Busy Week

Well, I'm done with my P.E. Exam! I took it last Friday and I think it went O.K. The morning was pretty easy and the afternoon was pretty tough so I hope it averages out to a passing score. I won't find out if I passed or not until early January so that kinda sucks. I'm so glad it's done, though. I can finally focus on other things and get some stuff done at work! I never thought I would be so excited to work.

If studying for my P.E. exam wasn't enough to distract me from doing work. I found out on Monday that I had to serve on Jury Duty all day on Tuesday. It was a rather interesting process on how people get selected. On Monday morning I was put in this big room with about 440 other people. You are assigned a number and at various times they called out a set numbers to follow the bailiff into a courtroom for a specific case. In the courtroom, the judge, the 2 lawyers, the defendant and a few others were there. They proceeded to weed us out by asking lots of questions to determine any biases. After about 4 hours of that, they called out the names of the people that weren't picked for the jury and I was not one. We were then told to go and report on Tuesday morning at 8:15am for the trial. On Tuesday morning I got up early, got a coffee, and headed to the courthouse. It was a sexual assault case so I thought it might get kinda graphic, but it really didn't. There were a ton of people brought up for testimony; detectives, teaches, family members, the victim. There were many objections and approaching the bench just as I had anticipated, the jury had to leave several times so the lawyers could clear up a few things with the judge. The case ended at 5:00pm and then it was time for us to deliberate. They put us in this room, took all of our possessions and locked them away so we couldn't have contact with the outside world. The bailiff brought us a bunch of pizzas for dinner. We found the defendant guilty on 1st degree sexual assault in about 20 min. and the other 3.5 hours was spent determining if he enticed the child with intent to have sexual contact. In the end we found him guilty on both charges which is a maximum sentence of 85 years in prison. Then it was time for us to come back in the courtroom for the verdict. My heart was pumping so hard and I couldn't look at the defendant. Is was so nerve wracking waiting for the judge to read the verdict. This guy's life was totally about to change based on the decision of 12 people. Afterwards the judge (who looked a lot like Martin Sheen from the West Wing) came back and hung out with us for like an hour to talk to us about the case, his thoughts on it, and he would answer any question we asked him. He said he agreed on our verdict so that was fairly comforting. Overall I was very impressed by the process and the people I got to work with. Everything was so organized and both of the lawyers were so friendly. Maybe in 4 years I'll get picked again!

And if that wasn't distraction enough, I also had to move offices on Wednesday to a different part of the floor so I spent all day on Wednesday doing that. On Thursday I unpacked most of the day so today is finally a day when I can do work. And what am I doing? Writing on my blog. And it's Friday so it's hard to get any work done anyway. I think it's a slightly bigger office so that's cool and I got rid of a lot of crap that I don't need so that opened up some space too.

Last Sunday I started making my beer. And let me tell you, it's not as hard as you would think. I started at 7pm on Sunday night and got done at about 10:30. The tricky part for this particular beer is the specific temperatures you need to get the wort at to steep the grains and add the malt extract. Also, it is crucial to sterilize everything. If bacteria gets into the mix, then the yeast could spoil the beer. I was nervous on Monday morning when I didn't see any bubbles coming out of the relief valve. I thought for sure fermentation would have started so I thought I screwed up the yeast part somehow. I called the Wine and Hop Shop on Monday afternoon, told them my concerns and the guy basically laughed at me and said I ad to wait at least another day for it to start. And sure enough, on Monday night it was bubbling like crazy. Whew! And it smelled great! On Wednesday after work I transferred the contents into a glass carboy for the 2nd stage of the fermentation process. It makes for a smooth tasting beer. Then next Saturday I'm going to bottle it. So 3 weeks minimum for start to finish. Although they recommend keeping it in the bottle for a month before opening it for the best taste. It should be ready just in time for Thanksgiving, can't wait! I'm not sure about the name quite yet so I hope to focus on that more next week. Amber recommenced "Rew's Brew" (although she doesn't like beer so I don't think she has a say) I'll post some pictures up once the brew is complete.

Ah, Halloween is today and it's time to hand out candy to the 2 people that stop by our house. Amber and I were thinking about walking around State St. tonight to check out some of the funny costumes. My co-worker and I went to Starbucks like every Friday and man, there were a lot of people with costumes on! By 9am I already say a Batwoman, Chewbacca, Little Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf, Hippie Dude, various princesses, Tigger and a bear.

Big vote next Tuesday. I gotta get more informed. That's two huge civic duties in one week, Jury Duty and Voting for the presidency, man I feel like an American! Please comment below if you want to sway me in any particular direction. (Although I am already leaning pretty heavily in a particular direction)

Billiards FAIL

I lost my shorts playing 3-ball with my uncle and step-dad this past weekend when I was up north visiting my family. We went to the Pine Lake Pub, I put $5 into the juke box, which got me 20 songs by the way...20, got a pitcher of beer and then racked it up! 3 Ball is a pretty fun game and I have played it before. The goal is to get 3 balls in the pocket and you have only 5 shots to do it in. I won the first game. Oh, I forgot to mention that we played for $1/game and if there is a tie, you sweeten the pot by putting in another dollar. After that first game I didn't win a single other game, and I played like 20 games. And there were several ties. My step-dad was making this ridiculous shots, I couldn't stand a chance. So, lesson learned that I shouldn't gamble and not to play 3-ball with ringers.

