Noggin' of Mind

I know... I know... I said I never would...

2007-11-30T18:10:00.000-08:00

But I have been neglecting my blog because I have been paying more attention to Facebook.
Also, Sharky and I don't have the internet, or else I'd be spening more time on the net in general, but for now... despite the fact that I promised pictures of the wedding we went to in August, I've done nothing... I've been negligent...
meh!

I know I said I'd post pictures from a trip or two...

2007-09-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

But, wonder of wonders, construction at our old college is ACTUALLY HAPPENING now and I had to pass that on to everyone who cares (or hasn't been to twisted with disappointment and seething rage)

http://www.ambrose.edu/newcampus/gallery

Damn you Swedish Ikea!

2007-08-05T09:46:00.000-07:00

Sharky and I are going to be moving into our own apartment again in a couple weeks, but since we had to ditch a lot of furniture in Calgary, we've been doing a lot of shopping and window shopping lately, and as such, I have furniture on the brain. The last thing we really need is a loveseat, but we're cheap, so we're trying to find one at a decent price, but not just who-knows-what-stained 80's deluxe Thrift Store special. Dont's get me wrong, I love Thrift Stores... I even love thrift stores for furniture, but we went looking all last Sunday and didn't find one even remotely in good condition for our price range. We did buy a chair though! So we're looking at Ikea Stuff, which isn't too bad, and not too bad for price for their cheapest one, but I just wish it was even cheaper. The cheapest one available here is about $200... but in Sweden they have more of course, and they have one even cheaper!

Sure it's orange, but we would slipcover it anyways, and it works out to only $140 Canadian, so it'd be not too bad, but it's ONLY AVAILABLE IN SWEDEN!!!

Lots going on, but too lazy to say all of it

2007-06-26T15:01:00.000-07:00

"I will explain... no, there's too much... I will sum up"
Basically, I'm now working at the Public Library system... which is awesome! Except it is On-Call, which sucks! But it's good money, and a job I can finally see myself staying in for a long time, so it's worth it.
Sharky is also working, though it's once again at Stream. For those of you who aren't from around here, Stream is a Computer tech call-in centre that that treats their employees like pawns and doesn't pay them well, but he won't be there for too long, and it's regular hours, so we're dealing. For his first 3 weeks, when he was in training, he worked 3:30-12 every day, which was horrific for me especially because I would have to stay up until midnight every night to go pick him up. Then by the time we got back and got to sleep, it'd be 1am or so, and sometimes I had to work in the morning. But we made it through.
In other news, we went to the Midsummer Festival st the Scandinavian Centre last weekend. I've got some really cute pictures of our niece and nephew from that day that I'll put up when I have more time.
Other than that, it's finally sunny and warm here, as it's been wet and cold for most of a few weeks now.
So, that's the drive-by summary of our lives at this point.

Ok, I'm posting!

2007-05-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

But I don't have much to talk about... Except that retail (which is where I'm working) doesn't pay enough, and Sharky just got a job with the tech support company he worked at 3 years ago. Other than that... it's been really warm here, which is good, except our car (which is STILL running) soaks up heat like crazy and gets suffocatingly hot! Beyond that, not too much is going on with us, but we're going to the European Festival tomorrow!!! That means we get to see and hear a bunch of drunk people singing in many foreign languages... it's entertaining!

It's good to be home...

2007-05-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

This was the sight that greeted me when Sharky and I got home last week. (For the record, I didn't take this picture, but there were a lot of cherry blossoms out last week.)

It's good to finally be home after being away so long, but now there's the struggle of having to find good jobs again. I've already got a part time job, but it sucks because it's retail and only minimum wage!!! I was actually quite insulted that that's all they'll pay me because I've never made minimum wage in my life... not even at my first job! It was a shock to my system, but I sucked it up and took it as money coming in until I find a better one. It's created quite a roller coaster of emotions in just a few days. First I felt really good about myself because I got a call back only a day after handing in my resume. I was thinking, "hey, I am competent and employers do see the value in me". But then when I found out it was only $8/hour I felt pretty crappy and I thought "maybe I have no skills, and no one else will hire me". I know both reactions are a little melodramatic, but that's the boost and attack to my self-esteem that this job has already had on me. I really hope I find better soon though, not just because I want better experience than just retail, but also because $8/hour won't pay the bills AT ALL, even if it was full-time. You're probably wondering where Sharky is in all this. Well, he's looking for work too, but he'll be going back to school in September, so all the money he makes this summer will go to that, and then I'll be the one supporting both of us, and minimum wage just doesn't cut it!

