Friday, May 26, 2006

Christianity and Culture, pt. 4

(I feel like these posts are slightly improving in quality...as I hash through things)

The church cannot hide from culture. We need to be equipped to reach those in the culture.

You can either saturate yourself with what the culture says, or you can "take this world with a grain of salt" (if that's what the context of those lyrics actually is) and take all your cues from Christ, but still being aware of the culture. Basically, have a healthy perspective.

I need to read the gospel of John again. And the letters too. And Hebrews and Acts and Romans. And Proverbs. I want to do a study on Acts 1:8 and what each of the places represents.

Lately, I've been thinking about the passage from Hebrews about solid food being for the mature, having been feeding a 6 month old a combination of formula and a rice thing (basically, it's dried flaky rice with water added). "In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." (Hebrews 6:12-14) The last verse just got me--"constant use". Does that mean that we become mature by things happening to us that we have to distinguish good from evil? Something like that?

"I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." (John 17:14-15)

"Do not love the world or anything in the world; The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:15, 17)

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing, and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." (Colossians 2:8)

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27) This is striking me as two-pronged: keep yourself from being TOO influenced by the world, but also reach out to the ones that the world rejects.

...more Relevant magazine quotes, this time from an article about the book "The Irresistible Revolution"....

"The Gospel is not comfortable, says Claiborne, and it is precisely our comfort inside church walls, inside our own homes, inside our own prejudices that has kept Christians immobile and ineffective as agents of social change." I kinda feel like this is what it's like at my church. Sure, we have a strong missions focus, but that focus is on international stuff like banana boxes of clothes, Crisis Care Kits, and child sponsorship. We don't hear much about doing things for others in our communities. Our youth group is focused on, when we do fundraisers for youth events, using that money for the ones that come regularly. What about the people that really need to hear the Gospel lived out in our lives? Not that we do such a hot job about it all the time, but still.

"We are not transformed by staying at a safe distance, he says, no matter how much we tithe or how many times we drop off our clothes at the local shelter. “When the poor meet the rich, riches will have no meaning,” he writes. “And when the rich meet the poor, we will see poverty come to an end.” It is “falling in love with each other across class lines” that will make the revolution irresistible." Some "rich" have met some "poor," but it has been in the context of a short term missions trip, and then possibly dismissed and then used to guilt people into being charitable and such. I'm not knocking short term missions by any means; I have participated in one myself. It's just that sometimes the hype overrides the truth, the truth that requires action.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Christianity and Culture, pt. 3

(for parts one and two, see my blogger site -- http://postcardsfromlife.blogspot.com/)

This is from an interview with Derek Webb, formerly of the band Caedmon's Call. This was posted on www.relevantmagazine.com.

The italics are mostly my emphasis, and the stuff in brackets is my reaction.

RM: What does it mean on your new album when it says dont label my music?

DW: Its more of a personal liberty type comment, more than put a label on my music that I listen to so that I can discern between what is safe and right and what is dangerous and wrong. The whole secular/Christian thing, which is a total fiction, rather than just teaching me to listen to the Spirit and have the Spirit guide me into the truth and learn how to discern truth and beauty and find it in all kinds of places, which is more of the Francis Schaeffer model. Discern truth and beauty and dont put your faith in categories.

Don't let your local Christian bookstore do your thinking for you and believe that everything they have there for sale is good and spiritually beneficial to you. If anything, we have proven that the Church unfortunately is identified with really poor art. The Church certainly does not have the market cornered on beauty. A lot of what we do is not very beautiful. The art we make is not very good. A lot of the songs I have heard on Christian radio are just outright misrepresentations of the character of God.

[I totally agree with this. Christianity's subculture does not fit with today's American culture. There's a lot of tacky stuff out there, that's just been remade to say "Jesus" instead of "Reese's". Is that really what is going to bring people to Christ? A sterilized version of what the world has to offer?]

I think you have to learn to discern and look elsewhere and say, I need to learn how to engage with a God everywhere I can find truth and beauty, regardless of the intention of the maker of that art. I really believe that is a more biblical worldview. It also keeps us from being people who live in fear. There is no room for living in fear. There is no reason to be afraid. There is no reason to be fearful of secular music. We should learn how to chew on the meat, spit out the bones, to discern the truth and beauty, to commend that rather than to be just completely fearful and put all our security in these categories that dont mean anything. Its a dangerous way to live.

