That's all, folks!

Go here!

That's where the new blog is.

Goodbye Suckerfish?!

I've been more or less snowed in for a few days now. Lots of time to sit and think and write. (And drink hot chocolate and egg nog, but that is beside the point.)

I am going to phase out of this blog. I am going to start up a new blog for myself where I can write about things with more... substance. I like to write. I think it is good for me. I think I am the most like myself when I am writing.

Yup, that is what I am going to do.

My Glass of Eggnog is Half Full.

Brrr - cold tears.
This morning involved a car too cold to start and a subsequent emotional breakdown. I had my car plugged in overnight because it wouldn't start yesterday. It still wouldn't start this morning, so I had Sam try and jump-start me. No workey. And it's not even that cold yet.

So, as I often do nowadays, I started crying. Right there in my cold cold car. (I don't recommend crying outside when it is -15ºC.) It was all frustration. I worked hard at my crappy old job this summer to save up for a car that doesn't work in the cold. Living in Calgary, where it is cold for much of the year, this is frustrating. I can't get to school. Assignments are looming and I need to spend time in the library to complete them. Doesn't look like that's going to happen this week.

In my upset state this morning, I frowned at God and said, "What the heck?"


Accounting.
Job was facing trouble far worse than my own when he said,
     "If only I knew where to find him;
          if only I could go to his dwelling!
     I would state my case before him
          and fill my mouth with arguments.
     I would find out what he would answer me,
          and consider what he would say." (Job 23:3-5)

I often go to God feeling like I have a pretty good case for myself. It's easy to make myself out to be a hero. I worked hard to buy a car, so it should work. I put a lot of energy into school, so I should be able to succeed. If I could only find God's front door, I would knock on it and let Him know all of these things. Surely he would take my arguments into account and have something to say for Himself.

Right?

Well, no. It's not right. The reality is that God is not accountable to me. The all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the universe and author of my life does not owe me an explanation for anything. Who am I to discredit His justice? To condemn Him to justify myself (Job 40:8)? Am I adorned in glory and splendor, clothed in honor and majesty (40:10)? Heck no - I'm a filthy mess of a person.


Who I am not.
All around me are reminders that He is God and I am not. The mounting piles of snow outside my door, the big Rockies on the horizon, the holy book that currently sits on the counter. I do not understand all of the things of God; they are too wonderful for me (42:3). But I know that the simple truth of His goodness is worth putting my hope in.

When things come up and I find myself thinking, "What the heck?," I need to remember that He is God and I am not. He is perfectly good and I often just don't get it. It's OK, I don't have to get it. God gets it and He's working for my good. That is a good enough answer for me.

Today, something frustrated me and I reacted wrongly. I know that things can be much worse than having a stubborn vehicle in the morning, and I know that my reactions in worse situations tend to be proportionately bad. But, if I can learn to react to the little things in a way that rightly shows who God is, then maybe I will be able to react to the big things in similar fashion.

In sum, God is good.

My Relationship With Meat

My relationship with meat is nothing like my relationship with coffee. Coffee is a lover with whom I rendezvous frequently, whereas meat is an ex-boyfriend who I never really liked in the first place. I was ready to end the relationship for a long time, I was just waiting for the right time.

Translation: I've been a vegetarian at heart for a very long time and only recently felt compelled to officially declare myself as such. (I think I'm actually a vegan at heart, but I'm still working on that one. Perhaps one day I'll tell you about my relationship with cheese.)

Not only is meat gross, it is less sustainable, environmentally evil, and not particularly healthy. Hooray for veggies!

Stargazing...

One of the hobbies I picked up this summer is stargazing. (I'm really into hobbies, by the way.) When Sam, Kaila, and I were camping at Cypress Hills, I picked up a little book at the gift shop in Elkwater called National Audubon Society: Constellations (Pocket Guide) and have been hooked ever since.

I have grown quite fond of what is called the Summer Triangle...

The three stars that are circled make up what is called the Summer Triangle. They are the three brightest stars from three different constellations and, although their constellations are not incredibly easy to see with the naked eye from within the city, these three brightest stars and the acute triangle that they form is rather distinct.