Ok, I can take a breath now...

2007-04-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

So, I'm done all of my papers, and my last class is tonight. I still have finals next week, but after the stress of getting all of these papers done, that'll be nothing! Of course Sharky and I still have to pack almost everything we own... and try and use up most of our food... and he still has 2 papers to finish... Maybe I can't stop and breathe yet!

Boo-urns for Last Nights Game

2007-04-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

Yep, I'm a Canucks fan, and last night's game sucked! (Though not as much as Thursday's Flames game sucked for Calgary fans! Ha ha, smoked!) However, that doesn't mean I'm about to join the legions of people who always surface at playoff time and who love the Canucks while they're winning and think they're the worst team ever as soon as they lose one game. I hate those bandwagon jumpers.

Sure, I'm not the greatest fan either, and I admit I hardly watch all season, and I take more interest during the playoffs, but it's not like I only care about what's going on then. There's just more at stake during the playoffs.

Anyways, there's my short hockey rant. GO CANUCKS GO!

Did I mention I'm not fond of Calgary...

2007-04-04T10:53:00.000-07:00

I have a hard time always having the threat (or unavoidable reality) of winter looming over my head...

This is what Spring is supposed to look like...

Instead, this is what Spring is looking like right now...

Don't get me wrong, I actually like winter and I think it's really beautiful (that's why I took the first two snow pictures), but I have a hard time when winter extends to 8 months of the year.

Quick post to say that...

2007-03-24T18:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I really hate cars... especially ours (but don't tell it that).
It died again on us last night, and it was the alternator again. The new (rebuilt) one we just got a month and a half ago. Yeah, not old, and it died... in a mall parking lot. Fortunately Sharky and I have GREAT friends who are helping us with it, and came to get us. In the meantime, Sharky and I got Tim Horton's coffee, and I was thinking this would have been a tremendous time for God to give us that new car in roll up the rim, but we got NOTHING! Not even a muffin... I like muffins.

Only two weeks left in March

2007-03-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

I'm very happy that there's not too much of this semester left. It's been half crazy-half really slow and boring. The boring part is that I don't have that much homework to do this semester, so I feel aimless. The crazy part is that Sharky has a lot of homework... TONS... and I've been helping him with a lot of it. Now that it's nearing the end of March, though, I should be starting on those things I also have to get done. I'm actually happy to have work to do, it will keep my mind from IMPLODING!
In other news, on Monday at 2pm it was +14 degrees, at 3pm, +5, by 4:30, it was snowing! Now today it's +15 and tomorrow will be -1. I hate Calgary weather!

Bittersweet... but not chocolate

2007-03-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

Currently I'm listening to "Rainbow Connection" by Kermit the Frog on repeat...

It seems to match nicely the somewhat happy, somewhat sad mood I'm in right now. There's nothing terribly wrong with my life right now, but there's lots of little things that are twinging that with a little bit of sadness. It's the kind of sadness where you almost want to stay in it for a while.

I guess part of the reason for this feeling is the weather... It seems such a trivial thing to affect me that much, but it does. Right now we're in the middle of a "warm" streak, so it's been above zero in the middle of the day for at least a week. This Sunday they're even predicting anywhere from +14 to 19, but behind that, on Tuesday to be exact, it will get cold again. So even though I can be happy with the weather now, knowing that Spring isn't here yet keeps me kind of sad. In the same way, it can be really cold, but if I know it's going to warm up soon, that brightens everything.

Another reason for this melancholy is that I want to be home. Of course I always want to be home, but it's even stronger now since Sharky and I are so close to graduation. But although we desperately want to leave, there will still be some sadness in leaving. For one thing, life may not be the happiest here, but it's familiar. When we move home, everything will be so different, and there are so many things we'll have to do in a short time. Also, though I am sick of being here in Calgary, and I'm ready to be done, I'm still going to miss school, and I'm not sure how I'll take to just working. Finally, we have so many amazing friends here, that it will be hard leaving all of them.

Sorry for the heavy post, I just wanted to get that out, and also say that "Rainbow Connection" is a great song!

