I know I loved the movie mama mia because it is basically a comedy and a movie musical. (Happiness all around) So I have been listening to it on you tube.
I decided that this was one of my favorite songs from the movie. I was disappointed to find out that it is John MCains favorite song as I am a huge Obama supporter. However it demonstrates that music is a human experience that transcends party lines...
Monday, August 18, 2008
Take A Chance On Me - Mamma Mia The Movie and Lyrics
Attempt to Define Myself
Because of my endorsement essay that I am struggling through on, I have been trying to figure out how I would really try to define myself. For now, I put it on my "about me" on my facebook page as I am always playing on there. I have a love/hate relationship with facebook because it can be a time waster and if not careful a substitute for real human interaction, yet i have found it helpful in maintaining connections with people from school and in constructing a social life for myself here in MN this summer. Its also an easy way to get information out there I want a lot of people to know about. I am not ashamed of anything yet I think that it is a helpful tool for me as I deliberate the public versus private for myself in ministry actually. Sometimes I put things on there and take it off again because I dont think everyone needs to know. Othertimes I kind of hope someone will comment on something that I had just written about myself as well in wanting some kind of interaction about what is on my mind. So its kind of a love/hate relationship I have with facebook. Really this love/hate relationship I have of facebook is not dissimilar to my love/hate relationship of the internet.
Communication has taken a different shape in this internet age. Its faster and more convienent and appeals to my introverted way of processing the world. It appeals to my love of writing and of gathering all kinds of information. But I prefer what I can touch: the phone in my hand in a conversation, a book or magazine on my couch, a friend right in front of me. Having someone or something right in front of me that seems more intimate, as it can be a little slower as it can give me the opportunity to experience things more with my senses. It feels more authentic to me. Yet I do acknowledge that often it is cheaper and a little less time consuming to find information or shop on the internet than it is to go elsewhere. I do acknowledge that facebook and this blog is a great way to stay in touch with people regardless as to where I live that I may have lost touch of otherwise. It seems more real to me to have a relationship or community away from the screen when possible. Yet I have this blog because I realize that this is the best way to share my stories with you friends who i do not get to see that often yet who I want to be involved in my life.
I think that I do have a love/hate relationship with this internet age in which we live. The writer in me enjoys the fact that people can read what I write. I the scholar in me loves the information I can find. Its just that I feel like I need to be able to actually experience things and this is done best when people and things are right in front of me and not having a screen distance us. Yet it connects me with people across the country. This is my love/hate relationship with the internet really.
However I thought that you all may be interested in the self description I have of myself for now that I did write for helping with my endorsement essay, that I did put on my facebook page. I've added and expanded on a few things since then. Here it is:
I feel this sense of paradox in my life frequently:I consider Berkeley, California and St. Paul, Minnesota to be home for very different reasons. I love the Lutheran church enough to want to be a pastor and tend to be very interested in reasons people are disinterested in church and different ways of looking at faith and spirituality. I am intellectually driven, wanting to understand all kinds of aspects of things and to be well read. I want and strive to be well learned. Yet I do have a certain pull to the arts as well with my big loves being literature, theater and music. I am a city girl who enjoys retreating in nature occasionally. I have an abiltiy to hold an idea or an interest and to be intellectually critical of it. I am good at figuring out how to obtain a goal and to try to make the goal happen. I have a pretty good work ethic and in evaluating what really needs to be done well and what is merely frivolous. I want everyone who wants to be included to be included yet I can be picky about who I share information about myself with.I love healthy food yet cant resist chocolate and wine. I do not like a life or enviornment driven by a need for money but I see how it is necessary to survive and enjoy this world. I'd rather really understand an experience or a person than making a lot of money. I question dining out from nutritional, enviornmental and economic distribution perspectives. Yet I enjoy the chances to get out of my home with friends and eat things I do not have the time to make (or wouldnt have thought of on my own). I don’t like to miss the party yet what I really love is good, long 1 on 1 conversations. Much of my adult life I feel like I have had a working class income and middle class values. I appreciate technology's convience yet question the kind of shape our culture is taking in its dependence on