New Blog

I like blogging, but am horrible at keeping it going; as you can see by this blog. For those of you who would like to keep up with me, I will most likely only be posting on this blog from now on. Keeping track to two blogs would be too difficult, and hopefully Jas can keep me going with regular posts on our blog.

The never ending cough, So Cal, finals, Haoles, and home

Hey look at this... two posts in less than a months time span!

OK, so things have been pretty uneventful

since spring break, I've just been super busy with classes (which I am officially done with following the Theology final I finished about an hour ago), with intermittent drinking, San Jose Earthquake games, and a combination of the two. A little over a month ago I missed a week of class with a sore throat, bad cough, congestion in my lungs and sinuses, headache, minor fever, etc... All the symptoms went away in a little more than a week, but the cough and a little of the chest congestion remained. After two weeks I gave up an called my doctor for a phone appointment at which point he didn't listen to any of my

symptoms I tried to list for him, and just assigned an antibiotic and an albuterol inhaler (which I didn't want or need, and will be fun to explain when I apply for my asthma waiver for the Chaplains program), don't you just love Kaiser Permanente?! So I took the antibiotic and it... did nothing... SHOCKING! So I called and was able to get in for an actual follow up appointment face to face with the doctor, and he came up with the conclusion that I have post viral inflammation of the lungs (I probably had Bronchitis) and he prescribed a cortisone inhaler I will need to use for the next two weeks. It seems to be having some effect already after just two days, so hopefully this will take care of it, and it would have been nice to have gotten this two weeks ago.

I spent last weekend in Orange County with my sister, brother-in-law Ray, and niece Sophie. It was Sophie's first communion weekend and I made a point to get down for it since as of spring break no other family could make it. As it turns out Ray's parents were able to fly in from Missouri for the occasion too, and we all spent the weekend together. Saturday started with a trip to Long Beach where we met up with Ray's Great Uncle (I think his name was Ben?) where Ray's dad Raymond was able to catch up for a little bit, then we all went to a kosher restaurant/deli/bakery... it was amazing. really good food in decent portions, and the bakery afterwords was calling out with giant delicious desserts. After filling up we went to The Aquarium of the Pacific, which isn't the Monterey Bay aquarium by any standards but fun none the less, and spent the remainder of the day there. It was interesting getting to the aquarium because there was a pride parade going on that weekend, so the closer you got to the beach the busier it got. Sophie got to pet some sharks and rays in a touching tank, and we watched lorikeets in the Lorikeet forest, where the birds were unfortunately not hungary for the nectar they sell and weren't interested in people. There were a few people that tried to get the birds to stand on their hands though, and one resulted in a man having a lorikeet latched on to his finger drawing blood, and a lorikeet attacking one woman's earrings (Ray tried to help, and the bird drew blood on him too). When we got back to Brea my Sis and Ray decided they wanted to check out Iron Man 2 so Ray's parents and I stayed with Sophie. We watched dirty jobs, then Raymond and Sally left and I put Sophie to Bed. The next morning was Sophie's first communion, I was grateful for it being overcast because it was supposed to be in the 80s later int eh week, and I don't think I could handle that in a sport coat. The mass was very nice, and Sophie was pretty in her gown. After that we went out for brunch at a great Greek restaurant, skyped with Mom, and then I flew home to work on my prophets paper (that was due the next day and I finished about a half hour before it was due).

I have my prophets paper turned in, and took my theology final today for my last class experience of the semester, next I have a Pastoral Care paper due tomorrow, two church history papers due Tuesday, and a OT exegesis paper due on the 29th. Then my first year of Seminary will officially be over. After that I will be attending the next Quakes game on the 29th against Toronto, then it is off to Hawaii on the 31st. Ian and I will be the token Haoles (white guys) when we visit Gavin Tokuda, AKA DJ Tokes, AKA bruddah Tokes, AKA Galvin. It will essentially be a week of the beach, drinking, eating, and lovely hawaiian ladies. When i get back I will spend a few days in San Anselmo, probably head down the city at least one of those days, then Drive up to Eugene for my sister's commencement as she graduates with her PhD. Then it is back on to Great Falls where I will spend the Sumer. I wont be going to Naval Reserve Officer training this Summer because I have talked a bit with my mom and there is a lot of stuff that still needs to be done back home with Dad not there. The Navy isn't going anywhere, and this will give LT Smith and myself more time to complete my waivers beforehand so I don't end up getting there and having to do an asthma test like I had to for the Marine Corps when I got to Quantico.

