Wow – Page 2 – The only certainty is bad grammar

Because obviously my opinion about the NFL matters.

Published: September 25, 2012 / Updated: September 25, 2012 Crystal bears, Wow

http://youtu.be/etBpvypwbHo

I’d like to think I have a special perspective on this whole mess with the final call in the Packers- Seahawks game because this one time at a work event I met a real-life NFL referee.

Not a replacement ref. A real ref.

And he told me the gig was his second job. And if remember correctly, that was the case for most of the refs.

As someone who’s worked lots of second jobs, I can tell you that the only way to manage your life is to count on your first job and work your second job for the fun of it, not for the money.

Now, you might think, well, if the NFL refs aren’t in it for the money, why the heck are they striking? I’ll tell you why, because even if you love your job with all your pigskin heart, if the people hiring you are making $700 billion dollars and you’re making $5, you’re going to be annoyed.

Seeing as how those are real-life stats, you can clearly see what the deal is here.

Regardless though, I honestly would feel a bit bad for the replacement refs if the strike ends at this point, but only because my younger brother once worked at a factory during a strike and when the strike ended, it sucked for our rent situation.

Moving on to the real reason we’re all here. I would like to point out that the call last night at the Packers-Seahawks game was tough and that even regular refs could have had the same problem figuring out what the heck was going on.

As an avid Bears fan though, I’m self-aware enough to know that I want the call to be right because I want the stupid, dumb Packers to lose. And I’m also self-aware enough to know that maybe it actually was an interception.

I also know that if this happened to the Bears I would have thrown a couple TVs out the window last night and maybe even a radio for good measure. And that if the Bears somehow manage to beat out the Packers for a playoff spot by one game, I shouldn’t get too excited because their record was likely tainted by one bad call.

Like I said though, I’m a Bears fan. So (clears throat) *ahem* SUCKS FOR YOU PACKERS!. Nah, nah, nah, nah. The Bears are in first place in NFC North. You lost. We won. Games over.

Denver Mission Trip Video

Published: August 15, 2012 / Updated: August 15, 2012 Crystal god, humor, Wow

If you need proof that God is real, just watch this video, because without Him, there is no way I would have been able to create this.

It’s a video about our mission trip to Denver, and it’s kind of awesome and when I watch it I tear up.

I especially like the scene that starts at the 4 Min. mark. We had been playing a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors and everyone started with a pair, and then when you lost, you had to go around and cheer for the person you lost to, until everyone in the group was cheering for one of two people. Trust me, it’s kind of awesome.

Moving, etc.

Published: May 24, 2012 / Updated: May 24, 2012 Crystal medium, Wow

I’m moving to a new apartment this weekend.

It’s .8 seconds from Taco Bell, which obviously was a major selling point. That and the in-unit washer and dryer.

It’s also about 10 minutes from my church. I wanted to write “less than 10 minutes,” because that sounds better, but really, it’s 10 minutes.

Either way though, it’s about a solid 36 hours closer than current place, which is three or four towns over, depending on which map you use.

I’ve invested a lot in that church, and the congregation there, and I truly love the idea of being closer to that community more than you know.

I fantasize about saying things like, “Oh, let me just run over to the church real quick.” And “Oh, that’s fine, I was going to be driving past the church later today anyway.”

Good stuff.

Of course, because of my inability to pick jobs based on reason, my new place is still a solid hour from my full-time job. And that sucks.

But I have flexible hours, I listen to KLove while I drive, and I get to work-from-home often enough that I’m not too worried about it. Check back in a year, and you might get a different answer. But for now, I’m just excited to have convenient access to seven layer burritos (see: url) at all hours of the day and night. I swear to you that I would eat Taco Bell for breakfast if they were open then.

Moving has been a process for sure. Everyone seems to think I move like once a week or something, but I actually only really do it about once a year. Which isn’t so bad for a single 28-year-old in the suburbs.

Plus, this time, I have to get a bigger place because my brother is living with me. The poor guy has been sleeping on my couch since January, counting down the days until my lease expires. In the new apartment, he’ll have his own bedroom, his own walk-in closet and even his own bathroom. What more is there in life?

Finding the place was a journey though. At first I had my heart set on a two-bedroom town home that a private owner was renting out. Alas, she looked at my student loan debt, and subsequent credit score and decided she wanted first and last month’s rent as well a $1,500 security deposit. For those playing along at home, that’s $3,5,00 total.

If I had the ability to save up $3,500 in anything other than a 401k, I’m thinking I probably wouldn’t have so much student debt in the first place.

So that whole thing didn’t happen.

Then, in desperation, I tried to look at some places on a Sunday, only to remember that stupid apartment complexes are closed on Sundays.

Really?

No. Really?!!??

What the what now?

I’m all in favor of Sabbath and stuff, but there’s some professions that just have to work on the sacred day. Among them are youth leaders and people who rent out living spaces.

If I could come see your units between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, then I probably wouldn’t have a job, and you want me to have a job, don’t you? What’s that? You’re open Saturday, from noon to 4 p.m.? Well aren’t you sweet. Now I just have to figure out how to look at 35 complexes in four hours. Awesome sauce.

Anyway, I ended up applying for an apartment in something called HighPoint Community, on HighPoint Drive (one word, two capital letters, hard to explain).

The leasing agents were nicer than nice, and I had a Realtor friend with me through it all to help ease the awkward conversations about the fact that my credit score is the same as my apartment number.

In the end, I got approved and everything worked out, but only after they randomly found a $183 electric bill I’d long forgotten about from Iowa, circa. 2006 and then I paid it so that I could meet their approval process.

The fact that they tracked thing down seriously makes me worried about our country. I promise on my heart that I really, truly did not know that was outstanding, and can only offer the fact that I was young and broke at the time as justification.

Although, well, I guess I’m still technically both those things, I just have a better car now.

Anyway, like I said, it all worked out. And I’m slated to sign the lease this afternoon.

Right after that, I’m totally going to start packing.