Posting: Take Two

2007-03-05T16:24:00.000-08:00

Last week sometime I was trying to post, but blogger wasn't working the way I wanted it to, so I gave up... until today. So let's try again!

I've got pictures now of our new niece Nora...

And for fun, here's another of our nephew Jude (who's 4) and our other niece Ilona (3 months)...

On an entirely different note, Sharky and I went to see an AMAZING movie on Saturday. We saw "Pan's Labyrinth", which is a fairy tale for grown-ups (note: NOT a kid's movie). It's about a little girl in Spain in 1944 under fascist rule, but it's also a fairy tale with a faun and fairies and a giant toad, all that good stuff. I recommend it to anyone who can watch a movie with subtitles, because it's all in Spanish! Really a beautiful and intense movie.

So, I figured out I know exactly what's going on right now...

2007-02-20T13:08:00.000-08:00

So I caved to the system...

2007-02-17T11:22:00.000-08:00

I changed over my blog... So we'll see if it'll work out for me or not, not that I could change anything if it doesn't.

In other news, Sharky and I have a new niece, again! One was born back in December, but now another one was born on Valentines day. Sharky has many siblings, in case you are wondering how this is possible. It just so happens that two of his sister-in-laws had babies within 3 months of each other. We already have a nephew, who is four, and now we have 2 nieces! It will be fun times with little kids when we move back home.

Here's our nephew Jude

Here's our first niece, Ilona

And we don't have a picture yet of our newest niece, Nora, but I hope we will soon.

Some friends of ours have also had babies recenty:

January 31st, Liam Wesley Kinnear

February 4th, Ava Kathleen Dolsky

If you think that's a lot of babying going on, you're right!

And, as a post-script, I also just found out that my roommate from my freshman year and her husband are going to have a baby in September.

Blogger is Being Stupid!

2007-02-10T18:35:00.000-08:00

They want to make me switch to the new (and unimproved) Blogger, and apparently this is the last time they will let me into my Blog settings in the old version. CRAP! I was hoping I could just hold out forever.
On another note, I am also contemplating getting a new email address as my new one. I don't mind my old one, but I have had it since grade 9. Who knows who I gave it to back then. Also, it's been around so long, I get a million junk emails telling me I should buy random cheap back-alley medication or get my penis enlarged. I suppose since it all goes into my junk mail and gets deleted right away it doesn't bug me too much. And it would take a lot to switch over all of my MSN stuff and things, so perhaps I won't switch.
It is rather tempting though...
My final word of the day is that our car was once again fixed. I know, you're thinking 'didn't you just get that fixed like a month ago?' The answer is yes. But our car is very old and decrepid and just doesn't want to be better. Before it was the water pump, this time it was the alternator, TOMORROW THE WORLD! Actually, it looks like the next thing to go will be the oil stuff, because our oil light goes on occasionally now. And, yes there's enough oil, I've checked. The main difference between this and other problems, though, is that if this goes, that will officially be the death of the car. Hopefully it will hold out just long enough to get us home in May. "Please, Johnny Whitelips, please just live 3 more months!"

I'm sick...

2007-02-04T08:22:00.000-08:00

I hate being sick. The most frustrating thing is that I just got over a nearly-month-long cold 2 weeks ago, and now I'm sick again. I'm currently drinking lemon in boiled water, we'll see if that helps.

Yeah! End of January!

2007-01-31T09:54:00.000-08:00

I hope I didn't depress anyone with my last post. Now I'm just really, really glad January is done after today. Time to move on with a new month.
I'm also excited because Dave and Jenn should be having their baby soon, as well as my brother-in-law and his wife. There's babies flying all over the place!

Not much new, just trucking along...

