The roommate chronicles: Day...what day is this?

A lot has happened in the last few days, so here are some highlights:

• Nicole was on the phone and was getting something out of a bag that was on the floor. She tried sitting on the edge of her laundry basket and it fell over, Nicole's backside in the basket. It was hilarious.
• We sat on the couch and had a wonderful time of prayer together late on Monday night. That was awesome!
• Nicole's cell phone has been ringing a lot at either very late or very early hours. One would have thought that I, lover of sleep that I am, would have been bothered by that, but honestly it hasn't bothered me at all.
• I've been doing dishes regularly. This is a good thing. Nicole actually likes to wash dishes, but her hands dry out really quickly from the water and she doesn't have her gloves with her here or she probably would have helped. I don't want her washing all of them, though, since I'm the one home all day and have no such problems with dry skin, so I've done a pretty good job staying on top of them.
• Last night we went on a WalMart run at 11:00 to buy groceries. The plan was to go earlier, but she was at her old apartment doing some cleaning until late, so we went when she was ready. This was our first time buying groceries for us, so we had our first chance to figure out who pays for what. We still haven't decided. :) After WalMart we went to Taco Bell (all the way across the parking lot) for a little midnight snack. As we were driving home Nicole told me that this kind of outing that late at night was not going to be normal.
• After we got home Nicole asked for a back massage, to which I complied. As I was working on her shoulder she told me that she was looking forward to living with me so she could get massages more often. At least now I know why she agreed to live with me. ;)

The unsung verse

I really like to listen to recordings of Keith Green singing "O Lord, You're Beautiful" because he is so real. I knew the song long before I actually heard him sing it. Well, I should say that I knew the first verse and the fourth verse of the song (as they are in the recording I have; I know he's done multiple recordings of it and I think that not all of the verses are in all of them). The other two verses and the chorus (if that's even the appropriate term for it) were completely unknown to me. I think the parts we never sang in church are my favorites. I can really relate to the third verse in particular:

Oh Lord, my faith is small
And I need a touch from You
Your book of books lies undisturbed
And the prayers from me too few

I wish that this did not describe as many times in my life as it does. How many times do I pick up the Bible on Sunday morning only to realize that the last time I opened it was at church the week before? How many times do I lie down in my bed at night and realize that I had not spent any time in prayer that day? That's not a prescription for growth.

How to make Angie really, really happy

I received the following e-mail today (I edited some parts out). It makes me want to jump around my apartment with a huge smile on my face. Key words: funding, GA position. If I get this, it might mean going this next school year loan-free. That would be an amazingly huge answer to prayer for which God alone could take credit. I hope this works out. I really do enjoy developing content related to teaching, so it could be a really great fit. Please pray!

Dear Angela,

I am pleased to welcome you into the MAT program, and hope you will find it to be a challenging and rewarding experience.

I am also writing about possible funding opportunity for you. I am the Co-Director of the Center for the Teaching of American History. At the Center we have graduate assistantships for students to work on developing content for our website. Graduate students with a strong History background and good computer skills are a good fit for this job and, if I recall correctly, you made mention of your experience with computers in your application.

If you are interested in a possible GA position with the Center for 2006-07, let's arrange a time for you to come in for a chat about the Center and the job -- perhaps next week? Let me know.

The Word of God remains eternal

"Any human being who violates the laws of God only ends up proving them, not destroying them. The Word of God remains eternal. Those who have tried to bury it only find out that the Bible rises up to outlive its pallbearers."

Ravi Zacharias, in I, Isaac, take Thee, Rebekah

Fairest Lord Jesus

This hymn has been on my heart over the last few days. Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer!

Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.

Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine, Fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heaven can boast.

Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forever more be Thine.

Recognizing Memorial Day

Today is an American holiday, and as an American I take the opportunity to say that I am grateful that I was born and raised here in this country. It is not without its problems, certainly, but I appreciate the freedom that I have here. Yes, I admit, I am a bit of a patriot. Even so I was a little bit uncomfortable with recognizing Memorial Day in church yesterday. It was tastefully done, I think, and I really did appreciate the main message of the sermon (even though the pastor read the Gettyburg Address to get his point across). They did sing one of my favorite patriotic hymns, however. I really like the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Every time I hear it I think about Civil War documentaries since the tune was also used for an abolitionist anthem and is invariably used in all such documentaries (the words to the hymn were written in the first year of the war). It really does have some great words, loaded though they be with abolitionist meaning. As much as I like the song it is a bit weird to sing it at church.

In honor of Memorial Day I would like to say that I appreciate those in the United States military. Regardless of what individual American citizens think of the various wars in the past and present, we should all be willing to express our gratitude for their willingness to serve on our behalf.

The roommate chronicles: Day 2

In Sunday School last week we talked about what it means to bear one another's burdens. Sometimes that means something as simple as providing the shoulder to cry on and the listening ear. That was what I shared about what it means to me, thinking of a time in college when I had the opportunity to do just that. I had a weekly lunch date with a woman who was my spiritual mentor at the time, and at the appointed time for us to meet I saw her driving away from the campus. I went back to my dorm room for a bit and very soon found one of my dear friends in my room. She received a call in the middle of the night saying that her grandmother had suddenly died, and that moment in my room with me was the first time she could really express her grief. She cried and I held her. God orchestrated that moment. I was not supposed to be in my room at that time on that day according to my own plans, but I needed to be there for my friend, and I am glad that my lunch date stood me up (she went home sick, as she explained to me later). This was not coincidence.

Last night I blew up a second air mattress so that three of us could watch a movie from the kitchen (which happens to be Nicole's "bedroom" until we get out of here next week). I was doing some cooking and Nicole and Amy were alternating between using the computer and watching the movie. By the time we all finished what we were doing and were ready to really watch the movie that had been on for a little while Amy decided to leave, since she had some late night plans with another friend. Nicole decided to stay here with me rather than go with Amy. We finished the movie and as the credit were rolling I could see the tears welling in her eyes. Once again I was honored to bear a burden by providing my shoulder and my ear. God is teaching her about surrendering every aspect of her life, and yesterday provided her with a trial. She knows that she will be better for it, and that is encouraging to me, but that does not make things hurt any less. We talked until 2:00 am, quite openly and candidly. The air mattresses came in handy for our chat, as we each took one to get comfortable. I think this trial came into her life at a "good" time. She moved in with me on Saturday and the trial hit her on Sunday. It is no coincidence that she is now living with me. I am home much more often than her former roommate, so I will be here when she needs to talk or pray. There are other reasons I think that this will be better for her to be with me, too. She said it herself that God is sovereign. There are so many details that make the timing of the trial perfect. Even in the most difficult moments God's hand is still there guiding us, and He puts us in the right place at the right time, even if it hurts. His plans are for our good and for our prosperity. It is good to serve a trustworthy God.

The roommate chronicles: Day 1

This morning Nicole and I discovered that it is not a good idea to use the microwave and the hair dryer at the same time. She was trying to thaw a bagel and I was getting ready. The power went out, so we took a little field trip down to the basement to reset the circuit breaker. Going to the basement is always an adventure. To get to it one must exit the apartment, go down the stairs, out the front door of the house, walk around to the back of the house, lift open the storm door (which is rather green from moss), walk down a flight of stairs that look like they are being used to make compost and then open the door. Once inside the basement things are not much better. The place is dark, even with the lights turned on, it has a dirt floor and very low hanging pipes. The breakers are, of course, in the deepest part of the basement, so we made our way through the cobwebs to the electrical boxes, reset the breaker and quickly retreated to the daylight outside. I made Nicole come with me to do it, just because I hate going down there. Otherwise the morning went fine, and it was kind of fun to have her there when we were getting ready.

Out of the mouth of babes

On Wednesday night I helped out with the young children at church. They were talking about creation. The teacher was telling them that it was important to know what the Bible says about creation because there are people who believe that we evolved. The children just laughed at that idea. Sometimes children just say things best, and in this case they were right. Their laughter showed just how silly they find the idea that we evolved. In their innocence they understood what scientists refuse to see. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. You and I are here by special design, not by chance. God's hand did not slip when He made each of us and we are each individually made for a special purpose. Let us seek to honor our Creator by seeking His will for our lives that we may fulfill that purpose for which we were designed.

