oMg, SPrinG BrEaK!>!!%!?!!@

Dude, bro, spring break. Sorry, I can't help from imitating my classmates. So many beers. Sorry, I'm trying. Maybe I should just post some pictures, that way I won't be tempted to.. oMg!~ pictures??!


Brandon M., Brandon B. and I at the Bean in Chicago on Saint Patrick's Day. We're releasing our first hardcore album soon, stay tuned for details.















Okay, I suppose this is kind of a typical spring break picture. Except instead of Miller Lite we're drinking Bushmill's Ten-Year. And I liked it more than I expected.















I procured some new trail shoes and proceeded to test them out on a trail along the river. It was muddy and at one point I hopped around beached ice floats.
















On this bracket I still have all my elite eights. But it's pretty ugly.
















And lastly, I figured I needed a spring break project, so I did what I could and attempted to grow a mustache. It's also pretty ugly. I promise to shave it off before your birthday.















Not pictured: Britcher having me do a workout to near-barfing, eating artichoke hearts out of a can, sushi, seeing Riddell and Graham, having not-falafel with Heidi, working thirty some hours - throwing boxes down the stairs, speed scrabble at Olde Main, sweet drama at Cornerstone, running six miles at nine in the p.m., an abundent amount of vegetables and the [hopefully] last snow of this everlong winter. It was a good'n, now back to work, er, school and work. you have my love.

This wasn't my intent

I've gone and done it; I've become the type of friend that I hate. We used to be really good friends, like the hangout everyday sort of friend. And I'm not sure how it came to this, but I was retracing the steps in my mind over this past week. I started working, and then school, and then working out. But it was before then really. And it wasn't any one thing, but just a busyness that kept us from catching up. And then I began ignoring his phone calls, at first just meaning to call him back later, but I would forget and so it would go. I email every once in a while, but short When chatting with other people I'm always quick to mention a story or two about us from the "good times", and I suppose it makes me miss that connection. And I guess that's why I'm writing this, and it maybe it will seem cheesy to me later, but when I was thinking about it today it was really real for me. So, I'm sorry Jesus, I've been a shitty friend lately, but I want you to know that I still love you, and I'm really thankful that you still love me.

Yours truly,
Travis

Rock, chalk, choke

Dear Jayhawks,
Congratulations on a number one seed two years in a row. Let me tell you, I think you have a chance to do really well this year; as much as I like the Hoyas, they tend to play slop in big games, and you can take them. You can take Vandy too, but don't overlook them. Which brings me to the point of this letter. In the past I've put some trust in you, and you've let me down. Big time. Do you remember oh-five? Bucknell. I do believe that I had you as a final four team in oh-six, and then you lost to Bradley in the first round. And I'm pretty sure that Bradley is just a dental school [have not fact checked this]. Everyone I've been talking to is nervous, worrying that you've become choke-prone. But I'm going out on a limb again this year, because I trust you. I'm not asking you to win any championships, I'm just asking you to lose to North Carolina in the Final Four. That's still great though, right? Like, third place or something. That would be great for KU, just great. So get on out there Super-Nintendo Chalmers and other athletic type people and don't choke.

Much obliged,
Travis

p.s. If you could see to it that Arizona beats Duke, that would be ever appreciated.

The elite

If you know me, you know that I don't really like basketball [in my opinion it sides too much with the offensive side of the game - fouls are called to easily]. But, I love, LOVE this time of year for college basketball. I think that the tournament might be the best sporting event in all the US of A [with perhaps only the World Cup beating it out worldwide]. So with that said, here are my picks for the elite eight [dependant on their regions]: North Carolina, Tennessee, Memphis, Stanford, USC, Georgetown, UConn, and Duke. Hopefully [for me, not Josh] it comes down to North Carolina and Tennessee, though I'm pulling for Drake to make a push deep into the tourney. Feel free to come over and watch some of the games with me. Hep!

