It is now the end of our fall break here at the seminary. Last week some of the guys suggested we go camping. I thought, "you're insane," because it gets quite cold at night and it had been raining or gloomy for a full week. But, I thought, it might be fun. So I said I'd come along. It was a good time. As we got near the campground it was raining and the sun was about to set. Thank God the rain let up as we assembled our tents and we cooked supper over the fire. The clouds eventually moved off and revealed the stars, brighter than I've seen them in quite a long time.

It got cold that night but we were prepared. The morning brought us a perfect fall day. We walked the trails around the lake, which is where I took most of the pictures in the slideshow above. If it's not too cold, maybe I'll do this again next year.

-Jason

Last night the cooks here at Kenrick, who are very good by the way, cooked up some beef tips and pasta. This is a tasty dish, but it is commonly known as “bazooka beef” for its various gastrointestinal after effects. It’s a mystery to us why they keep this on the menu. Every time it appears, there is a mass exodus of seminarians departing the seminary for the various restaurants nearby. My neighbor Brian and I decided to visit Strattons, a restaurant and coffee shop just across the freeway in Webster Groves. It’s a nice place.

We placed our orders and I walked over to the soda fountain to fill up my glass. After pondering my options, I chose the root beer because it had "caffeine free" written in huge letters next to it. After all, it was almost 7:00 at night, and I need to get my sleep so I don’t get worn down and catch the swine flu that’s attacking the seminary (it looks NASTY - get the vaccine if you can).

Our dinner was pleasant. The food was delicious and the conversation good. As I took the last bites of my meal, Brian turned toward the menu board and contemplated dessert. “I’m going to get a Mayan Hot Cocoa to go,” he said with visible enthusiasm. He looked across the table, as if to ask, “How about you?” Having just finished a sugary but caffeine free soda, I thought “No, I shouldn’t.” But as Brian walked up to the counter I changed my mind. It was cool outside. A hot cocoa would be nice.

Brian placed his order first, then I stepped up. Unsure about the adjective “Mayan,” I asked the friendly woman behind the counter “So, what is it that makes a ‘Mayan’ hot cocoa ‘Mayan?’” Then the following dialog ensued:

Barista: “Well, as it was explained to me, the Aztecs and Mayans … blah, blah, blah … special, different chocolate … blah, blah, blah (she lost me) … espresso … blah, blah, blah.”

Jason’s conscience: “Whoa, did she say ‘espresso?’ Maybe you should get a regular cocoa.”

Jason’s concupiscence: “Hey, special chocolate! It’s ‘Mayan,’ which sounds exotic. Oooh! Get it!”

Jason’s conscience: “I don’t know. It is kind of late. What if it keeps me up. After all –”

Jason’s concupiscence (shouting): “SPECIAL CHOCOLATE! And hey, you can just do a bit more reading before bed if it keeps you up. After all, it’s probably not that much caffeine.”

Brian: “There’s espresso in it!? Well, it can’t be that much. Otherwise there wouldn’t be that other item on the menu, ‘Mayan mocha cocoa.’”

I caved. At first, I was surprised by the coffee taste. I am not a coffee drinker and it was stronger than I anticipated it would be. Before long, we were back at the seminary.

At some point it occurred to me that I was talking a lot, and very rapidly, to everyone.

After many, rapid conversations I retired to my room to read. I could feel my heart pounding away as I tried to do some reading. I still felt restless hours later, when it was time for bed. For a while I stared at the ceiling. I listened to the ticking of the second hand on my watch. I did some spiritual reading, followed by some more studying.

Some time around midnight I finally dozed off. But just before 4 a.m., my eyes slammed wide open. I prayed the Rosary. Still awake, I prayed the Office of Readings. Still awake, I took a shower and prayed in my room for a full hour. All during communal Morning Prayer & Mass … wide awake (which isn’t always the case).

Thus, I now am fully aware of what “Mayan hot cocoa” is. It’s been great! I got so much done, and the day is just getting started! I wonder. They always say that caffeine wears off. That hasn’t happened yet! I’m going strong so fa.zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.kj

Today while I was tinkering with my Microsoft Outlook calendar, I stumbled upon a few days in 2004 when I recorded everything I did during the day in my calendar. Normally, I didn't record everything and my calendar was usually empty aside from one or two meetings. But at that time Rob, my boss back then, asked us be more careful about documenting time for the purposes of billing. There is quite a contrast between my day in 2004 and 2009.

It also appears that 5 years ago this week, I actually had two dates lined up, one a lunch date and the other a Barnes & Noble coffee-shop date. My, how times have changed.

-Jason

I haven't even found the time to publish all the great photos, videos, and travel logs from my last bike trip down south, but I've already booked the next trip! Jesse and I will be continuing our trek from California to Florida from December 12th-20th. We will be riding from Del Rio, TX, where we ended our last ride, and continue on toward College Station, TX. This consists of Section Four of the Adventure Cycling Southern Tier route.

It seems like we've been riding across Texas for an eternity. After this year's 450 mile, eastward trek, we'll STILL be in Texas.

Plane tickets were surprisingly affordable, so it's not going to be too expensive of a trip, thankfully. But I am a bit overwhelmed at all I must accomplish before we depart. Homilies, thesis work, teaching 7th graders, etc, etc. Let's just say the semester is getting busy.

-Jason