Purity and Danger By Mary Douglas - aka totally awesome social anthropologist with feminist undertones and a knack for religion.

I can't even convey how excited my inner geek was when I was able to find this book and read it. So excited that I am now writing a paper about it. A paper which I am stoked for but fear that I may run out of time to do what I want with it.

hmmm...

Perhaps I should get off here and pay more attention to Mary...

Skakes

I think a lot of things in my life have finally started to come in to focus for better or worse.

Things that are causing me much anxiety.
Things that I thought I was ready for...
but as it turned out...
I was not.
Things that I have had a longing for in my heart...
Prayers that are finally beginning to be answered.
Prayers that seemingly go ignored.
Things that have caused me to grow personally in accelerated ways.
Things that have made me realize the lies I have come to believe.

Yet in the midst of these things God is faithful and has provided people that have immeasurably enriched my life. People that have truly listened, accepted me, and not offered quick fixes, but enough love to tied me over until a time when a solution could be found. People that have lifted me up and dusted me off and sent me back on my way. People that have allowed me the ability to believe in myself again and believe in the dreams God has placed in my heart. People that have allowed me to become the truest version of myself...the version I know God has always seen but that I have not fully embraced up until this moment.

"The Road goes ever on down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the road has gone , and i must follow, if i can, pursuing with eager feet, until it joins some larger way." - Tolkien

Needless to say...I have a lot going on. I am immeasurably excited for summer and all it entails. Mainly rest.

Skakes

Then he was told, "Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by." A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn't to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn't in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn't in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.
-1 Kings 19:11-12

"I grew up on a farm. We learned that there was a season to plant, a season to water, and a season to harvest. The plating and watering could be laborious, but without those stages, there would never be a harvest"
-John Wooden, UCLA coaching legend.

God has always acted in the stillness and quietness of my life.

Moments when I least expected it...
Moments when I least deserved it...

Yet God has always been faithful. I have known this to be inexplicably true in my life.

Why then am I so surprised to hear God's still small voice...
Why then do I choose to doubt His timing...

These things I will never know...

These things I will never understand...

However what I will forever be thankful for is that God continues to meet me.

Meet me exactly where I am...
Meet me when I have nothing to show...

He extends His hand in grace and peace lightly laughing and smiling saying...

"You still don't understand...I love you. Nothing can take that way. It's not yours to earn, it's not yours to buy, it's mine to give and I choose to give it freely. You are my child. Fearfully and wonderfully made. I knew you before the beginning of time. Trust and know that you will never be outside of my grace...never outside of my peace. I love you"

Skakes

Holy Sonnet

John Donne
Holy Sonnet X:

Death, be not proud, though some have callèd thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which yet thy pictures be,
Much pleasure, then from thee much more, must low
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings and desperate men
And dost with poison, war and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then ?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.

My deep love for John Donne's Holy Sonnet's was born in my 1st year English class. There is a beauty in the way he describes the deepest fears of the human soul and yet at the same time is able to bring light out of the darkness of these same fears. My love for this poem in particular occured when I watched the film addapted play "Wit". In the play a Donne Scholar is diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer and chooses to treat it quite intensely. This poem echos throughout her journey in the film and creates some very personal haunting moments. I can hear the last two lines ringing in my ears as clear as ever today.

One short sleep past,
we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more;
death,
thou
shalt
die.

Skakes

There is a part of me that loves the cool dampened early morning in the heart of winter. It’s a silence I can’t get enough of. I think it’s a silence created by the harsh cold darkness that keeps most of the world in their beds at 7am. At least all those that don't have to catch a bus in order to get to their first destination of the day. As I lay in my bed I always dread getting up in the winter. Usually the heater hasn’t kicked in yet so getting up isn’t the most pleasant first experience of the day…but once I get all bundled up and start my walk (who am I kidding…sprint) to the bus stop a few blocks from my house, I enter the presence of God in a way few others seasons or places do.

In the midst of the dark silence of the morning I can see every glistening snowflake under the street lights guiding me to my bus stop. I can feel the ground giving way under ever stride and I can see every step I have taken to get there. Every time I take in deep breath I can feel it hitting my lungs leaving a lingering burning feeling. Once my full sprint comes to a stop and I am left standing there waiting for my bus the world seems to pause in absolute silence. It is then I am left to wait. Wait for the bus I know inevitably will becoming around the corner breaking what is likely to be the only complete silence of my day in the process.

