so i’m home sick today. that is not very exciting. yet, it gives me a chance to sit here in front of a roaring fire, eat my soup, drink my water, and update my blog.

sadly i have nothing compelling to discuss, no braindump formulating itself inside my head and waiting to be clumsily transformed into an ill-considered essay. so, pathetic substitute that it may be, you get the classic life update entry.

so what have i done with my first month of 2006? i rode my bike alot, in terrible conditions. but thanks to my new mountain hardwear jacket at least my upper half stayed warm and dry. i got totally destroyed at the cranked magazine alleycat: by bad navigation, unlucky checkpoint ordering, and riding in conditions i ought not have.

i also spent plenty of time on craigslist looking for cars, with little luck. i got huge amounts of advice from ashly knapp the auto chap which was greatly appreciated, but finding a cherry diesel in seattle for a reasonable price is a tough order to fill. i did get a chance to put my nascent driving skills to their test however. this past weekend we journeyed to corvallis to celebrate alison’s birthday. en route we stopped at the horse brass, arguably the finest bar in the northwest. since it was clear to me that richard and monkey had been having a hard day and were in need of liquid cheer, i volunteered to be the designated driver. two dark, stormy hours of driving later i pulled up in front of jeremy and alison’s pad, not dead. which was frankly a little surprising to me.

in other fronts of my life, i’ve still been continuing to co-lead a bethany small group (nee gathering) with the [ adjective ] susan. our group right now is trying to figure out what we are doing, and why we continue meeting when oftentimes it seems clear that none of us particularly want to be there. meanwhile, i am going through a somewhat similar experience with respect to my role at bethany as a whole. of course that is complicated by my weekly obligations as a soundman, a job that is growing in scope as we plan the new building project. but i still don’t understand my place in the church, or the Church for that matter.

of late i’ve taken to sneaking off from the .83 ride on tuesdays and instead attending tuesday evening worship over at upc. that’s been a nice change of pace for me, and i have a few friendships there that i enjoy the opportunity to nurture.

and now, i think i’ve earned myself a nap.