There is a season for all things, a time for every purpose under heaven the preacher says. I've had this blog up for two years and have not made a single post so far. So why start talking now? No special reason, except that now (unlike then) I have something to say that I think is worth saying. That's important. I don't like blogging just to blog, or blogging without a clear purpose. I've tried that and one runs out of worthwhile things to say pretty quickly...at least I do. So what is this thing I suddenly feel up to saying? It is simply this, I want to explain to those of my family and friends who have known me for many years why I became Orthodox. Others who have heard my story know why this might be a useful approach given my propensity for digression and over meticulous backgrounding (lest I be misunderstood). There is no minimalist approach, no way to explain this decision in a nutshell that does it any justice. Besides, it has been almost 15 year since I decided I wanted to be Orthodox and set out to discover just what that would mean. So, it is about time I would say.
For those who don't know, I'm currently in Gunnison, Colorado, and will be until next Wednesday. I, along with 10 other physics students, are here using the observatory to study exoplanets (planets around stars besides the sun). On the side we are using the CCD's to take pictures of other astronomical objects, and also possibly studying a bit of cataclysmic variation.
CHRIST IS RISEN! Christos Voskrese! Christos Anesti! Al-Masih-Qam! Cristo Ha Resucitado!
Couldn't resist this one. This is a kid who has just had a procedure done at the dentist, and thus is simply pumped with medication.
Incidentally, this is the exact same way Jeremy acts in the morning and after drinking coffee (. . . . combined)
The newest youtube video is up! Well, it actually has been for a while, but I just wanted to put it on here! :D
And the bloopers! Actually, they are longer than the video itself, but they are hilarious!!!!! Watch watch! Oooh, I just reminded myself of Southwatch..... Sorry, nevermind....
Well, since I'll be leaving to college once again Monday morning, here is a quick update before things start moving light-speed again.
My semester will be similar to last one except that
(a) I'll probably be doing reader's services on campus once a week (I pray that works out)
(b) I'll be studying economics and theology ("understanding the Bible") instead of politics and philosophy, respectively
(c) um, it will be spring. . . and I'll be on the other side of campus
What else to say?!? Here we go, all in one breath. . . James, I hope your birthday was great (we have your sister here right now, so maybe she can personally convey our best wishes [late though they be] personally, if, that is, she can be pried from the small tornado the girls are able to inexplicably create), congrats to those who have shown forth their surprising writing abilities, Joanna I hope your back feels better!! I need to watch treasure planet again (haven't seen that in millennia), happy trails to those in Mexico, happy, um, namesday (?) mom, happy flying to super-dad, yay for those able to fully appreciate the genius of the music in Zelda, Jeremy keep on makin' them videos, Ben be the conquistador of technology, Jordan keep on reading them finance books, Rachel finish that book (I'm curious for goodness' sake), and Rebecca get really good at hoola hooping.
wheeew. That was intense. Forgive me if I've forgotten anyone, I wrote this sorta really fast. Really really fast.
HAPPY SEMESTER EVERYONE!!
CHRISTMAS!!!!!
So as I said I wasn't positive about what exactly I was going to write about, but I decided it will be about the last things that happened at college. Finals, and that squirrel.
Finals first: How did they go? Well. . .
English ("literary
tradition"): this one everyone sort of panicked about and studied like
crazy for. We were memorizing quotes, plotlines, obscure monologues,
the name of that one plant Hermes gave Odysseus to he wouldn't turn
into a pig on Cerce's island (called Moly by the way), etc. Turns out
it wasn't too bad an exam. I think it went all right. (it also turns
out it was wise to memorize Moly, since it was on the exam, strangely
enough).
Physics: Physics we actually took the final for before Thanksgiving, because our professor accelerated the course a bit so he could publish a book, I think. Since we took it so long ago, I already know my grade: 98. So that was fine, and also a fun course.
Math: no real problems here; there were some strange calculus theorums, and some tricky questions (like using implicit differentiation to prove that the tangent line to a circle is always perpendicular to the radius at that point), but overall I think it was fine.
Philosophy: This exam also included a reasonable amount of panic. However, after attending two or three separate study sessions after spending a whole day in the library studying on my own for this particular exam as well, I think it went all right, but it's so hard to tell how well you did when the questions are all either short-answer or essay.
Politics: Yuck. I officially don't like politics. Don't get me wrong, the course itself wasn't badly done (it was actually very well organized and often interesting), I just don't have politics in me. Nevertheless, it dealt with actual solid facts and outlines, and thus was tolerable since I guess I have a very formulaic mind. And I'm ecstatic that I'm finished with ALL politics courses for the REST OF MY LIFE. Happy times, happy times.
So that's that.
Now the squirrel.
Yesterday
morning at college, I was preparing to leave. I was walking along the
path from my new to my former dorm to check out, just strolling along
during the very wet, crisp and cool, but not too frigid morning, hands
in my jacket, minding my own business (possibly whistling a tune). Then
I saw a squirrel.
Squirrels at UD are bizarrely common. They frequent every path, burying nuts, digging up nuts, looking for nuts, throwing nuts down from trees at people (literally), and all the other spaztic things that squirrels do. They are used to people, and thus will allow a passerby to get within a very close range before they decide they are in intolerable levels of danger and bound away.
So this squirrel was doing just this, digging around for nuts, a few feet off the path. Then it realized two things at once.
1) It was very wet
2) I was uncomfortably close
Its little mind could apparently not cope with deciding which issue to solve first. So it solved both at once.
Here
I am just walking along, about 4 feet away from this little squirrel,
when it suddenly jumps backwards through the air in a spinning flip,
convulsing and thrashing while bounding away at the same time. Its
aerial acrobatics were astounding, if maniacal and strange.
Nevertheless, at the end it was both dry and a comfortable distance away from my predatorial claws, so I suppose it accomplished its task. I wonder why humans never multitask like that too.
All done with finals!!! Now to focus on Christmas. . .
I'll be writing a longer post than this tomorrow. What will it be about? Beats me. All I know is that I'm DONE WITH FINALS!!!!!
MEEEERRRRRRYYYY CHRISTMAAAAAAS!!!!!!!