Ten Years, Part 2

Continued from a previous entry:

Spring 1998: I previously said it was a blur. Then I thought a bit, and I do remember things that happened. It stunk, and I care not to hash out the details. I did talk to her on occasion, but it turned very not-pretty. I also started looking to see if there were other girls about. There were, and I became friends with some.

Summer 1998: Continued attending college group events. Really liked Intervarsity, and got to know Kenny, Luke, Jon, Michelle, and others much better. Having become interested in the Star Wars Customizable Card Game in the previous year, I spent a lot of time with some friends from high school playing it. I first got to know Chris and Jon, both in my facial-hair picture, this way. This summer was in may ways a time when I started seriously reconnecting with non-church friends. I also took a trip with the college group to Great America. This is only memorable as the first time I recall meeting a girl I'd spend most of the time from 2002-2005 trying to get to know better.

Fall 1998: Kenny and Michelle branch off and have their own Bible Study. It proves to be the one everyone goes to, and we cancel the study I and another girl were leading (which never had more than us and the girl whose room it was in). I started teaching the Jr. High Sunday School class at my church this semester. I did that for several years, and left with a much greater uncertainty that I was "meant to be" a teacher. Focus-wise, I'm often all over the map. I also became interested in UNR football about this time. Finally, I think this is when I changed my major to Economics, because it was a social science that I thought would be a good undergrad degree when I went to seminary - my plan at the time.

Winter 1998: Intervarsity has been steadily shedding people. Campus Crusade is starting, and drawing away people. In addition, other college groups have begun to grow and thrive, meaning that the once-popular college group at First E Free is shrinking. We try various stop-gap solutions, but things seem to keep shrinking. I have by now made peace with the girl who caused such consternation before.

Spring 1999: Peace with girl becomes shaky when she starts dating someone else. Vivid memories include driving to an unpopulated but under-construction housing area to vent some frustration on a dumpster on the day before she and he decided to be "friends with an asterisk". I now know what kicking a large metal dumpster with steel-toed shoes feels and sounds like. I start looking around at other girls again. I manage to ask one to dinner. She originally says yes, calls the day of to say she has too much homework, then proceeds to be at group events hanging out all weekend long. Through my frustration with this, I get to know another girl who was also rustrated by a guy she liked. United by frustration and jealousy, we get to know each other. She later told me that she thought about a relationship with me, but decided it wouldn't work, to my great disappointment. This must be when it happened. Should I have walked her to her car after seeing a movie? Should I have "pressed my advantage" when it was there? [shrugs]

Summer 1999: We learn that "staff" from Intervarsity HQ will be coming to Reno. Having a program of 7 people, this is welcome news. There are fireworks when we learn that the woman (a pair, man and woman on staff, each married) expects to split teaching time with the man. Kenny, Jon, and Michelle disagree enough to leave. I stay, and I become the last of the "old guard" of Intervarsity. A couple newer people who are now student leaders also stay. I wasn't sure I agreed, but didn't feel strongly enough about it to leave.

Fall 1999: I get my first job since 1997 working at the business school computer labs. I also have two female friends that I talk to regularly. Girl #1 and the guy she started seeing broke up - I was fall-back guy, not for a relationship, but the stereotypical listening-ear-great-freind-just-not-like-that. I didn't care as much, because things seemed to be going okay with girl #2, except that she was still obviously fixated on other guy. With Intervarsity, college group, Jr High class, and my newly-started participation with the big-church worship ministry, I often found myself not having time to hang out with my high school friends as much. I start talking to a girl I knew from the early days of InterVarsity and the college group on AOL IM. We get along great, and she starts telling me about a guy she's interested in, but doesn't know what to do because she's never dated anyone. I hope maybe I'm the guy. I'm not. She knows him from the new most-popular-Bible-study. I can't go because of IV or other commitments.

Winter 1999: Mostly uneventful. The college group at church had a New Year's party. I won an award for my costume. Girl #1 was jealous and thought she should have won. I rang in the new year with girl #1 and girl #2, both just friends, close by. Sure, I had no girlfriend, but things didn't seem to be going too bad.