Wow, this one was long, That is probably good because I most likely wont update it again for about a month! :)

Spring Break

Well, I put it long enough, but being sick has given me the opportunity to finally post this. I spent a lot of time on the Road for Spring Break, but it was well worth it. The first stop was Yosemite. The lack of open spaces in California was getting to me so I needed to get away, and Yosemite was a great opportunity (my heart still belongs to Glacier Park though). I spent Saturday just lounging around and reading, Sunday was a speed ascent to just above Yosemite Falls, and Monday was bouldering on the amazing granite boulders around Camp 4.

Next I headed down to Orang County to visit my sister, Ray, and Sophie. Everyone is doing well, Ray was working most of the time I was there (he is a history Professor at Cal State Fullerton), and my next niece is starting to show on my sister. I will be heading back down there the weekend before finals for Sophie's first communion.

From there I headed down to Julian and met up with some students who were in the San Diego area for a night of car camping. It was a nice relaxing time and we had some of Julian's famous pies (I think there is a pie company for every person who lives in Julian).

Next it was up to Oxnard for a couple nights, the first night we had a bon fire in the portable pit, drank some beer, listened to some stories about Mel Gibson being crazy from a girl who goes to his church, and watched Briana's old roommate Miesha Tate beat the crap out of some girl on strike force (quick arm bar for a submission). The next day we went to one of Charles' church's elders to get tattoos done. I was able to get my dads tattoo he got while in the Peace Crops, and it turned out pretty darn good. (now I just need to find something good to cover my chihuahua on my shoulder... Im thinking of a quarter sleeve, maybe with an angel in armor of some sort?) Then it was a drive back to San Anselmo up the 5. needless to say I didn't want to drive again for a while after spring break this year.

Ian

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Todays post comes to you compliments of Ian Vellenga. Professor Noel decided today he was going to call several students up to read their first exams. I was very relieved to not be called up. Mathias went first, then Noel stood up and said, "wait I have one more... Ryan." So I had to go sit up front while 4 more people read their amazing papers dreading the approaching moment when I have to read a paper I have zero confidence in. I spent the majority of the three hours of the exam time rereading the text I was using as my source because I only skimmed it the first time, and had to throw a paper together out of that... I only figured out exactly what the point I was tying to make was when I was about 3/4 done with my paper. So while I was up front sitting, and presenting a paper (which I realized had many many grammatical mistakes as I was reading it, and had to keep stopping to figure out what I was trying to say), Ian was in the back row typing on my computer. Without further ado I give you a narration of what Ian thinks about in class:

Good job Ryan. I hope it was a good paper. I’m thinking before you read it that it’s going to suck…

You did question 3, didn’t you? Good…take the easy way out…everyone else answered harder questions, but you answered the really easy one

I hope you aren’t drunk when you read yours, or on pain killers.

It serves you right to write such a good paper

“Oh look, Prof. Noel, I wrote a good paper!!!! Pick me to read it in front of class!!!! Let me show how smart I am!! I am so smart!! S-M-R-T!!”

Quit picking you beard, you Amish looking wannabe!

Also, quit scratching yourself!!! There are ladies present, and you’re turning Tom on.

Don’t look at me!!!!

Stop picking your nose!

EXTREME!!!!!!!!

I hope you realize this before you read; you have a booger hanging out of your nose, and your fly is open.

Stop looking at me!!!!

You missed it…Rus just chewed his nails. Or he could have just eaten a booger. We will never know.

Her paper is better than yours, and English isn’t even her first language!!!

Boy, it sure is windy outside!

Dongwoo sure does like pens...and stationary.

· Ok, he stopped

Stop laughing, that’s not funny.

I think Tom is dead. He hasn’t moved in over an hour.

· Oh there he goes. Nevermind.

So, who’s going to Pt Reyes?

Why does your screen keep going dim?

Wow...Noel just left the room to answer the phone. How rude!!

Pressure is on Ryan. Hope your paper is good. Everyone else’s is.

· Now I’m worried about my paper. It sucks. Why? Oh why!?!?!? Why is my paper so bad????

· Hopefully I passed...if not, I blame you!

Kill whitey!!!! You go Katie. F@#$ the white man!!!!

So, you nervous yet???

Dood, you look like you're about to fall asleep. Wake up!!!

Macbooks suck!!! Look, on it’s own word processor, it doesn’t even recognize the word MacBook. It’s underlined!!! So stupid!!!

· It recognizes it as a mistake, which buying one was a mistake.

Antidisestablishmentarianism… it recognizes that word.

IBM…it even recognizes that word

Let’s see…Hewlett Packard, Dell, Packard Bell, Toshiba…holy crap!! It recognizes all those brands.

· Windows, Microsoft…not looking good for your MacBook. Ipod, Iphone…really not looking good.

Your up next, big guy. Fix you shirt!!!! Why don’t you shave? It ain’t no shave March!!! Quit biting your nails.

Of course number 3!!!! You screwed up already.

