tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73799870715668541122024-03-07T03:50:01.941-05:00Theophany All OverA view on the world.Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.comBlogger667125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-59038758160426644882016-03-07T11:02:00.000-05:002016-03-07T11:57:12.990-05:00Para hacerlos listosA kid I taught back in the day made an extremely cool thing.<br />
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Kevin is, as he mentions, a first generation college student who made the extra-far leap of choosing to go a really, really long way from home (1,995 miles, give or take). His story is absolutely his own even while it echoes a pattern familiar to many first generation students.<br />
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When we knew each other, I'd say we had a positive and unremarkable teacher-student relationship. He was an apt, well-mannered, and pretty low-maintenance student. He, I hope, learned and felt secure in my classroom (I think he did). I remember him being on the quiet side, though I heard that changed the next year, to the mild surprise and great delight of my colleagues.<br />
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That, actually, is the thing that stuck in my mind about Kevin for a long time: what happened after I knew him. Apparently, right about the time I moved away, he commenced a serious personal growth spurt. The teachers who followed me told me stories about our mutual student that made it seem like the person they were teaching was not <i>quite</i> the same kid I had taught. From far away, I wondered where he was heading and hoped that GRMS was giving him a space to try out, maybe even find, the still-undefined aspects of himself that would become the biggest and best parts of who he is.<br />
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Kevin's apparent shift in 8th grade is not really a surprise. All he was doing was getting ready to be himself. It's exactly what every student I ever taught is always doing, and it's one of our greatest privileges and responsibilities as educators to be around for that and provide some of the experience and tools they will build into themselves. This project make me so proud, but not because I have any delusions that I was a big influence on this kid's life. At most, I was one rung on the ladder he climbed to become himself.* That's the job of every teacher Kevin ever had, along with his parents and family and friends and community. Be some part of the ladder. Help him be ready.<br />
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<i>*Which, I assume, he's still in the process of doing. At least I hope so, because I sure as hell still am.</i>Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-52141666158103029112016-02-23T14:23:00.000-05:002016-02-23T14:24:22.411-05:00What I SayFrom <a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022216.cfm" target="_blank">Monday's mass readings</a> (emphasis mine; probably goes without saying): <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
He said to them, <b><i>“But who do you say that I am?”</i></b> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”</blockquote>
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If anything the historical person Jesus of Nazareth claimed about himself is true, then he is the most significant human ever to live. I happen to believe everything he said about himself, and consequently that the fact of his <i>being</i> is the most significant fact about all history, all reality. That, along with a lot of massive implications, is who I say Jesus is with my intellect and my words. I've thought about it a lot, as most of you will know. I'm convinced. I believe.<br />
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And yet: Do I? How should I live if I believe this? How does my awareness of the fact of Jesus shape my life?<br />
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I wonder about this every time I hear this reading. It might be the most uncomfortable line in the Gospel for me.Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-57366050719318435632016-02-18T17:59:00.005-05:002016-02-18T17:59:47.893-05:00Incidentally...I was thinking I really liked my outfit today, and then I noticed it matches the blog.<br />
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Irrelevant, except it's a fine excuse to post a song...<br />
