Ben’s Blog

So It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but I’ve been busy (honest!)
I’m really enjoying the classes, they are thought provoking and some are pushing me further than I thought, but only because I let them. One of the things I realised when I decided to finish off my degree was that I wanted to learn, not just to get a bit of paper which told me that I knew something, but to understand and comprehend all the subjects that I took. A tall order as I am taking such a varied load.

I think that without my friend Melissa I would be having a very different experience, she works at the college that I’m going to, and so she knew the professors, and which ones would suit me. I told her what I wanted to do and she helped me sort it out, and boy did she do a great job.
I love all of them! it is very rare for this to happen, especially within a relatively small college (though it is growing very fast!!!) but it makes such a difference.
I want to do well not only for my own benefit, but I want to see the professors help those who are around me, so I speak up. I share my thoughts, something that I would normally not do until I knew the people around me, and felt more comfortable. But I want to make the person who is up front trying to teach job that much easier. I will play devils advocate if I need to, I’ve not had to yet, as I’ve felt very passionate about the things we’ve been talking about.

Onto talking about math.
For those of you who know me, and have known me for while, you will know that I had my ability to do higher math seriously damaged through multiple concussions. To the point that trying to do it now, literally hurts me. But I have the full support not only of my teacher but also of the math dept and their tutors. It will make such a difference to me. I once loved math, to the point that at age 8 I was doing GCSE level (that’s end of high school for you yanks) algebra. It was a game, it was fun. I thought of it like a child thinks of candy (I was an addict). When I started doing the math, I wanted just to pass and be done with it, but if I can get back to the point where it is fun again, well I can’t even begin to tell you how much that would mean to me.
So all you out there who pray, pray for this, pray that I get my ability not only to do it, but to enjoy it, back.

As for the social side of things, it’s great to be seeing my old friends again, and soon I hope to be making new one, but my main focus is on finishing this semester with the best possible result, not in terms of grades, but in terms of understanding.

Peace and love my brothers and sisters out there
Ben

Ok so this weekend was great, went to my old church. Saw some old friends. Drank some Dew… good times.
I’m sitting here in the atrium of MMCC and am waiting for my second class to start, theories of personality. This is going to be an interesting class I think. The book could be used as an offensive weapon if you put your mind to it.
Got a cellphone yesterday so I finally have some means of communication, and I picked up an international calling card so that I can call the UK (landlines only I think) from the cell. If you want the number drop me a line and I’ll decide if you merit getting it or not. *Insert smirk here*

It looks like I’m going to have to spend more time at the college than I originally thought (mostl ikely 1 extra day per week)but that’s all good as long as I get the grades that I want I’ll put in the work needed.

I really missed my “kids” this sunday but didn’t let it bother me too much, I know that htey are in good hands with Jess, Laura and George. and of course my mum.

Anyway gonna shoot off as I’ve not got a whole lot left to say and when I get to rambling it aint pretty.

Peace and love be with you guys.

Went to Mid Mich today picked up some of the books, was good to spend some time with my friend Melissa. Though weird to be back in college.
Other than that not a whole lot to say.

Peace
Ben

My flight to the US was supposed to leave at 10:30 am from Manchester, however the airport was closed to arriving and departing planes until 12pm. So at 2:30 PM (approx) we took off for Chicago. Now I have a thing about flying into Chicago, I don’t like doing it, if I can avoid it I will, but this time the difference between flying into chicago and anywhere else was $200. Why do I have a thing about flying into Chicago? Because I have never had a good experience flying into it. This was not to change this flight.
THe flight was long and hard, and due to various things, which I won’t go into on the net but if you know me well you’ll know what, I was in a very bad state by the time I arrived to Chicago, HAd the plane been on time I would not have had the problems that I did (I think) but as it was it didn’t.
About an hour before landing I had to take some medication, now about 10 minutes after that I rushed to the bathroom to be sick, as the med can hit me hard even at home, but I was already feeling bad. Unfortunately there was someone in the bathroom so up goes my hand and i manage to hold it in until I get a bag. Now i didn’t think about it at the time, but the contents of my stomach would have had the residue from my medicine. This would cause me a problem later.
I was feeling mentally and physically unfit, to the point where I honestly doubted my ability to get to the gate I needed to, the med makes me dopey at times, so I had wheelchair assistance.
I go through customs, no problems We find the gate that I need to get to and I go through security.
The pat me down and swab my hands (see I told you the med would cause a problem, even though i had thoroughly washed my hands)
I set their machine off, it alarmed on most of my carry on, anything I had touched since being sick.
To top this off customs had failed to stamp my passport… so there I was 8 TSA agents, many experts going over everything. One hour later they realise they have a totally innocent guy and I am free to go.
Of course allthough they are qualified to take all of my stuff out of my carry on’s I have to repack everything.
Now I’d already missed my origional connecting flight but was booked onto the last flight into Grand Rapids, MI of the day. So I sit down, ask a woman who was waiting for the same flight if she could wake me up if I fall asleep. I get on the plane, fall asleep and wake up just as we’re landing in MI.

It’s not 10:38 PM MI time, 6 hours after I was supposed to land. it is almost 4am UK time and I am TIRED. Instead of going straight to Evart like I was supposed to, I go to my aunt Norma’s for the night. Which was nice as I got to see her on her birthday. But I wake up at 4am MI time y body telling me I’m a lazy sod for sleeping till 9am… stupid time differences.