In moments of waiting like this the silence is almost deafening. I think it has to do with the realization that even in the solitary moment of that morning God’s presence envelopes every breath I take in and every thought I have. It’s the deep connectedness in knowing a presence outside yourself so immense that you are left with a great feeling of unease. Unease at what that presence might do or not do in that very moment. Spiritually I see the seasons in my life in a similar way. When the presence of God is close at hand and speaking into my life I long for the times when He was silent. When God chooses to be silent I miss the great feeling of being fully and completely known in that instant.

Usually I do not stopped to ponder the spiritual seasons of my life…but last spring I could not help but feel, for the first time in a long time, that I was finally entering a good and fruitful season. Part of it was the switching of my major, part of it was finally feeling a deep seeded grounding in my call, and part of it was feeling at peace with my place within my relationships with others. In fact, I remember telling a friend that I felt like I had just come out of a season where I was spiritually in the desert and now was finally in the Promised Land. With that thought solidified within my mind I thought I had reached a place of spiritual “maturity”. A place where God would keep leading me towards better relationships with others, a better understanding of the world around me, and of my role within it. A part me also started to feel the vulnerability of life slipping way. Because for some reason at that time God being with me and for me meant that nothing could touch me. A though I comfortably rested in until I found it to be disastrously untrue.

I don't know what it is…perhaps it’s my “Jonah” or “Martha” nature…whatever it is I have found that God seems to create the greatest change in my life when I “feel” I have the greatest control. For me control is a central theme in life…and God often acts to remind me of my inability to control my life and its path to the degree I would like. I think a big part of it for me is vulnerability.

The word vulnerable comes from the Latin word for "wound"...meaning literally, woundable. Being vulnerable is not something I like be. I can give others a taste of vulnerability but being totally and utterly vulnerable is something that scares me a lot. It’s something that I am learning to live with and live in. Embracing the vulnerability of life and faith that walking with God brings. A vulnerability that can cause personal pain and strife…but none the less a vulnerability that can bring the very presence of God into the wounded lives of others and in doing so, also bringing peace for yourself. I am starting to see that vulnerability does not rest on my ability to be honest with others but to be true to the person I was created. A person with all the gifts and blessings, fears and trappings, experiences and inexperience’s God has created me with. Because to act in any other way would defy and negate what God had created and loved from before my birth. Choosing vulnerability is choosing to walk humbly with God relying in His ultimate grace and mercy. Trusting that in that venerability God will find and embrace me, claim and up hold me, until the day I see him face to face.

Skakes

Hand In My Pocket - Alanis Morissette

I'm broke but I'm happy
I'm poor but I'm kind
I'm short but I'm healthy, yeah
I'm high but I'm grounded
I'm sane but I'm overwhelmed
I'm lost but I'm hopeful baby

What it all comes down to
Is that everything's gonna be fine fine fine
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving a high five

I feel drunk but I'm sober
I'm young and I'm underpaid
I'm tired but I'm working, yeah
I care but I'm worthless
I'm here but I'm really gone
I'm wrong and I'm sorry baby

What it all comes down to
Is that everything's gonna be quite alright
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving the peace sign

I'm free but I'm focused
I'm green but I'm wise
I'm shy but I'm friendly baby
I'm sad but I'm laughing
I'm brave but I'm chicken s***
I'm sick but I'm pretty baby

And what it all boils down to
Is that no one's really got it figured out just yet
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is playing the piano

What it all comes down to my friends
Is that everything's just fine fine fine
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is hailing a taxicab

"Faith is about being prepared to put one's trust in the promises of God, and the integrity and faithfulness of the God who made those promises. Faith is only as strong as the one in whom we believe and trust. The efficacy of faith does not rest upon the intensity with which we believe, but in the reliability of the one in whom we believe. It is not the greatness of our faith, but the greatness of our God, which counts".

-Anglican Theologian Alister McGrath presenting Martin Luther's convictions.

Skakes

The book above has been speaking to me in a way few do. It’s been quite a while since I have read a book that spoke to where I was in my life in the very moments that I was reading it. A lot of my realizations have been around relationships and the reality of being in genuine relationships. Genuine relationships within humanity are a double edged sword. Being genuine or real is hard in a world that would tell us to be otherwise. Being real is hard when we show our vulnerability and it gets thrown back in our faces. Being real is hard when we deeply and truly care about the person on the other end of that relationship…sometimes so much so that our mind is clouded and we do more harm then good. But I have found that in being real within humanity one can catch glimpses of grace and holiness in the everyday occurrences of peoples lives. In the ups and the downs, in the here there’s and in betweens God makes his presence shown. Its from these little glimpses even in the midst of the most tragic or joyous times that I know there is hope because I catch a glimpse of God in that person and in that moment I know that God is still at work making and molding his creation from a sick and hurting world into one based in love and reconciliation.