Not alone anymore

Nicole is staying with me now. I am no longer living alone. After being by myself for several months it will be interesting to have to coordinate schedules with someone. Tomorrow will be our first big test, since we will have to be ready for church at the same time. I am looking forward to sharing meals with her, though. I hate eating alone. I'm already thawing out the meat for dinner tomorrow :).

My parents arrived home last night from their two week cruise. They had a good time. While they were gone my grandmother's husband was in the hospital for four days. He is out now and doing better. My parents' neighbor across the street died yesterday morning. She was in her 80s and had a very bad case of Alzheimer's, but her husband kept her at home and took care of her until the end.

Harry Potter personality test

Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

The Chip Family!

From the "It doesn't take much to amuse the simple-minded" files...

I was munching on some chocolate chips just now when I discovered what I have named the Chip family. There's a Papa chip, a Mama chip and a baby chip, all fused together as one. Now isn't that special?

Tuesdays with Matthew

A few weeks ago I decided to order a "surprise box" of books from an online Christian bookseller. It cost about $1 per book, so I thought I'd do it and see what I got. The books were, as I suspected, all books that I (and, at their deeply discounted price, apparently most other people) would never purchase otherwise. One of the books I never would have purchased is called Tuesdays with Matthew. It is a work of fiction about a man who is visited by angels and then has little miraculous visits with the apostle/disciple Matthew. The objective of the book is to discuss various issues that come up in the book of Matthew. It's not a deep read or nearly as engaging as the quotes on the back of the book would tell you it is, but this was no surprise to me. Honestly one of the only reasons I kept reading past the first few pages (other than sheer curiosity) was the setting for the story. Chapter 1 mentions Huntington Beach and the Puente Hills Mall (which, if I am not mistaken, has a rather famous parking lot - it was used in Back to the Future). I read a bit more. The main character lives near Newport Beach. I know these places! Then, in chapter 3: "Before long, we were driving down Imperial Highway into Whittier..." Wait! Hold it! I lived in Whittier for 24 years. I know exactly where Imperial Highway runs through it. Shieryl lived just off of it, in fact. Matthew hosted his guest in an apartment in Whittier. Clearly this book was written by a local. He talked about Disneyland's California Adventure theme park, which I visited somewhat regularly with friends on weekends or after work (we had annual passes for Disneyland and California Adventure). He mentioned going to Del Taco and seeing praying college students there, which made me strongly suspect that they were probably students at Biola University. Too weird. I still find the premise somewhat hokey, however, and probably will never give the book rave reviews. But it takes place in Whittier...

Speaking of Shieryl, per her request, there are now prayer requests (and praises) posted in my sidebar. I will try to remember to keep them updated.

Relationships, boundaries and the "L" word

Speaking of relationships, I am so grateful for my friends this week. In the past week I had the wonderful opportunity to talk to Sarah for the first time and to Matthew for the first time and chatted online with Tim (I have no idea how many conversations we've had in the past, but they are many). God brings us into each others lives for a reason and I am encouraged by each of you in my life now.

I planned on posting something about setting boundaries after the long discussion about when to say, "I love you." Various issues about love, relationships and boundaries have come up a lot recently, so I'm going to share some of the thoughts that have come from conversations with a number of individuals on the topic(s). Most of these thoughts are influenced by other people to some degree, so if there are any particular good ones I cannot take credit for it alone.

Christian romantic relationships should, I think, be conducted according to a biblical model of leadership. It has long been customary for a man to pursue a woman, but modern trends have changed much of that. I think the customary practice is best. When a man pursues a woman and takes initiative in a relationship, he is showing leadership. Leadership is a key component of effective headship in a family. It may not be something that comes easily for a young man, but the dating relationship is a good opportunity to develop some of those leadership skills. One important kind of leadership is spiritual leadership. If a young man does not show signs of willingness or desire to lead you spiritually, ladies, let me be bold and tell you that it should be a red flag to you. If a young lady does not respond positively to your attempts to lead spiritually, men, let me be bold and tell you that it should be a red flag to you. Men are called to be the spiritual leaders of their households. The best relationships will seek to uphold this calling.

Boundaries are a sticky subject and I really think ought to be determined by each individual couple. This won't keep me from sharing my thoughts on the subject, however. I think some discussion about boundaries ought to happen early on in a relationship. It is better to be cautious than to figure out too late that you should have set them. I had a friend tell me that they did not want to set boundaries in their relationship. Of course we don't want boundaries! That, my dear friends, is exactly why we need them. One of my friends and I were discussing a possible model for boundaries and this is what we agreed upon. First and foremost all physical interaction has to be discussed before it takes place. You want to hold hands? Ask first. Ideally, the man will take the initiative and ask his girlfriend if he can hold her hand. (I will interject here that I think no hand holding or beyond should happen before there is some sort of establishment of a relationship or you might find that a relationship springs from the physical contact - that's putting the cart before the horse, in my humble opinion.) It may be better to refrain from kissing until you are engaged. Neither my friend nor I think that kissing is necessarily wrong (although if you want to set even stricter boundaries that is perfectly acceptable) and both confessed that we probably wouldn't want our first kisses to be in public at our weddings. I would rather have the first time be a private moment, but that's just my preference! Regardless of what chronological boundaries are placed, some kind of legal kissing ought to be established. What I mean by legal kissing is when and where it is okay to kiss. If you go on a date and you are saying good night, I think a kiss might be charming - it's the doorstep image. If you're alone in a car, in the back seat, on lover's lane, it might not be such a good idea to kiss. See the distinction? The whole point of boundaries is to safeguard as much as possible against temptation. One last note on boundaries: be careful little hands what you do.

I know some of us had a bit of a discussion already about love and when to say you love someone, but the following is a combination of my comments and a friend's comments on the subject. I have some friends who decided at the beginning of their relationship that love was a sacred word to them. It was not to be used lightly (and thus cheapen its meaning) between them. He said I love you for the first time when he proposed and then he MEANT it and then thereafter, whenever he said it, it carried the weight of that first time. That's beautiful. :)

Theology without a name

1 Corinthians 1
10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are quarrels among you.
12 Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, "I am of Paul," and "I of Apollos," and "I of Cephas," and "I of Christ."
13 Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

I hereby declare my annoyance with named theology. I have been quite happy to call myself a Calvinist for a number of years, but I think I want to lose the name. My theology may not have changed, but I prefer to seek biblical theology, not theology associated with a name. Names are not only names of people but also names of systems. Systems are not necessarily bad, but sometimes I think we get so attached to a name, saying, "This is what I believe," that we cannot consider its weaknesses fairly and cannot consider where another system may have strengths or, perhaps better, create our own unique system from what we read (considering wise teachers, of course). This isn't "all systems go" or pointing fingers at anyone. I've been thinking about this for a few days and realized that my response to something was that I could not say what my mind was processing because those in my own "camp" would probably disagree with me. What was more important? What the Bible seems to be saying or what I have upheld in the past in the name of __________ theology? What those I generally agree with might think of my statement or dealing honestly with Scripture? I am a bit frustrated with myself over this.

I am also frustrated with debates that constantly invoke the same name over and over again, making that name representative of several people. No debate over a certain topic can happen without saying, "So-and-so said _________." Or, "________ holds to the same named system you do and said ________ so I assume you mean the same thing." What is that? Also, is disagreement with someone with whom we have agreed in the past cause to say that we are either misunderstanding or misunderstood? If someone disagrees with us they must not think logically. No one individual is primarily guilty of this (although I do admit that I have a particular situation in mind as I type, but it's not such a unique situation) and it comes from many people claiming various names. Let's step away from names and look to the Bible (I will also interject here that I think that Rose~ has done a very good job of doing this in her posts lately), as all names do is divide. Let no Christian say of another's theology, "You are either for me or against me." I want to have faith like a child, saying, "I am of Christ."

Picture

Tim apparently wants me to post pictures on my blog. Here's a picture that I took when I was in California a few weeks ago. This is my dog (well, my parents' dog). His name is Beau, short for Beaujolais, but we usually call him Bozie. Isn't he cute?

