quick update

So, there's not a whole lot going on here for me. Well, that's not entirely true, but there's not that much of interest going on :-P

I'm moved back into Roberts for the year and classes begin tomorrow. I'm excited to see what happens this semester, I think it'll be a good one once it gets going.

As for new events and happenings, Elizabeth and I decided to help out with the youth group at our church today and will be doing that for the semester and I'm looking forward to it :-) it'll be with 6th-8th grade kids helping out where it will be needed. I think it's a chance for us to get more connected with the church as well as a chance to help both the kids as well as ourselves to grow in their walk with Christ. And also on the side, it will give us some experience with that age group when it comes to our teaching at schools. So it'll be good all around :-D

well, besides that, there's not really anything interesting. I'll try to post if anything pops up.

Until then,
~Phillip Andrew

It is that time of the year when the summer starts to draw to a close and I begin to look back at all that I did over the course of that 4 months. The highs, the lows, the goods, the bad and the "all-too-common" boredom.

As the past week or 2 have slipped by, I've been seeing more and more people say they can't wait for school to start back up again. I, too, have joined that group and cannot wait to see everyone again. I have had an urge to just give a few people huge hugs because I've been pretty lonely this summer. Granted, I've have Elizabeth (thought I shouldn't take her for granted) but I miss other people too.

It's weird, this has been one of those times in life when time seems to completely drag and every day feels like it will never end and then it's time for the next one. But now that I look back at it, it absolutely FLEW by. it feels as though the summer just began 3 weeks ago, but now I'm done with work for the summer.

I must say though, I have been extremely lucky and fortunate this summer. I have been able to go out to visit Elizabeth nearly every other weekend (with a few exceptions) and being able to visit and spend time with her and her family and that has definitely helped the summer to simply fly by.

Well, it's all done and over with and I've learned a great deal and learned a lot but now I just cannot wait for school to start again and see all of those that I love and miss so dearly.

Until next time,
Phillip Andrew

Summer Update

So, this summer in a nut shell has been...interesting to say the least. I just have to say that I am so grateful for having Elizabeth by my side to support me all the way. I don't think I could have done it without her.

There actually hasn't been that much that went on this summer, mostly just work getting to me. I work 38.5 hours per week doing a great deal of the same monotonous task day after day after day...(my mom calls this a "stay in school" job) I think the biggest problem is that it doesn't feel very rewarding in the job I do. I clean carpets and wax floors. Most of the time when cleaning carpets, you can't even tell the difference in looks after cleaning them and wax, well that is a bit more rewarding because you can actually see the difference as soon as your done. I think what urks me the most is that I am doing professional level jobs (I know because I cleaned carpets professionally for a while) but yet, I get payed minimum wage.

Anyways...now that my rant is over with. I simply cannot wait for school to start up again. I need to have social contact with my friends and all those people around me. I miss it so stinking much. I cannot wait to have classes with my friends. I guess we'll see how it all turns out. 3 more weeks!!!

I know I'm getting this idea from elizabeth a little bit, but, coming from the current job I'm in, I'm realizing that I want something different. I want to do stuff. I don't know if that means travelling, or doing missions work or something completely different that I haven't even thought about yet. But I really just think I need to do something with my life besides sitting behind a desk or cleaning or whatever for the rest of my life!

For now though, I guess I need to find comfort in the fact that God has a plan for me and my life and I simply need to let Him show me the path He has set forth for me.

Until next time,
Phillip Andrew

update? what's that?

so, I just wanted to let you all know that, yes, I am still alive and kicking (I know some of you were afraid that I wasn't)

As usual, I don't really have anything to write/update about so I figured I would just write here quickly and let you all remember me :-)

Well, basically I'm just working full time, coming home, talking to Elizabeth then sleeping. OOH! I guess last weekend was pretty good. I went with Liverpool Comm. Church to SeaBreeze! that was a good time of fun because a) I got to see a lot of people who I haven't seen in a while (i.e. the macalusos, particularly elizabeth) and b) I got to ride on lots of rides over and over again. Unfortunately though, my body doesn't seem to like rides that bounce and jolt a lot so I had a headache for half the day and was kind of a party pooper.