Every time I look at it, I am blown away. Here's my favorite bit of information about the Summer Triangle:

Altair, in the constellation Aquila, is one of the brightest stars in the sky and is about 17 light-years away from earth. 1 light-year is the distance that light travels in a vacuum in one year. So, when we look at Altair, we are actually seeing what it looked like 17 years ago. Vega, in the constellation Lyra, is 26 light-years away from earth. Deneb, the brightest star in the Cygnus constellation, is 1500 light-years away from earth. FIFTEEN HUNDRED!

Think about that.

Mind blown yet again.

My Relationship With Coffee

As you may recall, I have given up coffee a couple of times. It's a bit odd. I really like coffee. I find, though, that I treat it like a drug. Something that I need to have every day in order to feel good. Something that makes me feel like a terrible mess when I don't have it.

So, last spring, I gave up coffee cold turkey. It was tough. I had some killer headaches that encouraged me to supplement my diet with black tea for awhile. Eventually, I was free.

The beauty of not being a coffee drinker is that, when I do drink coffee, it is rather effective as an energy booster. I went back to drinking lots of coffee the week that my summer coursework was due in August, and I like to think that the coffee helped me ace the class. I can have a cup of coffee before youth events for an extra burst of energy (I'm serving as a youth director now). Or, as is the case this week, I can juice up on coffee to do a freakish amount of studying for midterms.

Coffee is also a real treat for me. Because I do like it so much, I will still make an effort to taste new coffees and drink it as a special treat once in awhile.

Sam makes fun of me because I claim to have given up coffee, yet I can still be spotted drinking coffee on occasion. When I stopped eating meat this summer, Sam asked if this was going to be just like when I "stopped drinking coffee." I'll admit, my sporadic antics can be a little strange, but I like to experiment with my diet and figure out what is good for me.

In sum, I guess coffee is still like a drug for me, but now I think of myself as more of a recreational user than an addict. Progress? I think so.

A Gorgeous Chunk o' Lavender (and Erin)!

After a healthy dose of sleep on Saturday night, Gen, Bobby, and I woke up and got ready to go watch Erin and Will get hitched. The weather was looking a little gray, but a flash of blue showed up as we drove off of the ferry onto Vashon Island. By the time we got to the lavender farm, the weather was perfect.

At the farm, I meandered around for awhile and found some dear old friends to catch up with. What a gorgeous place to have a celebration with friends.

Strolling around the farm with Hilary. (I had to get nice shoes for the occasion.)

Posing with my old roomie Tammy, who got married the next day!

The wedding itself was just beautiful. Erin Lee and William got married in the orchard - everyone stood during the ceremony and it was really nice. Will got nice and choked up looking at beautiful Erin. After the ceremony there was some chill time involving delicious appetizers and more wandering around the farm. Then Erin and Will came out to the reception and it was great! I was very patient in waiting for my Erin hug. I know the day was supposed to be all about Erin and Will, but I needed an Erin Lee hug!

So much love!

I have to pause from the emphasis on happiness and friends for just a moment to say that the food was absolutely phenomenal. I have never in my life had such good food at a wedding. As I sit here typing, I am literally daydreaming about all of the food. Grilled veggies, roasted veggie ravioli, amazing salad, and so on. Topped off with a dreamy dessert that was so tasty I don't even know how to spell it.

OK, back to the wedding. Erin was beautiful, Will was handsome (and pulled off a fedora like nobody's business), everyone was spilling over with happiness, and it was all in all an awesome day. Plus it was at a lavender farm. How cool.

Workin' the new dress and sweater like it ain't no thang.

First Chunk o' Seattle

Shopping Bag Advertising

Leaving Trader Joe's

After the basketball tournament, I caught a ride with my sister and her boyfriend down to Seattle. My purpose in visiting Seattle was to attend my dear old roommate Erin's wedding. She got married on an island in the Puget Sound, so I stayed the night with some friends in Seattle.

My hosts weren't home yet when I arrived, so I went for a familiar stroll from Wallingford down into the U-District. I love being a pedestrian in Seattle. There is always something interesting to look at. These are a few pictures of things I saw on my walk.

