The Christmas trees have been up since mid-October here in the Christmas city (seriously!), but Erica and I are just now getting around to making a few Christmas ornaments. In light of Black Friday, this little angel we made is for sale on the World Wide Web. But if you like her, know that we give friends some serious discounts. You might have to wait until the twenty-fifth, but then she just might be FREE.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Let the Christmas Season Begin
The Christmas trees have been up since mid-October here in the Christmas city (seriously!), but Erica and I are just now getting around to making a few Christmas ornaments. In light of Black Friday, this little angel we made is for sale on the World Wide Web. But if you like her, know that we give friends some serious discounts. You might have to wait until the twenty-fifth, but then she just might be FREE.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
On Teaching--And Living--Empathy
The fifth grade was in charge of presenting October's Virtue of the Month: Empathy.
It was a new word for them when we started, but they quickly became experts. It was new for the rest of the elementary school too, but they seemed to learn a thing or two as well after our presentation.
Empathy was defined as "the ability to understand and share the feelings of another." We repeatedly explained it as putting yourself in another person's shoes.
We talked about the amount of imagination this requires. It's often been one argument of mine for the necessity of art -- we need art in order to stimulate our imagination in order to better empathize with others. And that could be one reason why children are often a little better at empathy than adults are: their imaginations are still in tact.
But to truly "share the feelings," to actually feel what they're feeling, this is a level of empathy that is so difficult to actually attain. I've always been challenged by Paul's command to "Mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice." How often do we truly mourn when a friend is mourning? How often do we truly rejoice when a friend is rejoicing? "I'm sorry to hear that" and "That's great news" don't quite cut it. Are you just as sad as they are? Just as happy as they are? Rarely.
We are so incredibly self-focused. To peel just a little bit of that away, to break out of our shell and into the world of others, even just a little bit!, is near impossible, at least for the majority of us.
When we heard Tim Keller preach on Hebrews 13, where it tells us to "Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners," he talked about first century Christians who literally moved into jail to sleep with their imprisoned friends. They showed empathy, but not in a way that was limited to merely "understanding their point of view." They lived it.
After reflecting further on this passage, where Christ is shown as the ultimate example of hospitality, making himself a foreigner, taking himself outside the city limits, so that we could be brought into the city that is to come, I saw the ultimate example of empathy. Christ didn't deal with us by imagining what we were going through; he easily could have being the omniscient god that he is. Instead, he came down and lived with us. He lived with us in this prison of a life, making himself a prisoner, captive in human form.
If we are to be empathetic, then, I wonder how much of it is imagining and understanding and feeling, and how much of it is actually doing. At the very least, because our imaginations are so limited and our self-centeredness runs so deep, we need to act the first time in order to imagine and understand and feel later.
While I'm growing increasingly reluctant to support short-term mission trips--at least the overuse of them--this is one area that gives a good defense. As a middle-class white American, typing on a laptop in a Main Street cafe, I could not imagine the life of a Haitian, living in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. No matter how hard I try, how many books I read or movies I watch, I simply wouldn't understand. But when I went there and lived in the neighborhood for a week without electricity or running water, I began to empathize, if only in the slightest way.
I'm reminded of filmmaker Marc Singer. He didn't set out to make a movie about homeless people living underground in subway tunnels. But he was intrigued by them and decided to live with them for a while. He became homeless in order to see their point of view. It evolved into his first movie--the documentary Dark Days--and it was probably only effective because of the large amount of true empathy that went into the process.
I think, too, of Morgan Spurlock's TV Show 30 Days. While I assume he leans on the pluralistic and ultra-liberal side of things, rarely does he feel the need to make his point clear. Instead, he provides opportunities for someone to experience another way of life completely different from their own for thirty days. Just for the experience. That's all. He believes we'd all get along a bit better--even if we disagree--if we only had the real empathy to understand the people around us. I think he's right.
I've found myself in recent years wanting to become more empathetic. Only recently have I discovered that if we want to grow in empathy, it's not a matter of thinking harder. No, in light of our Example of true empathy, it's a matter of interaction, of sacrifice, of becoming, of being.