Number of mistakes: llllllllllllllllllllllll= 23 f@#%ing mistakes!!!!

The ESL students kicked your ass.

Speak up. Stop mumbling!

Good job…use someone’s name you can’t pronounce…

Overall, not bad. Better than my paper.

Ladies and Gentleman... Ian

By the way Ian, the word processor is MICROSOFT word, and it will recognize the brand name which is not macbook, but Apple. For a fair comparison with IBM, HP/Compaq, Dell, Packard Bell, and Toshiba we would have to type words like: Thinkpad, Elitebook/Presario, Inspiron, Easynote, and Tecra... just for good measure well add Sony... Vaio. I've been an Apple user for the last 25 years, why stop now. :)

4MM

Thats all I have to say about that.

Family History

Here is an interesting article from 1918 regarding my family coming to America, it is the account of my Great Great Great Great Grandfather Mathias' youngest brother John Schlimgen:

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    “We came from Germany in the fall of 1854. I was then about 13 years old.We came fromnear theUniversity of Bonn. We had no relatives in America, but decided to come to Milwaukee on recommendation of a tailor whom we had known. My father Johann Schlimgen, was a widower,mymother having died two years before. Engelbricht, (He probably meant Mathias, since Engelbert was the second son and was married in Madison, Wisconsin) my oldest brother, was already married. In our party going was my father, my two brothers Engelbricht and Mathias, my sister Louisa and myself; my brother’s wife and my other sister Sybilla (later Mrs. Lorenz Bowar) came later.We were six weeks on the ocean, but had a fairly good voyage. From New York we came via the lakes to Detroit and at Detroit our boat ran aground and we left Engelbricht to take care of our baggage while we went on by train to Chicago in some dirty immigrant cars. When we got to Chicagomy father was induced by a hotel runner to go and see a hotel near by. My brother Matt was in a car further ahead. The first thing my sister and I knew we were put out of the train on a bridge. There we were alone with both father andMatt missing.We had no money, knew nobody and could not talk English. We could only stay there and cry until father came back. He had hardly any money either, as Engelbricht was the treasurer of our party. Coming toMilwaukee, we stayed that winter with a family named Laufenberg south of the city. They had relatives at Pine Bluff west of Madison and the next spring we came by ox team to Madison and went to Pine Bluff. After a while we went to the town of Perry where we lived a while on the so called “Leathercap” farm, near August Goebel’s place where a Norwegian named Ole Olson had lived. Michael Goebel called this Norwegian “Leathercap” because he wore a cap made of leather, hence the ‘Leathercap’ farm. This farm had a log house built into a hole in the hill side and was roofed with dirt. Parlor, kitchen, dining-room, etc. were all in one. It was a one-room cabin. While here I used to play with Olson’s boy Syver. As he was Norwegian and I German, each one tried to teach the other English and in the meantime we made up a language of our own which must have been a wonderful one and which nobody else probably could have understood. After a year or so we moved from this place to the farm in Primrose near the Perry line , still known as the Schlimgen farm, part of whichmy nephewGeorge now owns and occupies. Later my brother Matt bought the Hall Chandler farm near John Tascher’s. Engelbricht and Matt and their families moved to Dakota where my brothers died. My father died in Madison, but is buried in the Catholic cemetery in Perry. I lived in Madison since 1863. About all my English schooling was obtained in the Britts school house in Primrose. When I went by there a while ago and saw the nice new school house I said, “There is the university of Primrose where I obtained my education”. But not in that school. I think my first teacher was Mary Thomas, daughter of David Thomas of Primrose. We had a log school house then. One night in the winter it burned. This was probably due to our having placed our bottles of ink on the stove to keep them from freezing, and putting chips around them which probably caught fire. Of course that stopped the school. The next summer I think Miss Thomas taught school on the upstairs floor of the Britts granery (sic!) which is still standing (1918) on the Konle farm. Two of my other teachers I think were a Miss Smith and a Miss Laura Barron. Miss Barron’s brother afterwards became prominent in politics and I think Barron county was named after him. I think Miss Barron was living in Mt. Vernon at the time, but boarded at Britt’s as many teachers did. It was a jolly household. They had a log house where the present (1918) Konle house stands, and log stables, some across the road. I think Ed Britts built the mill and the frame near it. Ed was a miller. I remember digging the mill race. Later Britts sold the mill to a Mr. Stephens and he sold it to Conrad Kugler.” (Ed note: John died March 8,1927 at Madison,Wisconsin)
    
  
  
  
  
  Additional info:
  
  
  • Immigrated from Antwerp Belgium aboard the ship Clifton. Left October 10 1854 and arrived November 20th in New York.
    
    
    Above is from an article from a newspaper column called ‘Historic Primrose’, by Albert O. Barton