I got up early this morning to finish my Ethics paper. I got started later than I would have liked last night, because I realized that I was supposed to read an article and post a response to it online. I had kind of forgotten about it, because when the professor spoke about it in class, I was thinking about my Western mid-term, which is this Thursday. I have found myself several times, sitting in class and thinking about another of my classes instead of focusing on the topic at hand. This disturbs me a great deal.

Math mid-term in tomorrow, and I feel okay about it. I will review some more tonight, and do some practice problems. I also need to study for that Western mid-term. Also, my first baseball game of the year is tomorrow, which is also my first Division 1 game ever. I am so stoked!

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Mid-Term time has arrived, and this week is gonna be nuts.

I made a game plan for the week, and it involves maximizing every spare second of my time, focusing each moment toward academic gain. We'll see how it goes (as soon as I finish this post--then it's time to work).

This has been one of those just plain "wonderful" days. I woke up early this morning, and listened to some cool tunes. Mostly Coldplay, with some Bon Jovi tossed in (more on that in a minute). We went to worship this morning, and the sermon was particularly good. I spoke with Frank Ward (the head of youth ministry for the denomination), and it was good to see him since we had not spoken in quite a while. I told him about my upcoming trip to Israel, and we talked about his upcoming trip to Japan this summer. We also talked about the Japan/China tour Michelle and I are going on in 2008. Strangely, we did not talk about CPYC, which is what we almost always talk about...LOL. He told me he would like to hear of my Israel trip when I get back, so I may line up a speaking gig here.

Clarksville church did not seem interested, but Mt. Liberty in Charlotte has asked me to speak. The date there is TBA.

Again, I cannot say how much I am relieved that we will get to go on the trip. This is a big part of my spiritual journey, and I am greatly anticipating it. Many of my classmates have expressed their life-long dreams of going to the Holy Land, so I know they are looking forward to it as much as I am.

It occurred to me one day last week that once I have been to the Holy Land, America may well never be quite the same for me. Heraclitus, one of the pre-Socratic philosophers, is famous for saying "You can never step into the same river twice." Ponder on that for a moment, and you will see how easily the saying, "You can never go home again" germinates from that. It occurred to me that I may never see America the same way again. Which is how Bon Jovi comes into the equation. Their new song, "Who says you can never go home?", is currently receiving a lot of airplay on the Memphis rock radio stations. It is a song that I developed a fondness for, so much so that I bought the album on iTunes this morning. Great song, but indeed you really ever can't step into the same river twice, because it is always changing. America will certainly have changed for me.

I am going to create another blog just for the Israel trip, and when I get it up, I will post the URL. While I am away, I will post there as often as I can, hopefully at least once per day. As part of the class, we are required to keep a journal, and submit it when we get back. My posting will make up the bulk of the journal. I will certainly have to clean it up a bit to get into academic form, but the text will essentially be the same. My grandmother has told me several times that I will be her eyes, so I am going to do my very best to try to communicate what I experience.

Also, I will send out another email with my hotel info and itinerary if you would like to follow along each day. I should be receiving my cell phone number in a few days, so if you would like to call me you will be able. It will be much cheaper for me to receive calls than to make outgoing calls, so if you would like to talk to me, that is probably the best way to go. Michelle found a great rate on a particular kind of calling card, and I will relay that info here before I leave.

I cannot say enough how much I appreciate all the support I have received from my friends and family. It means a lot to me to know that people care about what I do. Moreso than me, please pray for Michelle as she struggles to be alone for the first time since we've been married. As for me, I welcome the break...LOL!! She will get me for saying that!!

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Late yesterday afternoon, I got an email from Dr. Patterson saying that the trip is back on. So, of course, I am just overjoyed. His email contained the text of the email he received from the Administration. It stated that after much deliberation, they feel the students of the class are all adults and (in the Administration's opinion) capable of making informed decisions. This is all a bunch of crap, in the context that this had nothing to do with their initial argument. Oh well, the bottom line is that we get to go, and that is all that matters.

