I'm Back!

Hey ya'll!
I have not been updating my blog because of several reasons, the most prominant being that I have been at New Life Camp over the past week.
The theme for the week was upside down.
Our perspectives, our motives, our thoughts are all upside down.
The theme verse for the week was Isaiah 29:16.
"You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "He did not make me"? Can the pot say of the potter, "He knows nothing"?"
I'm really tired right now, but I'll post more later.
Before I go, however, I will let you in on some things.

Every year we have a Big Game between the Campers and Staff.
Last year the Campers won, putting the record at 5 - 4 Campers.
This year I made the team(a first) and Camper won 70 - 53!
Now the record is 6 - 4 Campers!
The largest margin of victory ever in a Big Game.

Also this past week over Tuesday/Wednesday there were a series of letters and notes and clues which pointed to an individual known as the Insider.
This Insider was there to teach a lesson, obviously, but we were absorbed with figuring out who this mysterious individual was.
It ended up being who my cabin thought it was.
w00t!
The next day(Thursday) we found a note left by the bathroom from a certain Skywalker.
We wondered if this was a continuation of the Insider, but when Aaron Miller, the Camp Activities Director started asking strange questions to seemingly inoquous people, we knew this was no planned thing.
I got in on this when Skywalker and his accomplice Qui-Gon asked me to deliver two notes to Aaron, claiming that I had found them.
Now that I knew the identities of the two mysterious persons I decided to start my own ruse.
While letting them have the main glory I started leaving notes for Aaron from the Accomplice, an Accomplice of Skywalker and Qui-Gon.
I tried to keep their identities secret, which I did, and Aaron did not figure out who the Accomplice was until after camp was officially over.
An interesting occurence occurred when Skywalker came up to me with the last Accomplice note during swim time wondering why I wrote it.
I had not let them in on this.
So I framed myself.
I claimed that I have been framed and someone was trying to play a prank on Aaron, Skywalker, Qui-Gon, and me!
Of course this was not true, but it worked.
Skywalker kept the note until it was revealed that I was the Accomplice and he gave the note to Aaron, who did not know yet.
Unfortunately, once Aaron had the note he came straight to me and gave the note back saying "Hey Austin, you lost something."
Don't try to put one past Aaron.

Of course, Skywalker and Qui-Gon's ruse was much better and put together, but I had fun too.

In Christ,
Austin
WWW

Happy Kenya Madaraka Day, a day to enjoy freedom!

In Christ,
Austin
WWW

Gym and the News

I'm at the gym right now, posting off of the complimentary computers.
It's very nice.
About 15 minutes ago I got out of a weight training class, and I was thinking.
When I started to tire out, a simple solution such as correct breathing was suggested.
Simply by breathing correctly, I was able to continue on in the class instead of quitting prematurely.
So just remember that when you are in a situation where you think you should quit, just do a simple thing like breathing a little.
Say a prayer.
Blog a bit.
Let it all out.

I'm watching the news right now as well, and I'm disgusted by the interviews.
All the questions are leading, all the statements are weighted in a different manner then what they should be.
I realize that bias is a fact of life, but nevertheless, they don't seem to make an effort at all.
This is why I like www.theculturalreport.com
Check it out.

In Christ,
Austin
WWW

Dogs

Happy Zimbabwe Independence Day!
Go hug a Zinbabwean!

Holidays aside, I was looking at my dog today.
I really love my puppy, Shadow.
He was sitting under our table, just looking on the events unfolding around him.
One of my brothers was vacuuming, my mom was cooking.
He just sat there, looking for all the world as if he was keeping gaurd.
Whenever we swim in our pool, he barks at us because he hates it when we dive underwater.
Then I thought, what if we were more like that with everyone else?
Looking out for each other, willing to accept each other for what we are.
Shadow doesn't care if I spike my hair today or leave it flat, or if I don't shave for three weeks and look like death incarnate.
He just cares about me for who I am to him.
Not only just a source of food, of course.
I'm trying to do that today.
Look at all my friends and family and love them for who they are, protect them, and pray for them.

Can you join me?