2007-01-24T09:28:00.000-08:00

We're starting to settle into the routine of our classes, and trying to figure out how to keep concentrated on school when we're so excited about moving in just over 3 months. I'm finding that January is going really, really slowly. Usually it's a faster-feeling month because classes don't start until about a third of the way in (really, classes started January 10th this semester). But I guess since there's so much else to think about, and so much we're looking forward to, January is just crawling by for me. It also sucks because I don't like winter in Calgary. I know that's mostly because I'm from the Lower mainland and can't hack really cold, but that's not entirely it. I think I dealt better with the cold in Regina because there it gets cold and stays that way. Here, the Chinooks are really nice when they happen (like right now, as we're supposed to get a high of +14C today, yeah, you read that right, plus, not minus!), but then I can never acclimatise to the cold. Instead it will be +8 or something one day just to set me up and dash all my hopes with -20 the next. That's what I have a hard time with.
So, for those reasons, I'm sick of January and I want it to end. February will be a whirlwind though. We know 3 couples who are due to have babies in February, 2 of them here in Calgary. There's babies popping out of the woodwork right now (but not for us, I know what you're thinking). It's an exciting time!
So that's my January-Blues post. I think what January needs is a holiday at this time of the month. I know there's Chinese New Year, maybe that should be celebrated on a larger scale by everyone because January seems so dry for holidays. It goes, "Yeah it's New Years, now enjoy over a month of regular plain life..... whee.....". One of the hints to myself that I think I should be an elementary school teacher is that my months revolve around their main holidays. Remember back in grade 2 or so, when you would come to school on the first day of a new month and the clasroom would already be decorated with stuff from that month's holiday? The chalkboard would have a new festive boarder, there would be big pumpkins or hearts or something of the like hanging around. Think of that as how my brain is decorated the beginning of every month. But perhaps you're getting weirded out being in my brain, I'll take you out and let you loose now. Go... be free...

Johnny Whitelips Has Been Healed!!!

2007-01-15T16:56:00.000-08:00

This is our car...

2007-01-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

It is affectionately known as Johnny Whitelips.

It was loosely named after this guy from the Simpsons:

Johnny Tightlips

This is what I want to do to the car...

This is because, as you may have noticed in the pictures, Johnny Whitelips is leaking coolant, and we're not sure why. It's frustrating. The alternator is also having issues, but that's harder to show in a Paint picture.

So the holidays are pretty much over...

2007-01-09T22:46:00.000-08:00

It was back to work for me yesterday and it will be back to class tomorrow. It's always weird going from the insane rush to get schoolwork done at the end of one semester to taking it easy at the beginning of the next. I know there was a substantial break in between, but I still come back and find myself thinking "now what am I supposed to do?" It's an odd feeling to have free time.
On a good note (not that that was really a bad one), Sharky and I got a digital camera over Christmas, so here's some pictures, including a lovely one of you Nicole...

This would be my sister...

My cat...

My hubby...

For those wondering if they're seeing correctly, yep that's Sharky with a beard.

And in case you thought I forgot you... here you are Nicole!

No one is safe from being published! Muahahahaha!

The Temporality of Dreams

2007-01-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

I had a really cool dream this morning. I know most people don’t like to sit there and hear someone elaborately spell out every detail of their dream, so I won’t do that. But I will just say my favourite part. It involved me and some friends and family traveling through some underground secret passages made by my friend Jesse (yep Jesse). And they went all over town (the town in this case being Port Moody for some reason), and at the end, in the last room, there was a tv and vcr with a tape we could watch of what we looked like trying to figure out all of these secret passages. Now, I think most of that was quite unrealistic since it requires more underground real estate than I think Jesse could get a hold of. But if he did somehow have secret passages somewhere, it seems entirely likely that he would put closed-circuit cameras in it to see what people did. That just seems like a very Jesse thing.
It was one of those dreams that when I woke up, it was so cool that I wished there was a real place like that. It was just so fun to be a part of, it made me sad that it’s not real. Like flying dreams, one of which I had the other night. I wish I could fly, or at least hover above the ground.

Merry Christmas...

2006-12-24T10:05:00.000-08:00

Just a side note for all who are wondering, I did finish my huge paper on time... 3 in the morning before it was due to be precise. And it ended up being 43 pages long (it was supposed to be 35-40). But enough of that.
Sharky and I are now back home (being BC) for a short while, and it feels like we've never been anywhere else. Whenever we come home, Calgary doesn't feel real, just that we've been asleep for 4 months. But now we're home, and we've got colds to show for our weeks of crappy eating and sleeping habits to get schoolwork done. Actually, I'm just getting over mine; I got sick first, and Sharky got it from me once we got home. Now I'm sitting at my mom and dad's house, everyone else is asleep (even the cat), and I'm just listening to the wind blowing down the street. It's a very peaceful time before the rush of wrapping presents, perhaps last last minute shopping, getting dressed and going for dinner tonight (Scandinavians celebrate Christmas Eve as the big dinner, not Christmas Day). Just one with nature, breathing.

