anamchara

'Children of Heaven'

2009-06-19T11:11:00.005-05:00

At church on Wednesday night, we discussed ways to make the gospel message concrete, especially abstract words that are familiar to Christian people but have little meaning to those who are unfamiliar with Christian terms. When Jesus teaches in the gospels, he doesn't define abstract terms or create syllogisms, he embodies them in action and story. We each reflected on life experiences, and we tried to describe examples of mercy and forgiveness from our lives.

Damon, our preacher, described a journaling project assigned in one of his graduate classes on preaching: over the course of the semester the students had to catalog each time that they saw the gospel or an illustration of the gospel in every day life. Over time an exercise like this should train these aspiring preachers to be constantly on the look out for glimpses of the 'gospel in miniature.' This is also a helpful discipline for those in the pew - no matter what job we get paid for, we all have a part in the missio Dei, the mission of God in the world. Damon challenged us to look for the gospel in miniature, and in keeping with that challenge, I'd like to recommend a film to you.

'Children of Heaven,' a 1997 Iranian film, was nominated for an Academy Award in 1999 in the Best Foreign Language Film category, but it had justly won numerous awards overseas before it caught the attention of Western critics.

The opening scene of the film shows young Ali waiting patiently as a cobbler fixes a rip in Ali's sister's shoes. Ali loses the pair of shoes on his way home. Knowing that their family has no money for a new pair (and fearing a beating from their father), Ali and his sister, Zahra, hatch a plan to share Ali's sneakers until they can find a replacement of Zahra's shoes. They attend school at different times a day, so they engage in a daily shoe relay between classes. Ali later hears about a 4 km boy's race with an alluring third place prize: a brand new pair of sneakers. He swears to Zahra that if he wins third place, he'll trade the new sneakers in for a new pair of shoes for her.

I'll stop there. If you want to see self-giving love personified, this is a great film to check out. I suspect that the kingdom of God is quite like this, making 'Children of Heaven' an aptly named film.

A-Line April

2009-04-01T11:08:00.003-05:00

In Abilene, spring is here. The trees, even the mesquite, are putting out brand new green shoots. The grass is transitioning from dry and dead and soft and fresh. (It only takes a little rain to inspire such botanical optimism.) The males grackles are puffing themselves up, strutting about, and making that awkward call that sounds like they are choking to death (the females seem uniformly unimpressed).

And I'm wearing skirts. Yes, skirts in Abilene in April, possibly our windiest month of the year. You never know when the strong gusts are going to come! What can I say, I like to live on the edge.

While watching The Secret Life of Bees, some friends and I took note of how flattering all those A-line dresses were on the leading ladies. We mused about how pants just aren't as becoming on the feminine form. Why not revisit the days when dresses and skirts were the norm, even if only for a month? And so, the idea of "A-Line April" was born. We thought it a fitting alternative to the annual "No-Shave November" heartily embraced by our guy friends (A-Line April's sort of the opposite for us, really).

For those of you who've known me for a while, you might be thinking, "Does Kelli even own a skirt? I've never seen her wear one." Actually, I have a few... but it does look like I'll have to find a couple more skirts to mix things up this month. Any ideas out there for where to find inexpensive (preferably second-hand), decent, cute skirts here in Abilene? Anyone up for some thrifting?

What Were They Thinking?

2009-02-24T19:12:00.004-06:00

This is the graphic of a seasonal sweatshirt I came across in the "local attire/accessories" section of the grocery store a few blocks from my house.

There are several oddities about this sweatshirt. Note first that this winter wonderland sports the odd label "Abilene, TX." (Directly below the snowman.) Never, in my many years in Abilene have I seen a scene remotely close to this. An occasional snowfall, yes. Mounds of the white stuff piling up in drifts?! Uh, no. And are those pine trees and rolling hills??? The only thing anywhere close to accurate is the picturesque church in the background - we've got churches aplenty.

To those of us in Abilene, let's face reality. To those outside, let me tell you what "picturesque" Abilene is like in the winter. Imagine a flat, dusty landscape of dry grass as far as the eye can see, broken only by the occasional barbed wire fence... and I-20. Also, it's the end of February, and while other sections of the nation face wintry weather, our high today was in the mid- to upper-80s. Who is in charge of this seasonal sweatshirt making? Are you mocking us?

