Go YoCo

Amazingly good retreat with my Youth Council kids this weekend. Was a rough week after the VT shootings for everyone, but the Keynoter, Todd, the youth director from Salisbury Pres, did a great weekend on popularity and Christian sensitivity with the middle schoolers. Trip was there with Ginger to lead a Barn Dance and the kids all had fun. i love those kids and i'm sorry to see the seniors all leaving, but happy that they're all going to good schools. i'm probably going to apply for the co-ordinator position next year to help the Exec Council and do all the major leg work. Will be a big commitment, but i am super committed to these kids.
Also, Sunday night, did my lesson i planned weeks ago for the Sr High youth at Three Chopt Pres (TCPC). i was exhausted, but it went well. It was far more relevant than i realized it would be after this past week. We discussed stereotypes and jokes and how we respond to ignorance and hate as Christians in a way that prevents people from feeling as isolated as many did this past week. i look forward to going back there.
i also got my forms turned in for my directed study this summer with Project Burning Bush (PBB) and got my office for the summer. i'm trying not to get a big head, but i'm next door to Paul Galbreth (legend in homiletics of any denom) and Katie Canon (legendary in African American studies, Women and Liberation Theology, and ethics).
Huge sidenote: may be getting to go to Triennium (PYT) on the the PBB dime in July! Wow!

Discerned

After much prayer and discernment and deeply meaningful conversations with my closest friends, confidants, family, spiritual advisers and loved ones, i have decided not to accept the offered position to N Ireland. i will be staying in school and finishing my degree and doing mission work at a later date. If you wanna ask me more about it, feel free. i mailed in the letter officially this afternoon at 3:15pm EST. Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Traveling Update

It's been awhile, so read the parts that interest you...

Easter Weekend
i got some sleep and we had not only a great worship service at church, but 20 of us still here at school shared a wonderful ham and chicken dinner hosted by my campus mommy, Deb. We all pitched in with sides and dyed eggs.
2 days later
i came down with what i must assume was food poisoning from Wendy's and was ill for a few days and missed some class. i had a fever and all sorts of symptoms i will not share.

YAV Discernment weekend
Without being fully well, Tom took me to the airport Thursday morning for what was supposed to be an 11am flight out of Richmond, bound for a layover in Cincinnati and on to Louisville. Well, with the weather all through the Midwest and NE, all was delayed. i left finally at noon and we didn't make it half way when we had "engine trouble" (nothing to worry about said the captain as our engines sputtered and we dropped a few feet) so we headed back to Richmond to take the next flight. That flight finally left at 2:10pm. i did, however, meet fun people. i met a 1951 UNC alumni who is a published author and Historian, Rodney Taylor, on Jamestown. He had amazing stories to tell. i also met a English Prof from Bill and Mary and a nice woman headed to Maine. The woman headed to Maine was married to a man who usually flies her there himself since they own this tiny prop plane, and she knew a lot about our aircraft and flying. i arrived later than i expected in Louisville, but had a nice welcome from the YAV girls, one of whom i already recognized from her blog pictures of N Ireland, which was fortunate because they had no idea what i looked like.
The retreat was amazing. Everyone was great and i had incredible conversations about mission and family and friends and church and relationships and seminary. i got almost no sleep, but the worship services and small group devotional time was well worth it. i interviewed with Kenya and N Ireland. Both went well and i decided i definitely wasn't interested in Kenya because i wanted to definitely work with youth.
i got to see a few people i didn't expect to, and several i already knew or had spoken to before. Craig Hay, a former PCMer was there, and so was Sam Sale, a current PCMer and good friend from UNC.






























