Went to Vegas over the weekend with the fam and thomas. Had a splendid time. Made out with 130 bucks between thomas and i...so that was a nice bonus.
Let's see...anything else noteworthy???? hmmmmmmm......I watched Wit again last night. I really love that film. It's one of the smartest and most profound movies i've ever seen. Emma Thompson is at her best. If you haven't seen it, find it. You might have to do some digging. It was an HBO movie, so not excatly a blockbuster, but it will be well worth your time.
This is rather boring isn't it...
gypsy on
Monday, January 28, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Cloverfield and other random notes
Thomas and I saw Cloverfield last week, and can I just say that movie was radtacular??? I mean okay it IS a monster movie (like a modern cooler Godzilla monster movie), so we can't expect the philosophical profundity of Wit or anything like that, but all things considered a superb film. I'd love to expound, but you should really just see it. I don't want to spoil it.
In other news, the Clinton's are really showing their true colors these days. I mean, is it just me, or does Bill Clinton look like (not to mention act like) an old drunk homeless man dressed up for a ball these days? Saying absurd things about Obama and falling asleep during a MLK service.....wow. But, in truth, he isn't running for president, Hilary is. But she's pretty much the devil. Since when does Hilary Clinton have room to talk about "experience" in politics? Experience in what???? Being first lady for 8 years and a senator for just about as long as Obama? And then her campaign is chock full of retardation...aka comparing Obama to Kennedy and then alluding that Kennedy got shot.....did she tip back on ol' Bill's flask? Holy smokes!
Needless to say I'm not a fan of Hil. I'm not a Clinton basher...say what you will about them, I don't think Bill was the worst or best president we've ever seen. He'll probably fall back into history like James Knox Polk or something. (ya who the hell is Polk? my point exactly).
So here's me rooting for Obama! I'm liberal scum, I know. Actually, I'm an independent if you must know (forfeiting my right to vote in primaries, but oh so worth the knowledge that I don't' toe any one's line). It's just the conservatives have very little going for them as far as I can tell (but to be honest i haven't taken a good look yet, i never do til the real election given my aforementioned lack of ability to vote in the primaries anyway...) I like Giuliani, but probably just cause he was on TV a lot in '01.
Other than that i know very little except the Republicans will never win the election. Okay not never, Democrats have a tendency to eat there own in primaries and then lose the election because their own team knocked the poo outta them.
Continuing this rant...how many emails have i gotten talking about Obama's "Afro-centric" church and his "Muslim leanings." Come on people, stop forwarding chain letters that are full of mierda. First of all, actually go look at his church website and find that it is a primarily African American church (which accepts white members contrary to the current email) which serves a primarily African American neighborhood. God forbid they have some intrinsic values that reflect the culture that they are and the people they serve. And can we just note for a second that these "black" churches rose up in a period of American history when "White" churches didn't exactly support the black community. In fact they often (but not always, so don't get all defensive) were the people persecuting African American communities. So lets not be surprised, in fact lets be somewhat understanding, when these churches that rose out of oppression cling to their culture and seek to uplift their community by supporting "black" family values, morals, etc.
Furthermore, Obama is not Muslim...his father was, but he left when he was 2. He went to catholic school in Indonesia as well as a predominately Muslim public school (but Indonesia is predominately Muslim...so go figure). His mother was a-religious, and Obama has never attended an extremist school or defined himself as Muslim...only Christian. Those claims are outrageous and probably would be made if his name was Benjamin Johnson.
Okay i feel better now.
I'd also like to inform you that Ben and Jerry's Turtle Soup ice cream is delicious.
In other news, the Clinton's are really showing their true colors these days. I mean, is it just me, or does Bill Clinton look like (not to mention act like) an old drunk homeless man dressed up for a ball these days? Saying absurd things about Obama and falling asleep during a MLK service.....wow. But, in truth, he isn't running for president, Hilary is. But she's pretty much the devil. Since when does Hilary Clinton have room to talk about "experience" in politics? Experience in what???? Being first lady for 8 years and a senator for just about as long as Obama? And then her campaign is chock full of retardation...aka comparing Obama to Kennedy and then alluding that Kennedy got shot.....did she tip back on ol' Bill's flask? Holy smokes!
Needless to say I'm not a fan of Hil. I'm not a Clinton basher...say what you will about them, I don't think Bill was the worst or best president we've ever seen. He'll probably fall back into history like James Knox Polk or something. (ya who the hell is Polk? my point exactly).