No one likes to be jerked around like we did, but as bad as it has been on me, it has been that much worse for Michelle. This whole thing was her idea in the first place, and since she ended up not even going at all, makes me feel quite selfish. She is going to spend a few days in Tullahoma with her parents, but most of the time will be here working. She is strong and I know she will make it fine. My cell phone bill from Israel may be a tad high, because I will fell compelled to call often.

I have a ton of work to do before the break. All my classes are trying to cram a ton of stuff in before midterms, and it is weighing me down. Add to this all of the drama from this week and you may understand why I feel I am about to collapse from exhaustion.

I need to re-write my ethics paper by Tuesday, complete the ethics reading journal by Thursday, western mid-term exam (might be the hardest test I have ever had) is Thursday, Math mid-term is Wednesday, I need to write 2 essays for film class and submit them before Friday, and there is probably something else, too. Oh yeah…I need to get ready to leave the country for 10 days…LOL. Oh well. It will all get done. I just have to keep telling myself that.

Once again, I appreciate all the support I have reeived from everyone.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace…

WE ARE GOING!!

I am work, so I cannot make a detailed post, but I just got word that the trip is ON!!

I will write more tonight.

Peace...

Update

Dr. Patterson met with the President and Provost this morning, and he reported that things went very well. He presented some really good counter-arguments to the University's arguments that were presented Tuesday night, and he feels that he made good headway.

A big part of the university's argument Tuesday was that Harvard and Rhodes had both suspended their Israel programs, so the University felt it should too. I smelled a tu quoque fallacious argument. Anyway, as it turns out, Harvard had reinstated their program just this year. Dr. Patterson also presented a list of about 60 other universities with students in Israel right now. He felt this really impressed the President and Provost. We also have received tremendous support from the Memphis Jewish Community, and some good press in the campus newspaper, The Daily Helmsman.

He left the meeting feeling our odds stand at about 50-50, which is much better than the 90-10 that we had yesterday.

As of now, a decision has not yet been rendered, but it should be coming soon. I am hoping for the best.

I received word this morning that my great-aunt is doing a little better, in that her fever has been reduced, but that she is still in bad shape. I have not heard about my cousin Cara and her leukemia. My other cousin Claire is now home from the hospital and is reported to be recovering somewhat. Please pray for them to receive healing and comfort in their time of need.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

First off, I would like to say "Thanks" to all the people who have called, emailed, and texted me about the (immanent) loss of my Israel trip. Your support means so much.

I will try to explain things as best I can. The trip's faculty sponsor, Dr. David Patterson, received a phone call yesterday morning from the International Programs office of the University. The phone call was to inform him that the President and the Provost had decided that on "moral grounds" they could not allow us to go on the trip. This came as a complete shock to everyone, since the trip had been approved in June 2005, and all i's and t's had been dotted and crossed. As far as anyone knew, the trip was a "go".

Our regularly scheduled class meeting last night became a meeting with lawyers from the President's and Provost's offices. Obviously, we had a lot of questions that needed answers. Surprisingly, many of our questions were indeed answered. Although, obviously, not in the way we would have preferred.

The first question, of course, was "Why?". As it was explained to us, this is what happened. Over the weekend, someone in the International Programs office read an article online that had been produced by the BBC, which said that tension levels, and perhaps violence, would escalate in the West Bank during the time we would be in Israel. So, the plug was pulled on the whole thing. We were quite disturbed that the trip could be cancelled based on one report, and especially a report from the notoriously pro-Palestine BBC. We explained that, given the large Jewish community in Memphis, there are plenty of experts that have qualified opinions on the matter, and that they have unanimously given us the green light. In fact, Dr. Patterson's wife travels to Israel several times a year to assess the situation on the ground, and has just returned from her latest trip. She, too, gives it a green light.

