FURNI

In case everyone didn't know, I started working at Ikea this week. Last night was my first day, and I flashed to scenes from Fight Club about a dozen times. You must admit there is one masculine fact about furniture from IKEA, you have to put 90% of it together yourself!

Things have been good at work and at home. I'm listening to The Ventures right now (Self-Titled Dolton album) and it's making me want to learn how to play guitar more intricately and have no vocals on a record at all. Reading Brothers K is going well too, I'm ahead, let's just hope it stays that way. Cornerstone is coming up, but I'm a little dissapointed because it seems like there are half as many bands that I really want to see as there usually are. I need another job too, I only got two days at Ikea this week and three next week.

Everybody hang in there.

-z.james

Summer Break!?!?!

Hello, I know its been a week since I last posted, but between moving back home again and job-hunting last week things were a little hectic. There is good news though, I got hired at Ikea on Friday, thanks to Dr. and Mrs. Hanna. I don't start until Saturday, which is all day training sessions, but I guess you have to go through the preliminary stuff. Not to mention that I literally haven't been in Ikea in about 7 years; I don't remember a darn thing about the place.

Things are shaping up for the summer too. We will be making the yearly trek to Cornerstone in early July, but we may break from the family vacation to Ocean City (for multiple reasons). Also, I got a bookcase and an end table at garage sales for our apartment, and my Mom said that I could take the old kitchen table that is in the basement, it's not pretty but it's the perfect size for a 5-6 person poker game. Now all I need is a bed and drawers, I think.

The Brothers Karamazov discussion should take off this week, I'm very excited. I finished Book One already, but hopefully discussion will benefit my reading, and I'll get more out of just reading than I usually do. You should check it out, link is to the right.

I'll try to keep current this summer, but I promise nothing.

z.james

Stuck in the Middle with You

As I sit here enveloped by the sound of "Stuck in the Middle with You" by Stealer's Wheel, my Junior year officially ended and trying to get some stuff moved into my new off-campus apartment down the street, I can't help but feel a little regretful. Did I do everything to the best of my ability? Did God use me in a real and effective way?

The summer is looming and I need work a lot. And it figures that it would get really hot the day I have lug things out of my apartment to the van. Anyway, keep on rockin' and I'll be around; we should hang out. Thanks for a great year Geneva.

Z.james

Farewell Sweet Comrades

Greetings my comrades. As we all know this schoolyear is almost over, I'm leaving tomorrow after I turn in my last two papers, but it's also a much needed break. I can feel my mind becoming mush just trying to type this post.

Anyway, writing 9 page Spanish papers is a tedious and annoying task, but it must be completed. To everyone I didn't get to say goodbye to, have a good summer, I'll try to keep in touch, and hopefully I'll see you next year.

Peace,
z.james

light at the end of the tunnel

So I took my Acoustics final bright and early at 8 o'clock this morning, then studied all day and took my American Literature final at 3 o'clock, which went better than I expected. I cannot believe that this year, my Junior year of college, is coming to a close already. This is a little hard to handle.

I guess I'm learning that life is making friends and then parting with them, whether it be momentary or, possibly, forever. Yes it's a little depressing (and no, I haven't been listening to the Cure lately), but I find hope in many things. Like the friend that I should get to know the best, Jesus. But, on the other hand, I have preserved friendships with people that graduated and have sort of moved-on.

Anyone that knows me well enough, knows that I do not keep in touch well once somebody moves away, for that I apologize. That's one of those life goals that I will continually be working on. But as a disciple of Christ, he's always bringing new people into my life, and for that I thank him. Heck, maybe this blog will help me to keep in touch with far-off friends.

Peace,
z.james

The New Year's Project is Done

So the biggest news of the day (which was actually yesterday, but I didn't get to post it) is this:

My friend Brian Hanna (technically a Sophomore Engineer major) and I built a Big Muff Pi distortion pedal!!

For those of you who don't care come back tomorrow; for those of you who don't know what that is I will give an explanation. It is a classic distortion pedal made popular in the '70s by people like Jimmy Page and I've wanted one since about 8th grade when I first heard Dixon's. They Big Muff looks something like an ammunition box left over from the Cold War (if you're looking at the Russian made one), which is similar to the design that Brian and I went for, minus the triangle formation of the control knobs. The one very interesting difference is ours is made out of Bakelite, not sheet aluminum. Here's another (probably obligatory) explanation: Bakelite is a plastic that was made mostly back in the 30's and 40's, but it was so expensive to make, because of the involved process, that a cheaper plastic was invented and therefore made bakelite a rare commodity. And thanks to Mr. Thomas we have a bakelite enclosure for our Big Muff. Anyway, it sounds awesome...vintage creamy, deep, fuzzy distortion and makes me feel warm and...well...fuzzy.

Finals Suck.
z.james

Finals

I can't talk now...it's Finals week and I have a few papers to write. You all have my pity, but it will all be over soon. The only bit of news there is to report: Luke and I signed the lease for apartment today.
Later,
z.james

How Can a Man be Born Again?

Well I used to make fun of everyone with a blog, but since I just joined a discussion group for the Brothers Karamazov I thought...ehh...what the hey!

I don't know what I'm going to post on here, thoughts on being a follower of Jesus or music or literature or movies. Heck, maybe even some original material may appear! Who knows? I cannot wait, not that I expect anyone but Kate and my other 2 friends to read this, but I think it will be fun and give me some motivation to write things (hopefully). Addressing the title of this post, being born again is one of those questions put to Jesus by a fool, just like us, we think we understand, but maybe we can begin to see what Jesus really meant by it. And in case you were wondering where "lightnings of intuition" came from, pick a copy of James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

It should be interesting so hang around and leave some thoughts of your own.

Peace,
z. james