The Bourne Misidentity
Okay, this morning I woke up and got out of bed at the ridiculous hour of 4:45 AM. Unbelievable, right? Be that as it may, simply believe my assertion, as it is, in fact, a true statement. Anyway, you will no doubt now be asking yourselves: "Why did he get out of bed at such a ridiculous hour?" Well, the answer to that, my friends, lies in the fact that I had to (yeah, "had to" that's a laugh) come to APU (Azusa Pacific University) today for a conference. I came to APU to represent TGSP at the anual missions conference held by the university. While I'm here on official business, I also came to have a little fun. Thus, while I have to spend most of the day standing outside at our booth, trying to get the word out about God's Story to anyone who will listen, I am spending my late afternoons and evenings hanging out with peers. Yes, it has been nice being around so many people my own age again, thanks for asking.
Anyway, after rolling out of bed, I quickly set about the task of getting ready for the day ahead. I took a quick shower, which helped to dispell some of my "living dead" tendencies. After that, all I needed to do was put on my clothes; brush my teeth; and maybe grab a quick breakfast. I was taking care of the two days of growth that my beard had accumulated (I'm currently back to a goatee) at about 5:15, when Andrea, my boss for my part-time job, came calling. She gave me about 5 minutes to finish up, as she took the car to load up her stuff. I was able to get ready in that time, and then we were off. The drive was rather boring, but it allowed some great views of Southern California's scenery... and its traffic. Yes, if you should ever happen to visit California (or, if you have already been here) you should notice the traffic on any trip you take on the freeway. It's dense and it's everywhere, get used to it! Fortunately, we had gotten out of Hemet ahead of the traffic, which was our plan. Thus, the traffic jams we saw were to our sides and above us, never in front of us.
So, once we pulled into APU, we discovered that the signs that were supposed to show us where to park were, in fact, not there. We (and by "we" I mean Andrea) finally decided to park in the main parking lot and face the consequences, whatever they may be. We found out that we were actually about half an hour early, so we took advantage of the extra time to scout out which of the tables that had been set up for the exhibitors would meet our specifications. What we needed was a table that was in the shade, so that people could see the screen on our portable DVD player, yet got enough sunlight to power a solar panel. Oh yes, our table also needed to be located in an area that got maximum traffic from the other exhibitors: our key demographic. Yes, I know that sounds weird, but bear with me. Now, as you can imagine, such a table was somewhat hard to find, but we finally decided on one and went to go get in line for breakfast. We weren't actually supposed to set up before eating, as one of the assistants informed us.
Anyway, I needed to go to the bathroom before I ate, so I went in search of it. When I returned, I found that Andrea had already gone in to eat breakfast, so I got in line to get my name tag and conference folder. While in line, I spoke with two guys in front of me, who looked the part of Californian surfers perfectly. As it turns out, they actually are surfers. They're with some kind of surfing ministry that's based in Hawaii. I plan on speaking with them at their booth tomorrow, so look out for more on this in tomorrow's entry. Anyway, once I got to the front of the line, I was greeted enthusiastically, and then asked for my name and organisation. Upon hearing that I was with God's Story, they asked me about the other three people who were supposed to be coming from our organisation. I explained that one of them was coming tomorrow, and that another one of them (Andrea) was here, but apparently hadn't picked up her name tag and information package. Thus, two name tags and info package were bestowed upon me. One information package had Andrea's name on it, and the other... was for one "Alex Rehnbourne".
Now, a few words on "Rehnbourne". First, I have to say that it is one of the coolest names I have ever heard. Secondly, I am appropriating that name for a book or short story that shall be written in the future. Finally, what are the chances that such a mistake would be made? I mean, honestly, Rehn and Bourne just don't seem to go together, do they?
Anyway, once we ate breakfast and endured a few welcoming speeches, it was time to work. Andrea and I set up our booth, and actually changed our table selection twice. Our final table location involved physically picking up our mostly loaded table and moving it about three meters (yards) to the side. We then finished setting up, and waited for our prey - I mean inquirers! - to arrive. Now, as we were setting up, I got to see a nice portion of APU's student body as they headed off to chapel. As is my custom, I took great joy in my habit of peoplewatching. I've heard that APU is the most racially diverse Christian college in the country. Well, it does indeed have a nice mix of races, let me tell you...
I must definitely say that APU's female students met my rigorous standards. They're lovely, my friends. So many delectable latinas, exquisite Asian chicks, and blonde hotties. There were also some attractive Black girls, but the number of African Americans here is so low as to be almost negligible, which is a shame. However, it was still more than I see in Hemet, so it was a refreshing change. I must say, if I ever have to transfer to another school, APU is definitely near the top of my list. Oh, and the attractive girls were EVERYWHERE! It was like a babe convention! However, it is rather disconcerting to have to make a presentation about the orality movement and God's Story to girls whom you've just been checking out. Maybe tomorrow I'll offer to discuss the issues in more detail over dinner...
