All good things must come to an end

The time has come. I have one full day left on the island, and it's as bittersweet as anything I've ever been a part of. I will indeed miss these people, that I have come to love, they have become a part of me. I came a stranger and am leaving a brother, and I'm glad for it. I've learned a lot, changed a little, and re-focused myself for what will prove to be a great school year. Putting Hatteras in my rearview mirror won't be easy but when the time comes, I'm sure I'll be ready. After all, I still have  a week to spend in Boston! I might not have accomplished all the things I planned on doing while I was here, but I believe that the Lord accomplished all he set out to do in me this summer, and honestly that is far more important than me meeting my goals. Although I think the word "season" is overused, I will be the first to admit that the two months I've spent here have ushered me into a new season of life, one that I'm both ready for and excited about. Praise the Lord for His goodness, and mercy. It's been a crazy summer, and one I will never forget.
Not only did I learn and grow, but I also made some really good friends, and hopefully our journey together won't be over just because we go back to our separate locations.

So, I guess that's it. I don't really know what the school year will be like time wise, although I hardly believe that I will remember to post anything new, so if you have been keeping up, thank you, and I love you. 

Things My Old Bass Teacher Used to Say

I know the title mentions my old bass teacher and his sayings, however i only intend to mention that briefly towards the end.

Its been a minute since i last wrote a blog post, 19 days to be exact. In that time I've been a few places, Greensboro, Wilmington, Morhead, Raleigh, Jacksonville, and of course Cape Hatteras. I realized that this summer I've spent more time in two locations than anywhere else, the hardware store is my #1 time allocation of the summer, and coming in a close second is the driver seat of my car. I've driven just shy of 8,000 miles  since late May; that's a lot of driving for 2 months. Today while driving I practiced my acceptance speech of all the prestigious awards I plan on winning, I also made a mental list of all the people I would like to thank once I get up to the podium (I'm only kind of kidding, I really did practice).

It was good to see everyone at Nic, and Kira's wedding, I most certainly cannot wait to get back to my cornerstone family. I also got to spend some time with my biological family, which I was very glad for. It's funny to see how quickly my brain changes from thinking in English all the time to thinking in Arabic just because I end up speaking it more often.

While I was away I missed all the people I've come to know and love at Cape Hatteras, and when I got back they all said "welcome home", not even like all at once, like hey make sure you say this to make eli feel good kind of a thing, but they each said it individually when they were out of earshot of each other. It meant a lot to me that they would so quickly accept me into a place they both love and cherish.

I'd also like to add that the Lord is really challenging the way I think and do things this summer. Things I had taken for granted, or had assumed should be a certain way have been put to the test, and now I am adjusting my perspective to fit what the Lord is teaching me. As a side note, I'm currently reading 8 books, that's not a joke, nor is it bragging, its just the simple truth, I would name them, but I can't remember all their names, however two of them are by Erwin Raphael McManus, he is a talented writer and a gifted pastor, I really am encouraged by his work.

Ok, as promised here is a tid bit of wisdom from my bass teacher: If you make a mistake, do it twice, and everyone will think it was on purpose.

Absolutely brilliant, and to be honest a tactic I often employ in bass playing and in life in general, it's useful in almost any scenario where you are being critiqued for creativity. Chances are your mistake is an original bit of work and can actually turn into something beautiful, so in light of that fact don't be afraid to mess up, and if you do, then make the same mistake again and let everyone think you did it on purpose, heck it might even work out for ya.

thats it for now!
love you guys

The Absurdity of Angry Birds

You guessed it, this is about the phone application "angry birds".  I was playing it at work today (my job is pretty easy most of the time) and i started to think about how absolutely absurd of a game it is.

Lets take a step back and examine this game. You are some kind of individual that happens upon a large group of birds whose eggs have been stolen by pigs. With this in mind they immediately place you in the position of general, leaving you to command all strategies hence forth. As the general your job is to tell these birds at what height they should launch themselves to most effectively kill their pig adversaries; added to this the birds die upon impact. Who thought of this game?! Who sat back and said, hmmmm some birds who are willing to commit seppuku in order to take out their enemies seems like the best group of protagonists for this plot line. Granted it is a simple game, and I'm dissecting it entirely too much, it just struck me as odd that people love this game, when it really is quite absurd that you are some kind of bird resource tactician. What happens when all the birds who willingly sacrifice themselves are gone, and you finally get back those beloved eggs of theirs? This game is craziness.

Also i'd like to add that its addictive and really quite entertaining.