A really busy few months ahead!

I have finally entered my last (undergraduate) term! In just 2.5 months, I will have a Bachelor's Degree in History! My only regret is that I was unable to squeeze in a Writing minor. With my transfer credits figured in(online courses while in the Army), my three years at OSU is equivalent to graduating a semester early. I could have squeezed in the minor, but I did not want to add another Fall term-- the added stretch of Summer makes that one-term extension a bit too long. Good thing too, since this was decided before we found out we would have a July 2nd due-date for our first baby!

In the mean-time, a LOT of things are happening:

I am wrapping up my research project. Last term I finished my paper on spirit and traditions at OSU. I will make it available online later, after doing some edits recommended by my instructor. After it is touched up, I plan to follow her urgings and enter it into an undergraduate competition of sorts for large papers in the History Department. I think there might be a money (scholarship perhaps) prize involved, but I'm not exactly sure. If I end up being lucky enough to earn a scholarship, I hope it can transfer to a private school rather than be used just at OSU.

I am starting a new research project. I needed four more upper-division credits to graduate (since then it lowered to three since I added another band one more time), so I implored my instructor to let me basically retake her thesis course as an independent study for four credits. This one will be the first-ever extensive program history of OSU's Track and Field program (it was actually quite a big deal back in the day). I have started research on it already, and look forward to spending more time in the Archives, as if I didn't spend enough time there already! If only I could get a job researching OSU (especially athletics, band, and ROTC)... I would be fine with that!

I am wrapping up my undergraduate studies. Besides my Independent Study, I have Biology 103 (anatomy), History 341 (Russia post-1917), German 213 (only 9 weeks left!), Horn Ensemble, and a German conversation class (easy one-credit class that reviews for GER 213 and offers time to just talk in German). Related to German, I am also getting together with classmates to watch The Two Towers auf Deutsch. Wir hat "The Fellowship of the Ring" (auf Deutsch) gesehen letzte klasses. (We saw part one last term). Gimli is awesome as an angry German! They are just the dubbed German versions, with no subtitles. The Elfish is still Elfish, though it was mostly dubbed by the German actors for continuity. The History of Russia class is also pretty neat-- the instructor tailors the class towards those serious in their studies instead of those trying to fulfill requirements, and his lectures are basically 2-hour presentations rather than just boring lectures. Awesome.

I am still working at the OSU Archives. 17 hours per week, not including my hours researching Track and Field. My main task involves researching minorities in baseball, and I have already taken one field trip to the Sports Information Office's super-secret archives. Ok, not actually secret, just not generally for public use unless you ask very nicely, and maybe have a good reason to go.

I am preparing to be a dad. We toured the labor unit and had a one-on-one meeting with the nursing coordinator, and I have to say, I am very impressed. With just one exception, every single concern about hospital birth addressed in my Anthropology class is covered at our hospital. (I took a class which included a lot of information on midwifery, from an anthropologist who became a midwife in order to study the culture of midwifery. She has attended over 1000 births, holds her own practice, and along with her doctorate, is the first person called as an expert witness in pretty much any court cases involving midwifery in the state of Oregon.) I have also been signed up for numerous classes. No idea what they are, just that we (or sometimes just I) am going to. Thanks Deanna! I am excited... but also nervous. But also excited. I also feel ready, but also not at all. But still ready to take on the challenge, I think. All I know for sure is that I will miss sleep terribly, but can't wait to 1) try the patient's menu that I was denied while staff, and 2) hold my son for the first time. Not necessarily in that order. (Well, chronologically, the order is right, but you know what I mean...)

I have a ton of reading to do... for fun. Book 14 of Robert Jordan's (and lately Brandon Sanderson since Robert Jordan did not live to see the end of the series)The Wheel of Time, A Memory of Light, is coming out in January. In preparation, last Fall I decided to do a re-read of the series so I would be ready. This genius plan had a few hitches. First, I was using the audio book for book one, The Eye of the World.Great plan, except it only worked during car rides and in the gym. Then I discovered that Brandon Sanderson is an AMAZING writer. A. M. A. Z. I. N.G. Really. That side-tracked me over Christmas, and getting an XBox 360 during Black Friday didn't help either. During Spring Break, I dug into book two since I had the time, and now I am reading between classes if I don't have time to research (if only an hour break), on the bus, and sometimes instead of computer/XBox time. I am back to my former fast speeds in High School when I would slam through one a week... just required a reduced use of electronics. Only 10.8 more books to go! I want to be mostly done by the end of summer (maybe leave one for Christmas Break) so I have fewer things going on when I start school in the fall. Studies + Pleasure reading = not a good combination sometimes.... that is when I will switch to mindless video games to unwind at times.

I start Seminary in the Fall... hopefully. The plan is to start in the Fall as I begin a journey of earning my Master of Divinity in four years (can be done in three, but new baby means I will go slower). I am accepted by the school and my denomination, but am still waiting on word from the Army. I just got my fingerprints scanned, so hopefully my packet is now finally done and will go forward to the review board, unless my physical needs to go with it. If not, I will also look into the Navy and Air Force before giving up and finding a new direction in life. Hopefully that does not happen, though God does sometimes have a funny sense of humor! The biggest challenge there will be income. Tuition will be paid, but not by the GI Bill, so no more living allowance. Deanna may go part-time to her culinary school (which has a job placement program) so maybe I could transfer it and we could still get some of that income, but I still need to find a job as well. And even worse, unless we live in a drug-infested complex, we are going to have to get a co-signer for our lease, unless something amazing happens with income, like a huge influx of scholarships, etc. More to follow on that I guess... But really, it is to be expected. I mean, going to Seminary, how could I not expect some hard testing? At least I know enough to expect to not be able to expect anything.