The good news, for you Abilenians with a certain kind of humor, is that this rather bizarre sweatshirt is currently 40% off. Need an ideal gag gift for less than $10? This could be the one for you!

Firsts

2009-02-23T14:50:00.003-06:00

In the last two days, I've had a few "firsts":

1. My first speeding ticket ever. I'm usually conscientious about speed limits, but this weekend as I drove home from my grandparents' house, the combination of needing a potty break and trying to make it to Abilene in time for church got the best of me. I really thought I was out of the city limits of Cross Plains already! Bummer! (I was ten minutes late for church, and did in fact make it to a bathroom despite the stop.)

2. Today I actually found the words, "Please don't dip tobacco in my class," on my lips. Seriously. It really happened. I'm still in shock.

3. Finally, I got my first "rejection" letter from a Ph. D. program today. Oh well. I'm still waiting to hear back from a couple of other schools... and also wondering what my alternatives for next year could be.

Even though this list seems on the negative side, I'm still feeling relatively upbeat. Most days, my life's charmed.

An Office Pet

2009-02-11T16:38:00.004-06:00

This afternoon, I've spent most of my office hours flitting between grading tests, planning lessons, and writing tests. Throughout the afternoon, I've had a constant companion: a little orange ladybug with 14 spots, 7 on each side. I'm convinced that it wants my job. I lift a test to grade, and it's beat me to the task. I go to pick up my pen - there's the ladybug perched on the tip, perhaps tasting a bit of the purple ink. (In solidarity with my mother, a spunky 4th grade teacher, I prefer to grade in purple... but, alas, with considerably less spunkiness.) As I type this, the ladybug crawls perilously across the keyboard, barely dodging my impulsive key-punching. It just attempted to ascend my headphone chords ("whatcha listenin' to?"), but got scared away by my hair (and, honestly, who can blame it?). Now, it's disappeared... maybe it's responding to those e-mails I've been neglecting. (Well, it could at least make itself useful!)

Okay, back to those tests...

A Week in Review

2009-01-25T22:14:00.004-06:00

I've decided to pick 10 highlights from this week to share. In random order (I'm writing them as they occur to me):

Completing and turning in my last graduate school application. The process reminded me of why I want to pursue a PhD. And now the waiting begins... (I probably won't hear back from any schools until March.) I've got to be the lamest applicant out there. Maybe everyone feels that way? Yikes!
I've had lots of time to spend with friends from my church, Hope C of C. We ate meals together, met for coffee before church tonight. I love getting to know them outside of church.
On Friday night (during one of the dinners mentioned earlier), I got to spend time with kids. At one point, I held the three-year old in my lap while we all talked about our favorite parts of the Harry Potter series. There is nothing quite so sweet as the unguarded affection of a small child.
As my 9 o'clock class ended on Friday, one of my students said to me, "Your class is too short!" I said thanks! I wondered if he'll feel the same way in a few more weeks and also considered that he's one of those "front row sitters" (therefore likely to say ingratiating things like that), but it's still a comment that I'll treasure.
This is a more abstract highlight, but more days than not, I've gone to work and come home with a feeling of deep enjoyment and contentment about work. After this semester it will be time for me to move on, and I'll be ready, but I'm enjoying the present.
I'm looking forward to Wednesday night church these days. (This is not usually the norm for me - I usually go to build community and endure whatever we're doing in class.) Right now we're studying 1 Corinthians.
I talked to both of my siblings, if briefly, for a few minutes each today. I love them.
My cousin invited me to her baby shower this weekend in Ft. Worth. I couldn't go, so instead we made plans to hang out next weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing her.
This week was full of walks: some solo, but most others with Shannon B and/or Deanna. Wonderful!
Media fun: I made a mix for a friend (we always trade mixes on birthdays and I'm about a month and a half late on hers). I think it'll be worth the wait. Also, I've been reading The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs. That deserves it's own post. Finally, the Vicar of Dibley just cracks me up. Especially the nun jokes at the end of the show that inevitably flop.

It's 15 minutes past my bedtime. And since getting around 8 hours of sleep is a highlight of every day, I'm signing off.

Reflections on Teaching

2009-01-17T16:51:00.003-06:00

It's hard to believe it, but I've been out of school and teaching for a year and a half now. Today I've been thinking a bit about the things I like about my job, the challenges teaching presents, and the various in ways I need to grow as an academician. I thought I'd share some thoughts here.

