say hello, wave goodbye

Moving on up...

2008-04-11T10:39:00.001-04:00

...to the east side (also known as Wordpress)

My new blog can be found at espngirl.wordpress.com

See you there!

More Than Sorry

2007-04-20T10:28:00.000-04:00

Vietnam is the word for all that went wrong.For all that turned out contrary, simply because from the very outset the thinking was flawed. Vietnam ought to have been an adjective. It ought to mean infinitely sad. It ought to mean sorrow of such enormity as to be irreparable. But even that is impossible, the very word Vietnam is ruined, worn out. It has begun to mean Chuck Norris. Oliver Stove trilogies. It means low-budget movies you fall asleep half way through, old cartoons from Marvel Comics

~ From Vietnam. Thursday. by Johan Harstad

Words Without Borders

2007-04-07T19:28:00.000-04:00

I just started a new book, Words Without Borders. Below is an excerpt from the introduction.

In November 1979, I was living in Austin, Texas, when Iranian students in Tehran overran the American embassy, and the hostage crisis began. In those early moments of what became a 444-day standoff, young white men from Houston and Dallas cruised the streets in their late-model cars, stopping to beat up any man or boy who looked even remotely Iranian. Among the battered were Sudanese, Italians, El Salvadorans, Egyptians, Ethiopians, and quite a few Mexicans. The were called "sand nigger" and "camel jockey" and told to go home. Go Home.

Twenty-two years later, on a clear blue morning in September, we were attacked by a handful of men from a fundamentalist cult of a militant arm of an ancient religion, and we answered those attacks with attacks of our own, one of which was the beating of an elderly Sikh on a bus in Boston. Three men took him for Middle Eastern because he wore a turban, which somehow meant Muslim, which then meant terrorist, and they pummeled him.

We are, of course, a country of immigrants. We come from the very cultures we no longer seem to know. A recent National Geographic study tested 18-to-24-year-old Americans, 83 percent of whom could not find Afghanistan on a map. Seventy percent could not find Israel or Iran. Only 37 percent could locate Iraq. When asked the religion of India's majority populations, nearly half answered Muslim when it is Hindu. A full 80 percent of Americans do not have passports, and there is this alarming statistic from Words Without Borders: "50 percent of all the books in translation now published worldwide are translated from English, but only 6 percent are translated into English." Our own president has publicly referred to Slovakia as "Slovenia," has called Kosovars "Kosovarians," Greeks "Grecians," and East Timorese "East Timorians." When he was running for office in 1999, he was quizzed by a reporter and could not name the president of Chechnya, the general who had taken power in Pakistan, or the prime minister of India.

There are theories as to how we've become so ignorant of other cultures around the world: geography and foreign languages are no longer taught in schools; U.S. media companies have cut back on world new coverage; we are isolated between to oceans and have friendly neighbors to the north and south and can afford the luxury of being provincial. The real reasons for out collective ignorance are probably more complex, but whatever the roots, the consequences are dire: we have never been less isolationist in the variety of goods and services we consumer from around the world, and never have we been more ignorant of the people who produce them. This is, if nothing else, fertile territory for misunderstanding, unresolved conflict, and yes, war.

The translation and publication of this volume, therefore, have never been more timely or necessary. Yet there are rewards here that go beyond politics and even age-old questions of war and peace; to go more deeply into the experience of the other - no matter how "foreign" - is to go more deeply into our own experience as well. Leo Tolstoy wrote: "Art is transferring feeling from one heart to another." In this essential collection of stories from around the world, genuine feeling and more are transferred from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East. The emotional landscape of many of these is hardship of some kind: drought, war, poverty, living under totalitarian rule. In each, however, is the affirming cry of human expression.

- Andre Dubus III

where are you going?

2007-01-16T15:19:00.000-05:00

Societies are not made of sticks and stones, but of men whose individual characters, by turning the scale one way or another, determine the direction of the whole.

- Socrates, in Plato, The Republic, Book Eight

2006-12-15T10:26:00.000-05:00

This was in the Washington Post yesterday, and I thought it was interesting. It is certainly a different take on the situation in Darfur. I appreciate that they acknowledge that there is more to this story (and most news stories) than you typically get in talking-head-on-CNN scenario.

you oughta know

2006-11-02T15:17:00.000-05:00

Around the globe, nations purchase weapons – chiefly from the United States – at the cost of about $1 million every minute; collectively, they spent about $800 billion on their militaries in 2002, compared to the $56 billion in development assistance to help the poor nations of the world.

In the United States, 35.9 million people live below the poverty threshold.

In Manhattan, the top fifth of income earners make 52 times more that the lowest fifth: $465,826 compared with $7,047 – the latter an income roughly equivalent to what one would find in Namibia.

The world’s wealthiest five hundred individuals have the same combined income as the world’s poorest 416 million people.

A cow in the European Union receives a daily government subsidy greater than what the world’s poor live on ($2.20 a day) and the American government paid more in farm subsidies to its twenty thousand cotton growers in 2005 ($4,7 billion) than the total amount of U.S. aid to Africa.

In 2000, 11.1 million children under the age of five died from preventable diseases like malaria, diarrhea, tetanus, whooping cough, and measles.

The AIDS epidemic has claimed about as many victims – almost forty million – as the Black Death in Europe in the mid-fourteenth century.

Five million people died of AIDS related illnesses in 2004.

The Caribbean is location of the world’s second-highest HIV infection rate; in 2000, half a million children in this part of the world died from AIDS, while another half-million became newly infected (primarily from mother-to-child transmissions).

Life expectancy in Swaziland is 34.4 years, and experts predict that by 2010 it will be 30 years. In Zimbabwe, the average is only 33.1 years, and in Zambia, 32.4 years.

The United States is the richest nation in the world, but is among the least generous donors to development assistance, giving only 0.16 of its gross domestic product.

The U.S. government donates only about $16 billion each year for development assistance, compared to the $450 billion that it appropriates for the military – or compared to the $11 billion Americans spend on their pets.

~ Just thought you should know.

gotta have faith?

2006-09-19T11:22:00.000-04:00

John Kerry gave a speech at Pepperdine about religion and his personal story of faith. This follows similar speeches by Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) and Robert P. Casey Jr., the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania.

Kerry says that he wishes he had given this speech before the 2004 elections, and I do to. Those of you who have ever heard me talk about the Democratic Party know that I think one of the major breakdowns of the Kerry campaign was the lack of open communication about issues like this. I think that this is something that the Democratic party as a whole struggles with. However, if you aren’t open about what you believe and how that fits in with your history as a politician, people are going to fill in the blanks for you. That solution never works out very well for the Democrats.

Some say that by addressing these issues, the Democratic Party runs the risk of alienating its liberal base. I think that American voters are, for the most part, smarter than people think. You have your groups and either end that won’t be persuaded either way – they will always vote straight ticket because that’s just what you do. You aren’t going to change the minds of voters like that. But the people who actually listen to campaign issues and the such are the people who are most likely to be persuaded. The people who consider themselves “moderate” (politically or religiously) and the voters who vote for people not party. These are the people who can understand that you can be a Christian and not be against abortion or gay marriage. These are the people who understand the fallacy of the pre-election Republican legislative agenda that caters itself to what they think that religious conservatives want. And the people that they are catering to aren’t “religious conservatives” they are conservative Christians.

In response to Kerry’s speech Tony Perkins, president of the Washington-based Family Research Council, said, “The pickle that some of these liberal policymakers find themselves in is, they know that faith is important to people, but when they get pinned down on their policy positions that are inconsistent with the tenets of their faith, they start hedging and talking about other factors in their decision."

I would like to clarify a something for Mr. Perkins. The beauty of the political science experiment known as the United States of America is that we don’t have an official religion. One of the benefits of this situation is that our legislation is not based on a person’s religious views or beliefs. I think that the alarm should sound and big red flashing light should go off for all of us when we see a politician legislating their personal religious beliefs to the citizens of this country. People like Mr. Perkins find this convenient now, because they believe that Christianity is still the dominant religion and therefore it should be socially acceptable to legislate your “religious” beliefs about gays and abortion to the entire nation. That’s not what politics is about. And that shouldn’t be what Christians are about. Shouldn’t “faithful Christianity” be about helping those less fortunate than ourselves and seeking equality for those who are put upon? I’m pretty sure that Jesus had something to say about that. Not to mention that legislation of beliefs that are essentially religious in nature violates freedom of religion for those in our nation who happen not to be Christian.

Attitudes about being conservative and Christian like the one Mr. Perkins displayed remind me of an article I read on CNN today about Turks trying to get the pope arrested. They said that by insulting Islam and Muhammad, that the pontiff violated their law that ensures freedom of religion and thought. Now, I don’t think the pope should have said what he did about Islam, but it seems to me that a law protecting freedom of religion and thought should, in fact, protect the pope from being arrested. Unless, of course, the law only protects freedom of a specific religion and thought. Which isn’t exactly freedom, now is it? I think that when we start legislating personal religious beliefs to the nation, instead of trying to figure out what is best for ALL of the citizens of America, we are relegating our freedom of religion amendment to only protecting the rights of some.

I am proud of John Kerry, Barack Obama, and Robert P. Casey, Jr. for expressing their beliefs. We need to start somewhere…and maybe this is it.

bouncin' back

2006-08-08T10:38:00.000-04:00

A wise man once said, "The depressing thing about tennis is that no matter how much you play, you'll never be as good as a wall. I played a wall once, they're...relentless."

I may never be as good as a wall, but it sure is a fun sport to watch while frying in the afternoon sun.

I went on Sunday to watch the Legg Mason Tennis Classic Finals. It was very hot, but lots of fun. I got to watch the Bryan Brothers play some awesome tennis (and eventually play some music - apparently, they have a band.) We were sitting on the third row over the umpire's right shoulder. These awesome seats came with tennis balls that we were able to get signed by Bob and Mike. Hopefully, there will be pictures coming soon.

We also watched Andy Murray get beat by Arnaud Clement, which was sad - but Brad Gilbert was there (Andy M's new coach, Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick's old coach), so that was cool.