"Stop Whining" School Bus

The weather was a little dreary and I had packed a (new and awesome) sleeveless dress to wear the next day, so I wandered down to Urban Outfitters to see if I could find a nice button-up sweater to wear with it (are those called cardigans?).

I also hit up Trader Joe's to stock up on treats for my Canadian friends. Chocolate and coffee, mostly. Entirely, actually.

Eventually I made it back up to the place where I was staying and a few minutes after I arrive, Gen and Bobby returned. Yay! We had a nice evening catching up and playing games. We got to bed pretty early - we had a wedding to attend the next day!

Next chunk: Vashon Island!

Next Chunk... Sumas!

After tensely waiting at the gate in Calgary to see if I would get a seat for my flight to Seattle (yeah standby!), I made it onto the plane and to the Emerald City.

First stop: Sumas.

My little brother (who is not as little as he used to be) was hosting a 3-on-3 basketball tournament in Sumas the next day and I had been recruited to monitor/referee one of the courts.

It poured and poured and poured, but it was fun. Until a crazy mom got all up in my grill and started yelling at me after one of the games. (Why does there always have to be a crazy mom?) Crazy mom yelled things like, "If you want to make it in the reffing world, you'd better listen to me," and, "You ruined that child's self-esteem for life." Oh well, she's probably over it by now. Or maybe she is having fun telling all her crazy mom friends about the awful referee at the tournament in Sumas.

I really don't want to make it in the reffing world, by the way. I reffed intramurals for a couple of years at UW and it really is a sucky job. Unless you like to be yelled at by people like crazy mom.

Stay tuned for the next stop: Seattle.

August In Chunks...

Well, chunk one of August is almost done. Zoe is still my favorite dog in the whole world. However, I would never want to live alone with just a dog. I will be glad to live with people again.

But before I tell you about living situations, I get to go to Seattle! I am really hoping that the trip down is not TOO interesting, as I am flying there standby, but I am always up for a little adventure. Last I checked, there were two seats available on the flight I will be attempting to take tonight, so hopefully everyone else in Calgary decides to stay home. Should I start rumors about the plane's mechanical problems when I get to the gate to discourage people from flying? Probably.

Erin, my UW roommate, is getting married on Sunday! On a lavender farm on an island in the Puget Sound. To my future friend-in-law William. (If you are my friend-in-law, it means you married my friend.)

I also get to spend a day with my family and stay with some good friends in Seattle. I'm mostly looking forward to all of the awesome people I get to see this week, but I have to admit I am also very excited about eating yummy food in Seattle. And hopefully hitting up Trader Joe's. Maybe eating some chocolate as well. Maybe? Oh, who am I kidding. Definitely eating some chocolate as well.

As for the rest of August, you will have to wait until we get there and hope that I find time to blog about it.

(Hene, I get bonus points for posting this, OK?)

Whirlwind...

Wow! Is it really August?

It is? Oh good! I've REALLY been looking forward to August.

To start it off, I am dogsitting Zoe, my favorite dog in the whole world. She has a mohawk and likes to cuddle and I love her.

At the end of the week, I get to fly to Seattle to hang out and see one of my best friends get married on a lavender farm on an island in the Puget Sound.

When I get back, I get to pack up my stuff and move into Sam's new townhouse. I can't wait to unpack! I think we will feel like grown-ups playing house. Fun!

A few days after we settle in, another one of my greatest friends is coming to visit for a few days - we get to take a trip up to Red Deer to see a different awesome friend and her lovely new baby.

So much awesome!

GHANA GHANA GHANA!!!

Deja vu? Yup!

Hooray for Ghana! I wish I could be there for the party!

Familiar

Sometimes I like things, particularly edible things, not because they are good, but because they remind me of other things.

Sometimes when I have to work on a Saturday morning, I will treat myself to a Tim Hortons sausage breakfast sandwich on a biscuit. It might be my favorite food item on their menu.

I was eating one a couple of weeks ago when I realized that they don't actually taste that great. What I also realized is that they remind me of the biscuits and sausage gravy that Gram, my great-grandma who passed away a couple of years ago, used to make me for breakfast when I visited her as a child. Mmmmm, it was my favorite breakfast. Many Canadians do not understand how a person can consume such a heavy meal in the morning like that (many Canadians also do not understand the idea of donuts for breakfast, something that I can agree with), but my Gram was a true southern woman and that is what we ate at her house.