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Also, despite being almost 31, I continue to look 12. Just a very tired 12 year old.Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-13757425715313299872016-02-17T21:36:00.000-05:002016-02-18T11:17:51.122-05:00On generative times and when it's not oneAuthor John Green and his brother Hank make videos in which they address each other, and lots of people have watched them for quite a few years now. Their most recent is my favorite in a long time:<br />
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It reminds me of a period when both John and Hank were churning out vlogs that hit me in my gut the way this one does, and how that was (probably, if I were to guess) tied to a particular set of circumstances. Once those circumstances went away, they continued making worth-watching vlogs that just happened to not hit me in quite the same visceral way.<br />
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And then that hit me, too. There are stretches of time when, for a magical chemical mix of reasons, I feel like I'm onto something, like I'm on the verge of encountering something really marvelous. I can write, think, do, whatever else with energy and direction and inspiration. Then, on the other hand, there are stretches where... well, where that's not the case. It's just ordinary doing stuff.<br />
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Right now is a not-onto-something phase. Everything is dandy, and it also seems sort of faded. That's fine. I don't like it, but I'm not worried about it. Maybe this should prompt me to go looking for something to be excited about, but I'm pretty sure that's how I got here - I came for something exciting, and it's the same thing it ever was. Meanwhile, the alchemy of the moment happens to be such that I'm not feeling on the verge of something marvelous.<br />
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I'm pretty sure my mom started worrying about me about a paragraph ago, but my point is not that there's something wrong. This video reminded also me that the goodness and wonder of the world aren't dependent on how spunky I feel. There's nothing I can do to make them <i>not</i> be there. I'm in kind of a slogging along time, but there are always little wonders on the way.<br />
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<i>P.S. A belated happy birthday and much Brownsville love to Sean.</i>Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-87749900872981775542015-09-18T15:58:00.000-04:002015-09-18T15:58:00.064-04:00Things I Learned This Week: Greyhound Edition<ul>
<li>Greyhound: viable mode of transportation if you're going a medium distance and need to get work done on the way, even if it smells like a portapotty. </li>
<li>I did, in fact, learn stuff in year one of Ph.D. studies. I was skeptical of this in May, but somehow being back in class for year two, feel like I know all kinds of stuff.</li>
<li>Roommate babies are the best babies.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>A side of hummus at my favorite Mediterranean place is as much in quantity as a tub from the grocery store and less in cost. Game over, snack attacks.</li>
</ul>
Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-37777012876656591622015-09-09T12:15:00.001-04:002015-09-14T20:57:26.655-04:00Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet<a href="https://youtu.be/E1lnSi7QWY8" target="_blank">is a rather incredible song I didn't know existed until a few days ago.</a>Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-71671641687347585382015-09-08T12:23:00.004-04:002015-09-08T12:23:56.914-04:00First day of school!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Year two. Got this biz on lockdown.<br />
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Also, this is the part where I start writing about academia as promised in the sidebar.Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-11559840187101186222015-09-08T12:20:00.000-04:002015-09-08T12:20:36.673-04:00Happy birthday!Today is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In plain English, it's Mary's birthday.<br />
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Lots of Catholics have a soft spot for Mary, and lots of Catholic converts and reverts had a soft spot for her well before they came into the Church. I'm one of those. She has had her gentle guiding hand on my back all my life.<br />