Over all, it was a very enjoyable day. Who doesn't love scorching heat and a sore neck from watching the ball go back and forth and extremely high speeds?

Here's to sunburns, tennis, and Mitch.

how forever feels

2006-08-03T10:35:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), in an unusual moment of clarity, said something profound. At the end of a Senate hearing on Gitmo, he asked the million dollar question. He wanted to know if the military had a plan of what to do with Gitmo detaness other than "keep them there forever, or until we're done with the war on terror...whichever comes first."

Dream Baby Dream

2006-08-02T13:38:00.000-04:00

Passion & Politics…and church???

I’m currently reading book called Passion and Politics by Michael Walzer. It’s about equality and the state. How do we, as a governmental organization and as citizens, help those around us obtain equality in rights, in money, in jobs…all of the areas that make people feel unequal? We say we live in a country where you can choose your destiny. We live in a land where you should be all that you can be, and because we’re in America your wildest dreams can come true. We have people flocking to get in so that they can live the American dream. But is the American dream really all it’s cracked up to be? Can you really achieve equality in all areas of life?

We are all in associations that are involuntary. We are all categorized by race, gender and religion. Those are things that, for the most part, we can’t change (or don’t choose to change). Does being associated with one or more of those groups automatically make you less of a citizen; does it make your vote count less? In some ways, yes. If Harold Ford, Jr. (D-TN) is elected to the United States Senate in November, he will be the first black senator elected from the south since the Reconstruction. African-Americans, for example, are grouped by race before anything else. Their involuntary association with a particular race pre-determines, for the most part, who they are and what they will become. It seems as if they don’t start out equal because of something they can’t choose. There is a line in Hustle & Flow where DJ is talking about his daughter and he says that one day his little girl is going to grow up and he’s going to lie to her, he’s going to tell her that she can be president if she wants to. Given our current political situation, the odds of this happening are slim, but that doesn’t stop people from believing and hoping. Everyday people try to instigate change.

Walzer proposes that this feeling of alienation and isolation from involuntary associations often times results in feelings of anger and bitterness towards the people who hold the power. In his discussion of these groups, he says that women are a unique group because although they live and function among in all of the different associations, voluntary and involuntary, in everyday society, in many ways they are just as separated and alienated as people who find themselves classified in a minority racial group.

I think this theory has some weight to it, and that it should not escape the attention of the church for many reasons. First of all, I think that if we are seeking equality, then we should be helping others who are less fortunate than ourselves. If we reach out and provide education, monetary assistance and good jobs to people who are stigmatized by something that they cannot choose, we are choosing to help them become part of the greater society, American or otherwise. We should be actively seeking to help people feel as if they belong in both our communities and our churches.

Which brings me to my second point, if a political theorist can see and address the fact that women, of any race or religion, are treated as a minority and he can address the fact that this has serious implications in both home and religious life, why can’t we? Why can’t the church realize that inequality in the church, for anybody, breeds feelings of resentment against those in power? The same way that inequality in politics leads to frustrations that express themselves in anger and bitterness, inequality in the church has potential to do the same. I know many women who, out of frustration, have left the tradition we grew up in so that they could use their gifts to God’s glory.

Perhaps the church can learn something from liberal political theory.

so this is love...

2006-07-24T11:02:00.000-04:00

an entire trip spent within a five mile radius of a walmart supercenter parking lot...my own little piece of heaven. (shout out to ann, andy, and leann)

3 trips (4 orders) from Sonic...yes, you read that right, sonic...the greatest place on earth...

running a close second was the walmart supercenter, where we purchased 2 coolers, 6 bags of great value cheese ravioli, 8 containers of white cheese dip, 2 containers of some really good cream cheese, 3 bags of Tyson Chicken Stir-fry (for our dear friends Jeff & Laurie), among some other treats... we seriously need to get one of those up here!

Stop #3 was the outlet mall...where i purchased a crock-pot shaped like a football...it's so freakin sweet!

The outlet mall did bring me to ask a very important question: why do all children's clothing stores (Carter's, Osh Kosh, etc) smell like plastic? It's really freaky.

There was lots of fun and laughter had by all on our little day trip to Williamsburg. Not to mention a little stop-over in a town whose name I do not know, but did provide us with the picture seen above.

Aunt Sarah's House of Pancakes and Steaks...who specializes in pancakes and steaks? It's like going to IHOP and straying of the two page breakfast spread...very, very dangerous. As is the back page of a Waffle House menu. If a restaurant proclaims a speciality in their name (example: International House of PANCAKES) then one should not stray from the self-proclaimed specialty. But when eateries get all wild and crazy and proclaim specialty in such a wide variety of food...i get skeptical all the way around. And don't even get me started on Jack-in-the-Box. Tacos, eggrolls, and hamburgers should not come from the same drive-thru...it's just not right.

mmm...route 44 cherry-limeade...this feeling of dedication to sonic and walmart is probably as close to a commitment as i'll ever get...this might be love.

hey you, get into my car

2006-07-12T11:59:00.001-04:00

I’ve decide to become frugal. In honor of this decision, I’ve decided to cut back on my morning trips to Starbucks. My new office brews Starbucks coffee (although it isn’t really very good) and so, alas, I’m making my plethora of Starbucks gift cards last as long as physically possible. I do, however, have a Starbucks cup waiting in my car that I plan on blogging about. But you will all have to wait patiently for that day.

As part of my new found frugality, I have changed up my morning commute. My commute used to consist of driving to the Metro lot, parking my car (and paying and arm and leg for the privilege) and riding the orange line into work. This totaled about $11 a day in transportation costs (outrageous, right?)

Alas, there is a cheaper way to get to work. It is called slugging. Now I know that our parents told us to never get in a car with a stranger, but that is my new cheap way to get to work. I park my car at the park and ride (parking is free), I stand in line, and eventually get in the car with someone who needs an extra person or two to be able to take the HOV lanes to work. I’ve been going in to the Pentagon (which is weird in and of itself) and getting on the metro there. Between eliminating parking costs, and cutting down on the total cost of my metro ride – I’m saving about $5 a day!

So, here’s to frugality, slugging and, in a way, disobeying our parents!

....but it didn't wanna talk

2006-07-05T16:16:00.000-04:00

It's been a really long time since I've posted. I would like to fool you into believing that I am crazy busy, but in all reality - I'm a lazy bum.

My wonderful friends helped me celebrate my birthday almost a month ago, and I received a plethora of Starbucks gift cards. You are all enabling my addiction. In honor of that addiction, I've decided to start posting some of the musing from the sides of my Starbucks cups.

Today's musing came through a torrential downpour and decided to mar a perfectly good white t-shirt, but we won't hold that against it.

"The morality of the 21st century will depend on how we respond to this simple but profound question: Does every human life have equal moral value simply and merely because it is human? Answer yes, and we have a chance at achieving universal human rights. Answer no, and it means that we are merely another animal in the forest." - Wesley J. Smith - Bioethicist and senior fellow with the Discovery Institute

Join us next time for a quote from a famous athlete, musings on the benefits of Reading Rainbow and afternoon Jeopardy, and a review of Spamalot (now playing at the National Theatre).

searchin'

2006-05-16T14:38:00.000-04:00

I'm a dork. I know this and am okay with the fact. My dorkiness led me to participate in an online endevour thar some of you may have heard of called the Da Vinci Code Quest on Google. I like puzzles and I loved the Da Vinci code, so this was a little piece of perfection. For those of you who don't know how the game works, there were 24 daily puzzles that asked questions about different stuff. The first 10,000 to complete all 24 daily puzzles were to recieve an email and a cryptex replica from the movie. Well yesterday was the day for the email - and I didn't get one all day.

I did, however, receive a mysterious package delivered to the church building. When I opened it - it was a cryptex - SWEET! I hadn't gotten an email, so I was a little confused, but when I got to Leann's I decided to open the cryptex.

Let down #1 - the code to the cryptex was on the bottom of the box - not that challenging if you can read.

Once I opened the cryptex, there was a note inside that said I had proven myself worthy and that I needed to go this website. So I did, but I got a fun note that said I should come back later.

Let down #2 - i can't access the final stage of the game until Friday.

Last night when I got home, I had an email from Google congratulating me on being a finalist and telling me that I would be recieving my cryptex in the mail shortly. I think they got the stages of delivery a little mixed up on that one.

Let down #3 - the website inside the cryptex was also linked on the email, so the cryptex served no actual purpose in the game...bummer.

So, there's my post on the Da Vinci Code Quest. Hopefully I'll win a trip to Europe and have a whole lot more to blog about.

Speaking of Europe, my friend Adam is in Dublin for a couple of days and is blogging about his endevours in both tourism and food - you should check it out.

Stickshifts and Safetybelts

2006-05-05T17:26:00.000-04:00

I have a theory that when it comes to driving, your quality of car should be directly proportionate to your quality of driving. People who are really good drivers, who not only obey the law, but do not intentionally anger other drivers get the Bentleys, Hummers, Benz’s and classic Corvettes. Those who are average drivers, those who do not cause too much tension, anger, or danger on the road should get your mid-size, mid-level cars – Hondas, Toyotas, etc. Those people who would be considered poor drivers are those who like to put on their make-up while driving, who can’t park without multiple attempts, and who can’t obey the speed “limits” within an appropriate +/- margin of error – those people get the 1992 Ford Explorers and the 1987 Buick LeSabres. Imbecilic drivers get the Pinto and any other car that combusts either spontaneous or otherwise.

If not directly proportionate, the car/driver ration should be at least inversely proportionate. I do have certain moral dilemmas with that situation, i.e. the random slow car in the fast lane should not be a corvette, and if you cannot back out of a parking space at Wal-mart in one try, then you should not be driving the BMW in the first place. But if I’m petitioning for any kind of direct correlation at all, I probably can’t be too picky about the exact workings of said correlation.

