Smeagol is Free!
A hermitudinal view of...stuff...


8.31.2006  

Oopsy

Hah! Nevermind. Those pics below? Not all are today's; some are yesterday's. Like it matters :)

posted by Bolo | 11:34 PM
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Today

Pics from today. Not yesterday. Today.



















posted by Bolo | 5:44 PM
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Chewy Thoughts

Earlier today, T-Dub asked me how my week was going. I told her it was going well, which was (and is) an honest assessment. A part of that is due to the labor of going through my journal and blog entries from this summer and beyond, trying to see and remember what God's taught me, chewing on those thoughts, with the diligent hope to taste them anew once more. It's always good to think about what God's taught us; even better when we're granted the grace to rejoice in such teaching.

posted by Bolo | 4:14 PM
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Inevitability's Sound

Preposterous. Futile. Absurd. Counterproductive. Imbecilic. Unhindered lunacy. *Sigh*...inevitable.

As much as I figured I'd go throughout this semester laying low, seeking to get to know none but a select few, thereby granting myself a glorious extension of summer's solitude and serenity, I find that such an idyllic paradise is not to be found here. Indeed, the chrysalis of holy hermitism has ripened into fruition, and this social butterfly suddenly finds himself flying free among the friendly faces and eager eyes of students, staff, and faculty, new and old, stoic and satiric, dashing and decrepit. I've gotten to know a few of the new students this week, and I daresay I actually enjoyed myself while doing so. I can hear Scott telling me in his best Agent Smith voice, "Do you hear that, Mr. Letoto? That is the sound of inevitability."

Oh well. I tried.

posted by Bolo | 3:22 PM
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8.30.2006  

*Groan*

Goodness gracious, I'm hungry. Anyone wanna share?

posted by Bolo | 11:57 PM
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Schedule, Schmedule

What a schedule. Today was the second straight day with a 7 AM dealio, and I just made another appointment for a meeting over coffee at Java tomorrow morning. Don't worry, though, it's not at 7...it's at 6:30. Hmmm. I must be getting old or something. I'll probably even turn in soon.

What an old geezer!

On a much more spry note, I helped one of the seminary girls put together an outfit for her theoretical date with a hypothetical guy wearing an idealized outfit. Sound complicated? Of course it does; it involves a female ;) Only somewhat more seriously, though, it was one of those things that sort of happened on the fly during the course of a random conversation in Founders'. Four of us were sitting at a table, trying with valiant failure to exude the appearance of studious diligence, and one of my study buddies asked for my fashion expertise. And of course, I could in no way turn down the lady's request, could I? So there we found ourselves, pondering with subjective criticism the merits of an A-line skirt versus jeans, v-neck sweaters versus crewneck sweaters, and leather when paired with lace. The whole process was quite fun, I'm not ashamed to say :)

posted by Bolo | 11:13 PM
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God's Will

I don't think she's taken Systematic Theology I yet, which is where she'd learn about the communicable and incommunicable attributes of God. Want proof? Watch the video ;)

posted by Bolo | 9:18 AM
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Zayne!





posted by Bolo | 6:18 AM
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8.29.2006  

Scruffy

Let's be honest: these guys don't exactly represent the crème de la crème of beauty at Boyce College and Southern Seminary. That's no slight to them, either, as I don't think Pigg, Joey, Tony, or Bailey would be rejoicing to hear themselves described as "beauties." In fact, the point of this post is to let you, the reader, decide which one of them looks the scruffiest. Not ugliest, scruffiest. Go to it, readership.

Pigg. Kentucky native. So named because...well...that's his name.


Joey, John, whatever. He knows his name, and he answers to both of 'em. Chicago native, Chicago tough.


Tony. Italian by way of Cleveland. What a nose.


Bailey. Colorado mountain man. We're chipping in some dead presidents to get him to keep from shaving his beard for the whole semester. Who needs No Shave November?

posted by Bolo | 11:33 PM
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Coincidink?

They claimed not to have planned this, but Brooke and Charlotte were both wearing the same shirt as yours truly this evening. Coincidence? Hmmm...one does wonder.



Speaking of "coincidence," this little blurb is for you, Nick Crouse. Earlier today, while helping Poenie and Laura move a few items into the storage closet, I accidentally hit Nick. Where I hit him, well...I won't say. While our Boston Buddy was doubled over in pain, I couldn't help but laugh. Terrible, I know, but it was still funny. I asked him if he was ok, and after confirming that he was, I laughed even harder. Of course, Poenie and Laura wanted to know what had happened. He told them that it was his "ankle" that had been hurt.