Here's a little something I found on the United States Postal Service website:
The following items are nonmailable in international mail:
a. Unaddressed items.
No kidding.

The Daily News

I called the leasing office for my new apartment and got an official move-in date: June 8. This is a few days later than what they originally told us, which is somewhat frustrating. It's also a weekday, which makes things a bit of a pain. At least we have the date, though, which means that I can start planning things a little bit better.

I was thinking about my response to something that somebody said at dinner on Sunday night. The conversation went something like this:
Me: "Anybody want to share a sampler?" (Appetizer that consisted of several fried food items, for those out there wondering.)
R: "Sure, but I'm ordering a meal, too."
Me: "So am I."
R: "I'm glad to hear that somebody thin eats like I do."
Me: *chuckles*
R: "Are you laughing because I called you thin?"
Me: "Yes."
So somebody called me thin and I laughed. I'm not fat, certainly, but I don't look in the mirror every day and think, "My, Angie, you are so thin," either. (I prefer to think of myself as slightly more "cuddly" than I could be ;).) We tend to see our flaws more than others do, and I am sure that the world doesn't see my extra weight the same way I do. But why did I laugh? I still can't quite figure that out.

Let us love one another

I was reading 1 Peter this evening. I am considering it as a possibility for the Bible study I might teach, although I am still entertaining a number of other ideas. As I was reading, 1 Peter 1:22-23 jumped out at me.

Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again, not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.

What a strong statement Peter makes here. We have purified our souls in obedience to the truth that we may sincerely love the brethren. This love is to be fervent and from the heart. This love is because we are born again through the imperishable word of God. Loving the brethren is to be a major part of our Christian lives.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ~ 1 John 4:7-11

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor ~ Romans 12:9-10

Fervent, sincere, unhypocritical, devoted, preferential love from purified hearts stemming from gratitude for the love that God has shown us - this is the love to which we are called. May God give each of us such a love for the brethren!

Today was a good day

I had a good day today. I found out this morning that I did get the job, provided that Nicole doesn't tell them something that is a deal-breaker. Considering that she's willing to live with me for the next year, I kind of don't think I have anything to worry about.

I went out to dinner with some young ladies after church tonight. It wasn't going to just be girls, but a couple of guys who were coming decided to go elsewhere and one girl's husband went home, so we had girls' night. We had a great time. I laughed so hard that it started to hurt. We decided that we need to do that more often.

At dinner one of the young ladies mentioned forming a cooking class (I mentioned this briefly before, I think, as a possibility with "Grandma") that would be a Bible study. To make a long story short I volunteered to lead the Bible study part of the meetings since Grandma was more comfortable cooking than teaching. This is something that I would really like to do. My pastor's wife from CA told me that she thought I would make a great Bible teacher and I have a desire to do that, so I consider this a great opportunity. It will be a challenge, certainly, and I imagine that I will not be a stellar teacher from day 1, but we all have to start somewhere. Every great teacher had a first time teaching. This is a ministry that I would choose if I could choose any. I would appreciate prayer about this, since teaching the Bible is a great responsibility and is not to be taken lightly.

Tackling the taboo (with true trepidation!)

I feel like it's taboo for a Christian single to post something about sexuality (eeeek! the "s" word!), but I did it anyway.

In the world but not of it: Singleness and sexuality

Sunday notes

I would hereby like to declare a difference between modest and frumpy. (For context see post and comments on Dyspraxicfundamentalist - Worldview.) This is me. I took this picture just a few minutes ago to illustrate the point. I received several compliments today on how cute my clothes were. Modest? I think so. Frumpy? Unanimously not. I look modest today, not frumpy! There is a difference and one can exist without the other. :)

In other news, I went to the grocery store after church (along with everyone else in the Southern Tier New York/Northern Tier Pennsylvania area) and found some guanabana nectar in the international foods section. Guanabana is a fruit found in Central America (among other places), and I first had guanabana juice in Costa Rica last year. It has a very unique taste, but I like it. I also purchased some Pocky (Japanese "chocolate covered biscuit sticks" - they're like unsalted hard pretzels dipped in chocolate) as a special little treat for myself. I consider my international purchases worth fighting the crowds in the store. (Matthew, I checked for Colman's mustard and did not see it, and if this store doesn't carry it I doubt that any others in the area would. It is, however, available for purchase online.)

Sweet encouragement

I just had the most wonderful conversation with Sarah (Redeemed). We talked for a little over an hour and it was refreshing and encouraging. She is an awesome young lady and her faith is so strong. God is great and He gives us great friends. I never thought that I would meet such wonderful people on the internet as God has brought to me in the last few weeks. Tonight I am grateful for the body of Christ. God is so good to me!

Saturday night

I was thinking tonight about Saturday night and how it is related to Sunday morning. If our purpose in attending church on Sunday morning is to worship God and to grow closer to Him through fellowship and teaching, should we spend Saturday night preparing for that? I know that our whole week should be spent seeking Him, but if I find myself unprepared on Sunday morning, as I do far too often, to really worship the Lord, could I have made myself ready on Saturday for Sunday? What do you think?

In the Davis dorm

Tonight I went over to Davis College, the small Christian college here in town, to eat ice cream with Amy. She is leaving tomorrow to go home for the summer and it is tradition for her to eat ice cream with Nicole before going home (for any kind of break) and I was invited to join in this time. We talked and ate ice cream (three spoons, one container of ice cream in the middle) while Amy was supposed to be packing. Then Jes came in. She lives next door to Amy in the dorms and is also leaving tomorrow. Somehow we ended up in a room full of stuff they are storing for the summer and somehow I ended up giving back massages for almost an hour. It was a fun night. It's really a shame that those girls are going to be gone until August.

Gendered color

I know "gender" is one of those academic terms that is loaded with meaning, most of which is very postmodern, but I am going to make use of it anyway. Gender is not just "male" or "female." It is, as defined by most historians these days, a social construct. In other words it is a socially defined image of what a man or a woman ought to be. There are a lot of arguments about whether any characteristics are inherent to the biological sex and I have to think that there are. Men and women are wired differently. There are things associated with male or female that I don't think need to be. Color is one of them.

Girls wear pink, boys wear blue. If you are buying a baby gift for someone and you don't know whether they are having a boy or a girl, buy yellow because it is gender neutral. While it can be useful in its application I think it is most unfair to say that pink is feminine and blue is masculine. There is nothing inherently feminine about pink and nothing inherently masculine about blue. They are both perfectly good colors. Maybe it is because I don't particularly care for pink and happen to really like blue that this bothers me. As a woman, however, the engendered colors really have no effect on what I can and cannot wear. A woman can wear red, blue, green, brown or black and nobody questions her. A man wears pink or purple and it is amazing how homophobic some people become. Those are girly colors! No real man would wear them. Come now, let us be reasonable! What makes the colors "girly"? Society does. You should feel free to wear the color if it looks good on you. I am quite pleased at the increased willingness I see in men to wear the pale pink shirts. It takes nothing from their "manhood" to do so. Maybe it's all in my head, but this is one thing I see in society that I just find silly.

(Speaking of gender, I hereby express my great appreciation for all of you men out there who are not afraid of Jane Austen. It has a little romance, true, but men fall in love, too! It has such great commentary on society as well, which is something that anyone should be able to appreciate. Regardless of what some members of my family imply, it is neither effeminate nor emasculating to like her work!)

Caught again!

I followed my note to self. I took my shower much earlier today. Then just as I was stepping out I heard a knock on my door. I should have known! Yes, it was the UPS guy (same one from yesterday, no less), and, yes, I opened the door wearing my bathrobe. I just can't win.

My new computer is here. I've spent the morning putting it together, installing software, ripping a few CDs, using the CD burner to finish up the portfolio from my ESL class, etc. Setting up a computer and installing software on it (and burning CDs, too) brings back memories. I used to do a LOT of that at work. It's fun to do from time to time, but I'm kind of glad it's not what I do for a living anymore. It's nice to have the new monitor - 17 inch flat panel, an improvement over my 14 inch laptop screen. And, of course, it's a new computer, so it's a lot faster than my old one. Will this increase my productivity? Possibly. Time will tell. In the meantime I am enjoying the computer!