[Before this, my first year of college, and even a few years before that, my music collection was predominantly from the Christian music industry. Industry--just that. Pressed out to sound like tacky 80's music, all alike. I was wary of any mainstream groups, because I knew a lot of them used bad language, talked about sex, etc. I wanted to keep my ears pure. Yeah. Since going to (yes, a Christian one) college, and listening to my friends' music, I've broadened my interests. Actually that started beforehand I suppose. If not on a regular basis, I now have some interest in Weezer and other scattered songs here and there from individual groups that aren't marketed by Christians. When I hear a song that I like (you should go study the philosophy of aesthetics), I will then check out the lyrics. Yes, I do like the song "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt, however that one stinkin word has to mess it up for me, and therefore I prefer the censored version.]

[I would like to tell people to listen to Christian music because I know it's "safe for the whole family", but yet, a lot of it is tacky. There's good stuff out there that doesn't necessarily mention Jesus in every verse. I am learning a lot about how Christianity requires personal service--as in to the poor and broken, and not just evangelism.]

The Christian industry, ridiculous as its existence I believe is, is an industry that literally markets records based on the worldview of the artists, which no other industry does. The one thing they do really well is get resources to Christians. I thought this is something I want in the hands of fellow believers. I think that is the audience that this content would be relevant to and so that is the avenue that I took. Providentially, I landed with a label that I had no idea was really given the freedom to go beyond that. That is what Im trying to do now. Im not making records specifically and exclusively for the Church anymore.

[If I want worship tunes, I'll go to the Christian music industry. There's edgier stuff out there (i.e., Flyleaf, Plumb, Underoath, etc) that wouldn't be played on a "contemporary Christian" station (as far as contemporary goes, that's another story for another day). So it's still me, checking out the lyrics, and not necessarily the motives of the "artists".]

Like I said, Mockingbird, I believe, deals with much broader issues. There are many more points of connection with even our neighbors that dont believe what we believe about Jesus but do believe it is right to care for the poor. Maybe that is our connection point. Regardless, the label allows me the freedom to do that. That is a great provision for me, but I do think it is strange that I am in Christian music.

[I am finding that my views are becoming a lot less "traditional" and conservative than they once were....I want to do some more research into this whole "postmodern Christianity" or "postmodern Church" thing, and figure out how postmodernism and Christianity fit together.]

.....

RM: When this comes to fruition, what happens to American Christianity?

DW: Christian artists dont seem to be focused anymore on making great art. Thats our main problem, not what our message is, not what we are trying to communicate, not how we are breaking down these barriers, but the fact that we are failing to make good engaging art is our main problem. It doesnt matter what we are talking about if our art is no good. It does not make any difference. We could be talking about all the cool stuff in the world, how to help everyone and their dogs, but if we are not making great art as artists, then we are really letting the Church down.

We are taking our eye off the ball. Our industry, the way it is set up, who the gatekeepers are, it doesnt encourage making unique art, being who you are as an artist, being unique and not worrying about how it sells, letting the record companies do their job in order that you can do yours.

Thats not happening a lot in the Christian industry. We have a radio genre that is on the whole pretty uninteresting, and its pretty bland artistically. Either way, its kind of all one style. Christian is not a style of music. It is a worldview that represents a group of people, but its not a stylebut it is becoming a style. Thats the problem. What happens is you have people that make really cool music, and they are encouraged by their record label to make it more like this homogenous style that is happening on the radio.

[Bland and all one flavor, yes. I could go through the radio stations and, aside from recognizing songs that they're playing for 5 years in a row, I could recognize which one was playing Christian music.]

...

RM: When you were with Caedmons and you wrote a song, it was usually about love or the girl you couldnt get, and now you are the voice in the wilderness triumphing a new cause. How did you get from there to here?

DW: Marriage. Its unbelievable how totally central my marriage is to everything that has happened to me in the last six or seven years. Because I got married and all of a sudden its like you trade one set of complications for another. Its not like suddenly you stop longing and you stop being lonely, and it doesnt complete you or whatever, but it changes all the details. It changes the story.

...All of a sudden, Im like wait, the Church. Thats been the missing picture for me. That community, that lifestyle had never made sense to me before. Suddenly I was like, What is my role in that then? I have never fit easily into church community or whatever. I dont fit easily. A lot of us dont. Where do I fit? How do I get into a local church community? What is my role? What are my gifts really for? I think they are for the concepts of that local body to encourage and build that up.

[I'm trying to figure out where I fit...Having gone away to South Weymouth, I'm not around all that much in C-town. So where do I volunteer? Where can my input go?]

