for the sake of posting something

i have had absolutely no desire to blog lately. this past week, i have been so lazy and unproductive. i don't know what my deal is. when we closed on our house, the inspector said we needed a new furnace. the seller agreed to give us a check made out to a furnace company for $1,500. this past week we decided that we needed to get going on this furnace thing, since it was freezing in our house. when we looked at the check closely we discovered that it was void as of september 21st. at first, i paniced. i thought we were screwed for sure. but when we talked to the furnace people they said that all we needed was to have the title people, who cut the check, cut us another one. so thursday i was going to call the title people, but after some thought, i decided to wait till friday when i could just go down there.

the real reason i waited, besides the fact that i'm a procrastinator, is because i hate calling people. i don't know what my deal is, but i have this phobia about calling strangers. i don't even like to order pizza. i usually ask whoever i'm with to do it. so friday, before anne left for work, she mentioned that she wasn't even worried about the check, since we couldn't even do anything about the furnace that day anyways. this was music to my ears, as i didn't want to go out anyways.

and so, this has been my life. totally unmotivated. lazy. just wanting to sleep and watch t.v.

i have two papers due for the classes i'm taking. one is on the immigration of my family from the old country, and the other one compares max weber and karl marx's theories. this past weekend anne and i went to my parent's house. saturday, while anne was cutting my dad's hair, i went to my aunts to ask her about my great grandparents immigration here. she's kind of become the family historian, since she's really close with all of the really old relatives, like my 90 year old uncle. she has been emailing him about this topic for me and finding lots of good information. i've never cared about this topic before, but now, for some reason it interests me. maybe it's because i'm becoming more and more interested in history, but i found myself asking my aunt all sorts of questions about our family that had nothing to do with my paper.

i went to the grand rapids public library to research my other paper. if i was independently wealthy i think i would spend a lot of time there. besides having a lot of books, they have a huge cd and video collection to rent from. they have documentaries on any possible subject you can think of. i really need to get a library card there. i love school, but i cannot wait to be done with it someday, so i can read and study about anything i want.

i've been thinking about dependency. about how we're dependent on one another, the planet we live on, and how our country lies to us and convinces us we need to be independent, idividualistic and self-reliant. i wonder how our dependence on one another and the planet relates to dependence on God. honestly, i have a hard time feeling dependent on God. i know that all existence is somehow sustained by Gods existence, and that- like it or not- i am dependent on God, but it's hard to wrap my mind around that. what does someone putting that knowledge into practice look like? is it just praying for guidance? is it constantly being aware of signs from God? is it simply having an unexplainable peace, that, no matter what, things will work out for good? i suppose the easy answer is to look at jesus.

i suppose i should go to bed. maybe i'll write more tomorrow. maybe i'll want to write tomorrow.

my daily thrice

"the earth will shake"

we dream of ways to break these iron bars
we dream of black nights without moon or stars
we dream of tunnels and of sleeping guards
we dream of blackouts in the prison yard

heartbroken, we found
(a gleam of hope)
harken to the sound,
(a whistle blows)
heaven sent reply,
(however small)
evidence of life
(beyond these walls)
born and bred
(in this machine)
wardens dread
(to see us dream)
we hold tight
(to legends of)
real life,
(the way it was before)

we dream of jailers throwing down their arms
we dream of open gates and no alarms

we dream of ways to break these iron bars
we dream of black nights without moon or stars
[x3]

heartbroken, we found
(a gleam of hope)
harken to the sound,
(a whistle blows)
heaven sent reply,
(however small)
evidence of life
(beyond these walls)
born and bred
(in this machine)
wardens dread
(to see us dream)
we hold tight
(to legends of)
real life,
(the way it was before)

look to the day the earth will shake
these weathered walls will fall away

there's always something good you can find if you look hard enough...

ok, 95% of the time whatever todd friel is saying enrages me, so this clip falls in that 5% category. of course, the guy he's arguing with is a complete idiot so maybe that's why todd shines so much. but, nevertheless, this was handled well.

my daily thrice

"cold cash and colder hearts"

they are sick, they are poor
and they die by the thousands and we look away
they are wolves at the door
and they're not gonna move us or get in our way

