After 9 months of training in the US Army I'm finally back home. I got to report to my reserve unit the weekend I got back. It's great to be home. Eventually I'm going to add one or two entries about my experiences at BCT and AIT. I'm tpying to find a job right now. If anyone knows of anyone that's hiring, let me know. My dream job, which I probably won't get, is being a stage lighting consultant for churches. So if anybody knows of any churches that are looking into buying some new lights, give them my E-mail.

So I've just gone 31 hours with no sleep and have no intention of sleeping anytime soon. Sure, I feel a little tired, but I'm coming home! I cannot miss my flight. This will be my first time back home in 6 months. Army Strong.

I can't remember what it's like to be a civilian. Seeing large, mean-looking people carrying large, mean-looking weapons is an everyday thing. I have a new vocabulary with words like jacked up, squared away, blue falcon, hooah, and dress-right-dressed. I have strange desire to become an Airborne Ranger. Places and things like "Wal-Mart" and automotive transportation are foreign to me now. I have a new hair style that doesn't involve a whole lot of hair. I feel naked without a canteen attached to my hip. Here's another Army cadence that goes along with this blog entry:
Uh oh, oh no
Sha na na na na
Army life is not my style
They got me lookin' like Gomer Pyle
I used to wear my faded jeans
Now I'm wearin' Army greens
I used to drive a Cadillac
Now I'm ruckin' on my back
Army life is not my stuff
They got me lookin' like Forrest Gump
I used to eat at Mickie D's
Now I'm eatin' MREs
They sat me in a barber's chair
Spun me around I have no hair
Army Life is not my style
They got me lookin' like Gomer Pyle

Still stuck here at Ft. Gordon. I'm bored waiting for chow time. Here's some Army cadences:

Your left, your left
(Hey!)
Your left right, your left
(You got it)
1 2 3 4
(Shoot him in the head, shoot him in the head, kill!)
1 2 3 4
(Reload and shoot him again)

I was walking down the street one day
(I was walking down the street one day)
When I met a total stranger
(When I met a total stranger)
He asked me what I wanted to be
(He asked me what I wanted to be)
I said an Airborne Ranger
(I said an Airborne Ranger)
Airborne--------(Shoot, shoot, shoot shoot to kill)
(Airborne--------)
Rangers--- lead the way (Shoot, shoot, shoot shoot to kill)
(Rangers--- lead the way)
I hear the choppers coming
(I hear the choppers coming)
They're hovering overhead
(They're hovering overhead)
They're coming for the wounded
(They're coming for the wounded)
They're coming for the dead
(They're coming for the dead)
Airborne--------(Shoot, shoot, shoot shoot to kill)
(Airborne--------)
Rangers--- lead the way (Shoot, shoot, shoot shoot to kill)
(Rangers--- lead the way)
I'm sitting in my foxhole
(I'm sitting in my foxhole)
Sharpening my knife
(Sharpening my knife)
When up jumps the enemy
(When up jumps the enemy)
I had to take his life
(I had to take his life)
Airborne--------(Shoot, shoot, shoot shoot to kill)
(Airborne--------)
Rangers--- lead the way (Shoot, shoot, shoot shoot to kill)
(Rangers--- lead the way)
My buddie's in a foxhole
(My buddie's in a foxhole)
A bullet in his head
(A bullet in his head)
The medic says he's wounded
(The medic says he's wounded)
But I know that he's dead
(But I know that he's dead)
Airborne--------(Shoot, shoot, shoot shoot to kill)
(Airborne--------)
Rangers--- lead the way (Shoot, shoot, shoot shoot to kill)
(Rangers--- lead the way)

As you all know, I joined the army reserves. I just got out of basic training two weeks ago. Now I'm at Fort Gordon, Georgia, going through advanced individual training and writing e-mail and phusebox entries on my cell phone. I've missed all of you. Please write me sometime because I really want to know how everybody is doing.

So I decided to get a new haircut. Everytime I tell Amanda, my blind friend, that I needed a haircut, she would offer to cut it for me. Since I was going into the Army, I decided to say yes, this time. This is what she did:

The finished product.

Fortunately my girlfriend saved the day and wet out and got some clippers.

I enlisted a couple of days ago. I go to Basic Combat Training on the 28th. That will last 10 weeks. After that, I'm going to Advanced Individual Training for 20 weeks to be trained as a Signal Support Systems Specialist: http://www.goarmy.com/JobDetail.do?id=245 Please pray for me. Also, if anyone would like to hang out and do something with me before I go, just write me on here.

I have a girlfriend now. She is amazing. She's the prettiest girl I've ever dated. She's also really smart and funny.
I'm also going to join the Army Reserves to be either a Visual Information Equipment Operator/Maintainer or a Broadcast Journalist.

I'm joining the US Army Reserves!

Can everybody pray for my mom. She's having trouble speaking. She might have had a stroke.

I'll be honest right now. I need
some help. I've failed all but one English class since I was in middle
school. I need someone to teach me how to write a paper. If you think
you can help please contact me and you can teach me how to write over
the summer.

Ok, so I didn't really want to go to the BCM leadership conference. I had some homework to do and I lost my wallet and I needed to get that taken care of. So it wasn't exactly the best time for me to be going to a conference... But when I got there, I ran into these crazy people and we had a great time. I got to meet some missionaries that are going to be working at my church this summer. I also got to talk to some of the old missionaries that are still working with us which I haven't had a chance to talk to in a long time.



