Life ain't fair, buttercup

I remember learning in school about incomplete sentences. For example: The dog. That is an incomplete sentence because it needs a verb. The dog ran. There you go, complete sentence. I bring this up because I have noticed something living here in the dorm - many of these guys speak in incomplete sentences. Actually, it is more that they use one incomplete sentence, but they use it often. And the more I hear it, the more I think everyone seems to use this particular incomplete sentence. And that sentence (I'm wondering how many times I can fit the word 'sentence' into this BLOG) is this: It's not fair. Now while that is technically a proper sentence, I say it is incomplete because there are more words that are part of it that no one actually says. The fully complete sentence is: It's not fair...to me.
I find it interesting that in the vast majority of cases where someone says 'it's not fair', they are really saying that whatever is happening goes against what they want for themselves. And don't let my use of the third person pronoun 'they' fool you. I find myself saying it as well, and when I do, it is mostly because I haven't had things go my way.
So what is the solution? Easy - we need to start worrying more about other people and less about our own wishes. And, we need to worry less about what is 'fair' and instead we need to 'act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly'. If we do that, then it might not always be fair, but I suppose if we can do all that then perhaps we will be less concerned with fair and more concerned with God's love.

Like and old shoe

Isn't it funny how old ways seem so comfortable in times of growth and change? This past week I found myself wishing that I was back in Calgary working at my old job and that life was still as it was back then. I shook my head when I remembered that I was in many ways miserable back then and that I was at the end of my rope and in need of a positive change. Even had I satyed in Canada some sort of change was needed and that life wasn't all that great. But here I am a few months later looking back on a few isolated things and thinking that it was all good and I was doing better than I am now. I wasn't. I was just more comfortable.
I wonder how often people give up new ventures just because it is slightly uncomfortable and it suddenly feels like the old way was better. That is just something that I need to keep in mind as I go through the next few months of adjustment. It is said that the third or fourth months are where things really start to get difficult because the newness has worn off and things still don't feel truly like home, which is exactly where I am at right now. But no matter what, the old days aren't better. Just different

Or as I call it - Fakesgiving

Today we celebrate thanksgiving in the dorm. It is between the Canadian thanksgiving and the American one, though because it is so close to the American one most people just say that we are celebrating the American thanksgiving.
Actually, that is all I really have to say about that. I mostly just wanted to use the 'fakesgiving' line. I guess it is just a bit weird for me to have thanksgiving so late. The Canadian staff did get together on the real thanksgiving and have a turkey dinner then. It was fun.
So, uh...go forth, and...multiply.

Out of Date

All right, another round of pictures. These ones are from July 2006 when I went to the English camp in Switzerland. I only received them recently when I went to visit the people that were in the pictures on my last post. I have a few amusing videos I might put up here as soon as I figure out how. This is the house we stayed in for two weeks. It was not very large, but it did the trick.

This was the kitchen. As you can see, a table and three people made it start to feel cramped. That fridge in the background was the only fridge we had for the entire camp. The freezer on the top of the fridge was the only freezer we had. Needless to say we did shopping every day. The fridge wasn't even that big. That is Hermy standing by it. He is shorter than I am and still taller than the fridge. Pia is on the left and Kayla is on the right.

This is our serious staff. Back row, l-r: Dale, Ruben, Dane, Hermy, Luke, Me, Kohl, Johnny, Dan

Front row, l-r: Pia, Sandra, Kayla, Chrystelle, Anne-Claire, Hannah, Dale's wife (whose name I have forgotten), and Esther

These are all the campers in their team colours. I was the blue team leader. We lost. But we had more fun.

We would often stay up after the kids went to bed and 'work'.

This is Dan in a little hat.

We served a 'traditional' cowboy breakfast, basically pancakes and sausage. Might have been eggs too, I can't remember.

I am so pretty.

This is Joakim. He has the same birthday as me. Good kid.

I have...no clue.

Ah, Thomas (left) and Jonas. Two guys in my small group, they barely spoke any English. Funny guys though. Thomas tried jell-o and vowed to never do so again. I guess he didn't like it.

That is one full dining room.

Some of the girls dancing as we wait to leave on our hike. We were supposed to go swimming, but there was rainstorms in the area, and someone had been hit by lightning at the pool we were going to the summer before, so we decided to not get our campers electrocuted. The storm passed after a bit and we got to swim after all. Fortunately for me this swimming pool allowed us to wear swim shorts. There is one here in Kandern that requires guys to wear the speed-o style swim trunks. I think I am okay if I don't go swimming this year...

This is one of the English classes. I don't know exactly what they are doing, but I am sure it is related to learning English somehow.

Ah my blue team. We are veritable fountains of good will and sportsmanship. That is code for saying we lost everything we played. But we did it with syle!

Everybody loves me.

Ain't I just so pretty?

As promised...

Hey everyone. As promised here are some pictures from my time here. These are all of my vacation to visit some of the people I worked at English camp with. They live in a small town called Griesheim, about 30kms south of Frankfurt. I went there with Anne-Claire, another English Camp staffer who lives at St. Chrishona, which is just outside of Basel in Switzerland. We took the train, and missed one connection because our train was late or something. Maybe we only had like two minutes to make our train and we didn't know which platform we had to be on. Whatever the case, we got there safe, and the trip back home was even easier. I will have some actual dorm pictures one of these days, I promise. Jonathon, Ruben, Hermy, and I just chill out.

Part of the castle at Heidelburg. I'm not in this picture.

The whole group. L to R: Sandra, Hermy, Ruben, Pia (sitting on ground), Anne-Claire, Me, Jonathon. Notice how I am the only one actually facing the camera? That is because Sandra told everyone to not look at the camera. In German. So naturally I decided to stare straight at the camera and, not knowing any German, I was the only one to do so. It's a good picture, though.

What a pretty group (Pia, Anne-Claire, Sandra)

I am amused. Ruben seems less sure.

I'd vote for him

I finally did it, last night I watched Napoleon Dynamite. To everyone who said that I would enjoy it if I ever watched it, I only have this to say to you: you were right. It was awesome. I have never seen a person so awkward be so lovable. And funny. The dance was awesome, and to those who saw Adam Ayer do the dance know how great a job he did. The farmer shooting the cow in front of the bus full of school kids about had me dying of laughter, and, well, there is just too much. I even felt bad for his creepy uncle Rico. And his brother Kip becoming all hip-hop and stuff, hilarious.
Best of all, it is one of the cleanest movies ever. No swearing, no sex, limited violence (a steak thrown at a person on a bike - funny!), and still funny. Sweet ace.
Well, gotta go.