Also was a girl who had been to our WTI a few weekends ago who will be going to N Ireland for sure. My roomie was a funky Canadian kid who had grown up in Philly and we had some good convos too.




i was offered a placement for N Ireland and i have a few days to think about it and i'll let you all know when i decide, but school is going well and as is my current relationship. With a great summer job coming up and the possibility to work with Youth Council again and overseas youth work still my strong passion for post graduation... even if i don't go now, i likely will in the near future.

i was delayed getting back from the trip, but not terribly so. i had a 4.5 hour layover in Cincinatti as it turned out from 4pm to 8:30pm. Having apparently overdrafted my account this past week, and only a dollar in the wallet and a quarter in my pocket (i took all my change out to avoid metal detector hassles), i made my way to McDonald's. i saw that a medium fry was 1.80 and inquired about the small fry... $1.22... SUCCESS! So i ate and waited on the plane. Met more cool people there and on the plane, and had a turbulent ride back to Richmond. Tom picked me up and Jen stuck my pizza in the oven before i returned. They both get mad extra credit for that.


Today in Richmond and in life
The wind has been blowing since yesterday at upwards of 40 to 50 mph. It has done it's damage beyond tree limbs. Seminary Ave that is right out my dorm window is lined with 100 foot oak trees. The wind took one down, tearing up the sidewalk with the root ball, and blocking the entire road and into the next yard across the street. Until they clear it, there will be no through traffic.














Also, this is the day of the VA Tech shootings. As of the last time i saw the news, 32 are dead and dozens wounded. They keep playing the tape of the student who videoed it. You can't see much, but you can hear the gunfire. It's surreal. i know i have a few friends in grad school there maybe and at least one former youth kid there. i'm afraid to check on them and deeply saddened for the families and friends.

Wastin Time

In wasting time this week between activities, or in realizing how much of my time is wasted by others or activities i don't wanna do, i started another song list. As with all of my others, this will become a CD or playlist for the MP3 player, so i'd love YOUR help. Send me suggestions to add...

Time (songs about time)

Ben Folds- It's Been Too Late
Long long long long time
Hootie- Time
Stones- Time is on my side
Righteous Bros- Unchained Melody



Hard out Here for a Musician

Jackson Brown- The Load Out
Billy Joel- The Entertainer
Ben Folds- One Down
Bob Seger- Turn the Page
Willie Nelson- I Always Go the Other Way
Foreigner- Faithfully

Social Commentary

This morning, i had a very irate woman call the library to protest her extremely large fine (largest i've ever heard of). Now, it's not new for me to field horribly angry or confused people. i'm used to it. However, these are typically neighborhood folks, and not those seeking divinity degrees. She was upset because this huge fine was going to keep her from graduating. Now, i did want to tell her that she wouldn't have a fine over one hundred dollars (the largest fine i'd ever previously seen was 34) if she knew how to return books. But even more so, i wanted to stop being polite and helpful and tell her that assholes shouldn't get divinity degrees even if they are paid up at the library. In my book, a pastor who can't be kind to minimum wage employees or anyone bending over backwards to help such a pain is in the wrong field of work.
Then a little while later, a woman comes in talking loudly on her cell phone. First off, this is a library. EVERYone knows you don't get to be loud in a library, period. Second, she passed our big no cell phone signs. Okay, no common sense, no reading skills. Why is she in our library? Poor Rachel, our meek little library assistant went over to ask her to just step out in the atrium and she blew up and actually gave her the "talk to the hand." Good grief, the woman was late 30's. Rachel, our poor missionary child, was shocked.
Turns out, this was the same woman from the phone. She proceeded to yell at Rachel about her fees and how it wasn't gonna stop her from graduating and that some "dude with an African name" had checked all her books in and just because they were late doesn't mean she didn't pay all her fines, blah blah blah. It was horrible. I hope her mother is sorely embarassed by this horrendous human being this woman has become. i was embarassed to be a divinity student. i was embarassed to be a Christian. i was embarassed for her and everyone else. I deeply hope that no one ever has her as a pastor. Most of all, i hope that i personally never give such a bad name to my own school and my profession, let alone my faith and calling. That's my prayer and thought for the day. Lord willing, i'll make it.

