November 6, 2000 8:43 pm

Yeah, yeah, Sam, it's been a while since I've updated.

It's been sorta busy, but not really at the same time. I've had things to do, but I also seem to have time to burn. Which I am, sometimes, and rather wastefully, too. I mean, I'll end up not getting my sociology reading done, and end up playing puzzle fighter instead. Or I'll just waste time other ways. I guess I really should be working harder right now, but I'm just sorta feeling like it's not all that important now, and that there are other ways I could be spending my time that would be better. I've had a couple of pretty good conversations this school year, although none of them have really led up to anything substantial (that I could tell). I know God works on His timetable, so that's just something I have to trust Him with. There's a couple of friends that do seem to show some interest, so I'd love to talk to them about Christ some more. I'll have to pray about that.

Kathy Yue is in town this week, visiting. She's here for work training, so things are pretty laid back for her. Unfortunately, I have a test on Wednesday, and a paper due on Thursday, so I haven't been able to hang out with her too much. We did go to HCC yesterday, as well as ecclesia. We also went out with the social justice small group from ecclesia, too, and talked with them about ideas for how we, a community of Christians, can go out, and be a part of God's work in redeeming and transforming the culture and world around us. It was refreshing to see Christians think about their faith, and the real impact that faith can and should have on both the world around them, and the world not-so-around them. We talked about things from an after-school/evening program for kids in the 5th ward, to adopting a people group where they have nearly no Gospel exposure, to being an advocate for foster-children. It was just encouraging to me to see people have a passion for those who are downtrodden, and those who are unjustly treated. What was so refreshing, I think, was the fact that it wasn't limited to the United States, and that it wasn't limited to just being socially conscious of issues, but the people there really understood how good theology REQUIRED such action. They never lost sight of the reality of God as our motivation and power in attempting to address these issues. There is not way for us to effect any change on our own power, on our own ability. It can be so easy to become discouraged if we lose sight of what we, a community of Christians, should be doing in our local community, and as a part of a global family of God. It was a lot of fun. :) I really enjoy discussing things like that.

I've been thinking a lot about what re-energizes me. Is it time alone? Down-time? Or is it time doing what I enjoy? Is it time playing video games? Time goofing off with friends? I know it's not meeting new people. I've learned that that strains my reserves, as the Keirsey-Bates test likes to put it. I'm not sure what re-energizes me. I think it is ministry, though. I love my meeting times with Andrew and Dave. I love hanging out with people who are talking about making a difference in this world, and why they want to do what they want to do. Motivations, goals, aspirations.

Just thoughts.

November 11, 2000 3:17 am

I've confirmed my Thanksgiving plans, and I'll be going up to Arlington (home of the Rangers, not Virginia) to visit my aunt and uncle and cousins, and my grandparents. It should be pretty cool hanging out with them. I have a cousin who's at UT now that I haven't seen a year or so, so it'll be interesting to hear how things are going for him.

I've had a good couple of days since that paper for 445 was turned in. It's just become increasingly clear to me that I really am not good at being a people person, or trying to be one, but that I do have some relationships that I'd really like to develop and invest myself in more. I have more time now, and I really should be investing it more wisely than I have been in the past.

I had a good time hanging out with Kathy. Lisa and I went out to dinner with her, and then Kathy and I went to see Sweeney Todd, a musical by Peter Sondheim. Funny, but a little disturbing. Overall, very well done, and very deep. It peers into the recesses of the human condition, delving into the deep darkness that is our soul. The passions and drives in our lives can be so simple, and yet so complex. The ramifications of acting on those unbridled fires could be much more far-ranging than we could imagine. Greg, you would have also loved the puns. Puns galore. :)

Oh, yes. I got 4 new CDs. Diana Krall's When I Look In Your Eyes, Vince Guaraldi Trio A Boy Named Charlie Brown, and Clint Black's The Greatest Hits and George Strait's Latest Greatest Straitest Hits. All very good CDs. On a related note, sorta.... on the Bread of Life BBS, we're actually talking about country music there :)

Tonight, I tried a blackberry merlot (from California, actually!), and it was really good! I don't know the proper way to describe it going down, but it wasn't too harsh, in that I didn't have any problems with the alcohol. I think the right phrase is "not too dry," but I'm not sure. Either way, I really liked it.

Ok... I've been debating whether or not to say some of the stuff I'm thinking, but I think I will. This election drives me nuts. I don't know if there was vote fraud on either side, nor do I really care at this point. What bugs me more than anything is the ignorance, and lack of interest in the government until something funky happens, and then all these people get excited, and the media have a field day, and expect to educate the masses in an eight minute blurb on what the Electoral College is and all that. Whatever.