I arrive in Evart at around 2pm and go to place where I’m staying with my cousin Angela and her husband Keith. (who I may or may not refer to as spatula and barkey.)
I spend a bit of time unpacking pick out my copy of the water babies that I am giving to my good friend BJ (who owns the local book store) and walk over to the shop. Where I proceed to spend the next 2 1/2 hours talking. Good times, How I have missed those stimulating and fascinating discussions with BJ. I can’t think of any of my other friends who I can talk to about half of the things we discuss. It is good to be back.

Here I am on the beginning of day 3, woken up again at 4am but happy, and ready for the day ahead.

Peace and love be with you guys.

First post in 2 months will be less than 2 sentences long.

Go see this film I cannot tell you how good it is!!!

Patrick Rothfuss and the legion of Baby Ducks. Some of you may be familiar with the author Patrick Rothfuss (see my posts about him previously to see what my feelings on the man are ) however I have some interesting and quite frankly damning information against him. This information shall be revealed in a second first I want to share with you just how I came upon this information. Earlier this month he finished his first charity campaign for Heifer international and his efforts were applauded by many. He raised over $100,000 for them with half of it being donate by himself (matching $ for $) however it was his one mistake in posting an image of the cheque that he sent to them. Upon the line reserved for what the cheque is for he wrote baby ducks. This is where the information came from, at first I thought nothing of it, but then I remembered something, ducks are the most loyal of all the animal kingdom and they stay bought once you have bribed/bought them. I did the simple math and was astounded to know that 5849.314 ducks (assuming the $20 per duck price) were provided by him 2924.657 by his own donation. I trembled with fear as I realised that he is amassing a duck army. We should all be aware of this fact and hope that he does not succeed in his global domination goals (for what else could he want such an army of ducks for?)

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Well done Pat, the world is a better place for having your actions in it.

I was in training today and during our lunch break I overheard this snippit of conversation.

“… you’re 24? I thought you were my age. Man 24 is almost halway to 30.”

Now at this point I was trying ever so hard not to laugh, the girl who couldn’t have been over 19 reacting like this, and it being so wrong.

I thought about it, and got a little sad at the thought I’m getting into my mid twenties, and I have done more in my life than many people twice if not three times my age.
But I don’t feel like I’m the age I am, I don’t look or act it most of the time either.

I had a friend who for the first 6 months of our friendship thought I was in my early thirties, I don’t act like your normal twenty-something.

I laugh about this but it leaves and underlying sadness, why do I have so much more life experience compared to others? I wouldn’t change it for the world I’m more sad for the people who don’t, they have missed out on so much, both good and bad, beautiful and terrible.

But it is these experiences that make life, life.

The movie Wall-E has a line in it.

“I don’t want to survive, I want to live.” and I think that that is so relevant today, so many people are just surviving getting from one week to another, never living life. And we are enabling this.

I just started a new job working with adults with learning dificulties and one of the things that we try and do is to enable them to be as independant as possible, and to live their life, not just to survive. I chose the job because I want to help people live, but I don’t just want to limit it to people with disabilities I want to help as many people live as possible, in all senses of the word.

The Bible tells us that Christ came to give us life and life in abundance. I would see as many people having that life in abundance as possible, I am a life hog, and want to share the wonder that is life to as many people as possible.

Again if anyone wants to talk with me just drop me an email, or post a comment and I’ll chat with you about anything that I raise in these posts.

Peace and love

Ben

Ok so my bad, it’s been 20 days since my last blog, not that I havn’t thought abotu what I would write if I were blogging, but I shall give you a brief overview of those days.

10 of them spent sick, very very sick, and so tired that I actually slept for about 20 blocks of 30 mins over the day!  then that passed and I had to catch up on the things I’d not done because I was sick, and chase up my doctor to write a medical report so that I could start work.

He finally did and I started work yesterday In training for most of this week and if yesterday is anything to go by my brain will be tired after each day.

Last week my friend Iain was up for the entire week for his graduation ceremony, and another friend was up for one night/day So I spent most of last week out, it is very tiring! but very fun.

We had a leaders meeting with the VCI Asia heads on saturday, with lots of lovely food. It was great I really admire the heads of that area I went to school with their son for a year and learnt a lot about what they were doing over there, though this weekend was the first time I’d ever met them.

I felt the tug to go to thailand again, not only to start work on my docu but also to help out with the work that they are doing for a while. Of course that will have to wait for now, but it’s nice to know I have a plan regarding that eventually.

Also I made my list of things I want to do in my life version 1.0 and I can hapily tell you that I am over 15% of the way to my top goal of traveling 1,000,000 miles

anyway gotta get ready for work

Peace and love

Ben

I’ve been sick for 3 days now, strugling to do anything, went shopping yesterday for 45mins (got a lift in) and that took all of my energy. Had to go to a meeting this morning and as fighting not beeing sick the whole time and then not falling down as I was walking home.

Come to think of it I don’t actually remember 90% of the walk home

I hate being sick, I’m a big baby when I am, and I hate the thought of having to starve myself to get rid of the bug

Just thought you guys might want to know.

Also in the last 3 months i’ve made 78p from ads go me!

I love facebook and here is why

Your rankings have changed

#12 most confident (lost 5 places)
#14 most artistic (gained 3 places)
#17 most kiss-able (gained 7 places)
#18 best catch (gained 7 places)
#21 best dinner companion (lost 5 places)

where else can I find out these kind of things