I feel calm and reflective right now. I think this post will be calm and reflective to match my mood. Today's been a good day. 'Good' isn't a very academic adjective, but I think it's the appropriate word for today. God made the world and it was good, and today was good. The weather is uncharacteristically mild with a little splash of sunlight, the house is quiet, I'm well rested, I'm in England, and Adam Young is playing through my speakers. Peace.
I've done a lot of activities here in Oxford and in the nearby cities; things that I've never experienced before, or at least never experienced in this unique style. Public transport has been one adventure--a battle might be a more appropriate term--that I've adjusted to, the ever-exciting pub life is always an opportunity to never miss, and just gazing open-jawed at the stunning architecture is inspiring. I've found my midnight snack equivalent to McDonalds: Ali's Kebab stand. Ali's serves kebabs which are not skewed surprisingly enough. This is probably obvious actually, but I've always associated kebabs with a metal spear through them. Ali's is only five minutes walking distance away, and I can get a whopping portion of chips and lamb kebab meat for £3.50. On the Hoof has become my Little Panda equivalent for a quick, cheap, delicious meal. They serve hot and toasty baguette sandwiches there for under £4. Mainly I 'cook' up pasta and rice and chicken with various sauces on top, or I let the master chef Hutton Brown cook for me.
If I had to pick my absolute favorite part about England though, I would have to say I've enjoyed the Gothic churches, namely St. Paul's Cathedral. St. Paul's is... astounding. No, astounding doesn't quite do it justice. Hutton said it the best:
"I could spend hours describing the intricately carved statues and moldings that permeated the towering structure. I could strain the English language to attempt to give you the experience of gazing up at murals so real and so poignant. I could search for hours for adjectives to adequately describe the magnitude of the structure, but even more shocking was the walls that were covered with beautiful paintings showing scenes of the Bible in an artistic perspective. One could sit and gaze for an endless amount of time and still miss a detail of a painting that made it all the more beautiful. I could attempt to string together a list of adjectives to describe the experience of sitting in an ancient, wooden chair and listening with eyes closed to the choir weaving melodies so flawlessly it seemed to come as natural as breathing. Sound echoed of the walls of the tower mixing songs of praise with glorious murals devoted to Christ welding both sound and sight into a worship experience that overwhelmed the senses. I could attempt to do all these things, but there is no way to describe the experience."
And that's really how it is. I can't really describe the beauty of this awesome feat and encompass the magnitude of its architecture. You have to see it to believe it. The building itself was a worship to God. Even if your like me and think that God isn't interested in big and expensive buildings, it's hard to escape the worship that reverberates off of the painted dome.
There was a strict no camera rule, so I had to be sneaky with this video. Sorry that it's not the best shot!
Blog on France coming soon
Monday, February 28, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
These Lights Will Inspire You
For the most part I consider myself a level-headed person, especially when the pressures on. In fact when the clock is ticking, that's when I'm in my prime because it's do or die time. I also consider myself to be a patient person--now before you object let me explain. By patient I mean that I'm not really in a hurry. Admittedly I am prone to agitation and frustration which I blame on the Thibodeaux's. Finally I like my sleep. Nay, I love my sleep. Mornings and I have never really seen eye to eye. Oddly enough I am prone to phases of insomnia where I hardly sleep at all. Now that you have this background, I would like to welcome you on board to the virtual ride of Nathan's trip to York. We woke up at 4:45 Friday morning so we could catch our 6:00 train out of Oxford to London. If this wasn't bad enough, I had a stint of insomnia the previous night so I had no sleep. My friends, I was one sleepy hombre. Anyways we make it to the train station and we go up to order our train tickets. A couple of weeks ago we all got return tickets plus and all-day underground pass to London for £12.50, so we were expecting the same today. I found out just how inexperienced I am with the rail system in Europe. When we went to London it was a Saturday and it wasn't at 'peak time.' This was a Friday, right smack in the middle of peak time. End of story was that we got one-way tickets with a one-way underground for the gutting price of £30. Ouch. But whatever. We were going to York and it was a cheap trip anyways.
Our confidence in getting to York quickly started to dwindle when we got on the train, as we watched the clock tick past 6, and then 6:15, and then 6:30. We had a bus to catch out of London to York at 8:15 and it takes over an hour to get to London, and then we had to find where the coaches left and all that jazz. And I had no sleep the night before. I was uncharacteristically pessimistic and characteristically pissed. How can a train already be delayed that early in the morning?? But finally we pulled out at 6:45 and arrived in London at 7:45. But by the time we got off the underground at King's Cross where the coaches took off, we had five minutes to figure out where the heck we were supposed to go and then actually physically get there. AHHHH. Things looked grim and it didn't help that the staff at King's Cross kept pointing to the trains and telling us that we had to get on. I'm practically yelling trying to explain that our tickets are for a bus and not a freakin' train! But since we weren't getting anywhere we went ahead and hopped on the appointed train that was heading for East Midland Parkway--with 30 seconds to spare. At this point I'm positive that we are not going anywhere close to York. But this story turned out to be a Comedy and there was a bus (delayed) to pick us up in East Midlands to take us to York. I just wish our ticket would have said that we had to take a 2 hour train ride in the middle of the trip!
York was excellent. We got an awesome hostel that was spotlessly clean, provided a complimentary yummy breakfast, and had nice staff. And nobody was raped.
It was interesting though. Since we had hardly slept the night before we were all exhausted, so we went to bed early around 9 o'clock, and it was just us four in the room. When I woke up in the morning, I rolled out of bed to find six strange men sleeping in the previously empty beds. I've never slept in a hostel so I was a bit taken aback, but I guess that's pretty normal.
The city was awesome. York used to be controlled by vikings. We visited a viking museum that had an actual ride built in that took you through an average day in the life of a viking. There were even specific smells during different scenes, like fish by the river and stew in the huts. We went to Evensong at York Minster Cathedral. Cathedrals never cease to mesmerize my brain, and York Minster was no exception.
Clifford's Tower was incredible too, and it gave an excellent view of the entire city center. Castles are just so majestic and mighty. We also got to walk around the original castle wall the encircles the city center! Legit.