Yeah, and I'm blond-haired and blue-eyed.

The irony? While playing frisbee later this afternoon on the Jo Bowl, I rolled over my ankle. My real ankle, mind you. I hadn't done something like that in years, I think, and it hurt like...oh...like how an ankle hurts when you roll it. Hehehehe...and who says God doesn't have a sense of humor?

posted by Bolo | 9:52 PM
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Rise & Whine?

7 AM meetings...*yawn*...talk about going against my instinct...

posted by Bolo | 8:09 AM
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8.28.2006  

Not Dead Yet

I've been declared "dead" by one student. Another wonders where I am. Yet another exhorts me not to live my life "in a cave." Others have already been making laments of a similar nature, and that from the middle of the summer.

Dare I blame my hermitude attitude on my phone's sad state of disrepair? Would I find justification in the fact that I actually speak to my mother more this semester than I had last semester? Even further, do I declare with conviction that I still converse regularly with those whom I love dearly, certain brothers with whom I find common ground in Christ? Yes to all of the above, with varying degrees of sobriety and silliness given to each.

The bottom line, I suppose, is that I'm still here. Withdrawn somewhat, much more reserved, but here nevertheless. Contemplative, thoughtful (more in a cerebral sense than a compassionate sense, I must confess), and introspective...that's how I've felt through the first couple weeks of the semester...and to be honest, I don't really know if it'll change much. I suppose you could say it's an attempt at being more deliberate. Hmmm...that'd be a good way of putting my apparent absence from campus :)

posted by Bolo | 11:48 PM
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Natural

Stuff from outside.





posted by Bolo | 6:11 PM
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Old School

The Old School block has been updated, kids.

posted by Bolo | 12:14 AM
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8.27.2006  

Thinking

One of you requested for me to write a list of the top ten thoughts about God and/or His word that I've had over the summer. Goodness gracious, you don't ask for much, do you? I told Scott and Emily over lunch today that such a post would require me to go into the archives and do a little research. I might even have to go into the library and check out my journals.

Just kidding.

That's a great idea for a post, but I'll have to admit, it's a daunting one. I mean, ten things? And over the course of the summer? Don't worry, though, I'm game. Look for it over the course of the next few days, after I consult my journal and the blog archives.

That being said, Ryan preached a wonderful sermon today. I won't recount it here in detail since I've already done so for those crazy O'Neals, but it'll be one whose notes I'll go over and think through for a while. The general jist that I got seemed to exhort us to look at the works of the Holy Spirit soberly, knowing not only that He is at work because Christ has sent Him, but still more, that His work in us is greater than the work that Christ Himself had done. Wow.

posted by Bolo | 2:11 PM
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Decisions

I've just decided that we need a 24-hour coffee shop around here. Yup.

posted by Bolo | 12:44 AM
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8.26.2006  

Linkage

When people here talk about Indonesia, they're usually talking missions. When people at home talk about Indonesia...well...let's be honest. I think I need to do a little merger of the two.

Pipe.

I get scared just looking. But I still look.

posted by Bolo | 11:51 PM
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Express Yourself

Yesterday, I decided that the Fall Kickoff is really a big ploy by the Big Guy to hook people up. That being the case, I figured we could help that along a little...





















posted by Bolo | 10:07 AM
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8.25.2006  

Fall...Off

'Drew, notice Scott's shirt. Yeah. You should've seen the shirts from my closet he claimed to have tried on before he settled on that one. The cost of friendship, eh?



























posted by Bolo | 11:25 PM
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Word

Isaiah 53:5
But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed.

Tell me, why do I forget this? Why does my heart make so singular and magnificent a truth one so cluttered and marginal? Why do I love the diseases I have been healed from, the iniquities that He bore wrath for? *Sigh*.

posted by Bolo | 8:53 PM
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The Folks

I felt like a kid going for a drive with mom and dad today. All I needed was one of them to turn around and say, "Don't make me come back there!"





posted by Bolo | 12:28 AM
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8.24.2006  

Top Ten

Now that the school year has arrived, classes have started, and everyone's into the full swing of things, I've managed to get a grip on a few thoughts of mine that have coalesced with clarity. Therefore, here are my Top Ten Thoughts that have come to me during the course of writing this post. Yup :)

10. Just as there always seems to be, there are many, many, many people in the gym these days. Given another month of classes and the first wave of mid-terms, however, students will begin to drop like the leaves of autumn from the ranks of those who faithfully torture themselves in the gym on a weekly basis.

