends are on that thing. Pretty cool.
~Gonna go get lost in a cornfield tonight.

Exercise & Vegetables

I went and joined a local fitness center yesterday. My arms are sore today. Actually, so are my legs. And my shoulders. As a result, I am pleased with myself.

Also, I need some advice. As a 26-year old, am I even allowed to still be interested in movies like this? Sometimes, I think that I never left college... but maybe that's a good thing!

I should listen to this song more often...

"Complexity haunts me, for I am two men,
Entrenched in a battle that I'll never win.
My discipline fails me, My knowledge it fools me,
But You are my shelter, Oh, the Strength that I need!

It's my will, and I'm not moving,
Cause if it's Your Will, than nothing can shake me,
And it's my will to bow and praise You,
And I'll have the will to praise my God."

My Will - DC Talk

Slowly going crazy

Some days, things are just rough. This is one of those times. My younger brother and my mom are in the middle of an all-out war. This is a first for me and frankly, I hate it. I'm on the outside of this whole conflict though, which is good. With Dad away on yet another work trip, I'm the only family member nearby, so I've been lending my ear and shoulder to mom as she struggles with what to do. As distant as Nate seems, I'm still trying to lend him bits of advice; just letting him know that I still care. I expect that he may yet need me before all this is over.
When I'm not occupied with family drama, I've been struggling with my own faith issues, particularly with work and relationships. Work in the land surveying field has gotten really thin lately, and if things get too much worse I might be commuting into the DC suburbs (traffic...shudder) or out of a job completely. As a 26 year-old bachelor, I'm dealing with the twin problems of loneliness and boredom. It's really tough to trust God with all this guff that's been going on. I started a regular daily devotional again this past week - 1st time since just after college. I'm using a copy of "My Utmost for His Highest" that Derek Fugate gave me right before graduation.

Two new photo albums of my old favorites have been opened: Shenandoah Nat'l Park and this year's Cedar Creek Reenactment.


And in case you're interested in VeggieTales randomness:


Good night!