Here's one thing that I really love about my job, something that makes me smile to myself as I climb those grueling, building-code-defying stairs to my office: moments when I can tell that I'm getting through to my students. I've recently discovered anew the joy of trying to find relevant, creative ways to connect our class discussion with my students' realities, particularly their spiritual/religious experiences. I think it's the same thing that I enjoy about crafting sermons - finding and articulating a link between careful theological thinking and the nitty-gritty situations of life. Really, what good is one without the other? Striking an appropriate balance between the two is a major part for how I evaluate my teaching effectiveness these days.

That, of course, is part of the challenge of teaching - having the wisdom to know how best to connect these things. I feel a bit ashamed to own up to the other thing I find challenging: I'm really terrible at articulating student learning outcomes and clearly explaining assignments and expectations. I stare at the computer screen for lengthy periods trying to find the best way to express these things. All I can say is, I hope it gets easier with practice. Or will it always be this painstaking?

There are other growth areas too - certainly more than strengths! I'm very aware of my paucity of experience as an educator and a scholar. I have so much to learn about my subject matter; the more I teach, the more I realize I've got so much to learn. The list is daunting, and on my pessimistic days it feels virtually insurmountable. I've yet to figure out the best way to ask clear questions for class discussion... they're especially convoluted when I'm shooting from the hip.

So, I've got a long way to go. At the same time, this unexpected opportunity to teach has given me plenty of reason to believe that it's a journey well worth taking.

A Little Forced...

2009-01-09T16:50:00.002-06:00

It's been a long while. I haven't really relished the thought of blogging for a few months - I've sort of been on autopilot. And this probably wouldn't be my favorite way to begin a blogging "come back", but my friend Amy tagged me, and I've decided to cooperate... mostly. :)

4 Things I did yesterday:

1. Ate breakfast and played Settlers of Catan with Shannon and Caryn. (That was yesterday, wasn't it?)
2. Walked to Peet's Coffee to work on syllabi, and found 15 cents on my way (6 coins in different places)! That's 10% of the price of my coffee!
3. Ate dinner with my roommates: a fantastic salad and a glass of red wine. In my mind I call these "kitchen sink salads" because we throw in anything that seems even remotely salad-friendly, and they're always yummy!
4. Watched Clue with roomies Kaylynn and Olivia.

4 Things on my Wish List:

1. Being accepted to a Ph. D. program for the fall.

2. Going hiking as often as possible in the next 8 months.

3. Having a successful last semester of teaching at McMurry University.

4. Learning to play an instrument: maybe the piano or the mandolin?

4 Restaurants I like:
1. Jason's Deli (I love their tomato soup and chicken panini)
2. Sharky's Burritos ("Cilantro, please!")
3. Abuelo's (if only because of the flan)
4. I actually try not to eat out that much... one of my favorite meals is homemade pizza.

4 TV shows I like:

1. The Office
2. Heroes (but I haven't seen any of this season's episodes)
3. 30 Rock (more or less because it's on after The Office)
4. Otherwise I'd rather read a book or watch a movie. But I think I'd really like The Vicar of Dibley - it's on my Netflix cue.

4 People I tag:

Well... my cooperation has its limits. I hate tagging people. (Yes, I'm that person who always broke the chain letter.)

2008-09-26T07:43:00.002-05:00

Graduate school: paying lots of money to learn to say simple things in the most pretentious way possible.

My Office

2008-09-22T12:58:00.003-05:00

For those of you who don't know, I'm teaching religion courses at a local college right now. It's my first "real job" - I don't get paid very much, but I do get benefits and don't have any other jobs on the side, so it feels pretty cushy. They even gave me an office. I'm not much of a decorator - the most distinctive feature of my office is... piles of papers on every flat surface. (All of my current and former roommates now sigh, "Big surprise!") But I do have an original Amber Lee piece on the wall and a coffee pot. That's enough to make it feel homey.

The only problem is one over which I have no control: the air conditioning. Based on how cold my work space is, I'd have to say that the thermostat is set on "arctic." The first week of work, I went out and bought a sweater to keep in here. Last week, I finally gave in and brought a crocheted blanket from home that I shamelessly wrap myself in during office hours. When it's my lunch break, I put on the sweater and go to the park - there I remember what it feels like to be warm, even - *gasp - hot! Then I go back to my office and freeze again. (Maybe this is why I've been sick recently...)