Overdue Ooopdate

Tues night- got massive uncontrollable cold chills and a constant excruciating stabbing pain in my right ear and side of my head that radiated down the whole right side of my body every few minutes.
We morning- still going on, called around, and Loren Tate got me to the doc. He diagnosed me with some sort of ear infection and gave me two perscrips. He didn't explain either. i called our family friend Doctor Jimmy in Charlotte and he walked me through it.
The pain and chills went away, but both meds gave me horrible side effects. One was simply a decongestant, so when Doc Jim (no relation to Dr Jimmy) from my Theo class stopped by, he told me to stop taking it and stick with the anti-biotic. My sister Kelley gave me all her nursing/vomiting dietary advice, and a few of my hall friends took care of me for a few days. Jen ran to the store for Gatorade and bananas and such. Tom made me some rice, etc. With my raging high metabolism, i was laid low by lack of any food for a few days and losing much of it, so i did not make it to class or work for 2 or 3 days and laid in bed sleeping for 3-4 stretches, dearly wishing that i could.
Ashley got in Friday night after a terrible ordeal transporting a mama doggie and her 6 puppies from CH to Richmond with no leashes. FUN! She took care of me and got me to the grocery store and a few restaurants to start me back to real food like mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs and biscuits. A later blog on her failed April Fool's prank... gotta love the attempt.
Current status: able to hold down a spoon full of queso on saltines after a pot pie. Might be lookin up...

WTI?

We had our Weekend to Inquire this weekend and all of the prospective students came. Saw one of my buds from state that was my small group leader a few years ago at a PCM retreat and she's looking at seminary. There was a kid here from College Station, TX too who is applying to YAV and wants to go to N Ireland. Speaking of which, i have news.
Anyways. The David Bailey concert was great. i got to hear him warm up and help set up. Saw him do his set list. He sits on the floor with his coffee and makes a pile of "no" songs, "maybe" songs, and "yes" songs. He was sorting and he put one of my favs in the "maybe" pile and i said "oh, i love that one." He just smiled, and moved it to the "yes" pile and went on. He seemd exhausted and in declining health, but still put on a good show. i manned his CD table after so he could sign CD's and talk to folk and he cam over afterwards. He asked what i didn't have and i said we sold out of his double live album. He said, "no, what don't you have?" And i said i didn't have any of the ones left and he picked up his new CD and handed it to me. He had some great stories and it was a fun time.














The news... i do have my travel itinerary for heading to Louisville on April 12-15 for interviews for YAV.

Unoriginal Me

So for a few weeks i've been mulling over song lyrics. i love really good lyrics that strike a chord with the soul or the funny bone and some simultaneously. i've been thinking i'd like to arrange, not write, a song with nothing but the really good lines from songs i love. i've slowly been collecting some and i plan to put them together in such a way that they rhyme and form a coherent, even if only silly, song. Will hear from Louisville soon about travel out for interviews.

Spring Flinging About

i left immediately after class on friday and headed to CH. i got into town and helped Kelley load up the car. She dropped me at PCM, where Ashley picked me up shortly after. We did dinner at the Rat and then went to her friend Gary's guitar coffee house gig in Durham. Saturday, we left for Concord and had dinner with my folks and my sis. She got the full Concord tour and on Sunday got to meet the glorious members of ARPC. Most of my congregation was fascinated by my blue mohawk, but not so much surprised. My parents pretty much hated it and were throughly embarrassed. We left Sunday after the UNC victory and spent Sunday night, Mon, and Tues in CH because Ashley had to work. i got some reading done, got her tires mounted on her car, and grabbed lunch with Megan. i also got to see where Ashley works and meet some of her co-workers. All nice folks. After running dozens of errands, we left Wed afternoon for Ocean Isle and spent the next few days at her family's condo with her mother and brother and dogs. We did some beach walking and lots of NCAA basketball watching and much cooking. Ashley Newton dropped by for a brief, but wonderful visit on Thursday. We left Fri afternoon and drove the 6 hours up to Richmond. We spent St Patty's day watching Irish movies and then a brief visit to the lame excuse for a festival downtown. Then we watched the UNC victory over MSU here with Kyle after going to Sticky Rice. Church tomorrow and Youth. At some point i still have a Theo paper to write.