The bigger question is, what is the role of the Church in culture? I wanted to find these things out, so I started studying all this stuff. Next thing you know I have written a whole bunch of songs about it. Thats just what happens to me. Whatever I am thinking about, whatever Im reading, whatever Im interested in, thats just what I write about. I was really interested in women for a lot of years, trying to sort out relationships with Caedmons. I wrote a ton about it. Theology and women was what I was very interested in for many years.

[I need to buy this CD that he's talking about...But, as I have accumulated about 10 CDs this past year alone--free or not--I need to go on a "CD-buying" fast of sorts.]

summer!

What a week. I got to go to Impact this past weekend, and that was great. It was great to see everyone again, even if it was one of the last times. I now have a video of the "House on Fire" skit on my computer, which is pretty exciting. :)

This week I'm babysitting just about every day. I didn't get the job at Camp Wright, so basically my work is going to happen here and there. I applied to work at summer school in the KCPS, but that's in July, so I have about a month to spend doing random stuff. Cassi told me there are new places in the Outlets that are hiring, so I'm going to try to work there. The bad thing is that it's half an hour away and will use up all my precious gasoline. I miss the T. :)

More quotes:
~"Further up and further in!" (The Last Battle)
~Erin H, about the volume of the music: "We can't hear each other think!"
~"In the end Eustace and Jill begged so hard that Tirian said they could come with him and take their chance--or, as he much more sensibly called it, 'the adventure that Aslan would send them.' " (The Last Battle)

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Christianity and culture, pt. 2

These quotes are from "Loving the Storm-Drenched," another CT article. This article talks about how the culture is like the weather, and we can only do so much to change it.

"I think much of our frustration is due to trying to steer the weather, rather than trying to reach individuals caught up in the storm."

"It is futile to think that we will one day take over the culture and steer it...No one controls it."

"We are preoccupied with that external world, when our Lord's warnings have much more to do with our intimate personal lives, down to the level of our thoughts."

"Christ planned to attract people to himself through the transformed lives of his people." Christianity, as I'm seeing it, is revolutionary. But not in the kind where we will FIGHT for our generation. Yes, we're in a battle for others, but it, as Don Miller puts it, is against poverty, injustice, etc. We're to love others to Jesus, not pressure them in. Which is what I've done in the past. (Confessional coming soon, once I can write it)

"Smart-alecky speech doesn't even work. It may win applause, but it does not win hearts."

The end. For now.

Monday, May 15, 2006

Christianity and culture

This is something that is always going to be debated: how culture and Christianity should interact. I am sort of reading an article in Christianity Today called "How the Kingdom Comes".

Neither can be isolated from the other.

I'm not sure how I feel about going to see the da Vinci Code. The book itself, though put together well, twists the Gospel message. But yet, if I see the movie, I can "engage the culture." But is this a good idea to do? I've read the book, and would like to see the movie, despite not agreeing with most of what it says.

According to another article on CT, it says this about how the gospels in the canon were actually chosen: Authors of accepted writings needed to have walked and talked with Jesus, or at least with his leading disciples. Their teaching could not contradict what other apostles had written, and their documents must have been accepted by the entire church, from Jerusalem to Rome. Church leaders considered earlier letters and reports more credible than later documents. Finally, they prayed and trusted the Holy Spirit to guide their decisions.

My brain can't think too much right now.

The end.

Sunday, May 14, 2006

venting--something I often like to do

I read this article on boundless.org, called "Venting and Losing." It was about why we shouldn't "vent" our emotions.

Venting is something I do somewhat often, and it's usually frustration over something, though I try to do it in my journal or talk to a few friends calmly/objectively. Not that that's how it always works, but...yeah.

The article pointed out a couple verses... Proverbs 10:19 (When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.), and Philippians 2:14-15 (Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe...).

It also pointed out, "my venting caused my self-righteousness to rise and made me even grumpier." I totally agree. If I start griping about something, then it just simmers in me.

"The term "venting" sounds deceptively therapeutic. The truth is, venting involves voicing frustrations that are often damaging to a person or a cause. By giving ourselves permission to "vent," we allow words to pour out unchecked, taking little time to consider whether they're gossip, slander or just good, old-fashioned complaint."

Also, "I can think of times when I have listened to a friend "vent" only to walk away with a diminished view of a person or ministry." Totally agree here...Sometimes when there is late night girl talk, as fun as it can be, sometimes people go down in respect points with me, based on other people's opinions. I should form my opinions of others based on my own interactions, but even then, I have to find the line between "judging" and forming an opinion. Is there a difference? That's another blog, another day.