So here's me rooting for Obama! I'm liberal scum, I know. Actually, I'm an independent if you must know (forfeiting my right to vote in primaries, but oh so worth the knowledge that I don't' toe any one's line). It's just the conservatives have very little going for them as far as I can tell (but to be honest i haven't taken a good look yet, i never do til the real election given my aforementioned lack of ability to vote in the primaries anyway...) I like Giuliani, but probably just cause he was on TV a lot in '01.
Other than that i know very little except the Republicans will never win the election. Okay not never, Democrats have a tendency to eat there own in primaries and then lose the election because their own team knocked the poo outta them.
Continuing this rant...how many emails have i gotten talking about Obama's "Afro-centric" church and his "Muslim leanings." Come on people, stop forwarding chain letters that are full of mierda. First of all, actually go look at his church website and find that it is a primarily African American church (which accepts white members contrary to the current email) which serves a primarily African American neighborhood. God forbid they have some intrinsic values that reflect the culture that they are and the people they serve. And can we just note for a second that these "black" churches rose up in a period of American history when "White" churches didn't exactly support the black community. In fact they often (but not always, so don't get all defensive) were the people persecuting African American communities. So lets not be surprised, in fact lets be somewhat understanding, when these churches that rose out of oppression cling to their culture and seek to uplift their community by supporting "black" family values, morals, etc.
Furthermore, Obama is not Muslim...his father was, but he left when he was 2. He went to catholic school in Indonesia as well as a predominately Muslim public school (but Indonesia is predominately Muslim...so go figure). His mother was a-religious, and Obama has never attended an extremist school or defined himself as Muslim...only Christian. Those claims are outrageous and probably would be made if his name was Benjamin Johnson.
Okay i feel better now.
I'd also like to inform you that Ben and Jerry's Turtle Soup ice cream is delicious.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Take That He-Man Women Haters
check out this website. I had a nice "conversation in raised tones" with someone the other day about women and ministry. No actually it was very civil and a very...thought provoking...discussion.
Please read this carefully He-man Women Haters club :) And I say that with deep affection for my headstrong (halfblind grumble grumble) brothers and sisters.
Jesus is not silent on women in ministry, He spoke volumes
http://www.shawnaatteberry.com/2007/01/15/career-women-of-the-bible-sisters-who-served/
Please read this carefully He-man Women Haters club :) And I say that with deep affection for my headstrong (halfblind grumble grumble) brothers and sisters.
Jesus is not silent on women in ministry, He spoke volumes
http://www.shawnaatteberry.com/2007/01/15/career-women-of-the-bible-sisters-who-served/
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Unashamed
I am shamelessly plugging my boyfriend's new business...He's a personal trainer with certs up the wazzoo :)
Need to lose some weight? Gain muscle? Get healthier? ohhh man this is the stuff right here. no joke no gimmick just science. promise. no fad diets, in fact no diet...just eating less calories than your body needs. i eat a good portion of mine in ice cream in fact lol. I lost 10% of my body fat and gained 11 pounds of muscle. Thomas (boyfriend and owner) lost 200lbs. TWO HUNDRED!!!!!!!! he was a chubs mctubs lol, but not anymore! Seriously though, this program takes less than an hour a week working out, but keep in mind they're tough. But 15 minutes per work out tough is not so bad cause you know it will be over soon.
If you have questions let me know cause i'm on this thing and it's not a diet or a "program" in the tradtional sense of the word...it's a way of life. it makes you healthy and strong :) check it out.
www.mybestbodynow.com
Need to lose some weight? Gain muscle? Get healthier? ohhh man this is the stuff right here. no joke no gimmick just science. promise. no fad diets, in fact no diet...just eating less calories than your body needs. i eat a good portion of mine in ice cream in fact lol. I lost 10% of my body fat and gained 11 pounds of muscle. Thomas (boyfriend and owner) lost 200lbs. TWO HUNDRED!!!!!!!! he was a chubs mctubs lol, but not anymore! Seriously though, this program takes less than an hour a week working out, but keep in mind they're tough. But 15 minutes per work out tough is not so bad cause you know it will be over soon.
If you have questions let me know cause i'm on this thing and it's not a diet or a "program" in the tradtional sense of the word...it's a way of life. it makes you healthy and strong :) check it out.
www.mybestbodynow.com
Friday, January 4, 2008
West vs. East and The Emerging Church
I love mystical rituals. I just do. I always go to midnight mass just to watch the nice old father throw incense around and hold his bible above his head and carry wooden jesus to his bed, followed by more incense throwing and me being blessed by a nun. I like it even more if it's orthodox and in latin.