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Photos: The Church of St. Ann in Jerusalem, purported to be the site of Mary's birth. January 2010.Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-58017940525161419112015-09-04T15:38:00.000-04:002015-09-09T12:16:25.526-04:00Things I Learned This Week: Transparent Brained Fish Edition<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_haeu6-yviuKjWZuitsMOctdt9SHZva5I4YU94v-n8PAuBYgVuGYaykv34KzJAbuDMdZJF08abs6S-WT1WSb51c7LD4_vzd3BA6bl3G_u_H9UmqNRUyKzgq25liWLza9ifOc-ZvJ9HQ/s1600/barreleye-fish-tm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Whut nature stop ur showing off" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_haeu6-yviuKjWZuitsMOctdt9SHZva5I4YU94v-n8PAuBYgVuGYaykv34KzJAbuDMdZJF08abs6S-WT1WSb51c7LD4_vzd3BA6bl3G_u_H9UmqNRUyKzgq25liWLza9ifOc-ZvJ9HQ/s320/barreleye-fish-tm.jpg" title="Freaky glass brain fish" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>This thing is a real animal. It's called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barreleye" target="_blank">a barreleye fish</a>, and it's head is in fact transparent. The green blobs are its eyes, which are turned 90 degreed upwards to watch for the silhouettes of its prey in the blackness of the deep ocean. Look upon the Lord's creation, ye mortals, and tremble. </li>
<li>Farmer's market produce doesn't magically last forever. This should not be something I just learned this week.</li>
<li>If you're getting back on the coffee train after being off it for a while, start slow. Do not jump right back into full mugs of heavy diesel cold press. Your heart will have things to say to you. </li>
</ul>
Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-20201554621413988522015-09-03T06:16:00.001-04:002015-09-03T06:16:02.200-04:00I occasionally write in other places.<a href="http://faith.nd.edu/s/1210/faith/interior.aspx?sid=1210&gid=609&pgid=26238" target="_blank">Like this, in which I consider the implications of Pope Francis's <i>Laudato Si</i> for whether I give a first thought, much less a second one, about people in, say, Kuala Lumpur.</a>Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-34910693021726045082015-09-01T19:34:00.002-04:002015-09-09T12:17:29.679-04:00On the Strange Heartbreak of Joy<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z3NsjFie46U" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I tell you this to break your heart,<br />
by which i mean only<br />
that it break open and never close again<br />
to the rest of the world.<br />
- Mary Oliver</blockquote>
Once in while, I've felt my heart pressed with greater joy than I knew it could handle. It's always a quite realization. I marvel once I notice, and I gradually comprehend that it's no temporary jolt but a new abiding way of being. Whatever space in me receives joy has expanded.<br />
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Joy is a way of understanding reality. Each time my feeble little heart and brain grasp a new grain of Truth, it grows my heart, and since nature abhors a vacuum, the new space fills with wonder at that Truth, which is to say, it fills with joy. Since the Truth abides forever, so does joy.<br />
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The only way to make that new space is to break apart the old one. Each time I've felt that press of joy, it's been in the wake some realization or experience that forces me to let go of some old understanding*. This kind of letting go always feels like a death, albeit a teeny one, but in the equally teeny scheme of my life, persisting through some of those experiences feels like a hell of a trial. I feel my heart twinge in my chest - literally, physically - and I wish it weren't so even as some other part of me sees joy coming.<br />
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God breaks my heart all the time, over and over. It feels like He's wringing me out. In my better moments I understand that feeling is just me twisting away from Him, and I understand that the breaking I feel is joy clearing out things that weren't part of me to begin with. And clearing out those things is a kind of death, is a kind of heartbreak, is the only way my scaly heart can make room for joy.<br />
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Like rings on a tree trunk, each time this happens, joy grows exponentially. Each heartbreak lets more of the world, more of Christ, seep in. And each time, I am bigger, stronger, with more to give and more space to receive.<br />