York has tons of posters that advertise ghost tours at night. What sounded cool quickly lost its appeal when we saw about the seventieth unique ghost tour sign. However we did find one sign promoting a Viking Walk around York, and the tour guide was some published author. Eh, why not? It ended up being awesome. This nutter dressed like a Viking gave us an incredible tour of the spots in York where the Viking invasions and defeats took place. The guy really knew his stuff. Keith would have been proud to hear the story of one of his relatives who stood alone and defended a bridge from the Anglo-Saxons; cutting off 42 heads in the process.
That about sums up our trip! York's a sweet place. I wish I would have gotten an 'I Love York,' shirt. But yah York is definitely worth your time if you ever find yourself in the area!
Oh yah, I did promise:
Our confidence in getting to York quickly started to dwindle when we got on the train, as we watched the clock tick past 6, and then 6:15, and then 6:30. We had a bus to catch out of London to York at 8:15 and it takes over an hour to get to London, and then we had to find where the coaches left and all that jazz. And I had no sleep the night before. I was uncharacteristically pessimistic and characteristically pissed. How can a train already be delayed that early in the morning?? But finally we pulled out at 6:45 and arrived in London at 7:45. But by the time we got off the underground at King's Cross where the coaches took off, we had five minutes to figure out where the heck we were supposed to go and then actually physically get there. AHHHH. Things looked grim and it didn't help that the staff at King's Cross kept pointing to the trains and telling us that we had to get on. I'm practically yelling trying to explain that our tickets are for a bus and not a freakin' train! But since we weren't getting anywhere we went ahead and hopped on the appointed train that was heading for East Midland Parkway--with 30 seconds to spare. At this point I'm positive that we are not going anywhere close to York. But this story turned out to be a Comedy and there was a bus (delayed) to pick us up in East Midlands to take us to York. I just wish our ticket would have said that we had to take a 2 hour train ride in the middle of the trip!
York was excellent. We got an awesome hostel that was spotlessly clean, provided a complimentary yummy breakfast, and had nice staff. And nobody was raped.
It was interesting though. Since we had hardly slept the night before we were all exhausted, so we went to bed early around 9 o'clock, and it was just us four in the room. When I woke up in the morning, I rolled out of bed to find six strange men sleeping in the previously empty beds. I've never slept in a hostel so I was a bit taken aback, but I guess that's pretty normal.
The city was awesome. York used to be controlled by vikings. We visited a viking museum that had an actual ride built in that took you through an average day in the life of a viking. There were even specific smells during different scenes, like fish by the river and stew in the huts. We went to Evensong at York Minster Cathedral. Cathedrals never cease to mesmerize my brain, and York Minster was no exception.
Clifford's Tower was incredible too, and it gave an excellent view of the entire city center. Castles are just so majestic and mighty. We also got to walk around the original castle wall the encircles the city center! Legit.
York has tons of posters that advertise ghost tours at night. What sounded cool quickly lost its appeal when we saw about the seventieth unique ghost tour sign. However we did find one sign promoting a Viking Walk around York, and the tour guide was some published author. Eh, why not? It ended up being awesome. This nutter dressed like a Viking gave us an incredible tour of the spots in York where the Viking invasions and defeats took place. The guy really knew his stuff. Keith would have been proud to hear the story of one of his relatives who stood alone and defended a bridge from the Anglo-Saxons; cutting off 42 heads in the process.
That about sums up our trip! York's a sweet place. I wish I would have gotten an 'I Love York,' shirt. But yah York is definitely worth your time if you ever find yourself in the area!
Oh yah, I did promise:
Monday, February 7, 2011
Mind the Gap
It's way too hard to find time to blog up here. The past couple of weeks have been chocked full of tons of awesome things, but also full of a ton of homework and planning.
Seriously, I think that the Morgans have forgotten that we're here on vacation, not to study! Each week we've been assigned over 300 pages of reading, and we've written 10 pages of various assignments. The upside is that 200 of those pages are from Lord of the Rings, so at least the reading is worthwhile. But I've read LOTR multiple times, and I want to read some of my own stuff... oh well.
I've drank so much tea here.
Where to begin? How about London? London it is. Last Saturday Caleb, Bailey, Lizzy, Ashley, Tanner, Allye, Amara, and I hopped the train to London for the day. This was my first train ride, and it really wasn't that exciting. We got to London and immediately my adventure with the Underground began! I don't know how many tubes we got on and switched, but I felt like a cowboy wranglin' some calves, the way we were just hoppin' on and off like we owned the place. We started off at the British Museum, which is enormous. They have over 7 million items on display. We spent a couple hours, and I feel like we barely made a dent. My personal favorites were the mummies!
It was bitterly cold and drizzly, and we travelers were starving. We ducked into a Mediterranean restaurant because it was the closest place with central heating. It ended up being pretty tasty and I got some Turkish coffee that was delicious. After our meal, we walked by parliament and Big Ben. Big Ben is indeed quite big. It's... Well I'll just let Caleb and Tanner tell you:
It was tough to fight the urge to pull a Guy Fawkes, but overall I think it was wise that no attempts on the destruction of Parliament were made. Real talk though, Parliament and Ben were stunningly beautiful, as is all of the gothic style architecture in England. It never ceases to amaze me how impressive these feats were without all of the modern technology that we have today.
We joined a protest in the streets of London for a while because it was taking up the street on the way to the Underground. That was fun. They were pissed about education cuts, hence their chant, "No ifs! No Buts! No Education Cuts!" Interestingly enough, the more people I talk to, the more I get the feeling that the Brits like to hate on their government as much as American's do.