And now for something completely different

Yes, in fact, i am rarely gushy or mushy on my away messages or blog or anything, so feel free to stop reading. i have a lot of weird zaney and just plain disturbingly odd friends whom i dearly love, and allot me to be fairly odd. Last week i told one of these zaney friends how much i really wanted to have _____ years later. Now, it's highly unimportant what it was, but they just gave me a weird look and said, um, ok, sure. Well my wonderful girlfriend, of her own accord, suggested that very thing today. And on a day when i was feeling rather unappreciated by some local "friends," it was a wonderfully nice surprise. So my thought for today is that every once in awhile, some part of you can be totally illuminated when you friends or those whom you love step in and don't just let you be yourself or unique, but appreciate that fully. Good on that.

The St Patty Shuffle

Yeah, so the usual St Patty Shuffle is going on. Two years ago, the plan (in Bangkok) was that our group was gonna go out and find a decent enough bar/pub and celebrate Irish/American style. The group mostly bailed and went for a club. Last year, several fun people in the group de usual suspects bailed rather hardcore for their own beach/fencing plans. Wohoo for seniors! So Barnes and i made the best of it. This year, the tentative plan over several months with "adults" was even shakier due to the nature of spring break mixing with people, couples, house sales, etc. Fate/ oddball friends conspire again! Foiled! So this year, if no one is in fact in Richmond, i think i'll be going for one of the American Holy Grails of St Patty's/ Ashley and i may head on to Boston for the day if no one is here. Take that, oh fate of doom!

Hill Thrill

i left late thursday night for Chapel Hill and took a mental health day for friday. Got to see Ashley, sleep a bit, eat some good food and watch movies. She also completed my hair process. It is in fact a Carolina Blue Mohawk. Yes, it's fading rapidly to greenish, but that's ok. St Patty's Day is fast approaching and i will be shaving it the day after. Will post pics on the proper days soon, since my Dell is running ok. (it took removing the bad memory card, so it runs slower, but it runs)





























PS- it fades quickly from blue to green after multiple washes, which is alright if it's this close to St Patty's day

The "Buzz"

Yes, got the mohawk last night after blonde dye-ing. Yeah, the water is weird here, so instead of full blonde like last time (same brand), it's blondish brown with some natural red. Gotta bleach again today before the Carolina Blue gets added. Check here and facebook for pics as they become available.

Chapel Thrill

On friday, i had a meeting with Edna about a directed study this summer and it went quite well. Looks like i will very likely be doing PBB this summer. i went to OT section and then Chuckie took me to the train station.
i was working on a project while i waited on the hour-late train to CH, and using my Bible. When i boarded the train, one guy my age asked me about it and we talked for a minute. Then a professor leaned over the seat and asked to borrow it. Turns out, he is a prof at Greensboro College, on sabbatical, and working as a Fellow at the Holocaust museum in DC. He used my Bible to add a few lines to the book he's working on (so basically i've co-authored published work, so look for our book this fall) on Antisemitism. We had a great talk on religion and theology for a few hours and then a guy, a couple years younger than i, joined us and we talked about mostly music and guitars. The professor jammed on his guitar for a bit, all BB King-style. All of this was much appreciated, as the train left an hour late from the station and got me into CH nearly 3 hours overdue. Ashley picked me up and we had dinner with Kelley and Brice.

Ashley and i went to Greensboro on Saturday to pick up some dogs for animal rescue and delivered them to Durham for the first leg of their very long journey north. Then we had lunch with her mother and brother and his girl friend. Ashley worked on her online finals and i crashed for a few hours. We did mom's amazing chocolate milkshakes and watched some movies.
Today was the last church service for Ashley's church and so we attended. It was a great service, but as to be expected, everyone was quite emotional. They were all incredibly friendly and welcoming and i have a lot of faith that they will all go do amazing things. i drove back here in my car and worked on my project. i've got a good caffeine high going tonight. i'll be exhausted tomorrow, but no regrets. Another GREAT weekend.