I think the only reason that I like the breakfast sandwich is that it reminds me of Gram.

Something that I am not particularly fond of is Nestea. To me, iced tea is made when you brew some tea, make it cold, then add some sugar and lemon to it. It does not come from a can. I've tried to learn to enjoy Nestea. I even started calling it "special lemonade" in hopes that I would forget that it had any relation to iced tea, but the stuff is just not very good.

One time, when I was working at camp, I was having a really bad day. I was sitting on the couch with Cassy in Sam's cabin (it was the summer before Sam and I shared the nurse's cabin). I think we were sitting in the dark, too, so that nobody would know that we were not working.

That summer, Sam and I took several trips to America to buy brown cream soda and our fridge was literally full of it. I love brown cream soda, so I figured that drinking one might make me feel better. So, I grabbed a can out of the fridge, opened it, and took a big sip.

Wouldn't you know, someone had put a can of "special lemonade" in our fridge. A single can of "special lemonade" amidst about 100 cans of brown cream soda. That is the can I picked, and it was terrible. It was so terrible that it was hilarious and it made me feel better.

Today I had a crappy day. I was bustling around work and got to thinking about the sausage biscuit and how it doesn't really taste good but I like it anyways because of the familiar feeling it gives me. I remembered that bad day I had at camp a few years back and how funny it was when I drank the "special lemonade."

"Maybe if I drink some Nestea," I thought to myself, "I will laugh and feel better."

So, I got my Nalgene, went to the fountain machine, and poured myself some "special lemonade." I drank it, and it was terrible, but I kept on drinking it in hopes that it would make me feel better. When I finished, I was mostly thinking about how terrible it tasted and how I needed to drink something else to get the taste out of my mouth. Then, I realized that my plan for feeling better was a little bit ridiculous and not very effective, so I chuckled at myself.

It didn't really end up making me feel better (arriving home from work did make me feel better), but it was kind of humorous.

World Cup!

I love World Cup! It is so sweet to see Ghana right there in the mix, and there is a decent chance that Ghana will end up playing the US again, that is if both teams make it through the group stage. I think we all know who I'd be cheering for ;-)

How Familiar

I often doze off during the long bus ride to school/work. It reminds me of childhood, when I would almost always fall asleep during car rides. I'm not talking about just my early childhood, I'm talking high school as well. For those of you who know me, this should come as no surprise. I have fallen asleep in places far more ridiculous than a comfortable car.

One of the things that always astonished me when I would fall asleep in the car as a kid was my consistent ability to awaken as we approached the house. As I felt the last few familiar turns before we arrived home, I would start to wake up. My body must have known that my mom had no intention of carrying me up a flight of stairs to my bed.

Today, I was met with that same sense of surprise as I opened my eyes from my little rest on the bus just in time to pull the cord for my stop. I must be getting used to this bus route.

I think it's pretty cool that we learn to perfom these sorts of autonomic actions that are beneficial to us. Of course there are much cooler examples than the one I used here, paricularly in the field of Biology, but it is interesting to think about nonetheless.

Do you think that normally voluntary things can become more autonomic by simple repetition? Does doing good things out of habit take any of the good out of it?

Where'd they put my bus stop?!

Excuse my negativity, but getting to work/school SUCKS! I have to take two busses and a train to get there and it typically takes about an hour and a half. Well, it used to take an hour and a half.

They are extending the train line so that it goes near my school/work. Isn't that awesome? I would think so, too, if it was actually going to be finished sometime before I graduate. I guess it WILL be awesome in the future, but for now it is a pain.

The construction for this train line has closed the bus terminal that I used to get off at. The change makes it so that after I get off the bus, I have to take a half hour walk to get to school/work. Walking in the sunshine has been enjoyable these past couple of days, but I doubt it will be fun when it is -40 degrees out. My transit time since the change has averaged about two hours one way. Oy!