As for the funky ballot and all those disqualified ones in Florida, I just wish people would take responsibility for their mistakes instead of constantly trying to find someone else to blame. You made a mistake voting. Deal. I mean, yes, there are problems with the way elections are held, but I'm not sure that the problems can be classified as depriving people of their right to vote. They voted. They just made a mistake in their voting. Then, someone will argue that they didn't REALLY vote if their true wishes weren't expressed. I may sound callous here, but to that I respond: Learn from your mistakes and be more careful next time. Or ask for a new ballot. You also had a right to ask for a new ballot once you made your mistake. Sheesh.

I was mostly kidding when I said to a couple of my friends that maybe average people shouldn't vote, or at the least, that we should make sure the average person is smarter, and the more I think about it, the more that sounds like something that needs to happen. I'm not for disenfranchising anyone, so that means we gotta work on the latter. How do we do that? Well, to tie in some of my classwork :) there's an educational theory out there by this guy named Hirsch, called the Core Knowledge Curriculum. His basic thesis is based on a book he wrote in the late 80's called Cultural Literacy. Basically, he thinks that in order for our public education system to shape up and catch up with the rest the world, we need to make sure that kids are actually learning something. And that something also needs to be common throughout the nation. There should be basic SPECIFIC things that the kids should be taught in each grade, so that the teachers know where students are, so that the students know what is expected of them, and so that the students will have a basic foundation of knowledge to build on. From there, there are many possibilities. Various schools that have implemented this to various degrees, but some of those who have worked it in nearly 100% into the school have shown some GREAT successes, especially one school we read about in San Antonio (Hawthorne Elementary). This oversimplifies it, but that's the gist of it.

We should make sure that a high school diploma means something nowadays.

Just thoughts.

November 13, 2000 9:08 pm

Alone and uprooted. Head turning this way and that. Surrounded by those voices, those taunting voices. Where is it? The trees reach out, looking to grab his hat. Where was that cottage? If only I could get to the cottage, thought the traveler, I know it's out there somewhere.

Left, then right, then left again. The path was rocky, and the traveler tripped over a tree trunk. Where was that cottage? Maybe it didn't really exist. But he kept on thinking there was a cottage out there, one where he could take shelter, maybe even find a soft bed, and recharge for the next day's journey. The sun was starting to set, and he wasn't sure where he was going to be spending the night.

He still had a long journey ahead of him, and at this stage in the voyage, a night with a roof over his head would have been perfect. There was that one town several days back that had a great inn, with friendly townspeople. It was a good place to spend a couple days. It wasn't paradise, but it was a good place. There were some who didn't understand why the traveler had to make the journey that he did, but there were others that were also travelers, and so they understood, and supported the traveler. They had even gone with him for a ways before going their own way.

There were times when the traveler wished he had their company again.

To be continued...

Just thoughts.

November 19, 2000 11:55 pm

Journeys are usually undertaken with a beginning and an end. The traveler knew where he was coming from, and knew where he was headed. He even knew what was going to be there at the end. What he didn't know was what the journey itself would be like.

He'd gone about a quarter of the way, and so far, it had been pretty easy terrain. Some hills here and there, a couple of wild animals. Nothing that was too crazy. He had made a few wrong turns along the way, finding himself in less than hospitable swamps, but when it was all said and done, he was still safe, and continuing on.

He never found that cottage. At least, not yet. The woods teemed with life as the birds twittered and sang above him, and the leaves crunched under his boots. He did run into a lumberjack who was more than happy to point him in the general direction.

This cottage was a popular stopping place for travelers, and some non-travelers as well. He hoped to find some information, as well as supplies there, and maybe even some fellow adventurers. Soon, he hoped. Very soon. A soft, warm bed, a place to rest his weary feet, and some hot food.

To be continued...

***************

I guess that's enough of that for now. Some of you have asked me what this is all about. I hope you can figure some of it out.

I went out to dim sum with some friends yesterday, and it was basically the first time I've done dim sum without my parents here in Houston. Kinda sad, isn't it? That it took me 3+ years to do it? Well, let's just say that I haven't really been looking for good places to go in the past, and yesterday, I wanted to go with some friends, especially this one friend from Turkey, Lucas. Unfortunately, he got sick, and couldn't go, but we went anyway. So he's got a rain check for another day. We're also going to go out for Turkish food one of these days :)

I'm looking forward to this Thanksgiving break. If only just to get away. I think it's going to be a lot of fun just going up and coming back, because my friend, Corbett, is giving me a ride. :) Corbett is a lot of fun. Just an all-around cool guy, also a fellow Bible study leader here at Rice. He's a pretty laid back sorta guy, who takes his running VERY seriously :) Very prolific water drinker, too. :) And a fellow shampoo first-then soap guy :)

Hopefully, I'll be able to make some headway on my various papers this weekend, as well as finishing off the USC secondary and the STINT application.

Just thoughts.