Last week we had a cooler spell - for several days in a row we had pleasantly mild temperatures. Thursday I arrived early to school to put finishing touches on my lesson plan and prepare my mind for class. I was shocked to discover that my office was a bearable temperature! The classroom was a little warm, but during office hours later that day I didn't even need my blanket! "This is more like it!" I thought to myself. I was hoping that the change in temperature outside had influenced the powers that be to be a little more reasonable about the thermostat settings. I was so excited.

Then I went to a meeting. They apologized for the heat in the room. It turns out that my office was a tolerable temperature because the air conditioning in the whole building was broken! Boo!

We're back to "arctic" again this week.

Reflection

2008-08-15T10:54:00.004-05:00

I just moved into a new house, and although I haven't unpacked everything yet, I've been thinking about arranging stuff in our space. I'm no great decorator. In fact, I'm a rather lackadaisical about it, much to my previous and current roommates' chagrin.

Anyway, I have this mirror that my last roommate left in our house. I saved it - it's a nice mirror. But a part of me feels weird about decorating with mirrors. It's like saying, "You know what this room needs? A little more ME!!!"

Summer Goals

2008-07-14T16:57:00.004-05:00

Although my summer hasn't been as "productive" as I had hoped it would be (or feared it would have to be!), I have been able to accomplish a couple of goals of utmost importance. For instance, this weekend I got to catch up with a couple of friends from high school, Erin and Robin. We went to the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta and watched Ben Hur, a part of their summer movie series. [For Abilenians: The Fox is like the Paramount - complete with Egyptian/Moorish decor and an "enchanted" ceiling - but it's about 4 times larger with two ballrooms. It's usually the place to go in Atlanta for touring Broadway shows, among other performing arts events.] In the summer, they try to recreate the old movie-going experience, complete with live organ music, a sing-along culminating in "Georgia on My Mind" (what else?!), a classic cartoon (Mickey Mouse this time), and an old news reel before the feature presentation. It was a lot of fun. Catching up with old friends: Check!

Another goal of mine this summer was to hike in North Georgia as much as possible. I still hope to get in another day hike with Mom, but I've already had the opportunity to hike a couple of times with Erin. This is a great opportunity for some photo-journaling. The following pictures are from Panther Creek Falls, a 5-mi. hike a little more than an hour from my house:

The fearless hikers!

The mountain laurel was still in bloom, one of the delights of hiking in the Southern Appalachians during late spring/early summer. The flowers were waning, showering our path and the forest floor with their lovely pink petals.

Our path took us alongside a tranquil mountain stream - the kind of environs that evoke transcendence, poetry, and "going green." We enjoyed another summer-time treat here: bing cherries! Yum!

Toward the end of the hike the waters became more tumultuous. We marveled at the way the river had sculpted the riverbed over the centuries.

Finally, we reached the end, the namesake of the trail: Panther Creek Falls.

The memory of the hike lived on in more than pictures - Erin and I both walked stiffly for the next couple of days. (We like to think of ourselves as active, outdoorsy girls, but our muscles seem to think that they were meant to belong to prissy princesses.) But achy muscles are part of the appeal of hikes like this. It sounds like a paradox, but it's not: I find nothing more spiritual than this kind of deeply physical, tangible experience. It's the loving-kindness of God made known in rushing waters, blooming flowers, delicate bugs, and singing birds. It's the presence of Christ, whose incarnation affirms the dignity and goodness of physical bodies, disclosed in human companionship and sore muscles. It's the Spirit of God moving in a perceptible but hard-to-put-your-finger-on way, not unlike the uncontrollable, unpredictable rustling of the wind through lush, green leaves.

Q & A

2008-07-06T13:45:00.004-05:00

Q: Is it possible to "grow thicker skin" and maintain a healthy amount of sensitivity?

A: ??? (Anyone?!)

Or maybe the bumps and bruises along the way are a part of the way of the cross - not to be avoided (though perhaps not to be sought after either) but rather accepted as an integral part of Christian discipleship. (It's just hard to take knocks from the devout person sitting next to me in the pew.) I have this gut feeling that this is only the beginning, and that these little blows can teach me to endure opposition without losing hope for the church or failing in love for my well-meaning brother or sister.