We wrapped up the day with evensong in St. Paul's Cathedral, which was by far my favorite part of the day. Stay tuned for a post in the near future for more details on Cathederals. After St. Paul, we grabbed some dinner at a bar which is actually a funny story. Here's the thing about London, and really England in general. England is small. It's roughly the size of Texas, but with the population of 50 million. That is roughly twice that of Texas. Therefor London doesn't have a whole lot of room. This has been a cultural adjustment that I've had to make, because in Abilene, Texas, there's always room. Except for a few exceptions, you can always find a seat in a restaurant. But in London, well, the space is small, and the crowd is huge. Every place we went to was packed to the brim, and it was only 7 oclock. So we find this bar that has a lot of empty tables, but they are all reserved. Dejected and hungry, our moody troupe troops out. I however ask the bouncer outside if he knows of any restaurants nearby that can hold all 8 of us. He smiles and says, "Let me see what I can do." He then preceded to go to a table and kick a couple out, telling them that we had a reservation. It was priceless. If I wasn't so hungry, I might have felt bad.
I almost forgot! We also went to Buckingham Palace. Besides sounding like an awful swear word, it is better known as the not so humble abode of the Queen. Or one of the places she calls home. Apparently she has lots of houses. And it would behoove you to know that her last name is not Buckingham, though I'm still skeptical about that. The guards were less than exciting...Yes they stood quite erect and never cracked a smile, but honestly I kind of pitied them. I'd go crazy just standing there.
Only a few days from this London adventure, our entire Oxford group went back to London. We went to the British Library, which was awesome! They had all kinds of original manuscripts such as the Canterbury Tales, ancient bible scripts, and the original Magna Carta. They also had this neat little display:
Later we went to a Candlemas service at West Minster Abby, which was again incredible. Lastly we went to a Premier League Soccer (Football) game, featuring NewCastle and Fulham. I'm not a huge soccer fan, but I had a blast standing with the drunk NewCastle fans, cheering and learning all of their chants.
Before the game:
A lot has happened! I must never fall this far behind again. This weekend Amara, Caleb, Bailey, and I are going to Old York, which I'm fairly certain William Wallace sacked, though it's never wise to count on Hollywood history. In a couple of weeks, a huge group of us is taking a bus to Paris. Yes I said bus, and yes I understand that there's a body of water between the UK and France. In a month or so, we're going to Venice, Rome, and Athens for Spring Break. A couple weeks after that our Oxford is going to Ireland for a week, and a couple of weeks after that a few of us are going to Spain and Moracco for a long weekend! Whew! That's alot of traveling.
Goodness we covered a lot of ground. I work too hard for y'all. This wasn't a typical insightful or funny blog, but I just had so much to catch all of you up on! More posts soon-- I promise. Also, prepare yourself for another Stanky Leg in the very near future.
Seriously, I think that the Morgans have forgotten that we're here on vacation, not to study! Each week we've been assigned over 300 pages of reading, and we've written 10 pages of various assignments. The upside is that 200 of those pages are from Lord of the Rings, so at least the reading is worthwhile. But I've read LOTR multiple times, and I want to read some of my own stuff... oh well.
I've drank so much tea here.
Where to begin? How about London? London it is. Last Saturday Caleb, Bailey, Lizzy, Ashley, Tanner, Allye, Amara, and I hopped the train to London for the day. This was my first train ride, and it really wasn't that exciting. We got to London and immediately my adventure with the Underground began! I don't know how many tubes we got on and switched, but I felt like a cowboy wranglin' some calves, the way we were just hoppin' on and off like we owned the place. We started off at the British Museum, which is enormous. They have over 7 million items on display. We spent a couple hours, and I feel like we barely made a dent. My personal favorites were the mummies!
It was bitterly cold and drizzly, and we travelers were starving. We ducked into a Mediterranean restaurant because it was the closest place with central heating. It ended up being pretty tasty and I got some Turkish coffee that was delicious. After our meal, we walked by parliament and Big Ben. Big Ben is indeed quite big. It's... Well I'll just let Caleb and Tanner tell you:
It was tough to fight the urge to pull a Guy Fawkes, but overall I think it was wise that no attempts on the destruction of Parliament were made. Real talk though, Parliament and Ben were stunningly beautiful, as is all of the gothic style architecture in England. It never ceases to amaze me how impressive these feats were without all of the modern technology that we have today.
We joined a protest in the streets of London for a while because it was taking up the street on the way to the Underground. That was fun. They were pissed about education cuts, hence their chant, "No ifs! No Buts! No Education Cuts!" Interestingly enough, the more people I talk to, the more I get the feeling that the Brits like to hate on their government as much as American's do.
We wrapped up the day with evensong in St. Paul's Cathedral, which was by far my favorite part of the day. Stay tuned for a post in the near future for more details on Cathederals. After St. Paul, we grabbed some dinner at a bar which is actually a funny story. Here's the thing about London, and really England in general. England is small. It's roughly the size of Texas, but with the population of 50 million. That is roughly twice that of Texas. Therefor London doesn't have a whole lot of room. This has been a cultural adjustment that I've had to make, because in Abilene, Texas, there's always room. Except for a few exceptions, you can always find a seat in a restaurant. But in London, well, the space is small, and the crowd is huge. Every place we went to was packed to the brim, and it was only 7 oclock. So we find this bar that has a lot of empty tables, but they are all reserved. Dejected and hungry, our moody troupe troops out. I however ask the bouncer outside if he knows of any restaurants nearby that can hold all 8 of us. He smiles and says, "Let me see what I can do." He then preceded to go to a table and kick a couple out, telling them that we had a reservation. It was priceless. If I wasn't so hungry, I might have felt bad.
I almost forgot! We also went to Buckingham Palace. Besides sounding like an awful swear word, it is better known as the not so humble abode of the Queen. Or one of the places she calls home. Apparently she has lots of houses. And it would behoove you to know that her last name is not Buckingham, though I'm still skeptical about that. The guards were less than exciting...Yes they stood quite erect and never cracked a smile, but honestly I kind of pitied them. I'd go crazy just standing there.
Only a few days from this London adventure, our entire Oxford group went back to London. We went to the British Library, which was awesome! They had all kinds of original manuscripts such as the Canterbury Tales, ancient bible scripts, and the original Magna Carta. They also had this neat little display:
Later we went to a Candlemas service at West Minster Abby, which was again incredible. Lastly we went to a Premier League Soccer (Football) game, featuring NewCastle and Fulham. I'm not a huge soccer fan, but I had a blast standing with the drunk NewCastle fans, cheering and learning all of their chants.
