I've had several moments where it has dawned on me that I now live in Texas. Like when I walk into stores with large signs on the door saying "Weapons are prohibited on this property". Or when I woke up on Wednesday and thought about going for my weekly hike in the mountains but realized that the nearest "hike" goes up to 700'. But tonight as I read this article about some pretty amazing efforts being put on by some local Austinites, reality completely set in: I'm living in Texas. Be sure to read the comment forum posted below the article.
In case you didn't catch that number, 20% of slaves in our country are in Texas. My heart hurts.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
What kind of moron doesn't bring a Bible to seminary?
At this point I've pretty much OD'd on orientation- between facilitating the YAV orientation last week and now receiving my own for seminary this week, my brain can't take much more! Since I'm barely able to form complete sentences, here are some thoughts on Austin so far:
Last night we went to Max's Wine Dive for Linda's birthday dinner. Their catch phrase is "Fried chicken and champagne...why the hell not?". I had the Max & Cheese with a glass of champagne. I had to wonder if I was in Heaven, only to realize that Austin might be the closest thing to Heaven on Earth.
There are 6 bars within walking distance of my apartment
The UT stadium is about 1/2 a mile from my apartment. If I could hear the Longmont High games at my house from 1/2 mile away, I can't even imagine how crazy noisy the UT games will be. I'm excited.
My hot water smells like rotten eggs. I can't tell if I do as well because of the shower I took yesterday.
I didn't bring a Bible with me. I vaguely remember packing one in the boxes which are currently sitting in my car in front of my parents' house.
I finally gave in and got a haircut yesterday. My new favorite thing in the world is gossiping ladies at a Texas beauty parlor. They are so much more animated than women at other salons.
My new tattoo has finally ended the nasty peeling stage and is now in it's pretty new phase. I'm very happy with it. Pictures to come.
Our student body president has a tattoo of John Calvin on her leg. She is fabulous.
I finished reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies on the plane ride here. Normally I would protest any sort of "tweaking" of that book, but I admit I laughed my ass off during parts of the book. Plus I loved how things turned out for Mr. Collins, Lydia, Wickham and Lady Catherine. If you haven't read it, do it. I have 23 books on my required reading for this semester alone, and I'm satisfied with P&P&Z being the last novel I get to read for a while.
Last night we went to Max's Wine Dive for Linda's birthday dinner. Their catch phrase is "Fried chicken and champagne...why the hell not?". I had the Max & Cheese with a glass of champagne. I had to wonder if I was in Heaven, only to realize that Austin might be the closest thing to Heaven on Earth.
There are 6 bars within walking distance of my apartment
The UT stadium is about 1/2 a mile from my apartment. If I could hear the Longmont High games at my house from 1/2 mile away, I can't even imagine how crazy noisy the UT games will be. I'm excited.
My hot water smells like rotten eggs. I can't tell if I do as well because of the shower I took yesterday.
I didn't bring a Bible with me. I vaguely remember packing one in the boxes which are currently sitting in my car in front of my parents' house.
I finally gave in and got a haircut yesterday. My new favorite thing in the world is gossiping ladies at a Texas beauty parlor. They are so much more animated than women at other salons.
My new tattoo has finally ended the nasty peeling stage and is now in it's pretty new phase. I'm very happy with it. Pictures to come.
Our student body president has a tattoo of John Calvin on her leg. She is fabulous.
I finished reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies on the plane ride here. Normally I would protest any sort of "tweaking" of that book, but I admit I laughed my ass off during parts of the book. Plus I loved how things turned out for Mr. Collins, Lydia, Wickham and Lady Catherine. If you haven't read it, do it. I have 23 books on my required reading for this semester alone, and I'm satisfied with P&P&Z being the last novel I get to read for a while.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Fantastic news!
From my inbox today...
Just hours ago, we heard big news that proves that miracles do happen!
The U.S. Supreme Court granted Troy Davis the chance to finally present crucial evidence in court that may prove his innocence.
Until now, Troy has been denied the opportunity to present all the facts supporting his case. But after a 6-2 ruling from the nation's highest court, Troy will get that chance at justice we've been fighting for since day one.
The power that we've seen building behind Troy's case is awe-inspiring. Your heart-felt emails, letters, phone calls and actions are opening doors that many said were shut for good.
It's working. But we won't stop pushing until Troy Davis is granted clemency!
Right now, Troy Davis sits on death row. So keep telling his story to those who haven't heard it. Keep hoping for more miracles, because given today's news, it's clear – anything is possible!