At least I'm not alone

Knute reminds me of myself right now. School just gets in the way of blogging and cooking and other things I'd rather do. This semester was horrible. I used to be a really good student, but I managed to develop such advanced procrastination skills that although the semester officially ends today it is going to continue for me for at least another week or two. I have to get my papers done. Fortunately my teachers are extending grace. For the first time in many years I don't care about my grades - I just want to pass!

The good folks over at Despair.com are so good at expressing such attitudes in their demotivational posters. I think they say that every last one of their posters is appropriate for "disaffected college students." This disaffected graduate student happens to find them rather humorous, not in the least because I think motivational posters are, by and large, really corny. Here is one that I resonate with now.

I was so confused

I got a UPS delivery today. I wasn't particularly thrilled to see the UPS truck pull up outside because I had a sinking feeling that it was for me. Ordinarily I am happy to get packages, but I had just gotten out of the shower and was wearing my bathrobe. Not exactly public attire. At least it wasn't the usual UPS guy; that would have been even more awkward. Needless to say I was not expecting any such delivery. I checked the delivery dates of the stuff I ordered and the earliest I was supposed to get anything (new computer) was tomorrow, and the package was far too small for that. Anyway, the return address on the package was on Rose Hills Drive in Whittier, CA, with no company or individual name. This is when I became confused. Whittier is my hometown, so that's one thing that jumped out at me. The second is the street name. Rose Hills Drive is named after Rose Hills Cemetary. It's a huge cemetary and happens to be where my family owns some burial plots. A week and a half ago my parents met with someone from Rose Hills to talk about arrangements for preplanning my grandmother's funeral and burial. I opened the package immediately to find out what on earth I had just received. It was a wireless router that I ordered online this week. It wasn't supposed to show up until Monday. This thing is cool. It's a compact router with no external antenna. It's about the size of a package of 5 floppy disks. Now I can blog on my sofa or on my bed. Yes! Mobility doesn't mean sacrificing the internet connection anymore! Woohoo! Note to self: UPS delivery due tomorrow - shower and dress early.

What my students said about me

I just got the results of the student surveys for the class I taught this semester. At least they were honest!

Would you participate in LxC again, or recommend LxC participation to others?
60% Yes, certainly
40% Yes, probably
0% Maybe
0% Probably Not
0% No

Did the Language Resource Specialist contribute positively to your LxC experience?
40% Yes, very much so
60% Somewhat
0% No, not much
0% No, not at all

26-30 evaluated on a 1-5 scale, 5 representing the most positive foil. Each number represents the average score based on every completed survey

26. How prepared was the LRS for study group meetings? 4.8
27. How well did the LRS explain the material? 4.7
28. To what extend did the LRS encourage you to think critically? 4.8
29. To what extent did the LRS make the material interesting/thought provoking? 4.4
30. Overall, how would you rate the LRS? 4.7

31. Please tell us how the LRS succeeded or failed in making a positive contribution.

- The point is here if student won’t to take place or not, from my point honesty I don’t participate in class discussions too much so I cannot say it makes positive or negative contribution.
- She was great but did not make the materials very interesting.
- Succeed by giving different perspective, failed in the way to organize class and students.
- She really tried very hard to be beneficial to us, she always prepared and tried to explain things when we didn’t understand them.
- LRS succeeded by making the material interesting with the help of articles and movies.
- It helped about the subject (both for classes and American culture)
- Thank you very much to Angie Poole about the LxC classes. She helped us to have a better information about subject and general American culture.
- She made the materials that may sound boring as if they are interesting to us.

Confession

I have a confession to make. I am a fan of Harry Potter. I am not a super huge fan as some are, but I do enjoy the books and movies and own all of them. Next week marks my two year anniversary of reading my first Harry Potter book (I read it in the waiting room of a hospital - not the most pleasant of circumstances). I like the books and films because of J K Rowling's great imagination and engaging story. Fantasy is fun, even for adults.

I know that many Christians do not like Harry Potter at all (most of whom I imagine have not read any of the books) and some that thought it was okay originally balked after book 4 was released, as it took "a dark turn." Usually the complaints are about witchcraft and the presence of evil in the books and films. I understand this criticism. I think it is fair for people to hold that position. I think it is amusing that some of these same people are Lord of the Rings fans. LOTR has wizardry (granted, not practiced by children), a very strong presence of evil (um, Sauron is no more benign than Voldemort) and is full of references to characters drinking a lot of alcohol and smoking weeds (drinking and smoking being two of American Christendom's most abhorred activities). Is it any better? But it is a Christian allegory! No, it is not, it is pure fantasy (if you doubt me, just read the author's preface to the book; I don't really care how many books are written to "prove" that Tolkien did, in fact, intentionally write an allegory). Every hero in good vs. evil stories is going to have some typological connection to the greatest story because Christ's triumph over evil is complete. Anything that attempts to deal with good against evil must therefore emulate to some degree, intentionally or not. But I digress. Why are we so quick to condemn one and embrace the other? Is it because LOTR was a childhood favorite for a lot of Christians in the English speaking world? Really, the kinds of criticisms I hear of Harry Potter could be turned toward LOTR nine times out of ten but I don't hear LOTR condemned (at least not loudly). Not that I want it to be condemned, of course, as I quite enjoy it (and own the book and the extended edition DVD sets and an X-box game - oh, yeah, I have a Harry Potter X-box game, too).

What I find interesting about the Potter criticism is that it all seems so focused on the witchcraft and evil and so little focused on the character of Harry himself. Harry is a rule breaker. He disobeys all the time and is praised for it in the end because he solves all sorts of problems. That is what bothers me most (well, that and the amount of "snogging" in one of the books - about the only benefit I received from that is adding one more British term to my lexicon - "snogging" sounds to me like something that one might do when one has a bad head cold), yet I really don't hear much about Harry as a questionable (in a non-magical sense) role model for young people.

I do not know if I would recommend Harry Potter to children. I think the books are "appropriate" reading for kids as they age with Harry and his friends. For instance, an eleven year old could handle the good/evil balance of book 1 but probably would suffer more than a fourteen year old from the content of book 4. The witchcraft question is more sticky, admittedly, but I think my sister was right when she said that it would probably not be damaging to children if an adult discussed the issue with them and if they understood that it is fantasy as presented and very evil and dangerous in reality. I think that is a decision for parents to make for their own children, not for me to make for them. As for me, however, I still like Harry despite his problems, and eagerly await the release of the final book. (I saw something in the news several months ago that it was supposed to be released this year, but the latest rumors say it will be another full year if not longer, putting the book release date very close to the theatrical release of the 5th movie in July 2007.)

Laughter - the best medicine?

I'm not sure if this video makes me want to laugh or cry. It is hilarious and somewhat frightening at the same time.

Check out Laughing Yoga. Then repeat after me: "I'm happy. I'm relaxed. I'm happy. I'm relaxed."

(Is that man wearing a dress or is that some other variety of long, flowing garment?)

Ooops! Forgot something!

I meant to say something about a phone call I received last night from my friend (the one engaged to one of the interviewers). She called and told me congratulations. She thought I got the job. If she thinks that, it might just be true, considering that she lives with one of the people making the decision!

Back by popular demand

I must confess that I really intended to sit down around 2:58 and post a blog just before the end of my vow of silence to indicate that I did not actually keep my vow as stated. I visited other blogs. I decided this afternoon that I needed to go on a little shopping spree to Old Navy after dropping some stuff off at school. I bought two skirts, which should make some of you out there happy ;). I just got home or I would have posted earlier.

The vow was somewhat successful, although I did not get done as much as I would have liked. I did spend quite a bit of time putting my portfolio together from the class I taught this semester. I have one last step (which may take a little time still), and that is to make a CD of as much of my material as I can. My new computer should arrive tomorrow, and I will need it to burn the CD, as my laptop has no such capability (and I have been kicking myself ever since I bought it for not getting a CD-RW drive on it).

I've been thinking about one of those questions that people ask from time to time and I would like to ask you all out there to give an answer. What would you do with a million dollars (or 500,000 GBP)? I would pay off my school loans, give a chunk of it to my church, set aside enough to pay for the rest of my education and buy a house (and furnish it decently well). Hopefully I would still have quite a bit left over after that to invest. Somehow I don't think I will be able to retire well on the $15,000 or so that I have in my retirement account. I really don't foresee any such monetary increase in my near future, so I'll keep this all in the realm of the hypothetical.