Back to the point, the need for a direct correlation between quality of car and quality of driver is so you know who you want to be behind on the highway and which idiot is going to make you want to cuss at the next red light. I think that a system like this one who lower the blood pressure of most of the greater DC area. Of course, you have your vehicles that do not really come in “classes” such as transport vans, school buses, etc. Those drivers would be allocated a number based on a standardized rating system and their driving proficiency and they would be required to place their removable magnet on the back of the van when they were driving. That way you would know if the driver of the van in the next lane was likely to cut you off in a misguided attempt to kill you or not.

Alas, the world is not perfect and this is not how the world works. Instead, the world of car and driver is a bell curve. With either extreme in car quality being the lowest in regards for quality of driver and those mid-range, mid-size cars having the “best” drivers. I think this is related to financial situation. If you have a really nice car you probably feel “entitled” and therefore drive like you own the world and are the most important person and that you need to be at your meeting before anyone else. If you drive a particularly crappy car, you probably did not spend much money on it and feel that the car is worth about $300, so it does not really matter if you cut off Jane Doe, because if she hits you, you might get a new car. The people with the mid-size, mid-range cars probably have at least some financial investment in them and have a feeling of responsibility and try, hopefully, to preserve the quality of their investment by driving safely. This theory of investment does not really work with mini-vans. If you have a mini-van, you probably have kids and one would think that kids are important and that you would want to drive safely in order to protect your children. Nevertheless, I have found that mini-vans are often the most unpredictable type of vehicle when met on a suburb street.

So ends my very own facile theory about driving, car quality, and idiots.

Fishin' 4 Religion

2006-04-19T14:25:00.000-04:00

I think most church-goers, and certainly most ministers and seminary students, can appreciate this.

It wouldn't be so funny if it weren't true.

Tennessee

2006-03-07T12:10:00.000-05:00

I have a theory that my great homestate of Tennessee is gradient scale of society. As one travels from Memphis, the westernmost point in TN, to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area, you go from ghetto to redneck. The closer you are to the center of the state, the better your chances for finding normalcy.

Last night at the Academy Awards all of Tennessee was represented. It started with Dollywood herself representing the Pigeon Forge area of TN. Later in the show the exact opposite of Dolly Parton performed for the same award, Three-6-Mafia represented North Memphis in the rap that they wrote for Hustle & Flow. Recap: Three-6-Mafia: 1, Martin Scorsese: 0! Then Reese Witherspoon went on to represent Middle Tennesee and the small population of normal people in Tennessee. Sunday was a good night for Tennessee.

You know it's hard out here for a pimp!

Better Days

2006-02-28T13:37:00.000-05:00

And you asked me what I want this year
and I try to make this kind and clear
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
Because I don't need boxes wrapped in strings
and designer love and empty things
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

So take these words and sing out loud
Because everyone is forgiven now
Because tonight's the night the world begins again

I need some place simple where we could live
and something only you can give
and that's faith and trust and peace while we're alive
and the one poor child who saved this world
and there's ten million more who probably could
if we all just stopped and said a prayer for them

So take these words and sing out loud
Because everyone is forgiven now
Because tonight's the night the world begins again

I wish everyone was loved tonight
and somehow stop this endless fight
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

So take these words and sing out loud
Because everyone is forgiven now
Because tonight's the night the world begins again

Because tonight's the night the world begins again

As I prepare to begin the lenten season, i think of new beginnings and of future hopes and past regrets. Lent is generally regarded with an attitude of mourning and pentinance, it is the champion of the whole sackcloth and ashes genre of Christianity. However, there is something to be celebrated in Lent. The idea of something new, the idea of forgiveness, being able to prepare yourself for a new season, a new encounter with life, love, and the Lord. So here's to hoping that through our fasting and denial of whatever physical thing we choose, we can see this as a time of rejoicing, a time of great hope both in life and in the spiritual realm. Let every craving remind you of something greater than that which you have given up, something greater than what you are or what you dream to become. There is no such thing as false hope, and those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. Here's to hoping that we all find better days.

I did it...

2006-02-02T11:15:00.000-05:00

Anybody who knows me at all know that I have a thing for shoes. I love shoes - all of them. Cheap, expensive, flats, heels, leather, tweed, any color...i love them all! I fell in love with a pair of shoes a couple of years ago, and decided about a year ago to save up my money and buy them. I have now done it...yesterday I purchased a brand new pair of tan lizard Manolo Blahnik slingbacks!!! For some it seems it extravagant, and for others it seems like just another pair of shoes in my 40+ shoe collection. The truth is that this the ultimate shoe purchase and I got them for cheaper than i had budgeted for...so now i can start saving up again to buy them in black! Manolo Blahnik rocks my face off!

Alive

2006-01-18T13:17:00.000-05:00

People can live a hundred years without really living for a minute.

I refuse to let that be me.

Welcome to Wherever You Are

2005-12-20T10:19:00.000-05:00

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that we don't really understand, and they aren't what we planned or wanted. I have recently found myself in the throws of one of these situations, and I find myself struggling with expressing what I feel and why. Sometimes songs are more eloquent than I could ever be...and this one is.

Maybe we're all different
But we're still the same
We all got the blood of Eden running to our veins
I know sometimes it's hard for you to see
You're caught between just who you are and who you want to be

If you feel alone and lost and need a friend
Remember every new beginning is some beginning's end

Welcome to wherever you are
This is your life, you made it this far
Welcome, you got to believe
That right here right now you're exactly where you're supposed to be
Welcome to wherever you are

When everybody's in and you're left out
And you feel drowning in a shadow of the dawn
Everyone's a miracle in their own way
Just listen to yourself not what other people say

When it seems you're lost alone and feeling down
Remember everybody's different, just take a look around

Welcome to wherever you are
This is your life, you made it this far
Welcome, you got to believe
That right here right now you're exactly where you're supposed to be
Be who you want to be, be who you are
Everyone's a hero, everyone's a star

When you want to give up and your heart's about to break
Remember that you're perfect, God's make no mistakes

Welcome to wherever you are
This is your life, you made it this far
Welcome, you got to believe
That right here right now you're exactly where you're supposed to be
Welcome to wherever you are
This is your life, you made it this far
(I say welcome) Welcome to wherever you are
This is your life, you made it this far (welcome)

Shout out to Bon Jovi for the lyrics. However, what happens when you aren't exactly sure where you are and you are certainly not sure of what is next? Often we find ourselves in situations where it is easy to think "right here right now you're exactly where you're supposed to be", and then someone throws a wrench into the situation. Maybe the decision you made really is stupid. Perhaps you're family was right when they told you that you would never find a job, and you needed another degree.

Welcome to wherever you are.

Wishin' and Hopin'

2005-12-08T13:00:00.000-05:00

The holidays are a time of wishlists and shopping... so here is my turn at the perfect gift.

First, I would give to Adam a chance to tour and play with Pearl Jam. I would also give him all of his CD's that were stolen back.

Since Adam doesn't do the blog thing, I get to pick two more people....ROCK ON!

To Leann - A week's vacation with Bon Jovi, and season tickets to the Colts along with weekly dinner with Peyton (and perhaps a divorce;)

To Graham - And gift card to best buy that never ran out of money so there is no need to worry about a music budget. And perhaps I'd get him an oven mitt;)

So, Graham and Leann - you're it...pass along the holiday spirit...

Happy Chanukah!

just the two of us...

2005-11-21T14:35:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm giving in and doing the chain blog thing...enjoy

Two Names You Go By: Jessica and j.mo
Two Parts of Your Heritage: Memphis and Indian
Two Things That Scare You: clowns and crickets
Two of Your Everyday Essentials: email and ESPN
Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now: italian leather boots, jeans, and sweater
Two of Your Favorite Bands or Musical Artists: Pearl Jam and David Gray
Two Things You Want in a Relationship: Laughter and honesty
Two (or three) Truths: "senior citizens, while slow and some what dangerous behind the wheel, can serve a purpose" and "they say that sprite is lemon and lime, but i tried to make it at home..and there's more to it than that" and "my spoon is too big"
Two Things You Hate (or rather dislike with a passion): bad music and bad fashion
Two Physical Things that Appeal to You: butts and eyes
Two (or three) of Your Favorite Hobbies: sports and reading and music
Two Things You Want Really Badly: Meet Coach K and a pair of Manolo Blahniks
Two Places You Want to go on Vacation: Greece and Italy
Two Things You Want to Do Before You Die: Go to every inhabitable continent and get my Ph.D.
Two Ways that you are stereotypically a Chick/Guy: I have a freakish obsession with shoes and I love sports (wait...that's atypical...hmmm....i like chocolate)
Two Things You Normally Wouldn't Admit: I like Pat Benetar and I like to cheer for Allen Iverson (anyone who as a rookie who can shut down Michael Jordon deserves to be that full of himself)
Two people I would like to see take this quiz: Wojo and Peyton Manning

Who are you?

2005-11-14T13:53:00.000-05:00

Who, who, who, who?

Now that that's out of my system.

I have a confession to make... I strive to be like Carl. So in an effort to achieve becoming anything like the great Carl Willis, I am posting a game that has graced my blog once before.

During the fall semester of my freshman year at Harding, I had Dr. Elrod for International Relations. While the class was mostly foreign policy-esque, Dr. Elrod had a Link of the Month that he would share in class. One month it was Guess the Dictator or Sit-com Character.

This game is still one of my favorite ways to fill/waste time, although Panda Bounce is up there.

Some of you might already be aware of this wonderful tool for procrastination, but for those of you who aren't - think of an obscure dictor/sit-com character and prepare to be entertained (or at least have 5 min of your day sucked away).

Enjoy!!

In other news: After a very fun dinner Sunday night, Jenifer gets the official "you rock my face off" for the week.

spin the black circle

2005-11-09T12:27:00.000-05:00

I have officially accomplished everything on my post-PowerHouse to-do list. There was actually only one thing on the list…but I did it! This past Sunday night our small group did not meet, which was the perfect opportunity to go record shopping.

I went to Orpheus, which is on Wilson across the street from the Clarendon metro stop. The record selection there was excellent, and the guy the working was knowledgeable and nice. I probably spent more money than I should have, but I don’t care. Their biggest selection is jazz, but they were not lacking in rock or new stuff. I even found the Kaiser Chiefs album on vinyl (I didn’t buy it, but it’s still way cool).