We can't say it enough – thank you,
Laura Moye
Director, Death Penalty Abolition Campaign
Just hours ago, we heard big news that proves that miracles do happen!
The U.S. Supreme Court granted Troy Davis the chance to finally present crucial evidence in court that may prove his innocence.
Until now, Troy has been denied the opportunity to present all the facts supporting his case. But after a 6-2 ruling from the nation's highest court, Troy will get that chance at justice we've been fighting for since day one.
The power that we've seen building behind Troy's case is awe-inspiring. Your heart-felt emails, letters, phone calls and actions are opening doors that many said were shut for good.
It's working. But we won't stop pushing until Troy Davis is granted clemency!
Right now, Troy Davis sits on death row. So keep telling his story to those who haven't heard it. Keep hoping for more miracles, because given today's news, it's clear – anything is possible!
We can't say it enough – thank you,
Laura Moye
Director, Death Penalty Abolition Campaign
Saturday, August 8, 2009
I Was the Highest Woman in Boulder
My brother and I plan to knock out a few 14ers this month so I thought I better start conditioning for it. Here is an account of yesterday's adventure.
The Goal: Bear Peak West Ridge (8461 ft. - highest point in Boulder)
I don't remember seeing so many wildflowers in Colorado. Ever!
The view of Boulder from the top...
...and the continental divide.
All in all a great hike! I've heard the trail is always crowded, but I didn't see a soul all the way up. I hung out at the top for a while and finally saw some folks when I started the descent. The solitude made for some quality worship time which was much needed.
The Goal: Bear Peak West Ridge (8461 ft. - highest point in Boulder)
I don't remember seeing so many wildflowers in Colorado. Ever!
The view of Boulder from the top...
...and the continental divide.
All in all a great hike! I've heard the trail is always crowded, but I didn't see a soul all the way up. I hung out at the top for a while and finally saw some folks when I started the descent. The solitude made for some quality worship time which was much needed.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
How do I sum it all up?
My AmeriCorps year has ended with mixed emotions. Part of me wants to stick around for another year, but I know that would be a poor choice. I'm glad I have my new life in Austin to look forward to, otherwise I'd be dwelling in my emotions. Here is a list- an attempt to sum up the year (I think Erin did this at some point, so props to her for the idea!)
1- The number of months I lasted as a volunteer coordinator before realizing it was boring and I wanted to work with the kids.
2- How many times I ran our short bus into things. Once causing a significant amount of damage, the other time caused no damage but was very embarrassing with a bus full of kids who will never forget it.
3- the number of "compliments" from kids I received this year: "You have Grinch fingers" "Are you pregnant?" "You look like you were raised on a farm". Kids say the darnedest things.
4- How many supervisors I had. Oy Vey.
5- The number of times I had to vacuum Flamin' Hot Cheetos out of my car
9- How many years these kids still have to go in the program. Long journey.
11- The number of months I got to spend with some pretty terrific kids
16- The number of AmeriCorps I got to work with
46- The number of Dreamers who impacted me more than they'll ever realize.
1- The number of months I lasted as a volunteer coordinator before realizing it was boring and I wanted to work with the kids.
2- How many times I ran our short bus into things. Once causing a significant amount of damage, the other time caused no damage but was very embarrassing with a bus full of kids who will never forget it.
3- the number of "compliments" from kids I received this year: "You have Grinch fingers" "Are you pregnant?" "You look like you were raised on a farm". Kids say the darnedest things.
4- How many supervisors I had. Oy Vey.
5- The number of times I had to vacuum Flamin' Hot Cheetos out of my car
9- How many years these kids still have to go in the program. Long journey.
11- The number of months I got to spend with some pretty terrific kids
16- The number of AmeriCorps I got to work with
46- The number of Dreamers who impacted me more than they'll ever realize.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Book burning? Really?
I really need to stop reading the T-C Line comments in our local newspaper. It is best to start your day right by prepping for whatever stresses lay ahead and reading the T-C line is not a good thing to do first thing in the morning. Lately I've tried to convince myself that the people who call in are hoaxters who just enjoy getting a rise out of people. I mean, there's no way people who live right next to the airport would actually complain about noise from the airplanes. I'm only able to sleep at night because I've convinced myself these people aren't for real.
So when I caught this article on CNN about a library controversy in Wisconsin, I told myself it must be a joke. I'm really hoping Alan Abel is behind all this.