Through all the smoke that lawyers blow, I discerned that basically, the university feels that if someone on this trip were to get hurt due to a terrorist attack, the University would look bad in the eyes of the community. So, that is the reason the trip was cancelled. They weighed their thesis against the fact that the Memphis Jewish community is in uproar, and that the university has already taken a P.R. hit in their eyes. Also, the Daily Helmsman (the campus newspaper) had a reporter and photographer at the meeting, and will be giving us favorable press.

The result of the meeting is that a sub-committee was formed (you might think that a Presbyterian minister was involved...LOL), with the idea that it would represent the group in a meeting with the President and Provost. The meeting was to be arranged this morning, with the hope that it would happen this afternoon. As of now, I have not heard of any developments, so I believe that the meeting probably did not happen today. The sub-committee is going to present our case, in the hopes that the trip will be reinstated.

Basically, there are a few possible scenarios in play. Most likely is that the trip will remain cancelled. We have been promised full refunds, and course credit (upon completion of a research paper).

The is a possibility that we would sign release forms, absolving the university of any liability in the event of someone getting hurt. This idea has already been presented, and rejected, so it seems unlikely. Anyway, with all the paperwork that were required to submit, I seem to remember already signing something to this effect. If that was not good enough, I do not know why a new release of liability agreement would be any better.

Another possible scenario is that the trip could happen independently of the University. A lot of things would have to happen for this to play, but it does not seem out of the realm of possibility. If the trip were to happen independently of the University, all the discounts and subsidies that we received because of the University's involvement would be lost, and those monies would have to be replaced. We estimated this cost to be about $500-$700 per person. For most folks, that would probably not be possible. However, Dr. Patterson has contacts within the Memphis Jewish community that he feels could possibly be of financial assistance. However, the way I see it, if we were to go this route, it seems that Dr. Patterson would be grossly insubordinate, so therefore I do not expect him to risk his job and career. So, in reality, it seems this scenario is quite unlikely.

So, we are all in limbo at this time. I have been quite distraught the past 18 hours or so, with my melancholy being compounded upon receiving news this morning that my great-aunt Mabel may be on the verge of death, and that my cousin Cara was diagnosed with leukemia yesterday. These events certainly make the loss of a trip seem not-quite-so-important. Add to all this that, due to my sadness, Michelle is also saddened. This disturbs me maybe more than anything. I told her tonight that we need to be strong, not to let one of us bring the other down. We had a nice talk, and I think we both felt better afterward.

Since our internet at home is not working well, I went driving in search of a free network. The only one I could find is at Buffalo Wild Wings, which is more of a sports bar than anything else. I did not even see coffee on the menu. So, I ordered a chesseburger and a Coke. Somehow, after eating, I am still hungry. Wings at 1:00 AM would not be a good idea, so I think I will wait until I get home to have another snack.

I should know more tomorrow about the status of the trip. In lieu of the trip, Michelle and I have been tossing around ideas on where we could go. I think we have decided on a trip to Huntsville, Alabama, to see the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. I went there as a kid, and it is one of my fondest memories. Michelle has never been, so she is excited about seeing something new. We also will probably go to the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama. In case you may not know, unclaimed baggage from the airlines goes here to be sold. The store is huge--in fact, it is larger than a city block. As Michelle put it, this is a glorified yard sale. LOL. Neither of us have ever been, so it will kind of neat. Who knows, I might find a discounted iPod. I have been saving up for one, and am just about ready to make a move in that direction.

We have not made any definitive plans, though, so everything is up in the air.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Rock on!

About 5 minutes ago, I sat down to have lunch and check my email. The first email I checked was one from my professor who is in charge of the Israel trip. The subject line of the message read "Some shockingly bad news". The content of the message was to inform everyone involved that the trip has been cancelled. The University President and Provost have said that "on moral grounds" they cannot allow us to go.

I immediately called Michelle to let her know, and we spoke for a few minutes. Other than that brief conversation, these words are my initial thoughts. Except that I do not really know what to say. I am just dumbfounded, and I am indeed in shock, as I have been looking forward to this like nothing else in my life, save my marriage. I have not as yet qued up any music, as is my norm during lunch, so I am trying to think of a great song to capture the mood. After a few minutes of contemplation, The Beatles' "Let it Be" is it. From the Anthology 3, since it's probably my favorite version.