I also love orthodox churches from the eastern tradition. The eastern tradition is so different from the west. They never had Augustine and Dante shoving hell down their throats with hell burning as a background to all belief. Salvation remained participation in God's restoration of the world (ie like the patriarchs felt) rather than becoming individual rescue from hell, as it did in the second millennium in the west.
Secondly, for better or worse, in the East...theology stayed in the monastaries and out of scholarly arena. Theology never went under the microscope like it did in post enlightenment western life. I think this kept religion focused on liturgy and pious prayer. The East doesn't think doctrinally and therefore never felt the vehemenant need to protect doctrine from distortion. Somehow, reason and revelation were never at odds and attaching oneself to God and knowing God came through prayer.
Finally...speaking of the Enlightenment...what a devil for the Western tradition. We never recovered from this crisis of confidence in the West. It seems (as Don Miller points out...or was it Rick McKinley...it all runs in a big mush pot in my head) that when the world pointed to new findings like evolution, the church suddenly decided it had to appeal to a jury of peers and science rather than appealing to something higher like art, beauty, truth. Suddenly the West is doubting whether we can know God at all, reason or revelation becoming weak vehicles in the light of scientific discovery. We've been scrabbling ever since to establish conditions under which we can know God, all the while the East has been unconcerned, optimistic about knowing God, obeying God, and participating in the restoration of the World through God.
The west is always moving toward some kind of elusive summit, while the east is more interested in basking in the beauty of God that is immediately present. And so, for the west, salvation comes from an event that God effects or a decision that he makes while, for the east, salvation is the transformation of the self into the beauty of God. Because the East never relished in humanity's depravity, they focus on the restoration of God's life while the West is obsessed with cross. Eastern churches have never had to fight the fight of icons and have embraced the arts as an expression of piety instead of a possible church divider.
To try to put the difference between Christian east and west sharply, we might say that Eastern Orthodoxy sees Christianity as a way of worship in the life of prayer and liturgy, while the west sees it as a way of thought, a set of ideas whose truth is to be perfectly worked out in order to dispel all false notions. And so, the East has a softer more relaxed feel to it, while the west is constantly defending and throwing punches.
Does it sound like i love me some eastern church? Sort of. What I really love is the Western church emerging into the Eastern. Reigning in the very best of both. For example, Imago Dei's emphasis on the arts -- allowing people to "participate in the creative life of the creator." Watching people worship through painting, music, and poetry is as uplifting as listening to a beautiful "traditional acapella" worship service. It allows the whole person to holistically become involved in knowing God when we open our view of worship.
Isn't it nice sometimes to just surrender to mysticism? To allow ourselves to NOT know something about God and be okay with it. Like not know how the trinity works, how creation "really" happened, and what a virgin conception means.
And, I, personally, enjoy not beating myself over the head about sin. Can we come off the sin wagon for just a minute and just bask in the fact we actually can and do KNOW the creator of the universe. Yes, sin is important but it is so secondary to just sitting in the light of the love of God that I wish I grew up Eastern orthodox sometimes just so I wouldn't have the big guilt complex. I've finally come to a point in my faith where hell and heaven are virtually irrelavent to my belief. With or without an afterlife (keep in mind the patriarchs didn't believe in one) just knowing and communitcating with the creator is enough. But, in light of an afterlife, it's not a fear of hell my faith dwells on, but the desire to be taken over by the light and beauty of God (and don't read that as thinking of mansions lined in silver on roads of gold). I mean heaven stops being a place i spend time in and a state of being in which i'm no longer existent but have been absolved into the glory of God. Damn that's cool.
And finally...incense makes churches smell good. And i like it. I wish Pastor Rick would throw some around, at least we have candles.
Oh ya, i like being blessed by nuns. If nothing else you feel loved by a complete stranger, and that's real christianity.
I also love orthodox churches from the eastern tradition. The eastern tradition is so different from the west. They never had Augustine and Dante shoving hell down their throats with hell burning as a background to all belief. Salvation remained participation in God's restoration of the world (ie like the patriarchs felt) rather than becoming individual rescue from hell, as it did in the second millennium in the west.