The author also talked about how our society is marked by complaint about everything. "A person who doesn't criticize something is a novelty. He makes you wonder why he's satisfied. As believers, we have a compelling reason to not complain. We have been shown undeserved grace and given unfathomable riches through Jesus Christ. In light of this, complaining about anything seems — well, silly."

It said the solution to complaining, or rather the replacement, is to be content, based on Philippians 4:12: "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." The author said, "When I become frustrated with my circumstances, I need to ask the Lord to resolve the situation."

We also need to have an attitude that includes love and thinking of the other person (not a victim mentality) and humility.

The closing paragraph: "But my goal is to have the attitude of Christ, rich in contentment, love and humility. That will require keeping the vent closed. After all, Jesus has given so much for me. I really can't complain."

So I think from now on, I need to work on this...rather than complaining about things, I need to keep my mouth shut, take it to God, and think of others and not myself. If I do choose to say something, it should be loving and "helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" (Eph. 4:29). Wait let me revise that first sentence of this paragraph...{I need GOD to change this in me, this attitude of selfishness, and just rely on Him.} Yeah.

Saturday, May 13, 2006

being with God

A reflection on my spiritual life in the past year...

There have been times that I've been strong and close to God. There have been times where I hadn't a clue what I was doing and therefore drew close to God.

I want to hold a certain someone accountable. But every time I think about it, I am reminded that I am just as troubled in my own walk with God.

I truthfully don't know where to read in the Bible. Yes, me, the one that's gone to church most of her life, the one that does Bible quizzing. I think what's blocking me is my mentality that I've read most of the Bible, and therefore I don't know what else to do.

I have become very independent this year, being away from home and having to take care of myself without my mom continually reminding me of what I need to do. This is reflected in my relationship with God...I do what I can on my own, and then I "resort" to asking for help.

I also am not sure if I am where God wants me. And that can mess up my relationship with Christ, if I am not truly obedient in all things.

This summer I need to work on my patience with certain people, and find some sort of Bible study to do, and really get grounded in my faith.

I've been trying to trust God in my whole summer job search, because He's the one in charge.

Adam and I want to go watch the da Vinci Code, and I feel like I need to be extremely grounded in my faith before I watch it.

a new Matt Redman song: "You Never Let Go"
Even though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I'm caught in the middle
of the storms of this life
I won't turn back
I know You are near

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?

Chorus:
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm

Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low

Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming
for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We'll live to know You here on this earth

Bridge:
Yes i can see a light that is coming
for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still i will praise You, still i will praise You

being home

I've been home for about an hour now...We left Aunt Lori's at around 7 this morning, and stopped only a couple of times. I had to listen to some Billy Graham music. Bleck. But then Mom-Mom said she couldn't understand my Mat Kearney music. I can understand it, except for slight little parts.

I slept some, and also read Blue Like Jazz and some of Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Some quotes:

"The correct place to share our faith was from a place of humility and love, not from a desire for power." (Miller, 116)

"People like me, who know Hiim, carry our own agendas into the conversation rather than just relaying the message Christ wanted to get across." (Miller, 123)

(talking about how preachers say we're in a battle) "They wouldn't clarify that we were battling poverty and hate and injustice and pride and the powers of darkness." (Miller, 132)

As far as how home is, it's not terribly exciting. Rather quiet; the weather's nice. Meanwhile, I have to find where to unpack my stuff. It's like while I'm at college I have two houses, and at the moment, I am blending them together, but also getting rid of stuff I don't want anymore, or trying to store stuff I won't need till winter. I need another bookshelf and some plastic box things (to put stuff I won't need till ENC/winter).

Back to Blue Like Jazz:
"I think if you like somebody, you have to tell them. It might be embarrassing to say it, but you will never regret stepping up" (Miller, 142). I don't know how I feel about this quote...

"A person who thinks himself unlovable cannot be in a relationship with God because he can't accept who God is; a Being that is love." (Miller 146-147)

***later edit***
We ate dinner next door at Ms. Judy's, and as they were getting the food ready, I just sat there and thought. I thunked and I thunked. Yes.

It kinda feels like I'm just here visiting, like this place isn't my home. Anymore. Judy asked if I wanted to call a friend and invite them over...except my friends are now scattered mostly throughout Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and PA. I feel like I don't quite fit...which is why I plan to hang onto my almost 15-year-old brother (yikes! his birthday's on the 3rd!). He's going to be a sophomore in high school next year! Oh man!

