(Why is Jesus in the subject field?  To get by my uncle's spam filter.)

IN WHICH We Are Introduced To The Characters, Their Relationship To The Narrator, Their Personal Problems, AND Their Fake Middle Names.

Earlier this year, I made a return trip to New Jersey - an interesting excursion in its own right, though unserialized - and chaperoned an all-night event inside the church of my friend Michael K. Jordan.  (The K stands for Kimberly.)  As I was leaving, he mentioned that he was planning another Word of Life Super Bowl for the third weekend in November, and I told him that I would see if anyone was interested in coming.

So I brought it up at the next RA meeting, when I was asked about how the trip had gone.  My RD, Jason C. Holmwood, immediately showed a great deal of interest. (The C also stands for Kimberly.  It's just a little confused.)  And another RA, Michael N. Vreeland, also mentioned that he might be willing to come along - he wants to be a youth pastor, so he pretends to like kids.  Sometimes they even believe him.  (The N stands for Nipper.)  So I immediately told Mike that it looked like we'd be coming down to help.

He went about planning the event and getting the necessary funding for the trip, and I was talking to Jason outside my room when my old roommate, and fellow traveller on the first Journey, Joshua X. Jones, came along.  (The X stands in honor of Josh's biological father, Malcolm X.)  Josh had fallen out of favor when it came to travel plans, because of his nasty habit of either backing out at the last minute, or introducing some sort of incredible problem for us to overcome the day before.  I still mentioned it to him, and as Vreeland hadn't followed up, I said that we had one other ticket, and whoever called it first had it.

"Well, then I'll go!," Josh said quickly, apparently nervous that Mike would run up the stairs and claim the final ticket before he could finish the sentence.  He is a sort of Sixers fan - the sort that doesn't buy the merchandise, and only sometimes watches the games, and perhaps reads the box score afterwards, if he's in the mood...but if there's a spare ticket to be had, then he'd like it, and thank you for thinking of him, and he appreciates it, and please pass the nachos.

I figured Mike Vreeland had forgotten about it, so I told Mike Jordan that it would probably be the three of us coming down.  I was entirely sure we would have no complications getting there, for who is more reliable than Jason Holmwood?  Not a single man I know here.  And Josh wasn't responsible for anything, so what impossible barrier could he possibly create?  I felt very good about our plan, very good indeed.

Until I talked to Josh again, four days before we were to leave.

TO BE CONTINUED

Part Two

NHS Speech

"My View" Editorial

The October Surprise
|  Round 1 |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |
|   6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |
|  11  |  12  |  Final Bell  |

Journey to Jersey II
|  Intro  |  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |
|   6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |
|  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |

Journey to Jersey I
|  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |   6  |  7  |  8  |
|  9  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  13  |  14  |
|  15  |  16  |  17  |  18  |  19  |  20  |

An Epic Saga
|  Act  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |
|   6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |
|  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |  16  |

Christian Rock Email

Freshman Room Draw
|  Part One  |  Two  |
|  Three  |  Four  |  Five  |