Thanks for making me feel missed!

Vow of blogosilence

In a most valiant effort to actually get some school work done today and tomorrow, I hereby take a vow of blogosilence until 3:00 pm tomorrow. I will not post, I will not comment, I will not visit other blogs. This is not going to be easy!

Lost in translation

Special thanks to Shieryl for e-mailing these to me!

Lost In Translation..

Cocktail lounge, Norway:
"LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR."

Doctors' office, Rome:
"SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES"

In a Nairobi restaurant:
"CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER"

On a River/highway crossing:
"TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE."

On a poster at an educational institution:
"ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO, WE CAN HELP YOU"

A sign seen on an automatic rest-room hand dryer:
"DO NOT ACTIVATE WITH WET HANDS"

In a cemetery:
"PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES"

Tokyo hotel's rules and regulations:
"GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED"

On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:
"OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR."

Hotel, Japan:
"YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID."

In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a monastery:
"YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS, AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY"

A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest:
"IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE"

Hotel, Zurich:
"BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE"

The box of a clockwork toy made in Hong Kong:
"GUARANTEED TO WORK THROUGHOUT ITS USEFUL LIFE"

Boy, have I been missing out!

Today I wandered to a blog that I knew existed - I had seen it linked on a number of other blogs - but had never visited. I have been missing out on some great stuff! What's the blog? Purgatorio. Some of the posts had me in stitches! I was really laughing at some of them (like the "essential" post entitled "Help! I'm Going Hyper!" which struck a chord with me, especially given my heavily Calvinist academic background, and the essential post on worship leaders, which years in worship ministry makes me appreciate). If you have never been there you really ought to go. It's good stuff!

The interview

Q. How much experience do you have working with children?
A. Nine years.

Q. Why do you want to work with children?
A. I like kids and think that they need positive influences in their lives.

Q. How do you handle stress from your job?
A. I blog!

There were about 15 questions in all that they asked. I really felt like I was fumbling for answers on a couple of them, just because they were things that I had to answer completely theoretically since I haven't had experience planning activities for kids before. I made a fantastic move by showing up ten minutes late for the interview. That was not a good idea. The interview was kind of interesting, though, and I don't know how much of that was because I knew the people interviewing me. There was a question about how I have papers to write, whether one interviewer was coming as my "date" to the other interviewer's wedding, one interviewer commenting on the other's nail-biting habits and other joking comments that I just don't know that they would have made around interviewees that they did not know. My friend implied that she would like to hire me (to work with a certain age group with a certain counselor) but couldn't guarantee anything. They will let everyone know by the end of the month.

Pear bread

I bought some D'Anjou pears at the grocery store the other day. I bought eight of them. Why I bought so many pears that would all come ripe at the same time is a bit of a mystery even for me. For the past few days I have been looking around for ways of using them. I have a recipe for poached pears served over vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce that I would love to try, but I don't think I should poach a bunch of pears for my own consumption. Maybe when I have guests over sometime I will try that. Today I found a pear bread recipe online that I thought I would try. I opted to use 1/2 oil and 1/2 unsweetened apple sauce, since many of the reviews said that the apple sauce was a good substitution. I did not use all apple sauce because I don't usually make any "low-fat" substitutions, so even using half was a bit of a risk for me. I also used 1/2 light brown sugar and 1/2 white sugar, also something that other bakers had tried. I left out the pecans since I usually prefer my quick breads without nuts. My own twist on the recipe was to top it with streusel (which happens to be made with walnuts, so I ended up with nuts on my bread anyway). Nobody suggested this, but I thought it would be good. The recipe was for two 8x4 inch loaves, but since I only have 9x5 loaf pans I decided to make one loaf and some muffins with the leftover batter. The muffins are out of the oven and I tried one. It was quite good. It reminds me of a light spice cake (it has cinnamon and nutmeg in it), just with chunks of pear. The streusel was good, too. The flavor blended well with the muffin. The good news is that I used almost 4 pears (I ate part of one), and since I ate one earlier and gave one to Nicole yesterday I only have two pears left. I think I can manage to eat them before they go bad. I do like pears. :)

Job interview

I have a job interview tomorrow at 11:30 (it's for the Boys & Girls Club just a few blocks from my new apartment, pays minimum wage, but would be full time for the summer). I set it up this morning at church with one of my friends. She'll be interviewing me. She said she can't guarantee me anything, although they do still have a possible spot open and will be making final decisions around 1:30 or so. One of the other people in charge of hiring is my good friend's fiance. I am hoping that who I know will get me in here. I do need a job for the summer to pay for all of the moving expenses!

Our hope

I did a little search for the word hope this evening and these are some of the verses that came up. Truly we have a great hope!

Psalm 62:5 ~ My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.

Psalm 71:5 ~ For You are my hope; O Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth.

Psalm 71:14 ~ But as for me, I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more.

Psalm 130:7 ~ O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption.

Psalm 146:5 ~ How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God,

Jeremiah 14:22 ~ Are there any among the idols of the nations who give rain? Or can the heavens grant showers? Is it not You, O LORD our God? Therefore we hope in You, For You are the one who has done all these things.

Romans 15:4 ~ For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Romans 15:13 ~ Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:5 ~ For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.

Ephesians 1:18-19a ~ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.

2 Thessalonians 2:16 ~ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.

Hebrews 6:17-20 ~ In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

1 Peter 1:3-4 ~ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you

1 John 3:2-3 ~ Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

A rather expensive ordeal

I will be moving in just a few weeks (yay!). I currently live in a furnished apartment and am moving to an unfurnished one. I need furniture! I need a bed. That is somewhat non-negotiable. I like beds to be soft, not firm, so I can't just get whatever is cheapest - my back would never forgive me! I figure with delivery costs I will have to pay around $700 for what I am looking at, but it is an investment. I also need bookshelves, and I own so many books that I'm going to have to get two. Wal*Mart has them for $30, so I'll be shopping there. I also need a dresser and a nightstand, which won't break the bank, but they're just more to buy. I am going to buy a futon, most likely, to provide an extra place for a guest to sleep. Nicole and I have no such thing as a sofa or couch between us right now, so the futon would be multi-purpose.

I also ordered a new computer today. It should get here in about two weeks. My laptop is rapidly approaching four years old now and is starting to run a bit slow at times, so it is probably not a bad idea to replace it. I am sure I will still use it, so I'll have to get a wireless router so I can be on the internet anywhere in the apartment (or on the patio!). That's just more money to spend.

Nicole and I took an inventory of my kitchen today to see how much I have. She needs to do the same for hers so we can figure out what we would like to get to supplement what we already own. We both like to cook and bake, so the kitchen is an important room to stock properly. :) Fortunately the kitchen has a lot of cabinet space in it. I think we're going to need it!

Then I have my dream list - the things I would like to have that I know I cannot justify buying. I would really love to have a bench glider for the patio. My mom instilled in me long ago a love for porch swings, so I think a glider would be perfect for the warmer months on a small patio that really doesn't have room for a mounted swing or stand. I think we'll go for plastic patio furniture instead. The porch swing will have to remain a dream, I guess. I would also like to have nice chairs for the computer and the dining room table. We'll be using folding chairs. They are remarkably functional and cheap.

This experience helps me to really appreciate beautifully furnished homes. Our apartment is going to be a collection of cheap, mis-matched furniture, but it will meet our needs.

The new face of spirituality?

In the world but not of it: The new face of spirituality?

I decided to update my other blog.

Can I help you drive?

I was giving him a ride home to the homeless shelter where he lived. We had come from a baseball game. I was going to lend him a book to read, so we stopped at my house on the way and I ran in to get the book. We were just a few miles from the shelter when I felt a hand on mine on the steering wheel.

"Can I help you drive?"

My mind began reeling. Is he trying to hold my hand? I just met him two weeks ago! This is the third time we have ever seen each other!

"I've had eight years of driving experience; I don't think I need any help," I replied, a slight hint of sarcasm on my voice as I spoke.