The bounty from Sunday:

Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
Tutu – Miles Davis
The Unique – Thelonious Monk
Miles Davis (2 LP set)
Live at the Village Vanguard Again! – John Coltrane
Thelonious Monk (2 LP set)
The Stranger – Billy Joel

Vinyl rocks my face off!

was it worth it

2005-11-07T13:03:00.000-05:00

I thought about telling you a sad story about my lack of sleep and stress leading up to this past weekend. Then I realized that I never questioned the price that had to be paid for PowerHouse 2005. I love those teens, and seeing them on fire for God is worth at lot more than I could ever put into PowerHouse.

I thought about the price I paid for my job. Was being here with great teens and new friends worth leaving all my friends in Abilene and the full-time education atmosphere? While the verdict is officially still out on this one, I’m gonna have to go with a hearty “heck-yes”.

I’m not really the type to get philosophical on blog posts, but I think that this weekend has reminded me of the question of “is it worth it”. Life in general can be crappy, and it doesn’t get any easier when you take on Christ. I see teens excited about their new journey with Christ and I worry about our ability to provide them the support system needed to make it through the trial and turmoil of life. Faith isn’t easy. Bad stuff happens and we are left to find a matrix in which a loving God fits with evil in the world. Are the normal pains of life and philosophical uncertainties worth the end? In the world of philosophy, does the ends really justify the means? Is the virtue of perseverance worth suffering loss? I certainly hope so.

It’s this messy side of faith that we don’t talk about much in youth ministry (or ministry in general for that matter). We are really good at getting kids excited about Jesus and the fact that they can be forgiven, but we don’t prepare them for dealing with the stuff that lives throws at you. We never have a youth rally that talks practically about dealing with temptation or loss, or how to handle faith in a pluralistic society. For me, these are some of the hardest things about faith.

How do we equip people to deal with this kind of stuff? How do we convey the worthiness of faith in the light of tragedy? I don’t really know, but I do know that whatever the cost of walking alongside people in the faith journey will be worth it.

did you ever know that you're my hero?

2005-11-03T10:29:00.000-05:00

I was going to try to get Casey Kasem to do my long distance dedication this morning, but apparently trying to get a celebrity’s home phone number is considered some form of stalking or something…who knew?

(To those of you who are reading this in a place where you can listen to music, I strongly urge you to begin playing Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings" before you continue reading, so that you can gain the full effect of today's long distance dedication.)

There are several recipients of today’s not-so-long distance dedication.

1. The AWESOME teens of the Fairfax Student Ministry – They are pumped about PowerHouse and willing to help make it happen! FSM rocks my face off.

2. Shayna & Carl Willis – The shout out goes to Carl for reminding me that, contrary to popular belief, you cannot record audio with a still camera. Shayna is my hero for figuring out the video camera and helping me record some stuff for PowerHouse!

3. Everyone who is volunteering for PowerHouse – My job is fun because I am not the one moving tables or designing decorations. I get to help, but I mainly get to spend time with the aforementioned teens.

4. My small group – I know I crushed your hopes and dreams of ever being the holy grail of NoVa, but you guys really are special. Without you, I never would have found the record store.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions of the author expressed on this blog do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U.S. Government, and they may not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

Seriously, the list is not in any order, and if you didn’t get a shout out it doesn’t mean you don’t rock my face off.

it's a beautiful day

2005-10-31T17:30:00.000-05:00

1) Randy Sanders will resign as the Offensive Coordinator for the University of Tennessee Volunteers. Yep, you read that right…he is quitting. It is about time, too. You do not win football games when you play it safe. In football, as in life, you have to take risks to win. I honestly hope that Sanders’ personal life is not the risk-less debacle that his football career has been up to this point.

There seems to be this contingency of fans who, in an effort to ease their pain caused by an allegiance to a sporting team who, by definition sucks, blames all losses and on field errors on a particular coach, coaching decision, or just the entire coaching staff. Personally, I am above this childish and petty blame game that occurs in the sporting world, but must concede that sometimes a coaching change is the proper medicinal solution to on-field problems. For example, Hubie Brown was a miracle worker for the Memphis Grizzlies. They were a team who had the talent, but due to poor coaching and managing decisions were in a state of…how can I say this nicely…perpetual sucking. Hubie Brown was the spoonful of sugar and the medicine. Here was a man who through sheer talent in the coaching realm was able to boost team performance and with a very (un)fortunate turn of events had a name that boosted team and fan morale. For anyone who is a skeptic, say the name Hubie aloud. Need I say more?

2) I have found the holy grail of Northern Virginia.

I’m sure that there are more than a few of you out there who know that this sentence is about you are secretly applauding yourselves for getting an anonymous shout-out on my blog. It is true that I love you every one of you, and that is why I want you to take some time right now to think about how awesome you are. Make a mental list of all the things that make you fabulous and would make you the subject of this post. Then, I want you to slap yourself. You guys are great, but do you seriously think that any of you are holy grail material? There might be one or two who have on occasion provided excellent fodder for mocking. (i.e. “I’m not gay, but I would sleep with Brad Pitt.”) However, you can rest assured that such fodder does not give you such status as to be called the “holy grail”.

In all actuality, the holy grail of NoVa is a record store. I know it is probably pathetic, but I have been looking for a good record store since I moved here. Even though the verdict is still out on the quality of said record store, it as a record store none-the-less. I officially have my first item on my post-PowerHouse to-do list: Go to record store and look for Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Cal Tjader.

On that note, I am off to “spread the Jesus love”.

cheeseburger in paradise

2005-10-27T11:38:00.000-04:00

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…at least it is at Bath & Body Works. There are Christmas trees in the windows, fake snow is stuck to anything that might warrant a little bit of holiday spirit, and Carol of the Bells wafts through the air in an attempt to augment the already overdone and way too early sentiment of Christmas.

I am of the opinion that the Christmas season doesn’t start until Santa comes in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Then, and only then, are you allowed to put up the tree and lights. Only after the fat-man in the red suit graces the streets of New York is it appropriate to blast Christmas music without ceasing. However, this freakishly early start to the holiday season does have its benefits.

One of which is the release of the Holiday scents. These scents don’t really vary from year to year. They always have the Cranberry scent, the apple scent, and the infamous Vanilla Bean Noel. The last of the three is the one that intrigues me the most. It doesn’t really smell like Vanilla Beans, as much as it smells like cake icing. Now don’t get me wrong, I like the smell of cake icing – in fact, I like the taste of cake icing. The problem for me is smelling like a processed food. Previously, I would have said that I just didn’t like smelling like food, but it has been pointed out to me that most girls’ scents smell of fruits, which, contrary to popular belief, are indeed foods. But smelling of cake icing is like smelling like apple pie or peanut butter or something. It may be sweet and you may like the smell, but does that really make it okay to smell like your daily moisturizing routine consists of smearing a Betty Crocker concoction on your skin.

Another problem I have with this whole smell like food thing is the cravings that are induced by the scents. For instance, you light a candle that smells like food – and you will, at some point, crave said food. Now imagine smelling like cake icing all day. That can’t be good for your diet, your insulin levels, or your arteries, because you will eventually give into the temptation to eat cake icing.

I know I’m not the only one who thinks that smelling like cake icing is a bit weird. However, I am very aware of a differing opinion held by some. So my question to you is this: Is it okay/normal/appealing to smell like a processed food like cake icing? If you are female, would you wear such a scent? If you are male, would you be attracted to such a scent?

everybody get your roll on

2005-10-23T17:29:00.000-04:00

I am sitting in Starbucks in Abilene right now, and I just got done talking on the phone to one of my very good friends from high school. She called to tell me that she went to the outlet malls where she lives now and it made her think of me.

You see, we had this tradition that we would to the outlet malls in Sikeston, MO and shop all day before gorging ourselves on hot rolls at Lambert’s Café. Lambert’s is one of those places that everybody who is anybody knows about when you are growing up. It is the home of the “thrown roll”. They walk around distributing sides and rolls while you wait for your food, and apparently, somebody back in the day was too hungry to wait for the guy with the rolls to get to him, so he made the waiter throw the roll. A tradition was born. Now the will launch hot rolls at you from across the restaurant, so you better be paying attention. The food is good, but you go for the experience of having a hot, buttery object launched with force toward your head.

I think memories like that are what make friendship so special. There is something special about being reminded of someone when you are walking down the street or sitting in Starbucks.

I am very blessed to have wonderful friends throughout the many stages of my life. I did not think that I could find friends like the ones I had in high school. Then I got to Harding and met wonderful people like Adam, Renee, and Audrey. Abilene introduced me to some more wonderful people, one of whom I am sitting at Starbucks with. God has not disappointed with the plethora of wonderful people that have been brought into my life in Fairfax.

The next time you are reminded of an old friend (or new friend for that matter), I encourage you to call them or send them a note. Let them know that they are in your thoughts and that they are special to you.

oh-oh, here she comes

2005-10-19T17:58:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow morning I board a plane and head the vast expanse of treeless habitat known as West Texas for part two of my youth ministry class. I am very excited about heated discussions about the theological roots of youth ministry, and a time of fellowship with some fellow women in ministry.

On Saturday, I will cruise on down to A-town to see the likes of Graham (and my many other wonderful grad-school friends).

As many of you know, I am what some might call slightly nerdy. Proving this point is the fact that I am very excited about sitting in on a three-hour Systematic Theology class taught by Fred Aquino. Sadly, this will quite possibly be the highlight of my trip to Texas. I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed the headaches that always follow a Fred class, the intelligent discussion, the glazed over looks of confusion (mostly on my face), and the desperate need for a very large cup of coffee (or Christmas-in-a-cup) about half-way through.

I love my job and I would not trade it for the world. However, I really miss the time for reading and the afternoons spent at Starbucks writing papers or translating Greek. I hope that I am always a life-long learner, and that I always enjoy the prospect of challenge both educationally and theologically as much as I do right now.