Before the game:
A lot has happened! I must never fall this far behind again. This weekend Amara, Caleb, Bailey, and I are going to Old York, which I'm fairly certain William Wallace sacked, though it's never wise to count on Hollywood history. In a couple of weeks, a huge group of us is taking a bus to Paris. Yes I said bus, and yes I understand that there's a body of water between the UK and France. In a month or so, we're going to Venice, Rome, and Athens for Spring Break. A couple weeks after that our Oxford is going to Ireland for a week, and a couple of weeks after that a few of us are going to Spain and Moracco for a long weekend! Whew! That's alot of traveling.
Goodness we covered a lot of ground. I work too hard for y'all. This wasn't a typical insightful or funny blog, but I just had so much to catch all of you up on! More posts soon-- I promise. Also, prepare yourself for another Stanky Leg in the very near future.
Friday, January 21, 2011
First You Cut the Head Off...
It would be hard to compress the past few days into one or two words. Oxford is both breathtaking yet quietly casual; technologically advanced yet ancient and medieval; peaceful yet bustling with traffic. 'Collision' would be an appropriate term for Oxford; old customs and architecture slamming into neon lights and eco-friendly cars. It's a place unlike any I've ever seen. Growing up I heard (and tried myself) all the feaux-british accents Americans attempt, I heard about pub-life, I read British literature and saw pictures of grayed men walking with cane, newspaper, and pipe in hand. But here I am! Right in the middle of it all. Funny enough, most of these images are true. The accents are fun to listen to, and even more fun to impersonate, though admittedly quiet enough so as not to be heard. Pub life is awesome and the food is delicious, despite all the rumors saying how bland the food is. And the architecture... Simply stunning. Nothing in America that I have seen compares to the pain-staking detail that sculpt the stone buildings here. Oxford is like a very old tree in that it belongs in these modern times, but also has a vast history to tell to anyone who will listen.
My experience has been wonderful for the most part so far. Granted, I did get my butt kicked by the exchange rate, but that was to be expected. Still, $320 for 200 Pounds is outrageous, and makes me wish that I was a British student studying in America.I survived the plane ride, which was a blessing from God. If you don't know, I'm not a huge fan of flying. 9 hours in a plane put my fears to the limits, but other than a few bumps here and there, it was a relatively smooth flight.
The house that we're staying at is pretty nice. It's over a hundred years old, and one can feel the memories that are held here. I'm sharing a room with Hutton on the third floor. We have a kitchen up here! I have even done a little bit of cooking myself. Walking is a part of everyday life here. I probably walk 5-10 miles a day easily. It's definitely slower than what I'm used to, and sometimes I wish I could fire my truck up and drive to my destination. This persists until I realize that I would have to drive on the left side of the road, and all of the sudden I'm quite content with walking. Plus it's a great way to get exercise, and it's built in to everyday life so you don't have to make extra time for it.
Pubs are my favorite. The atmosphere is a very social and happy one. I learned a quick lesson in the Jericho Tavern during my first pub outing. You see, here in America, we are used to waiters and waitresses always taking our orders at sit-down restaurants. This system doesn't fly in the UK. My posse and I sat down for probably five minutes before one of us had the bright idea of maybe going up to the bar and ordering ourselves. First time trying to not look like a stupid American = Fail. But it all worked out. I got a beef ruddings & Ale pie, which was stupendous. It's actually like a pie! Who would have guessed. Since Dr. Kehl instructed us to not partake in any alcohol consumption, the ACU rule books states that any alcohol consumption on a school sponsored event is strictly prohibited, and since I'm a model student and citizen who would never break any rules, I can tell you that I most certainly did NOT get a pint of Worthington White Shield, so I can't vouch that it was AMAZING or express how legit it was to be able to order a beer in a pub in Oxford. Interpret that how you will.
I haven't seen too many sites yet. I did go into the natural history museum which was pretty cool. There were dinosaurs and do-do birds and my personal favorite: shrunken heads. I find shrunken heads extremely intriguing. I guess it's a little creepy, but I would love to have one. If you have a fresh corpse, let me know, I looked up the instructions on how to shrink a head.
More blogs will follow soon! I'll try to get some more sweet footage.
Cheers.
My experience has been wonderful for the most part so far. Granted, I did get my butt kicked by the exchange rate, but that was to be expected. Still, $320 for 200 Pounds is outrageous, and makes me wish that I was a British student studying in America.I survived the plane ride, which was a blessing from God. If you don't know, I'm not a huge fan of flying. 9 hours in a plane put my fears to the limits, but other than a few bumps here and there, it was a relatively smooth flight.
The house that we're staying at is pretty nice. It's over a hundred years old, and one can feel the memories that are held here. I'm sharing a room with Hutton on the third floor. We have a kitchen up here! I have even done a little bit of cooking myself. Walking is a part of everyday life here. I probably walk 5-10 miles a day easily. It's definitely slower than what I'm used to, and sometimes I wish I could fire my truck up and drive to my destination. This persists until I realize that I would have to drive on the left side of the road, and all of the sudden I'm quite content with walking. Plus it's a great way to get exercise, and it's built in to everyday life so you don't have to make extra time for it.
Pubs are my favorite. The atmosphere is a very social and happy one. I learned a quick lesson in the Jericho Tavern during my first pub outing. You see, here in America, we are used to waiters and waitresses always taking our orders at sit-down restaurants. This system doesn't fly in the UK. My posse and I sat down for probably five minutes before one of us had the bright idea of maybe going up to the bar and ordering ourselves. First time trying to not look like a stupid American = Fail. But it all worked out. I got a beef ruddings & Ale pie, which was stupendous. It's actually like a pie! Who would have guessed. Since Dr. Kehl instructed us to not partake in any alcohol consumption, the ACU rule books states that any alcohol consumption on a school sponsored event is strictly prohibited, and since I'm a model student and citizen who would never break any rules, I can tell you that I most certainly did NOT get a pint of Worthington White Shield, so I can't vouch that it was AMAZING or express how legit it was to be able to order a beer in a pub in Oxford. Interpret that how you will.
