Tart and Startling and Strange

Who am I talking about? Jesus, in the Gospel of Mark. I read it today for Intro to New Testament, and it was so bizarre and interesting... very quick, action-packed, this happened then this happened in style, and Jesus was sort of... brisk and unpredictable and hard to read, but a very compelling presence, at least to me. I am so curious about what the experience of reading this would be if you had no background in the story, and also concretely realizing how much I know the Gospel stories in the chunks they are told in in church, and how little I know the actual Gospels straight through.

I'm also a little confused about all the methods of New Testament criticism. Some of them seem kind of problematic, but maybe I just don't completely comprehend them yet.

Bracing, that's another good word for Jesus-of-Mark. Has anybody else read it? What are your thoughts?

One More Obsessive Post About the Map

So, I noticed that suddenly I was getting only one visitor, ever, listed on my map, and that visitor was clearly me. Then I realized that was because my map was now on another page, and, while I may have dedicated readers, that dedication does not extend to reading everything I have ever written in the blog every day. So, I decided to put the map, or, to be perfectly accurate, a new map, down at the bottom of my blog. See? There it is. Now you can breathe easily... or panic as your cover is blown... because your visits will be duly recorded.

What the Hell?

So, I finally finished putting labels on all my posts, and when I went to view my blog after, my map had exploded! Suddenly I have had visitors from more than 20 places, including Argentina, Canada, Spain, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, and three separate places in China.

Why? Why in the last hour or so? Who are you? Again, I assume it's just some random marketing thing, but... weird.

Oh Sick, Sick

Silly, silly cold. Please go away. I'll sacrifice my classes to you if you give me the weekend. And can we start the weekend on Thursday? What do you say?

A Little Bundle of Books

It's kind of sad, because lately I read so many parts of books, but it seems wrong to count those. So, the complete books I have read recently:


*The Heart of Whiteness by Robert Jensen
*The First R: How Children Learn Race and Racism by Debra Van Ausdale and Joe R. Feagin
The Book of Jude (books of the Bible count, right? I think they should.)
The Second Letter of Peter (I wish I could recommend this one, since I love Peter so much, but at least he didn't really write it. Not that it was awful, it just wasn't that compelling.)

My Valentine, In Fact, Is In All Ways Better Than The Aforementioned.

I was taught, never brag or shout,
still it's hot, just like how you read about,
and also caring, and never too uncouth,
that's the simple truth.

Can you tell, I have been revised?
It's so swell, dammit, even I'm surprised.
We laugh, we fumble, we take it day by day...
What more can I say?

--William Finn


Happy Valentine's Day, darling.

George W. Bush is Not My Valentine

He talks to us as though we are five, and about people in other countries as though they are infants. Unfortunately, he also handles incredibly dangerous situations as though he is a slightly older playground vigilante fighting to be king of the hill.

In what universe are people going to listen when we say "we can have nuclear weapons, but not you, because we know best and we say so"?

Good Lord, this money restriction thing is going to be a problem.

He does look tired, and gets so irate so easily. He's like someone being called onto the carpet and grasping at defensive straws. His arguments do not make sense, but he presents them as though to disagree is a basic failure in intelligence and understanding. Wow, he's totally going off. Do presidents usually get so snippy?

I wish I understood more about this Iran thing. Does anyone have any insight into the situation there beyond what I am hearing in this conference?

And Never the Twain Shall Meet

But they have!

Just an excited post to reiterate to or inform everyone that they have picked a new president for Harvard... and she's a woman... and a Mawrtyr! Class of '68. I'm soooooooooo thrilled and proud! Also, her name is Faust.

Check this out for more info: www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2007/02.15/99-president.html

I can't wait to have the opportunity to annass her. How is that spelled?

Anyway... hooray!!

That Which Hope Has?

I heard a rumor that my blog has an insufficient number of posts relating to feathers. Not wanting to disappoint or engage in false advertising, I thought I would try to begin to rectify this situation.

By rights, though, this post ought to be about my very recent decision to quit Latin, or my excursion this afternoon to see Doubt, or perhaps explain why I'm posting about feathers at all... hmm.

Latin is the thing without feathers
that mostly leaves the brain
and sings the song with the incomprehensible grammar,
and then comes 'round again.

Doubt isn't really feathered
but if it were to be
it would be gray and barely formed
and softly curled in me.

A duster is a thing with feathers
which can be used to clean
but when it's bright and pink and soft
it begs a better scene.


Also, I have always liked collecting feathers, and have sometimes considered getting a feather tattoo.

The end of this post about feathers.

An Offer

It's been awhile since I had an interesting game on here...

So, here's the deal. Tell me a secret. Or an intriguing scrap of detail. Or a vivid memory that may or may not relate to anything else. Tell me something you feel like telling me, or something you never tell anyone, or something that you wave around at parties to impress people you don't know. It should be true, but it doesn't have to be real. It doesn't really matter what... you can post it here, or email it to me, or whatever.

What I'm going to do, somehow, is weave them all together, and make a little patchwork quilt of whatever you give me. It might be a story, or a poem, or an essay, or something in between. Your part may be almost exactly as you told me, or rather disguised. If you want me to change any specific identifying details, let me know, and I will do my best to preserve your anonymity.

When I'm done, I'll post the results for your pleasure and engagement. I think it will be fun and perhaps illuminating.

An Invitation

This map thing is fascinating. Yesterday I had people looking at this from all over the world! And today I can figure out who most of you are, but I wonder who in Madrid is reading my thoughts. I mean, I'm sure that some of these are hits from random folks who try to leave ads as comments and that sort of thing... but I'm curious. If you're here, and I don't know you, or if I do know you and you've found me, or if you know me and happen to be reading this in Spain or China... please say hello. I'm a total internet stalker, I won't think it's weird. ;)

It's only fair, seeing that you potentially know so much about me... I look forward to your introductions, if you feel so inclined.

A Proposition

Play with my labels! I did!

Map!

Create your own visitor map!


I don't really understand how this works, but it looks fun.

Just Mucking Around

72.4%

www.puritytest.org


I should do Latin now, and get some lunch, and go get my perpetually disastrous phone checked out.

*sigh*

New Year, New Books

So, last year I tried to post thoughtfully about each book I read, and that quickly became onerous. This year, I think I will try just listing the books I read. If you want to know more about them, let me know. ;)

So far:

*The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the Thirteenth) by Lemony Snickett
**Arcadia by Tom Stoppard
*As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised a Girl by John Colapinto
**Everything is Illuminated by Johnathan Safran Foer
*The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snickett and Beatrice Baudelaire (yes, going backwards here)
*The Good Person of Szechwan by Bertold Brecht
*Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein
**The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
*The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, and a Jew--Three Women Search for Understanding by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner

* = recommended
** = highly recommended

I was going to put three stars for my favorite in the batch, but that could get strange, especially if I'm just listing one or two books. Let me just say that clearly this was an excellent selection. :) Let me know if you read any of them... and stay tuned for a way more academic list, as school has officially re-begun.