Whew!

First of all, I have to apologize for my un-announced absence here. I'm not sure if I already mentioned this on the blog or not, but I am a Resident Assistant (RA) in one of the residence halls this year (it's actually an apartment building, but it's on campus so all the same campus rules apply). The past two weeks have been taken up by RA training and preparations for Move-in Day.

Basically, I've been getting up at ungodly hours of the morning, listening to seminars about topics ranging from diversity to how to use a fire extinguisher. Not to mention I've been kept up at ungodly hours of the night, working on "team-building" with my co-RA's and planning a skit for the roll-call competition at the end of the training week. It's been one heck of a time.

Despite the daunting training sessions, I really think I'm going to enjoy being an RA. Right now I'm simply drained from the past two weeks (and classes start Wednesday... yikes!) However, I think once I get into the routine of everything I'm going to like having that type of structure. Yes, I have a lot to do. Not only do I have the normal duties of walking the halls of my building and writing people up (I was up till 3:00 AM the other night breaking up a game of beer pong), but I have to plan both several educational and social programs to get my residents involved on campus. That will most likely be a futile effort, but hey, it will give me something to do.

Of course, I'm not just an RA. I'm also now an upperclassman, which means that my classes are becoming a bit more focused and involved. I'm also involved in what seems like 10,000 different student organizations, so I have lots of responsibilities and events in those areas as well. Somehow in all of this I want to read, work on my latest writing project, and find quiet time for God and Christian fellowship... oh yeah, and I want to blog too.

I'm used to feeling tired and involved. When I worked for my summer camp or the Duke TIP program, I was constantly doing something and I felt great about it, even though parts of it were draining. It's just the first year that my activity levels in college are so high. I fear that my days of endlessly roaming the blogosphere or Youtube are now gone, and that, you know, I'll actually have to do something every day.

Everyone knows those really involved kids in high school or college that somehow get everything done and seem to get it done perfectly. They always seem very perky and capable. Now that I know some of those kids personally (and now that I am one), I know that many struggle hard to keep their head above water, but at the same time there's something very rewarding about being involved. Or maybe it's just the fact that if you're one of the kids who doesn't drink, party, and likes to live on campus, it's your best gig.

Like I said, I hope to keep up the blog as much as possible this year, even though I'm doing a lot. I'm sure I'll have many great stories and experiences I'll want to share. My blog is, after all, two years old... and that means that it (like my college experience) is half-over. I hope the next two years are as awesome as the last.

Oh, and I was also recently pleasantly surprised that I made #49 on the list of "Top 100 Christian Relationship Blogs" according to the blog Christians Do it Better (nice name!) Thanks guys! Go and check it out.