Oh man, I have the big P.E. Exam tomorrow from 7:45am - 4pm. This is going to be a long day. I've been studying for quite a while and I don't think I can fit much more into my head. We'll find out if I fully grok the material or not...waiting is. My brain will be jelly when I am done and am looking forward to a good beer afterwards.

Speaking of beer, my buddy Mark Tucker and I are going to buy our beer making kits on Saturday. We're pretty excited. There is this place called the Wine and Hop Shop in town and they specialize in this kind of thing. We'll need to buy bottles as well. I plan on making a porter and Tuck is planning on making an amber. The beer will surely taste amazing/disgusting and I will certainly win awards/pour it down the drain. Any suggestions for beer names? Please comment below.

Tonight, sometime after 4:00pm I have to call the Wisconsin Court to find out if I have to serve on Jury Duty on Monday or not. I kind of want to do it because I think it would be a cool experience but I don't want to also because I'm moving to my new office next Wednesday and I need at least two days to pack up. So, I guess it really boils down to that I just don't care if I do it or not.

Sometime this week I'll be getting two big boxes containing 48 blankets dropped on my front porch. These are the ones that Buck and I and possibly a few others plan on distributing to the homeless around the Capital area. Probably sometime in early November we'll do that, because it is starting to get real cold, I heard that there is a chance of snow for Sunday...what? It's still October. How does this sound for a great name for a Homelessness action committee: "Helpfulness for Homelessness". Stay tuned in November/December for more. There is a song by Casting Crowns called If We Are The Body with an amazing chorus:

"But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way"

I've heard this song many times, but as I was driving home from up north I got chills down my back when I heard this, "magic soaking my spine", if you will. Because, as I've been feeling lately, as a Christian, it's time for action. Make an impact.

I must say that I love people. I love being around my friends and family. Nothing makes me happier than having a great discussion with friends, spending some quality time with the wife, meeting new people. Everyone is so different and interesting, I find myself wanting to know everything about a person, what makes them tick, what their passions are. It's probably a quirk in me and maybe it annoys people. But I love to be around them. I love a good crowded environment.

At book group last week I started off our discussion with an ice breaker question: "Who is the most joyful person you know?" Everyone took turns telling theirs. When it came to Amber, she said without hesitating "Mike", I said "Hmm, Mike who?" and she laughed and said "You!" and I was so surprised, that was one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. We got into a discussion about joyfulness then. We made a distinction between joyfulness and happiness; anybody can feel happy, happiness is an emotion, evil people can be happy. Joyfulness is more of a base layer of a person's character. Sure we can feel joy, but a joyful person is a different thing. I just thought it was a great compliment. Thanks, babe!

OK, I really have to get back to studying...

A Consequence of Poverty: Homelessness

I can't remember when it was that I started feeling strong emotions when it came to the issue of homelessness. I think it may have started in 1995 when I became a Phil Collins fan and "Another Day in Paradise" was my favorite song of all time. I wondered why this song spoke to me more than other songs did.

Of course, going to college in Madison was a big eye opener. Freshman year was the first time I ever saw people beg for money or sleep on park benches. I wondered how they got to this point in their lives. I was one of the people who would either ignore the person if they ask for money or lie to them saying I don't have anything. I think it was put in my head a while back that if you give them money, they will buy alcohol or cigarettes, not food or clothing or whatever else they actually need. Perhaps this is the case with a good portion of them, but we shouldn't assume it's always the case. Still, I find myself ignoring them if they ask for money; from time to time I'll toss in a few quarters or whatever loose change I have in my pocket. I should just try to talk to them, see what they have to say. Find out their story. Stop feeling like I'm better than them or too good for them. Get rid of the pride.

I couldn't turn away from my strong desire to help the homeless. I saw an opportunity a few years back to work at the men's homeless shelter through Blackhawk. My first time I was very nervous; I didn't know what to expect or how I should interact with the guys. The first few times working I had to learn the ropes of preparing the food, make sure it was ready to serve by 6, pack a few lunches, and then the cleanup afterwards. Man, getting up at 4:00 on a Tuesday morning is not something I would normally look forward to, but now I feel pumped and really excited to go and help out. I recognize most of the guys now and they give me a nice smile when they see me because they recognize me too. They are very thankful and grateful that they have people to help make food for them in the morning and they share their thanks with the rest of the volunteers. I liked it so much that I have started to help prepare dinner through High Point Church on the occasional Friday.