And now a brief word from our sponsors...

2006-12-17T17:16:00.000-08:00

POOP!

On another note... I'm down to less than 10 pages on my Thesis!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

So it's December 16th and I still don't have my research paper done...

2006-12-16T19:19:00.000-08:00

...but, I am well over halfway. And I've done almost all of my research. And I have a new niece! Her name is Lucy, and she's apparently really cute and chubby. I'm really excited about seeing her next week (yes, Christmas is next weekend). I will finish my paper, and I actually feel a lot better about it than I did last week. Even though I planned to be done by now, I would have been cutting some pretty important corners, so this way I get to be more thorough. That's it for me for now though, life = homework.

What? How Did December First Happen?!?

2006-12-01T09:24:00.000-08:00

I usually really enjoy the first of the month. It's kind of like a mini-new year for me, new beginnings, so many opportunities, all of the events that will happen. But this time, I'm just shocked and flustered. I have SOOOOOO much I want to do before the end of the semester (Dec 20th is looming!), and time isn't holding still long enough for me to get a good grasp! Today is also the first day on our advent calandar (Yeah!) Sharky and I get to open a window and see a cute little picture... no, it's not one of those chocolate advent calendars. I much prefer the oldy-type ones with just a picture of a squirrel with a ribbon-wrapped walnut, or something. I can go out and buy way better chocolate for cheaper if I want to. But I also miss celebrating advent in church. I'm increasingly becoming more and more saddened by evangelicalism's aversion to church tradition. Granted, not all are like that. In my old church in Coquitlam, they would light an advent candle every Sunday starting at the actual beginning of advent, which I believe is the last Sunday in November. Now, other than a lot of Christmas decorations, there's no celebrating of Advent, the season before Christmas (and I happen to know which 12 are the 12 days of Christmas), to eagerly look forward to the coming of Christ. I guess I am still really excited that it's the first, no amount of dread can take that away, but it's going to be a tough climb for the next couple weeks.

"It's Seven-fifty; It'sTuesday..."

2006-11-28T18:49:00.000-08:00

That's what Sharky just said to me, and I believe him.

My current count for my paper is TWO pages written... It's getting there
Just...... very........ very............ slowly.

And the grand total is.....

2006-11-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

I have just over one page of my thesis written!!!!! The plan is to have at least 5 more today... we'll see if that happens, especially since it's now 2pm and I've done nothing... and I have just a little over 100 pages of Biology to read by Friday, that I hope to have done today... WHEEEEEEE!
"Here I go, Here I go on my own"

So I figure I'll fill in those of you who want to know...

2006-11-14T08:37:00.000-08:00

I'm still not done my thesis. In fact, I haven't started writing ny of the 35-40 pages that I need to write by mid-December. I do have some preliminary research done, and I have all of the Bible passages I'm going to use deliberated over and chosen. I even have some of the Greek passages translated. But no actual paper-writing yet. I know, I've only got a month left, but remember, I'm a huge procrastinator; I work best under pressure. That's the big problem, there just hasn't been that much pressure yet. But with a 40 page paper, it's a little hard to leave it till last minute, and I now that... it's just getting to it. But I figure, from today on, if I write at least 5 pages every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from now on, I'll finish by Dec 2... possibly earlier if I get on a roll with something. But I want you guys to remind me a little... nudge me perhaps. Or even smack my over the head with a frozen salmon. (but you'd better let me keep it for dinner afterwards).

What Defines Me...

2006-10-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

I was just on an old high-school friend's blog reading her most recent post about herself. She had taken some very nice pictures of her room, or rather, a corner of her room that is "her space". There was a reason for every single thing she depicted; every piece had emotional significance. It was beautiful... but at the same time, I am wrestling with the idea of stuff. I am torn between wanting a whole bunch of personal objects to live among, and not wanting to just have stuff define me. There seems something wrong with defining who I am by what stuff I have, but I can't quite put my finger on what.

One baby..... (you'd have to hear me sing that one to get the full effect)

2006-10-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

So, Fran and Jon finally had their baby today. Approximately 1pm today, Nova Scotia time. His name is Finnan James. Now all of this is still unofficial, I heard it from the blog of another friend of theirs, and that's all the news I got.