The wonderful thing about Fred classes (and most grad classes, really) is that he never lets you live in a state of complacency. He makes you ask the hard questions, and he demands answers. He forces interaction with the topics that Christians find unnerving and want to avoid. Theodicy is scary, but we have to talk about it. Pluralism is what we live in and we cannot always hide behind John 14:6.

There is something about a class with Fred that encourages boldness, and I hope that the boldness he fosters in me is something that I can pass on to my peers and to the teens. I pray that I will always have this thirst for knowledge and this passion for truth (or at least epistemic virtue). We should not go quietly into the night; instead, we should be passionate about faith. That passionate faith will provide joy in the darkest situations, even when we cannot answer the hard questions like theodicy. The thing that will squelch both passion and joy is an unwillingness to ask the questions at all.

(Special shout out to Leann, whose post on theme song inpired this blog title. In a perfect world, Maneater by Hall & Oates would be my theme song, but in reality Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar is probably my theme song.)

green acres is the place to be

2005-10-17T16:02:00.000-04:00

Green Acres
Originally uploaded by j.mo.

Corn Maze = Good Ole Fashion Fun. There were cows, chickens, baby goats, hayrides, and pumpkins. My trip to the “punkin patch” was very successful. I, with the help of Christie Ritchie, located the Jennifer Aniston of pumpkins. It has a very nice, light complexion and is very smooth. I also located the Brad Pitt of pumpkin - nice shape, and a little rough around the edges. As long as there is no Angelina Jolie of the pumpkin patch, I should be just fine.

My trip to the Corn Maze yielded much more than just some very pretty pumpkins and a lot of fun. It revealed that I have MPD. (Multiple Personality Disorder for those of you who are a little slow on the uptake.) I have decided that I am the Jekyll & Hyde of living locale.

It is no secret that I have a freakish obsession with city life. I have pictures of New York City on my wall in my office. I love the idea of an urban environment where I don’t need my car and I can live in a very small, expensive apartment. I love the city.

However, I love the country too. I love hunting, fishing, and camping. I love taking walks on fall evenings when it’s cold enough to not worry about snakes, yet warm enough to appreciate the leaves and the rest of nature. I love farm animals and I think cows are cute. (I know it’s weird, so just remember my previous post about normalcy.) There is something magical about eating chili outside on Friday night, when you are getting ready to go hunting on Saturday morning. Some of my best memories of my childhood come from growing up on a farm.

Somehow, I seem to be able to sing the entire Green Acres theme song, and only be in opposition to myself. Fresh Air…Times Square…I want them both. For now, I will relish my pseudo-city life while trying to find time to carve my Brad Pitt pumpkin.

trouble acting normal

2005-10-13T16:13:00.000-04:00

While I was home last week, I watched House of D with Robin Williams. I don't know exactly how I feel about this movie, except that Robin Williams character used one of my new favorite lines.

Pappass, played by Robin Williams, is about 30 years old and mentally challenged. At one point in the movie he declares that he is no longer retarded, that he became mentally handicapped and then eventually progressed to being mentally challenged - in fact, there is probably more transition going on while he is speaking and he just doesn't know it.

The best quote from the movie comes in a scene where Pappass has just done something totally off the wall and slightly unnerving - he looks this guy in the eyes and says, "I was supposed to be normal, but I didn't get enough oxygen when I was born”.

Oh, how I wish that were an acceptable excuse for me. Every time I stuck my foot in my mouth (or showed by stunning knack for gracefulness) - I could just blame it on the lack of oxygen at birth.

So next time I can't spell school, just smile and nod while thinking to yourself, "she was supposed to be normal..."

Grace is gone

2005-10-11T09:50:00.000-04:00

All distinguished ladies posses an element of grace. Jackie-O...graceful; Princess Di...graceful; Catherine the Great...graceful; J.Mo...not graceful. I’m Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality– I have not a drop of gracefulness about me. Some would say I’m uncoordinated and others would say I can’t multi-task (like chew gum and walk at the same time). Bottom line: If I were easily embarrassed, I would be embarrassed most of the time.

Something is wrong when your nickname is “Grace” because you have none. When you are described something as positive as grace out of irony – you need help.

Harding used to have chains that ran along the edge of the front lawn. When you were late for chapel, which for me was almost every day, you would cut across the grass, which meant stepping over the chain. I cannot tell you how many times I would step over and then catch my back foot on the chain, causing me to come crashing down in all my glory. I never wore a skirt to chapel because of that stupid chain.

The chain was not the only dreaded part of the chapel experience. There was a veritable obstacle course of disasters-in-waiting between my dorm room and my chapel seat. Freshmen have to sit in the balcony at Harding, and the three huge flights of stairs up to the balcony were an accident waiting to happen. I only tripped on them once or twice. The most harrowing part of the chapel experience was the steps to my seat. I had to walk across the very front of the balcony, and then about halfway up the front section to get to my seat. For those of you who have never been to the Benson at Harding, the steps in the balcony alternate between wide and skinny. Whoever thought that was a good idea needs to be shot. The same scenario played out about once a week – Someone would say hi, I would turn around for a quick hello and then turn around to head to my seat. I would always think I was on a wide-step but really be on a skinny one and catch my toe on the next step – tripping in front of about 1000 freshman. The first couple of times people were scared to laugh (feeling sorry for me I guess), but once they figured out this was a regular feature in the chapel line up that all changed.

I thought I had outgrown my clumsiness, or gained some grace in the past couple of years. I went almost a whole semester at ACU without tripping on any stairs or when walking or anything…then I moved up here. There is something about the front steps of my house that bring out the worst in my walking abilities. I tripped on my front steps twice yesterday. Yeah, I fell up the same set of stairs twice in one 24-hour period. The first time I was coming home from Target, and the second time I had just got home from a Foo Fighters/Weezer concert that rocked my face off.

While I’m not easily embarrassed, it’s nice to know that other people suffer the same disability that I do. Please tell me that I am not alone, and that you do completely stupid and sometimes humiliating stuff like this.

Good Old Rocky Top

2005-09-27T10:05:00.000-04:00

Tennessee at LSU

Halftime Score: 0-21
End of 3rd Quarter: 7-24
End of 4th Quarter: 24-24
End of Overtime: 30-27

Yeah, you read that right. Tennessee beat LSU in Tiger Stadium - AND scored all of their points after halftime.

Best Story of the Evening: Rick Clausen - This guy came in at halftime and turned around a team that was literally falling apart on the field. I think that the first half was quite possibly some of the worst UT football I've ever seen.

MVP: The UT defense - They held Florida to three field goals last week when it should have been three touchdowns, and this week they did not disappoint in the 2nd half - two field goals is all LSU got after halftime - opening up a chance for the offense to come in and do some major damage.

Most Improved: Special Teams - So maybe God does micromanage. (j/k) Seriously though, there was some major improvement from the Florida game to tonight.

Best Moment of the Evening: Hearing Rocky Top blast through Tiger Stadium as thousands of LSU students wearing "Beat Tennessee" t-shirts filed out in a state of shock and disappointment.

I bleed orange. I love UT football, and I love watching them come back and dismantle LSU.

Watch out Ole Miss - we're improving and we're in Neyland.

save a horse

2005-09-18T01:21:00.000-04:00

My vacation time has taken me to an exotic destination that is frequently under-represented by the big wigs in the tourism industry. There is nothing in the world quite like the Abilene Fair and Rodeo. Tonight, we went to the rodeo and watched some guys ride bulls that were bound in ways that are unspeakable and some other guys try to rip the heads of baby cattle. We petted some sheep and got one to try to ram through the fence to get to Adam – he seems to attract males of the animal persuasion. Now, you can’t go to the fair without riding some rides that at any moment could fall apart and kill you because they are made to break down and fit on the bed of a truck. We rode one that spun you around in a big circle, and then we rode the Tornado. That name pretty much sums up the ride. You are sitting on a contraption that spins in little revolutions while the whole thing is spinning in bigger revolutions – kinda like what the earth does around the sun. We topped off the evening with some fried Oreos, a funnel cake, and a fried snickers – the group of 8 of us now of a combined arterial function of approximately 3.5 chambers…mmmm…. funnel cake.

The highlight of the rodeo experience was not witnessed first hand by yours truly; rather Sara Kendall-ball had this experience last night at the fair. Apparently, there were some animal rights activists protesting outside the fairgrounds last night. During the rodeo, one of the fine upstanding citizens of Abilene made a comment about the protesters. It seems that this fine gentleman didn’t like the protesters and said, “they must be with those FEMA people”. Now, I don’t know what he thinks FEMA stands for – perhaps it’s “French for the Ethical Maintenance of Animals” or “Firefighters for Equality of Mammals Association”. Stuff like that makes you truly appreciate the education level displayed on a daily basis in the Big Country.

On a slightly different note, I had Sonic for lunch today, I went to Sonic to get a drink before dinner, and had dinner at Taco Bueno. The goal is to go to Sonic a total of 5 times while I’m down here – so I’m almost halfway there – woohoo! I think that we need to open a Sonic out in the L.C. – that puppy would be a cash cow!!!!! (can something be a puppy and a cow?)

Peace out from Texas. (pronounced Tay-haas)

the good stuff

2005-09-02T10:29:00.000-04:00

The Thursday before Labor Day is one of the greatest nights of the year. Your mind is currently racing in a desperate attempt to figure out how and why I would make such a blanket statement. Especially in light of the national tragedy going on in the Gulf Coast region right now. How could this Thursday be better than Christmas, or almost as great as the month of March? One word… FOOTBALL!

Tennessee won’t make its grand appearance on Rocky Top until Saturday (12:30 est on GamePlan or Jefferson Pilot if you live in the region), which means I must wait about a day before embracing that beautiful orange and white checkerboard and singing at the top of my lungs. Still, Thursday was a nice start to a promising football season. On this particular Thursday night, the weather is perfect – that warm-coolness that encourages open doors and windows. The sound of crickets and the roar from what I can only assume is a Jr. high football game drift inside. (Do they play this early up here? Perhaps it was a scrimmage or something, but I digress.)