In Requiem

2008-07-03T10:01:00.004-05:00

Today I say goodbye to an old friend:
This is my favorite t-shirt, which I've had since high my junior year (or so) in high school. (Whoa - that was nearly 10 years ago!) When I bought it at a local thrift shop, it was already soft from years of casual wear. I wore it out. And then, when I finally felt that it was too indecent to wear around, I retired it to sleepwear. Over the years, it's gone completely threadbare - it's so thin that it has runs in it like pantyhose! I've known for about a year that I should really throw it away, but didn't have the heart. Now the runs have become sizable holes, and I can deny the truth no longer - the time has come. Goodbye, old friend - you lived up to your slogan!

A Thursday Report

2008-06-26T19:46:00.003-05:00

The Downside: 4-hour GRE. Boo! Including math applications that I haven't looked at in 8+ years (and never wish to see again). So-so combined scores (but they're acceptable, so I'll take 'em!).

The Upside: Testing center just a few blocks from the Cheesecake Factory. Lemon Raspberry Cream Cheesecake to-go. Hoorah! I'm off to enjoy my reward...

Concerning the Labeling of Milk Jug Lids

2008-05-23T15:31:00.004-05:00

I am currently employed as a barista at a locally owned coffee company. We go through a lot of milk in the course of a day, especially a lot of whole milk. Recently, I have noticed that our milk providers are intent on insulting us in one way or another through the seemingly innocuous presence of labels on the milk jug lids.

The skim and whole milk have different colored labels and lids. This is helpful, considering that we are often hastily pulling out jugs of milk to fill orders, and being able to recognize color is easier than reading each label. Also, the skim milk jug has the word "SKIM" printed on the top of its purple lid. This is okay, I think, because it effectively describes the contents and differentiates it from other sorts of milk.

This is not the case with the whole milk. In fact, the milk company we buy from can't decide what they'd rather print on the whole milk lids, so there are two different ones. What I find confusing is that the two options that they apparently can't choose between are both insulting.

The first time I noticed this, I was steaming whole milk for a latte, and needed a little extra to top off the steaming pot. Upon opening a new milk jug, I noticed the label on the lid: it said "HOMO." Presumably, this stands for "homogenized," which isn't terribly helpful because most of our milk (whether skim, 1%, 2%, or whole) has been homogenized. (Check out the selection at your local grocery store.) My initial reaction, however, was: "Can't we get some politically correct milk around here?" I'd hate for the customers to feel that our milk lid is calling them such names!

The second label option is better upon first inspection. It simply reads, "MILK." But if you think about it, how helpful is that?! We know it's MILK!!! It's obviously milk. Are they assuming that we need help identifying this as milk?! (Perhaps this is a label to help non-English speakers?) Like the "HOMO" label, this is unhelpful since it doesn't differentiate this milk from other sorts of milk, and it also assumes a very low level of intelligence on the part of the consumer.

I have a theory about why this happens: this particular milk provider puts labels on the lids of their various milk products. Due to the size of the bold, all caps font on the small lid, the label is limited to no more than 4 letters. So, the skim milk simply has the label "SKIM." However, the labels-on-the-lids policy ran into some trouble with the whole milk. Clearly, the best descriptor would be "WHOLE." This word, unfortunately, is one letter too long for the 4-letter standard. So, the milk company was stuck with two rather bad options, which they can't seem to choose between: HOMO and MILK.

My verdict is that they might as well use even more colorful four letter words since their two options are already insulting.

A Random Sampling

2008-05-23T15:03:00.002-05:00

One of my best friends called me yesterday to tell me that she's getting married... next Thursday!! (I think she's crazy.)

* * * * *

I spent last weekend in Austin with my sister and her growing family. I was delighted to be present for one of her ultrasounds. My 2 year-old nephew, Quint, and I listened to the whoosh-whoosh-whoosh of his little brother's heartbeat. I'm not sure Quint really grasped what was happening, but he asked us to imitate the whoosh sound for the rest of the day.

While we were in the doctor's waiting room, Quint and I played at the kids' table in the corner. Here Quint displayed his unique skills and interests: cleaning! First, he pulled all the chairs out from the table, and announced to me, "Quint vavoom!" His imaginary vacuum zipped around the little square of carpet under the table. Once his vacuuming was completed, Quint pushed the chairs back under the table, and decided that something had to be done about the tabletop. He picked up the toy sitting on the table and placed it on top of the small bookshelf nearby, meticulously positioning it in the center of the shelf. He discovered that several books were laying on top of the bookshelf instead of on the shelves with the other books. He put them with the other books. Satisfied, he turned back to the small tabletop and began to wipe it with the palm of his hand. "Are you wiping the table, Quint?" "Yeah." The wiping went on for a while - it's obviously his favorite part.