Have you ever experienced one of those moments where you inexplicitly know your life and your view of the world will never be the same again? Those moments have become a regular commodity in my life as of late. It seems with every passing day the realization of the reality surrounding my existence grows further and further from the ideologies of the childhood. But it is not only my environment or world that is so drastically changing…it is also the people I have learned to love and trust. It’s not only those people but also the few individuals who have been pivotal in the foundation of my life and faith. Upon discussing this with one such trusted individual they reassured me it was all a part of “growing up” and that I had hit the nail on the head so to say with my thoughts.

While I always knew the people surrounding me were not static...I some how deep down believed that a select few would remain steadfast in the role and influence they had come to have in my life. However, after a few conversations with those individuals I began to see another side of them I had missed before. I guess in a way I started to see the humanity within all those I deeply loved.

Even though my change of view stems from watching them act in ways that surprised me I would not call this realization their fall from grace. I think it is more my own maturation of views, ideologies, and understanding of the world around me. I became very aware I was no longer content to allow individual X to tell me what to think or individual Y to tell me how I was to feel. The hardest part has been to see that it was not them that had changed for better or worse…it was in fact me. Suddenly wisdom once imparted by valued elders became suspect. Not that I have come to throw out all that I have held dear…but I have started to carefully weigh out ever decision, every piece of information and advice before I come to a conclusion.

I have come to realize the humanity that is in all of us. The humanity I always knew was there but a part of me wanted those trusted guardians of my faith to be above all of that. Those that love me worked hard to raise these individuals onto high pedestals through out my youth and adolescence. Pedestals, I believe, they wish I would also one day strive to attain. Now looking back on it I can only see it has manufactured the false sense of perfection of faith in my life. The notion that I would never and could never measure up to those highly regarded faith filled individuals in my life encompassed my every thought. Failure became my only option and as one that has often strived to put for the best effort knowing this fate was worse then anything I could imagine. But through this “failure” I have never felt closer to God or more alive.

Allowing those trusted individuals in my life to fail or fall down has allowed myself the ability to let my own personal failure to occur. It has allowed me the ability:
- to find forgiveness for being human
- to not be perfect
- to not have all the answers
- to not be wise beyond my years and let my inexperience in life show through
- to be humble
- to allow for the embrace of failure as a real process of life and faith
- and finally the hope to find God in the midst of it all.

Skakes

“This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more them words, and give me the spirit of Jesus. Amen”
-Anglican Prayer Book

God Is Good.

Psalm 139

O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

What else is there to say really...God is good. He knows me better then I know myself. He knows what I need even before I can know to ask for it. He has provided for me in ways I never dreamed possible. This trip to Edmonton was just what I needed.

God Is Good.

Skakes

where has my summer gone?

Life seems to be moving at a break neck pace for me lately. I find myself asking on a semi daily basis “Where did summer go?” I have yet to really find a whole lot of answers to that question. However, I do know that my religious studies seminar in North American Religions will be over next week (one paper and a final exam left!) and before I know it I will be off to Olds to once again coach at NBC camps (for the majority of Aug). Between finishing my class and going to Olds I will have a quick visit with some epic friends from Edmonton (Maia and Irene), get caught up with a few friends here, take a fast trip northward to Edmonton, and then possibly get some reading done. I have managed to accumulate a vast library of books this summer. I’m a sucker when it comes to bargain sales at chapters and dove. As of right now my stack of unread books stand 35 high (not counting books or reading material people have given me on loan). While I have accumulated the majority of these books over the last year and a half it is still quite the number of books for one to have in their unread possession. I think I will try to pick a top five and stick with it. So I am counting on you the reader to keep me accountable!

1. Father Joe – Toney Hendra
2. The Weight of Glory – C.S. Lewis
3. Who Can You Trust? – Howard E. Butt, Jr.
4. The Irresistible Revolution – Shane Claiborne
5. Lamb – Christopher Moore

Skakes – Found this on a blog I was reading that a friend sent me. I really enjoyed it so I wanted to pass it on.

“Though it comes from the section of the Anglican Prayer Book for use by someone who is sick, it is a great prayer for anyone, anytime.


This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.”