Also: Carolina Blue Hair Dye has arrived

Whatsa happenin'

My Dell has decided it cannot be booted up for more than 5 minutes without going all "blue screen of doom" so i shall be back on the IBM for awhile. i'll have to call the Dell folks. My YAV phone interview didn't feel great on saturday, but we shall see. Ashley and i had a great day. The 3 Chopt youth did a GREAT job for youth Sunday. We then went to Avenue 805 for brunch with Aunt Judy and Uncle Paul, which was a really fun time. We ended up going over to Murray's and hangin out with some really cool kids from his neighborhood. One girl cornrowed my hair (pictures to come soon) and we had a drum circle goin. We did Zorba's for dinner and she left around 9. All in all, a perfect, but not terribly productive weekend.

Bzzzz

So i've been a busy bee all week with school and projects and work, so no chance to write. So here's the buzz... Still working in the library here on campus. My pastoral care prof couldn't sign on to work with me this summer for a directed study, so i am likely working with Edna, our dean of students and my spiritual formation prof. She's fantastic. i'm throwing around the idea of calling my directed study something along the lines of: Leadership in Youth Vocational Exploration... or something like that. Basically, i would be spending the summer helping these youth discern what "call" means for them and what vocation or what life goals this is guiding them towards. Ashley is here to visit me and to see her best friend here in Richmond this weekend, so we got to spend the day together around Union and then over to McCarthur to hit up Dott's for burgers and tuna melts. We also stopped by Carytown Books and Once Upon a Vine before heading to Cary Street, where we hit the yarn shop, the indy music store, the costume shop, the vintage clothing store, and the surprise... the Chocolate shop. We met her friend Kyle for dinner at Sticky Rice for Thai and did ice cream by the Byrd and shot pool and watched Little Miss Sunshine. Today she'll be seeing more of Richmond with her bud Kyle and we'll all watch the UNC game tonight. We're going to go to 3 Chopt Pres in the morning for youth Sunday and then Ashley and i will be having lunch with my aunt Judy and uncle Paul who will be in town. Keeping in mind time constraints, she and i may go to Murray's house to play drums with the inner city kids and get my hair corn rowed.

Long time

Yeah, so i haven't blogged in days. Things are great. School is keeping me much too busy, and the semester is only beginning. It's going to get much worse. The new Norah Jones CD is amazingly good, but i also recommend Rock Swing, the CD of big Rock N Roll hits done big band swing style. It's been an interesting week. Heard from a few old friends and a few old flames. But life just keeps moving, and things are good in both areas for now. Doing a little house cleaning in the wallet and in the heart. Need a haircut fairly badly. It's long enough to lay flat on its own and naturally part, so not even a fro. i'm babbling. It's late. Goodnight folks.

Stooperbowl

Yeah, so the rain made a very uninteresting match up a lot of fun. Great food, and i got to play with the baby Ethan and hangman with little Becka. i love how kids plan what they wanna be. She wants to be a fashion designer and make shoes and clothes with diamonds and quarters on them. Wow. Either that or she wants to e principal... or a baby sitter... or an artist. COOL KID! i miss being that open and excited. Kids rock.

Spontinaity is the spice of life...

So, it's friday night, maybe 2am, and i'm on the phone with Ashley. Tom looks at me and says, "what are you doing here? Go to Chapel Hill." So i says, "ok, takin your keys, see ya saturday night." i got CH around 5:30am (checked on the PCM kitchen) and Ashley and i hung out till lunch and hit up Franklin Street Pizza and Pasta, which i had missed dearly. Also saw Katie Cole!!! We then took advantage of the nice weather and meandered the campus of our alma mater (yes, that's what it is now) and took tons of pictures. Also wandered the arboretum. i then crashed for two hours because i hadn't slept at all friday night and Ashley finished up her paper and actually did half my laundry. Yay for people with their own washers and dryers! We did dinner (she makes one mean pasta alfredo and basil dish) and then i took off back to Union. Pretty much the best day ever. Wish i had gotten to see a few folks on the Hill, but it was entirely too spontaneous and my phone died about 5 minutes after i hit the road for NC, so i wasn't really able to hit anyone up. Maybe next trip. Sleep time!