'cause we don't have the time
here at the top of the world
feeling alright
here at the top of the world

we hold our own by keeping our hearts cold

different god, darker skin
they are just not a burden that we'd like to bear
they are living in "sin"
there are so many reasons for us not to care

but I'm feeling alright
here at the top of the world
doing just fine
here at the top of the world

we've learned money matters most
so we keep our cards held close
here at the top of the world

we hold our own by keeping our hearts cold
and we've learned what matters most
so we keep our hearts cold

they are no one
they are nowhere
they are not our problem
not worth saving
nonexistent if we keep our hearts cold

they are no one
they are nowhere

up to 211

I’m really getting into politics again
When I’m stressed or angry I could care less what I say
I am a bad liar
I hate it when people lie to me
I would rather be bored than really busy
I am a social smoker
I have a half sister
I have three nephews
I never see them because they live in Arizona
I never talk to them
My sister is mad at me about this
I am really bad at keeping in touch with people
I have two close friends that live in Muskegon
I rarely speak with them
I love to cook
I’m decent at it
I like creating my own dishes
MSNBC, food tv, and discovery are my three favorite channels
I hate Fox news
I used to listen to Rush Limbaugh ever day
I get on kicks
My last one was that I’m going to read more fiction
I’m trying to read the classics
I’m not doing so hot at the moment
I am a horrible public speaker
I want to be a better one
I think I have a lot to say
I spend most of my money on food
I went to Christian school K-12
I liked it, for the most part
When I was 14 and 15 I listened hard-core gangsta rap
I used to wear my pants sagging
I had my head shaved
I used to ride my bike everywhere
I was depressed for 2 years
My first job was at a water park
I picked up trash and cleaned the bathrooms
My first real kiss was when I was 19
My favorite movies are As Good as it Gets and Goodwill Hunting
A close second are any movies by Wes Anderson
I think David Bazan is one of the greatest songwriters
Thrice is one of my favorite bands
I need to listen to more music
I have been to the Grand Canyon
I have been to Mt. Rushmore
I liked Mt. Rushmore better
I am extremely loyal
But if I think you’re wrong I won’t defend you
I am not handy
I did not have any one to teach me to be handy
Christmas is not my favorite holiday
The Christmas season is my favorite holiday
I have a cold
It has lasted for over a month
I can play the piano
I started lessons when I was nine and took them for five years
It bothers me that I did not become a surgical technologist
It makes me wonder if I’ll become a social worker
I know that, that is silly because the two are such different professions
I enjoyed being in the O.R.
Most of the time I did a good job
All of the time I felt like I was walking on egg shells
I don’t like working in sterile environments
I have no sense of direction
When someone says, “over there to the left” I have to think about which side is my left
Sometimes I think I have a learning disability
A lot of days I feel way more intelligent than most people
Today I don’t
Today is one of those days where I feel like I have so much more to learn and experience
I do
Joe told me he likes the kava house. I used to love the kava house, so I’m looking forward to going there again sometime
One of my favorite beers is Sam Adams
My favorite beer is Edmond fitzgerald porter
I used to buy all name brand stuff
Now, when we go grocery shopping I buy mostly Meijer stuff
I bought new clothes on Saturday
I feel more confident when I wear new clothes
I want contacts so badly
I have been wearing only my glasses for almost a year
I used to never wear glasses
I love my new blog
I am about to eat spaghetti
I eat a lot of spaghetti because it’s cheap
I am looking forward to going to the haunt
We go every year
I’m also looking forward to going to food, wine and all that jazz

aids walk, religion, chaos and order

anne and i did the aids walk today. it was a beautiful morning and afternoon. when we got there we saw people with their dogs. after much deliberation i went home and got niles. when i got back the walk had started, so i had to find a parking spot quickly. even though he's sick, niles behaved well. we walked through part of the heritage hills historic district. the houses there are amazing, and i got to see some i hadn't seen before. we also passed the meyer may house, which was designed by frank lloyd wright. the house is stunning; a true work of art. when we got back they had a raffle drawing, and anne won a gift basket, hair cut and style from a local salon. she was very excited, although we were hoping to win the grand prize, which was a night at the amway grand.

when we left we were stopped by a homeless guy. we were forced to talk to him because we were waiting for the light to change so we could cross the street. anne and i don't carry cash on us, so we couldn't give him the two dollars he asked for. it was obvious, however, that he was high or intoxicated. he was trying to feed niles his half-eaten apple. the whole situation was frustrating. i don't mind helping people, who i know really are just hungry, but i can't stand being harassed. i swear the homeless people in the mid west are much more aggressive than those in new york or boston. we weren't stopped or pestered once in those cities. on top of that he tried to guilt trip me by asking if i had ever been homeless, and telling me i might be someday.