Besides that, Elizabeth and I have officially been dating for....4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days! :-D

well I need to get skidaddling off to work...oh well, it pays the bills right?

until next time,
Phillip Andrew

new post!!!

so....yeah...I know, it's been a LONG time since I last posted on here and I'm sorry for that. Either I have no inclination to write on here or I simply have nothing of importance to write about. I guess though, that most of you would be happy if I simply updated regularly regardless of what I write.

As I said already, I don't usually have a whole lot to tell about. Summer is starting to hit its long stretch of boring-ness. Work's getting to the monotonous point where I simply live for the weekends. Pretty much I can sum up my days quickly:
6:24 wake up
6:30 shower
6:45-7:15 get dressed (a very slow process that early in the morning)
7:15-7:35 eat b-fast
7:35 brush teeth
7:38 drive to work
8:00 morning devotions @work
8:10-12 work
12-1 eat lunch/swim/play euchre
1-5 work
5:00 go home
5:15-9:30 eat/tv/computer/nap
9:30 devo's
9:45-6:24 bed
REPEAT

so yeah, pretty boring and monotonous usually...

And unfortunately, it just hadn't worked out that Elizabeth and I could get a chance to see each other for...almost 3 weeks? (not fun) BUT luckily, last weekend (friday through yesterday) I went out and visited which was great. It was SOOO nice to see her and her family again. I missed her most of all but her family's pretty fun to be with too :-) then she's coming tomorrow night and then I'm going out to L-pool with Pokey to visit and also to meet the Cuevas!!! (I can't wait) so yeah, I guess I finally have something positive to write about ;-) I guess that's all for tonight...it's past my bed time Good-night and Sweet dreams to all!

~Phillip Andrew

whoopidy doo, it's been a while since I last updated. but you know what? I update when I want to.

so yeah, not really a whole lot to update about. School is over with now as of friday, and I left on saturday. Had tests all the way up until friday morning which was kinda sad because most people had already left by thursday night. but oh well, I survived them. Overall, did fairly well in most of my classes and juries were pretty good (didn't think so at the time, but heard after that they went well)

So now, my summer begins. My summer will consist of about 5 things: Work FULL time, sleep, talk to Elizabeth :-D, visit her, and going to church. That right there is my summer in a nut shell. For work, I'm working at RWC doing "house keeping" but I'm not doing real house keeping. I'm actually cleaning the carpets on campus. It's a lot of tiring, sweaty work, but a)it's a full time job that pays and b) it's a bearable job that allows me to be with a group of good people.

Well, I don't have a whole lot more to write about. I'm going up to camp this weekend with elizabeth and her family so that'll be nice and get a chance to get away a little bit.

Well until next time, enjoy reading what little I wrote.
~Phillip Andrew

Life and the world

so yes, I know, I haven't updated in a long time... so here's a quick update of what's going on around here.

Life's getting pretty hectic for everyone, it's the week before exam week so this is when all of the papers, projects and speeches and whatever are due. For some reason (which I don't really mind too much) I haven't really been getting stressed, which is good because when I get stressed, nothing gets done that needs to and I just become someone who you don't want to be around.

So, life besides school is pretty good, Elizabeth n' I are still dating and couldn't be happier :-) Family's all doing well (as far as I know at least) And my friends are doing well for the most part. Oh yeah, and this Friday is Spring Formal and of course I'm taking Elizabeth so it should be a lot of fun!!! (maybe pictures next week?)