it. My friends and family mean everything to me but I tend to be pretty independent in how I live my life. I generally don’t like to own a lot of stuff yet I can not resist owning reading material. I am not a fan of commercial TV but I do enjoy good movies on DVD. I have the mental capacity to read all day but my body isn’t happy if I don’t take the time to do something more active after awhile. (My favorite thing to do is swim). I want this world to be a better place with equality for all people yet I don’t like to take action on things until I have had a chance to consider a cause intellectually and to think of how it is communicated before I go ahead and take a lot of action. I beleive in examining my motives. I appreciate the experiences I have had and the things I have learned in life. However I view this as continous as there are still many experiences I would like to have and things I would like to learn. I view reading things and experiencing things as things I would like my entire life to be about, not just things I have did in school. I find that I care about a lot of people and and am interested in a lot of activities yet have to remind myself that I am only one person and I can’t do it all. This frusterates me because there is a part of me that appreciates knowing a few things well over a little about alot. Yet my heart is too big and my head is too curious to really sucessfully pull this off. This forces me to think about what I really want and need in my life and appreciative of the variety of people I know and experiences I have had. I am only one person who is eager to learn about and experience much of the world. Fortunately I have have a pretty good work ethic. I am good evaluating what really needs to be done well and what is merely frivolous. I am good at managing my resources of time and money effectively for these goals; yet this does not mean I do not dream about other things that I could possibly do or accomplish. I have a pretty good sense of when to work and when to play.My challenge is that I enjoy tasks that are perceived of as “work.”
Communication has taken a different shape in this internet age. Its faster and more convienent and appeals to my introverted way of processing the world. It appeals to my love of writing and of gathering all kinds of information. But I prefer what I can touch: the phone in my hand in a conversation, a book or magazine on my couch, a friend right in front of me. Having someone or something right in front of me that seems more intimate, as it can be a little slower as it can give me the opportunity to experience things more with my senses. It feels more authentic to me. Yet I do acknowledge that often it is cheaper and a little less time consuming to find information or shop on the internet than it is to go elsewhere. I do acknowledge that facebook and this blog is a great way to stay in touch with people regardless as to where I live that I may have lost touch of otherwise. It seems more real to me to have a relationship or community away from the screen when possible. Yet I have this blog because I realize that this is the best way to share my stories with you friends who i do not get to see that often yet who I want to be involved in my life.
I think that I do have a love/hate relationship with this internet age in which we live. The writer in me enjoys the fact that people can read what I write. I the scholar in me loves the information I can find. Its just that I feel like I need to be able to actually experience things and this is done best when people and things are right in front of me and not having a screen distance us. Yet it connects me with people across the country. This is my love/hate relationship with the internet really.
However I thought that you all may be interested in the self description I have of myself for now that I did write for helping with my endorsement essay, that I did put on my facebook page. I've added and expanded on a few things since then. Here it is:
I feel this sense of paradox in my life frequently:I consider Berkeley, California and St. Paul, Minnesota to be home for very different reasons. I love the Lutheran church enough to want to be a pastor and tend to be very interested in reasons people are disinterested in church and different ways of looking at faith and spirituality. I am intellectually driven, wanting to understand all kinds of aspects of things and to be well read. I want and strive to be well learned. Yet I do have a certain pull to the arts as well with my big loves being literature, theater and music. I am a city girl who enjoys retreating in nature occasionally. I have an abiltiy to hold an idea or an interest and to be intellectually critical of it. I am good at figuring out how to obtain a goal and to try to make the goal happen. I have a pretty good work ethic and in evaluating what really needs to be done well and what is merely frivolous. I want everyone who wants to be included to be included yet I can be picky about who I share information about myself with.I love healthy food yet cant resist chocolate and wine. I do not like a life or enviornment driven by a need for money but I see how it is necessary to survive and enjoy this world. I'd rather really understand an experience or a person than making a lot of money. I question dining out from nutritional, enviornmental and economic distribution perspectives. Yet I enjoy the chances to get out of my