Michael Shipe Blog

We are within one week of getting married which means, we have about 10 days to dedicate to packing up two lives and merging them in Orlando. Last night as I was helping Millie pack up some of her room, I was impressed at how much she loved her memories. She has saved a lot more of her past than I have.

On another note, I have updated my reading list on Michaelshipe.com and wrote a little something on an Xbox 360 game I’ve enjoyed called Lost Planet: Extreme Condition

I’ve had a great time learning Mediawiki. I started a little project using the wiki database for an upcoming RPG from Bioware. Take a look at it masseffect.michaelshipe.com! Right now, I’m number two on Google for “mass effect wiki” and number 58 for just “mass effect”. A week ago I was like 98 for “mass effect”.

 I also just got back from Mancation…and I am exhausted.

I’ve had a good time working on MichaelShipe.com. I’m fairly pleased with the new Romans.MichaelShipe.com site. I have wrestled with how to get a lot of information to individuals and small group leaders without overloading them. And actually, the tougher struggle has been of all the great theologians out there that have written on Romans, what do I have to offer? I mean John Calvin write several pages on each verse. But like Google, it is a beta, so all criticisms will fall on deaf ears hahaha. 

On another note, last week I made my run the other day in 17:55 which felt like quite a feat. I turned around at 9 minutes and 4 seconds, but was able to make up the 9 seconds on the way back. Then yesterday, I ran to the Lovettsville post office and back. I sold some books on Amazon, so I decided to run the 2.75 miles there and 2.75 miles back. I did each leg in about 45 minutes, which is nothing to brag about, but I was slowed down by the books.

Did the run in 18:12…fastest yet. Oh and my math was a little off, I think I am now under 9 minute miles.

Today I went for a nice jog on a mountain with Nate E. It was mildly killer especially the first uphill part which was an insane mountain bike suicide run. Wednesday I worked out with Gabe V. All muscles related to my arms are sore.   I overcame one fear today, or maybe I should say I faced a fear but didn’t over come it. It is still a fear of mine, though to save face, I can’t say what that fear was. It seems like there was something specific I was going to write about and I wanted to give a nice intro to it, but now the intro has caused me to forget the meat of this post.   The pic of the week is my nephew William practicing stuntmaning. 

Today I got to the turn around spot (1.18 miles) at 9 minutes and 8 seconds. It was a tough fight getting back home at 18:30. That’s about 7 minute 42 second miles.

Yesterday I ran 2.36 miles in 18 minutes 45 seconds. I was pretty happy about. When getting back in shape, the same run has taken over twenty minutes of my life. Which, come to think of it, is this really worth it?

 

Friday was my 27th birthday. Millie was able to get the day off work and we traveled down to Blacksburg to grieve with the Hokie Nation. 

It would have been one of those birthdays that are remembered as a day of sorrow had it not been for my wonderful fiancée. The plan was to go down Friday and get back Saturday before 6 so we could buy wedding bands. However, Saturday snuck up behind us and before we had a chance to meet everyone we need to meet. 

I took Millie around my old stomping grounds, we visited the memorials, and we met up with my grandmother. Unfortunately, my camera battery left me high and dry after the first day. 

I’d never seen campus like this. It was sad, but you could also feel a lot of love and community. It was a lot like game day, only on game day you feel community because all the alumni are dressed in Orange and Maroon, but then you feel a bit of friendly hate towards the opponents. Their’s no love on game day. 

One anecdote, I pulled up to a gas station in Radford and didn’t notice I pulled into the full service section. The attendant was an older a wearing a Chevron shirt and a Virginia Tech hat. He understood immediately that I was at the wrong pump and said something like, “No reason to pay more than you need, self serve is over there.” And he came up to me in such a friendly way that I just felt like I needed to shack his hand. So as I thanked him for pointing out where I needed to go, he pats me heartily on the back and says, “I appreciate you guys!” and turns away. I then used their bathroom, and it was disgusting. Haha, just kidding…it was only a little dark and that’s because I didn’t turn the light on. 

East AJ is there on the left and connects to West AJ by common areas. The first shootings happened in West (the right side of this picture). I was an RA in EAJ there on the third floor, third window from the right.

This is as close to Norris as I ever got as a student. I don’t know if it is the same building, but Norris is on the right of this arch. I had one class to the left of this arch. I distinctly remember onetime talking with a professor and another student named Anne right behind where this cop car is.