Usher

I did something today that I've never done before. I was an usher in church. I pinch-hit for an usher that had forgotten he was supposed to do readings and help with communion, so, shortly after I sat down I got tapped on the shoulder and was asked if I could fill in. I said "sure." And I got a crash trained-- that is I was given a quick "here's how it goes," it came with a quick diagram and everything. The first task was to take the collection. I muddled my way through that, it looks so much easier to do than it really is. We go every other row and we have to count the people, I was just glad I got through that. Then I had to usher for communion. That entailed being the "gatekeeper." They take 11-14 people at a setting so my partner usher would send em down and I'd keep a running tally, trying to keep families together and not over-fill. I guess it went as smoothly as it can considering I've done anything like that before.

Did I like the experience? Not especially, part of that is because I was unfamiliar with how it goes, but the biggest reason was I was not engaged in the worship service, I was more worried about making sure I was where I needed. I go to churc to worship, not to "work" as it were.

I'll probably do it again, if there is one thing I've noticed that once you get asked and agree to something, its awfully difficult to get out of it. That sounded horrible...

It was alright, a learning experience and certainly was a different view of the worship service. In hind-sight, I think I am glad I did it.

Grey Day

Its a grey, wet day. I wonder if this is what's its like England all the time. Grey and wet and humid and raining. The sun hasn't broken the clouds this morning, as a result the crickets still chirp and whir in the yard.

I have to go to work today and I'd rather just stay home. Its just one of those days that demands a couch and a movie, or a couch and a book, maybe a cup of tea and soft jazz blowing quietly from nearby speakers. I don't feel like sleeping, but I feel like curling up and kind of uppping a white flag for the day. I could use a little sun today, just a bit to brighten up the world.

I've been working on school work this morning. I have be dilligent with that or it will get away from me and I'll have to play catch up and I will never win. With that said, it is amazing to me how much of my course work is done on the computer. My professors post their powerpoint presentations on a secure website, the post extra readings and even have an electronic gradebook they can post our grades in. Its an amazing world we live in. I can't even imagine what it must of been like to go to grad school just a few short years ago without this crazy-funky technology we have now. This is an example of the benefits of technology. I've done whole assignments without leaving the comfort of my living room, which if you saw the parking at IUPUI you'd know was blessing of blessings.

So, I sit here in the kichen, with a spent coffee cup, a small white plate with a smattering of left over sesame seeds from my bagel and empty yogurt cup with a metal spoon sticking out listening the rain patter away on the windows and the musician J. Ralph chill out on the radio. Its peaceful and I need that, its good to be in this place right now. To be quiet and contemplative and mentally curled up on a couch reading.

Why is There a Beer Semi Next Door?

You know its going to be a cool thing when you see a semi-truck pulled into Military Park across the street from the Law Library and there beer taps sticking out of the side all along the side. Thank God for Irish Fest! With that said the guy who walked up to the beer truck and asked "do you have anything domestic" and then was pleased when he received a Coors Light is, in my humble opinion, out of the club. He has given up his right to call himself a beer drinker.

My quarter Irish blood screamed as I listened to Irish music, drank a Harp (or two) "Ireland for the Irish!"

It was a little weird, though, the day for the Irish is in the middle of March, not September.

But there was a beer semi next door so that made it all better.

smattering nyc pics

We took a
tour of New York City. It cost 50 bucks a person but it was well worth it. We took tours of uptown, downtown and then we took an "evening" tour that went through Brooklyn.


These two pics are taken of
Times Square.

Columbus statue in Columbus Circle.

Just a random downtown picture. That double decker bus is the kind that we were on. I was amazed at how the driver was able to slide that big thing into the smallest itty bitty spaces! Amazing!

The Dakota, where John Lennon was killed. The carvings and craftsmanship on this building was something to behold.










Columbia University. Beautiful campus. I've always heard of Columbia, but I'd never seen it. It was very cool. Very, cool.


My favorite building the
Flatiron Building

I'll post some more soon.

Stye

My bed with still life.


My dresser with posters.


My writing desk festooned with detris, flotsum and jetsum. In short, a mess.