Dealing with the inconsistent transfers, the long walk when I am dead tired after a day of work, and being late for work if something goes wrong along the way are the sorts of things that put me in a grumpy mood. I hate being grumpy! (I know, who doesn't?)

I know, my attitude is terrible. I have to get creative and find ways to make the most of it. Any ideas?

Well, I should probably go meditate on I Thessalonians 5:16-18 for awhile and see how it goes tomorrow. Bye!

Better Late Than Never

I suppose the title of this post could refer to me not posting anything on Wednesday, although that was not my original intention.

As it turns out, I have to take some fine arts credits in order to graduate. I registered for drawing, but then had trouble finding another good class to take. I soon realized that my only options were to join the school choir, take music theory, or take guitar lessons. To me, the answer was obvious.

So, yesterday...

I bought a guitar! I got it for a pretty good deal from some kid on Kijiji. I have always always ALWAYS wanted to learn to play guitar. When I was a kid, I put "acoustic guitar" on my Christmas list every year for quite a few years in a row (I don't think anyone took me seriously).

I am so excited that I am more or less being forced to learn guitar. It's one of those things that I would probably never buy for myself unless I had some good reason, such as graduating. Wahoo!

Hm. Today is Wednesday.

I am not going to write much today. I am in the middle of a week-long class discussing wealth and poverty in the Bible. We meet from 9-4 everyday, which takes up most of my mental energy. Because it's pretty much all I'm doing this week, let me tell you a little bit about the class.

This is the first Biblical theology class I have taken and it is fascinating. I love reading my Bible on my own, but sometimes I feel a little lost. It is really nice to have an expert in the room to guide me and my classmates as we read Scripture and discuss its meanings, interjecting with contextual and cultural information as needed. He has given us so much information to look at that I think I could study this subject for a very long time without getting bored.

Well, it's about my bedtime, so that's all you get today.

Psalm 2

"I have installed my king
     on Zion, my holy hill.
I will proclaim the decrees of the Lord:
     He said to me, "You are my Son;
     today I have become your father
Ask of me,
     and I will make the nations your inheritance,
     the ends of the earth your possession."
-Psalm 2:6-8

Lately, I have been thinking about metaphors. Likenesses between seemingly unrelated elements is one of those things that, to me, seems to be done by design.

As an interesting example, the Amazon Rainforest and the Congo River Basin are often called the lungs of the Earth. Since I have two lungs, too, it gives me a feeling of connectedness with the planet and makes me think that the force that brought my lungs about also had something to do with the botanical arrangement of the Earth as it exists today.

In the Genesis account of creation, God made people and entrusted them with the Earth. But, at the same time, it is from the dust that people were formed. We get this feeling of power, but we are a part of the planet that we are looking after, so we ought to take our responsibility seriously.

I don't have much else to say about this, I just think it is interesting to think about.

Waves (the coffee shop reviews are back!)

There is a coffee shop called Waves next to the school I attend (Waves is located at 30 Springborough Blvd. SW, Calgary). I was down there today, so I figured I'd stop in for a drink.

A few years ago, I was at a Second Cup in Vancouver and ordered an Americano, joking with the barista that it ought to be called a Canadiano in Canada. I was surprised when I entered Waves to see that they had Canadianos on their menu instead of Americanos! After doing a bit of research when I got home, I learned that Waves is a coffee franchise based out of the lower mainland, which further convinced me that I came up with the name Canadiano. Anyways, I digress.

I ordered the Canadiano and it was very palatable. It had a smooth earthy-chocolaty flavor that tasted good with no cream or sugar.  With cream and sugar added, it tasted like a yummy dessert. Although this may not be the place for a coffee connoisseur seeking the perfect cup of coffee, it is a great place to have a nice cup of coffee with a friend or perhaps a good book.

One of the things that I really like about this place is the partnership they have with coffee farmers through the One Harvest Project, through which they sell single-origin coffee that is sustainable (above Fair Trade standards) for the people who produce it. I didn't see any indication that the espresso I ordered was a part of this project, so I can't speak to the quality of the One Harvest Project coffee, but I'm giving it a plug here anyways because I like sustainability and Fair Trade. I didn't see the Fair Trade certification on the packaging, so I guess I'll have to take their word that they meet the standards. Actually, I think I'll email them and ask them why the coffee is not Fair Trade certified.

