Rant #1

You know the feeling when you had a bad day, and you just want someone to ask you 'why,' so you can spill to them? I do.

It happens so often that my close friends view me as the 'counselor' and see me as 'complaining' whenever I try to vent. However, it's perfectly fine for me to get an earful.

Whew, I feel much better.

Attack on Covenant College or Good Theology?

Hmmm. . .

Check this.

Be Still.

Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Meeting of the Minds.

Salvador Dali (possibly my favorite artist) met Sigmund Freud in 1938. I would have absolutely loved to have been a fly on the wall during that conversation. . .

They're People.

I'm sure that this post will sound slightly cliche, but its truth runs deep.

Much of the time, we go through life viewing people as no more than a "title." The guy working behind the drive-thru window at Taco Bell is, in our minds, "just the drive-thru guy." The slightly awkward teenage girl with braces that tears your ticket at the movie theater is, in our minds, "just the awkward teenage girl who should probably think about running a comb through her hair."

However, as a recent victim of this view that people are just "roles," I've been challenged to look past jobs and/or positions of authority and see that these are actually God's children that I'm dealing with. Everyone I interact with daily, even those I don't know at all, has an intricate story that has led them to that specific moment in time. The story could be riddled with flowers and rose pedals, with despair and neglect, a mix of the two, or something totally different. Whatever the case, each person you meet has a story and has value in the Body of Christ.

I'm sure that I'll neglect to take my previous statements as seriously as I would like sometime today, primarily because this selfish way of thinking is so engraved in my brain. But, here's the take home point folks: in your daily interactions, please remember that each person you encounter does not just have a singular interpersonal interaction with you and that there's so much that may be going on behind those eyes. Life is intrapersonal as well as relational. Keep this in mind as you interact with your RA, your best friend, your spouse, your professors, the mail room clerk, the waitress. . .

Be Kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. ~ Plato

Quote Book #1

Yet from this fog his affection emerged -- the best contacts are when one knows the obstacles and still wants to preserve a relation.

This is from Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which I finished over the break. One of the characters, Dick Diver, thinks it when referring to a woman whom he has an affair with. But nevertheless, the statement (despite the context) is solid. I especially could see this proving to be true in marriage. I know that it's been true in some of my close friendships.

Think about it in a different context. God knows that we are absolutely depraved and sinful, yet he loves us. He sent his Son to die in order to preserve a relationship with us. We should model this method of thinking whenever we're in a spat with our friends.

What is Juice?

Yesterday I made grape juice from real grapes. I mashed them by hand and boiled them myself. In this picture, they look like snot and boogers. But it was delicious.

Telephone

Hey Bibs, I was there too :)

Fashun

Denim.

I stay away from denim, unless it's jeans because it's just too risky.

But, if you are going to wear denim above your waste in any way, please adhere to the following guidelines:

a. Don't have your jeans and your upper body denim match completely.
b. Do not tuck your denim in.
c. Do not do (a) and (b) at the same time.
d. Do not wear acid wash denim.
e. Do not pop your collar while wear denim.


Also, I need to say that I am more than excited to get back to Covenant, and especially my hall. There are a few certain people that I miss A TON, so please don't be surprised if I squeeze your guts out when I see you. It's mere excitement.

Why I Hated (500) Days of Summer.

I typically like trendy alt-culture things (skinny jeans, The Shins, flannel, and the like), but I did NOT like this movie. Don't get wrong, the music was amazing and yes, the story line was different. But, the philosophy behind the movie is a sure sign that the American culture consumed with the "alternative," "non fairy-tale ending" side of life, has actually settled for existential nihilism.

I'm typically overdramatic, but I seriously ended the movie feeling nauseated. Probably because of this statement by the Narrator:

If Tom had learned anything, it’s that you can’t ascribe great cosmic significance to a simple earthly event. Coincidence. That’s all anything ever is. Nothing more than coincidence. It took a long time, but Tom had finally learned. There are no miracles. There is no such thing as fate. Nothing is meant to be. He knew. He was pretty sure.

I'm not going to take the typical "Christian" point of view of why this statement is "sinful" or any of that, but seriously people? What does that mean? What else is there? If everything is merely coincidence, then YOU DON'T MATTER.

Other reasons for dislike include:
1. Summer is freaking manic.
2. Tom is obsessive.
3. Summer is extremely selfish.
4. The "oh my gosh, I'm so alt and elusive, I don't know what I want in life" girl is becoming a sad stereotype.

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not asking for a 'happy ending,' just merely a more redeeming worldview than 'blah blah I'm happy so my isolated life is more important than anyone.'

But, the music was wonderful :)

Twenty-Ten

I'm going to lie and say that starting a blog was a New Years Resolution.

In reality, I've had a blog for a while (Summer 2009), but now that I see that so many of my friends have a blog on Blogspot instead of Tumblr, I have decided to create one of these things.

More posts to come. Cheers to a smashing New Year.