A good walk ruined

As far as I can tell, this is what Mark Twain said about Golf. I think I may have to agree with him.
I drove down to Dubuque this weekend to collect the mail that I forgot to have forwarded to me this summer. With a tuition bill and my grades for the semester (did pretty well) having been mailed to my mailbox back in Dubuque, I figured I should go pick everything up. I drove up Friday afternoon on my day off listening to reports of tornado warnings in some of the counties that I was driving towards and through. It's a little unnerving to hear the warnings, but with the exception of some light rain it was a nice drive. I even stopped to snap a few photos of farm country with the Mississippi in the background.

"Golf is not a game, it's bondage. It was obviously devised by a man torn with guilt, eager to atone for his sins." - Jim Murray

It was nice being back on campus, but strange to come onto campus not as a resident, but a visitor. I didn't have my own townhouse to sleep in, but instead had to crash on the sofa of some friends. It wasn't the most comfortable I've ever slept, but it's great having people who are willing to put me up on a days notice, even though they already have a guest from California staying with them as well. Last night the friends I stayed with, and some other friends got together to play some cards. It was a new game I had never played before, but I picked it up pretty quickly. I have a reputation for being pretty competitive, and I was again last night, but in the end I did lose. It's funny how I love competition. I would never watch anything like a cooking show, but turn it into a competition like Iron Chef and I'm hooked. I wouldn't touch a single thing on the menu, but I can't turn the show off until I know who wins.

"If you think golf is relaxing, you're not playing it right." - Bob Hope

I did get a nice surprise when I checked my mail last night as well. I had a nice check in the mail from my church back home. It was completely unexpected, but so very appreciated. It's always a nice reminder that there are people back home that are praying for me and encouraging me in what I'm doing. I love the church.

"Golf is the hardest game in the world to play, and the
easiest to cheat at." - Dave Hill

Yes, I went a played some golf with Kelsey, her father, and Matt today. I don't know whether I like golf or hate golf. It's supposed to be considered recreation, yet I always want to wrap my clubs around a tree as I feel by blood pressure rise by the end of the game. I was told by Kelsey that I shot a 32 for the nine holes we played today. She was being very kind to me because I had 32 strokes by the time I hit the 3rd or 4th hole. You are officially horrible at this game if it takes you 6 strokes to get on the green and another 4 putts to sink the ball on a par 4. This is a game that I can't master it seems no matter how hard I try. I want to be competitive with others, but I will go with people who are playing their first game in years, and they will destroy me. It's frustrating to the extreme to be so bad at something. I decided for that very reason, golf is actually good for me. It may not be relaxing or enjoyable for me most of the time, but it does help teach me humility. It helps me to enjoy and relax in the surrounding, and forget about competing. It shows me that I don't always have to be the best at something. It also shows me what good friends I have as they remain patient with me throughout the entire episode. Golf is a crazy thing, but I'm sure I'll go play again the very next time I'm invited.