How to surprise me

Several weeks ago I had a smile brought to my face when I found out that a couple of friends of mine threw each other surprise birthdays. For each other. Without knowing it. Now of course it wasn't the same night [which would have been incredible], but it was great to see them when they realized what was happening. Did I mention that they've been married to each other for four months or so. It was pretty funny.

Chris was slightly surprised, but he had some sort of intuition that something was going on. One week later [Chris had planned her party before he knew of his own] Katie was quite surprised. To date there have been two attempts to surprise me. The first was on my eighteenth birthday, whilst in Monterrey, Mexico on a trip with the youth group. My dear friend Monica, who at the time was really more of an acquaintance, attempted to distract me. However, my spidey senses kicked in and I figured out what was going on. I decided to not ruin it for everyone else by coming in through the back door, and it turned out to be a great birthday [including several pinatas!]. The second attempt was on my twentieth birthday. It was my Boston summer, and we happened to be in New Hampshire for a mid-summer retreat. There were only eight of us, so it was fairly easy for me to pick up the vibe that they were planning something for me. It was a nice little shindig, and happened to be my only time in that state, so I can add that to my list of states in which I've celebrated my birthday.*

It isn't that I hate surprises, I enjoy them - really, I do. However, I also really like unraveling mysteries, like puzzles, secrets, women and so forth. So I'm going to give you all some advice, in hopes that someday, someone might actually surprise me. This doesn't mean that I won't be putting aside my spidey senses though, so good luck.

One. Be really sneaky. This should go without saying, but honestly, if you don't put your best efforts forward I will figure it out. You can't pull a rookie mistake like parking too many recognizable cars nearby. You may need to not let some people into the secret until the party is really close.

Two. Emotionally distract me. This will ensure that I won't be on top of my sleuthing prowess. Options include, but are not limited to: getting into an argument with me, or in some way frustrating me. Or you could get a cute chica to flirt with me and make me believe that she actually has some interest in me. Note this though, if you use that second option and she actually doesn't have an interest in me I will probably hold it against you for a long, long time.

Three. Think outside the box. This has become a cliche, but seriously, avoid the norm. Throw me a birthday party a month early. Have it in a really random locale [Kentucky, Congo, etc.]. Invite people I don't know [for another day: I once went to a very poorly attended surprise party for someone I didn't know. It was one of the most awkward moments ever]. Invite all the people who dislike me, which would be about three or four people. Or better yet, invite all the girls I've ever liked - that would be... fun? No, that's not the word I was looking for. Weird - that's better. Get Jeff Tweedy or David Bazan to show up. Or have everyone dress up as woodland creatures and have the party be at a park. I'm sure you can come up with some even better ideas.

Some personal notes: today was great because: the weather was nice, I listened to a lot of Beatles songs and was in a rather goofy mood. I saw Wilco a couple of nights ago and it was fantastic - a lot of old songs, everyone in the band was acting silly and they were just downright amazing. The breaking news from last post: RyJo is engaged to be wed, thus allowing me to name myself Czar of the iEHBS [the new constitution passed] and Bob the High Judge. I had a late dinner with Josh, Angie and Naomi Smith last night; it was really good to see them before they made their way to L.A. I am loving the madness of March and am so excited for the tournament, enough so that my next post will be devoted to it. I'll try to post it before the selection, but will be pressed for time as I will be in Chicago this weekend - good times. That's it, embrace Spring if you are able. you have my love.

* No such list actually exists.

Viva la societal revolucion

Two weeks ago I received a couple messages regarding the Evangelical Homiletic Bachelors Society from nonmembers, and it got me thinking about updating the EHBS. Looking back I realize that in forming the EHBS we never really established any sort of constitution, as we were too busy focusing on the promotion of the single life in the face of the couples-culture at Trinity. So after eight years, I'm proposing an informal constitution, which does bring into it some [radical?] changes. Most of these changes have come from ongoing conversations with B-Mick, Gates and RyJo. For those of you who are current or former members, please feel free to "vote", the rest of you, please enjoy.