“God’s invitation to live out or individual vocations is part of what makes the world so marvelously rich. “How gloriously different are the saints” wrote C.S. Lewis. The problem comes when we begin to believe that we have to be someone else to be holy. We use someone else’s ways to heaven when God has already planted in our soul all the directions we need. In that way, we ignore or own call to sanctity. When admirers used to visit Calcutta to see Mother Teresa, she would tell them “find your own Calcutta”. In other words, bloom where you are planted. Discover sanctity in your own life.”

Excerpt from Becoming Who You Are – Insights on the true self from Thomas Merton and other saints. By James Martine, SJ.

Skakes

All in all the trip up and back was great. I really enjoyed getting to see friends but most importantly have some great conversations with people I deeply care about. I think that is one of the things that I have really come to miss in the last year. Not that I do not have people here in town to have such epic conversations with...I just miss being able to talk so deeply with the people that have moved away. There is just something about talking to people over the phone that makes deep conversations hard for me to carry out. I think it’s the lack of physical interaction. You only have the voice to listen to when your conversations are entirely over the phone. When you can meet and talk in person you can read so much more into the person’s thoughts and feelings. Its harder for them to mask what they are really feeling or thinking...its also easier to see how much they truly do care about you and how much they are enjoying your presence. Due to these factors I think I will be making a few more roadtrips this summer to reconnect with people I love and care greatly about.

On another note God and I have been having an Epic month. Started out kind of rocky but God has moved me into a space that has allowed me to realize who He has truly made me to be. I won’t really be saying too much more about it as it is still an open dialogue between God and I…just know that if I haven’t been around much this summer…it is not because I don't like you or I am avoiding you…the truth is quite the contrary. I have just needed my space to figure things out between God and I. The quote below is something that I have come to realize is of paramount importance in my walk with God. It’s taken me a long time to get to this point…and being human I will probably find myself back in a space some point soon again where I will need to trust God inexplicitly but will find it difficult to do. But tonight I can say that nothing has been more joyous about the journey of the past month then God giving me the faith and trust of a child in there parent that all will be well no matter how dark the road ahead looks.

“Faith is risking what is for what is yet to be. It is taking small steps knowing they lead to bigger ones. Faith is holding on when you want to let go. It is letting go when you want to hold on. Faith is saying yes then everything else says no. it is believing all things are possible in the midst of impossibilities. Faith is looking beyond what is and trusting for what will be it is the presence of light in darkness, the presence of God in all.”
-Ellen. M. Cuorno

Skakes

a much needed break...

This weekend I will be in Edmonton and Calgary doing some much needed catching up with friends. I am stoked. The below quote is something I have really been trying to internalize. It has been helping in some matters at least. Give you an update when I return!

Skakes

"A mature person is one who does not think only in absolutes, who is able to be objective even when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is both good and bad in all people and in all things, and who walks humbly and deals charitably with the circumstances of life, knowing that in this world no one is all knowing and therefore all of us need both love and charity."
-Eleanor Roosevelt

So Mick tagged me to do this little blog. Seeing as I haven't done one in a while it will be a good excuse to do one. So here it goes...

1. Link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post these rules on your blog.
3. Share six unimportant things about yourself.
4. Tag random people at the end of your entry

6 "unimportant" things about my life:

1. I really dislike my middle name. Not that it's a horrible name...Elaine...I just can't stand it.

2. While appearing to be an extrovert I am in fact, at times, a thriving introvert that would love nothing more then to have an island to myself for a week.

3. I hate crying in public...I think its the Scandinavian Lutheran in me. So I often won't go see sad movies with people due to this. The last movie to almost make me cry was "Wit" a prize winning play adapted for film.

4. I have always secretly wanted to so some act of rebellion against my parents. Too bad my conscience is hyperactive and thus I feel guilt for the smallest things. My parents could attest to the fact that I never really did rebel. I was only grounded once in my life for a period of 5 min when i was 4 years old. The memory still haunts me to this day. I guess I can kiss my wish for even quiet rebellion good bye.

5. I have always had a longing to play the Cello. I love the sound of the instrument. It has the ability to evoke emotions other instruments cant come close to.

6. I have a fond love for awkward, strange, or out of the blue movies..some of my favorites are: Lars and the real girl, The royal tannenbalms, and Lady in the water.

I tag the following people to do this...in alphabetical order: Andrew, Dee, Evie, Lee, Luc, MA, Melanie, and Melinda.

Skakes

I love iTunes for rad EP's!