Which reminds me. Tomorrow is World Fair Trade Day! If you live near a 10,000 Villages, they will most likely have fun, entertainment, and prizes happening tomorrow. Have a great weekend, friends!

Psalm 1

"Blessed is the man
     who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
     or sit at the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
     and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
     which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
     Whatever he does prospers."
-Psalm 1:1-3


Some seasons are more difficult to get through than others. Sometimes I feel like I am doing life completely wrong and, perhaps worse, sometimes I lose the motivation to do anything at all. In particular, there are times when loving God and loving others is especially difficult, but I keep at it anyways because Jesus wants me to. I am not saying I am good at it, just that I keep trying. Sometimes this feels counterintuitive. Why keep at it when it does not make the season easier?

Because it is good. When the time is right, good will come of this sort of faith in God's law, just as the tree planted by streams of water yields its fruit in season.

Wednesday already?

I have been doing a healthy amount of writing over the past week. Feels good. Creativity in general feels good. I've been doing some drawing and other sorts of creating lately just because it feels good. I like to call these things "little projects."

One of the little projects I've been engaging in is digitalizing some admittedly not-all-that-incredible drawings I did a year or two ago. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I did them two years ago. Where has that time gone?!

The drawings were simple reflections on different Psalms. I think I only did the first six, but I will slowly continue to move through them. (At this rate I will finish a few years before my 100th birthday, haha.)

I will eventually post the final products with the verses that stuck out to me the most as well as a short commentary on what the drawing means to me. But, for today, I just want to show you a before and an after picture because it is kind of fun. The before pictures are terrible, they don't look that bad in real life. The scanner did a sad job of picking up the colors. I got to brighten and straighten it up, though, and it was fun even if it is not a masterpiece.

OK, here is your teaser!

BEFORE

AFTER

Write On

It's a little late for New Year's resolutions, but what the heck. I have been so lazy as a writer lately and I am going to try to change that.

I need to write more. It's good for my brain and I like doing it, so I should do more of it, right? Right. Write.

I have a small work space set up (all that means is that I moved the junk off of my desk) and I have a lot of ideas. Add a couple of tangible goals and I should be in good shape. For now, my primary goal is to write every day. I don't necessarily mean blogging, but some stuff will undoubtedly end up on here. How about I shoot for a blog post per week? On... Wednesdays? Sure, Wednesdays. Today is Wednesday and I am blogging right now, so I guess that works for me.

OK. Here we go...

I know, Lent is over.

A week or two ago I started thinking that it might be good for me to give up my coffee drinking habit. Now, I'm not talking about the occasional amazing cup of clover-pressed coffee that I like to enjoy at the Farmer's Market. I'm talking about the boring brew I find myself needing every single morning if I am to go on with my day.

Two days ago, I cut myself off. No coffee.

I've been drinking a bit of tea because I think I am having withdrawals or something. Tea has about 20% as much caffeine as coffee, so it is kind of like nicorette gum for coffee drinkers. I am craving it so bad, but I figure once it stops being a part of my routine it won't be so bad.

I am currently in the middle of writing a 10-pager that is due tomorrow night. With no coffee on the agenda, this could be a long haul.

To finish off, a poem entitled "They Drink Tea" by Gary Snyder:

There are those who love to get dirty
and fix things.
They drink coffee at dawn,
beer after work.
And those who stay clean,
just appreciate things,
At breakfast they have milk,
and juice at night.

There are those who do both,
they drink tea.

TV

I don't watch a whole lot of TV, but I do have a couple of shows I like.

My math professor likes to show us random geeky video clips at the beginning of each tutorial class. Yesterday's was a clip from The Big Bang Theory and it was pretty funny, so this morning when I couldn't sleep I found a place to watch it online. I'm on episode 4 of season 1 already and it's not even 8 o'clock yet!

I surprised nobody has ever told me (me being the semi-geek that I am) how much I would like that show!

LYC

This weekend there was an event called Legacy Youth Conference at the school I attend and work at. We hosted hundreds of youth and put on a sweet conference with the theme of "Simple." OK, so I was actually working in the cafeteria all weekend, not doing official conference stuff, but it was still sweet.