By this time, Janis had finished paying and came to fetch us. As we turned to go, a woman about halfway through her pregnancy, who had been watching Quint's diligent cleaning "game," said to my sister, "I hope my baby comes out that clean!"

He is so my sister's son.

This week Quint and my sister have called me almost every day. Janis tells me that it's gone something like this: Quint looks forlorn. Janis asks, "What's wrong, Quint?" "KeeKee." "Do you miss Aunt Kelli?" "Yeah." "Well, let's call her!" Awww!!! That's enough to make me want to move to Austin and commute!

I'll claim her!!

2008-05-03T17:14:00.004-05:00

Guess who was recently named Greater Atlanta Christian School's Outstanding Educator of the Year for the elementary school?

KAY BRYANT

(I usually call her Mom.)

Of course, she didn't have to win an award for me to know that she's a brilliant teacher - it's just nice that other people are taking public notice too! (And now I can appeal to the informed opinions of many others when I broadcast what may otherwise seem to be biased comments about her amazing teaching talents.)

Congratulations, Mom! I'm proud of you!!

Excerpt from "Being and Doing" (More from Merton)

2008-05-01T09:10:00.003-05:00

A man who fails well is greater than one who succeeds badly.

One who is content with what he has, and who accepts the fact that he inevitably misses very much in life, is far better than one who has much more but who worries about all he may be missing. For we cannot make the best of what we are, if our hearts are always divided between what we are and what we are not.

The lower our estimation of ourselves and the lower our expectations, the greater chance we have of using what we have. If we do not know how poor we are we will never be able to appreciate what we actually have. But, above all, we must learn our own weakness in order to awaken to a new order of action and of being - and experience God Himself accomplishing in us the things we find impossible.

We cannot be happy if we expect to live all the time at the highest peak of intensity. Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony.

Music is pleasing not only because of the sound but also because of the silence that is in it: without the alternation of sound and silence there would be no rhythm. If we strive to be happy by filling all the silences of life with sound, productive by turning all life's leisure into work, and real by turning all our being into doing, we will only succeed in producing hell on earth.

If we have no silence, God is not heard in our music. If we have no rest, God does not bless our work. If we twist our lives out of shape in order to fill every corner of them with action and experience, God will silently withdraw from our hearts and leave us empty.

Let us, therefore, learn to pass from one imperfect activity to another without worrying too much about what we are missing. It is true that we make many mistakes. But the biggest of them all is to be surprised at them: as if we had some hope of never making any.

Mistakes are a part of our life, and not the least important part. If we are humble, and if we believe the Providence of God, we will see that our mistakes are not merely a necessary evil, something we lament and count as lost: they enter into the very structure of our existence. It is by making mistakes that we gain experience, not only for ourselves but for others. And though our experience prevents neither ourselves nor others from making the same mistake many times, the repeated experience still has a positive value.

- Thomas Merton, "Being and Doing" from No Man is an Island

Cross-Pollinating

2008-04-23T21:20:00.004-05:00

That's what my friend Ed calls it when a person raised in the Churches of Christ works for a university affiliated with another denomination. Well, I've been "cross-pollinating" all year - teaching a class or two in the Religion and Philosophy Department of a local Methodist university.

I found out today that I'll get to continue my little adventure in "academic horticulture" next year - as full-time faculty member for one year. (They need another year to find a good candidate for the open permanent position, which works out perfectly because I have an awkward interim year before I hopefully start a PhD.)

There are lots of things about this that excite me. For instance, I'm excited about having an office that isn't a little closet in the back of the library or a disheveled desk in my living room (which sometimes contaminates every flat surface in the house!). Now it'll be a disheveled desk somewhere else! Woohoo! I've been pointlessly brainstorming about how to make my Intro to Christianity course better, and now I get to purposely brainstorm about it! But the most exciting thing is having the opportunity to actually be a part of the community of this university - working alongside experienced faculty members and being able to connect more readily with my students outside of class. My only misgiving about this year as an adjunct professor has been my extremely loose connection to the daily rhythms of campus life. I want to be a professor because I love the unique opportunity it offers for synthesizing academic study and pastoral ministry, and being an adjunct professor has made opportunities for the latter difficult to come by. Plus, I think it'll be GREAT FUN!

a good change

2008-04-14T14:59:00.004-05:00

Where once there was this:

...Now there is this:

The leathery, dessicated catfish heads - a rather nauseating emblem of death, if you ask me - have been exchanged for a hanging pot of vivacious (albeit wind-tossed) ivy. It's a good change!

awkward

2008-03-31T20:20:00.006-05:00

Sometimes I wonder if my social skills will ever recover from graduate school.

