4 months, a life a new.

Wow, that went by fast!  Time to get back into blogging.  You know me, I have such a love-hate relationship with blogging.  I just get pulled back to it.  I feel so connected to this medium, for 8 years, off and on, back and forth, through the highs and lows. 

I sure left off in May in a low.  Life was getting rough for awhile there.  Freshly out of grad school, no job, and I started to fear that would be my new normal. 

But now let me pick back up.  So many changes in 4 months. 

Let me give you the short run down then I'll go into details about them.  Maybe I'll just give the overview tonight and go into the details in coming up entries.

So here is the run down of all that has happened.

Um, I was working at the coffee shop-yeah, I quit that, more on that later.

So now I've found a real career.  I'm a professor now at a school in the Tampa region.  I love it.  It's only an adjunct position through December.  Hopefully they offer me another contract for the spring semester.  For now though I am loving this job.  This is what I am meant to do.  I am part of a carpool to Tampa the three days a week I teach. 

I am still at UCF working in the sociology lab.  Sure the work there is few and far between but its good while it last.

My roommate Brian moved out and now we have a new awesome roommate S. from Calcutta.  It's a great cross-cultural experience. 

I'm still single but there is someone I been talking to.  Actually I have a few people I'm interested in but only one that really stands out.  I'll keep you informed how it all goes. 

I just left the coffee shop last week (thus the reason I have time to even write this).  I was working in Tampa three days a week and at the coffee shop 3-4 days a week.  It was rough and not needed.  I wanted to stay at the coffee shop but with their lack of ability to schedule me for less hours and the amount of energy it took out of me for such little pay.  I was not sleeping, going 40 or more hours on less than 4 hours of sleep.  Like I said, it was rough, but worth it.  I finally was able to focus my energy on teaching and education.  I teach sociology and even with all the education I've taken in these past years I still feel totally inadequate for teaching it.  I spend so much time researching and confirming what I think is the answer.  Each class day I focus both on the topics of our book and a different sociologist.  This means I spend a ton of time researching different sociologist and looking into how they link back to the topics that each class time focuses on.  I also included at least two videos in each class, I try to include a recent current news story, and some type of class interaction time.  This takes a massive amount of time.  I use the book website and base my powerpoints on theirs but it still takes a large amount of time to rewrite, improve, and adjust them with all the aspects that I like to see in the class. 

Well this is getting long and I've been trying not to fall asleep.  It was a rough day, ripped my pants, forgot my phone, had no gas when I thought I did, forgot to pack my computer charger, at least 6 accidents on the way to work, yeah insane day.  You know though, even with all the rough and insane that I must put up with, at the end of class, after the last student has left and before the first for the next class come in, there in that second I stop, look around, realize that I am living my dream and that no matter what life is good. 

Good night, thanks for reading, and welcome to the wormhole.

Just keep praying

I was planning to write a long entry about how busy I've been but that's not the case. Truthfully I haven't been at all. I've been trying to find a job, subbing in the meantime, and getting more and more depressed about my current state of things.

There is a job in Bradenton that I keep praying for. I interviewed with the pastor and immediately fell in love with the church, its leadership, and the city itself. I really really want this job, but at this point I am starting to feel that I may not have gotten it.

The pat few weeks God has really been moving in my life in ways he hasn't in a quite awhile. Its refreshing to hear his voice again.

I am currently taking a lot of time to relax, get refreshed, and grow closer to God. I really think and pray that this current chapter is close to being over. I know a job is just around the corner (its been 16 months so I hope one is just around the corner!). God has been working in me, preparing me for something greater than what I can imagine, soon he will begin taking me on that journey. But for now I am still learning, still seeking, still growing in and from him.

Lately I have been growing beyond skeletons I thought were long gone, but now I feel stronger and happier even though I know I am still very depressed.

Keep me in your prayers.
Pray that this job in Bradenton comes through, and that one doesn't that another one comes quickly afterwards.
Pray for my spiritual journey as I explore the deep corners of Christianity in a new light and as I open the closet and shine the light to skeletons long forgotten.
Pray for my father as he also is searching for a job.
And Pray that my parents sell their house as they regroup financially.

Thank you guys for the love you give, the positive energy you spread, the thoughts and prayers that keep each of us going, and the faithfulness to this blog. Its been 5 years of blogging for me, I'm not giving it up. I miss all of you and hope to give you some positive news real soon!

