31 May 2006

my current word of choice

piffle:
(n) trivial nonsense;
(v) to talk or act in a trivial, inept, or ineffective way.

Do you have a word that's striking your fancy?

27 May 2006

breathing space

greek was brutal, but at least it's over for now. It took me four hours to finish the exam, mostly because of the parsings, although I was a little shaky on the less familiar vocabulary. it was a tough exam, made worse by the fact that it was at the end of finals and I was just burnt out by then.

we had a lazy saturday in this neck of the woods.. a little cleaning, a little financial accounting, a nap or two. all enhanced by some gingerbread scones (which weren't bad, but weren't dense enough to be called scones really).

summer is here, and brought the humidity to the party. when I'm a real grownup, I swear we're going to have AC.

21 May 2006

dog craving

I want to adopt a dog so badly it aches. I've even been dreaming about it for the last couple nights and I really, really hope we can persuade our landlord to allow a dog. So cross your fingers, think good thoughts, or send up a prayer, according to your preference. I'll take anything I can get, because I'm desperate to have a buddy of the canine variety.

In the meantime, I need to stop lusting for a dog and checking out the rescue websites to ogle pictures. Aside from the fact that I should be doing work, we wouldn't be getting the hypothetical dog until September, when hopefully most of the ones posted now will have homes.

I really, really, really want a dog. I'll do anything to make it happen and to be a good caretaker. So, here's hoping that it'll work out.

20 May 2006

scone sandwich!

cream scones, sprinkled with sugar, baked until golden brown; then halved and spread with blueberry jam and clotted cream. put it back together and devour.

18 May 2006

what killed ethics in america?

It seems to me that the United States became (principally in the 20th century) a culture focused on outcomes as the primary measure of success. I would suggest that this is a result of corporate culture spreading its influence throughout our society. The dominant business model is outcome-oriented. How you get there doesn't matter so much as how much money you make, how much you sell, how successful you are.

The end result is the main thing. Everything else, including ethics and conduct, comes secondary. Legality matters because it could hurt the bottom line, but otherwise, anything seems to go.

SO how can we resurrect ethics in America? Can we teach ethics in our schools? Can we, as the elements of our society, model a way of living and doing business in which the process matters as much as the outcome?

And for those of us who are people of faith, what does it mean to be the body of Christ in a culture that is centered on success to the exclusion of everything else?

17 May 2006

last paper in, one exam to go

My Anglican theologians paper is in (as of yesterday), and all that remains in this cycle is my Greek exam (next week).

I'm getting a jumpstart on my reading for the June term (which is, illogically, May 30 - June 2). I have to write a final paper for that class, and I'm hoping (irrationally) that I can finish it before CPE begins on June 5. It's on how to develop spiritual community within a congregation or other pastoral context. I think the first step is to figure out the context I want to use. I have a couple ideas, but I need to look at the readings before I'll know what would work best.

In other news, Steve and I have been cleaning since I took my scary exam last Friday. We did 18 loads of laundry over the weekend. 18. It was ridiculous, but necessary. We even went all out and washed the tablecloth and kitchen towels.

I have been returning books to the seminary library gradually, since I had 104 out at my peak. I've got it down to 48 now. I have to be careful about library books, since I use several libraries quite liberally. I don't want to accidentally take public library books back to the seminary library or EDS books to Harvard, etc.

15 May 2006

baby!!

Margaret Astrid, lookin' cute with her papa :)

14 May 2006

rain, rain

go away,
come again
another day.

13 May 2006

baby update

Mom and baby are both doing well. Nick is entirely besotted with Margaret Astrid, who is already Maggie. It's pretty cool that they'll be going home tomorrow, on Mother's Day.

Nora's parents are on their way, and I wish we could go, but my schedule is jammed for the next three months -- if it were an hour away, I would try to fit it in, but it's a cross country flight, which isn't feasible, financially and timewise.

But we're hopefully going to see pictures soon!! And we'll see the baby at our wedding in September :)

it's a girl!!

As of 8:17 PST on May 12th, I am an aunt!!! Melon (the pre-birth name -- they were so excited/tired they didn't tell us the final decision on the name) weighed in at 8lb 7oz and was 20 inches long.

So congratulations to Nick and Nora!! And hooray for being an aunt!