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<i>*These aren't even sad things, necessarily. A great example is my time in Brownsville. I have nothing but positive things to say about those two years and those ten people, and also it was the hardest, most uncomfortable thing I'd ever done.</i>Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-82693911105401332432015-08-14T16:00:00.000-04:002015-08-14T16:00:02.681-04:00Things I Learned This Week<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://marstrek.jpl.nasa.gov/" target="_blank">NASA Mars Trek</a> is the coolest thing to appear on the internet since <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/images/index.html?id=366737" target="_blank">those pictures of that giant canyon on Pluto's moon</a>. You can rove over the planet and measure things in school buses or Golden Gate Bridges.</li>
<li>When renting a tent for a weekend costs 23% of a well-rated cheap tent, just buy a tent. I need to go on 3.35 more camping trips for this thing to pay for itself. Any takers?</li>
</ul>
Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-64441630567129722132015-08-11T14:16:00.000-04:002015-08-11T14:16:00.133-04:00“You’re not a tribe. You’re fricking fruitcake people.”This article (<a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markshea/2015/08/some-headlines-just-crack-me-up.html" target="_blank">h/t Mark Shea</a>) is the best thing to happen to me so far today. The headline alone is pure gold:<br />
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<a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/20/lakota-warriors-vow-to-crush-dirty-rainbow-hippies.html" target="_blank">Lakota Warriors Vow to Crush Dirty Rainbow Hippies</a><br />
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The story is a great study in People Who Are Convinced They Are THE It-Getters but Actually Don't Get It at All. The assertion that prompted the "fricking fruitcake people" reaction encapsulates it:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Member of the Sioux nation* and anti-hippie activist** James Swan] said Rainbow Family adherents tried to soften him up by saying, “We’re just like you, [but] the government doesn’t recognize us as a tribe.”</blockquote>
Dear Rainbow Family: you clearly have literally no idea what the words you're using mean.<br />
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Daily Beast writer Kate Briquelet nails a snarky-but-still-technically-just-the-facts tone, which is exactly what these particular hippies merit. More great writing (emphasis mine):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“They aren’t listening to anybody,” Swan told The Daily Beast of <i>the phalanx of graying flower children</i> and their next-generation recruits.</blockquote>
And:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
On Wednesday night, five of the clan fell prey to South Dakota’s harsh marijuana laws and were arrested on felony charges. After a citizen reported <i>aggressive panhandling</i>, the suspected beggars fled in a car.</blockquote>
And:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
One Rainbow, who goes by “Bajer,” [<i>pronounced "Badger", we're told elsewhere</i>] was defiant to the Rapid City Journal —or what Swan’s club has dubbed the ‘<i>Racist City Urinal</i>’ for what they call biased reporting.<br />
For the record, executive editor Bart Pfankuch disagrees with Swan’s moniker. [<i>Ed: Quelle surprise!</i>]</blockquote>
All kidding aside, the Rainbow people are being complete jackasses. Standing in a circle chanting "We love you" to a group of people you are actively disregarding and whose sacred traditions you're hippy-ing all over is utter hypocrisy.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“We’ve gotten some [Rainbow people] saying you need to come out here and experience the hippie love,” the Lakota activist Clark told The Daily Beast. “Peace, love, we want to be your friend and respect your people. <i>No, we don’t trust you any more than the government—possibly less</i>.”</blockquote>
Which, I'll venture, is saying something. Good news for the Lakota people and me: at least some of the Rainbow people say they're headed somewhere in Michigan instead. What do we think is a safe spectating distance for observing occasionally violent hippies?<br />