I haven't seen too many sites yet. I did go into the natural history museum which was pretty cool. There were dinosaurs and do-do birds and my personal favorite: shrunken heads. I find shrunken heads extremely intriguing. I guess it's a little creepy, but I would love to have one. If you have a fresh corpse, let me know, I looked up the instructions on how to shrink a head.
More blogs will follow soon! I'll try to get some more sweet footage.
Cheers.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
"I Think I'm Quite Ready For Another Adventure."
I leave Abilene in 20 hours. It hasn't set in yet. I decided to go on this trip in January of my Senior year of high school two years ago. It's always seemed so far off, like a dream; so real and yet so unbelievable. For those who don't know, I have quite an experience ahead of me. I'll start off in Oxford, England where I'll take part in the study abroad program. This ends early May, but that's only the beginning of my adventure. After Oxford, I will have three whole weeks of freedom in Europe where I'm going to be practically on my own. After that I'm going to do a month long Summer session in Leipzig, Germany, finally returning early July. Six months. Six whole months away from Abilene, Texas, my home for the past twelve and a half years. Apart from a couple of cruises, this will be my first time to leave the states. Needless to say, I am extremely excited. While Abilene is my favorite place in the world (seriously), I'm banking on Europe to change my life. Not in a cheesy way; I don't plan on becoming a different person or growing up or anything silly like that, but more in a... growing my wings kind of way. I'm in a kind of stagnant place in my life right now. I don't really feel like I'm going anywhere right now with my spiritual life, future career, and even my relationship seems to be foggy. I feel like I have an egg inside me. Not the kind of fallopian tube egg, but an egg that is incubating my potential; a potential that is struggling to crack its shell. Maybe some of you can relate to this feeling. For a while I've been wondering why this is, and I have to admit that it's been lurking in the back of my mind. This is a unique feeling for me. One of my personal 'catch phrases,' if you will, is: Stress is overrated. I rarely feel stress. I don't believe in it. Besides the occasional lightning bolt that passes through me at four in the morning as I'm typing with a flurry to finish a paper that I put off till the last moment, I just don't feel stressed. But this murky water that I've been treading in has definitely created a phase of weirdness for me. You probably haven't noticed; I'm still as happy-go-lucky as I've always been, and honestly I understand that I'm okay. However I hope that these few months of fresh air will help me better grasp who God is, what the hell love is, and the man that I need to become in a few years--concepts that I've severely underestimated.
But enough of this melodramatic crap. You came here to be entertained!
So for today's blog, I wanted to focus on *drum roll* ADVENTURE! I'm going on an adventure! Ahoy! I'm going to effing Europe, the land of Universities I'm not smart enough to attend, the land of hairy women, the land of painted and sculpted genitalia, the land of genocide. This is going to be better than Christmikah with the Cohen family. I'm excited about Oxford and Leipzig, BUT what I'm really looking forward to is my three weeks on my own. With a four country, ten days in two months rail pass, I'm just gonna' go. I'll hop a plain to Paris and take a train to Leipzig where I'm going to drop off my luggage. Then I'm going to pack a few changes of clothes, necessary toiletries, my lappy, and a couple of books, and then I'm gonna' go! I'm mainly going to tour France. My first stop will be Noirt where I'll be staying at Laza's bro's place. After a few days there I'm gonna head down to Marseille for a week. I'm pumped to see Marseille. First off, it's on the southern coast of France which translates into beaches and probably some nude tanning. For those of you who haven't read or seen the Count of Monte Christo (shame on you), Marseille is the home of Edmund Dantes. I'm hoping to board up with a Church of Christ that I found online there in order to cut down on hostel prices. Next up is Nice, where Laza shows his value again by contacting a friend of his who lives there who has graciously offered his home to me for a few nights. I'll then take a long-A train to Naples, Italy, where I'm pretty sure pizza was invented. On the way back to Leipzig I'm going to make a pit stop in Interlaken, Switzerland for a couple of days before I finally set out for Germany. Take a moment to catch your breath. I find myself giggling at this journey, not for hilarity, but at the fact that a million things can and probably will go wrong. Missed trains, shady hostels, foreign languages... there's no way on earth this plan won't have several hitches in it. But you know, to me that's what makes this so exciting. I could end up lost in some alley in Italy, robbed blind. Or I may end up in the Chateau D'if (seriously, get up and go buy the Count of Monte Christo), where I'll have to tunnel out of my cell! I'm not even taking a cell phone. Forget safety. I've had enough of the safeness of my quiet home town. I'm welcoming a little danger in my life. Which takes us back to our mysterious pal Adventure. We don't have enough adventure in our lives. At least I don't. I can't help but wonder if we are missing an important aspect that God weaved into our being. This is why we enjoy, or maybe even crave, epic swashbuckling fantastic stories. All of our favorite tales share a common denominator: adventure. Maximus, Frodo, Robin Hood, Edmund Dantes, V, Captain Jack Sparrow, Woody, and even our favorite heroes of the Bible lived adventure. All of these people started off similar to you and me too, living in their Shire. But we all have a little Took running through our veins. Living in a modern society is great and we are all blessed beyond our knowledge, but at the same time these blessings have come with a crippling price: complacency. I wonder why it's so hard for me to understand what it means to follow Jesus, and I can't help but reason that it's because I don't have to fight for Him. Christianity was spoon-fed to me choo-choo train style since I was a baby. I don't feel that motivated to find my career because all I have to do is make As and Bs in college, and then most likely a nice comfortable job will land itself in my lap. If your skeptical, ponder the fact that we don't even have to make our own food! Sure you can hunt your own meet, but you don't have too. Perini's can grill me up a fat juicy New York strip anytime I want it. Can't you see the dilemma here? Life's easy for us scholars. For me, a little too easy. I can't wait to have my own adventure; to sail the seven seas and defend the walls of Troy; to rely on God and my God-given abilities in order to break through my eggshell.