I watch a man I loathe, gracefully doing what he does best. Steve Spurrier (best known for creating the Gator legacy circa 1990, and who recently did a short stint with the Redskins – the NFL isn’t his game) has, judging from their first game, succeeded in turning around another flailing SEC team. While UCF is not a real test for South Carolina (they have the longest loosing streak in the NCAA which extended to 12 after last night's game), they are performing better than I imagined. Two touchdowns in the first quarter, and by the start of the fourth it was 24 to 3. They finished strong with a score of 24-15, not a bad start for a new coach.

I am by NO MEANS a South Carolina fan, and the only nice thing I can say about Spurrier is admiring his ability to coach from a non-biased outlook (yea right, I can’t stand the guy – and it is totally based in the fact that my blood runs Orange.) Yet, I’m glad to see them improve like this. It makes the Vols schedule even scarier, but I love the competition in the SEC and if this makes that better – bring it.

This is why I love fall - good sports, great weather, and most importantly good sports. ROCKY TOP, YOU’LL ALWAYS BE HOME SWEET HOME TO ME!!!!

we don't need no education

2005-08-30T11:34:00.000-04:00

S-C-H-O-O-L. See, I know how to spell school, but apparently I didn’t on Sunday morning. I’ve been in the education system for two decades, and I have learned decidedly less than what one is supposed to. At least that is the story the teens will give you.

You see, this weekend we took a group of teens up to Graves Mountain Lodge this weekend for a retreat about leadership, finding, and following God’s will for both our lives and our ministry. It was a great retreat with some amazing young leaders. On Friday my vocabulary was on FIRE man, I had to check myself a couple of times for using words the teens didn’t know (transubstantiation being the highlight of the day). We returned to FXCC Sunday morning at about 9:15, and I was supposed to teach class at 10:30-ish. At this point I am so freakin’ tired I can barely stand up – I had worked till 12:45 Thursday night/Friday morning and was back at the church at 8 on Friday morning to leave for the retreat. So there I stand, imparting a wealth of knowledge to a classroom full of eager jr high and high school students. And I mention school (some of them started back yesterday, while most of them start back next week). I get the usual response of groaning paired with phrases of “why’d you have to mention that” or “we have another week, don’t remind us.” So I feel the need to get the class moving out of the “complain about school” mode – so I say, and this is a direct quote, “I’m sorry I mentioned that ugly word that starts with a ‘C’ and ends with a ‘chool’.” (In case you didn’t know ‘chool’ is pronounced just like ‘cool’, which is something I am not.) The kids immediately laugh, and say, “Jessica, it starts with a ‘S’ not a ‘C’.”

I have been to graduate school, and still can’t spell it. Contrary to popular belief, I am not a spelling bee champion. I’m sure I will be reminded of this stellar teaching performance daily for a while. (Thank you Chris) The reality of the situation is that I was just trying to show the teens that I too am flawed, because I don’t think that they see that side of me enough. Who am I kidding, I make a mockery of myself in front of them daily – and I get paid to do it. I have the chool-est job ever!!!!!!

we are the champions

2005-08-23T12:16:00.000-04:00

"When two hearts race, both win." - This was the message that I found staring at me from my dove chocolate wrapper during our poker game on Friday night. Hannah and I immediately burst into fits of hysterical laughter.
It just invokes a rather funny mental image. Picture two hearts, not the lovey-dovey valentine kind, but the kind with valves and chambers and stuff, both of which are decked out in 80's workout gear, complete with too-short shorts, sweatbands, and leg-warmers (if hearts like this had legs, of course). They are racing down the beach and in the background the Chariots of Fire theme song is wafting through the air. They both stumble across the finish line and immediately collapse from lack of oxygen, seeing as how they are unattached from the lungs and can't properly function without them. What an inspiring mental image. It's not exactly the humor that the writers at dove had in mind I’m sure, but when you write something as cheesy as that - mocking must immediately ensue.

On a slightly different note: Those of you who are expecting a seriously funny post about a certain guy who has been known to sport a mustache circa-1979 Magnum P.I. will have to wait at least one more week. He is going to the event tonight - but I've been replaced as the ever-mocking life coach. It is my personal mission to find out the identity of this new character in this comedy of epic proportions, so I am offering the following: a Best Buy giftcard to whoever discovers the new person's identity and lets me know so that i can restore order to this new found state of chaos.

girls just wanna have fun

2005-08-16T18:44:00.000-04:00

A friend and fellow-blogger posted about our alma mater’s new “Minister’s & Wives Day”. So, after reading his post (you can catch it here) and getting all fired up, I decided to host a ranting session of my own.

Harding, which resides in the county seat of the largest meth-producing county in the nation (Urban legend or not, white county does produce a lot of meth), has decided to host a day for ministers. Well, I’m a minister, and I’m not married – and even if I were, can you imagine the look of horror DDB would have on his face if I showed up with a wife. Yeah, that would be a disaster like none other, and I’m gonna have to rule that entire scenario out with a “big fat negatory”.

Why can’t Harding join the rest of us and realize that God doesn’t give spiritual gifts based on gender, and that several women, myself included, have left institutions of higher learning within our fellowship and have gone on to actively pursue a life in full-time ministry.

At first, I was mad, not the upset kind of mad – but the hoppin’ mad that makes me want to go down there and physical hurt the Harding powers-that-be (or whoever is responsible for this fiasco). I was mad that they were alienating a group of women who, despite their lack of Y-chromosomes, have dedicated their lives to serving God. I was mad that they were alienating men who are single and in ministry, because they are single doesn’t make them any less qualified to minister the word.

Then it hit me… I shouldn’t be mad, I should want to cry. There are people out there who think like this, who are stuck in this mindset. I got out and realized that there are realms of thought outside of the Harding-approved theology that validate and welcome a questioning of the status quo. These people are responsible for the lives of students who are coming into their own faith and this isn’t theology I want them receiving. This runs deeper than a Minister’s day with a poorly chosen name. This is the core of their theology. With all of those upstanding men of God who are paid theologians, you would have thought that one of them would have said, “Hold up, is this the message we are really trying to send?” Either this is the theology they want to spread to their corner of “the brotherhood” (which is becoming more like Freed everyday) or they just are not thinking (which scared me more, seeing as how they claim to be an institution for higher learning).

I’m so glad that I have found a church that can look beyond marriage and gender, and an eldership who sees the importance of utilizing your spiritual gifts, and that the possession of those gifts isn’t directly linked to your reproductive system. But what do I do now? How do I help those women coming behind me see that it doesn’t have to be this way? How do I help places like Harding see that they are making women in ministry (and single men for that matter) feel like second-class members of God’s kingdom? Can I do anything at all, or am I destined to watch Harding alienate women and marginalize itself from the rest of the world?

Back to life, back to reality

2005-08-15T22:35:00.000-04:00

So, this is what the real world feels like. I’ve spent the past two decades in school (scary thought, eh) and now it has officially ended. Well, I guess it officially ended in May, but it didn’t feel real…until yesterday.

In the hotbed of diversity that is the FXCC office, I will soon be the youngest person by OVER a decade. When the other Jessica makes her way back to college in a week, I will be the lone twenty-something. Graham made like Michael and Bolton-ed (Okay, Graham if you are reading this – your phrase only works in the present tense “I’m making like Michael and Bolton”). And as of 5-ish EST, Adam had entered Texas and was 160-something miles from the Dallas area. Jen should be headed back to Abilene any day now, and C.Shock and Kat (yea, Metallics) have been in Abilene for most (if not all) of the summer. And as for me…well, I got up this morning, got dressed, looked for gray hairs, and went into the office in what has now become my new routine.

Sidenote that had potential to be it’s own blog post, but I’m too lazy: I found my first gray hair on Friday – talk about FREAKING OUT – I almost had a heart attack. I immediately plucked it, and here’s to hoping that is a melanin-absence anomaly of the follicle realm of Jessica’s head.

Continue original train of thought here: This is now my life, and I’m coming to grips with the fact that, at least for now, this is my home. This is the first time in twenty years that I haven’t bought school supplies (How I miss fun colored mechanical pencils, color-coded binders – okay, so I’m a tad-bit of a dork) and I think I’m okay with it. I haven’t left reality; I have entered a new reality. Yes, I’m sad that my friends are all going to be back in the same general geographical location, but I’ll be in A-town in about a month. However, all is not lost, I have discovered an amazing group of young professionals who are on fire for God. Maybe reality isn’t all that bad.

clouds in my coffee

2005-08-11T13:34:00.000-04:00

I have an addiction to coffee. In NoVa there is a Starbucks on just about every corner, and I can tell you which ones make the best coffee, which ones have the friendliest partners, and which ones have the best seating/learning environment. I have become a connoisseur of the rich, thick aroma and bold taste of a great cup of coffee. I press my own often, but sometimes I just feel the need to go inside and enjoy the experience. A hot cup of coffee (or Vanilla Skim Latte, depending on the mood), a good book, and the loop of the same music are what make Starbucks the booming success it is. I have a theory that Starbucks is to music what Oprah is to books. They package what might not be seen as mainstream music (Frank Sinatra, Etta James, Alanis unplugged) and market it to the herds of thick-walleted, upper-middle class consumers that bombard them to fulfill their caffeine addiction by purchasing over-priced coffee simply because that tan cup with the green mermaid is a status symbol among working people across America.

I digress, the caffeine addiction and love/hate relationship with Starbucks, while a central part of my life, is not the point of this post - it is the cup. As most of you know, Starbucks has "The Way I See It" on the back of their cups - I am usually too busy enjoying my sweet nectar of the gods to worry about what the cup says, but today I read my cup - and received a pleasantly thought provoking surprise.

"Everywhere, unthinking mobs of 'independent thinkers' wield tired clichés like cudgels, pummeling those who dare question 'enlightened' dogma. If 'violence never solved anything," cops wouldn't have guns and slaves may never have been freed. If it's better that 10 guilty men go free to spare one innocent, why not free 100 or 1,000,000? Clichés begin arguments, they don't settle them." - Jonah Goldberg (editor-at-large of National Review Online)

We do say that violence isn’t the answer. We teach little kids that it’s not okay to bite or hit, that the best way to solve a problem is to go to the teacher – one should always try to attempt to resolve an issue diplomatically instead of physically. These are the rules we follow in offices and malls (even Starbucks) around the country, yet these are the rules we throw aside in situations that we view as the exceptions to the norms.