Atticus Finch said it well: "If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."
But where he is understood as speaking figuratively, he should be understood literally.
I'm not sure if fifth graders would understand all this or not. I wish these thoughts had come a bit earlier, but I'm thankful for their role in stimulating them. I still have six months or so to try communicating.
It was a new word for them when we started, but they quickly became experts. It was new for the rest of the elementary school too, but they seemed to learn a thing or two as well after our presentation.
Empathy was defined as "the ability to understand and share the feelings of another." We repeatedly explained it as putting yourself in another person's shoes.
We talked about the amount of imagination this requires. It's often been one argument of mine for the necessity of art -- we need art in order to stimulate our imagination in order to better empathize with others. And that could be one reason why children are often a little better at empathy than adults are: their imaginations are still in tact.
But to truly "share the feelings," to actually feel what they're feeling, this is a level of empathy that is so difficult to actually attain. I've always been challenged by Paul's command to "Mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice." How often do we truly mourn when a friend is mourning? How often do we truly rejoice when a friend is rejoicing? "I'm sorry to hear that" and "That's great news" don't quite cut it. Are you just as sad as they are? Just as happy as they are? Rarely.
We are so incredibly self-focused. To peel just a little bit of that away, to break out of our shell and into the world of others, even just a little bit!, is near impossible, at least for the majority of us.
When we heard Tim Keller preach on Hebrews 13, where it tells us to "Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners," he talked about first century Christians who literally moved into jail to sleep with their imprisoned friends. They showed empathy, but not in a way that was limited to merely "understanding their point of view." They lived it.
After reflecting further on this passage, where Christ is shown as the ultimate example of hospitality, making himself a foreigner, taking himself outside the city limits, so that we could be brought into the city that is to come, I saw the ultimate example of empathy. Christ didn't deal with us by imagining what we were going through; he easily could have being the omniscient god that he is. Instead, he came down and lived with us. He lived with us in this prison of a life, making himself a prisoner, captive in human form.
If we are to be empathetic, then, I wonder how much of it is imagining and understanding and feeling, and how much of it is actually doing. At the very least, because our imaginations are so limited and our self-centeredness runs so deep, we need to act the first time in order to imagine and understand and feel later.
While I'm growing increasingly reluctant to support short-term mission trips--at least the overuse of them--this is one area that gives a good defense. As a middle-class white American, typing on a laptop in a Main Street cafe, I could not imagine the life of a Haitian, living in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. No matter how hard I try, how many books I read or movies I watch, I simply wouldn't understand. But when I went there and lived in the neighborhood for a week without electricity or running water, I began to empathize, if only in the slightest way.
I'm reminded of filmmaker Marc Singer. He didn't set out to make a movie about homeless people living underground in subway tunnels. But he was intrigued by them and decided to live with them for a while. He became homeless in order to see their point of view. It evolved into his first movie--the documentary Dark Days--and it was probably only effective because of the large amount of true empathy that went into the process.
I think, too, of Morgan Spurlock's TV Show 30 Days. While I assume he leans on the pluralistic and ultra-liberal side of things, rarely does he feel the need to make his point clear. Instead, he provides opportunities for someone to experience another way of life completely different from their own for thirty days. Just for the experience. That's all. He believes we'd all get along a bit better--even if we disagree--if we only had the real empathy to understand the people around us. I think he's right.
I've found myself in recent years wanting to become more empathetic. Only recently have I discovered that if we want to grow in empathy, it's not a matter of thinking harder. No, in light of our Example of true empathy, it's a matter of interaction, of sacrifice, of becoming, of being.
Atticus Finch said it well: "If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."
But where he is understood as speaking figuratively, he should be understood literally.
I'm not sure if fifth graders would understand all this or not. I wish these thoughts had come a bit earlier, but I'm thankful for their role in stimulating them. I still have six months or so to try communicating.
Actually, I still feel the same way.
I thought my disdain for and cynicism surrounding the Christian culture--the one mostly found in these things called Christian Bookstores--had died down and mellowed out substantially since leaving college and growing up a bit. That was a good thing, in my mind, particularly because of certain passages of scripture calling us to do things like "bear with one another in love."