home with friends and eat things I do not have the time to make (or wouldnt have thought of on my own). I don’t like to miss the party yet what I really love is good, long 1 on 1 conversations. Much of my adult life I feel like I have had a working class income and middle class values. I appreciate technology's convience yet question the kind of shape our culture is taking in its dependence on it. My friends and family mean everything to me but I tend to be pretty independent in how I live my life. I generally don’t like to own a lot of stuff yet I can not resist owning reading material. I am not a fan of commercial TV but I do enjoy good movies on DVD. I have the mental capacity to read all day but my body isn’t happy if I don’t take the time to do something more active after awhile. (My favorite thing to do is swim). I want this world to be a better place with equality for all people yet I don’t like to take action on things until I have had a chance to consider a cause intellectually and to think of how it is communicated before I go ahead and take a lot of action. I beleive in examining my motives. I appreciate the experiences I have had and the things I have learned in life. However I view this as continous as there are still many experiences I would like to have and things I would like to learn. I view reading things and experiencing things as things I would like my entire life to be about, not just things I have did in school. I find that I care about a lot of people and and am interested in a lot of activities yet have to remind myself that I am only one person and I can’t do it all. This frusterates me because there is a part of me that appreciates knowing a few things well over a little about alot. Yet my heart is too big and my head is too curious to really sucessfully pull this off. This forces me to think about what I really want and need in my life and appreciative of the variety of people I know and experiences I have had. I am only one person who is eager to learn about and experience much of the world. Fortunately I have have a pretty good work ethic. I am good evaluating what really needs to be done well and what is merely frivolous. I am good at managing my resources of time and money effectively for these goals; yet this does not mean I do not dream about other things that I could possibly do or accomplish. I have a pretty good sense of when to work and when to play.My challenge is that I enjoy tasks that are perceived of as “work.”
Friday, August 15, 2008
Sucessful Surgery
By the way, the surgery went really well. It was sucessful and it was indeed just a cyst. All good news. I am now in a foot brace because of the placement of the stitches. I wound up being on complete bed rest for a few days afterward. I was glad that I did this while I am living with my mom in Minnesota. I slept most of the time while I was on bed rest.
Immedietely coming out of bed rest I left for Chicago for an amazingly inspiring mission developing conference. I do want to share more about my experiences at this conference with you all. However I will write more about this at a later date because I want to be able to have a little more time to share some of the stories around this. However it was a little challenging getting around with a brace and a crutch. A friend of mine from seminary who was not in my moms class but who came to the conference, people in my class and my mom were all amazingly helpful and supportive in my trying to get around. It really was a fun, healthy bunch of people. More details in the near future.
The thing is that the foot has needed to be elevated for awhile. However not so much anymore. What is driving me crazy right now is that I am not able to drive and i cant get it wet. It is a project for me to get into the shower as I need to have a plastic bag around that to not get it wet. And swimming is one of the things that keeps me sane as well so that is a challenge. But it will be a lot less painful to swim now that the darn lump is off. The stiches and brace comes off on the 19th and I leave for Berkeley on the 25th. The surgery was a sucess and I appreciate all of your prayers!
Immedietely coming out of bed rest I left for Chicago for an amazingly inspiring mission developing conference. I do want to share more about my experiences at this conference with you all. However I will write more about this at a later date because I want to be able to have a little more time to share some of the stories around this. However it was a little challenging getting around with a brace and a crutch. A friend of mine from seminary who was not in my moms class but who came to the conference, people in my class and my mom were all amazingly helpful and supportive in my trying to get around. It really was a fun, healthy bunch of people. More details in the near future.
The thing is that the foot has needed to be elevated for awhile. However not so much anymore. What is driving me crazy right now is that I am not able to drive and i cant get it wet. It is a project for me to get into the shower as I need to have a plastic bag around that to not get it wet. And swimming is one of the things that keeps me sane as well so that is a challenge. But it will be a lot less painful to swim now that the darn lump is off. The stiches and brace comes off on the 19th and I leave for Berkeley on the 25th. The surgery was a sucess and I appreciate all of your prayers!
TV or Not TV??