So that about sums everything up...

Oh! Except for this blog! When I am a Seminary student, I can't very well leave this as "Tales of an Archivist," can I? We'll see what happens, but I think I'll need to find a catchy name describing the adventures of a seminary student/new dad... we'll see!

It's Greek to Me

I am learning Greek! It is from my pastor since OSU does not offer it (and driving down to the ugly school down south is NOT an option!). So far I have just started learning the letters. So far I can write the lowercase letters for the first 12 letters, as well as others, out of 24 total. It won't help me identify much in Greek Life since the actual language rarely uses uppercase, so seeing these boring sweatshirts all over campus will continue to look Greek to me. Haha.

 So far, learning the letters has gotten me wondering if our lowercase letters were mostly borrowed from Greek as I can really see how some letters written sloppily could turn into English letters, and looking at some modern Greek examples compared to the Greek of the New Testament (the type I am learning), I can see this even more. As I learn the alphabet, my other task is to start copying down the first three verses of John from the New Testament so I can start getting used to the letters, as well as some other marks which accompany the vowels. It looks like it will be a long and arduous process for learning this, but it will be worth it when I show up to Seminary with a heads-up on an important subject.

Another Chaplaincy Update!

It's time for another Chaplain update! It has been a while since I have had anything worth mentioning about it, but after a phone call a few minutes ago, I have a lot! I had a lot of questions about my eligibility, ministerial experience, and the Chaplain Candidacy Program. I just got off the phone with the nearest Chaplain Recruiting office, and here is what I found.

For my eligibility, I was (and still am) concerned about my knee. I have a permanent profile (for non-Army folks, medical documentation laying out physical limitations, to be reviewed every five years) which states that my running is at my own pace and distance, and that I use an alternate event for the PT Test (I walk instead of run). I AM still fully deployable-- I am able to run, but the pain it causes is the reason for my limitations. However, if deployed, you betcha that I will run if under fire! So needless to say, my concern is my ability to pass my commissioning physical. I was correct in my assumption that I would need a medical waiver, and I was given advice to try to track down my medical records currently held by the VA and request a copy. Once I have acquired all applicable records, the Chaplain Recruiting office will forward the records to a doctor who does the physical and get a preliminary verdict. Because of the current shortage of Chaplains, as well as the nature of my profile, my chances are fine, though not certain.

I found out that I have two options for the Chaplain Candidacy Program: I can either accept or decline tuition assistance. If I accept, I will owe the Reserves four years as a Chaplain before going to Active Duty; if I decline, I can skip those four years and jump straight to Active Duty once I have fulfilled all of my requirements. Let us look at each option:

• Reserves (accept tuition assistance): The tuition is fully covered, so financially the only issue is rent and bills. It also, however, means four more years before I can collect an Active Duty paycheck. Boo! But the plus side is that the two years of ministerial experience is much easier; first of all, it is only required to go Active, so that gives me an additional four years to get it out of the way. Secondly, four years in the Reserves can substitute those two years, although if I can get some full-time ministry during those four years, that helps my application for Active Duty. The drawback is I have four more years in which I have to find a way to survive financially! (But if I can get a full-time ministry position, that will certainly help!)
• Active Duty (decline tuition assistance): Financially more burdensome, but not impossible. I do have $10,000 available from the Reserves for tuition, and student loans are not impossible to pay off, especially with an Active Duty paycheck, especially once I am an officer. I also have the rest of my GI Bill, though I am hoping to transfer that to Deanna, though as long as one of us is using it, it doesn't matter who as long as it helps pay for schooling for one of us! Active Duty also would require those two years of experience to be gained during my three years of Seminary, which would require a full-time leadership position at a church before being fully qualified for such a position-- a hard sell, but not impossible depending on the church and pastor. My Seminary years would definitely be more stressful, but the light at the end of the tunnel would come four years sooner than in the Reserves.

I also will have five or six years during which I can be in the Chaplain Candidacy Program, so it is not impossible to get my ministerial experience done during and after my schooling, though it would depend on discussions with my Chaplain Advisor. Also worth note, I do not have to choose right away; I can use my $10,000 of unrelated tuition assistance, and if, when it runs out, I look at finances and say "WHAT am I DOING?" I can still opt to accept the tuition assistance and do the Reserves option.

Phew... that is complicated! So anyways, the quick summary is: after getting my B.A., I'll need about three years of Seminary, and depending on my path, either four years in the Reserves, or any remaining time needed for my ministerial experience before I can go active.

Chaplain Update

I am beginning to make more detailed plans regarding my goal of Chaplaincy. Part of my planning involves finding out more information on what I need to be doing, and what I will need to do in preparation for becoming a Chaplain. The short list includes:

• Complete an undergraduate degree
• Complete 72 hours of Seminary (90 preferred but not required by the EFCA)
• Complete two years of practical ministerial experience
• Ecclesiastical Accreditation (Approval and recommendation from the EFCA)

The two degrees will be ok, although if I do the 90 hours, I may try to accomplish the extra hours after reaching active duty. The actual ordination does not occur until three years after licensed by the EFCA to become a Chaplain, so if my tuition assistance runs out, I may have no choice on the matter anyways unless I go into some debt.

The two years of practical experience will be difficult to say the least. While in seminary, I will need to attend an EFCA church and talk to my pastor about the possibilities. Perhaps I could do something at my current church, but its unique (and small) make-up makes that kind of opportunity scarce at  best, especially with the schedule I have here. At least at seminary, my schedule will not have to conform to evening band practices! The Ecclesiastical Accreditation will be more simple than some of the other prerequisites, so long as I do all of its prerequisites as well.