I had a cool dream last night...

2006-10-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

It had this beautiful old house that I think belonged to Sharky's family (in the dream only), and he made a room for me that had a big treehouse (yeah inside... it's a dream, those things happen), and a shelf of old Snoopy tins that had notes in them, it even had a secret passage with a fireplace and gorgeous plush red carpets. The best part though was a type of hutch that looked like a normal piece of furniture that had shelves that would flip down and had a whole bunch of purple hippos in them. It was something from an amusement centre or the like, and when you turned it on, the hippos started singing "it was a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple-people hippo". Ever have dreams where you own cool things like that?

Ready....SWITCH!

2006-09-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

Well, that' the kind of thing that seems like it wil be cool at first, but then is just kind of meh. I guess since not many people leave comments it's something you can do to kill time, but, are you really that bored?

Cool time, School time!

2006-09-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am excited about school. It's finally September and classes have resumed, I just wish I was taking more. Currently it's just an English, Biology, and my thesis. I suppose that should be enough, but I'm crazy and love learning, so there's a lot I wish I could be in. I know others love learning as well, but am I alone in needing to be in school? I think next year when we're back home (BC) and Sharky's taking class and I'm working I will go insane if I'm not taking a class or two. At least the plan is to take a Norwegian class at the Scandinavian centre, but will that be enough. I just always want to be in school. I have an insatiable thirst for knowledge, but a lack of money to fund my addiction.

Well, SOMEONE needs to post

2006-08-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

I was just searching through some of other people's blogs I frequent, and no one has posted in a few days. And since I haven't posted since July, I figure it's my time.
Lots of people are having babies. I just found out (through a blog) that one more couple Sharky and I know in Calgary are going to have a baby next February. That makes 5 couples who will have babies between now and the end of February, plus another couple we're friends with just had a baby on Tuesday! I really love babies, but it's starting to make me nervous that people will ask, or hint, about when Sharky and I are going to have kids... We're poor students... I'm lucky we have money for me to go to the dentist on Monday! Plus, I still feel like a selfish newlywed... I want Sharky all to myself.
In conclusion, Babies good! as long as they're someone else's (for a few years at least)

When summers suck...

2006-07-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

Well, it's a week later, but I did manage to finish my homework on time and email it in with relatively few problems. A little insanity here, a little book-skimming there, but I sent it in to my prof an hour and a half before it was due even! That felt really great! But now it's the end of July, and I feel aimless. We have three more weeks before Sharky and I visit home again for a week. I know that's not actually that far away, but when weeks are only filled with work, they go by really slowly. To top that off, Sharky's work is getting really boring, and he hasn't had any school since April, so he's feeling like life for us is stagnant. In a way it is, though. Really we've put our lives on hold to be at school in Calgary. When it's during the school year, that part of life is moving along, but our real lifes are still paused back in BC. Life is not here for us. So in the summers, when it feels like we should be home, we're just killing time (and trying to make money) until living resumes. I admit it will be very hard to leave our friends here in Calgary at the end of April, but Calgary, and even the school, won't be a problem to leave. We've never felt like we belong here in Calgary, and as for the school, 5 1/2 years is long enough, it's time to move on. We want to go home.

Anachronistic or just lazy?

2006-07-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

So far the only thing from the wrong time about my blog is just how long ago I last posted. Currently I'm procrastinating on my billion-and-a-half pounds of homework that's due in just over a week and wondering why I never do any of the things I actually want to do. It's not like I specifically want to sit in front of the computer typing out papers for 20 hours (not an exaggeration), but I do know I have to get on it if I'm to finish before next Friday. Sometimes I just want to travel to the future a week and have it all done. Or I want to go back to a month ago and start earlier. So maybe that's the problem, I'm currently living in the wrong time. But then again I've always known that. As a tangent... on the weekend, I (along with millions of other movie-goers) saw Pirates of the Carribean 2. As much as I liked it, even more so the greatest emotion I got from it by the end was just an insane urge to be on a ship on the ocean climbing among the rigging. Better yet, I wanted to be on the Viking Ship "Munin" and pull up beside my Grandma and Grandpa's fishing boat they used to have (the "Content") and "storm" the one boat from the other like a pirate. My sister concurred.

This site's cool...