Part of me just wants to stay packed and live out of my boxes for the summer. However, I have clothes in all my boxes, and once I can get plastic bin things, I'm going to reorganize things.

I really want to be productive this summer, and I can't exactly do that by moping about people that aren't even on campus either. I want to stay in touch with everyone else, but I think it'll feel like the conversations will be "Hi. How's your summer? That's good. Talk to you later."

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

what college is like

(this is basically a post to answer the question, "How's college?")

The past couple days I've been packing up, preparing to leave. Which is almost anticlimactic I suppose because I'm not leaving till Friday. Our room is looking bare, and it's sad. Rachel's leaving tomorrow, and I'll definitely miss her. I pretty much won't have a roommate till next fall.

I like things the way they are. I probably would've been all about political conservativism after the Congress of Vienna (sorry, that's what happens when you study too much...I started talking about generativity when Rachel had Everwood on last night). Or not. I've figured out how things work, whether it's floor/room dynamics, the SGA, classwork, etc.


(Second Willy 05-06)

I'm not sure what I want to be "when I grow up." I'm doing a lot of thinking, about what I really want to do, and where God wants me, and stuff like that.

I made it through a lot this first year at ENC. Dealing with events at home from a distance (Pastor's leaving, Sarah getting married) sort of gave me a different perspective. I found a church I really like (South Weymouth) and will probably stick with it while I'm here. I got involved in a couple of ministries: JUMP and Bible Quizzing. JUMP, that was fun, but I don't know that I'll do it next year (sorry Preston).

Quizzing--that was awesome. I went to kickoff in Maine (marking off yet another US state I've visited) with Liz, and that led me to become involved at Wolly. I scorekept at the quizzes, and was able to get to know teens from all over the district. I got to go to Regionals and get to know the New England quizzers better.

I came knowing a fair number of people, from either Nazarene stuff or other ENC weekends. And now, I think I have found my niche with people, though sometimes I choose to shove my face in books or just plain keep to myself. Some of my friendships here have changed, due to new friends coming in the picture or just not spending quality time with them. As far as boys go, I haven't had a boyfriend yet. To quote myself the other day, "Grrr boys." It makes things somewhat easier, but still. Though I do have a couple of good guy friends (as in they are good friends that happen to be guys that I don't necessary "like"), which is nice. I'll leave it at that.

Classes: I'm learning new stuff (which is a good thing), and I think I'm doing fairly well. Some of my classes (Physical Science and First Year Seminar, *cough*cough*) didn't impress me. Other classes, like Western Heritage and Contemporary Questions, made me do a lot of thinking, and often a lot of studying. I was surprised--well I mean, I had to force myself--that I did get homework done while I was at Regionals, and even took a calc 2 quiz.

As far as old friendships go, I'm not sure what's going to happen with them. People came up for FOL in March, and I switched between wanting to spend as much time with them as possible and wanting to just let them do their own thing. It was strange having Chelsea and Cassi here once, because it was like a combination of two worlds. It was great having the Central PA people here in October, because with A Capella gone that weekend, I could hang out with Pastor Mark, Norm, Pat, Sam, Ben, Cassie, and Olivia. Cassie still makes me laugh. So as far as Impact friends go, I think I can still have the friendships be in the same form. I sometimes feel like I've taken on a quasi-leader role with them and other teens in my church. Since I've been at college, I've changed; everyone else has changed.

I got a job babysitting once every week or so, and that was nice. I learned how to navigate the T bus system, and not get lost. I still like carrying my Boston map with me when I go into the city. Boston doesn't seem like that big of a city to me. Maybe it's because of its actual size, or maybe because I'm so used to it, but it really doesn't seem like it's that bad of a city. Yes, some parts are sketchy--majorly sketchy--but it's a pretty cool city to live near.

I've done a lot of crazy things this year: pulled an allnighter at Wolly beach, went into the city to watch part of the Marathon, said some random stuff.

I got to go to Belize and Guatemala too. That was amazing. My favorite parts were the three or so days on the island, and the three days in Guatemala. I love Spanish!!!! I was really nervous before I went, because I pretty much only knew Sarah R (and she's graduating now), but by the end, I got to know everyone else and especially Ann E. pretty well.

I also went to a couple of great concerts, without having to drive an hour away and clear it with my mom. Magon and I saw Mat Kearney live in Boston, and got our pictures with him (people asked, "who's that guy in the picture with you?"). Then Bethany Dillon, Shane and Shane, and Aaron Shust performed at Wolly Church, and we had fairly good seats.