If violence isn’t the answer, then why do we send thousands of troops Iraq to solve a problem? We view it unacceptable to resort to violence when you don’t get your way through the ‘traditional’ methods of diplomacy in any other situation. However, when it comes to international politics and police/FBI/CIA work – violence is ALWAYS an option and if often viewed as the best answer even when there are other options available.

I say all of this to say that I think we get ourselves into trouble by teaching our kids these clichés, and telling them that they are the standard for life. They, like the golden rule, are applicable in all areas of life, yet this is not the message that we send in our everyday actions. People across America see their government behaving in manner that says, “Screw diplomacy, I want what I want when I want it. And if I can’t get nicely, I’ll use force if necessary.” Maybe, just maybe, this attitude of our leaders has/will pass down to the masses, and people are emulating their government. What irony it would be if the leaders of the free world were role models for their own citizens, and the message they were sending was one of violence and using force to get what you wanted.

I say all of this, but the kernel of wisdom on my tan paper cup remains the same: “Clichés begin arguments, the don’t settle them.”

Better Late Than Never...

2005-07-08T19:32:00.000-04:00

It is after 7pm on my day off and somehow I find myself sitting in my office trying to get all of my work done so that I can have Saturday off as well (watch out Hershey, PA - here i come). Today was quite the adventure which I feel the need to share with the world (mainly the non-DCers).

Today Leann took the interns on a tour of the capitol (totally cool of her, seeing as how she has a real job and all). Well, we were supposed to meet at the Metro station at 9:00 and be at Leann's office by about 10. Well, Paige and Joey both need to buy really big watches that have huge digital faces or something because at 9:50 they showed up the Metro station. We finally made to Union Station and were supposed to walk down Delaware to C Street and Leann's office building is on that corner. Well, I'm a little directionally challenged and couldn't find Delaware, so we took the long way around. This wound up being the best idea I had all day because we got to pass the CSPAN building. I'm perhaps the only dork in the world that would think this was cool, but to me it was super cool.

Instead of giving a blow by blow of the tour/afternoon I'll just give a short list of all the cool things we did/saw:

Ted Kennedy's office - Leann works right across the hall, so that was cool

John Kerry's office - We just got to walk by, but still cool

Sammie Young's office - Sammie is Chief of Staff for the Secretary of the Senate (or something cool like that) so he has this really cool office with an amazing view of the mall

Trent Lott's chair - I got to sit in his chair in the place where the rules committee meets

JFK's office - We got to see the office he had when he was a Senator

The Caucus room - A super cool room where they held hearings on things like the Titanic sinking, McCarthy, Iran-Contra, Clarence Thomas, Vietnam. Also the room where JFK announced his intention to run for the presidency.

Two cops with every type of weapon strapped to their bodies, carrying machine guns in the Metro (gotta love whole terror level thing)

I finally received my invitation to the Bush inauguration today. It's a couple of months late, but I guess W is a little slow in all areas.

I also learned that each state gets to have two statues in the Capitol, rules being that person must be dead and have had some major affiliation with that state. Paige and I have decided that we are going to petition to have one of Tennessee's statues be Elvis - you don't get more dead or more famous Tennessean than that.

On two completely different notes than each other or from this post:

I got tickets to see Andy Roddick play tennis here in DC! Yea for Jacque Holton, her friends, and weddings.

We leave for Richmond on Sunday with not enough chaperones or vehicles, and without a youth minister. That is why I'm still here on a Friday evening. Please keep us in your prayers as Neil, Paige, Lisa and I try to transport and keep up with 31 teens! I love my job!

God made dirt, and dirt don't hurt

2005-07-05T10:22:00.000-04:00

Some of you are expecting me to comment on Wegman's and/or the new Batman movie, and I promise I will - just not today. I did promise to post the links to the two videos that we keep quoting all the time, so without further ado...End of the World (viewer discretion advised) and 'Amburgers and Wootbeer.

For real though, I would like to tell all my non-DC area friends about the wonders that are the Fourth of July on the Mall in Washington. We left Fairfax about 11:45 and arrived downtown a little before 2. We walked around for a while, we played in a fountain and then my feet got really dirty - as graham says, my feet were "oozing funk". We played frisbee and hit a couple of women who didn't speak english - that was really embarrasing. The Beach Boys and Gloria Estefan were playing on the capitol steps and there was a folk festival thing going on - it was super cool. We hung out in the shade for most of the day, but when it got dark we went out and sat on the mall right in front of the Washington Monument. When the fireworks went off the monument was in the foreground with the fireworks behind it - it was the coolest thing ever. Seriously, I'm not of the overly patriotic persuasion - I like politics, but not always america - but this was so cool. It made you feel like you should be singing "I'm proud to be an American" or something.

The highlight of the afternoon (besides all the cool patriotic stuff) was the cheesecake. A few hours into our hangout on the mall a couple of the girls decided that cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory sounded really good, so they got on the metro and went and picked up some cheesecake. We were sitting and the foot of the Washington Monument getting ready to take a bite of a creamy piece of strawberry cheesecake and my cheesecake fell off my fork onto the grass. I would like to say that it happened in slow-motion, but it didn't - between talking on the phone, talking to the people around me, watching the people play frisbee and trying to consume cheesecake - i probably wouldn't have even noticed at all except my for the fact that my fork was empty. Well, you can't leave a piece of cheesecake on the ground even if it is covered in grass. I proceeded to pick it up off the ground, pick the grass out of my $6 dollar piece of cheesecake, and eat it. Yes, I ate cheesecake off of the ground at the foot of the Washington Monument - i have no shame.

I now bid you a fond farewell - I must go practice my "ricky retardo" accent while playing frisbee with the jr high girls on our picnic.

Coming Attractions: Wegman's, Batman, Serengetti Eddy and the whole VBS drama thing, Bread & Chocolate....

live from D.C. (northern VA)... it's wednesday night!

2005-06-29T23:53:00.000-04:00

Okay, so here is the earth... For real though, I'm in Fairfax now and after a serious freak-out I'm settling in and loving it. I'm working with two super-cool interns - Paige and Neil (Neil is the king of blanket statements and logic-free thinking). We have had a lock-in (and i left a kid at the building, quite a fun story that perhaps I'll share at a later date), lunches, a cowboy (oplin) themed graduation party, and I am currently in the middle of a girl's sleepover. Next time I decide that a weeknight is a good idea for a sleepover, somebody remind me that my chaperone base all have to work the next day - as do I. Last week I went on a picnic at this place called great falls - it was super fun. There is a big sign there that says "if you fall in, you will die" - which is kinda pessimistic if you ask me, i think it should say "if you fall in, the percentage is very high that you will sustain serious injury that could possibly be life-threatening" - but that doesn't fit on a sign very well, nor is it very memorable. For a while I've been picking out paint colors and desperately trying to get rid of the "hospital room/it's a boy" blue that chris had painted my office (and judging by the macaroni and cheese vomit color that he had painted neal's office chris should not be allowed to decorate or dress himself without adult supervision of the female persuasion) Anyways, we went yesterday and bought khaki, red, and dark brown and painted my office - it looks so good, and I am now determined to get rid of the disaster that is Neal's office - but only after I man-handle the train wreck that is Chris' filing system. I'll save my musings on Wegman's (a super cool grocery store) for a later date. For now, here's to late nights, long hours, and lots of traffic. I love this town.

movin' on up

2005-06-03T02:00:00.000-04:00

The last of my stuff is in boxes... I'm officially moving. I have packed and sorted all week, I have found several appliances and furniture new homes, and I will pull out of Abilene for permanent on Saturday morning. While I'm excited about the new job and DC, I officially have cold feet and am totally freakin out about having to leave all of my friends (or perhaps the idea of being an adult is what scares me, and the friends seem like a more sane excuse for wiggin' out). Whatever the cause of the freak out - it's here. It just hit me in the last week or so that I will never again live in the same locale as these people I have come to know and love (some longer than others)... and I'm not okay with that. Perhaps Jen was right with the diagnosis of separation anxiety. So, as I embark first to Memphis and then on to Fairfax I'm hoping that I become less freaked out and more excited... Some change is good - and I get to live in a place with good politics and even better shopping, so not all is lost.

the times they are a-changin'

2005-05-07T15:17:00.000-04:00

There are some interesting new developments within the leadership structure of my alma-mater. The news has caused quite an uproar with myself and some fellow alumns. I think that this a discussion that needs to take place, and i think that some people are already facilitating it better than i ever could so I'm gonna send you their way. Greg, JA Wiser, and David U are doing an excellent job with this discussion. Enjoy!

yes, i watch cspan

2005-05-03T00:31:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I watch CSPAN and on occassion BookTV. I have a growing number of stickie notes on my desktop of books that i have seen on tv and are on my reading list for the summer. Here are the two that I am most excited about.

The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris. From what I gather, he is claiming that religious tolerance breeds terrorism and in an age where we have attained such enlightenment we should move beyond religious faith.

The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L Friedman. I don't know what to say about this one, other than he is commenting on the connectedness of today's world.

So, there is the start of my reading list for the summer, which will also include a re-read of some classics like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I'm taking suggestions for summer reading, so if you've read anything good lately (besides the book of mormon) let me know.

Elvis has left the building...

2005-05-02T00:17:00.000-04:00

The Grizzlies second play-off run is officially over. We were swept by the Suns in the first round. But if you look at the bright side - we made it to the playoffs two years in a row. I'm sad to see the season of greats like Shane Battier come to an end, but now I get to pick another team to cheer for (I'm taking suggestions) and focus on my impending move to the D.C. area. For anyone who is unaware - I just got back from Fairfax about a week ago, and have officially accepted the job. I move mid-June, but will leave Abilene at the end of May. I'm excited about new opportunities (and getting a new car), but I'm sad/scared to leave the people I love (and getting rid of the ghetto fab). My very best friends live here in Abilene, and I guess i'm just not ready to grow up and leave them - but it's not time to have that conversation yet because I still have a month and I hate good-byes. For now, I will study for finals, watch basketball, and pick out paint colors for my new office.