So I'm sorry for those who read my blog for the past 2, they were both pretty much downers. I guess some of the things in the world are just starting to get on my nerves a little bit, how much everything is publicized and politicized. I think part of it has to do with taking "Phil Ethics," we're reading these 2 books ("Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger" and "The Problem with the Evangelical Conscience" Both by Rob Sider) in which he essentially goes into detail as to all of the things that are wrong with Christians today. And I guess it's kinda hit me how screwed up our mentality is. We've become egocentric and greedy. One part said that only 6% of Christians tithe and they only tithe about 3% (I could be a little off on the numbers, my memory isn't perfect...but the number was close to that) and if every Christian tithed what the bible asks us to, we alone could solve the world hunger crisis. But instead, we are too centered around "what I want" and "my stuff" to care about the rest of the world. Maybe there's a reason for all of this, maybe I'm supposed to feel like this. I've been feeling more and more that God wants me to go into the missions field and help those people out that others are too selfish to help out.
I guess we'll see where I end up and where God ends up wanting me to go with my life.

Until then, I'm sorry for another downer post, but I just type about what's on my heart and I had to get it out. Thank you for reading.

~Phillip Andrew

death

There's something I'm kinda curious about that I've been actually pondering for a while. This is the debate over death. Not is it right or moral or whatever, but actually, why are we so dreadfully fearful of death? Especially us Christians of the world... we know that when our time is done, we will go to the place of perfection and eternal bliss. So why is it that we don't want to live this corrupt, screwed up world full of sick people? Yes, some people do have a legitimate reason such as a family that loves them or depends on them or both and I completely understand that.
I know from my perspective, I'm scared of death probably more than anything. I even go so far as to wear dogtags with my ID when I go running just in case something were to happen I would get by a car or something. It controls my every move and action.
I only have a few possible explanations as to why I'm so fearful, one being the fact that I have a family that would be devastated if something happened to me, but more recently, I have a girlfriend who cares for me and would be crushed if something were to happen and I know that, even unintentionally, I couldn't do that and bear to put her through that much. I know some people think that sounds corny and "twitter pated" but it's true.
I guess in the long run, I don't fear death, I fear leaving those people that love me so dearly and whom I, too love.

The thing that annoys me

So, I've been doing a decent amount of research for my research paper for my composition class and while meandering the internet I've found a topic that has irked me. This is the argument that "downloading music from the internet hurts the artist's income" I'm sorry, but this is totally inaccurate. This is simply a campaign set out by the major record companies to try to guilt people into buying their product instead of downloading it for free.
Ask anyone you know who personally knows a musician signed to a record deal. The profits that they are receiving for each cd they put out is almost nihl. The only people losing money on you downloading music from the internet are the recording companies/"big label companies"
I am, however, by no means condoning downloading music as a way to acquire music. I do not find it to be ethically right as it is a form of stealing. I am simply saying that those people who are saying that it is hurting the artists are either payed to say that or misinformed.
Another problem with this has actually been backed up by research. This is that those people who are downloading the music for free are often times those who would not buy the album in the first place. Whether because of the financial inability to do so or because they don't feel that it is worth their money to actually go out and buy the cd.
Also there are those people who only want a single track for whatever reason. Why would you go out to buy a cd for $15-$20 when all you want is a single track. It's a rip off (but this is why internet music companies have started to sell track individually as well as selling the entire record).
Just please note, I am by NO means condoning the downloading of illegal music. I am simply trying to clarify the arguments currently circulating the internet so that people may have accurate facts. As I stated before, I feel that downloading music for free is both wrong and unethical and should not be done.
~Phillip Andrew

another?

As is the usual problem, I have nothing to actually write about but I feel bad for not updating in a while, so here I am to ramble about nothingness.
Roberts is on Easter Break so I am home with my family but I miss everyone, especially my girlfriend deeply and am not looking forward to the rest of the week ahead of sitting around looking for things to do. So far I've done... just about nothing. All I've done that's been productive is go running. Oh well.
I guess running's not all that unproductive, I have to get all that winter weight off somehow :-P ...if only I were kidding...I wish. anywhos
Have a few weeks left this semester and I have a feeling that they'll be long ones. But that's ok, I don't really want summer to start yet. It'll just be a bunch of working every day and missing everyone. Unlike last summer though, I'm planning on taking time off to go out to Syracuse to visit a certain someone. Oh how I'm going to miss her.
Well, nothing else really exciting going on here so I think it's time to play with me nieces!! (they're stinking cute) Catch up with y'all later
~Phillip Andrew

what's new you ask?