My favorite part of the weekend was some of the questions that the younger kids would ask me while I was working:

Q: "Is there anything I can get for a dollar?"
A: "You can get a day old muffin. That's it. Or You can have some peanut butter for free."

Q: "Why is this more than the sign says?"
A: "There is sales tax. And a bottle deposit."

Anyways, it was fun to hang around all the youth and see some live performances, especially those of some of my superly talented fellow students. Yup. Very fun!

A Bit of a Rant and I'm Glad They're Done...

I had some fun watching the Olympics in my sweatpants during reading week, but I'm glad they're done. I love Canada for a lot of reasons, but Canadians have been acting way too American lately! What is with the spirit of domination? This week, I actually overheard a Canadian say in all seriousness, "People who don't cheer for Canada shouldn't be allowed to live here." That doesn't scream "welcoming country of great diversity" to me.

Also, the "Own the Podium" campaign was lame. Talk about eating your words, then spitting them back out and trying to rearrange them more favorably. How about simply treating your athletes well and then letting their performances speak for themselves?

Hockey I understand. Canada should be possessive and obsessive about hockey because it really is their game. And I'm glad they got their gold (I like to think that when my home country lost, it made me a more popular person here in Canada). Actually, I probably would have cheered for your team if the whole "Own the Podium" thing wasn't so annoying. Wouldn't be the first time I cheered against an American team, after all.

Anywho, a few positives to finish off... Canada, your athletes did great, your hockey team showed up when they needed to, and you showed great national pride. Also, I loved watching what the Americans did in dominating the podium, my favorite Seattle boy Apolo Anton Ohno for what he accomplished in his own medal count, and of the grit that our young underdog hockey players put into their games, not to mention Ryan Miller's incredible tournament in goal.

OK, now that I have conducted my own personal closing ceremony, I am DONE with the Olympics and I don't care how badly people want to talk about hockey tomorrow.

Brace yourselves, this is going to be a great post...

Last night I was falling asleep, just as I do almost every night. Sam was still awake, but she was in her own room, down two flights of stairs. 


As I was drifting off to sleep, I heard noises that made me think that Sam was coming upstairs to tell me something (footsteps going up basement stairs, basement door opening, quick steps through first floor, gentle steps up to the second story). So, I woke myself up a little, but then the steps went back downstairs. Sam saw that my light was off, so she went downstairs to check my calendar. Sam and her family made me make a calendar so that they know where I am most of the time.


After calculating approximately what time I would have to leave the house in the morning, Sam decided that she could wake me up without feeling too bad about it, so I listened again from my bed as she gently walked up the steps and towards my room. Sam gave a light couple of taps on my door then invited herself in.


"I know you're trying to sleep, but you really have to come to my room and see something that's on my TV."


Sam's always trying to get me to come see things and I really wanted to get some sleep, but she assured me that this one was worth it. She was pretty convincing about it, and she could barely contain her excitement, so I dragged myself out of bed.


I followed Sam down the first and second flights of stairs and towards her bedroom. She took a peek into her room, then let out a little giggle and instructed me to go look.


This is what I saw.....


......




......




...... wait for it




......




......




......




......




......




......




......

It's Robyn Roste on TV! And she's not even standing on the sidelines of a curling rink. Adlai, if you want to see Robyn on TV, you need to start watching Christian television late at night.

Ready, Break!

Since I have to work all weekend, tomorrow is the last day of my five day reading break. I accomplished a small amount of reading, an even smaller portion of which was for school. I spent a good amount of time watching the Olympics in my sweatpants. I spent some time with some of the people who I have not been able to see much of because of my otherwise busy schedule.

To kick off my break, I went to a Valentine's Day party on Sunday night after work. That's right people, I went to a social event and it wasn't even because Sam dragged me along (she was on practicum that day). We played Battle of the Sexes and, even though us girls lost, I got to surprise everyone with my knowledge of the cultural sporting event that takes place in Pamplona, Spain.