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<i>*I understand that there are complexities around how First Nations bands, tribes, and nations define themselves, but I don't understand them well. Moderate Wikipedia-ing tells me the Lakota are one of three major groups within the Sioux.</i><br />
<i>** Swan does not identify himself this way. I derived this description from his comments in the article.</i>Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-32623416927953501382015-08-10T13:17:00.001-04:002015-08-10T13:17:46.121-04:00Mah heels need some serious bruising!<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/081015.cfm" target="_blank">Today's reminder from Jesus to quit with the vice grip</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life." (Jn 12:24-25)</blockquote>
There's <a href="https://youtu.be/gUA8QmCAogc" target="_blank">a song I really love</a> that includes the lyric:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
So, God, bruise the heels we've dug in the ground<br />that we might move closer to love<br />Pull out the roots we've dug in so deep<br />Finish what you started; help us to believe<br />- Jars of Clay, Eyes Wide Open</blockquote>
Believe what, exactly? That the death we experience when we let go of ourselves does indeed lead to a better rebirth.<br />
<br />
Actually, that's not quite right. The thing I'm letting go of when I let go of myself isn't even <i>me</i>. It's all the misunderstandings I've accumulated about myself and about others, and all the armory and reflexive panic I tinkered up for myself in response to those misunderstandings.<br />
<br />
The paradox is that the more I let go of control, the freer I am. It is indeed a kind of dying to relinquish my idea about how the world works, about who I am, and it's an ongoing pain the in the tukhus. Yet, every time I force myself to die a little bit, I am freer and better and more myself on the other side.Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-59796535024005625742015-08-08T23:12:00.000-04:002015-08-09T00:36:23.667-04:00Things I learned this week<br>
<ul>
<li>Riding a bike with a watermelon in the basket has meaningful implications for your balance.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.livescience.com/51736-ancient-reptile-fossil-elasmosaur.html" target="_blank">Elasmosaurs, dinosaurs with "these ridiculously long necks", are a thing.</a></li>
<li>There really is weather bad enough to merit pulling off the highway. I was previously skeptical of this.</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1gROhGZVgtDhY0zEoU0PK2v94VoOWLFpaWlpzFgqnAOusjBeZ7Q0xuDRmvDmYad9qIHKdenrHJOyzRG5cwCqZ82jzUzRTwNcSiJ40N7k6PYJ3QROGoxScxoxoDdGZN-uyxQ08poMXIQ/s1600/2015-08-03+00.22.20.mov" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1gROhGZVgtDhY0zEoU0PK2v94VoOWLFpaWlpzFgqnAOusjBeZ7Q0xuDRmvDmYad9qIHKdenrHJOyzRG5cwCqZ82jzUzRTwNcSiJ40N7k6PYJ3QROGoxScxoxoDdGZN-uyxQ08poMXIQ/s400/2015-08-03+00.22.20.mov" width="400"></a></div>
<div>
<br></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>To return to the watermelon, <a href="http://thelatinkitchen.com/r/recipe/agua-de-sandia-watermelon-agua-fresca" target="_blank">agua de sandia is absurdly easy to make</a>, especially considering the deliciousness-to-hassle ratio.</li>
</ul>
</div>
Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-11815116559221434152015-08-07T10:00:00.000-04:002015-08-07T10:54:05.726-04:00Reminder: Voyagers 1 and 2 have been beaming back data for 38 years.And Voyager 1 is "<a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2012-177" target="_blank">nearing the solar system's frontier</a>."<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/where/" target="_blank">Here's where they each are.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://soundcloud.com/nasa/sets/golden-record-greetings-to-the" target="_blank">Here are all the spoken greetings on those golden records</a> ("Hello from all the children of planet Earth.")</li>
<li><a href="https://soundcloud.com/nasa/sets/golden-record-sounds-of" target="_blank">And here are all the other sounds we sent out there</a>.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Humans to outer space:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAF7HGImK5nTSuTtgJDIMXoED8lkuyanMC9L3v6xngOn9V5wHTkTjhU8OnNCutNvlDguQs8U595oV29NfWPwuEwzfKqhKofT7fm0xp7uflDbg6H-BJIBSl3fQLnamGO6j0TC3E-0nIqL4/s1600/Dancing+Kuzco.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAF7HGImK5nTSuTtgJDIMXoED8lkuyanMC9L3v6xngOn9V5wHTkTjhU8OnNCutNvlDguQs8U595oV29NfWPwuEwzfKqhKofT7fm0xp7uflDbg6H-BJIBSl3fQLnamGO6j0TC3E-0nIqL4/s1600/Dancing+Kuzco.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
