Every so often in the morning before I head off to school, I find it relaxing to listen to some classical music. Like one of Chopin's Nocturnes or my personal favorite Bach's "Little Fugue". For some reason I feel like this guy.

A second

Yeah! Two posts in one day. I guess I want to talk about something deep. AHHHH! K-man getting deep? Yeah, settle down. So, here goes.

As most of you don't know, two of my biggest fears are heights and deep water. Put the two together (a la cliff jumping or flying over the ocean) and I'm nowhere to be found. The depth to this thought comes from this: Can those fears be transported into my relationship with God? I mean most people's fears don't affect their relationship with God. You don't hear people suffering from Arachnophobia having problems in their faith because of their fear of spiders or those suffering from Homichiophobia (those who fear fog) having problems with theirs either.

So many times God is related to a deep ocean or river. And my fear of deep water comes from movies like Jaws or the story of the U.S.S. Indianapolis where people are eaten by sharks who come from the depths straight up to eat them. And then there's the whole thing that if you drown in deep water they either take a hook and drag the bottom or leave your body down there. There are more reasons I detest the depths but that's another post.

With heights, our prayers often circle around us asking God to take us higher in Him. My fear of heights came from some bad experiences at the local county fair when I was young. And as the adage goes, "It's never the fall that kills you. It's the sudden stop." And my response to that is usually, "Well, in order for that sudden stop to kill, you have to be pretty high up and I won't be there."

But the point of this post is: Can my human fears affect my relationship with God. Am I afraid to take my faith to a higher point based on my fears? Am I afraid to dive deep into God's love and understanding because of my fear of deep water? I don't want to get to heaven and have God tell me that my faith was kept shallow because of my fears.

The NEEEEEEEEEEEEEWS

Well a mighty fine hello to my comrades. This post actually does contain some news pertaining to your favorite Richard Nixon impersonator. So where to begin . . . ?

Oh I know. As of Sunday my collection of pets has grown to include a new member. Sadly, not a new puppy or an even cooler wolf. Instead, one of those mischievous feline animals. Her name is Callie, she's part Minx, which apparently means she gets the stump of a tail. She is surprisingly friendly. No, SERIOUSLY, friendly.

This, potentially, being my last semester at HCC is drawing to a close. There are no more scheduled days off. So I have to improvise on my schedule. You know. "Awww, the ground is wet outside. No school for me." Or "Whooops! Someone accidentally set my alarm for 9:31 and my class starts at 9:30. Shoot." (that last one I find best while doing my Ben Stein impersonation)

On a further note, the music class is going well too. Before I started the class all I knew about music is that I liked it. Now, I can break it down into it's fundamental elements. But not of Southtown. I spent most of my life living out of the right side of my mind. But now, the left side is getting a workout.

Lastly, Ballroom dance is going great. I know I am going to finish the class with some funny stories. I'll even share one. Last night, we had the big test. So me and my partner had to pick a dance to do. The list of choices: Cha-cha-cha, Foxtrot, Waltz, Rumba, Samba, Tango, or the Jitterbug. We picked the J-bug. We did the dance. Afterward, the teacher proceeded to talk about how fabulously we did with the "big difference in size". I am a big dude. My partner, well, she's a tiny girl.

Maybe, that's not all that funny. Or even all that big of news. Maybe my next post will be something with some true substance to it.

An Interview with a Guy

Recently, I was granted a rare opportunity. This opportunity is so rare that in fact this is a first. An interview . . . with Aaron K.

DD- So, I thank you for granting me this interview. I mean you’ve never allowed one before. So, why now?

AK- Well, to be honest there Dangeresque, I thought the people needed to know some vital facts about me that I don’t let people know. For example, many people don’t know that one of my dislikes is eating in front of people. I will force myself to eat if in a public setting but I eat slowly. Just one bit of info for the books.

DD- That’s interesting. Recently, you shaved you beard and head. What’s the reason for the change?

AK- Well, I get this question often. The truth is, I recently changed the attitude of my heart. And, I thought that a change of that magnitude should be reflected on the outside as well as on the inside. And I’ve been thinking of it for a few months now. But I’m going answer a question before you even ask it. I didn’t shave off my goatee because I never risk it. I love my goatee. It’s a symbol of me. It’s who I am.

