• NW 8th Ave is definitely the best road in the entire city.  Minimal traffic, the underpass at 13th to bypass traffic, the woods east of 34th St, the PLANETS along that same stretch as well as the speed limit going up to 45mph, the proximity to my house in downtown, and the beautiful houses along its path.  NW 8th Ave is also the unofficial border between the college kids and the families.  Though there is tons of traffic on 34th St, it is my opinion that they will never expand it to 4 lanes because they want to keep college kids out of the "family" section of Gainesville.  If they do, it will connect these 2 areas more easily.  I know that I seldom went north of 8th ave while I was in college. 
  
• SW 16th Ave is the 8th Ave of the south in that there is less traffic and it lets me bypass 13th St and University Ave on my way to work.  I drive this stretch probably 15-20 times a week. 
  
• NW 53rd Ave, west of 43rd St is quite beautiful to drive on a sunny day.  The trees are gorgeous, there are plenty of parks along that stretch, and it leads you straight into a farming area on the other side of I-75.  This is a great drive for a Sunday afternoon. 
  
• Of course, I always enjoy taking 441 or I-75 through Paynes Prairie.  I just wish there were better spots to stop and enjoy it. 
  
• There is this one traffic light at SW 6th St and Depot Rd that does not have the ground sensors controlling the traffic light... it is strictly on a timer.  I have learned the timing of it because I drive through it so much which makes it extremely fun for me to anticipate the exact moment when the light is going to turn green and I whiz by a car sitting at the light in the right lane.  I actually try to do this every time I drive this road.  When I see that the light is red, I will slow down just enough so that I can time it perfectly.  The only bummer is when both lanes in front of me are occupied .  They just don't get it. 
  
• Traffic around Butler Plaza and the mall is ridiculous.
  
• Main St. has way too many potholes to be called a "main" street in Gainesville.  Why don't they fix it?  In fact, there are a lot more potholes on the east side of 13th the the west.
  
• I like Avenues more than Streets. 
  

1. NW 8th Ave
2. 39th Ave
3. 13th St/US 441
   
4. SW 16th Ave
5. Williston/Waldo Rd
6. NW 53rd Ave
7. NW 23rd Ave
8. Other (please specify) 
   

For my first post in a month, I thought I’d give a few bulleted lists. 

5 Major Influences in my Life This Past Month:

• The goodness, gentleness, boldness, prayers, and love of Pris
• The prayers of Paul in Philippians and Ephesians
• Listing to Ravi Zacharias speak
• Listening to Mike Patz speak
• My boss Bill Stockton teaching me about construction management

5 Things I am Glad for This Past Month:

• Deepening friendships with roommates
• God showing up at my small group on Sunday nights
• The music of The Album Leaf and also Jason Upton
• Parties and such with my community
• The Peace of God

5 Favorite Places in Gainesville:

• Paynes Prairie (duh)
• The Florida room in my house
• The apartment of Pris (and roommates)
• First Assembly of God
• That shady spot under the tree between the Baughman Center and Lake Alice 
  

5 Things I Desire This Summer:

• Travel somewhere on an airplane and have an awesome adventure someplace beautiful
• To let the Holy Spirit control my life
• To make to the end of this current construction project on a strong note
• Get a car/truck with air conditioning and a CD or MP3 player
• Use my inflatable boat and have a picnic on some scenic spring-fed river

5 Most Peaceful Countries (in order, according to the Global Peace Index 2008):

• Iceland
• Denmark
• Norway
• New Zealand
• Japan

Underhanded Musings

It is May 20^th and it almost feels like this year just started.  The New Year’s Eve party at Matt Lawton’s house seems to have just happened.  It is already hot all the time now… it was in the mid 90’s at my job today.  In some ways it seems like I just met Pris.  Work has become a steady weekly rhythm.  Though every day is different and exciting in its own ways, there is also a monotony to it when I think about it from more of an overall perspective.  Get up early; work all day; leave work to capitalize on my few precious hours before bed.  Am I getting settled in?  Have I lost some of the tension between desiring a passionate and adventurous life and the sobriety of maturity?  Brian Callaway is riding his bike from Tampa to Portland, Oregon after all… that’s pretty adventurous.  I think I will always be adventurous, though I need to find more creative outlets to live adventures, and to even be excited about adventures that are not quite as dramatic.  An adventurous life is fulfilled when God takes you places you thought you’d never go, saying things you thought you’d never say, doing things you thought were too below you or difficult, or hard.  When the Spirit controls your life, who knows where you will be going.