only infinitesimally teeny.Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-22654945237212666682015-08-06T12:47:00.000-04:002015-08-06T12:47:27.797-04:00On the way down TaborFrom <a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/080615.cfm" target="_blank">today's Gospel</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
As they were coming down from the mountain,<br />he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,<br />except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.<br />So they kept the matter to themselves,<br />questioning what rising from the dead meant.</blockquote>
<br />
Of course Peter and John didn't understand anything that happened on Tabor. How could they? Rising from the dead had to be a metaphor because it simply could not be literal.<br />
<br />
This is one of Jesus' things he does: say things and mean them. And it's one of our things we do: hear Jesus and think he must mean something other than what he plainly said. I think we can be forgiven for our confusion - a lot of those parables are kind of opaque. Narrow gates, who understands 'em, eh? Amirite?!Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-29723919292731864942015-08-05T22:09:00.000-04:002015-08-07T10:57:03.503-04:00A Review<div class="MsoNormal">
At one point in telling a very forgettable story to someone
who's known me a little while but not that long, I said, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but
wonder is my default disposition to the world.” He laughed and said something
along the lines of yeah, he’d noticed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I solicited topics for rebooting this blog from a bunch
of interesting friends who know me from different parts of
my life, nearly all suggested some version of Why Things Are Awesome – why
space is great, why I get so geeked up about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X</i>, where I see God (sneak preview: everywhere), why I get so
excited about photography/photographers/the new Star
Wars/nature/adventures/saints.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I like that un-ironic enthusiasm about Creation is something
people associate with me. It’s the reason for the name I gave this blog when I
started it while I was student teaching in 2007. I thought I’d (re)start there.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Imagine holding a 1mm x 1mm
square out at arm’s length (probably with tweezers, because that is teeny) over
a patch of sky (an itty bitty patch of sky). A bunch of scientists who paid a
lot of money for their turn with the Hubble telescope decided to use their rare and precious opportunity to take a picture of one such teeny patch of sky, thought to be black and
empty. They basically did a long exposure, just to see what might be out there.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the image they captured. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHakDhMl-kpV5D1R5SFHlZ2p-lKTfDO8SLV56S_50GWNHDr6xG-38p32JLVn7ZWN__-IPFZzfK-nfXlO6nZ1JI43MPgTDbn_VdES3yaIoItqutNxO3n0kR7QL1UF9hv02L-Khq2zF9B4/s1600/Huble+Deep+Space+Field.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHakDhMl-kpV5D1R5SFHlZ2p-lKTfDO8SLV56S_50GWNHDr6xG-38p32JLVn7ZWN__-IPFZzfK-nfXlO6nZ1JI43MPgTDbn_VdES3yaIoItqutNxO3n0kR7QL1UF9hv02L-Khq2zF9B4/s640/Huble+Deep+Space+Field.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Those are stars and whole galaxies in what we once thought
of as empty, black, nothing. <i>Hundreds of entire freaking galaxies in a blank space of space.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is my computer background (because how could it possibly not be? Why isn't it yours?). A friend asked about it and after I explained she said, “And isn’t that just like people, too?
We see each other and think, ‘I get you. There’s nothing more there.’ But then this.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Which is more or less why I get so geeked up about stuff and
people.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Yours in vastness,<br />