So this past Saturday, I for some reason had the urge to visit the Lehigh Valley's large Christian bookstore when we were nearby. I hadn't stepped foot in the place for quite a long time, and something seemed to be calling me back, just to check out what's in, keep tabs on the culture a bit, maybe reminisce about buying DC Talk's Jesus Freak after months of hyped anticipation.
But after Erica and I pulled into the filled parking lot, a different feeling came over me, one of absolute dread wanting me to turn around and go home. I ignored it, and it only took about 30 seconds in the store to decide my cynicism had died down only because I had done an excellent job of avoiding it.
And at a time when I thought some of the bonds of the Christian culture were being loosed, and it looked like we were on the road to improvement, I'm afraid I discovered otherwise in this little field trip. I do think--or hope, at least--that while it's getting worse, its impact is not nearly as widespread as it was 10 or more years ago. Maybe that's wishful thinking, or a reflection of what different circles I've chosen to run in lately.
Mostly, we were just repeatedly faced with the questions, "What is this doing in here?" or "What makes this Christian?" Things like little stuffed puppy dogs, or little fake plastic aquariums, other knick-knacks that could be found in any typical store, obviously placed there just to make a few more extra bucks. What's sad is that inventory like this seems only to encourage people's sense of materialism and consumerism, the acquiring of more needless stuff, rather than encouraging them in spiritual development.
I can't decide which is more concerning, those items, or the items just like them with some sort of spiritual signifier attached, be it a verse or a cross or a fish or a catchy acronym or the like. At least these items have an obvious reason to belong here.
I knew I was asking for trouble when I walked into the room of decorate wall-hangings, where it is quite clear that art isn't worthwhile unless a verse is very clearly displayed in the piece.
And when did the word "inspirational" start meaning the same thing as "Christian?" And how exactly does a rinky-dink table-top fountain inspire you, let alone encourage spiritual formation?
I laughed out loud when a commercial came over the loudspeaker for the Christian version of Guitar Hero. "Play along with your favorite bands!" I know band names in general can get pretty weird, but it seems Christians are usually worse at coming up with good ones. Stellarkart?! Come on!
But perhaps the most disturbing part of the trip was perusing all the different types of Bibles. I'm not a guy that gets upset about all the different translations, and I'm even OK with Eugene Peterson's The Message. Aside from those, the Bible is being completely distorted and abused in all sorts of detrimental ways. One pink Bible for women is entitled, "HUGS." It has to be an acronym--I hope it's not called HUGS for no reason--but I wasn't able to find out what it stood for. The Green Bible is complete as the Green Letter Edition, where any verse mentioning the earth is highlighted in green font. The Revolve Bible for teen girls--sometimes found in magazine form--gives God's holy word right next to dating advice complete with flashy fonts and photos.
I'm all for getting women to find comfort in the Bible, I'm all for caring for the environment, and I'm sure the Bible has plenty to say to girls about their identity in Christ. But when we package the Bible as something self-serving, or focused solely on our pet issue, or as disposable entertainment, the chances of meeting the God of the Bible and understanding this great story of redemption in which we're living are incredibly diminished. And the person who says, "But at least it's getting the Bible in the hands of this person or that person!" is extremely short-sighted and pragmatic, offering an argument that will leave our faith utterly shallow and anemic.
I'm all for a store that is interested in getting appropriate resources into the hands of interested people. But a store like this does little more for the Christian faith than the Toys R Us down the street. One could even argue Toys R Us does more for the faith, because in its neutrality, it does not lead unaware and well-intentioned people in the opposite direction!
Maybe I should keep my mouth shut about things like this, like I thought I was getting better at doing. There are better ways to spend my time than sitting around complaining about other people. On the other hand, issues like this one need to be addressed from time to time, and in my opinion, just as forcefully as Christ addressed the merchants in the temple. I've stayed quiet for long enough, and now that I've gotten this off my chest, I'll probably stay quiet for a little while longer. Thanks for bearing with me in love, as I attempt to do the same.
