Like the good old days

Well, the Baileys came over for dinner tonight and we had turkey, ham, corn pudding, bean casserole, ciabatta, salad, gravy and apple, raspberry and macadamia tart. It was very good. But I was in the kitchen all afternoon. It was very reminiscent of the last two years of my life. Very unsuspected, and a month early, the Baileys handed out gifts to everyone tonight. Like a goodbye present. I thought that it was very sweet and kinda felt badly that something of that nature had never crossed my mind. I wish that I was a bit less self-centered!
Anyway, wow, it is late and I really don't have much to write because my brain has gone blank. I did have a nice evening, however, and I thought I should write that while it was on my mind.
Oh, yeah, also reminiscent of yesteryear, Jessica and Hannah are at the table doing homework very loudly and obnoxiously. They both have headphones on, listening to different music (very loudly) and shouting to hear each other. It is really special! Oh, how I miss those louder days! :)
This is turning out to be a random post - how fun!
Oh, yeah, Bill told me at breakfast that he wanted to talk with Joy and I after church. Thankfully he forgot. I don't know what he wanted to say, but let me just say that he hasn't had much pleasant to say to either of us recently, so I wasn't sad to miss that meeting.
Courtney and her boyfriend, Andrew, were here this week (they just left today). It was great to see them and nice to meet Andrew finally. He's great and they seem really happy. I'm happy for them. I secretly (oops, not a secret anymore) wish they would come up here. But, oh well.
You know, I've had three days off now and I haven't done any school work yet and its not looking good for tomorrow either. Too bad. the next couple weeks are gonna be major! But then I get a real break between semesters, so I'm happy. Bring it on!
Well, nothing terribly interesting tonight, but it is a good random news bit. Must go to bed, so goodnight.

It's Almost Turkey Day... A Break!

I've been trying to put up a pic that sorta goes with the text, but today I couldn't think of anything that would go with what I've been thinking about so I just put a pic of me. Enjoy... at least don't puke (if you can help it)... :)

Well, it's the day before Thanksgiving and I've been mulling over what it is that I'm particularly thankful for. There are a number of things but probably the most recurring one is that I get to go home for a few extra days! This school thing is taking a lot longer to get comfortable with than I expected. I mean, school is fine (although I'm ready to be done with homework) but the days are long and boring due to a lack of friends. I'm not good at making friends. One reason is that I'm terribly afraid of attempting to be friends with the wrong people because I know how easily I'm swayed by the opinions of others when I care about what they think. Another is that part of being friends is having common ground and I haven't found anyone that I feel I have much common ground with. I dress different, I don't live on the campus, I don't do any extra-curricular activities at the school and I don't eat at the cafeteria. I end up feeling very separate and alone. There are plenty of people with which I can share mutual recognition and meaningless pleasantries, but I can't call any of them friends. Anyway, all that amounts to me very much looking forward to going home for a four day weekend! For which I am infinitely thankful.
On a slightly different note, I've been slightly irritated because my least favorite class has been discussing something all week that I really need help with. Anthropology (the study of humanity) is usually a frivolous and secularized pile of crap. This week, however, we have been discussing the social constructs of race and class. Like most of the topics that this book covers, it assumes that there is little we can do about the problem and simply approaches the subject by stating that there is a problem and documenting its specifics. (I think this is mainly why I have hated the class). Anyway, we have been discussing how ingrained race and class segmentation is in our culture. And I like to think of myself as free of prejudices in this area. However, the discussion has been showing me just how bound by prejudice I am. Prejudice is a weird thing, it is usually based on observable facts, which are true but are caused by avoidable circumstances. Hence when I hold a view or expectation about a particular race or class, it is likely based on true observations. However, the problem with it is that it ignores the causes of the behavior. Anyway, at the same time that we have been learning these things in Anthropology, I have heard two openings on humility to love everyone as yourself as Jesus did. I felt so convicted. Because I realize that I may not be violent toward certain groups I definitely feel that I am better than them (and conversely, that there are groups that are better than me). I think the reason that Jesus was able to love everyone (and always knew just how to express that love) was because he could look past the history and circumstances and see the causes and uncontrollable factors that lead up to them. Anyway, I am hoping that I can get better at doing this in the future.
I guess that sort of ties together (I didn't even plan that). But today's ramblings: no friends and don't hold prejudices probably could work together to cancel each other out. I guess the one aspect that I don't know how to weigh in to the equation yet is the part about being in the world but not of it. As usual, this aspect seems contradictory with not having any prejudices.
Well, I'm ready for a break and when we get back from Turkey Day, it will be a fast-paced last hurrah for the semester. So, till later. Enjoy turkey and be thankful, but also consider your actions and opinions toward others. Hmmm... sounds like I'm preaching... I guess I'm the minister and the congregation. Whatever, this was a good way to organize my thoughts. Bye for now.