This amazing day brought to you almost entirely by Tom Harley, my personal hero.

There's no business like snow business

Yeah, it only snows when i am working. i keep getting to see it snowing outside, but it almost only happens when i am at work or sometimes in class. i never get to go out in it, just see it. i've been in a good mood all week, but i haven't had my head on straight. i blame angel fairies. i've gone to the wrong classroom for class, missed my usual Battlestar episode, and misplaced a whole pizza. Oh well. i'm excited about my classes and i love my YoCo's i get to work with. So yes, ending, on a happy note today.

Nonlinear Waterfowl Problems...

Trying to get all my ducks in a row... Had a couple meetings today to set up YAV stuff and to talk to Carson about doing a PBB internship as a directed study this summer (get paid and get course credit). i have to find a prof to sponsor me, and i think i'll ask my Pastoral Care prof. Also found out that Ashley gets to come visit me in a couple weekends. Pretty pumped. Found another fun comic. As i don't have a link to this blog anywhere, i can safely mock all of humanity, bwahaha...

Rally Day!

Got 3 hours sleep on Friday night before getting up at 7am to head to Bon Air Pres for Rally Day (150 middle and high school youth from the James River Presbytery) and my YoCo's leading it. i did all the AV stuff for powerpoint, music, energizers, all that, and for the Caleb Brauer Band. We collected school supplies for an inner city school in Richmond. The theme was Mr Rodger's Neighborhood and we were sharing practices and beliefs of Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism with the kids who came. We also did tons of games and relays, etc. The band played until 10 or so at night and then when everyone left, YoCo cleaned up and had a lock-in. We were up till 3am discussing colleges and high school drama and playing basketball and eating cold pizza. i ended up sleeping on the floor on some sandbag pillows with a thin wise man's robe for a blanket. We went to Bon Air's 8:30 service, which was great and i came back here to crash until mid afternoon. First day of class is tomorrow, but sketchy mustache night is tomorrow night. Fun times.
i'll post pics when i get my lap top power chord back.

Snow Day

Yeah, so i have that little kid buzz goin in my stomach, where all i wanna do is run around with my tongue out and catch snowflakes and build a snow fort and build accident-scene snowmen around dad's car so it looks like he hit a whole family of them. Ahhhh, wish i could, but alas, i am inside, working in the library, watching it fall steadily in big flakes through the large windows by the desk.
Had a meeting with the Field Ed woman today about going to Ireland for YAV and getting it to count for my supervised parish ministry. Gotta work on the funding, but she was very helpful.
(The snow is seriously falling so hard it's probably 10% visibility from the Library to Watts Chapel, just 200 feet away on the other side of the empty quad. It's a winter wonderland, and it's not even freezing outside)
New favorite pizza topping discovery:
Start with our usual peproni Red Baron and add our usual bacon and cheese
AND pieces of fresh roasted turkey (thanks mom and dad)
Top it with the usual Siracha Asian Hot Sauce

Also have to grab coffee with one of my YoCo's tonight. i may not always love school, but i love my line of work.
MUST sleep in tomorrow. Lock in this weekend.

Lazy day...

Did very little work on my Worship Service project, but i did catch up on some much needed rest. i slept almost 10 hours today total. i poked around online and found funny sites, and read e-mails from folk about N Ireland and the YAV program. i went by the registrars' office to drop the travel seminar in May to Central America as i need make money and not spend it, and i'd rather wait to go on a travel seminar. The Seminary pays for a good chunk of only one trip and i wanna make that one to Israel if i ever can (during a less expensive year). Right now, all funding to go for my living costs and maybe YAV and to be able to work all may, june, july if i get to go.

Churchin it...