2006-05-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

Eagles, real eagles... after a decided absence of seeing many real eagles in my life, it's hard to believe this isn't a puppet, but it's actually real. This is an eagle's nest on Hornby Island, BC.
http://www.infotecbusinesssystems.com/wildlife/
Take a look... real eagles!

Being called to service...

2006-04-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

I must say I am incredibly impressed with something I just saw on my way to the school today. I was on the bus and saw someone from our school eating lunch with someone I presume to be homeless who is out on the street asking for money everyday. I was just so touched by the compassion and courage I saw in that. This fellow student didn't just hand him some money or buy him lunch, but actually spent time with him.
A reminder for the rest of us though, that we Christians have some serious competition when it comes to humanitarian acts. I work with dozens of people, most of whom are not Christians, and who kick my butt at caring for those in need. And I can remember friends in high school who were extremely active for things like Amnesty Intl. and even in the 30 hour Famine, because they care so much about people.
Sometimes I'm just slapped upside the face by how little I actually do for people I don't know who need help.

Reluctantly, here is the story idea I wrote...

2006-03-23T14:55:00.000-08:00

In class a few weeks ago, we each had to write up a concept for a movie that would depict the conflict between Christianity and culture; living in the world but not of it, etc, etc.
I still think mine is a little lame; my husband could write one better, but our prof said one of our assignments was to write our concepts on our blogs, so here it is... (With thanks to Jane for the character names)
The setting is modern-day in Vancouver, aka. Hollywood North. Gregory and Fiona are an average couple in their late 20's who consider themselves Christian, and attend a church most Sundays, but with a bit of emothional detatchment. They pretty much are good people who live their lives with a Sunday-only connection to their church. During the week they both work in the movie business, Gregory as a writer, and Fiona as an actress.
One day, they are out for a walk in the woods, and when they walk through the trees they find that they are in a different city entirely. As they walk further they discover they have gone back in time to the late 1960's, and later they discover they're in California. After not long, they realize they'll probably be there for a while, so they get some jobs in the field they are used to, theatre and movies. They also decide to find a church to try to stay connected to other Christians.
All goes well for a couple months, until the people at church find out that they are part of the secular arts scene, and pretty much shun them whenever they come to church.
Their occupations were never an issue in 2006, so they never thought it was a threat, like those around them now do. Their faith was also never an issue at their work, but with the recent pain of being hurt by those at church, Gregory and Fiona decide to hide their Christian beliefs from their co-workers, but at the risk of their integrity...

Antagonism

2006-03-14T10:52:00.000-08:00

I guess I received more antagonism from old high school friends than many other Christians have, but it's certainly not that I'm reading into what's not there. It's definitely not that subtle for me. For example, shortly after my freshman year, a good friend from high school (non-Christian) and I got into a very controversial discussion, and it ended with her not wanting to be friends with me anymore. She not only considers me pretty much evil, but that I could not have possibly believed what I believe now while we were still in high school, and that I must have been almost brainwashed into thinking it while I was away at Bible College. My other clear example is when another friend of mine, about mid-way through second-year, told me outright that none of my friends in one particular group from high school respected me because I go to Bible College. I'm not sure if she meant that they lost respect for me because I went to Bible College, or that she (mistakenly) believed that I thought I deserved more respect because I went to Bible College, and they all disagree, but either way, it was clearly antagonistic towards my choice. More subtly, I can see the concern for my future in some members of my family who do not take Christianity seriously. They would much rather I went to a "real" school to get a "real" degree and have a "real" future, although this is never explicitly said. In their case, I know they are just concerned about me, and don't understand why a Christian school is serious. But you can see, I'm definitely not one of those kids whose whole family and circle of friends applauded the choice to go to a Christian post-secondary school, and I wonder how many others have a similar situation to me.

Why are my choices in life belittled?

