New Website

I've given some thought to what my next new adventure is going to be, and I've decided that I am going to build and maintain a website. I've actually thought about this for quite some time, and wanted to come up with something really creative and innovative. So, my first thought was to register www.talktostrangers.com. This would be a website that encouraged others to talk to people on the street, the grocery store, the airport checkout counter, whatever... and report what good/interesting things happen. It's no secret that we live in an ever-increasingly isolated world, so I thought this might be cool. This was a pretty good idea I thought, but the domain was already in use.

Then I had an epiphany the other day. Everyone in the world has had a crazy roommate - either someone you directly lived with, or someone/some people in your apartment complex that was just.... well... weird. Whether it's the guy who wears rec specs every day for the better part of two years, the man who eats pizza for every meal, or the roommate you had freshmen year who took pictures of you while you slept, hearing these stories are hysterical. And, there is no way to exchange such stories except when you and your friends gather. What if there was a way to read, listen to, and exchange these stories (complete with pictures, of course) in a digital format? Welcome to www.weirdroommates.com It shouldn't take me long to get something up there, so check back often.

In other news, here are some more interesting things I read today:

• 15% of the women who have given birth in the United States from 2000-2003 were not citizens.
  
• States in the Northeast have higher percentage of unmarried-partner households, teenage childbirths, and get married later in life (median age 29 for men, 26-27 for women)
  

The beginning of findings and thoughts...

So I just had a grand idea - as a lot of my life revolves around the piecemeal of random thoughts that sometimes teeter on the edge of being intelligent only to be lost by further thought, I decided that I will keep track of these thoughts here - for all of you to see. This will also serve as a personal means of accessing these thoughts. Furthermore, much of my current job is to read and scan oodles of publications, magazines, and books. I will be able to keep a lot of the information here in a coherent (let's hope) fashion.

• The Chronicle reported that a recent study by Nature showed that Wikipedia entries are about as accurate as entries in Encylopedia Britannica. I suspect this comes as a striking blow to those who believe that such information should only be produced by people who hold advanced specialized degrees. Might some be worried that someone with little or no formal advanced education have more to say?
  

• About half of the students currently enrolled in higher education are at community colleges. I think that is fascinating. It makes me wonder how well I (among others with a background from student affairs prepatory programs) are equipped to work with these students. What other implications does this have?
  

Job/Engagement

Well, for those of you who don't know, I have made plans to wed a one Ms. Erica Bischer on June 30, 2007. She's pretty fantastic, so I figured it was time! The next year should be an exciting roller coaster ride to say the least. (note: romanticism isn't my strong suit).

I've taken a hiatus from the ol' blog here, but will do so no longer. This helps me process a lot of information. For instance, Erica and I met with the priest in Oxford last night to continue our marriage prep work. He is a great guy, and a graduate of the College Student Personnel program at Miami. We took a test similar to Meyers-Briggs, which focuses on relationship issues. Although we won't get the official scoring back for another month, I am certain that I kicked her butt. Erica had to attend confession shortly after completing the test to repent of her sins of cheating and looking at my paper for the answers.

In other news, I started work at the Kettering Foundation a few weeks ago. I love it here. It's very interesting work, and should be a great two year stay. Soon it will be on for a Ph.D., and who knows what excitement that may bring. For now, my mind is open and bent toward learning more about democracy and civic engagement.