In Christ,
Austin
WWW

Memorial Day

Well, as Memorial Day comes and passes, I wonder why we even have the holiday anymore.
I am all for respecting and remembering those who died for us and our country, etc., but do we have to make a sales event out of it?
I mean, come on.
We already have Christmas, New Years, Easter, Veteran's Day, President's Day, etc. made into sales events.
Do we need another one?
Apparently so.

Anyway, pertaining to my life goal #52, "Celebrate at least one obscure holiday per week."
In acheiving that goal, I give you...
Anguilla Day!
Happy Anguilla Day!
Today(May 30) is the day where we celebrate the small island of Anguilla, a British controlled isldand in the Carribbean!
Go hug an Anguillan!

:)

In Christ,
Austin
WWW

PS We don't make a sales event out of Anguilla day, now do we?
Do we?
Huh?
Yea, that's what I thought.
It's all a conspiracy.

The Order of the Arrow and Arguments

What is an argument?
In the intellectual sense, it is two or more people discussing conflicting ideas in order to ascertain which is correct.
In a fighting sense, it is just that, fighting.
I noticed something fighting with my Mom this morning.
As soon as I said something that was illogical, I didn't notice it but Mom did.
I would weave contradictions about myself unknowingly and then find out that, hey!
I don't make sense!
That's such an incredible thing.
Why do we fight and quibble over insignificant facets of life?
Some would argue that it is simply our way.
Some put it off as human nature.
I say it is from an unrelenting desire to never be wrong.
This would stem from our survival instincts which tell us that being wrong means death.
If you are wrong in a survival situation, it could be death.

Anyway, that's my thought of the day.

On the OA.
The OA is a service organization branching from the Boy Scouts of America.
It exists so that Scouts can join and encourage each other in following the points of the Scout Oath and Law and to bind them to a higher obligation of cheerful service.
The three W's stand for the three principals of the Order, brotherhood, cheerfulness, and service.
The W's are really Indian names, so I can't really spell it all that well.
If you have any questions about the OA, don't hesitate to ask.

In Christ,
Austin
WWW

Oh, and another thing.

If you were wondering, the WWW I signed my last few posts with actually is part of my Boy Scout stuff.
It's part of the Order of the Arrow, or OA.
Fill in on that later, must sleep now.

In Christ,
Austin
WWW

List of life goals

BTW, I have a list of life goals.
Here is the current version, updated almost daily.
I have only achieved two, no three, and one was actually making the list.
Go figure.



Have over 250 life goals
Complete all life goals
Hike the Appalachian Trail
Hike all trails in Umstead Park
Hike all trails in Camp Durant
Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro
Climb at least 50 smaller mountains than Mt. Kilimanjaro
Earn Eagle
Earn at least 1 Eagle Palm
Perform in 50 ceremonies in the OA
Graduate high school with honors
Graduate college with honors
Invent 10 things
Attain 1 patent
Write at least 200 poems
Compose at least 100 piano pieces
Compose at least 50 piano duets
Compose at least 20 piano-flute-violin trios
Compose at least 10 orchestral works
Compose at least 100 organ pieces
Compose at least 25 string quartets
Compose at least 20 oboe pieces
Visit every continent
Visit all 50 states, 2/3 of which with family and/or friends
Visit at least 2/3 of the world’s territories, 1/3 of which with family and/or friends
Get married
Have kids
Juggle 9 balls
Juggle 7 clubs
Juggle 8 rings
Be competent in over 8 forms of juggling
Juggle on a cruise ship as a paid performer
Perform juggling at least 100 times
Start a juggling club
Teach 100 people to juggle
Start a business that lasts at least 1 year
Create a blog which lasts at least 1 year
Write at least 150 voluntary papers
Break at least one world record
Create at least one world record
Get a Henna tattoo
Perform in a band in front of at least 500 people
Produce at least 3 solo CDs
Be a part of at least 5 non-solo CDs
Write a published novel
Write a screen play
Make a movie
Live to be 100
Be in space only once
Perform street magic in at least 10 malls
Compete in a WJF competition
Celebrate at least one obscure holiday per week
Perform “Greed”
Read at least 100,000 books
Have a piano repertoire of at least 100 songs
Have an organ repertoire of at least 100 songs
Learn to improvise on piano
Learn to improvise on guitar
Be a part of a jury
Be on national television
Go skydiving at least once
Be able to sing “Solitaire” by Clay Aiken
Write the lyrics and music for at least 100 songs
Write 175 short stories
Have a “The Way I See It” in my name
Learn and be proficient in Java
See all episodes of “Gilligan’s Island”
Be a millionaire for at least one second
Own stocks
Go on a cruise
Convert 10,000 yards of rope into a daisy chain by myself
Never go to jail
Play a game of cricket
Play a game of curling
Witness an Olympic event live


Think I need a life?
Suggest a life goal.