Jon Forman
Fall EP

Winter EP Spring EPFront man of Switchfoot had released 3 amazing EP's which I found on iTunes. They are not anything like switchfoot’s last few albums. It is really subtle in its production often going for a less is more approach on the tracks. Through his lyrics and acoustic sound Jon creates a lingering sensation of intense intimacy with God. A lot of the tracks feel more like your listening to a prayer then to as song…which at times can be intensely refreshing when compared with other Christian EP’s. I am really glad he put out the 3 EP’s…with the last Switchfoot disk I had lost hope in the band coming back with anything worth listening to as a lot of the lyric on that disk were an awkward attempt at a crossover. They were not religious enough to get air play on Christian stations, yet still vaguely religious enough to avoid play on secular stations. These EP’s hearken back to the first Switchfoot CD and in my mind do a much better job then it did in conveying meaning through lyrics. If you have iTunes look Jon Foreman up and take a listen. If not here is a link - http://jonforeman.com/ - click the album you want to check out and then at the bottom of the page there is a play bar. It will let you listen to a sample of each song.

So good...
Skakes

all...most...there...

It snowed today...which ruined my 2 week run of wearing shorts. However, at least the end of term is in striking distance. I only had 3 classes this term which made my academic load lighter then usual. My intro to Christianity course rocked which I attribute solely to the professor. If it wasn’t for him it would have been quite tempting to skip the class as most of the info was in the text. Surprisingly for a survey course a lot of the presented material seemed to find its way back to Martin Luther (or at least the professor found ways for it to do so). This made my life a lot easier as I pretty much had the Lutheran thing down pat before class even began. I finished my final for the class last week so I have been missing it as of lately when doing some of my other readings.

My other two classes are still going. Hinduism was a more challenging course then I had bargained for. It’s a lot of terminology memorization which I normally would not mind it’s just that it’s all in Sanskrit and Hindi. While the terminology was less then easy the course had a redeeming quality...once again another great professor. He was pretty open minded when it came to writing our term papers so I was able to pursue the Hindu diaspora in western Canada over the last 100 years. My final for the class is on the 17th so that is next on my radar.

The final class I had for the term was the critical study of religions. It was based solely on writing assignments and analysis which I really enjoyed. It was a very open class in that as long as it was approached in a scholarly method you could choose to do your assignments and final research project on a verity of topics. My final project for the class is on the Latter Day Saints 1978 revelation in regards to the acceptance of African Americans males into the Melchizedek priesthood and the possible influence of the civil rights culture of the era. So far the research is going well and I am excited that the paper is starting to pull together (which is good as it is due on the 23rd and is my last dead line!). While my paper has yet to be written its abstract was accepted to the annual University of Lethbridge religious studies conference in May. So I am looking forward to that.

Now that school is almost done for the term I will be blogging more often.

Skakes

So I almost can't believe how long it has taken me to put this up here. It's been sitting on my computer as a word doc for about 2 months now as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd time i tried to publish it blogger kicked me out. So here it is. Now that school is starting to slow down I hope to get back to this blogging buisness.

Like I alluded to…the trip to Victoria was almost perfect. I think the coaching staff would choose to say that it was 80% perfect. If it wasn’t for the first 4 hours of the 1st day and the last 2 hours of the 5th day it would have been perfect. Seeing as it will take way to long for me to explain I will give you the list of things that went wrong on both days. If you want the full story and have some time to listen I would be more then glad to share the full story.

Day 1
- Arrive at bed and breakfast in Victoria to find out we were not alone (we had booked the whole thing)
- Pay for rooms by cheque
- “Crazy lady” (who was not supposed to be there) decides to get too friendly with a coach and reminds him “not to be looking at the Toys” of the owner of the B & B.
- Go for tour of parliament…during which coaches decide to get out of hotel
- Try to get out of hotel but the owner isn’t there so we get our bags and attempt to find somewhere else to stay.
- find another hotel
- Go for dinner…45 min wait
- Go for walk on harbor.
- Decided to book reservations for our nice supper out at milestones which sits on the harbor. WC teams of the past have gone there…it’s always a highlight. Go up to door and find that it’s closed for renovations.
- Find somewhere else to eat and book reservations.
-Eat
- Go back to B & B and get out cheque back minus 1 days rate.
-Day finally over

