day 9353
Let's flip the track
Bring the old school back (this is how we do it)
- Montell Jordan I
am watching simultaneous live feeds from the campaign headquarters of
both Sen. John McCain and Gov. Mike Huckabee. You too can watch such
live content at CNN.com's
video center. Huckabee and McCain are in a tight race to win the South
Carolina primary, and it's been a back and forth battle all night. One
moment, I see in one window the Huckabee supporters chanting wildly "We
like Mike!" and then a few seconds later the McCain supporters let out
their own repetitive roar, "Mac is back!" Apparently the GOP does have
the advantage of three leading candidates with first names that are
both monosyllabic and easy to rhyme with.* Wow! It's exciting.
In
case anyone wondered, it was in college that I decided that being a
nerd is okay with me. I came to terms with it in my sophomore year, I
believe... Good
news! It's January of 2008. This means we get to watch BOTH the NFL
playoffs and the slightly more important presidential nominee selection
process. In both contests I am not certain who I want to win but I am
certainly rooting against one competitor. I wouldn't dare reveal my
anti-teams without launching into a long defense of why I root against
them. SO I will not give it away but will merely refer to them as the
"Hillary Patriots."
Ah,
Huckabee just came out to give a concession speech. The McCain
headquarters fed the sound of Huck's speech into their party, and,
though at first they were happily and politely listening, now that he
has been waxing eloquently for 10 minutes about his campaign's
resiliency, McCain's bustling crowd has grown visibly restless- they
want to get on with their wild and crazy victory party. Meanwhile
back in my corner of the world, we are in the embryonic stages of
translation in my J-Term Greek class. The pictures filing past below
are from our first week - when, as is now Greek class tradition, I stay
inside the warm building and climb to the third floor as my Greek
students are forced to recreate the Greek Alphabet (uppercase) using
their own bodies marching-band style.
Keep
in mind it is cold in Ohio in January. By the time they get to Omega,
I've often found that their original enthusiasm for this unique
opportunity in kinesthetic learning has faded into discomfort and
regret. Fortunately, the window I take the pictures through will not
open, so I cannot hear any complaining. Haha just kidding (mostly) - we
picked a relatively warm day to take the pictures this year.
Speaking
of which, thanks to all the heavy carbon emitters out there for
providing such warm weather. Haha just kidding (mostly) again.
LEARN SOME NEW TESTAMENT GREEK TODAY!
On the internet!
On your computer! 
*
I realize "Mac" is not his first name. But the point remains - John,
Mitt and Mike for the GOP and Barack and Hillary for the Democrats. I
will revise the statement in the event Rudy becomes a viable
candidate.**
** But I submit that his name is especially good for chanting as is evidenced in "Rudy," one of the best sporst movies ever.
day 9296
Yeah yeah
You know you gotta help me out
Yeah yeah
Don't you put me on the backburner-er-er
You know you gotta help me out...
- The Killers
 FOUR THINGS THAT ANNOY ME MOST 1. When an otherwise believable movie contains illogical points in the plot. In
a movie or tv show it bothers me when characters, while investigating,
zoom in on a surveillance video or photograph and then magically
increase the resolution to see details hiterto unseen.
INVESTIGATOR 1: I can't quite make out that license plate, could you zoom in?
INVESTIGATOR 2: Of course!
INVESTIGATOR 1: It's pixelated!
INVESTIGATOR 2: Let me press these two buttons to increase resolution...and...VOILA!
INVESTIGATOR 1: It's perfectly clear now! I CAN READ IT! How? Really? How did that happen? THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE. 2. When people are amazed at ANYTHING in a fictional story. Like this conversation I overheard recently:
GIRL A: IT SEEMS LIKE THE VILLAINS ARE ALWAYS SMARTER THAN THE GOOD GUYS!
GIRL B: YEAH! LIKE SLOANE, THE BAD GUY IN ALIAS, HE SPOKE 7 LANGUAGES INCLUDING NEPALI!
GIRL A: NO WAY!!
GIRL B: YES! STOP. Of course he speaks 7 languages, he is a fictional character! He could speak eight or nine or even 1,000.
Why does everything in a fictional movie have to be believable? IT'S FICTION. It's suspended disbelief. 3. When people eavesdrop on someone else's conversation. ME: How is your omelet?
JESS: So good!
STRANGER
AT NEXT TABLE: Mine is too! By the way, I think you're making the right
decision in selling that car. It's obviously time to buy new.
JESS AND ME: Who are you? This
comes from laziness. You and your companion have made no effort to
think of anything to talk about and so you listen to us.
DON'T BE SO LAZY. 4. When people drive up and down a parking lot in search of the perfect parking space while bypassing empty spaces. I
say park as quickly as you can and walk in. Forget about the fear that
you may end up saying "OH NO we missed parking in the perfectly close
space and our experience at Meijer Fresh would have been complete had
we only seen it. OHNOOHNOOHNO"
FIRST PERSON: There's a space!
SECOND PERSON: NO NO - I think I see one!... OH, shucks, another cart collector.
FIRST PERSON: Wait - there's one right here!
SECOND PERSON: NO, I'm gonna try the next aisle over... RIDICULOUS!
I believe my way of parking quickly, in the first space I see, to be better. But I'm told it actually is laziness. Which, if true, would mean... I am lazy.
And I eavesdrop.
And I am amazed at a fictional event.
And, altogether, I am inconsistent. Thus the circle is complete. WOW. Apparently, what annoys me most is... me.
Why did I ever start writing tonight?
day 9291
They say there's a heaven for those who will wait
Some say it's better but I say it ain't
I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
the Sinners are much more fun...
- Billy Joel
"I
mean, that is the real sense of what they will say. In the actual
language of the Lost, the words will be different, no doubt. One will
say he has always served his country right or wrong; and another that
he has sacrificed everything to his Art; and some that they've never
been taken in, and some that, thank God, they've always looked after
Number One, and nearly all, that, at least they've been true to
themselves."
...
"Milton was right," said my Teacher. "The
choice of every lost soul can be expressed in the words "Better to
reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven."
- C.S. Lewis in The Great Divorce
One day I heard a chapel speaker at Asbury say,
"God is easy to get along with - as long as you stay out of His chair."
That
is the human struggle with submission in a nutshell. I want to be in
God's chair - I want to be the one in control. Somebody told me that
the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, but it's the love
of control that is the root of ALL evil (money being a common form of
control.)
We want control. We hate submitting. No one does a better job of describing this trouble with submission than C.S. Lewis in The Great Divorce.
In
the book, a group of people from Hell take a field trip to Heaven and
must decide whether to stay and submit to God or go back to their own
dark hole where they rule themselves. A brilliant book.
Billy
Joel's line in 'Only the Good Die Young' epitomizes the rebellious
spirit who would rather reign in Hell than serve in Heaven. I'm not one
to condemn records or rock and roll (I love Billy Joel's music) but I
think his song is the song of a billion people headed for Hell. As
Lewis says in the book - countless people are constantly shaking their
fists at God and saying, "Leave us alone!" their entire lives, and
someday, He will say, "Okay" and leave them alone.
So that is
reality as I believe it. God help me not to turn away from the cry of
the Lost. Help me to recognize when I am trying to sit in Your chair.
Help me to submit. You know I need help doing that.
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