In Christ,
Austin
WWW

I kinda did forget about my blog.
Let's fill in.

Well, in the long space which I have been gone, I have learned how to juggle 5 balls, started and nearly completed my Eagle project, started a new blog ( blogofpapers.blogspot.com ) and have started planning my world domination.

Other than that, nothing much has happened.

Just a couple of things and then I have to go, but more regular updates can be expected.
Please get mad and post comments if I don't post for too long.

First on wisdom.

What is wisdom?
I have come up with a theory.
Wisdom must be based off of something if not purely from God.
Basically wisdom is knowledge applied.
Webster defines Wisdom as “accumulated philosophic or scientific learning : KNOWLEDGE b : ability to discern inner qualities and relationships : INSIGHT c : good sense : JUDGMENT”
Simply accumulating knowledge, in my opinion, is not enough to gain wisdom.
One can have plenty of random facts floating around and they will never lead to wisdom unless they are applied.
What is a wise thing?
Maybe…
Using a potholder to handle a hot pot.
Why would you do this?
You have the knowledge that the pot is hot and that the potholder will protect you from that heat.
You apply that knowledge into the action of using a potholder, which is a wise thing to do.

Give me any wise thing to do and I will show that it is knowledge applied.

A slight modifier must be placed on this definition of wisdom.
Wisdom must be knowledge rightly applied.
You could apply knowledge wrongly or illogically to reach unwise conclusions.

So that’s my spiel on wisdom.
For now.

For anyone that actually reads this, thanks.

Oh, by the way, I do magic too.
More like illusionism, hellstromism, mentalism, prestidigitation, and a variety of other sleights of hand.
Why, you might say, do I do this?
Well, it allows me to get into your mind and for one moment, one moment where reality is suspended for you.
You see things from a new perspective.
You wonder and question reality as you thought it was.
For that one moment you become a child, for a child doesn’t need magic tricks to have wonder.
Wonder is all around them.
That is my goal in this.
I want to make you wonder.

Anyway, thanks for sticking ‘round!

In Christ,
Austin
WWW

Saddam, Bathrooms, and Santa

Well first, the precursury Merry Christmas.
Now that that's over with, we move on.

Saddam was hanged today, as many have probably heard by now.
I don't really know what this'll do to Iraq, but at least Justice was served, at least in some sense.

The bathroom renovations are moving along, we actually have a sink and countertop and a toilet!
And a floor that's not plywood!
Gasp!

It's kool.

My dad stayed up 'till midnight though, installing trim.
It comes with a price.


I hope ya'lls Christmas was good, mine was.
Everyone came over to our house, and it was a raucous time indeed.

Well, I'll post later with a raging debate on the forum...

Austin

Juggle Time and the News

Well first, what's up 'round my house.
We have finished the destruction portion of renovating the bathroom, and we have moved on to painting.
Weeeee...
big fun.

Anyway, here are some Google video links to cool juggling routines I found.
I juggle myself, and when I figure out how, I'll post pics and videos of my juggling.
For now, know that I can do four balls consistently, three in many patterns, three rings and three clubs.
Not pins, clubs.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7483930982832849926&q=juggling&hl=en
Juggling in a cone.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6937728133219366373&q=juggling&hl=en
Rather gimmiky, but nevertheless, good.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1901296861130335028&q=juggling&hl=en
Highly Interesting!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4109085384828182666&q=juggling&hl=en
This would be Jason Garfield, the president of the World Juggling Federation (http://www.thewjf.com/)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4862572361918866064&q=juggling&hl=en
?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3943819989215786824&q=contact+juggling&hl=en
Kamil Dzilinski, a contact juggler.
Very kool.


I shall post more later.

Austin