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So I went to church today for the first time in a very, very long time. Or at least it seemed like a time ago, I think its only been about 4 months, but considering all that's happened in my life recently, that's quite some time. What made it different this time is that I actually went on my own free will. I've been in college 6 weeks without going and nobody was stopping me from sleeping in till noon each Sunday. Except for a few fleeting moments, I've never actually wanted to go to church. I've always just gone so as to minimize guilt, and when I didn't go, I found some way to justify my absence.

It was more or less uneventful with a few nice tidbits sprinkled in. I was thoroughly impressed with the facilities. The place was either new or very well-kept and the parish area had an interesting design that put the altar in the middle of it all instead of at one end. It achieved a bit of a fresh and personal vibe that I dug. The only bad thing was that it was parent's weekend at school so the place was packed and flow in and out of the building was tricky.

The rest of the mass was little more than a series of slight variations on the Catholic mass that I grew up on. A few of the memorized lines were altered in terms of words, though their meanings didn't change. The pastor seemed younger by more than age, which was nice, and it seems the parish was half-student led.

I'd like to believe that it will be significantly different than my Catholic church of past, but I can't be too sure. I don't know what my future holds for this church, but I intend to return next weekend.

Of News

So I've been away at college for 3 weeks now and I'm really surprised about how big of a deal this whole transition isn't. Maybe there's something that's going to hit me soon, but I seem to be missing something. Or perhaps its because my parents gave me plenty of freedom while growing up, especially in my later years as a high schooler. Last year, I'd wake up, get ready and such, go to school, come home, waste time, and repeat. Nothing more really seems to be happening. I've been doing a hell of a lot more work this year than I did last year, but I have access to predominantly the same activities I was interested in before. I can still do anything I want on my computer (except for use bittorrent), I can still go to the gym, and I can still hang out with my friends when I want (well, not the friends I actually want to, but that's aside the point). I suppose it is surreal having an empty wallet and getting by easily, but the school essentially provides what I need and most of the freedom to do what I want.

Oh the flipside, there's nothing to do here, which will probably get old unless I develop a mass time-consuming hobby. Video games come to mind, but I'd really like pass my classes and not be everybody else who failed Physics 221 because of COD4. Chess seems like a suitable pasttime.