so, kinda sadly I don't really have much of anything to update about... but I will anyways to keep everyone happy and from scolding me :-P
Besides the fact that I have a girlfriend now, life's pretty much the same. Wake up, go to classes till some untold hour of the night, hang out with that special girl, do homework then go to bed. And practicing squeezed in there somewhere.
Even though not a whole lot has changed, I couldn't be much happier right about now!
oh yeah, back to recent happenings...hmm, well I'm workin' more now because for some reason the person who cleans the SSC is gone for a few weeks so I'm left doing it with a couple other people. But that's ok, it's more money for me, and I could use that. This weekend is my birthday (the 9th to be exact) and I'm turning 20 (I know it's not that old, but it seems it to me) so I'm gunna finally not be a teenager anymore!!! I'm excited about that.
Then the weekend after, I'm bringing Elizabeth to her house so she (we) can see a close friend that moved away this past summer so that'll be nice.
well that'll all I got for now so I hope you all have a wonderful week and stay safe k? :-D
~Phillip Andrew

Winter Recess

so, I've decided that I don't feel like doing my homework right now...so instead I'm going to update my bloggy thingy since I haven't in quite some time.
So, since I last updated, we here at good ol' RWC had our "winter break". Oh how I needed that break, and man did it ever feel good.
Lucky me got out of classes Thursday and Friday before break to go on Wind Ensemble tour. We drove down to Lancaster (pronounced "lan-kah-ster" not "lang-ca-ster") PA. For those who don't know, for tour, we go around to area churches and schools and play for them, partly for entertainment for them, but mostly it is used as a way to try to persuade students to come to Roberts (good times). We also got the day off on Saturday and let loose in Philly. luckily my brother and sister-in-law live down there, so I got the chance to see them for a couple hours and that was nice. Other than that, tour was pretty normal...exhausting and stressful but somehow fun at the same time.
We got back from tour Tuesday night so I went home. However, I was only home for
a day and a half then I drove out to Liverpool (near Syracuse) to visit Elizabeth. I must say that, that was the high point of my break. I got the chance to get to know her family better (who are a lot of fun) as well as spend sometime with just her. oh, and update: Elizabeth and I are now officially dating! hurray! and I couldn't be happier :-) it was so beautiful, we drove back to school Sunday evening, so as I was driving, we got the chance to watch the sun set on a perfectly clear day without a cloud in the sky. Then, after the sun set, we got to open my sunroof and Elizabeth looked at the stars. (she wouldn't let me look at them while I was driving...)
so, besides that, I don't think I have any other news...if I think of some I'll update later, but I highly doubt it.

busy weekend

So, it's been yet another week or so and for once stuff actually happened. On Friday was the ARC Blood Drive here. Pain in the butt though, they wouldn't let me give 'double-red' which means you give 2x as many red blood cells and they put back the plasma. Turns out, you can only give 6 units of blood per year and giving double would have put me up to 7. (but I would have been able to do it on saturday...figure that one out) so, in the end, I gave just the normal 1 pint.
Sunday was a fun day, I had the Polar Plunge (yay for jumping into lake Ontario in the dead of winter) and surprisingly, I wasn't that cold but I think that's mostly attributed to the fact that I was running off of adrenaline. I found it amusing, my friends who were watching me do the plunge were actually colder than I was. I even had icicles attached to my legs and that make me laugh.
Well, today was interesting... I had my OPE at School of the Arts and it turns out there was a 36 car pile-up on 390 yesterday and the only person that died was a junior in that school and was actually in a few of the classes that I was observing. It was a hard day for everyone and you could definitely feel it when you walked into the class rooms. There were tears being shed and hugs all around. It's amazing how such a tragedy can bring together such a great number of people.
Here's to a better week
~Phillip Andrew

