Jonathan wanted to have a prayer meeting so first we went to Yantze to eat.  Since my haircut Tuesday evening, I hadn’t really done anything to my hair because I didn’t want to bother with it.  I didn’t leave the house.  But I showered and worked on my hair with my Dad’s hairgel for a longer while than usual.  I got to the restaurant a bit early, planning to read a bit of the book Rebecca lent me.  However, I saw Steve Mar go inside so I went in as well to chat.  He told me about his credit cars, complimented me on my new haircut, told me about his haircuts, talked about enjoying blobbing (like a seesaw and jumping on so the other person flips up almost as high as the platform and then back into the water), etc.  Linton and Phoebe showed up and complimented me on the haircut.  I told Phoebe about the book Rebecca had lent me (that I hadn’t really started reading). 

Then Chris, Jing, James, Jonathan, Peter Lee, and Perry came.  The guys ordered family style (the 12-person combo wasn’t a deal).  Phoebe ordered hollow-heart vegetable (go, Phoebe! hehe).  Linton felt compelled to clean all the dishes, as always.  Jonathan introduced Perry, who they had met on Meta retreat.  Perry grew up in Portland, Oregon, and went to OSU for EE but then moved down here for his job (and doesn’t really know anyone).  We went around saying where we graduated from, where/when our job, and what our favorite food is.  Steve said Mexican, I said Chinese, Phoebe said curry, Linton said BBQ and anything cheap, James said ?, Chris said Chinese, Jing said steak, Peter said ?, Jonathan said spaghetti, and Perry said ?.  Michael and Eveline came later.  Jonathan’s really stepping up!

Outside, we took a group picture with Linton’s camera.  He said he would upload it (which I interpreted as onto facebook because the others were talking about facebook), so I asked him to email it to me (but the way he nodded I think he was thinking, I just said I would, so I guess he meant he would upload it onto his computer and subsequently email it to us).  Then, we dispersed to go to our cars to go to James’s apartment (I was hearing some guys asking who was driving and who was riding/carpooling).  Linton or James asked me if I knew how to get there, to which I answered not at the top of my head but as always will use the dependable GPS to direct me as in the past that I have gone to James’s place.  James responded with his usual, “Oh no!”  I did not think twice about it until I was going to put my GPS in place and James knocked lightly on the passenger side of my car.  I unlocked the door and he came in, so he could direct me.  I was annoyed because I don’t need anyone to direct me since I’ve already made multiple trips to his place by myself–the only reason anyone would do that is to talk to me (like if Phoebe had sat with me).  And usually that reason is fine–except in this case, because of our past conversations and incidents.  I was too upset (I’d admit it was disproportionate, which bothered made it all the more worse) to really think of how to address it appropriately and delicately (also because I was driving) so I listened as he told me he was starting a three-month-Bible-study-group boot camp.  In essence, with Simon Lee, they’d wake up like at 5 am to exercise before work.  It also involves no junk food for the three months (easy for me), memorizing verses, and….  I don’t know who else is doing it with him.  He can only miss two times or he’s kicked out (to prove his commitment).

We went around talking about our worst/best moment of the week.  We were all pretty vague and lackluster in our answers, until Peter remembered an incident that happened this past Tuesday.  I don’t think Chris would have mentioned it except that Peter brought it up.  Peter had ordered a drink for him, who was enjoying it when around 10 pm the security people started checking IDs around the bar.  Turns out Chris never renewed his driver’s license since January when our licenses expired.  So they literally snatched the glass from his hand and asked him to leave.  Then, he was told Friday mornings are the best times to go to the DPS so that’s what he did, except the line was so long he couldn’t wait without missing work, so he had to leave. 

Then prayer requests were next.  Linton shared that David Kalloor was driving from Austin to Houston right now–with two nails in his truck tire, with Rean in the passenger seat, and with eyes needing glasses (which he has not been prescribed yet).  Phoebe said, “When I think of something, I’ll let you know.”  I asked them to pray for my NBCOTE, although I had a lot of deeper issues that need prayer, but I wasn’t willing to tell this group about it.  But Michael and Peter were, if only but vaguely.  Michael in summary said he needed spiritual renewal.  Peter was even more vague, saying that whatever he had vaguely mentioned at the beginning of the year the situation is still the same.  It’s a “waiting game” that will “need some luck”, and he doesn’t know where he will be six months to a year from now.  Perry said he thought he was meeting up with his girlfriend but something about that didn’t work out, and that he needed time for himself in order to do things.  Chris said he didn’t have anything.  Jing said he’s leaving for Dallas tomorrow to talk with some people about a family and school issue (he went into details).  Jonathan shared about time management.  Steve and then James copied Chris and said they didn’t have anything.  Jonathan also prayed for Eveline (studying for her UH exams), Vickie (finding an apartment), and Braden (regarding his job situation).  I stayed some minutes to watch the Rockets (turns out last) game then left at 10 pm to drop off Phoebe.  Linton and James walked us out to my car.