First, a definition of the name, brought to us by Gates:
Evangelical:
In origin: The conception of the EHBS occurred on Valentines Day, oh-one on the campus of Trinity International University, a decidedly Evangelical institution.

In philosophy: The EHBS strives for a strong biblical concept of bachelorhood and matrimony, rooted in an evangelical, post-evangelical or neo-futurist interpretation of Scripture as well as the human document.

Homiletic:
St. Francis of Assisi said "preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words." That's a lovely sentiment, but we find it necessary to use words as we preach EHBS truth. This preaching is grounded in solid exegesis of text, culture, individual situation and the proliferation of facial hair in the greater context of bachelorhood.

Bachelor:
The EHBS is first and foremost a bachelor society. It celebrates bachelorhood and all it entails [see pillar one]. It is a community which shares the pains of bachelorhood, rages against a culture and church hell-bent on marriage as a universal ideal [see pillar two], receives support from like-minded married folk [emeritus members], and celebrates the joys of oddsmaking [see pillar three].

Society:
The EHBS is a society, a community. It is no mere aggregate of individual bachelors, but a family. This could entail secret passwords and handshakes, but mostly it means that nobody is alone in their bachelorhood. The EHBS is a ruggedly compassionate society rooted in brotherly love, beards and an indescribably hatred for pants.


What has been proposed is an expansion of sorts, which would be known through our name. My suggestion: "iEHBS & Associates". The "i" is for two things. One, to make us an international society. Perhaps this will bring about an expansion in numbers, but more importantly, perhaps it will encourage on Graham Aitken to actually embrace his bachelorhood. The second reason is that we become more promotable by jumping on the iAnything bandwagon. The "and associates" can be explained with RyJo's proposed member differentiation:

Member in good standing: one who joined EHBS as a bachelor and is currently an unattached bachelor.

Affiliated member: one who joined EHBS as a bachelor and is currently on a path [as determined by the members in good standing. which has a strong possibility of leading toward the cessation of bachelorhood [marriage].

Emeritus member: one who joined EHBS as a bachelor and is no longer, but continues to hold to the purposes and principles of EHBS.

Member ex-officio (non-voting): one who is not a bachelor but, by virtue of an outstanding commitment to the purposes of EHBS, has been voted into the society by a plurality of all members. This would allow for our fellow bachelorettes, though any dating within the EHBS would result in immediate disqualification and possible exile.


Thus we are inclusive without forfeiting our values. There was the thought of becoming unversalistic, but that's just absurd in such a society. Upon confirmation of membership differentiation, I propose member ex-officio status for B-Mick, Kathryn Goebel, and Studs Turkel. Also proposed, by RyJo, is the proclamation of enemies of the state of the EHBS: Ernst Troeltsch and Rudolf Bultmann. I would add Nicholas Sparks and Hugh Grant.

Gates also noted some potential pillars of the EHBS, though I would say that they are less "potential" than they already are the pillars that uphold the platform of the EHBS:

One. Bachelorhood is to be embraced not mere interlude between birth and marriage. It is to be embraced for the joys, freedoms and difficulties it offers.

Two. The EHBS is against the idea of universal matrimony [the proposition that all men should eventually marry], but is not anti-matrimony. Marriage of EHBS members may be momentarily mourned, but mostly for the sake of the society. After what is sometimes a deep struggle, matrimony ultimately is celebrated as the next chapter in an individual life.

Three. Oddsmaking, the minimally annual practice of determining likelihood of matrimony and procreation, is a pillar of EHBS which preserves the vitality and furthers the cause of the EHBS. Oddsmaking is to be facilitated by EHBS members in good standing, and those assessed in the odds themselves are not limited to EHBS members.


There you have it, a revolution within a revolution. It's a beautiful thing. It makes me want an ice cream sandwich. Also, it was fifty degrees out today and the "heat wave" created multitudes of lake-sized puddles. I went for a eighty minute walk in the woods and it was delightful. As I was typing that last sentence I received some breaking EHBS news, so I guess this post is timely. Hep. you have my love.