Some Kind Of Wonderful

Ah, Shakespeare! He is "twice blessed" as he who gives words and he who receives interpretation. There's something wonderful about the fact that good ole Billy's words can be placed in almost any context and still work!

The original context was Hamlet's "Alas, poor Yorick!" speech where he holds that infamous skull and contemplates the passage of time and life. Deep, huh?

For more amazing post-its by Doug Savage see: http://www.savagechickens.com/blog/index.html

Seeking A Verdict

Moussaui is supposed to be sentenced this morning in...is it Mississippi or Missouri?. I still don't quite understand who thought it was a good idea to make the death penalty an option for a man who, whether he intended to or not, never actually killed anyone. I feel like any sense of mercy our country might have has been thrown to the wayside in exchange for a sense of vengeance which cannot be taken out on the real criminals who committed suicide in the process. 9/11 was a horrible tragedy, and I, as much as any one else in this country, was severely affected, but that doesn't mean that we are going to feel any better by killing someone who knew about the terrorism plans ahead of time. If it was anyone else, they would be tried as an accomplice to murder which never warrants the death penalty.

Sidenote: The only reason this man is openly coming clean with everything is that under the strict sect of Islam which he follows the greatest glory in life is death as a martyr for one's faith. Since he couldn't participate in 9/11 and wants to die as a martyr, it is not punishment to kill him. To this man, death is a reward for his trials.

Stuff You Should Relish

I got a new journal this week! It's colorful, lined, leather, smelly (in a good way), fat with tons of pages, and small enough to carry in a purse. For those people out there who understand the journal as an accessory to life, join me in my reverie! A new journal is like buying a brand new book you've been waiting forever to read and cracking the cover to find the faint smell of library wafting upward--a dream come true!

By the way, the ocean was amazing this morning. My first class was too late to see the sunrise this morning, but, oh, that amazing blue! I tell you, when the kelp trimmers make their way out onto the water, I don't know if my excitement will be containable!

Some Protest!

This whole Mexican-American protest thing in LA is starting to bother me. I have nothing against people of a different race; I go to an predominantly white school, but I grew up around people of every nationality. This sound so cliche, I know, but my best friends growing up really weren't white.

I'm from LA, and I understand the whole Mexican-heritage population is extremely high. I also understand that those who truly care about alien immigration from Mexico want it to be allowed so that people can have a better income and education. Here, then, is the question: Why, if you want to fight for those who want the education you have, would you protest by skipping school and denying yourself the very thing you desire for others? Question #2: If you want to become a U.S. citizen or get a green card, why would you protest by waving a Mexican flag?

Solidarity of race can be comforting, but it isn't one of the things on the U.S.'s top 40's list of points of argument. We are one of the biggest melting pots in the world. Part of that, like it or not, is that our country encourages assimilation to our culture rather than maintaining separatism. Maintaining an ethnic connection is not a problem for Americans, but it will most likely not win votes with those who are not part of that ethnic group. Approach the world as a citizen of it, and you're bound to get a lot farther on the path to what you want.

So Busted!

I can make all the excuses in the world for why I am late for a meeting--one of my paranoias--why I forget an appointment, or, today, didn't do an assignment, but the bottom line is that I'm irresponsible. I hate admitting it because it makes me feel even more guilty. In fact most of my friends would say I'm over-committed, over-involved, and over-whelmed with all the responsibilities I carry. Unfortunately, there are days like today when I still feel like a slacker! After completely missing the reading for my American Writers class this morning, however, I wonder if I feel guilty because I didn't do it or because I didn't get caught...

...interesting...deep...

...not really. I feel guilty whether I'm caught or not, so maybe the fact that I was called on it just embarrassed me more than anything. My friend Francis says I need to wake up every morning, look in the mirror and yell, "I'm beautiful!" at the top of my lungs. More often than not, I look in the mirror and say "Don't screw up. People are watching."

SMT "Bootcamp"

I just spent a long-but-wonderful weekend with all my Called Out and Pro-V peoples. There's something absolutely amazing about seeing a group of my peers that are so committed to the ministry. I can already tell that this summer is not going to be a particularly easy one as the first thing to weaken will be fatigue--to which I am very susceptible--but somehow I can also tell that those eight people in the band with me are going to be a great encouragement and constant example of Christ. Yes, they're all human, and so am I--I promise--but they are humans who have committed themselves to something greater than themselves. What a blessing! I used the word "blessing" more times this weekend than I have in weeks, but I meant it every single time!

On a little different note, Jon and Doug are pretty much going to keep me smiling the entire summer. I have no idea why but everytime they say something--no matter how perverse the context--I can't help but smile at their originality.

Absolutely amazing artwork!

Okay, so I don't think I'm a cynic, but I have to say that I just about fell out of my chair laughing at this one. There's something wonderfully amusing about the light-hearted tone of this piece.

For more amazing artwork from Doug Savage, see the following site: http://www.savagechickens.com/blog/index.html

Ah, Adventures!

This last week was definitely an adventure in every possible meaning of the word. I've seen things, heard things, dealt with things, studied things, read things, laughed at things, wanted to cry at things, and danced around things for no apparent reason. Maybe I'll figure stuff out someday, but right now I'm just dealing with the cowpie-sized pile of little "things" that keep popping up out of nowhere.

Good news--practice with Called Out last night started out kind of intense because we couldn't set up where we normally do and the monitors weren't consistently responding, but Jason and Josh got it figured out and we managed to run a whole worship set in 2 hours--amazing for us! This summer is going to be an adventure too...and I mean that in the most positive sense of the word.