Courtesy of Mr. Goelitz

I have an awesome roommate.


So I'm rather the sleepy boy today, as I was up 'til nearly three in the morning loading music onto my new iTouch. My uber cool roommate Jason managed to round up several friends to pitch in for one heck of a birthday gift. I can't say that I completely understand how to use it, but it sure looks cool, and now I have scads of musical theatre for my listening enjoyment during my daily metro commute (not to mention those idle hours at work).

The past couple weeks have been tough for me. Career angst always manages to pull me into melancholy, among other things.... Jason encourages me, though, to honesty, to truth, and to grace. All while we share a bottle of wine. I'm very thankful.

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I dressed as the Mad Hatter for Halloween, even though I really wanted to be Charlie Prince, the crazy bad guy from 3:10 to Yuma played by Ben Foster. He was Russell Crowe's number two, and ruthlessly led the gang on their quest to rescue their criminal mastermind leader. Have you seen his awesome leather jacket?! And he has a red beard! Maybe next year. Anyway, my top hat was quite the big hit, as was my red velvet blazer. Egads! And everything was found in or around my closet. Folks were skeptical, but then they realize, "Oh, yes, it's Andrew's closet we're talkin' about here!" and they remember that I am just the odd bird who would own such random articles of clothing. Jillian's party was a hoot, and there were surprises all around from a very clever and creative guest list. I met a couple of the Royal Tenenbaums, a mountain man, Cleopatra, the Girl with the Pearl Earring, Juan Valdez, Eleanor of Aquitaine, even a real live Freudian Slip. I had thought to stop for a couple things at the grocery store on my way to the party, but then I remembered how I was dressed and decided not to humiliate myself more than necessary. Good times, great fun, join us next week. I mean, next year.

Revelry, Retrospect, Resolve

So I had my thirtieth birthday party on Friday (a little premature, but that's okay, 'cause there really wasn't another time to have it)... One of the most wonderful nights of my life.

I can't begin to describe the overwhelming joy that I felt by the time everyone left and I headed to bed (around 3:30 AM!). So many surprises, so many beautiful people, so much love in the room. What a treat to have a friend from elementary school show up on my doorstep unannounced, and another friend who traveled from Richmond just to see me. Harvest was well-represented, and I'm so thankful for the many new friends I've made at McLean Pres. My sister Amy and her husband Brian came down from Ohio for the weekend, so we had a serious family affair with the "three little ones" as we have been dubbed by our parents. It was a grand convergence of the different worlds of Andrew. To quote Galinda, "I couldn't be happier!"

I'm still riding this wave of happiness, and thus looking very forward my parents visit this coming weekend, arriving Thursday for my actual birthday. My dad and I are planning an historic coastal Virginia excursion, and I'm pumped. Mom should be able to have some good shopping time with Sarah, and then, of course, Sunday will be church and then they'll be off. But in spite of the brevity, I'm thrilled that I am able to spend this "milestone" if you will with my family, and especially to have some serious quality time with my dad.

Adding to the excitement of last weekend, I had the opportunity to conduct the church choir for services on Sunday as our director was out of town. Not only did she give me the anthem with all kinds of mixed meter, but the choir performed an introit that I composed! Ironically, it's first public performance came almost exactly ten years from it's first draft back in '97 when I was still an undergrad. Now that's a pretty swell birthday present, if I do say so myself....


Beyond the merriment of natal celebrations, I think I'm coming to terms with the looming thirtieth anniversary of my birth. I'm embracing it. One friend said to me, "Welcome to life with retrospect." And that, I think, has to be one of the more profound statements on reaching thirty that I've ever heard. Indeed, it's as if I'm suddenly able to see through the past rather than dwell in it. Now, I'm sure that I'll have lapses of regret, given my tendencies toward a melancholic dispostion, but I am altogether resolved to "forget those things which are behind, and press toward the mark." I've grown tired of my fear, my passivity, my pathetic evasion of reality and of life. My past does not define me, and I can move beyond all of that to enjoy a life that is rich, resolved, and renewed.

I've a full heart. And there you have it.