Anyway, I've got to get off the computer now, so that my host can do his schoolwork. I'll try to finish this post tomorrow, as well as giving an rundown of the events of the day. Later.
Anyway, after rolling out of bed, I quickly set about the task of getting ready for the day ahead. I took a quick shower, which helped to dispell some of my "living dead" tendencies. After that, all I needed to do was put on my clothes; brush my teeth; and maybe grab a quick breakfast. I was taking care of the two days of growth that my beard had accumulated (I'm currently back to a goatee) at about 5:15, when Andrea, my boss for my part-time job, came calling. She gave me about 5 minutes to finish up, as she took the car to load up her stuff. I was able to get ready in that time, and then we were off. The drive was rather boring, but it allowed some great views of Southern California's scenery... and its traffic. Yes, if you should ever happen to visit California (or, if you have already been here) you should notice the traffic on any trip you take on the freeway. It's dense and it's everywhere, get used to it! Fortunately, we had gotten out of Hemet ahead of the traffic, which was our plan. Thus, the traffic jams we saw were to our sides and above us, never in front of us.
So, once we pulled into APU, we discovered that the signs that were supposed to show us where to park were, in fact, not there. We (and by "we" I mean Andrea) finally decided to park in the main parking lot and face the consequences, whatever they may be. We found out that we were actually about half an hour early, so we took advantage of the extra time to scout out which of the tables that had been set up for the exhibitors would meet our specifications. What we needed was a table that was in the shade, so that people could see the screen on our portable DVD player, yet got enough sunlight to power a solar panel. Oh yes, our table also needed to be located in an area that got maximum traffic from the other exhibitors: our key demographic. Yes, I know that sounds weird, but bear with me. Now, as you can imagine, such a table was somewhat hard to find, but we finally decided on one and went to go get in line for breakfast. We weren't actually supposed to set up before eating, as one of the assistants informed us.
Anyway, I needed to go to the bathroom before I ate, so I went in search of it. When I returned, I found that Andrea had already gone in to eat breakfast, so I got in line to get my name tag and conference folder. While in line, I spoke with two guys in front of me, who looked the part of Californian surfers perfectly. As it turns out, they actually are surfers. They're with some kind of surfing ministry that's based in Hawaii. I plan on speaking with them at their booth tomorrow, so look out for more on this in tomorrow's entry. Anyway, once I got to the front of the line, I was greeted enthusiastically, and then asked for my name and organisation. Upon hearing that I was with God's Story, they asked me about the other three people who were supposed to be coming from our organisation. I explained that one of them was coming tomorrow, and that another one of them (Andrea) was here, but apparently hadn't picked up her name tag and information package. Thus, two name tags and info package were bestowed upon me. One information package had Andrea's name on it, and the other... was for one "Alex Rehnbourne".
Now, a few words on "Rehnbourne". First, I have to say that it is one of the coolest names I have ever heard. Secondly, I am appropriating that name for a book or short story that shall be written in the future. Finally, what are the chances that such a mistake would be made? I mean, honestly, Rehn and Bourne just don't seem to go together, do they?
Anyway, once we ate breakfast and endured a few welcoming speeches, it was time to work. Andrea and I set up our booth, and actually changed our table selection twice. Our final table location involved physically picking up our mostly loaded table and moving it about three meters (yards) to the side. We then finished setting up, and waited for our prey - I mean inquirers! - to arrive. Now, as we were setting up, I got to see a nice portion of APU's student body as they headed off to chapel. As is my custom, I took great joy in my habit of peoplewatching. I've heard that APU is the most racially diverse Christian college in the country. Well, it does indeed have a nice mix of races, let me tell you...
I must definitely say that APU's female students met my rigorous standards. They're lovely, my friends. So many delectable latinas, exquisite Asian chicks, and blonde hotties. There were also some attractive Black girls, but the number of African Americans here is so low as to be almost negligible, which is a shame. However, it was still more than I see in Hemet, so it was a refreshing change. I must say, if I ever have to transfer to another school, APU is definitely near the top of my list. Oh, and the attractive girls were EVERYWHERE! It was like a babe convention! However, it is rather disconcerting to have to make a presentation about the orality movement and God's Story to girls whom you've just been checking out. Maybe tomorrow I'll offer to discuss the issues in more detail over dinner...
Anyway, I've got to get off the computer now, so that my host can do his schoolwork. I'll try to finish this post tomorrow, as well as giving an rundown of the events of the day. Later.