Final day
- Girls to have their rooms cleaned up by 10:30pm, checked by coaches before 11:00pm, lights out at 11:00pm.
- 11:00 pm - no one has checked in with me so I assume the girls have all checked in with the other coach.
- 11:15pm other coach comes to my door and starts to tell me what just happened…
- He hears a knock at his door. Assuming it’s the girls he just opens it…it’s not the girls but 2 drunk bikers that are 6’4 and 250 pounds.
- They ask him “where are the Girls” and start to come into his room.
- He some how manages while talking to get them back out into the hall and starts to try to reason with the drunk bikers. He tells them that the girls are all under age and that they would go to jail.
- The bikers grow tired of him and go back to their room (which happens to be 2 rooms down from the coaches between the elevator and another girls room of ours)
- The coach makes his way back into his room to call and tell the girls to stay in their rooms…but before he can do this the front desk calls and says that there has been a complaint on the 7th floor …girls have been running in the halls and have been yelling (we have girls on the 7th floor)
- So he says he will check into it and leave to go up to the 7th floor when the girls from that floor come off the elevator.
- The coach sternly tells the girls to get into his room
- Girls think he is mad at them and start to try to explain their innocence
- Coach does not want the bikers to know the girls are in the hall and come out…so continues to whisper yell “GET IN HERE”
- Gets the girls inside to find out that it wasn’t them running. Calls front desk and they admit to already having found another group of older girls to be the cause for the problem.
- Coach tells the front desk of the bikers and his problem with them looking for our girls.
- Front desk tells him that they had called some prostitutes that they front desk had tuned away. We later figure that our girls all dressed up from their fancy night our looked to the drunk bikers to be their prostitutes.
- The coach tells the girls the bikers were looking for the “ladies of the night” when they ask what they had wanted.
- Girls ask what the “ladies of the night” are…He tells them its lights out.

Funny part is we plan to go back next year...

Skakes

one over one just begun

For the first time in a long time finishing course work and exams before the Christmas break was met with an utter lack of stress. Coming into religious studies from a science background I was used to finals conjuring reactions that were often not for the better. Exams that brought on a wave of symptoms that many a bio major could sit and chart the hormone path of (and the sad part is we usually did). This past term has been the exact opposite. At no point did I even reach the state of being even half as stressed as in years past and for that I was thankful. Not only did the switch over cause less stress it also peaked my interest in school again. I enjoyed writing all my papers and that is something I could not have even said about one of my papers I wrote over my 3 years in science.

This spring term promises to be just as interesting. Sadly due to a sudden illness one of my professors had to cancel an upper level course on Christianity in the 1st and 2nd centuries. He has promised to offer it again in the fall. Due to the late onset of his sickness (Jan 1st), I was unable to make any move to get into a class as a substitution for the one that had been canceled. I could not even get my independent study out of the way as he was the professor I had chosen to do mine under eventually. So now this term I have 3 classes. I have Intro to Hinduism, intro to Christianity, and the critical study of religion which is a methods in research course. All of them seem interesting in their own ways so I am excited for the term. I will as well be continuing to work for the U of L painting and doing signage as well as working for ECM.

Coaching last term was at times fun wile more often then not testing. Taking the team on a trip to Victoria just after the new year proved to echo the same story. While none of the issue really sprang from the girls themselves we could not help but laugh by the end of the 1st day. When I have some time I’ll give a recap. Until then I will leave you a photo of the coastal sunset.

Skakes

My 9000 Word Week and The Office

I have 2 finals left. I handed in my last paper Monday which ended a long week of writting. I think that is the part of switching majors that I have not gotten used to yet. In the sciences its all about the exam and religious studies its all about reasearch papers. I think it also didnt help that all my major research papers for the term were due on the same day. I am glad to have them belind me anyway.

I just picked up the 3rd season of The Office as Music World is going out of busness. As horrible as the show can be ... I cant help but love it dearly. Here is a quote from the show...

Dwight: Jim, Jim, Jim. Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim.

Jim: Oh, hey, Dwight.

Dwight: I’m going to be your new boss. It’s my greatest dream come true. Welcome to the Hotel Hell. Check-in time is now. Check-out time is never.

Jim: Does my room have cable?

Dwight: No. And the sheets are made of fire!

Jim: Can I change rooms?

Dwight: Sorry, we’re all booked up. Hell convention in town.

Jim: Can I have a late check-out?

Dwight: I’ll have to talk to the manager.

Jim: You’re not the manager? Even in your own fantasy?

Dwight: I’m the owner. The co-owner. With Satan.

Jim: Okay, just so I understand it. In your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.

Dwight: Yeah, but I haven’t told you my salary yet.

Jim: Go.

Dwight: $80,000 a year.