Grizzlies

2005-04-17T23:18:00.000-04:00

grizzlies_logo
Originally uploaded by j.mo.

It's playoff season in the NBA, and I'm from Memphis which means that while I am aware that statistically the Grizzlies won't do anything in the playoffs, I still like to see them go. With six games left in the regular season, all the Grizz had to do to secure 8th in the West was win ONE game. Our first game of the six was against Dallas, and we recieved our second worst smackdown of the season, and the worst since we got our new coach. It was really, really ugly. In fact, you might call it a donkey-stompin'. Next up was Houston, and once again we got schooled. Yao, T-Mac, and the Rockets shut us down. Four games left and we still need a win. Then we played the Nuggets, which was probably our best chance for a win out of all the games, and Carmello beat us. Granted, the Nuggets were on a roll and the win over Memphis was their 10th straight, but seriously we had six games and needed ONE win - and have lost three in a row. Then we hit the back to back games with San Antonio, which noone expects us to win - and we didn't disappoint - we've played one of them, and we lost that one fair and square. We are getting out played by everyone in the NBA at this point - which isn't the most ideal way to start the post-season. We have a game against San Antonio and a game against Dallas left, but none of that matters because the Timberwolves lost today, handing us the 8th spot in the West. While I should be excited about heading to the playoffs for the second time in franchise history (last year was the first), I'm petrified. We humiliated ourselves last year with four straight losses. It looks as if this year we will have to play Phoenix in the opening round - and we can't win for anything. We are going to be the laughing stock of the NBA - but those are my boys and I will wear my multiple shades of blue proudly and support the Grizz (even though there isn't a grizzly bear in all of Tennessee). On Pau, on Shane, on Jason and Bonzi. On Stromile, on James, on Mike and Lorenzen. (Okay, so that didn't rhyme and it isn't Christmas - but you get the point.)

Update: The Grizzlies beat the Spurs tonight 94-92.

I don't think D.C. is ready

2005-04-11T17:59:00.000-04:00

The word is in and I'm flying up to visit the church at Fairfax, VA on the 21st of this month. I'm gonna spend a couple of days meeting with the ministers, staff, elders, parents, kids, etc - it's going to be a long weekend that will hopefully end with me accepting the job. I talked to Chris today and he said that we were going to go down and visit all the monuments and see the White House and stuff on Friday - which is so cool. I don't know that I'm ready to grow up, and it's sad to think about leaving all of my spectacular friends (but Graham will be there for the summer - so that rocks). As scary as a real job i never thought i'd actually find one - so woohoo!!!!

johnnie cochran: 1937-2005

2005-03-29T19:05:00.000-05:00

So I'm sitting in my living room watching CNN (insert dork joke here), the breaking news on Anderson Cooper 360 is that Johnnie Cochran has died of a neural disease at age 67. Everyone knows who Johnnie Cochran is - he got O.J. aquitted. In fact, one of the main characters in the final episode of Seinfeld was a Johnnie Cochran look alike. He made a career pointing out racial discrimination in the legal system of Los Angeles. The headline on the CNN website included a quote from O.J. saying, "I loved him as a good Christian man; I look at Johnnie as a great Christian. I knew him as that. He was a great guy." Well, I knew a lot about Johnnie (not really a lot just what I've shared here), but I never in a million years would have pegged him as a "great Christian" - in all actuality, I wouldn't have pegged him as a Christian. In all likelyhood this could be because I don't KNOW Johnnie Cochran, but I'd like to think that people who don't know me - perhaps only know about me - would peg me as a Christian. Anyways, all of this got me to thinking that if the Johnnie that was portrayed wasn't the REAL Johnnie - then is there a discrepancy between the me that is portrayed and the real me? Just a thought.

Yes, I STILL love March

2005-03-25T21:43:00.000-05:00

Okay, so tonight I watched my Duke boys go down in flames to an under-rated Michigan State team. While I don't like Tom Izzo - I think that the team that had the most depth and wanted it the most won. It was a shame that Sheldon Williams fouled out - Duke just isn't deep enough to play with injuries and foul trouble. Nelson is a freshman who made some stupid freshman mistakes, but it happens. Now, I get to enjoy the rest of a wonderful month of basketball without the stress. My bracket is completely shot - so that part of my competitive nature is done - so now I get to watch some really good games and honestly hope that the best team wins. (Granted, part of me wants see Michigan State get donkey-stomped in their next game.) I LOVE March!!!!!

March Madness

2005-03-19T23:21:00.000-05:00

The greatest month of the year has officially begun. We are three days into the NCAA Tournament and there have already been some amazing bracket-busters, a fabulous double-overtime game between West Virginia and Wake Forest (which i didn't see coming at all), and some amazing teams that seem to have peaked at just the right time. Baseball has kicked off, the NBA is headed into the home stretch getting ready for the play-offs, and the Masters is three days after the close of the NCAA Tournament. I should be spending more time on homework, but basketball is way more fun (except for having to listen to Vitale - I could choke him). I predict that Coack K will lead his Blue Devils to another amazing victory and win it all for the first time since 2001. But then again, I predicted that Wake would be in the final four and they just got beat by West Virginia - so I could be wrong. Here's to blue skies, great weather, and wonderful sports - I LOVE March!!!!!!!

Ben and Jerry

2005-02-25T09:58:00.000-05:00

Ben and Jerry
Originally uploaded by jesusluvsjessie.

I was browsing around on the CNN website about the happenings in Darfur when I found this picture with the caption, "The founders of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, Jerry Greenfield, left, and Ben Cohen, protest in front of Sudan's embassy on July 29 in Washington. Protesters urged an international effort to rein in the Arab militias killing black Africans in Sudan's Darfur region. Cohen and Greenfield were later arrested on the steps of the embassy." Now I have always liked Ben and Jerry (for the ice cream and all), but now I respect them for 1) being aware of the happenings outside of their little corner of the world (which we are all too often guilty of) and 2) being willing to risk reputation for something they care about.

hitler or chandler bing?

2005-02-16T19:47:00.000-05:00

During the fall semester of my freshman year at Harding, I had Dr. Elrod for International Relations. While the class was mostly foreign policy, Dr. Elrod had a Link of the Month. Most of the links were something random like Norad's Santa-radar, but one month it was Guess the Dictator or Sit-com Character. We played during class, and I now I use it to relieve stress when the long day at work is a little boring. I'm sure that some of you out there are aware of this wonderful tool for procrastination, but for those of you who aren't - think of an obscure dictor/sit-com character and prepare to be entertained (or at least have 5 min of your day sucked away). Enjoy!!

Blue suede shoes

2005-02-09T15:49:00.000-05:00

I'm from Memphis, home of the blues and birthplace of rock-n-roll. For those of you who don't know much about Memphis - it's rainy, humid, and has a feel of its own. I think if you can sum up Memphis in a song without words it would be Memphis Soul Stew (Solomon Burke) and Walking in Memphis does an adequate job of describing most of things about Memphis that make it my beloved home. We have great music (B.B. King, Isaac Hayes, and Three Six Mafia), good BBQ, and an accent all our own.
I don't know if it is the dreary weather, the stress of the semester, or a hiccup in a relationship, but I'm homesick. Not the "I want my mommy" kind of homesick, but the "I miss my town" kind of homesick. I'm in a blues kind of mood, I want to sit back and listen to B.B. wail away on Lucille. I even miss Elvis (whom I don't even like). I'm a peppy person, but today I'm mellow - I want to put on my blue suede shoes and board a plane. So I'm going to go listen to B.B., drink some coffee, and imagine Reverend Green, the Memphis skyline, and Ole Man River. Here's to hoping for sunshine, playing outside, and a cheerier me.

The commercials sucked

2005-02-07T18:48:00.000-05:00

Okay - so it's obviously been a while since I've done this, but I've been inspired to start this up again. Yesterday was the Superbowl (I won the pool for closest guess of the score - woo hoo). I normally thrive on the commercials from the Superbowl - but this year sucked. In years past we have been graced with the Budweiser frogs (and other reptiles), the infamous Mac commercial from the early 80's, and many other attempts at selling a product without actually showing the product in the commercial. This year however, I was painfully disappointed. With the exception of FedEx/Kinko's self-reflective commentary on the Superbowl commercial industry, the Ameriquest commercials were some of the funniest of the evening. I was dissapointed with the overall showing from the beer companies, shocked and disturbed by the Degree commercial, and frustrated with the sizeable number of repeat movie commercials that we've all seen before (if you're gonna pay that much money for 30 seconds - come up with something new). Whew!!! What a relief to have that off my chest. So - any thoughts on Superbowl commercials past or present - or the game?

weekend

2004-09-06T23:36:00.000-04:00

Okay - First, props to MSU for showing that maroon is the only color that matters. I'm not a big Miss. St. fan but they rocked on Sat. Also, how the crap do you keep someone below 50 yds in rushing in college ball? That takes it past fun and into just sad. On the home front, the Vols rocked with the first true freshman to start in the SEC since 1945 - let's just hope Cedric Houston isn't hurt too bad.
In other news - Ginni Beth was here this weekend and that was a much needed suprise and break from the ordinary. I still think that I'm insane for trying nine hours on monday, but today seemed to go okay. My attention span lacked mid-afternoon - but I recovered to engage in an interesting discussion of the origins of Gen 1-11. History or literary tool (myth-ish)?
That's about all the new stuff going on here - I hope that you all have an excellent evening.

Welcome

2004-09-02T16:53:00.000-04:00

I must admit that this has been a very long week. Nine hours of class on Monday was a very bad idea, and I seem to keep signing up for things to commit my time to like the Bush campaign and volunteering at Highland - so who knows when I'll get my homework done. This blog is something that I thought would be a good way to vent my stresses sometimes and a new outlet to share what I'm thinking. I hope everyone is having a blessed day and you are in my thoughts and prayers.