DD- When did you do it?

AK- Hmmmmmm, two weeks ago so that’d be March 19^th or so. I didn’t have class that day and I went upstairs into the bathroom, took a long look at myself, and grabbed for my beard and mustache trimmer. I took one more look at my head of hair and before a second thought came into mind, I shaved a huge stripe down the center of my head.

DD- Interesting. Any regrets?

AK- No. Well, maybe the daily razor burn but that’s ok.

DD- Ok, so let’s move on. You’re very public about your incomplete degree. Why is that?

AK- Well, I know in the Bible it says to do everything as unto the Lord. But I never wanted to go to college in the first place. So why would I want to finish off something I never wanted to do in the first place. And I’m okay with potentially never finishing my degree.

DD- You say potentially?

AK- Yeah, I mean I may go back. It all depends on what I hear from The Father.

DD- Ok. A few more questions. Who are your favorite band/rapper/singer and their best song?

AK-. Well, Can I have a favorite of all three? (Laugh). My favorite band is one that I’ve been a fan of since I first heard their song on the radio (Puppet). It’s Thousand Foot Krutch (TFK).But their best song is by far Small Town. My favorite Rapper. Well, that’s a bit more difficult because single rapper is Pigeon John. I’ve loved his stuff since I first heard it. It’s original and good. His best song. One from his new CD it’s called Money Back Guarantee. Group of rappers or duo is LA Symphony. Again, they are original and the messages are good. Best song? I like Charlie Brown and 187 on the Dance Floor. And my favorite singer . . . ? Man, I don’t know. I am not big into singing as much as the other two. But I do like Chris Tomlin, and David Crowder. I also like some of the country singers I grew up listening to: Johnny Cash, Randy Travis, and Garth Brooks. I’m going to go with them. Best songs are in this order. Tomlin- Not to Us. Crowder- O Praise Him.. Cash- It’s all-good. Randy Travis- I’m Gonna Love You Forever. Garth- I’ll say the best song is Unanswered Prayers because it’s true.

DD- That’s quite a list. I’d like to ask you about your drink of choice. What is it?

AK- Well, that’s an easy enough question. It’s Coke. It’s tasty and bubbly and it goes good with any meal. It’s also good to change it up from time to time, so I will change to a Cherry Coke or in rare, but good, instances Coke with Lime. Or the Vault twins are good. I guess you could just say the Coke family of products with the exception to the Abomination.

DD- Abomination?

AK- Yeah, Vanilla Coke. Whoever thought that up should be fired or hanged or something. A travesty took away precious, precious Coke to make.

DD- Well, you’re a devoted man to your beverage. . . Maybe a little too devoted. One last question. You always wear shorts. Why is that? I mean the people want to know.

AK- Yeah. I get this question a lot. And the truth is there a few reasons. One being, I enjoy being different. I don’t want the attention, I just enjoy being different from others. Another being, I don’t feel cold on my legs and I get hot easily. And the last reason is that it’s who I am and if I were wearing pants, I wouldn’t be me. I’d be someone else. Someone who people would want me to be and I’m not about that.

DD- Ok. That makes sense. Thank you again for the interview. I think the people got what they needed to know hopefully.

AK- No problem. Thank you for taking the time to care. I appreciate it. And to your readers. Keep reading this guy’s stuff. He’s the bomb. Have a good day, Bud.

And the future holds . . . .

So the last couple of weeks I've been pondering about what my future holds. I am fairly sure that th is is my last year at HCC or potentially my second to last year. Yes, I've been there 4 years at this point in time, but a fifth year doing something I never wanted to do in the first place drains my heart just thinking about it. But I've always liked challenges and finishing what I start and to finish my degree would be a good thing. And at the same time, I'd like to take the next step in my faith and step out boldly in faith. And I've always thought it'd be fun to just become a vagabond. I don't know what I am going to do, but whatever it is I want to do it faithfully, and with the zeal of the Lord. I just ask that I get direction from the Lord. So keep me in your prayers.