"Eight years. That's a lot. So can you drive with one hand?"

"Yes," I said stupidly, realizing too late that I had just opened a door that I would rather keep closed and locked. Quite predictably my hand was engulfed in his and removed from the steering wheel so he could hold it more effectively. I was less than cooperative, maintaining a very stiff hand as I struggled to release my hand and keep the car on the road at the same time.

As I managed to get my hand at least partly freed I explained, in case there was some cultural difference to account for his behavior (he was from central Africa), that in the United States holding hands usually indicates some sort of boyfriend/girlfriend relationship.

"Good, then I can hold your hand!" My hand was once again tightly grasped.

I wanted to shriek, scream, wail or otherwise emit a sound of protest, bewilderment or frustration. I was still trying to keep the car on the road, wondering if my dad had been thinking clearly when he suggested that I give this young man a ride home.

I don't remember exactly what I told him. I was attempting to speak the truth gracefully, which can be a bit of a challenge in such a situation. I think it was something about how I do not like relationships to move quickly. He asked if what he had done was moving quickly. I told him that, yes, it was indeed very fast. My mind was still reeling and my thoughts began to blur. Not a moment too quickly we arrived at the shelter and we said good-night.

Within a few days I received an e-mail from him. In the e-mail he told me that he loved me. He loved me from the day he saw me and still loved me. Oh dear. This is not okay. Recovering from my initial shock, my mind entered sarcastic mode, and I really wanted to respond congratulating him on his constancy that the space of two weeks could not conquer. Once again, however, it was time to speak the truth gracefully. There was one question that I had to answer for him: What is love? Love is knowing someone, their strengths and their weaknesses, their idiosyncrasies, their likes and their dislikes, understanding what makes them tick, and with all of that knowledge still choosing to invest your life with them. There is no way that he could have reached that point in such a short time. I felt bad, but how was I supposed to respond to such a declaration of love that I knew did not meet my expectations?

"When she was only fifteen, there was a gentleman at my brother Gardiner's in town so much in love with her that my sister-in-law was sure he would make her an offer before we came away. But, however, he did not. Perhaps he thought her too young. However, he wrote some verses on her, and very pretty they were."
"And so ended his affection," said Elizabeth impatiently. "There has been many a one, I fancy, overcome in the same way. I wonder who first discovered the efficacy of poetry in driving away love!"
"I have been used to consider poetry as the food of love," said Darcy.
"Of a fine, stout, healthy love it may. Everything nourishes what is strong already. But if it be only a slight, thin sort of inclination, I am convinced that one good sonnet will starve it entirely away." - Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

The declaration of love was, I think, too much too quickly. He successfully scared me off, and I ran.

Comic for the day

Garfield has been running Jon's attempts to get a date for the past several days. I think today's is one of the best. ;)

Apartment update

I spoke to my landlord today. The new tenants for my apartment are willing to live in another one temporarily until I can move into my new one. This is very good. It means I will have internet longer! It also reduces the moving stress in general. We should know in a week or two how long we will have to wait after the 1st to move in. Once we know that we can plan accordingly. I bought a second air mattress yesterday, too, so that once we move neither of us will have to sleep on the floor until we get the furniture moved in. The pieces are falling into place.

Between June 1 and June 6 I need to register my car in New York (my registration in CA is expiring), which might require an inspection, and get an insurance plan. I will also have to get a NY driver's license. When I get the new driver's license I will also register to vote. I think those things should establish my residency here, which will hopefully make tuition cheaper.

It was a beautiful day today. The sky was blue and clear and had big, white, fluffy clouds. I love skies like that. It was quite warm, to the point that I might call it hot! A bunch of us from the college & career group went to get ice cream after church tonight. I had ice cream pizza - brownie crust with swirled chocolate and vanilla ice cream topped with peanut butter, chocolate and peanut butter cups. I don't remember what the other ice cream pizza varieties they offered were. It was a new concept to me, but it was quite good.

I just love books!

I had to go to school today to turn in the final grades for my ESL students. I stopped by the grocery store on the way home and spent some time looking at the postcards that they sell there, thoroughly amused by most of them. I bought one. The picture is of a part of town I drive through every time I go to school (it ends about a block from where I live, actually). I'm not sure who I will bless with a Binghamton postcard yet, however.

When I arrived home I saw a UPS truck in front of the house. It pulled away. I knew it was there for me, and I was saddened that I missed the delivery. I was going to have to wait until tomorrow. But the UPS guy is cool. He saw me in his mirror and came back to deliver my packages (I like to shop online - he knows me by now). I got books. I got two boxes of books from Christian Book Distributors. The boxes contained two hymnals (yay!!!), Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (I finally broke down and bought it), Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (it came in a set with Strong's), a couple of books that were recommended reading, a book that I think might help me with one of my papers for school, 2 copies of a book by Ravi Zacharias (one to keep, one to give) and 10 "surprise" books (cost me $10 - why not?). It didn't cost me an arm and leg for all of this, either. I went shopping in the bargain bin, essentially, and get a discount for being a member for the rest of the stuff. I am glad I did not have to wait until tomorrow to get these books. I just love books!

Old chapel notes

I found a few weeks' worth of old chapel notes from college. I thought I would share some choice gleanings from them. Whatever I include here is how I wrote it down, not necessarily how it was said.

Dr. C. W. Smith (professor at the school known to the students as "C-Dub" - he died of cancer shortly after I graduated; they named a new dormitory after him since he was so well loved - I didn't share the same high opinion most students had for reasons of my own), Nov. 5, 2001:
On 1 Peter1:17 - Conduct yourselves with fear - be afraid! He is a holy God! He will be our Judge! His judgment is impartial - we are all so far beneath Him that human distinctions are insignificant - He judges with truth - His naughty/nice list is perfectly kept with all details - we are all naughty!

Dr. John MacArthur (ever heard of this guy?), Nov. 7, 2001:
On Phil 2:12, 13 -
Work out your salvation
It is God who is at work in you
What is the believer's role in sanctification?
Quietism - do nothing - let go and let God - passive
Pietism - sanctification demands my complete effort, overemphasis on works of self-effort - legalistic
You don't work for your salvation; you work it out
Work out in daily conduct what God has planted in your heart

Dr. MacArthur (I think he might be a Calvinist), Nov. 9, 2001 (pt 2 of the message above):
God working in us - even if I fail on my part, God still carries out His - He never fails to accomplish His will in us

Susan Heck (this must have been a "split chapel"), Nov. 28, 2001:
PROMISE - how to keep a vow (to live a holy life, also for a holy household)
Pray
Resist Temptation
Older woman is a must - be discipled
Memorize and meditate on God's word
Intent on Christ - set your affection on Christ
Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit
Examine yourself

Paul Felix (probably a local pastor or something), Dec. 3, 2001:
Temptation has a course --> it can lead to sin, but it doesn't have to! Yielding to temptation is sin - it is when your will says "Yes" to your evil desire.
Sin can lead to death, spiritual death --> Genesis 3
(There is a plan for how to avoid temptation while at home over the semester break in my notes, clearly part of this message. I was struck this morning by the suggestion that being at a Christian college and going to chapel three times a week somehow lessens the power of temptation in our lives. What arrogant rubbish!)

R. C. Sproul, Jan 17, 2002 (this was the first message from the annual Bible conference, now call the Truth & Life Conference, held at the college at the beginning of the Spring semester):
You are required to teach what the Bible teaches, not what you would like it to teach.
Some get grace; the rest get judgment. NOBODY gets injustice from God.

R. C. Sproul, Jan 18, 2002:
The cross makes us innocent, but the sinless life of Christ makes us righteous - sin's double cure - removing sin and granting righteousness ~ the key is imputation
We are saved by faith alone, but not by faith that is alone - sanctification is the evidence of a saving faith
(I included these quotes for the benefit of a certain reader who would have really hated most of this conference - I left out some other "good" ones)

Johnny Mac, Jan 19, 2002:
For the Christian, the grace of glorification is the greatest grace of all.
Heaven will be pleasure perfected, knowledge perfected, comfort perfected, love perfected and joy perfected.