One of the interesting things that has been weaving its way through my week is a bit of graphic design work, which is really fun. I'm creating a logo for a guy I know who is just starting to get into event planning. It's not a paid job, but I'll get into some concerts for free. Plus, graphic design is really fun! I haven't had much time for creativity since school started, so it was a nice addition to the week.

Days off?!

I'm a little busy. It's a little different than my usual carefree pace, but it seems good.

I'm a full-time student again. I'm studying math, rocks, and history this semester. I love math!

I got a job on campus (that's the only place I'm legally allowed to work right now). I like it so far. I work with some fun and diverse people.

The lady who trained me is the cutest Polish lady I've ever met. Not that I've met many Polish ladies, but she's great. Her name is Jadwega, and if you can pronounce that right on the first try then you are doing better than I am. She is a super-cashier and knows pretty much everything there is to know about our small store.

I also have a friend at work from Ghana, so I am being called obruni once again. That's Twi, one of Ghana's national languages, for white person. It's fun to talk about Ghana and the places we've both been. I can't wait until the FIFA World Cup rolls around so we can cheer for Ghana.

One of my bosses is a total goof, which makes things fun. The other day I looked into the kitchen and he was serving food with the head of a mop under his hat, like a wig. It looked so funny.

Hmm... what else? I spend ridiculous amounts of time on the bus/train. It takes about an hour and a half to get to school/work, which makes for about three hours a day in transit. I don't mind, but some nights I am only home for seven hours. That does NOT leave enough time for sleep.

But this week I am on reading break. I have to work tomorrow and Sunday, then I have five days off to get ready for midterms and just relax. I think those five days are exactly what I need to recharge for the last eight weeks of winter semester. Yay!

Whoa!

This morning I was frying up some red pepper and onion to put in my omelette. I added some tomato and cilantro and it turned into yummy salsa! I was amazed, but now that I think about, I guess it's not that surprising.

Salsa is one of my favorite foods. When I was a kid I would put salsa on everything. My specialty was the cheesy salsa hot dog.

Anyways, I just remembered that Ghana is playing Nigeria in the Africa Cup of Nations right now! Go GHANA!!!

Haiti and Stupidity

"I also want to say a word about God and evil. Pat Robertson said that Haiti’s earthquake was caused because of the country’s “pact with the devil.” I don’t even know what he means, nor do I care. But I want to say this: My God does not cause evil. God is not a vengeful and retributive being, waiting to strike us down; instead, God is in the very midst of this tragedy, suffering with those who are suffering. When evil strikes, it’s easy to ask, where is God? The answer is simple: God is suffering with those who are suffering." 
-Jim Wallis on his God's Politics blog (read full article here)  

When I was in elementary school, my younger sister and I went to a day home after school. One afternoon, in the midst of an intense game of cops and robbers, my sister fell off of her bike and scraped up one of her knees. My sister went and sat on the edge of the sandbox to examine her wound.

The rest of us kids joined her, offering consolation and promising that she could be a robber in the next game. One kid, though, wanted to help her clean up her knee. His idea was to cover the wound with sand so that it would stop bleeding. So, he threw a bunch of sand onto my sisters bleeding knee. Not only did this cause my sister increased pain, it did nothing to help. In fact, scabs formed over the sand and she later had to have the skin on her knees cut open again to get it all out. Kids are stupid sometimes. 

So is Pat Robertson (but I guess the White House beat me to that observation). Why would someone throw sand on that? Something is wrong when a response to suffering is so damning.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another."
-Romans 12:15-16

God, I want to be right there with you, suffering with those who are suffering. I pray that, as a church and as people living on this planet together, our response to great suffering would be genuine empathy. Help us to cling to your goodness and your love even when awful things happen.

World Juniors

It's kind of too bad that the American hockey team won the World Juniors. I think it's safe to say that most Canadians (at least the ones I know) were at the very least interested in the tournament. A lot of Canadians could probably tell you who Team Canada beat on their way to the gold medal game and would perhaps be able to rattle off a couple of statistical comparisons between current player Eberle and former player (and current NY Islander) Tavares.

The average American? "Huh? What hockey tournament?" Oh well, I'm sure they'll (we'll?) pay closer attention when it is time for Olympic hockey.