So this past Saturday, I for some reason had the urge to visit the Lehigh Valley's large Christian bookstore when we were nearby. I hadn't stepped foot in the place for quite a long time, and something seemed to be calling me back, just to check out what's in, keep tabs on the culture a bit, maybe reminisce about buying DC Talk's Jesus Freak after months of hyped anticipation.
But after Erica and I pulled into the filled parking lot, a different feeling came over me, one of absolute dread wanting me to turn around and go home. I ignored it, and it only took about 30 seconds in the store to decide my cynicism had died down only because I had done an excellent job of avoiding it.
And at a time when I thought some of the bonds of the Christian culture were being loosed, and it looked like we were on the road to improvement, I'm afraid I discovered otherwise in this little field trip. I do think--or hope, at least--that while it's getting worse, its impact is not nearly as widespread as it was 10 or more years ago. Maybe that's wishful thinking, or a reflection of what different circles I've chosen to run in lately.
Mostly, we were just repeatedly faced with the questions, "What is this doing in here?" or "What makes this Christian?" Things like little stuffed puppy dogs, or little fake plastic aquariums, other knick-knacks that could be found in any typical store, obviously placed there just to make a few more extra bucks. What's sad is that inventory like this seems only to encourage people's sense of materialism and consumerism, the acquiring of more needless stuff, rather than encouraging them in spiritual development.
I can't decide which is more concerning, those items, or the items just like them with some sort of spiritual signifier attached, be it a verse or a cross or a fish or a catchy acronym or the like. At least these items have an obvious reason to belong here.
I knew I was asking for trouble when I walked into the room of decorate wall-hangings, where it is quite clear that art isn't worthwhile unless a verse is very clearly displayed in the piece.
And when did the word "inspirational" start meaning the same thing as "Christian?" And how exactly does a rinky-dink table-top fountain inspire you, let alone encourage spiritual formation?
I laughed out loud when a commercial came over the loudspeaker for the Christian version of Guitar Hero. "Play along with your favorite bands!" I know band names in general can get pretty weird, but it seems Christians are usually worse at coming up with good ones. Stellarkart?! Come on!
But perhaps the most disturbing part of the trip was perusing all the different types of Bibles. I'm not a guy that gets upset about all the different translations, and I'm even OK with Eugene Peterson's The Message. Aside from those, the Bible is being completely distorted and abused in all sorts of detrimental ways. One pink Bible for women is entitled, "HUGS." It has to be an acronym--I hope it's not called HUGS for no reason--but I wasn't able to find out what it stood for. The Green Bible is complete as the Green Letter Edition, where any verse mentioning the earth is highlighted in green font. The Revolve Bible for teen girls--sometimes found in magazine form--gives God's holy word right next to dating advice complete with flashy fonts and photos.
I'm all for getting women to find comfort in the Bible, I'm all for caring for the environment, and I'm sure the Bible has plenty to say to girls about their identity in Christ. But when we package the Bible as something self-serving, or focused solely on our pet issue, or as disposable entertainment, the chances of meeting the God of the Bible and understanding this great story of redemption in which we're living are incredibly diminished. And the person who says, "But at least it's getting the Bible in the hands of this person or that person!" is extremely short-sighted and pragmatic, offering an argument that will leave our faith utterly shallow and anemic.
I'm all for a store that is interested in getting appropriate resources into the hands of interested people. But a store like this does little more for the Christian faith than the Toys R Us down the street. One could even argue Toys R Us does more for the faith, because in its neutrality, it does not lead unaware and well-intentioned people in the opposite direction!
Maybe I should keep my mouth shut about things like this, like I thought I was getting better at doing. There are better ways to spend my time than sitting around complaining about other people. On the other hand, issues like this one need to be addressed from time to time, and in my opinion, just as forcefully as Christ addressed the merchants in the temple. I've stayed quiet for long enough, and now that I've gotten this off my chest, I'll probably stay quiet for a little while longer. Thanks for bearing with me in love, as I attempt to do the same.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Know when to hold 'em, Know when to fold 'em
Last year, a dad donated a large sum of money to purchase 10 shares of stock in Apple for our 5th graders to learn a bit about the market.