Wacky Science... at work or play?

The guys from EepyBird are back, with 251 bottles of Diet Coke and over 1,500 Mentos mints. In Experiment #137, they did a mint-powered version of the Bellagio fountains. This time, it's one giant Coke & Mentos chain reaction that has to be seen to be believed. Amazing! These guys have WAY too much time on their hands... or is their "play" also their "work?" That distinction is only confused when one can enjoy their job. I have a number of jobs (the primary one, of course, being school) at this point in my life and none of them are quite so entertaining although they can be equally as sticky and are all at least as time consuming. Well, really just thought this was an interesting vid and that I would join the masses (something I'm doing more of now a days) and post it on my blog. Another thing that I joined the masses in today was voting. This was my first time doing my civic duty. I was all gung-ho to vote the moment I turned 18 (there were elections the next fall) but didn't realize in time that I had to register to do so. I have since taken care of this formality and was able to cast a ballot in favor of... oh, never mind its not that interesting. I actually felt a little weird voting because, while there are people that I think would do better than others, who is really going to be able to fix all the trouble that humans have gotten themselves into and do we really want people to try? Also, they all want to win so badly that it is said to know that, no matter what you do, you're going to make some people depressed. The usual campaign mudslinging has been interesting and childish and frankly I guess that all any of us can hope for is that the raping of our environment and the ever expanding thoughtlessness for our neighbors won't make the whole of this planet give up on supporting life while we are still trying to live it. I guess it is a bit said that it seems impossible for humans to live anywhere without totally messing it up and taking as much as they can for themselves regardless of how in need others are and yet I, too, enjoy the pleasure of modern existence that is the result of this lifestyle. Anyway, it seems more and more obvious to me that the current human tendencies and foibles won't be able to continue indefinitely and that there is little we can do to mitigate the calamity that we are setting ourselves up for, so I just hope it doesn't come too soon... whatever that means. Wow... sorry to get sooooo depressing..... just what happens to me when I think about the bogus prattling of politicians about what good they can do... and all we see is bad... oh well. On the whole I actually had a fine day. I haven't gotten much of my homework done yet and I had to pay about 12 times more than it was worth for a piece of computer hardware this morning... but otherwise life is still good. The vid at the top did cheer me a bit... what a sticky mess! Anyway, must go get some work done... but as Christopher Durang most aptly pointed out, the key to life is to: "always breathe" (of course that assumes that there is still air that won't kill you to breathe but it is a pretty basic key to life). Wow, I can't manage to stay positive at all today... I guess it's time to apply the old adage: "if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all" and just stop trying. Goodnight (is it a "good" night?) Whoops, sorry... bye.

Scream from a passing whirlwind

Hi again, although by now I'm sure I have lost any regular readers I had accumulated and if you are new here... probably its a waste of your time.


As always, I find my life to be like a whirlwind... at least right now I once again feel like I'm in the center of it and not flinging helplessly about the edges. I'm back in school. This time at UAF in Fairbanks. It is hard to be away from home all the time and kind of fun to go back and be treated like a celebrity by the simple nature that so many people miss you and want to talk. Of course, I do end up feeling like I'm repeating myself over and over and not saying much that's important or even very informative. One thing that blogging helps me with is formulating my thoughts. I don't do that unless I have to and usually I'm too busy to make it a priority.
Well, let's see... too much happened to write about any of it. But what is happening now is a lot of tedious homework intermingled with some very boring classes and a few that have potential to be interesting if I pay attention. I have some acquaintances at school, but so far have not really met anyone that I have really "clicked" with and so no friends. Otherwise school is fine but not excellent.

Oh, one piece of my recent history that I really should report on... in the eon's (sp?) since my last post, I purchased a new computer (which I am writing to you on now). It is a 15" MacBook Pro. I'm definitely lovin' it! I do need to get it more RAM and a bigger hard drive... but I just finished paying it off and I need to recover from spending so much on it. It was worth it. Originally I had wanted the iMac but with going to school and travelling between Fairbanks and Delta every week, etc, I'm very glad I got a notebook. I take it everywhere and do all sorts of things with it. My favorite, of course, chatting with people during class (sorry to confess, but it does ease the boredom)...

Well, speaking of the whirlwind... another gust is picking up... I think I'm gonna have to go because I have more homework to do (always) and I need to go shopping too. So, I will try to write a bit more consistently, but no promises. Good luck to you all (whoever you are), may the wind be always at your back.