30.1.09


One degree down, one to go! Looks like PSU was just a little backed up with transcript corrections and my English major is finally all good to go. Yaaaay PSU got something right!

28.1.09

Reading and Reflecting


Remaining in Christ requires us to focus on... our need to spend time being with God in silence and solitude. That may include a weekend away at a retreat center, but it need not. Our inner world can become a monastery where we sit with God in the middle of a busy life.

-Larry Crab, The Papa Prayer p 60-1

25.1.09

Habits (Thanks to All Who Support Us)

Being "young and in love" (Josh's parents little term for "crazy and a bit broke" I think) has its perks, but sometimes it's a little odd. We end up with lots of leftovers (not necessarily our own) in our fridge. We harass our upstairs neighbors for cooking supplies. We spend a lot of time at the library (I am putting a hold on this book). We don't wash our cars (and frequent the particular gas stations most likely to wash our windows). We drink a lot of tea (it comes in bulk at WinCo!). We spend a lot of time on the "free" section of Craig's list wishing they weren't such a long drive away or that we had a big enough house for whatever is free on any given day.
We have plenty of entertainment, though I have one complaint: not enough snowboarding. With 95 inches of snow at Timberline, snow in town and a Jeep, it's pretty tragic. At least we do have snow in town this year so we can at least see a little of it. Oh, and on the subject of snow - I'm proud to announce that Sister Maria did fine driving to church today in the inch or so of snow that we had on our street! Granted, the rest of the roads were just wet, but I'm pleased that her first experience with snow (besides being utterly buried in it) went well.

23.1.09

Sad

I had my 6 month ring inspection a couple of days ago (all these new things married people have to do, goodness). It was uneventful.
Yesterday, as I was squirting shampoo into my hand I discovered a crack all the way through one of the bands on my ring. Sad! Now they have taken it away for 10 days and my hand is naked. Sigh.

10.1.09

Ex Libris

Our "currently reading" shelf is getting a little big for its britches these days. It might look more ambitious than it actually is due to its co-function of holding library books, though. Right now we've got:
The Annotated Alice, Carroll, Gardener
Northanger Abby, Austin
The Baron in the Trees, Calvino

Coyote Frontier, Steele
Representing Women, Nochlin
Printmaking for Beginners, Stobart
Prints: Art and Techniques, Lambert

An Architectural Guidebook to Portland, King
Art in Theory: 1815-1900
Read the Bible for a Change, Lubeck
The Reason for God, Keller
The Well of Lost Plots, Fforde

and whatever it is Josh is laying on the floor reading.

Recent Revelations

So I've discovered I have an almost unhealthy love of apple cider and cornbread. It could be worse.
I have also recently discovered a ridiculous part of town called Forest Heights. If you want some entertainment, go for a drive down Cornell, take a right on Miller, and get ready for some giant houses, wild hills, and absurd sub-gated communities with weird, quasi-European themes (at least I think that's what they were going for).
This week I discovered that Portlanders, while they will keep cycling and running in fluorescent jackets, will not come out in the cold for First Thursday, and that the only way to get in to a hip martini bar where the menu is as entertaining as the beverages themselves, is to go before nine pm. ("Are we cool enough to go in there?" "Um, Yes - did you not see that old lady in there? Maybe she's rich, but we are definitely as cool.")
I also discovered in the recent past, that -with bookshelves- the more the merrier. This week we had to drive over to our storage unit (aka Emily's basement) and pick up one of ours that was lying in wait for a bigger house. Its services were needed sooner than we anticipated. Now our storage closet has shelves and our "currently reading" books have a new home - with beautifully carved details.

Readings

Josh's Sunday school class started last week.

[The goal of this class is to provide historical context (both geographical and cultural) and narrative context while following the Godʼs plan of redemption through the entire Bible. Like a giant connect-the-dots picture we will read the Bible and follow Godʼs revealed plan step-by-step. Not for the faint of heart, this series will include a syllabus, homework, further reading suggestions, and even a quiz or test (gasp). Bring a Bible, notebook, pen, and a folder for handouts.]

And, as it is not for the fainthearted, delivered, and were given homework.

For Sunday:
John 20-21
James
Ruth
Habakkuk
Daniel 9:20-27
Philippians 2:6-11
Psalm 121

Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills-
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip-
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you-
the LORD is your shade at your right
hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nr the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm-
he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming
and going
both now and forevermore.

7.1.09

Oh, and By the Way

At the end of the quarter I usually make some comment regarding my grades. I sort of got caught up in other things this year and forgot to mention it. Not that it actaully needs to or even should be said, but I suppose I'm rather vain and would like my hard work to be rewarded with little pats on the back. These were my last undergraduate grades I will ever recieve, though they do not represent the last time I will be at PSU. Actually, as a matter of fact, I'm headed there even today to continue the extended "project", if you will, of getting my transcript straightened out so I can graduate. I just discovered YET ANOTHER problem that has appeared, so I'm sure I'll be there more than once this month. But back to the matter at hand: grades. My final grades were two A's, two A-'s, and one B+. Better than I expected, to be sure!
A happy ending to a tough quarter.