this is where the conservative in me comes out. i don't believe in just giving money to people. i don't believe in welfare. even if i had two dollars i would not have given it to him. for one, because he was already high, and two i'm not really helping him. he told me he lives under the bridge. i wanted to ask him why he doesn't go to guiding light or mel trotter. grand rapids has the most resources for the homeless in the u.s. homeless people actually come to grand rapids for their homelessness programs. it just made me so mad because i want to help him. i want to plop him down and say tell me about your life. how did you get here? what happened? what do you want with the rest of your life? how can you change? what needs to happen? here's some resources; talk to these people; ask for this person. and some day when i'm a social worker i'll be able to do that. but don't fricken harass me! i want to have compassion for you, but pestering me isn't helping!!

my race and ethnic relations prof explained something to us that i have been thinking about ever since. someone in class asked him what the function of religion is in societies. he told us about some sociologists who observed a society that lived on an island. around the island there was a lagoon where the people fished. beyond the lagoon there was the ocean, where they also fished. the ocean was obviously much more dangerous, many people died fishing there and it was very mysterious to the primitive island people. in studying the peoples religious customs, the researchers found that much of their religion focused on the ocean, not the island or the lagoon. the point my instructor made was that the people attached the most religious beliefs to the ocean because it was the one thing that was big, mysterious and beyond their control. iow, people use religion to cope with the unknown. religious people are typically healthier than non-religious. people who pray do recover faster than people who don't. the theory is that religion gives a sense of control over the unknown, which relieves stress. this got me thinking about what we attach religious belief to. is it typically the big, mysterious, and unknown? are christians any different than the islanders? what is the biggest thing that christians debate and argue about? what is christianity supposed to have all the answers about? what is the thing which continues to be a great mystery?

if we look at the ancients we see they did the same thing. they looked at the sky and saw gods. they looked at volcanoes and saw gods. they looked at the ocean and saw chaos, monsters, and gods. as we grew in scientific knowledge we found that there were natural explanations for these mysteries. the big mystery we have yet to solve is what happens after death. a person can go through their entire life without thinking of God, but put them on their deathbed and they have a come-to-jesus moment. if we follow the logic that people attach religious beliefs to things beyond their control, and those things tend to end up having natural explanations then why not death? is that all God is? something we use to cope with life's stresses and mysteries? is that why we feel comfort and peace? isn't that what a lot of christains say? just give it to jesus. lay it at the foot of the cross. you're not in control, God is. is our religion just an elaborate, sophisticated version of the one the islanders have?

some christians would immediately argue that we have objective proof. hundreds of eyewitnesses saw jesus alive. the apostles died for their faith, so it must have been authentic. read josephus. read tacitus. jesus existed and he rose from the dead, and that's how christianity is different from other religions. now, i agree with this to a point. my theology is pretty much a blend of boyd and wright. but the problem is, is there are a host of scholars-- good scholars, not shitty, pseudo- ones like baigent-- who would say otherwise. for the lay person, in the end, you're taking the word of an authority. my question is do we buy what wright, boyd, witherington and others say because we want them to be right? because we need them to be right? i admit that when i read or listen to interviews with liberal scholars, they can be pretty convincing.

what i know is this: love is powerful. love causes people to insane, incredible things. love, at times, trumps survival. forgiving people is physically healthier than remaining bitter. things are better when people love one another. grace changes people. i love being alive and i never want it to end. most of us regret slavery. most of us regret what happened to native americans. most of us would never want that to happen again. we long for justice. people change when you forgive them. telling the truth is liberating. truth, love and justice are connected. the earth is beautiful, and no one has to tell me. life would be more abundant if people would love, forgive, seek justice, strive for peace, be patient, compassionate, tell the truth, and be empathetic.

there is a level of orderliness to revenge. there is a level of orderliness to returning evil with evil. it's primal, but it works. there is a higher level of orderliness in returning evil with good. the ancients-- including the hebrews-- believe god brought order from chaos. i believe love is the highest level of order. it leads to reconciliation, builds relationships, and creates life. good for good and evil for evil-- the way of the world-- maintains the status quo. it's static. and sin leads to death and destruction.

today we did something to help complete strangers with a terminal illness. even though he pissed me off, i still wish i could have helped that homeless guy. love has to be the foundation of my faith; that things are better and there is a higher level of order when people love. the bible is a story of a God of love intimately connected with his creation; who says that his people love him when they love each other. a God who says he gives abundant life and then tells people to love no matter what. my faith cannot be built on a fear of death, if it is then it is no more authentic than any other primitive religion.