So much to say about this situation.
I think my favorite part of the article is when the Maziarkas demand books that will affirm heterosexuality, preferably by "ex-gays". I guess they don't understand that the thousands of other young adult books that are about heterosexual relationships already do that. They don't need to blatantly say that homosexuality is wrong for kids to get the message. It's kind of like the hundreds of TV shows that feature a nearly all white cast versus the handful of shows featuring mostly black or latino characters. This disproportionate ratio sends the message to all people of color that they aren't the norm in our society and therefore need to act more white so they can meet the standards. So there's no need to add anti-gay books to the collection of young adult reading material because the job is already taken care of. The Longmont Public Library has more than enough books that have been published by Focus on the Family to balance out the books containing homosexuality.
I also like how they are demanding that these sexually explicit books be moved to the adult book collection. I agree with a lot of the folks who left comments on the article: perhaps parents should take responsibility and keep an eye on what their kids are reading. But for the many kids whose parents don't do that (like the families I currently work with), maybe it isn't such a bad thing to have the books available. These kids/tweens/teens are probably seeing a lot of sex on TV and in the movies, so why not expose it to them in books? At least they have to use their imagination. Just sayin'. My experience with at-risk youth has shown me that kids don't want to read the "classics" like Little Women and Tom Sayer. Oftentimes the only way we can get them actively engaged in reading a book is if the book is crude or silly like Captain Underpants.
Cataloging books in a library can be a challenge at times. I remember when the Harry Potter books came out and the librarians were all in a tizzy over where to shelve them. They ultimately decided to put the 6th and 7th books in the Teen section because there was kissing and a fair share of violence/fighting in them. It made sense to me. I question a lot of other books in our library. I think maybe they should make an entirely new section for wishy washy books. I'm talking about the books that aren't quite non-fiction and not quite fiction. There are many titles that I've shelved in their proper place on the non-fiction shelves but have been tempted to put them on the fiction shelves. Ann Coulter could have her own end-of-aisle display in this new section.
So, I guess there will always be a debate about books especially when they are bought by tax-payers' money. I do feel bad for the library director in West Bend- I certainly don't think he deserves to be tarred and feathered.
So when I caught this article on CNN about a library controversy in Wisconsin, I told myself it must be a joke. I'm really hoping Alan Abel is behind all this.
So much to say about this situation.
I think my favorite part of the article is when the Maziarkas demand books that will affirm heterosexuality, preferably by "ex-gays". I guess they don't understand that the thousands of other young adult books that are about heterosexual relationships already do that. They don't need to blatantly say that homosexuality is wrong for kids to get the message. It's kind of like the hundreds of TV shows that feature a nearly all white cast versus the handful of shows featuring mostly black or latino characters. This disproportionate ratio sends the message to all people of color that they aren't the norm in our society and therefore need to act more white so they can meet the standards. So there's no need to add anti-gay books to the collection of young adult reading material because the job is already taken care of. The Longmont Public Library has more than enough books that have been published by Focus on the Family to balance out the books containing homosexuality.
I also like how they are demanding that these sexually explicit books be moved to the adult book collection. I agree with a lot of the folks who left comments on the article: perhaps parents should take responsibility and keep an eye on what their kids are reading. But for the many kids whose parents don't do that (like the families I currently work with), maybe it isn't such a bad thing to have the books available. These kids/tweens/teens are probably seeing a lot of sex on TV and in the movies, so why not expose it to them in books? At least they have to use their imagination. Just sayin'. My experience with at-risk youth has shown me that kids don't want to read the "classics" like Little Women and Tom Sayer. Oftentimes the only way we can get them actively engaged in reading a book is if the book is crude or silly like Captain Underpants.
Cataloging books in a library can be a challenge at times. I remember when the Harry Potter books came out and the librarians were all in a tizzy over where to shelve them. They ultimately decided to put the 6th and 7th books in the Teen section because there was kissing and a fair share of violence/fighting in them. It made sense to me. I question a lot of other books in our library. I think maybe they should make an entirely new section for wishy washy books. I'm talking about the books that aren't quite non-fiction and not quite fiction. There are many titles that I've shelved in their proper place on the non-fiction shelves but have been tempted to put them on the fiction shelves. Ann Coulter could have her own end-of-aisle display in this new section.
So, I guess there will always be a debate about books especially when they are bought by tax-payers' money. I do feel bad for the library director in West Bend- I certainly don't think he deserves to be tarred and feathered.
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