We caught it at the absolute most perfect time. It shot up 60 dollars a share and we made out with $600 profit, and the dad got his money back in full. Not a bad learning experience.
But, perhaps a bit misleading...
We took our profits and invested again just yesterday. GameStop was getting rave reviews and they were announcing their earnings this morning. We were bracing ourselves for a nice jump in price. We purchased 23 shares at $21.42 each.
Minutes after purchasing we watched the price drop a bit. The kids did the math. We were in the hole $30 already.
Today, instead of the increase everyone was forcasted, it went down even more.
"Well, kids, congratulations! We've lost ourselves more than $100 in one day!"
Morale is low. Not a very exciting way to start, but I suppose it's all part of the experience. And my only comfort is that it's better to start with a drop than end with a drop. We've got 'til May. You'll see us with our fingers crossed.
We caught it at the absolute most perfect time. It shot up 60 dollars a share and we made out with $600 profit, and the dad got his money back in full. Not a bad learning experience.
But, perhaps a bit misleading...
We took our profits and invested again just yesterday. GameStop was getting rave reviews and they were announcing their earnings this morning. We were bracing ourselves for a nice jump in price. We purchased 23 shares at $21.42 each.
Minutes after purchasing we watched the price drop a bit. The kids did the math. We were in the hole $30 already.
Today, instead of the increase everyone was forcasted, it went down even more.
"Well, kids, congratulations! We've lost ourselves more than $100 in one day!"
Morale is low. Not a very exciting way to start, but I suppose it's all part of the experience. And my only comfort is that it's better to start with a drop than end with a drop. We've got 'til May. You'll see us with our fingers crossed.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
I Think I Might Be Falling for Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.
Pros:
A killer resume: Scientific, Seldom, Crystal Skulls, Saxon Shore, and plenty of involvement in plenty of other bands.
Stunning, intricate harmonies, with voices that blend nicely.
Pretty music.
Cons:
The long greasy hair, oddly enough, is getting old in my mind.
The falsetto can make or break you, but it breaks more often than it makes.
Reminds me of My Morning Jacket.
Describe themselves as "baroque harmonic pop jams"??? What's that all about???
One more thing keeping J. Tillman away from Saxon Shore.
But this video? Gorgeous. Fantastic space. And how does Mr. Vincent Moon keep from getting dizzy?
If 5th Graders Picked the President
"What are you looking for in a president?" As written by some fifth grade students in their journals...
"I think that a president should be, very smart, and should know allittle about the war. I think that they should be nice and thoughtful about the poor and needy."
"I would pick a president who would lower taxes, gas prices, and lower the price for all video games."
"I would look for bravery for when the country is in a bad time. I would look for a girl because I think we need a change. I would look for leadership because a president is a leader. I would look for accomplishments because we need someone that is smart. I would look for a good speaker for press conferences. I would look for someone that has experience in politics. I would look for someone that puts the country first. I would look for someone that cares about the people.
If a president has all that, I would have a new favorite president."
"I'm looking for a gamest. Some one who makes games. If we did a lot of computers will have games on them. It would be the Best everybody would ahve a home with a PSP, DS, SP, Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Wii, PS2, PS3, computer, and a TV. Nobody would be homeless. People would have TV glasses you could act like you were home. They would be 30 smart, cool, nice, good, and happy and that's what type of person I would want for president a gamer."
"I think that a president should be, very smart, and should know allittle about the war. I think that they should be nice and thoughtful about the poor and needy."
"I would pick a president who would lower taxes, gas prices, and lower the price for all video games."
"I would look for bravery for when the country is in a bad time. I would look for a girl because I think we need a change. I would look for leadership because a president is a leader. I would look for accomplishments because we need someone that is smart. I would look for a good speaker for press conferences. I would look for someone that has experience in politics. I would look for someone that puts the country first. I would look for someone that cares about the people.
If a president has all that, I would have a new favorite president."
"I'm looking for a gamest. Some one who makes games. If we did a lot of computers will have games on them. It would be the Best everybody would ahve a home with a PSP, DS, SP, Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Wii, PS2, PS3, computer, and a TV. Nobody would be homeless. People would have TV glasses you could act like you were home. They would be 30 smart, cool, nice, good, and happy and that's what type of person I would want for president a gamer."