Recently, an idea from Buck to distribute blankets to the homeless sparked a drive in me. We would hand out fleece blankets to the homeless we see around the State St./Capital area on some weeknight before it gets too cold. I've started getting a plan together and last Saturday when Amber and I were out to dinner, we were on State and I asked her to help me take count of the homeless we see as we walked up and down the street. I think the count was something like 35-40. And that was with the temp. at about 75 degrees. Perhaps in doing this we can talk to a few of them, establish good will and eventually perhaps share the gospel with them.

The count at the shelter when the weather is nice is around 60, then in the winter or bad weather the count goes up to about 120. And this is only at one shelter in Madison, I can't imagine working on the south side of Chicago, I would go into culture shock!

There is still so much work to be done but I feel that this community has the right type of attitude and the size is small enough that we can really make a big difference in some of the lives of these people. There are tons of opportunities available for volunteers. Porch Light http://www.porchlightinc.org/ is an organization that runs most of the shelters in this area. They are dedicated to finding a solution to the homelessness issue; check it out, they have stats on the homelessness in Madison and other ways people can help. They are always looking for a few good people, especially in the winter months to help out at their shelters. If volunteering isn't your thing, they also accept donations as well :-)

Pong Latin

I have discovered a new love: Pong Latin. I discovered this on Saturday morning at Blackhawk while I was waiting around the lobby with Ed, Buck and Pastor Steve. I had to go and pick up Gary Chapman from his hotel room at 8:15 so we were just hanging out before I had to go. Buck wanted me to call Gary "Gar-Bear" and see what his reaction was, Pastor Steve wanted me to keep dropping the F-bomb when he got in the car (jokingly of course). Ed wanted me to call him "Gong-A-Rong-Yong". "What the heck was that?" I asked. He went on to tell me that it was Pong Latin, like Pig Latin, but with different rules. It's very easy, there are just 2 rules (I think):

1. After every consonant, add a "ong" on to the end of the letter.
2. Say every vowel

For instance, my name would be: Zong-E-Kong-E Long-A-Song-Hong-U-A (Zeke Lashua)

Amber and I were out to dinner on Saturday and I was looking at signs and saying the names in Pong Latin, we were cracking up. Tiki Bar is Tong-I-Kong-I Bong-A-Rong.

I dont' know, maybe it's not that funny, but I find it quite amusing. I love this one: A-Nong-Dong-Yong Dong-O-Bong-Bong-I-Nong-Song (Andy Dobbins). The "Bong-Bong" in the last name is great.

So, try it yourself and get a good laugh.

I'm such a nerd.

I'm studying hard for my test on Friday the 24th! I have my last class in Milwaukee tonight. I think I'll do alright. At least I get next Friday off of work and possibly next Thursday for a study day. And I don't have to take vacation, sweet!

This weekend I'm heading up north to visit my family, see my G-pa and check out the fall colors! Amber has to work on Sat. so she isn't coming. My G-pa isn't doing too hot, he has Parkinson's and just got diagnosed with some sort of anemia so we don't know how much time he has left so I want to go up there to spend some time with him. It'll be great to see the rest of the family too.

Anyway, stayed tuned for a post about poverty tomorrow as part of Blog Action Day 2008.

Jury Duty

Last week I got a letter in the mail from the Department of Justice. Quickly I opened the letter, curious as to what it could be. Could they have found me out?!? No, I soon found out I was being summoned for Jury Duty. I'm actually kind of excited. I serve sometime during the weeks of Oct. 27th through Nov. 7th. Of course, I haven't been selected yet for the jury and most likely they'll settle the case before they even need me. But I think it would be fun and interesting to be a part of the legal process. I imagine it being just like you see on TV shows or movies like CSI or The Firm. Huge, overly dramatic defenses from the lawyer, pointing of fingers, accusations, a lot of "I Object!!", "Overruled!", as well as pouring of water from steel carafe into glasses. Then the jury would go into their private room to deliberate and there would be intense arguing, some guy in the corner is saying "Hang him for all I care! I got my son's little league game in an hour." And this it what I expect.

Ah, the Brewers. Season is over. But what a season! Perhaps "World Series or Bust" was a bit of a lofty goal; maybe I'll lower the standards for next year. "Brewers 2009: Playoffs or Bust" Oh, and the Cubs suck.

On Saturday, Gary Chapman http://www.garychapman.org/ , author of "The Five Love Languages" among many others will be speaking at Blackhawk Church. Amber and I are picking him up from his hotel in Middleton and driving him to the conference. I'm hoping the conversation won't be awkward! What do you say to him?? I suppose he won't appreciate having a Death Cab CD playing in the car, but perhaps I can turn him on to The Modern Antiques??

Misc. Pictures from the Northwest

Here are some misc. pictures from the area around the resort. I forgot my camera in the hotel room when I went to Vancouver. I hear that Sea Lions are all over the place on the shore so I hope to get a few snapshots of those as well!