But my dear friends and family, how I will miss you. I'm playing Ocarina of Time with my dad and sister, an Ashlock tradition, and I'm going to sorely miss saving the princess with yall. Britain's food just isn't going to match up to Moma's home cookin'. To The Crew, yall are awesome. Who I am today has been shaped by our insanely goofy times together. Trav, I expect Drew to be locked in a sarcophagus when yall go to Egypt. Fleet, I fully expect you to have some brand new rude material for me when I get back. Keith, may your boots be forever sticky. KY, you better have a smokin' hot Brazilian wife when I come home, or so help me. Chad, you've become one of my best buds, and I sincerely hope you have an awesome semester. Jake Jake, Nik, Bart, Landon, I'm counting on yall to make sure 2D stays fly in my absence. And Link, you have some serious shoes to fill. Shoulder this responsibility with pride! Austin loves waking up to 'Love Like Woe' every morning. Korey and Mike, go easy on the ladies. Seth, I expect you to become fluent in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. And to the girls, I'm going to miss yall as well! I can't believe I'm gonna' miss Brynn's career igniting roll this Spring! And I'm excited that Ebibb and Clair and maybe Beth are going to join me in Leipzig.
But weep not! I'll be back. I'm going to keep yall up to date while I'm away. 'I Thought About a Burning Fire' is going to enter into the world of video blogging. If that doesn't cause you to faint with anticipation, then you'll faint when it happens.
Farewell!
But enough of this melodramatic crap. You came here to be entertained!
So for today's blog, I wanted to focus on *drum roll* ADVENTURE! I'm going on an adventure! Ahoy! I'm going to effing Europe, the land of Universities I'm not smart enough to attend, the land of hairy women, the land of painted and sculpted genitalia, the land of genocide. This is going to be better than Christmikah with the Cohen family. I'm excited about Oxford and Leipzig, BUT what I'm really looking forward to is my three weeks on my own. With a four country, ten days in two months rail pass, I'm just gonna' go. I'll hop a plain to Paris and take a train to Leipzig where I'm going to drop off my luggage. Then I'm going to pack a few changes of clothes, necessary toiletries, my lappy, and a couple of books, and then I'm gonna' go! I'm mainly going to tour France. My first stop will be Noirt where I'll be staying at Laza's bro's place. After a few days there I'm gonna head down to Marseille for a week. I'm pumped to see Marseille. First off, it's on the southern coast of France which translates into beaches and probably some nude tanning. For those of you who haven't read or seen the Count of Monte Christo (shame on you), Marseille is the home of Edmund Dantes. I'm hoping to board up with a Church of Christ that I found online there in order to cut down on hostel prices. Next up is Nice, where Laza shows his value again by contacting a friend of his who lives there who has graciously offered his home to me for a few nights. I'll then take a long-A train to Naples, Italy, where I'm pretty sure pizza was invented. On the way back to Leipzig I'm going to make a pit stop in Interlaken, Switzerland for a couple of days before I finally set out for Germany. Take a moment to catch your breath. I find myself giggling at this journey, not for hilarity, but at the fact that a million things can and probably will go wrong. Missed trains, shady hostels, foreign languages... there's no way on earth this plan won't have several hitches in it. But you know, to me that's what makes this so exciting. I could end up lost in some alley in Italy, robbed blind. Or I may end up in the Chateau D'if (seriously, get up and go buy the Count of Monte Christo), where I'll have to tunnel out of my cell! I'm not even taking a cell phone. Forget safety. I've had enough of the safeness of my quiet home town. I'm welcoming a little danger in my life. Which takes us back to our mysterious pal Adventure. We don't have enough adventure in our lives. At least I don't. I can't help but wonder if we are missing an important aspect that God weaved into our being. This is why we enjoy, or maybe even crave, epic swashbuckling fantastic stories. All of our favorite tales share a common denominator: adventure. Maximus, Frodo, Robin Hood, Edmund Dantes, V, Captain Jack Sparrow, Woody, and even our favorite heroes of the Bible lived adventure. All of these people started off similar to you and me too, living in their Shire. But we all have a little Took running through our veins. Living in a modern society is great and we are all blessed beyond our knowledge, but at the same time these blessings have come with a crippling price: complacency. I wonder why it's so hard for me to understand what it means to follow Jesus, and I can't help but reason that it's because I don't have to fight for Him. Christianity was spoon-fed to me choo-choo train style since I was a baby. I don't feel that motivated to find my career because all I have to do is make As and Bs in college, and then most likely a nice comfortable job will land itself in my lap. If your skeptical, ponder the fact that we don't even have to make our own food! Sure you can hunt your own meet, but you don't have too. Perini's can grill me up a fat juicy New York strip anytime I want it. Can't you see the dilemma here? Life's easy for us scholars. For me, a little too easy. I can't wait to have my own adventure; to sail the seven seas and defend the walls of Troy; to rely on God and my God-given abilities in order to break through my eggshell.
But my dear friends and family, how I will miss you. I'm playing Ocarina of Time with my dad and sister, an Ashlock tradition, and I'm going to sorely miss saving the princess with yall. Britain's food just isn't going to match up to Moma's home cookin'. To The Crew, yall are awesome. Who I am today has been shaped by our insanely goofy times together. Trav, I expect Drew to be locked in a sarcophagus when yall go to Egypt. Fleet, I fully expect you to have some brand new rude material for me when I get back. Keith, may your boots be forever sticky. KY, you better have a smokin' hot Brazilian wife when I come home, or so help me. Chad, you've become one of my best buds, and I sincerely hope you have an awesome semester. Jake Jake, Nik, Bart, Landon, I'm counting on yall to make sure 2D stays fly in my absence. And Link, you have some serious shoes to fill. Shoulder this responsibility with pride! Austin loves waking up to 'Love Like Woe' every morning. Korey and Mike, go easy on the ladies. Seth, I expect you to become fluent in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. And to the girls, I'm going to miss yall as well! I can't believe I'm gonna' miss Brynn's career igniting roll this Spring! And I'm excited that Ebibb and Clair and maybe Beth are going to join me in Leipzig.