My mom and I keep on getting phone calls about possibly getting cable. The answer of course is no because of the constraints on our time and on our dollars. This prompts some reflection on my attitudes towards television. Growing up we really did not have much access to television either. I think that this is a decision that has deeply influenced me. One of the reasons why I am dreading going back to Berkeley is that in the dormitory the TV shows you watch or do not watch is kind of what formulates who you do and do not hang out with. This is actually a culture that I have a love/hate relationship with to be honest. I am not one to really say that watching TV is actually all bad. I actually like some even major time shows. My preference is to have a TV and DVD player and to rent or buy the TV shows that I am interested in. The majority of the time, the shows that I watch are ones I was introduced to by someone because I do not like to put in the time to figure out what shows that I want to follow and do not want to follow. While I am generally introduced to the things I like in a social context, my real preference is to watch it alone. For me, watching something is generally a way for me to wind down and recharge by myself. And sometimes my honest impressions of it are more likely to come out because when I watch something with someone else I tend to be deeply influenced by what they say while I am trying to figure out my reaction to it. This is one of the ways that I become aware that my introversion is one of the ways that my brain operates in the way that I process things and the way I behave when I am tired and need to recharge. When I am around people I generally prefer to be fully present and I think that sometimes watching things encourages us to not be fully present. It can be a shared experience but I sometimes would rather experience the real world with people and have a preference for live entertainment in a social context. However to be fair I find myself weighing the pros and cons in not being into watching cable televison.
CONS:
+Most people watch cable TV. Small talk often revolves around TV shows. It is hard to find a connection point with people in not having exposure to what they watch in some way.
+ On a similar note, we live in a culture of TV. As a minister in training I am to be a reader of my surrounding culture. Deciding not to watch TV at all can be perceived of as self righteous or disinterested in the context of this culture.
+In the not watching TV world the level of activity can be really high and the ability to stop and relax can be non existant.
+While it is easy to netflix or buy most TV series in this day and age, you can miss out on events like the football season and the olympics in not owning a TV
+There are actually shows that are actually worth taking the time to watch. Not watching TV at all is actually missing enjoyable experiences.
+Sometimes distraction and noise is welcome company. TV is a wonderful invention in times this is wanted.
PROS
+There is a lot of bad TV out there. You need to take the time to watch the bad TV in order to find what is good.
+It is one way to not participate in our overly consumeristic culture and be influenced by advertizing.
+TV somehow knows how to suck you in even if you think its something you do not want to watch. Not the opportunity to get sucked into this is a way to protect your time for other things.
+Watching TV is a very unfulfilling task in contrast to taking the time to read a book, cook a meal, have a conversation, etc.
+For some reason the lack of TV seems to improve my work ethics.
+In not having the TV on all the time there is more chance for truly enjoying solitude when alone and conversation when with others.
+Not having TV makes me feel less guilty about getting involved in things. When I buy somethingI like to maximize it. I do not want a life where I am maximizing TV watching.
I think that the healthy approach is having some kind of way to find moderation to all of this!
CONS:
+Most people watch cable TV. Small talk often revolves around TV shows. It is hard to find a connection point with people in not having exposure to what they watch in some way.
+ On a similar note, we live in a culture of TV. As a minister in training I am to be a reader of my surrounding culture. Deciding not to watch TV at all can be perceived of as self righteous or disinterested in the context of this culture.
+In the not watching TV world the level of activity can be really high and the ability to stop and relax can be non existant.
+While it is easy to netflix or buy most TV series in this day and age, you can miss out on events like the football season and the olympics in not owning a TV
+There are actually shows that are actually worth taking the time to watch. Not watching TV at all is actually missing enjoyable experiences.
+Sometimes distraction and noise is welcome company. TV is a wonderful invention in times this is wanted.
PROS
+There is a lot of bad TV out there. You need to take the time to watch the bad TV in order to find what is good.
+It is one way to not participate in our overly consumeristic culture and be influenced by advertizing.
+TV somehow knows how to suck you in even if you think its something you do not want to watch. Not the opportunity to get sucked into this is a way to protect your time for other things.
+Watching TV is a very unfulfilling task in contrast to taking the time to read a book, cook a meal, have a conversation, etc.
+For some reason the lack of TV seems to improve my work ethics.
+In not having the TV on all the time there is more chance for truly enjoying solitude when alone and conversation when with others.
+Not having TV makes me feel less guilty about getting involved in things. When I buy somethingI like to maximize it. I do not want a life where I am maximizing TV watching.
I think that the healthy approach is having some kind of way to find moderation to all of this!
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