 



Jessie interprited for most of the stuff that went on. Leighanna and Beryl helped out some.







This is a photo of me, sandwiched between Scott and a missionary that's going to Thailand named Brandon. I'm signing "help!"







I got to sign the Doxology in front of everybody. I tried to get Jessie to sign it with me, but she was really stressed out because of a April Fool's joke Leighanna played on her.




Leighanna told her that the guy that was speaking was sick, and that she had been chosen to fill in for him. Jessie spent all afternoon thinking about what she was going to say. It was funny.





In conclusion, this is how Jessie plays frisbee.

Recently of missionaries from my church were sent to Portugal. Their goal was to start a Deaf church there. I just found out that the first Sunday they were at the the church they were partnering with, they had 35 Deaf people attend! The second Sunday, they had about 50 Deaf attend! We're looking at the birth of the first Deaf church in Portugal!

Come hence! See the worthy Macduff slay the tyrant Macbeth whose
terrible deeds hath usurped the Scottish throne from the noble Duncan!


The play starts at 7:30 tonight and tommorrow night. We're also having a Sunday matinee at 2:00. It's at the Murfreesboro Center for the Arts on the corner of college and church street right next to the square.

I found out this morning that there are 25 million Deaf people in the United States. Of those 25 million, two thousand attend church. Out of that two thousand how many have a growing relationship with Christ? It breaks my heart that hearing Christians just ignore these people or sometimes even go out of their way to avoid them. Why aren't there more missions programs for the Deaf? Why won't anybody do anything?

I had to do a project for my lighting design class using Virtual Light Lab. It's a really cool program that lets you take a look at different lighting angles and colors. Anyway, these pictures were from that project:

brentwooddeaf.org

This blog is for those of you who have always wondered about my screenname.  Why do I call myself parcanman? It's because of these little things here.  These are parcans. Parabolic Aluminized Reflectors in lighting instruments shaped like a can. They come in all sizes, the largest and most common is the PAR 64 which can hold a 500W or a 1000W lamp.
This Parcan has a magenta filter in it.

A silver parcan!

Another good photo of a parcan.

A wide beam flood par lamp. Notice the parabolic reflector.
A narrow beam par lamp.
This beautiful lighting instrument is a Source 4 PAR. It's the next generation of parcans. It comes in 575W and 750W lamps.

Source 4 MultiPAR (drools)


This is a source 4 PARnel.  It's a combination of a Source 4 PAR and a Fresnel. This light is absolutely amazing. I cold use a whole lot more of them at the Deaf Church.

My Mom and Amanda are both out of the hospital. My Mom has vertigo. Amanda still isn't feeling well. Thanks for your prayers. 

Now Amanda is in the hospital.  She's been there since Friday.  She says she feeling much better, but she's still sick.  Please pray for her.

Update: I spent all day with Amanda. She's still in a lot of pain, but is starting to feel a little better. I hate to see her hurt like that. She doesn't like the hospital food at all, either. I brought her some chicken nuggets and later on, her boyfriend brought us all some Chinese food. It was good. Anyway, she's got a fever and her white blood cell count is up. They're going to keep her there until her white blood cell count goes down. I pray that she starts feeling better soon.

This is probably the best music video I've ever seen:

http://media.putfile.com/ultimateshowdown

What am I doing with my life. I just saw a really good friend of mine from middle school's facebook profile. He's in England, and is going to Oxford. He's studying mathematics and philosophy. What am I doing with my life? I'm stuck in Murfreesboro studying Theatre. Of course, I'm happy for Andy, he was always the smarter one, but still... I got dumber in high school.  What do you expect?

Today started off so great.  I helped give out free coffee outside the BCM this morning.  I got to work on the lights at school.  When I got back to the B, though, I started thinking.  I hate it when I start thinking. I suddenly remembered every bad thing that's happened to me in the past five years and I got really depressed all of a sudden.  Of course, my Mom getting sick didn't help either.  I just found out a few minutes ago that she didn't have a stroke.  They're still not exactly sure what happened, but they have an idea.  Anyway, today, I started praying and I think God really spoke to me today.  My relationship with Him isn't exactly what it should be, but I'm going to work on it.  I just wish there was an in depth Bible study that I could go to sometime.  I miss my old Sunday School class.  I don't go to Sunday School because the Deaf Church doesn't have one for me.  I don't go to the hearing Sunday School for three reasons. 1, a long time ago, I went to the college class and I wasn't exactly impressed.  They talked mostly about cars and clothes and other stuff that I really don't care about.  It seemed more like a social event rather than a Bible study.  2, I went on a retreat with the college class and we didn't even open our Bibles and nobody talked to me for the entire weekend.  I thought that was just stupid.  I go on retreats to grow closer to God, not to socialize.  Of course I really wasn't socializing because nobody talked to me... Oh, well.  It doesn't matter anymore. 3, It's at the same time as the Deaf Church.  I love the Deaf Church because I can see that God is working there, the pastor is one of the most Godly men I know, and I've always felt loved there.  I pray that God will continue to bless BBDC.

I just found out yesterday night that my Mom might have had a stroke. Please pray for her.

    I found this article on the history channel website.  I thought it might be appropriate for this time of year.  One thing I have discovered about Valentine's Day is that you should always remember your First True Love, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who demonstrated the greatest act of love the world has ever known.


“The History of Valentine's Day"
"Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.    
       
    According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.”

-From the historychannel.com
http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/valentine/?page=history