Secondly, for better or worse, in the East...theology stayed in the monastaries and out of scholarly arena. Theology never went under the microscope like it did in post enlightenment western life. I think this kept religion focused on liturgy and pious prayer. The East doesn't think doctrinally and therefore never felt the vehemenant need to protect doctrine from distortion. Somehow, reason and revelation were never at odds and attaching oneself to God and knowing God came through prayer.
Finally...speaking of the Enlightenment...what a devil for the Western tradition. We never recovered from this crisis of confidence in the West. It seems (as Don Miller points out...or was it Rick McKinley...it all runs in a big mush pot in my head) that when the world pointed to new findings like evolution, the church suddenly decided it had to appeal to a jury of peers and science rather than appealing to something higher like art, beauty, truth. Suddenly the West is doubting whether we can know God at all, reason or revelation becoming weak vehicles in the light of scientific discovery. We've been scrabbling ever since to establish conditions under which we can know God, all the while the East has been unconcerned, optimistic about knowing God, obeying God, and participating in the restoration of the World through God.
The west is always moving toward some kind of elusive summit, while the east is more interested in basking in the beauty of God that is immediately present. And so, for the west, salvation comes from an event that God effects or a decision that he makes while, for the east, salvation is the transformation of the self into the beauty of God. Because the East never relished in humanity's depravity, they focus on the restoration of God's life while the West is obsessed with cross. Eastern churches have never had to fight the fight of icons and have embraced the arts as an expression of piety instead of a possible church divider.
To try to put the difference between Christian east and west sharply, we might say that Eastern Orthodoxy sees Christianity as a way of worship in the life of prayer and liturgy, while the west sees it as a way of thought, a set of ideas whose truth is to be perfectly worked out in order to dispel all false notions. And so, the East has a softer more relaxed feel to it, while the west is constantly defending and throwing punches.
Does it sound like i love me some eastern church? Sort of. What I really love is the Western church emerging into the Eastern. Reigning in the very best of both. For example, Imago Dei's emphasis on the arts -- allowing people to "participate in the creative life of the creator." Watching people worship through painting, music, and poetry is as uplifting as listening to a beautiful "traditional acapella" worship service. It allows the whole person to holistically become involved in knowing God when we open our view of worship.
Isn't it nice sometimes to just surrender to mysticism? To allow ourselves to NOT know something about God and be okay with it. Like not know how the trinity works, how creation "really" happened, and what a virgin conception means.
And, I, personally, enjoy not beating myself over the head about sin. Can we come off the sin wagon for just a minute and just bask in the fact we actually can and do KNOW the creator of the universe. Yes, sin is important but it is so secondary to just sitting in the light of the love of God that I wish I grew up Eastern orthodox sometimes just so I wouldn't have the big guilt complex. I've finally come to a point in my faith where hell and heaven are virtually irrelavent to my belief. With or without an afterlife (keep in mind the patriarchs didn't believe in one) just knowing and communitcating with the creator is enough. But, in light of an afterlife, it's not a fear of hell my faith dwells on, but the desire to be taken over by the light and beauty of God (and don't read that as thinking of mansions lined in silver on roads of gold). I mean heaven stops being a place i spend time in and a state of being in which i'm no longer existent but have been absolved into the glory of God. Damn that's cool.
And finally...incense makes churches smell good. And i like it. I wish Pastor Rick would throw some around, at least we have candles.
Oh ya, i like being blessed by nuns. If nothing else you feel loved by a complete stranger, and that's real christianity.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Happy 2008, I'm sick! That doesn't bode well
I'm not a New Year's girl. I don't really drink anymore, i don't dance, i don't party, i don't care. lol. But thomas and i spent a nice quiet evening in, playing Magic (we are dorks), watching movies, and cuddling. We were too busy watching a movie to even notice it was the New Year until 12:11. We did eat with style though. Pesto pasta and chocolate chip cookies topped with ice cream (just the cookies...the pesto was sans ice cream).
So it's 2008. I turn 26 this year. weird. I also move to Africa. weird. Well i think I am...everyday it gets closer the more separation anxiety i feel (as in separation from Thomas). I'm just taking it a day at time, crossing bridges as they come. I am excited to get my invite FINALLY from the peace corps at the end of this month. Le sigh.
How am I going to manage this?
So it's 2008. I turn 26 this year. weird. I also move to Africa. weird. Well i think I am...everyday it gets closer the more separation anxiety i feel (as in separation from Thomas). I'm just taking it a day at time, crossing bridges as they come. I am excited to get my invite FINALLY from the peace corps at the end of this month. Le sigh.
How am I going to manage this?
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