A conglomeration of cups, water bottle, and crumb- filled plate on my computer desk.

found poems (moleskin poem)

n/w burgen 1 block
left schuyler ave-->
1/2 mi
left harrison ave
(508)--> 1 mi
merge 280 east-->
1 1/4 mi
njpk(1-95-north)-->
3 3/4 mi
rt 3 exit (16w) 3/4 mi
service rd EBound-->
south service

Advisor Playback

------------------------

rt 3-->
MEADOWLANDS PKWY-->
LEFT-->
2012721000
______________________________

left-->(bearright)3E-->
(bearright)
MEADOW lands pkwy-->

The Beginning of Slumber

There is a fat brown spider on the corner of our house. There is small "T," or maybe a cross on its back and underneath a small black patch with two little white dots. I haven't been able to figure out what kind of spider it is, though, I'll admit I haven't done a whole lot of searching, save for flipping through of a couple Audubon-esque guide books. I'm pretty sure it's not a Brown Recluse. Those have little fiddle-like markings on their back. This spide is also very "furry." I must find out what kind of spider it is. If I can I'll try and take a picture of it and post it here.

Speaking of posting, I shall post NYC pics this weekend.

This time of year is probably my favorite. I can already feel the slowing down of nature, the deliberate preperation for winter's great hybernation. The leaves and grass are still green, but the sky has started to turn that dull, gun-metal grey color that signifies the first vestiges of autumn. Within the next few weeks the trees will start to sprout their oranges and reds and yellows. I'll probably have two more good lawn mows before its all over and I'll have to rearrange the storage shed and put the lawn mower further to the back and make the snow shovels more accessable.

This fall I have commenced my 21st and 24th graduate credits. There is a light at the end of this graduate degree tunnel. I'm not a hundred percent sure I really want to do what I'm training to do, but I love the idea of having a Master's Degree-- it was a promise to myself about 16 years ago when I had my first "real job" as a dishwasher whilst I was high school. It feels good to have accomplished what I have so far.

I am continually amazed at how many blessings I have received over the last few years, but I am also very much thankful each one.

poem

how do you write a
poem about new york city

they have all been written

how do you write about the
ebb & flow of unhumanity
when there isn't ebb

just flow

or the cacophony that echoes
through man-made caverns & canyons
made of steel, concrete,
& glass

how do you quantify the
feeling of your smallness to
its biggness without sounding childish, awe-
filled, & overly-romantic (i fear
i am all three)

there must be a way, but it is
lost to me
i can't begin to grasp it,
though i try

kicking and screaming

I watched Kicking and Screaming the other day. Its about these friends who are in the netherworld of "just graduated from college and trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives" (I should of put hyphens between each of those words, but I I just didn't feel like taking the effort... so, I just typed out that sad digression). They have this existence that kind of floats from one thing to another with the social lubrication of alcoholic libation. They know the should be doing something, but for some reason, what ever that thing is they are not so sure about.

Kicking & Screaming is a movie that is ripe with one liners, they just escape me at the present. For some reason this movie went below my radar when it came out. I don't remember ever hearing about it, I'm sure part of that reason is it was probably an "art house" film or something like that or had a limited distribution. Either way it never crossed my movie going tableau. I bought it sight unseen a few weeks back, after reading about it and reading some reviews, it sounded like a movie I might like because I tend to like those movies that depict wayward college students in the death/life throes of after college angst and hand wringing (Lord knows, I've done more than my fair share of that!)

Is it a good movie? Its not bad, its actually quite enjoyable. It does hit to home that, particularly for anyone who has the "misfortune" of having a "humanities degree" i.e. English, philosophy, history, and the like. We humanitist have to do one of a couple things: learn how to run a drive-through, or get more degrees.

For that reason it is a bit painful to watch.

The acting is okay, but not stellar. Though, Elliott Gould and Eric Stoltz do some fine work in the film. Gould playing the neurotic, Manhattanite, who is seperated from his wife, father type and Stoltz playing the all "knowing" somewhat sarcastic bartender in the local college town divebar. Even Parker Posey of "Wipe that face off your head" fame (from Dazed and Confused shows up-- she plays her typical dumbish, bitchy role that she seems typecast for.

It may not be the deepest of movies, and that's okay but I do think it will lend itself to repeated viewings.

Fit like a glove, it did

I went to church for the first time in roughly four weeks, I think. Between going on vacation and working on the weekends (retail's a bitch when you're a church goer) it has been hard to get church. I too advantage today and went. It was the "contemporary" service, which means there were jams more than hymns, but a begger can't be a chooser and the thirsty must drink. It felt good to be in a corporate worship. To hear the Word read as opposed to reading silently.

Hopefully, I'll have next Sunday off so I can have communion (something else I'm in need of).