But weep not! I'll be back. I'm going to keep yall up to date while I'm away. 'I Thought About a Burning Fire' is going to enter into the world of video blogging. If that doesn't cause you to faint with anticipation, then you'll faint when it happens.
Farewell!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Goin' To the Chapel and I'm, Gonna' Burn It Down...
If one more person gets engaged I swear I'm gonna' go nucks. Not really. But seriously, you have to admit that it's crazy how many people are getting engaged/married. I'm not a destroyer of love or anything. I guess honestly it blows my mind. I don't understand why someone my age would want to get married right now. Personally, I have several experiences ahead of me that I am psyched about of which I cannot begin to imagine giving up for a life of imprisonment (ok fine, marriage isn't prison). Umm hello! Next year is Junior year which means that ACU is gonna let me grow up a little bit and own my very own piece of real estate. Not only that, but I get to share it with four of my favorite people in the world. If you know me and my group of friends, then you should know that good times will go down every day at this house. There's only one time in your entire life that you get to live with four of your best friends in a house with no authority, except your landlord, to govern you by. Maybe I'm nuts, but getting married over that seems whack-O. And who on Earth wants to shoulder all that responsibility? Don't get me wrong, I wish to shoulder said responsibility someday, but definitely not now. I am looking forward to another year or two of jack-nobbing around without a care in the world.
I really think people take college for granted. For one, compared to the entire world, us college scholars are pretty rare. Most people don't have the option, and instead have to enter the work force immediately after highschool (an again most people don't even have access to formal education). And then I see people rushing off and gettin' hitched or taking 20 hours a semester to finish early (hmm now who could this be? :)) and I'm left scratching my head. College is a unique time. Not only does college give one an unparalleled advantage in the real world, but more importantly, in my opinion, it is the special opportunity when one can enjoy the benefits of being an adult, while still being able to be a kid. Sure there's a lot of responsibility with grades and finances, but you can't deny that there's a lot of room for silly behavior. But once you get married or start you career, a lot of those freedoms are gone forever. Many other benefits are gained, but to me those benefits can wait a couple years. I mean, they'll still be there. My life's ambition isn't going to vanish if I wait a couple of years longer, but the college life is gone forever when it's done.
I'm really not bitter, and I'm not bashing all the happily married/engaged couples, several of whom are my good friends. I'm happy for them and wish them the best, it's just that, several events that have hit rather close to home have kind of jolted me a little when it comes to love. In the past two years I've seen two ministers, and another man who I highly respected leave their families for other women. I guess the scariest thing is that these were all God-fearing men like myself. It's all to easy to judge men who cheat on their families, but in reality all three of these men are probably a lot like you and me. The point is, nobody is immune to the sins of the world, especially us men, and when one doesn't guard against these dangers, shit like the sexy secretary happens. Sorry for the language mom. I feel like I'm justified in my fears. With more and more people choosing cohabitation over marriage, and half of those who do marry getting divorced, and with society's skewed projection of love, I think I have a valid point. I know it's like the "in" thing to do at ACU, but I think I'm gonna enjoy my current life for a little bit longer, 'cause hey, when it's gone...
It's gone.
I really think people take college for granted. For one, compared to the entire world, us college scholars are pretty rare. Most people don't have the option, and instead have to enter the work force immediately after highschool (an again most people don't even have access to formal education). And then I see people rushing off and gettin' hitched or taking 20 hours a semester to finish early (hmm now who could this be? :)) and I'm left scratching my head. College is a unique time. Not only does college give one an unparalleled advantage in the real world, but more importantly, in my opinion, it is the special opportunity when one can enjoy the benefits of being an adult, while still being able to be a kid. Sure there's a lot of responsibility with grades and finances, but you can't deny that there's a lot of room for silly behavior. But once you get married or start you career, a lot of those freedoms are gone forever. Many other benefits are gained, but to me those benefits can wait a couple years. I mean, they'll still be there. My life's ambition isn't going to vanish if I wait a couple of years longer, but the college life is gone forever when it's done.
I'm really not bitter, and I'm not bashing all the happily married/engaged couples, several of whom are my good friends. I'm happy for them and wish them the best, it's just that, several events that have hit rather close to home have kind of jolted me a little when it comes to love. In the past two years I've seen two ministers, and another man who I highly respected leave their families for other women. I guess the scariest thing is that these were all God-fearing men like myself. It's all to easy to judge men who cheat on their families, but in reality all three of these men are probably a lot like you and me. The point is, nobody is immune to the sins of the world, especially us men, and when one doesn't guard against these dangers, shit like the sexy secretary happens. Sorry for the language mom. I feel like I'm justified in my fears. With more and more people choosing cohabitation over marriage, and half of those who do marry getting divorced, and with society's skewed projection of love, I think I have a valid point. I know it's like the "in" thing to do at ACU, but I think I'm gonna enjoy my current life for a little bit longer, 'cause hey, when it's gone...
It's gone.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Psycho Theology
Let's take a moment right now to stop reading and relax. Can you feel it? Maybe not. I can though. I can feel the fresh air blowing through. It's great to be back writing regular blogs instead of roasts. Don't get me wrong, I loved slandering (or is it libeling?) everyone of you, but to be perfectly honest those twelve roasts wore me out. I've been looking forward to a regular blog for about two weeks now and it feels good to back in the stirrups again.