A.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-81755829567792639762015-08-04T22:22:00.001-04:002015-08-04T22:22:28.546-04:00There's a killer plant in my state and I'm never going outside again.<a href="http://www.wilx.com/home/headlines/Dangerous-Plant-Found-In-Calhoun-County-320577442.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">It's not killer, technically, I guess</a>, but it can blind you and give you some nasty blisters <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=giant+hogweed&espv=2&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CIwBEIkeahUKEwiXi7vn8JDHAhXCDJIKHREuC88&biw=1083&bih=705" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">and look at it <b>it is huge</b><i> it is a dinosaur plant</i></a>.<br />
<br />
Couch and Netflix for me.<br />
<br />
Yours in validating decisions I already made,<br />
A.Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-57492126818761319072015-07-31T12:49:00.001-04:002015-08-04T22:12:57.463-04:00Happy 15th, Twinsie!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwMCyPcCAXdtjscQAT3TN76NRt0KS_RHPJSH5CfR84pKUUwq4r4gvJjoCxOHKvw4w0XVm4LcNQU5JwuOe0K3uvfErMyMmS_im2e0YUjHI2dyKTcBPLHthFXtL8F25edbL-_ogDxtqNBY/s1600/charliemirror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwMCyPcCAXdtjscQAT3TN76NRt0KS_RHPJSH5CfR84pKUUwq4r4gvJjoCxOHKvw4w0XVm4LcNQU5JwuOe0K3uvfErMyMmS_im2e0YUjHI2dyKTcBPLHthFXtL8F25edbL-_ogDxtqNBY/s640/charliemirror.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-8395929658065898832015-07-30T22:38:00.001-04:002015-07-30T22:38:12.207-04:00IncomingNew content coming soon. <div><br></div><div>At least, that's the plan. You know how plans go. </div>Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-84857894315639411542011-07-17T07:38:00.000-04:002011-07-17T07:38:56.564-04:00Tumblrin'I recently discovered Tumblr, and I'm in love. I'm posting with alarming frequency. Mostly, I link to and quote things, maybe providing some commentary, and sometimes I post my own photos.<br />
<br />
This site is not going away (though it remains pathetically anemic in content), because who knows when I'll feel the need to post a three page rant?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thanksandyes.tumblr.com/">http://thanksandyes.tumblr.com/</a>Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-7957819337826679632011-06-18T23:54:00.000-04:002015-08-04T22:14:17.168-04:00Breakfast with Friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9uvWrT_jHD0IYbqEHe2_d17nMedzr3nNjj3-6tPh6zXtq-yDeWwDZ2QQV5iNvsHen5ftQbdEpKOcgS5pJLTRLFoIJX-ozILoLBj8MIn699tANl0NTh39a6FK3UjphNLAviBHWGCMf-Lc/s1600/FebMar2010+122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9uvWrT_jHD0IYbqEHe2_d17nMedzr3nNjj3-6tPh6zXtq-yDeWwDZ2QQV5iNvsHen5ftQbdEpKOcgS5pJLTRLFoIJX-ozILoLBj8MIn699tANl0NTh39a6FK3UjphNLAviBHWGCMf-Lc/s640/FebMar2010+122.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Dallas, Texas</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
March 14, 2010</div>
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It's just grapes, but I love the light (and the people I was eating with).Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-30430345845150589362011-06-17T23:58:00.002-04:002011-06-17T23:58:00.273-04:00Sisters are good for mocking<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bEhUyR_4IQEVPtN7T1LBuiYeTZWQ8xdFhYMOCAGULxp2OJOKkAMmVpZ41dy7Mn8zLDTZD-bHrMrjRDUjheADgAc05wVy8aVBNZDx6XmHM5BwJbg7-v56sivNW4U6PPqsUw_tdvVvKt8/s1600/FebMar2010+254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bEhUyR_4IQEVPtN7T1LBuiYeTZWQ8xdFhYMOCAGULxp2OJOKkAMmVpZ41dy7Mn8zLDTZD-bHrMrjRDUjheADgAc05wVy8aVBNZDx6XmHM5BwJbg7-v56sivNW4U6PPqsUw_tdvVvKt8/s640/FebMar2010+254.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>Lake Charles, Louisiana</div><div style="text-align: center;">March 19, 2010</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I love this boy.</div>Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7379987071566854112.post-71850097725976048242011-06-16T23:46:00.000-04:002011-06-16T23:46:00.438-04:00Good Company<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSJpXfqZ85FT1z_B2CbKk_QFQNHfnP0oETnbcOAvof3c6HRXfdKi7ISePGrToknffNVTVSYtrpOwHdAAFGQjA_i9wTQxf7JljMcRK9MCQStziQyqCT6tAloXM-MlIBPbE10T7d_W3_Kk/s1600/FebMar2010+054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSJpXfqZ85FT1z_B2CbKk_QFQNHfnP0oETnbcOAvof3c6HRXfdKi7ISePGrToknffNVTVSYtrpOwHdAAFGQjA_i9wTQxf7JljMcRK9MCQStziQyqCT6tAloXM-MlIBPbE10T7d_W3_Kk/s640/FebMar2010+054.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Charro Days, Brownsville, Texas</div><div style="text-align: center;">March 26, 2010</div>Your hosthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10570777069651493467noreply@blogger.com0