Thanks again,
Ken

A blah type of day

Today has been blah. Its been very up and down. I finally come to realize that a job within a church is really what I still want. So now I must go about finding that. I started by calling some churches listed on a local job board, all but one seemed very rude and more concerned about silly traditions and theology than whats really important (like why their churches are dying!). It just reminded me why I despise the church so much, well those within it. But I must pursue this job now. I still am determined to get a job in a church. Youth, admin, custodian, I would mostly like youth but am willing to try something else.

I feel as though I keep flopping around like a dying fish trying to find a pool to splash into, this way and that way I keep flopping, yet still no ponds, still no pools to swim in and in the meantime I feel as though I am suffocating.

I'm BACK!!!!

If haven't noticed I have ended my blog fast and now am back in action. It was a good time of reflection and growth for me. It caused me to realize how much I get out of blogging, out of writing down my thoughts and create conversation around them.

I took this time to for some personal reflection/God focused meditation through which I have received many insights into my own life.

One of the biggest you have probably already figured out. Back in 2004 I campaigner for Bush (yeah I wish I hadn't either, oh what little I knew back then.) This campaigning along with dialog amongst friend caused me to see that I did not stand in line with the Republicans. I quickly looked across the aisle at the Democrats but saw I did not stand in line with them either. That is when I began searching for what I truly was. After some searched I found the Libertarian party. By this time it was November and with the election over and exams soon to come upon me the whole thing was put on the back burner until now. This election year I again am having to find where I stand and though I do support Obama I don't support big government.

With my views of the governments role and on personal freedoms I have decided to become an official member of the Libertarian party. I will still be voting for Obama come November but as far as local elections go I will be voting Libertarian whereever possible.

I know that this third party has little known about it. I will be using this blog to discuss it more and will showing videos occasionally about issues the Libertarians are focused on.

Another major insight of this fast was a better clarification of what I need to be doing with my life. Since this clarification multiple doors have been opened and I am now working towards this goal quicker than I ever expected (more on that very soon!)

I also finally got the confirmation I was waiting for as far joining a church goes. Maggie and I will be joining Element Church, a new plant for the pastor of the college program we were both involved in. This is going to be a great impactful church and I can't wait to be a part of it.

Overall I spent my time off finding a roommate since one of my current ones (Jeff) is moving out. I also got a job at a local coffee shop. I love my new job and already knew many of my co-workers.

A job and finding a roommate, on top of the clarifications, have helped me greatly. Right before my time off and during my fast I encountered some the darkest and most depressing times of my life. I felt as though I was drowning. No job, little money, big bills right around the corner, roommate leaving, it all was getting to me. The time off helped me recalibrate my focus and compass on life. I am now trying to grow spiritually, getting into the disciplines of the faith, because I recognize that soon life will be become very busy.

I want to thank all of you for your kind words, your thoughts and prayers for during my time off. I met with some of you in the real world, shared thoughts and ideas and just shared life together.

I hope that this time off has let me grow in my thoughts to share and I hope that it has caused all of us to connect in alternative ways.

I can't wait to see what this season of my blog will bring me and all of us!

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Some things that happened while I was away that you might have missed...

Researchers realized that Christianity could become extinct within a 100 years in Briton

The feud between the North and South took a strange turn when sign crews got involved.

The TRON guys proved that even geeks can fly!

Speaking of Tron, Disney admits TRON 2, or TR2N, is in the works!!!

Stephen Hawking took one step (no pun intended) closer to proving the big bang theory and took a giant leap in Quantum Physics.

Latest studies prove that not shaving has its benefits (again no pun intended)

an Ugly dolphin was found and made world-wide news (poor guy)

And investigators have now figured out that fart humor is the oldest joke around

A girl from Seffner (the area of Tampa I live in) took her public service ad to competition in Chicago (Maybe 6 Mile Creek will be the next 8 mile!)

Also in my area, like across the interstate from me, a plane crashed (kinda close to me, made me feel uneasy for a day or two).

Wal-Mart gets some botox like makeover, but don't worry I am sure the old smelly Wal-Mart will come back just like wrinkles before the botox!

And a high school teacher once again proves that Sean Hannity is an idiot

Thats about it, outside the news you should already know.