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Great! That's just what I'm looking for!
Erica and I have made it nearly 4 months on one car. But now that she's working full time with quite a commute, it's about time I start shopping for my own vehicle again.
So tonight I've been looking on Craigslist. I'm a bit wary when the most an owner can say about his car besides the make and model is:
"Runs and drives."
I would hope so.
So tonight I've been looking on Craigslist. I'm a bit wary when the most an owner can say about his car besides the make and model is:
"Runs and drives."
I would hope so.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Really?
On my walk home from school, I was called a "shriveled up weenie" by some punk kids driving by.
On a different note, an overdue Flickr update, including more Halloween photos and other fall festivities.
On a different note, an overdue Flickr update, including more Halloween photos and other fall festivities.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Explaining to The Barber
It was a nice day at school today, probably one I'll write about a little later on.
We held a mock election. The 3rd grade electoral votes went to Obama, as did 4th grade's. The 5th grade electoral vote went to McCain, with my class being the only one of the three in favor of Obama (but not because of any political influence from their teacher, I assure you). So, you probably won't hear about it on CNN, and definitely not on FOX News, but the Moravian Academy Lower School has elected Mr. Obama as the next president.
I'll wait for Erica to get home from her new job, then we'll take a stroll over to the polls. This will be my first time voting in person. I'm a little excited, a little nervous, a little proud to be an American.
But the energy of the day really is quite exciting. Four years ago I wrote a blog post that said something like: "Want to solve the problem of voter apathy? Give us someone worth voting for." I think that might be what happened this year, and I'm glad.
But anyway, the other night I was drawn to pull the complete works of Flannery O'Connor off the shelf. At random, I chose to read her story The Barber, mostly because it fell right after The Geranium at the beginning of the book, which I had already read.
It's a story of a well-intentioned liberal-leaning man who is found out by his conservative barber and the others hanging out in the shop. When pressed to explain his vote for the left, he stutters and stammers and can't get any decent or intelligent response out, only getting angry at himself for it. Admittedly, it's difficult, because the barber and his friends are too busy making thick-headed racist remarks to actually stop and have a conversation. The man agrees to come back in a week ready to tell them why he's voting the way he is.
He spends the week writing his best argument, really excited about the opportunity. He practices on his friend, on his wife, constantly rehearsing his ideas.
He returns to the barber, goes through an awkward lull in starting the conversation, finally gets the opportunity to spew his thoughts, and it goes miserably.
The story resonated with me a great deal. Sure, the timing was incredible just days before November 4th. But furthermore, I don't think I have ever identified with a character in a story as much as I did here. His inability to communicate and articulate, the feeling of being completely dumbfounded and speechless in the presence of this sort of company, and the determined and excited process that follows, with underwhelming results--all of that--was just simply all too familiar. You mean it's not just me?
Sometimes O'Connor's stories bug me just a bit, mostly because I don't quite see what she's getting at. But one thing's for sure, her ability to understand her characters is, in my admittedly limited amount of reading, utterly unmatched.
We held a mock election. The 3rd grade electoral votes went to Obama, as did 4th grade's. The 5th grade electoral vote went to McCain, with my class being the only one of the three in favor of Obama (but not because of any political influence from their teacher, I assure you). So, you probably won't hear about it on CNN, and definitely not on FOX News, but the Moravian Academy Lower School has elected Mr. Obama as the next president.
I'll wait for Erica to get home from her new job, then we'll take a stroll over to the polls. This will be my first time voting in person. I'm a little excited, a little nervous, a little proud to be an American.
But the energy of the day really is quite exciting. Four years ago I wrote a blog post that said something like: "Want to solve the problem of voter apathy? Give us someone worth voting for." I think that might be what happened this year, and I'm glad.
But anyway, the other night I was drawn to pull the complete works of Flannery O'Connor off the shelf. At random, I chose to read her story The Barber, mostly because it fell right after The Geranium at the beginning of the book, which I had already read.