2006-02-22T18:37:00.000-08:00

I was thinking last night about some of the choices I've made in the past few years since being out of high school. It occurred to me that although they are not all good choices, the ones that are belittled and that cause the most adversity from those around me are those regarding any specifically "Christian" choices I make. This really irritates me. Why does my life call for any less respect or why do they indicate that what I do is less valuable just because i chose to go to a Christian Post-Secondary school?
And why do some of those who present this animosity see my choices as not actually being choices, but as chosen for me because that's what Christians do? Why is it that any choices that a person makes that takes them away from the Church, and puts them into the secular world is a move of independence and intelligence, while a move that follows similar patterns to other Christians simply can't be someone's own decision?
I'm not really wanting any speculation from those of you out there who are Christians because it will be just that, speculation. Instead, I'd rather hear if this bugs you too and how you deal with it. For any of you who aren't Christians, or used to be not one, and want to answer me on this go ahead, but those of us who can't remember not being a Christian, this isn't a question that can be answered with, "well I think they think that..." That gets us nowhere and just makes us look like the know-it-alls the world thinks we are.

2006-02-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

I've been really into The Blues Brothers lately (really great movie, awesome music, fantabulous cameos, fun car chase scenes). Anyways, in this movie the main driving point for the characters is that they're on a "mission from God", and interestingly they have both Roman Catholic and Southern Gospel influences for this with little clear differentiation between the two. They both are just part of "the church". I was wondering, does the general "secular" population see Christianity as one uniform body, or more like what's potrayed on shows like The Simpsons (also great, but that goes without saying) where ministers from specific denominations pick fights over petty differences? I can't even guess at how "they" see us because I'm in the church. Any thoughts on that?

What My Ideal Church Would Look Like

2006-01-31T10:38:00.000-08:00

I've actually thought this one over a bit before, and I realize that this may not suit everyone, and is also a very style of church that to some extend has already 'been done', but here goes:

First of all, the sanctuary of the church would actually be a sancutary. That is, it would be a quiet, large place, and it would also be a library. So, imagine a library with lots of little spaces to sit and think. That would be the sanctuary, and church services would not be held in there. Lets not fool ourselves, sancutaries in our everyday, evangelical churches are most often not what they claim to be. Instead, church services would be held in something more like we would recognize as the fellowship hall, but for my tastes, it would have the feel of a coffee house. There would be tables that everyone would sit at and actually talk to each other, and to the side would be the stage (yes stage, not platform. I'm not scared of secular language for furniture) from which the band (or one guy with a guitar, or whatever) would lead, but not perform the music. The stage would be on the side to emphasize the not-a-performance aspect of this. Near the stage, in front of it on the floor would also be a big comfy rug for children (or adults if they wish) to sit on to participate. Some people just do much better sitting on the floor than in chairs. On the tables would also be paper and pens/pencils for people to write or draw on if they want.

I know this sounds very hippie-ish, but that's to some extent the atmosphere that some people need to connect with God or with others. Not everyone works well sitting forwards in pews, being an audience. My ideal church would necessitate more interaction and participation. So, there it is... some of it at least.

Once again, religion and politics

2006-01-24T11:16:00.000-08:00

It's hard to not stick to this subject considering all the hype about the election last night.
I still don't understand how in North America at least, Christianity has been heavily associated with the political right (although not as much as in the States from what I gather). Why is this?!? I just don't get it. I will fully admit that I am fairly socialist in my personal politics and I see few problems aligning my political values with my values as a Christian. I see far fewer problems than I see with aligning right-wing politics with Christian values, although I recognize that many Christians don't have those same problems as I do. But I still don't understand why it is usually assumed in most circles (both within and outside the Church) that for someone to be a Christian, they must be right-wingged politically. How did this shift occur? The best that I can see it, either Christians opposed left-wing politics because of Karl Marx's antagonism against all religion, or Christians began to be more comfortable with conservatives because they are naturally resistent to change. The way I see it, evangelical culture is always a minimum of 10 years behind the rest of society, if not 15, 20 or more, so they liked the idea of a political movement that moves at the same pace, and gradually any social change became seen as opposing Christianity itself, and not just comfortable evangelical culture. Those are the only two things I can see. If there are any better reasons, they escape me.

In the beginning...

2006-01-17T13:14:00.000-08:00

So, for anyone stumbling across this blog, "Welcome!"
This blog is a class assignment, but aside from it being mandatory, it is a place where I will be just posting ideas about Christianity and it's relationship to the culture it finds itself in, being that that is what the class is about.

Today at this school (of the mostly-average Christian post-secondary liberal arts variety) there was a political forum with 6 of the candidates from nearby ridings for the upcoming (Canadian) federal election. Which brings up a good question... what is the relationship between church and state? Should they be separate or are we Christians supposed to try and merge the two?
So there's my first question, so, good day!