Believe it or not I have been doing other things besides roasting. Over this Christmas break I began watching a new TV series called Dexter. Isaac Newman was watching Dexter last year and I've always wanted to start it, and now I finally had the opportunity thanks to a free month of Netflix. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the series Dexter, let me fill you in. Dexter is a show that centers around a protagonist (Dexter, obviously) who is a blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro Homicide. Dexter is also a serial killer. The irony of a forensic specialist catching serial killers by day and then conducting his own killing at night is genius enough to deserve a television series, but it's the moral jousting match that Dexter creates that kept me glued till the sun rose every morning. Dexter isn't your run-of-the-mill mass murderer that kills out of anger, jealousy, lack of money, a drug addiction, or anything else. Dexter kills because, well, he has too. As a young child he witnessed the brutal murder of his mother, and sat in her 2-inch-deep puddle of blood for two days before being rescued by his soon-to-be adopted father, Harry. Needless to say, this horrible event caused some serious psychological trauma, causing Dexter to become empty and emotionless inside, and a voice inside of him that urges him to kill, which Dexter names as his 'Dark Passenger.' After a kill, the voice goes away. For a little bit. Dex's father discovers his Dark Passenger at an early age, but does something that most fathers probably wouldn't do. Instead of sending him to psychologists or trying some extreme unorthodox method of curing him or any other treatment that wouldn't work, Harry works with Dexter and helps channel his urges by taking him hunting pheasant and deer. At a certain point, Harry realizes that Dexter's urges will only grow stronger and expand to bigger and more exciting kills, such as humans.
This is where the jousting match begins. According to Harry's ideals, there are people in this world that deserve to die. There are certain people whose deaths would make this world a better place. People who do horrible things, like murder a mother in front of her child. Harry then develops his code, that Dexter follows into his adult life as a vigilante serial killer that targets the wicked.
Now if you're a proper Christian, your whistle should be blowing and your flag should be flying through the air and you should be screaming, "Penalty on Dexter, unnecessary judgment, 15-yard penalty!" I would agree with you. My faith is incomplete and growing, and my theology is still in its infancy, but if I had to put a label on my cornerstone it would most likely read: "The grace of God is infinite and no one is beyond redemption." But a guy like Dexter should make you think, as is the purpose of the show. On the one hand, you have a guy playing God by deciding who deserves to die and who deserves to live, a judgment that we Christians reserve for God. But on the other hand, you have a guy who absolutely has to kill. When he witnessed his mother's murder, his Dark Passenger was written into his DNA. So if he has to kill, wouldn't it be best to snuff out humanities worst? It's a tough call. As you watch Dexter, you can't help but pull for the guy, but if your a Christian shouldn't that concern you? I don't know. I can't say that I would support such actions, but I also can't deny that because of Dexter's actions, the world really is a better place. Every serial rapist he kills saves who knows how many women from that terrible fate. Every murderer that is killed saves another family from being shattered apart.
But nobody is beyond redemption. If we truly believe this, then we believe that even people who rape and murder little children are just as deserving as we are when it come's to God's grace. And if you are human, this should shake you a little bit. As a Christian can we justify a murder if it saves a woman from being raped? Sometimes I wonder what Jesus would do if he was walking down an alley late at night and happened upon a rape. What would his actions be? Would he be a Dexter and save the woman at all costs? Could God actually work through a psychopath like Dexter in the real world by saving His children from unspeakable evil?
I don't know.
Believe it or not I have been doing other things besides roasting. Over this Christmas break I began watching a new TV series called Dexter. Isaac Newman was watching Dexter last year and I've always wanted to start it, and now I finally had the opportunity thanks to a free month of Netflix. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the series Dexter, let me fill you in. Dexter is a show that centers around a protagonist (Dexter, obviously) who is a blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro Homicide. Dexter is also a serial killer. The irony of a forensic specialist catching serial killers by day and then conducting his own killing at night is genius enough to deserve a television series, but it's the moral jousting match that Dexter creates that kept me glued till the sun rose every morning. Dexter isn't your run-of-the-mill mass murderer that kills out of anger, jealousy, lack of money, a drug addiction, or anything else. Dexter kills because, well, he has too. As a young child he witnessed the brutal murder of his mother, and sat in her 2-inch-deep puddle of blood for two days before being rescued by his soon-to-be adopted father, Harry. Needless to say, this horrible event caused some serious psychological trauma, causing Dexter to become empty and emotionless inside, and a voice inside of him that urges him to kill, which Dexter names as his 'Dark Passenger.' After a kill, the voice goes away. For a little bit. Dex's father discovers his Dark Passenger at an early age, but does something that most fathers probably wouldn't do. Instead of sending him to psychologists or trying some extreme unorthodox method of curing him or any other treatment that wouldn't work, Harry works with Dexter and helps channel his urges by taking him hunting pheasant and deer. At a certain point, Harry realizes that Dexter's urges will only grow stronger and expand to bigger and more exciting kills, such as humans.
This is where the jousting match begins. According to Harry's ideals, there are people in this world that deserve to die. There are certain people whose deaths would make this world a better place. People who do horrible things, like murder a mother in front of her child. Harry then develops his code, that Dexter follows into his adult life as a vigilante serial killer that targets the wicked.
Now if you're a proper Christian, your whistle should be blowing and your flag should be flying through the air and you should be screaming, "Penalty on Dexter, unnecessary judgment, 15-yard penalty!" I would agree with you. My faith is incomplete and growing, and my theology is still in its infancy, but if I had to put a label on my cornerstone it would most likely read: "The grace of God is infinite and no one is beyond redemption." But a guy like Dexter should make you think, as is the purpose of the show. On the one hand, you have a guy playing God by deciding who deserves to die and who deserves to live, a judgment that we Christians reserve for God. But on the other hand, you have a guy who absolutely has to kill. When he witnessed his mother's murder, his Dark Passenger was written into his DNA. So if he has to kill, wouldn't it be best to snuff out humanities worst? It's a tough call. As you watch Dexter, you can't help but pull for the guy, but if your a Christian shouldn't that concern you? I don't know. I can't say that I would support such actions, but I also can't deny that because of Dexter's actions, the world really is a better place. Every serial rapist he kills saves who knows how many women from that terrible fate. Every murderer that is killed saves another family from being shattered apart.
But nobody is beyond redemption. If we truly believe this, then we believe that even people who rape and murder little children are just as deserving as we are when it come's to God's grace. And if you are human, this should shake you a little bit. As a Christian can we justify a murder if it saves a woman from being raped? Sometimes I wonder what Jesus would do if he was walking down an alley late at night and happened upon a rape. What would his actions be? Would he be a Dexter and save the woman at all costs? Could God actually work through a psychopath like Dexter in the real world by saving His children from unspeakable evil?
I don't know.
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