On Church Hopping, Public Schools and the First Day of Lab

Part the First:

This whole finding a church thing is a real drag. I know that we should be able to worship with the Christian family no matter the setting, denomination, age, music type, or whatever, but there are just some things that are a total turn off in a church. Like the time the guy next to me put his head on my shoulder during service, or the greeters that accosted me to fill out an address card before I was ten feet inside the door. And let's not even start in on theological differences.

So I did something unexpected. Three weeks ago, I went to a UB church. Crazy, right? After my senior year why in heaven's name would I put myself through that again? But it was okay, so I went back the next week. I even went to Sunday School. They don't really have a class for my age/marital status so I went to the "young marrieds" class (that's code for "just under middle age with kids"), and aside from the fact that they're in the middle of a series about raising children (cue eye rolling), it was pretty good. So yesterday I went back again. As luck would have it after sercive there was a carry-in dinner. (I brought angel food cake with blueberries.) After dinner I got to talk to Pastor Dan and his wife. They asked me who my professors were at Huntington. So in an effort to be polite and not incite any riots, I told them about Drs. N, B (mine, not yours' Joni), and M. We had a nice little chat about professors inspiring their students and then Pastor Dan asked me about any other professors I had. Deciding that now was better than later, I mentioned how much I enjoyed my philosophy, exodus, and religions classes and that professor. Pastor Dan immediately entered with what a horrible thing had happened last year, and how he didn't see how open theism and Armenianism are all that different. Also, Pastor Dan is apparently friends with a certain bible professor that I took Hebrew from, and that we all think is a neatest thing since sliced bread. Moral of the story: sometimes people surprise you, and you should totally let them. The good news: I think I may have found a church, we'll see how the next few weeks go.

Part the Second:

Last week I realized something really strange. I went from hanging out with a bunch of fun democrats at HC to working with a bunch of fun republicans at Purdue. Isn't it funny how that works? It really feels like it should be the other way around. It's also amusing to think about that fact that many of the republicans at HC have more in common politically with my coworkers than they do with the HC democrat contingent, despite a vast difference in worldview, lifestyle, type of education, etc.

Part the Third:

Today is the first lab of the semester for me. The first one was a 7:30 in the stinkin' morning. I don't know whose idea that was, but I'd really like the give them a piece of my mind. It actually went surprisingly well. I didn't have to teach anyone how to use a ruler, nothing broke, and no one bled. Definitely a sucessful lab. Unfortunately, it did take them almost the entire lab period to do a lab on measurements. I know I've probably forgotten alot about what it was like to be a freshman, but I really feel like three hours was an unreasonable amount of time for that lab to take. My next lab starts in about half an hour. Two labs on Monday mornings, yech! But at least they're done for the week after that!

Update:
I just got back from my second lab. I taught a junior pharmacy major and two freshmen how to read a ruler. It's official, I'm signing up for the first space shuttle to Mars I can find, and I'm only letting people who pass a minimum intelligence test come. This is ridiculous.

Anyway, that's all I've got to say right now. :-)

Is God mad at America? Black America?

Don't look at me. I didn't say it. Neither did Pat Robertson. Mayor Ralph Nagin (New Orleans) did. Highlights:

"Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country," Nagin, who is black, said as he and other city leaders marked Martin Luther King Day.

"Surely he doesn't approve of us being in Iraq under false pretenses. But surely he is upset at black America also. We're not taking care of ourselves."

"It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to rebuild New Orleans--the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans," the mayor said. "This city will be a majority African American city. It's the way God wants it to be. You can't have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn't be New Orleans."

I am not at all convinced that Mr. Nagin's theology is sound. In fact, I'm almost sure it's not. And I doubt that the race of the majority of its inhabitants is the only factor that defines the character of a city (although I'm sure it contributes). Claiming a divine mandate for a particular race to populate a particular geographical region is rather dubious as well, but lets be honest: several other races have made similar claims at various times in history. But in the same speech the mayor did go on to address the serious problem of "black on black" crime, pointing out that, clearly, this was a problem that can only be solved by black people. So hopefully Mr. Nagin's wild assertions about God's judgment won't overshadow this useful observation. And maybe we can get a little closer to the dream this year, who knows? Happy MLK Day.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/16/D8F61AV80.html

Amusing

Well, I got it: Chris Rice's latest album, "Amusing." Love it. I wondered what you guys thought of it, or if you've heard it yet. If not, I recommend it. Good variety, which is what I appreciate in his music--I can laugh, cry, dream, philosophize, dance, and pray all in the same album, which is very handy. Some days track 5, "The Final Move," is my favorite, so I'll share the lyrics in the chorus, because I think y'all may enjoy them as well:

"It was love that set our fragile planet rolling
Tilting at our perfect twenty-three
Molecules and men infused with holy
Finding our way around the galaxy
And Paradise has up and flown away for now
But hope still breathes and truth is always true
And just when we think it's almost over
Love has the final move"

The end. :)

The Simple Life

After reading a recent edition of the Huntingtonian forwarded to me by Adam Davis, I want to say kudos to our HC/U Page Six friends Brett and Bryce for setting an example and to thank my husband who is ever trying to teach me the ways of thriftiness and frugality for conservation's sake. I may never be able to make it through the day without my hot shower, but I'm inspired by what these guys are doing.

Working full-time for a gas company for the past two weeks has been interesting. Lots of people call to complain about their bills. They keep their thermostat set at 75 all the time and their bill shouldn't be this high!!!!

Granted, it is nice to be able to wear a t-shirt in your house in the middle of winter when it is bitter cold outside. Is that something we really need to be able to do though??? Nobody seems to realize that being able to heat your home at all, much less heat it to 75 all the time, is a luxury. People act like they've got some kind of undeniable right to dirt-cheap natural gas, some kind of right to be totally comfortable all the time with a minimum effort on their part. The mindless consumption is incredible.

Let it burn.

For the love of God and the amazing creation we live in [and frequently exploit], dial down the thermostat this winter and put on a sweater!