9. As Will Kynes keenly observed, all the new kids who showed up at The Duck and the Goose the other night don't realize that such parties are not the course du jour. Oh well. They'll learn soon enough.

8. Yes, you're right, Tree, that Rob kid has a gun. Or should I say, "guns?"

7. The new additions to campus have, by and large, received positive reviews. If only they'd add back the washers and dryers they subtracted from Fuller, my clothes would receive positive reviews, too.

6. I nearly had a mid-life crisis when one dude told me he was born in 1989. Next year, there'll be some kid that enrolls who will tell me he or she was born in 1990. That's not even the eighties. Gross.

5. The kind folks at Housing are my heroes. I'm taking them macadamia nuts covered in chocolate as soon as I can swing it. If you don't know why they're my heroes, ask Scott. Woohoo!

4. Speaking of Scott, I dig his schedule this semester. So does he. If you don't know why, just keep reading over the course of the next few months, and you'll probably get the picture.

3. This semester is shaping up to be vastly different from any other. I don't know why, but it just feels that way. I admit that it's a strange thing to think and feel when I don't have a reason, but still, the feeling is there. Hmmm.

2. Scott and Em are on my couch right now, and they're kinda whispering. Now that is weird. Married people whispering on a couch. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

1. I still need to get my suit back from Lucas. I keep remembering it every so often, and I keep forgetting about it after I remember. Oh well. It happens, ya know? Wool crepe...heck yeah :)

posted by Bolo | 5:46 PM
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School's in Session

The new school year always brings with it a sense of change, of renewal. Returning students may have missed their friends so much that they spend lots and lots of time just...oh..."dropping in" on their buddies, while new collegians might feel so overwhelmed by their syllabi that they don't even have the energy to hold their heads up. Still others are often found ignoring the warnings and admonitions of the professorial types, thereby seen whiling away the hours undertaking endeavors of a distinctly recreational variety.



















posted by Bolo | 12:59 AM
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8.23.2006  

Linkage

Here you go, BoSox fans. Pay special attention to the way Manny sets himself up for pitches later in the game. Amazing.

Don't run with these!

Wow. Impressive.

"Hot" takes on a much more literal meaning.

posted by Bolo | 8:31 PM
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Righteousness & Praise

Isaiah 61:10, 11
I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

As I read Isaiah 61 this morning, these two verses stood out. They reminded me very clearly that with God, righteousness and praise are not options; they are the natural result of who He is. Think about it. When a seed is planted in a garden, wouldn't you expect something to sprout in time? The same is implied of God, for His character is such that He must proclaim His righteousness in a manner that garners praise to His glorious name. While His righteousness could be proclaimed through us and meted upon us in a just wrath, what is amazing is that He deliberately chooses to redeem a people to be clothed in the righteousness of His Son, a people that will praise the glory of His grace.

Grace, indeed.

posted by Bolo | 3:40 PM
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Eh, Babooze!

Note to self: Do not listen to Na Leo's I Miss You, My Hawai'i while sitting in a lonely, dark room in the wee hours of the morning. Doing such a thing will induce ridiculous amounts of homesickness, no matter how recently you've been home. While you're at it, do the same with Honolulu City Lights. Listening to either one will start you thinking about the pungent, unmistakable scent of puakenikeni, the salty sand crunching between your toes, and the smile on your face every time you're "stuck" in traffic at home. It'll make you remember the wonderful sights from the peaks of Olomana, conveniently forgetting about the strain you've recently had in getting there. Those songs will also undoubtedly bring to mind the playful rush of jumping into the ocean with The Crew, the simple joy of picking up the Ing kiddies from school, or lying in Pu'unui Park at some dark, quiet hour, watching the moon rise over the Ko'olau mountains. Remember: Do not listen to these songs at such a time. You probably still will. Silly Hawaiian.

posted by Bolo | 4:10 AM
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Dusky

posted by Bolo | 12:23 AM
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8.22.2006  

Explanation

I was asked the other day why my blog carries the title it does. Rather than give an explanation right then and there, I told the inquirer to do a search on my blog for "Gollum," and that he'd find it. Since there may be several others of you with the same inquisition, here's a tidy little link to the original post with the explanation so desired. Enjoy :)

posted by Bolo | 10:04 PM
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Dot Dot Dot









posted by Bolo | 7:44 PM
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