Once last semester, right after that final grueling summer of my M. Div., I accidentally introduced myself with the wrong name. I was meeting a friend's (now ex-) girlfriend from out of town. My friend Olivia, one of the hosting our gathering, introduced everyone in the room. She started with me, "Kelli, this is Meredith. Meredith, this is..." I broke in and meant to supply my name as I amiably stretched out a hand to shake hers. The hand was extended successfully, but the overly confident words that came out of my mouth were, oddly enough, "Hi, I'm Meredith." At the same time, that I claimed my new acquaintance's name was my own, Olivia finished her part of the introduction, "...Kelli." Kaylynn, after she stopped laughing at me (it took a while), remarked, "If I didn't know who you are, I would have believed that your name is Meredith. You said it with such confidence." It was a bad day for social awkwardness.

Most of the time my social blunders are less conspicuous, like saying obnoxious scholarly words in ordinary conversation. At one point over Christmas break, I found myself explaining what an inclusio is to a 3rd grader. (That was a low point of my social awkwardness. It just came flying out of my mouth before I could stop it! I'm blaming exegesis, David and Jon for this one. ;) ) This week I ran into some friends at a local restaurant and we were chatting casually when I found the word "culpable" on my lips. One friend kindly mocked me. Really - I don't try to do this - these things just come to mind before other, more commonplace words. I end up feeling like I'm being pretentious... even though I'm not trying to impress anyone.

You've lived in West Texas too long when...

2008-03-10T21:14:00.004-05:00

... You're grading papers and have to look up the proper conjugation of the English word 'drag.'

In case anyone out there is wondering, the past tense of this verb is not 'drug.' It's 'dragged.' For example, you would say, "I dragged myself out of bed," not "I drug myself out of bed." But I've lived in Texas long enough to read 'drug,' think it's wrong, and then think, "But I hear it all the time!" (A flawed system for understanding how to write properly in English if there ever was one... but it's my normal system.) I'm sitting in the coffee shop where I work, so I asked around. None of us could decide - my co-workers decided that either conjugation is valid (even grammar is relative these days). We even entertained the idea that the use of a helping verb might distinguish 'dragged' from 'drug.' Then I looked it up (because I can't go on with life without satisfying my grammatical curiosity), confirmed my initial suspicions that the past tense is indeed 'dragged' (never 'drug'!), and thought, "I've lived in Texas a long time."

Spring(-ish)

2008-03-10T13:40:00.005-05:00

Last week I took pictures of the flowers blooming in my yard - Amber planted them at least a year and a half ago, but she's not around to enjoy the product of her labors. So, here you go, Amber. Thanks for the springtime flowers!

The plum tree also began to blossom... a week before it snowed twice. It has bad timing - I feel an odd kinship with that pathetic little tree. I didn't get a good shot of it, so you'll be spared the floral pictures.

Last Thursday it snowed enough between the time I got up and when I was leaving to give my class their midterm that the street in front of my house was covered by an inch of snow. It was perilous! I pulled out of my driveway and cautiously headed down my windy street only to discover that I wasn't being nearly cautious enough! I hit the first curve a little too fast and found my car sliding out of control toward a neighbor's mailbox. I hit the brakes - that did no good. I sucked in my breath, bit my lip, and tried in vain to regain control as I watched the mailbox slip closer and closer toward my window and side mirror. The car stopped sliding inches from the mailbox. On my way home from school that afternoon, I took a look at the tire marks in the snow - it was sooooo close!! (I think I'll continue trying to live in minimally snowy areas, for the safety of everyone!)

Bedichek Yourself

2008-03-05T15:25:00.007-06:00

Here's the license plate of a dear friend of mine:

It's almost as if someone at the DMV found out that she's a preacher's kid and said, "I've got just the thing for her." It makes me giggle.