life changes

So... Here is the latest life update for me. There is a lot to report.

We have come to a point where we are calling it quits with Emmaus. It's really quite bittersweet. In many ways I'm relieved becuase this huge weight has been lifted. Things were just not progressing and it really is the best decision. I'm saddened by it, but I am looking forward to moving on with life. If nothing else, I can know that God brought me to this area and gave me a job with full health benefits and great heart doctors. If God needed me to be here in order to get healthy, I can be ok with that.

So, now what? Well, I dont really know, so I am taking some time off to figure it out. I am moving to Springfield IL and moving in with my friend Corey, which will be a good time. I'm pretty excited about that. I am going to take some time to rest and get very involved in a church to work on my media/technical skills and prepare myself for a full time ministry position in the future. I just need to find a job with normal hours and health benefits. Hopefully, that wont be a problem. Surely, something will come my way. (If anyone has any springfield area connections, feel free to hook me up!)

I am moving this saturday so life is going to be crazy for a little while longer. Wish me luck!

The tale of the IPOD

Last week I went home to visit my family and while I was there my dad tells me that he was a trip and the man sitting next to him gave him his ipod. Now I am sure that he merely found it, because after all, it's an ipod. Anyway, I was very dissappointed to discover that the ipod does not work. I tried to charge it with my brother's charger, but alas, it was to no avail. But I did not give up. I brought said ipod home with me and took it to the Mac store in the mall to see if there was any hope. Perhaps I could buy a new battery for it. The store clerk assured me that this was a lost cause but signed me up to see the technician anyway. He looked it over and confirmed the ipod D.O.A. I was greately saddened. Then, with a wry smile on his face he said, "just a moment". He then proceeded to the back room and returned saying, "I have good news". For $63 I can fix it. Now all this time I am assuming that he is talking about fixing the battery and I am fully expecting to leave the ipod there and coming back to get it. The next thing I knew he was swiping my credit card and giving me a brand spaking new 20GB ipod. I didnt even need the original receipt or anything. I left the store with a great sense of accomplishment.

I know you're jealous.

Road Trip and Family Fun

So this weekend my brother Thomas will be home for a two week leave from Iraq so I will be taking a road trip to see him and the rest of the family. An added bonus is that Abby gets to come with me so it will be nice to actually spend an entire day together without either one of us working. It is indeed a rare occurance. She also gets to meet my family, which is bound to be an interesting experience in and of itself. It has been confirmed that all five, yes... five parents will be in attendance so we shall see how that goes. I've likened this to swimming in a cold pool. You can't just ease into my family. It's best to jump right in and get the uncomfortable part over with. I'm sure I will have many a story when I get back.

Lie, Cheat, and Steal

I have finally come to the conclusion that the stereotype that salesman lie, cheat, and steal just to make a sale is completely true. Often times they dont care who they have to stab in the back to make a buck. They will even screw over the fellow coworkers just to make a sale.

I am slightly bitter because twice in the past week I have been screwed out of a sale at work. Two of the top writers in our store have tried to steal a sale from me (one successfully) and I am so ticked off about it. The bigger problem is that my manager is well aware of it but is unwilling to do anything about it because they are both million dollor sellers for our store. The fact of the matter is that if anyone else in our store would have pulled this crap, we would have been written up in a heart beat, but because of the people involved, management looks the other way.

This is rediculous and I need a new job.

My Easter Video

Check out the video I made for our Easter Service on my myspace page. It is under the video link.
http://www.myspace.com/michaelrclair

The Weather

I have this love/hate relationship with the sun. I know it sounds rediculous, but keep reading. Here in upstate NY, also known as the land of eternal winter, it is always cold. Always!. Now that it is amost mid April and the season is officially spring, it should be warm dont you think? But not here. the sun has come out which I am much appreciative of. I do love the sunshine, but it has lured me into a false sense of security reguarding what I can safely wear outdoors. I look out my window and I see the bright blue cloudless sky and a smile crosses my face as I decide that the day calls for short sleeves and sandals. But the moment I walk out side I am utterly dissappointed to find that the thermometer has barely crossed the 55 degree mark. Thus, my love/hate relationship has begun. Surely those of you in the northern portion of the country can sympothize with me.

Good Sledding

Last night I got a call at 10 o'clock at night with this invitation...

Matt- hey, lets go sledding
Me- we dont have a sled.
Matt- we have plastic trash can lids
Me- ummmmm....................ok. Where are we going to go?
Matt- we are going to drive around until we find a good hill.
Me- ummmmm.....................ok.

So we drove around and found a golf coarse with some decent hills and we had a great time.

So the moral of the story is that if anyone out there ever wants to do something and you dont want to do it alone. There is a very good chance that I could be talked into it.