Journals
Monday, February 28, 2005
Waiting
Last Sunday I found myself waiting on several different occasions, none of which I enjoyed. From waiting to get into a church parking lot to the even longer wait to get out. I waited to get into the dining hall to eat and then proceeded to wait in line to actually get food and again to get something to drink. I’ve spent the last few days and will spend the next few weeks waiting for spring break and after that I’ll start waiting for the summer. As I waited to exit the church parking lot, my roommate lightened the mood by telling me that the average American spends seven years waiting in line. This depressing factoid is comparatively insignificant to the fact that we spend our entire lives waiting for something, with or without lines.
My summer trip with the buddies
Three of my good friends and I are planning on taking a road trip this summer. Our plan is to see all of the cool stuff in America that we’ve always wanted to, and also find sweet places along the way. We will try to save five hundred dollars apiece through the year, put this toward gas, food, hotels, and campsites, and to travel for two weeks deciding where to go along the way. We will have a list of the places we need to go, like Zion national park and Las Vegas, but otherwise we plan on traveling on a whim; whatever strikes our interest we will check out. Living cheaply will allow us the most freedom, we plan on camping or sleeping in the car most of the time, not to mention staying with any relatives we can get a bed and a meal from across the country. The only thing we still really have to solidify is whose car to take. I plan on buying a new vehicle sometime in the spring or early summer so this problem might work itself out.
Thanking the Alphabet-Jamie
This article shows how the alphabet came to be. For those of us who enjoy reading and writing, we have the alphabet to thank, as the title suggests. The article goes back to show the roots of the alphabet and the influences of the Phoenicians, giving examples of the original meanings of letters and sounds. There are also examples of how the letters are pronounced. The article concludes with how we like our letters so much by making them into words and putting them onto t-shirts, billboards, commercials, etc.
The Bahamas
The Bahamas, Harbour Island is a place that I remember well. I lived there for five years. When I think of the Bahamas, one of the ideas that run through my head is, the faithfulness of the Lord to my family in his keeping a hedge of protection around our lives.
Something Meaningful from DCM?- steph w
I took a DCM course over interim called “The Holocaust, history and human nature.” We were required to read a book called Night by Elie Wiesel. That was about two or three weeks ago, and the book is still with me. I found it hard to read but at the same time it was interesting. If I were a holocaust survivor, I wouldn’t be able to write about my experiences, let alone write a coherent book with as much symbolism as Wiesel used.
Saturday, February 26, 2005
The Infatuation of February 14
Valentine’s Day inevitably graces us with its presence every February 14. This lover’s holiday – immeasurably dreaded, excitedly anticipated, or apathetically ignored – has successfully invaded today’s culture. Commercials for kissing teddy bears, candies, phone dating services, and most of all diamonds (how can we forget that “every kiss begins with Kay”?) are so prevalent that even the most content person feels that something mystically romantic is missing from their now seemingly boring relationship.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Finally
This past week they finally announced that the 2004-2005 NHL hockey season is officially canceled. All I have to say is “It is about time.” I’m sick of turning on ESPN or watching the local six o’clock sports to hear that they are still fighting over the salary cap. What a joke. It is just a bunch of millionaires fighting against billionaires about who should get paid more. Well I for one am sick and tired of it. Both sides have been bickering about this since before the end of last season and now it is finally reached a head. The only thing that the players strike has actually accomplished is hurting the fans of the National Hockey League. I for one have lost all interest in watching the NHL, even if there is a 2005-2006 season. I think that it is a shame that we have people fighting over who should get another million dollars when there are lots of people wishing that they had money to by food for dinner. Hockey has lost all of its pure sport. It is now so commercialized that it is reaching a point like all other professional sports that it is all about the money and not about the enjoyment. The only pure sport we can now see is in our high schools and colleges where the players are there for the love of the sport and not for the dollar signs. At least we still have that. Without those who play for the love of it, all sports would die. Remember when you were a little kid, playing catch in the backyard? That is what sports are all about, not about the dollar signs.
Failed Expectations
Life is nothing more than failed expectations. This statement may make one angry, after all we are promised from childhood that we can do anything and by adulthood we have built our lives on that promise. I write not only to break that promise but also not to give you that promise. For those who may be inclined to argue, let me suggest that you have not thought long enough. Those of you who are ready to crucify me by now are those who know that I am right. They are the people who would like to keep this paper a secret.
Where did “smelling the roses” go?
As a young child, I used to listen to a song at my daycare that had a section in the chorus that went something like this, “I can’t wait to have patience! I have been waiting for 4 minutes and I can’t wait, I can’t wait to have patience!” and continued on with the patience theme. There is something interesting about this song; it reveals a part of our culture today. Henri Nouwen says, “For many people, waiting is an awful desert between where they are and where they want to go.” Look at specific athletes, for example, runners; they see what their time is at the end of the race and they know where they want it to be so in some cases they will push themselves beyond their bodies’ limits to reach their goal and injury themselves on the way. Good athletes/runners are those who have patience, who can work with time and not work against time. People should wonder why this is such the way of our culture, and what is at the root of it. Nouwen says that it is fear that drives people this way. I agree with this and unfortunately, the consequences can be brutal. When in a rush, people tend to skip over things, forget things, and succeed only half way. This can be seen in business, in sports, in relationships, or just about any other area of our culture. Why do people speed? A red light normally lasts an entire 26 seconds. Is that time enough to risk killing somebody in a car crash because one car wanted to run the red light? I think that it is because people do not want to have down time. Time where they are forced to have quiet, to have time to themselves, time to think can be dangerous to a person. They start examining their lives and their world around them; realizing that what before them is uncertain. They could be unable to control the situation whereas when a person does not wait for the right time, he/she does not need to consider what is before them because they are already ignoring their problems, fears, insecurities, and any other emotion that leads to greater meaning. It is time that we stop. Take a look around. And smell the roses.
Athletes overlooking Academics
In the current age of sports there are teenagers forgoing their college education to start spending the rest of their lives dedicated to professional sports. Famous names like Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Freddy Adu are just a few of the many high school and college athletes that want a piece of the income that the current professionals are getting. In years past, we never heard about such things as skipping college or leaving early to play professionally. One reason that this trend is coming now is the pressure from agents, media, family, and friends to make the big money from advertising that comes with being a professional athlete. Being an athletic prodigy opens up many doors for advertisement and marketing opportunities. Kobe Bryant, soon after going into the NBA from high school had a shoe deal with Nike
Age Comes, Time Goes
Doesn’t it seem that as you get older, time goes by much faster? I know time is constant, but it feels relative. When we are younger, all we can do is be impatient. It seems to take forever to wait to go see grandma in a week or even longer to wait for Christmas. In our younger years all we could do was wait for the day when we get older, cooler, and have the ability to do anything we want. Ironically, when we are finally “old enough,” we feel as though time was put on hyper speed and we would give anything if time would just slow down.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
The Blog Begins!
Welcome to the English 101-J weblog for Spring 2005! Bookmark this blog and return soon to read our journal entries, paper abstracts, and other writing we’ve done for class. We’re trying to prove that the blogosphere doesn’t have to be dominated by drivel; weblogs are a dynamic and engaging medium that can nourish creativity and interaction. For more on better blogging, see this introduction to my weblog at booksandculture.com. This weblog is part of a pilot program at Calvin College. See you back here soon!