Doug Bookman (former professor at the school, worked with Friends of Israel for a few years, and I think he is now the pastor of a church in CA - very good speaker and a lot of fun), Jan 30, 2002:
"Sin will make you stupid."
Trivia: What two men in the OT have the same guy as father, grandfather and uncle?

Fish

John 21
9 So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread.
10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have now caught."
11 Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.
12 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples ventured to question Him, "Who are You?" knowing that it was the Lord.
13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise.

Fish is supposed to be really healthy. I don't have a habit of eating it often since I have a bit of a history of getting sick off of it. I think that I am going to try it more often and see how I do with it. If I do well I will probably be better off for it and it will make me even less of a picky eater than I already am.

In honor of this resolve I had bratwurst for dinner. ;)

A few hurdles to clear

A centipede just took a tour of the room. I really do not like seeing those things in my living space. It's not as bad as seeing a mouse in my kitchen, but I still don't like it. I should be able to move in about four weeks, and hopefully there will be no mice and no centipedes in the new apartment. Moving is going to be an interesting experience. Yesterday my landlord told me that he's rented out my apartment and the people moving in want to be in on June 1. I told him a few weeks ago that I couldn't move out until after the 1st. Now he gets to decide whether to relocate me temporarily to another apartment or to have the new tenants in another apartment temporarily. Drama. Nicole told me last night that she can't stay with her current roommate until we move, so she'll be staying with me wherever I end up for a few days. Her boyfriend is going to store her furniture at his house temporarily since she has to be out of her apartment on the 31st. He happens to be in the National Guard and has duty for the first two weeks of June, so she can't get her stuff from him until he gets back. We may be in the new apartment for a few days with no furniture, since she won't have hers yet and I am moving from a furnished apartment to an unfurnished apartment and need to buy furniture. I have a nice air mattress, but it won't fit the two of us. I might go buy another one or give it to her and sleep on the floor myself. She's really stressing out about it. I spent part of my evening trying to get her to calm down. I know that it will all work out. We have to take this one step at a time. The first step is to pack. We'll worry about moving when it comes time to move.

This Week's National Etiquette Award

Shoes Off at the Door, Please: This Week's NATIONAL ETIQUETTE AWARD goes to.... Romania!

My first National Etiquette Award!

I had a dream...

I usually don't remember any of my dreams when I wake up in the morning, but I had one last night that I remember with surprising detail. I was with three older ladies and one of their young adult friends. None were or ever had been married and none were saved. I was trying to share the gospel with them by speaking of the church as the bride of Christ. I think they thought I was nuts. They kept trying to get me to shut up, but I just kept on trying to tell them. Interesting.

Looking forward

I am looking forward to moving. The heat is out again in my apartment. This has happened at least three times in the last month. I am moving soon and this is just one more reason to make me look forward to that.

I checked airfare for the possible trip to England. Round trip from Syracuse to London is less than $600 for the dates I'm looking at. I think I can afford it. I can also fly through Philadelphia, which is nice, since a lot of airlines want to take me through Chicago (um, that's the wrong direction...). I'm a big fan of shorter flights! As soon as I verify some details with various interested individuals I might just book a flight!

Wedding pictures are here!

A link to the pictures from Shieryl & Vince's wedding is now in the sidebar. This is my favorite picture! :)

I arrived home this evening. There was a medical emergency on the flight from LA to Chicago. A passenger collapsed in the aisle not long after the flight took off. I was asleep and missed it even though it happened just a few rows up from where I was sitting. I awoke to the flight attendant asking for doctors aboard to identify themselves. I went back to sleep. I met some very nice people in Chicago waiting for the flight to Syracuse. They had just been to a wedding there yesterday. The groom was one couple's son. There were also two people waiting for the flight speaking with very British accents. One has to wonder what on earth they were doing flying to Syracuse of all places. I fell asleep immediately on that flight, too. I was able to get much more comfortable since I had an empty seat next to me. Nothing particularly interesting happened on that flight. I prefer it that way. The drive home was terrible. It should only take about 75-90 minutes (it's 80 miles) to get from the airport to my apartment. It took me three and a half hours. The interstate was closed for a few miles for road construction and the merging and the detour took two hours. In that time I covered about 14 miles. It was not fun. But I am home. I am absolutely exhausted. Homework is just going to have to wait because I am going to sleep and I am not setting an alarm.

Another long but wonderful day

After yet another night with less than 5 hours of sleep (that makes it 4 of the last 5 nights - ouch!) I headed off to the park for the wedding. We did some last minute set-up. I got to decorate the little table in the front with some bits of wilting flowers and baby's breath. There were three vases on the table, two small ones and one larger one, to be used for the "unity sand." The bigger one in the middle was going to stay put, so I put the flowers and baby's breath in a circle and set the vase on top of them. It looked rather pretty and earned praise from the photographer. Baby's breath is wonderful stuff for decorating - it's cheap and can lend elegance to simple centerpieces (that's your free decorating tip for the day). The unity sand was something that I had never seen in a wedding. Candles don't always work well for outdoor weddings, so using something else makes sense. I think the sand is a great alternative. There are a lot of fine grains in sand (representing the investment the parents made according to the pastor's explanation) and once mixed together they can never be separated. I think it's a great picture.

I learned today just how much of a hassle the poor bride went through regarding the bridesmaids' dresses. Shieryl and I had chosen a dress for the bridesmaids and then proceeded to order them. The rather unimpressive bridal shop (Christian owned, which is about all it has going for it, unfortunately) didn't tell us until rather late that the dress we wanted was discontinued, so the bride had to choose another one. Stuff happened and by the time the wedding came there were three different dress styles among five bridesmaids. Only the matron of honor had anything that resembled sleeves on her dress and it was a rather cool morning, so we were all a little bit cold for most of the wedding.

It was a very nice ceremony followed by a nice reception. The bridal party wasted no time attacking the platters of hors-d'oeuvres once we arrived at the reception site. There was a nice buffet and excellent cake. I had fun taking the frosting from the cake and playing with it (I do not like most cake frosting or icing that comes on professionally made cakes). I will have to post some pictures of some of my frosting art when I get back home. :) After the toast (yes, I had the champagne) they started dancing. My favorite part of watching the dancing (I danced very briefly with one of the groomsmen during a slow dance because the bridal party was supposed to set a good example for the guests by coming out on the floor - I really have no clue how to dance, so as soon as the music ended I was back in my chair) was to watch the father of the bride, who dances quite well, and to watch some of the little kids dancing. The kids were cute. I must have taken at least fifteen pictures of them dancing and twirling around on the dance floor.

After the wedding and reception were over I came home. Within a half hour my sister and brother-in-law arrived and we all headed out to visit the grandparents and then go to dinner. My grandmother's husband invited us to go pick some avocados from the tree in his yard, so I have a few to take back to New York with me. We went to an Argentine restaurant for dinner. The food was fantastic. We started off with a couple of empanadas and an appetizer that consisted of very little more than melted provolone cheese. I had some Cuban chicken with black beans and rice for my meal and sampled the beef that my mom ordered, the steak that my sister ordered and the lamb that my brother-in-law ordered. All of it was quite good. For dessert we had flan with dulce de leche and a chocolate violet souffle. It was wonderfully decadent!

I head back for New York bright and early tomorrow morning. There is no way I am getting more than 4-4.5 hours of sleep tonight (again). Someday I really am going to get some sleep. I am so tired, but this has been a great trip home.

Wedding prep day

Today was devoted to tomorrow's wedding. We started with a bridesmaids' brunch with the bride at IHOP. Then we went to the bride's apartment to work on stuff for the wedding. I made a few boutonnieres and corsages and then helped to roll and tie ribbons on the programs. After that we went to the rehearsal and walked through the program twice. My job is hard. I walk down the aisle with the appropriate groomsman, stand in the front and watch, then walk back up the aisle with the appropriate groomsman. I think I can handle it, especially since this is the fourth time I've been a bridesmaid. The most interesting part of the rehearsal was when we first showed up. The wedding is at a park and will take place on a grassy knoll overlooking a pond. The pond is home to ducks and geese. We parked the car and began to walk toward the chosen wedding location, but we didn't get very far before three geese started to chase us. That was rather amusing. Hopefully they behave themselves tomorrow and do not chase the wedding guests. After the rehearsal we went to Buca di Beppo for the rehearsal dinner. The food was fantastic and abundant. They serve the food family-style, so we had to decide on something to get that we would all agree upon. We ended up with three appetizers at our table: bruschetta, fried calamari (yum!) and garlic bread. We also ordered fettuccini alfredo, spaghetti with the largest meatballs I have ever seen, veal parmigiana and chicken with lemon. We topped it off with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and a wonderful chocolate brownie dessert. At the end of the day I am exhausted! I have to leave for the wedding at 7:00 tomorrow morning. Sleep eludes me yet again! Now to decide which pair of shoes to wear...