ok erica. here's 125. i'll do the rest later

I am a husband
I am a son
I am a pharmacy technician
I use to smoke a lot of pot
If it were legal I would probably still do it now and then
I love to eat
I love all cuisines
My favorite food is sushi
I’m going to eat some on Sunday
I was born in Muskegon
I was born at hackley hospital
Frasier is my favorite show
I own every season out on dvd
I have a boxer
He is named after a character on Frasier
I love beer
I love wine
I prefer micro-brews over imported beer
My favorite breweries are New Holland and Great Lakes Brewery
I love white and red wines
Pinot Gris is my favorite white
Chianti is my favorite red
I think that people go to see movies like Saw for the extreme gore
That really, really bothers me
I think these people have an extraordinary inability to empathize
Serial killers are unable to empathize
I am fascinated by dead celebrities
When I was little and I learned about an old celebrity the first question I would ask is if they were dead
Last night I read an article about the guy who played coach on cheers
I’m sure these means I am psychologically messed up in some way
I love my race and ethnic relations class
I don’t like my sociology class
The reason is because of my instructors
Right now is my favorite time of year
Because of the weather
Even though I don’t watch hardly any sports I get exited when football season starts
I also love it when holiday stuff starts showing up in stores
I miss my childhood
I would give anything to go back and live a day in 1985
I love history
I love historical artifacts
I voted for GW Bush in 2000
I followed that election obsessively
I felt a sense of dread when I thought Gore was going to win
I wish Al Gore won
Well, he sort of did
I didn’t vote for president in 2004
But I wish Kerry would have won
I hate the War in Iraq
Every Sunday on George Stephanopolis’ program they list all the new dead soldiers that the Pentagon released info about
I get pissed off every time I see those names
I think their lives were wasted
I think people that say they weren’t are delusional
I think Saddam and his sons were evil sadists and I’m glad they are dead
There are a lot of evil sadists who are running countries right now
We aren’t going there and “liberating” those people
I argued with a lot of people about how we should go to war in Iraq
I was a lemming
If we didn’t go there we might have actually got the people who did cause 911
I don’t really think Bush gave a shit about that though
I think his administration had plans to invade Iraq before 911
If we didn’t go there we would probably have better relationships with other countries
Bush squandered a ton of political capital on Iraq
O.k. I’m done talking about this
I am against abortion
I don’t think abortion should be made illegal
This confuses people
I believe God created the world
I believe what mainstream science says about evolution
I enjoy discussing this topic
I don’t know why
I don’t tell people this who I know will judge me
I don’t like people misjudging me
This is why I am selective about who I talk to about my faith
I don’t want to be lumped in with 90 percent of the Christians people know
My dog has something up his nose
He’s producing a lot of mucus
It’s gross
I have a surgical technologist degree
I probably will never use it
I didn’t’ like working with most of the doctors as a Surg Tech
Most were not very friendly towards me
This made me very nervous
I have been married for over a year
We went to New York and Boston on our honeymoon
Our honeymoon was the best time I’ve had in my life
I love New York
I love Boston
I would go to back to either of those places in an instant
I want to travel
I want to travel all over Europe
When I do, and if I go to Amsterdam, I will probably smoke pot in a hash bar
I live the life I dreamed of when I was 21
It’s a pretty simple life
At that time it seemed unachievable
I am going to school to be a social worker
I am extremely exited about that
I love that I can study things I am interested in and it relates to my degree
I am exited about the 2008 election
I don’t care who wins as long as they don’t have a big R in front of their name
I am bitter at the republican party
I want Biden to win the primaries
I know he won’t
The only democratic candidate I wasn’t going to vote for was hillary
I’ve changed my mind
I still don’t like too much about her, but I think she’s far better than anyone on the republican side
I like her healthcare plan
I get pissed when people dismiss it as “hillary care”
If she gets the nomination I hope Biden is her running mate
I am glad his plan for Iraq passed in the Senate
I think it’s our best option
I really like John Edwards
I don’t think he can win
I really like Barak Obama
I get really pissed when people call him Barak Hussein Obama
I think he could win if he gets tougher
I don’t like rednecks
I think they’re ignorant
Backwards
Obnoxious
I lump a big group of people in the redneck category
I know I shouldn’t do this
I know it’s prejudice
Anne and I need more discipline
I need to read more