Just Thinking

I know I am not the only person who thinks about death, or how I'm going to die, or what people will think of me after my death. Well, even moreso than usual, I've been thinking about the last part, what people will think of me after my death. Will they say the ever so popular "He was a good man and a good father" or will no one even notice the passing of myself?
I know, this is a random topic, but it kinda isn't. It started after I watched Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Mr. Magorium is a toy store owner who it 264 years old (I think...he's somewhere around there) and he talks about when Shakespeare wrote King Lear (I could be wrong about which play) and King Lear dies at the end, all Shakespeare writes is "He Dies" and that even one of the most influential characters of all time, all Shakespeare can say is, "He Dies" Magorium continues to say that, that is what he wants to be written on his tomb stone.
Now, I've been thinking about that thinking, I want to be remembered. Not as a tomb stone but as a person, and an influence. Today, I was reading Psalms 1 and happened to look back a page at Job 42:17 (this is the last verse in the book of Job) and it says "Then he died, an old man who lived a long, full life"
That is how I want to be remembered. A man who died, but, he lived a long and full life to the best of his abilities.
~Phillip Andrew

this week in phillip'

so, I've come to the executive decision to update y'all on the happenings in my life (however boring it may be)
Well, classes are starting to settle in and I've come to the realization that this semester (as I will probably say for the rest) will be the death of me... My classes aren't really that hard I just have a lot of them (as I have said in my previous entry) and it's hard to keep track of them and all of the things I have to do for all of them. Oh well, it's my choice and I'm planning on following through with it.
Today was my first actual OPE. Well, in a nut shell, I'm not really sure if I'm looking forward to it this semester..but as I said, it was only my first day and it may get better as I progress through the semester. Oh, so you're probably wondering (well, you're probably not, but it makes me feel better to say that :-P ) why I'm not really looking forward to it. Well, most people when they have an OPE, they're assigned to a certain classroom or a certain master teacher. Well, in the School I'm in, they decided to take a different approach and say, "here's a chart of what music classes are being taught when, go where ever you want" yeah...I'm not too fond of that idea. But, oh well, I'll survive...hopefully
Anywhos, unless something happens in my life in the next 30 seconds, I think I"m gunna wrap it up for this week. I hope you all have a stupendous week
~Phillip Andrew

so...what to say about this past week or so, (however long it's been since I last updated) well, since I don't remember when it was that I updated. I'll just assume that it was before classes started back up. Well, classes are pretty much hectic and some are interesting...others on the other hand, I could greatly do without (especially ones where I feel my IQ drop when I walk in the room to that of a 7 year old) I'm taking 19 credits of classes and somehow that equates to 12 classes...yay for 0 and 1 credit classes and for being a music major.
Though, I must say, it was pretty funny, I went to the admissions office to fill out a chapel reduction form and I needed a copy of my schedule. Well, the woman there gladly printed it out for me and handed it to me. A minute later, I realized, where are half my classes. I asked the woman, "was there a second sheet over there by any chance?" So she checks and looks at it, and says, "oh, if I had known you were a music major I would have right away checked for 2 pages" (it made me smile)
hmm...as for what's new, there isn't really anything to report on. I'm busy as all heck with classes, my social life has exponentially decreased...yeah, the normal. If anything new or spectacular pops up, I'll be sure to either forget about it or a week later remember to put it in here for the world to read.
guess that's all for now,
Phillip Andrew

Spring '08

So it's the beginning of another semester here at RWC. I'm both looking forward to it as well as kinda not. For the first time I'm actually looking forward to most of my classes. It'll be a lot of work, but I'm determined to get through it and do everything well.

Today's the first day of classes and it's already started off on the right foot. I woke up at 6:30 (yes on purpose) and went for a short run, which I'm gunna try to do every morning...here's hoping it works out. Then I got back, showered, went to breakfast, and had my first 2 classes: Music Theory and Music History (which I'm bound to do well in) I still have 3ish classes today, I have Phil Ethics as 2 then Brass methods at 3 (which I'm starting tuba!!) Tonight I have Orchestra, but that's not really a class because I'm not registered for it...so basically I'm considered a community member.

Here's hoping and praying for a much better semester than last.

~Phillip Andrew