Well, made up for the likelihood that i'll miss church next week today. Went to Three Chopt Pres again this morning with Jen and then we went to St Stephen's Episcopal down on Grove Ave this evening for their Celtic Worship Service. It was very nice, albeit very Episcopal flavored. The tunes to most of the songs were also pretty unfamiliar and long, but it was pretty nice. The music at Three Chopt was great as usual.
Saw an episode of that new HBO series Big Love. WEIRD!!! For those of you who haven't read about it in the news, Bill Paxton is an offshoot Mormon sectarian with 3 wives. One is his wife of 17 years (Tom Cruise's wife from the Firm), the middle wife is some blond who is like a less attractive Paris from Gilmore girls, and some cute 20-yr old who was in Mona Lisa's Smile. Very very weird.
Also got to hear a lot about the YAV N Ireland site from Rob today (student here a couple years older than i, who did the program 2 or 3 years ago and loved it). i really wanna go now.

Woah (woe) is me...

Yeah, UNC finally figured out all of us that graduated hadn't moved on from using the system. Heather can't get basketball tickets any more, and after a month of not being able to edit my UNC web space site, it's now officially dead. Can't get to it any more. CURSES! Oh well.
Seems my father was not adopted. The family joke for years was that his mother had a bad car accident when my parents were first married and my dad found out from a co-worker who had read it in the paper. So my dad gets side swiped in a hit and run, no less, and i find out days later from my mom after a ten minute conversation with him. ???? (insert puzzled phrase of your own choosing) i can't wait till that story about his mother comes up again.

This just in

Yeah, forgot to mention the DC march protest this weekend. WTF? Ok, i have more and more of a problem with marches in DC. In the 1950's and 60's, as Eisenhower's Interstate system began to be built, it suddenly became possible for thousands of people to travel great distances, namely to DC. This was a fantastic and shocking thing for nearly 15 or 20 years, but it then protest marches lost effectiveness. The population of DC doesn't care, nor do the visitors. There's a protest every weekend. If you go with several thousand others to DC some weekend to protest the war or the president or stem cell research, you'll be squeezed in between the protest against cutting mail worker benefits the weekend before and the alternative fuel rally next weekend. And the politicians don't care any more than the residents. So what does that mean? You wasted all that gas to get DC that the group protesting next weekend will be complaining about, and niether of you will make your voices heard! Wanna affect change? Hold local meetings, coordinate with like-minded folk on the internets invented by Gore and get those people to vote!!! That way you can actually accomplish something, even if it's just fighting nuculear profilteration.

Global Cooling

Ok, so before you read this, check out the following:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib74u-tnnuY&NR

i've heard that theory before, and for years, Global cooling was a very popular theory based on scientific evidence. That's right ladies and gents, just like opinion polls and movie reviews, you can decide what is going on based on how you choose to interpret data. Do i believe in Global warming? Sure, i think it's likely. Do i believe in radical global climate changes that we may or may not play a large role in? Yes. Do i believe that hurting the environment, whether or not it causes climate changes is bad? Yes. i believe that because i believe in a God who gave this world to take care of and nurture and not destroy. i think maybe scientists could build a better case with God than with data, but that's just me. i'm not syndicated or anything.

MILK Day

MILK Day went by uneventfully. Had my interview after class yesterday with the YAV coordinator who travels to all the sites to check on them and familiarize herself with them so that she can tell people like me about programs and living conditions. She told me a lot about Northern Ireland and Kenya. She thought based on my skills and interest that N. Ireland sounds best for me, but again, we'll see in April. i'm doing some work for Project Burning Bush, which may lead to some kind of position for the Spring and/or Summer. i really hope it does because i do need a job, but i also hate the thought of another summer without working with kids, especially lifeguarding, where i can see the kids, but not play with them. i have to take poor Jen to the Doc today for what may be strep. She just got over an illness of a few weeks. i outlined my final project for Celtic Christianity, a Celtic Worship Service for Youth. Kind of excited to do it.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Hippyness

Books I am currently Betoking (in the midst of):

-The Communist Manifesto
-Staying Employed: What You Must do Today to Insure you Have a Job Tomorrow (for those of you who don't know, this is the book my father authored in 1989 and i am finally reading)

-The Complete Works of O Henry
-Stories I Couldn't Tell While I Was a Preacher
-Celtic Prayer
-Celtic Spirituality
-Celtic Theology