Patrick Kennedy's Accident

My dad was listening to the radio this evening on the way to the baseball game. Patrick Kennedy, a member of the House of Representatives (Democrat, Rhode Island) and the son of Senator Ted Kennedy, was in a one car accident early this morning. He was apparently under the influence of some prescription drugs. Apparently he was involved in another car accident three weeks ago, too. More bad press for the Kennedy family. Ken Champeau (Los Angeles area right-wing talk show host) made the following statement in response: "Some people should not reproduce. Ted Kennedy is one of them." That advice comes 38 years too late.

It's official!

The dictionary is a marvelous little thing, isn't it? It tells us all kinds of stuff about words and what they mean. We will on occasion tell someone to look up a certain word (liar, for instance) in the dictionary, saying that someone's picture (your least favorite politician, for instance) will be there. Well, today there's no picture, but there's a name. It is official. Jesus is the Messiah. Check it out.

Today's mission

I get the sense that today my mission will be to eat my parents out of house and home. It's not even 10:00 am and I've already had breakfast, second breakfast and another snack. (What was I supposed to do when my dad told me that there were authentic beef tamales in the refrigerator?) I have to write a paper today, too, and I eat constantly when I write (I can't do any project that take significant work without some food or drink with me at all times - I think it may be related to my attention span and the fact that I am extremely fidgety - it's horrible and yet another reason to not get a PhD in history, since I can just see myself packing on the pounds trying to write a dissertation), so I imagine that my hobbit-like eating pattern will continue throughout the day. My dad bought me a couple of bags of California dried apricots since he knows I love them and can't get them where I live. They sell dried apricots in New York, but only the Mediterranean variety. There really is a difference in their texture and taste, and I prefer the ones from California since they have more flavor. I will have to pace myself on those and will probably take the second bag back to New York with me.

At my parents' home at last

My day started at 4:30 this morning. I managed to get ready and packed and out the door in plenty of time to drive to the airport and then go through security (I love the airport in Syracuse - the security screeners are standing around just waiting for someone to come through - it will probably take me an hour to get through security in LA on my way back) and sit at the gate for an hour. Both flights arrived on time, so my connection went smoothly. I had just enough time to get some food for lunch and scarf it down before boarding the second flight. I don't remember much from the first flight - I think I was actually asleep and not just dozing like I usually do on airplanes. There were some great views on the second one. We flew over the Rocky Mountains, many of which are still covered in snow. Quite lovely. We also flew over Monument Valley. It is a beautiful bit of desert that I drove through in August on my way to New York. From the air it looks as though the surface of the earth has deep cuts in it. It really looks like a huge amount of water swept through it at some point. Puts me in mind of a little story I once read about a guy named Noah...

On the way to my parents' house my mom and I stopped by to see my grandmother's husband at home. He's got some pretty nasty cancer, but he looked really good today and was, as usual, very positive. My parents are planning on going on a cruise soon, so he asked my mom if they would be willing to make funeral arrangements for my grandmother before they leave just in case she passes away while they are gone. On that note we went to the hospital to see my grandmother. She had a procedure of some sort done earlier today, but she was awake and much more alert than usual (so I am told). She seemed to know who I was, which is nice. It was a good visit. She was able to carry on a little bit of a conversation, even asking if I had a good church and whether I was settling in, so it sounds as though she might be aware of the fact that I don't live with my parents anymore (when I was home for Christmas she usually didn't "know" that - her memory has been horrible for quite some time). I may only have that one chance to see her, so I am glad that she was awake and somewhat lucid for it.

When we finally got here, the dog gave me a good greeting. He still knows me. He wanted a lot of loving (which, of course, I gave him). He's a nice dog, even though he dashed out the door to go after the UPS man who came to deliver my Old Navy flip flops that I ordered. I thought it appropriate that they arrived here the same day I did.

Dinner is going to be ready soon. I could use some. I've been hungry for several days now because I haven't taken the time to eat anything like a real meal. After dinner I am sure I will sit down with the dog on my lap and sleep until my friend calls me. We had talked about going out for coffee or something tonight. If we go it won't be until at least 8:15 tonight. After getting very little sleep (other than airplane sleep, which is not exactly the most rejuvenating), with the time difference this could make for one LONG day, but it has had some very good moments. Who needs sleep, anyway?

Just a few more hours!

I will be arriving in Los Angeles in less than 13 hours. I still haven't packed yet. I was going to do it last night, but I fell asleep doing homework. I just could not stay awake any longer. I think I'll be doing research on the airplane when I am not sleeping.

Time to pull out the passport?

I was chatting with my sister online this evening when she told me that she and her husband are probably going to go to London, Birmingham, Paris and Brussels in November. My brother-in-law's brother lives near Birmingham, so they would spend several days there with the family and then travel to Paris and Brussels and then stay in London for a few days at the end of the trip. My sister thinks I should meet them over there. If I can find a decent airfare I might just do it (I certainly cannot take as much time off of school for the trip that they would be traveling, but I could swing a week, I am sure). One of my good friends from childhood will most likely be living in London again by then, so I would be able to see her, probably going to London while they visit the continent and then back to New York. I would also like to meet the relatives, which is the part my sister really wants me to come for anyway. November is a ways off yet, but perhaps it will work out.

English

My sister just sent me this quote. I found it quite amusing!

English doesn't borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over and goes through their pockets for loose grammar. -Paraphrased from James Nicoll

What a day!

Yesterday was quite a day. I got very little sleep on Sunday night (I guess I should say Monday morning) and then could barely stay awake in class. I was sitting about four feet from the professor, so falling asleep was just not an option. Then again, I have never fallen asleep in class, even when I tried (yes, biology in college, during the c. 1964 videos that we watched in almost every class - I really did try to sleep through them, but the volume on the TV was always too high and I never once succeeded). Why start now? It was bad, though, because I was really tempted to crawl up on the floor in the middle of class and go to sleep. I couldn't get past how dirty the carpet probably was, though, and stayed in my chair. Dr. B. was in a good humor and said some really funny stuff in the second half of the class, which helped quite a bit. My favorite quote from class yesterday is from the professor to one of the students, in jest: "I think that you're interpreting my questions in an insane fashion." I'll have to remember that and use it sometime. We only took a 5 minute break very late in the class (my classes are all 3 hours long - very hard on my short attention span and absolutely brutal when all I want to do is go to bed) so we could finish early, and then only finished about 20 minutes early.

I thought that I would use my time between class and teaching (I had about 45 minutes) to go to the library and get some research materials for a paper that I have to get done ASAP, but I looked for my student ID and couldn't find it, so going to the library was out. I went and purchased a bottle of caffeine for myself, since I was really going to need it for my last class with my international students. I needed to offer extra class time so students could make up sessions that they missed. In theory I was supposed to be there with them for two hours. I let them go a lot earlier than that, since I wanted to get home to get my ID card and eat something, since I kind of forgot to eat before going to school yesterday. I looked for my ID card at home and couldn't find it. So I looked again. It was in my purse, hiding inside my checkbook. I had it with me the whole time. I decided to search the library catalog from home and by the time I finished with that it was too late to go to the library. Guess where I'm going this morning!

I am going home tomorrow. I really hope that I sleep on at least one of the two flights! I do look forward to seeing my parents (and my dog) and my friends again.

Speaking of dancing...

I was at a friend's apartment this afternoon. She was watching Dirty Dancing - Havana Nights, which I had never seen. When they called the dancing dirty they weren't kidding. I would call it suggestive, but that might be too much of an understatement. It was pretty bad.