This week is slowly a week of goodbyes. I said goodbye to the Wolly quizzers on Sunday. Melissa and Johanna are going to Olivet next year, so I probably won't see them that much.

Rachel leaves tomorrow, and today we packed up a lot in our room. It's like the beginning of the year again or something. Our hallway and lounge looks like a Goodwill donation center of sorts, with everyone's boxes and stuff. I'm kinda glad A Cappella will still be around when I leave, because that means I'm not one of the last to really leave.


(our sad room)


(our sad room #2)

This summer I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I really need a summer job, and hopefully I can work at Camp Wright. I also applied to Old Navy in Severna Park, so maybe if I get that job and not the camp, then I can stay at Daddy's and borrow his old van and take a couple college classes. But I need to find out soon.

I plan to go to Family Camp and see my teens and preteens and other families. Yayness. I think the only other ENCers I'll see this summer are Ben ("from MD"), Jocelyn, Troxler, Junior, Paul Sapp, the other two on the Summer Min team, Kerri, and that's probably it.

Next year is going to be kind of crazy, with a new chapel schedule (and therefore a new time schedule thing), new SGA, new students (yay for Meghan W.!!!), and a lack of the old seniors.

Dang, I wrote a freaking essay. Oh well. Now I'll leave you with this picture that I took walking home the other day. I love how everything is flowering and green around here. Though, today was rainy, cold, and gross. I really hope it clears up before I go, and especially for graduation.

Saturday, May 06, 2006

allnighter

Oh man that was a fun night. A whole bunch of us pulled an all-nighter and watched the sun rise.

At around 6:30pm, we went into Boston to Harvard Square to walk around. We ended up going to Baskin' Robbins and Dunkin Donuts, before just plain wandering around.

Once we got back, I took a nap from 11:15-12:15. Rachel woke me up, and I was so out of it. She poked me and I didn't even wake up right away. Apparently I asked her when she was leaving, and getting up, and said "What the crap" a couple of times. Then I decided I wasn't going to go, so Rachel left. Then I followed her down the hall to go talk to Shawn and Magon. After I got back, I decided I did want to go after all. So I went.

We stayed out till sunrise, and laughed and ate candy and snacks. I came back to campus around 4 am to go to the bathroom, and didn't fall asleep at all while on the beach. We played the "ten fingers" game, aka "Never have I ever..." I got a lot of great quotes.

Pictures can be seen on my facebook account:
http://enc.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2001835&l=dfa36&id=149000082

Erica: "Was that you that changed my background?"
Troxler: "No, it was Jiminy Cricket. Let your conscience be your guide."

Magon, talking about the name Jesus: "How is it a word?"

Pearl: "Are you putting ENC on the same level as Jesus?"

Pearl: "Lightbulbs? Who likes lightbulbs?" (makes camera flash) "How about now? Do you like lightbulbs now?"

Marie: "Goodness gracious Christians"

somebody: "Anna's fish is a [censored]"

somebody else: "I thought I had mono for an entire year. Then it turned out I was just bored."

(I took a picture right next to Marie's face) Marie: "My whole life flashed before my eyes!"

~spin the corn pops

Pearl: "A salty sugary chocolatey snack? That sounds DISGUSTING."

Me: "I wish I had friends" (at this point they thought I would leave it at that) "in other time zones so I could call them in the middle of the night"

~apparently boys make better machine gun sounds than girls

Pearl: "You almost lashed out at me out of habit."

~coming back from the T, I think it might have been Shawn that said, "I'm dumb, okay?" Someone heard "Gollum" from that, and then Preston, from "gollum" heard "You're Allah?"

Leman at 3:24 am (for this one quote I decided that writing down the times would be interesting, but ended up not continuing it): "Well I'm going to lay down in the fetal position"

Shawn: "Sorry Andrew Leman for kicking you in the head."

Troxler, saying this before a question was even asked: "Oh I know the answer."

Pearl: "My toe is falling asleep."

~a raccoon glared Ben and I down on our way back to the beach at 4 am

Troxler, on her sleeping bag: "This smells like chocolate. That's because I'm sleeping on chocolate."

Erica: "I don't trash on me"

Leman: "Are there any fish out there?" (in Quincy Bay)
Pearl: "Yeah, but they have three eyes"

Magon: "Jess, move your head to the left"
(I move my head to my left)
Magon: "That's not your left"
me: "Yes it is"