It's a story of a well-intentioned liberal-leaning man who is found out by his conservative barber and the others hanging out in the shop. When pressed to explain his vote for the left, he stutters and stammers and can't get any decent or intelligent response out, only getting angry at himself for it. Admittedly, it's difficult, because the barber and his friends are too busy making thick-headed racist remarks to actually stop and have a conversation. The man agrees to come back in a week ready to tell them why he's voting the way he is.
He spends the week writing his best argument, really excited about the opportunity. He practices on his friend, on his wife, constantly rehearsing his ideas.
He returns to the barber, goes through an awkward lull in starting the conversation, finally gets the opportunity to spew his thoughts, and it goes miserably.
The story resonated with me a great deal. Sure, the timing was incredible just days before November 4th. But furthermore, I don't think I have ever identified with a character in a story as much as I did here. His inability to communicate and articulate, the feeling of being completely dumbfounded and speechless in the presence of this sort of company, and the determined and excited process that follows, with underwhelming results--all of that--was just simply all too familiar. You mean it's not just me?
Sometimes O'Connor's stories bug me just a bit, mostly because I don't quite see what she's getting at. But one thing's for sure, her ability to understand her characters is, in my admittedly limited amount of reading, utterly unmatched.
Happy Election Day...
Get out and cast your vote, but here's a reality check for Christian voters, a healthy dose of tension and balance:
But in a longer version of the same interview, Piper includes some interesting perspectives that might not be as easy to agree with.
But compare his thoughts with those of New Testament Baptist Church, found on BBC News' frontpage. Really, guys? Is the future really in our hands? You should know better!
But in a longer version of the same interview, Piper includes some interesting perspectives that might not be as easy to agree with.
But compare his thoughts with those of New Testament Baptist Church, found on BBC News' frontpage. Really, guys? Is the future really in our hands? You should know better!
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Uncle Sam and Rosie the Riveter
This year's Halloween costumes were probably the most tame in our four year streak, but perhaps the most effective. Thankfully, very little face makeup (compared to green Frankenstein, blue Smurf, and white mime) or hairspray was involved. And unusually patriotic, too, but I suppose that's appropriate given the timing....
My only regret is that we didn't get any photos showing off my too-tight, too-short vintage red and white striped seersucker pants.
The party was interesting to say the least, in that only 13 people showed up. Bad night for a party, I guess. Compared to 30, 40, 50 people in costume other years, it was quite the switch. But we enjoyed the food and games and each others' costumes just as much as in the past.
Later, Wes and John came with Erica and I to Hotel Bethlehem. They were having a costume party, and best costume won a free stay at the Hotel with a free candlelight dinner. Let's just say we definitely had a very good chance at winning that grand prize. But due to the fact we arrived 10 minutes before they announced the winners, we didn't get any recognition. We know to arrive early next year. But we had fun anyway; it's an incredibly interesting experience mingling with complete strangers in costume, especially when they're middle-aged and lonely. I can't even tell you how many times I said, "I WANT YOU!" to complete strangers. In most other situations involving a bar and dancing, that wouldn't go over in quite the same way. And my main move on the dance floor? The repeated finger point with a constant furrowed brow.
My only regret is that we didn't get any photos showing off my too-tight, too-short vintage red and white striped seersucker pants.
The party was interesting to say the least, in that only 13 people showed up. Bad night for a party, I guess. Compared to 30, 40, 50 people in costume other years, it was quite the switch. But we enjoyed the food and games and each others' costumes just as much as in the past.
Later, Wes and John came with Erica and I to Hotel Bethlehem. They were having a costume party, and best costume won a free stay at the Hotel with a free candlelight dinner. Let's just say we definitely had a very good chance at winning that grand prize. But due to the fact we arrived 10 minutes before they announced the winners, we didn't get any recognition. We know to arrive early next year. But we had fun anyway; it's an incredibly interesting experience mingling with complete strangers in costume, especially when they're middle-aged and lonely. I can't even tell you how many times I said, "I WANT YOU!" to complete strangers. In most other situations involving a bar and dancing, that wouldn't go over in quite the same way. And my main move on the dance floor? The repeated finger point with a constant furrowed brow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)