11 May 2006

the insanity

final (nt) tomorrow, 8:30 to 11am
paper due: 5/16
final (greek): 5/25

pastoral theology intensive class: 5/30 - 6/2, 9am - 5pm

flight 6/3, 6:30-8:30am

cpe starts 6/5, monday to friday 8-5:30, thursday overnights

cpe ends 8/11

going to the chapel 9/2

fall semester begins 9/18

07 May 2006

tired

yep.

good thing I have a final friday. for which much studying remains to be done. (perhaps, just maybe, because I neglected to go to class as diligently as I ought to have done. oops. -- but really, it was at 8:30!! steve says: didn't you learn that lesson in college?) well, nothing to do about it now but haul my cookies for the next four days.

yep. th-th-thats all folks.

walkin'

Did a charity walk today. 10 miles before my feet were just too sore to go on. Good work!

And then I totally took a nap and woke up 10 minutes before I had to leave for church to serve as the sacristan. Fr. Benjamin was lucky he got me today, but definitely kudos to him for finishing all 20 miles.

06 May 2006

derby day!

What a fantastic day for horse racing! And, ESPN is showing all of the races from Churchill beginning at noon, which is excellent -- often you only get the big races televised.

Edit -- Barbaro won by 6 1/2 lengths, which is pretty remarkable. Two weeks till the Preakness! We'll see what happens next..

05 May 2006

kentucky oaks!

because I love thoroughbred racing! go fillies!!

04 May 2006

learnings

I have learned somethings from this semester.. (surprise, surprise). There are all the academic things, of course, but I also learned a great deal about myself (cue sappy muzak).

So, advice to myself for the future:
  • Do not jam all your classes into three days and end up in class from 8:30 to 6. This is a bad idea. You will be tired all week long.
  • Do not ignore who you are. People mean well by suggesting you should not take too many classes, but you like intellectual challenges, so remember that when you get bored, your work suffers more than having a lot on your plate. Find the balance between too little and too much.
  • Do not forget to take time for yourself, to indulge a little. Yoga, walks, quiet time, pedicures. Do not let all the demands on your time encroach on the space you carve out for yourself.
  • Do not neglect your friendships. Make time for conversation, hanging out, laughter.
  • Always love the world and the life you have. You are lucky, blessed, and happy. Be grateful for these gifts and try to share them with others. Do not lose the joy in the growth of small flowers, the squirrel who visits your steps, and the birds who sing for us.

02 May 2006

I have a home!

I'll be staying with parishoners from my sponsoring parish for the summer while I'm in CPE. They also happen to be college friends of my late grandparents. So I have a roof, and better yet, I have cool people to stay with. I won't be alone, I'll have people around. I have a home! It's more than just a roof and a bed. *happy dance*

naming

So, I'm thinking of using my middle name instead of Jennifer (my first name).

I'm trying to imagine what that will be like.. I've been Jennifer (or some variation) all my life. I'm trying to think about whether I'm a Claire.. Or whether I could be a Claire. Could I wear that name like it really belongs to me?

And then I think, wow, this is silly. It's just a name. People go by all sorts of names.. it's not that significant. At least I have options. I could be something annoying, like Patience (now, that would be ironic). I could have an icky name I hated.

I'm undecided long term. But I have CPE this summer, and for those ten weeks I will be Claire. If I don't like it, I don't have to keep it.

Thoughts?

01 May 2006

schadenfreude

I like to think I'm a fairly nice person. Not perfect, mind, but pretty decent to other people.

So it's always a bit of a surprise when I am delighted at others' troubles.

I was crossing an intersection where no left turns are allowed (and certainly not when the light is red) when a car going about 25mph makes a left turn, going right by me. Now, I was all set to be a little cranky about this, but not too upset, as they didn't hit me.

When from behind me a siren goes full blast and a cop car blazes past to get the guy. (The siren was really loud and started about 10 ft behind me. I literally jumped.)

It's a rare thing when the police are around to see and actually stop and ticket someone for making an illegal turn.

And an evil little part of me piped up and yelled 'Hallelujah! Finally, some SOB is getting what he deserves. The jerk!' What's a little joy in the suffering of others between friends?

one down....

The largest of my two remaining papers is done, turned in and checked off. Yay!

That leaves: NT final, Greek final (translating sections of Matthew), and a historical theology paper.

Managable.