I have a difficult time believing that the President and Provost are so morally concerned with us that they would even think twice about this trip, so that leads me to wonder what the real reasons may have been. This is a fruitless exercise, so I will try not to even bother. One cannot help but wonder, though.

An otherwise great lunch of chicken and stuffing with corn has suddenly lost its appeal. I am trying to choke it down, because I know I will need energy for the rest of the day. Oh well.

I am trying to take this well, but this just sucks.

I hope everyone is doing well. The Hebrew word for "peace" is "shalom".

Shalom...

Michelle and I were having lunch yesterday, and it occured to me I was drinking Pepsi from a Coke cup. I understand this is illegal in 13 states. LOL.

I decided to make a cameo appearance in math class this morning, so I got up bright and early and headed over to campus. However, once there, I discovered the campus is closed until noon today "Because of the condition of some of the streets and sidewalks", says the university's official email.

Oh well. I decided to head over to Atlanta Bread Company to use their wireless network, since we have been without internet at home since Friday. Since we moved here in August, we have been freeloading off our neighbors, using their wireless network (with their permission). However, Friday, they moved to another apartment which put us out of range. Yesterday, I bought a range extender, but I could not get it to synch up with their router. Our neighbor, Mike, is going to come over tonight to look at it.

I am so far behind in several of my classes, I feel like I am going to drown. I have a ton of work to do in Spanish, tons of writing for Ethics, Western mid-term is less than 2 weeks away, and at least 3 other things I could be doing. Yet, I remain calm, knowing that it will all get done at some point.

I got another baseball assignment yesterday, at Jackson St. on 3/25. That's cool. My partner is from Memphis, so we will be able to ride together.

I am continuing to make preparations for my trip to Israel. Departure is well nigh, so I am getting more excited every day.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Nothing Says True Love Like A Pit Bull

I meant to post this picture the other day, but forgot. I saw this car on my way to class, and almost fell over laughing. Funnier still, as I was taking the picture, the owner of the car started calling out to me, "Wanna buy a dog? You interested?". He was runnning to catch up to me, so I started running away from him and just yelled "No". LOL. Only in Neck-ville.

I think I have finally found the iPod that I want. Apple recently filed several patent applications involving touch-screen applications, and the rumor mills are ablaze amid hopes that there will be a video iPod with a touch-screen interface. It is also possible that Apple may be working on a tablet-style laptop. Interesting stuff.

I got up early this morning to rip some of the CD's that I brought from Clarksville, and also to organize the music I got from my brother Steve. While organizing my Bad Company playlist, I accidentally hit the button that opens the iTunes store, and observed that Bad Co. released a new CD last year. In the midst of getting married, somehow I missed hearing about it. I listened to clips of several of the songs, and they sound like vintage Bad Co. This might be my next musical purchase.

I have been listening to my new Neil Young CD quite a bit, and while not on par with Harvest, or Harvest Moon, I like it nonetheless. I have also listened to some of Coldplay's X & Y, and I like it a lot. I have noticed that Nickelback's new single "Photograph" has a verse on the CD version that does not appear on the radio. I wonder why that is. The CD version clocks at 4:18, so that does not seem to be too long, but I cannot figure it out. Hmm. Anyone got any info?

We are supposed to finish Spinoza today in Western, so that will be nice. His stuff is kind of confusing, although it is easy to see why he was excommunicated from Judaism, and simultaneously pissed off the RCC.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Chris is in the Division 1 House!!

I spoke with my baseball assigning officer (the guy who assigns games to umpires), and he offered me a few games in the coming weeks. One is at a junior college in Clarksdale, Mississippi this weekend, and one is March 1st at UT Martin, which will be my first Division 1 game ever! I am so excited I am about to burst!! As Mike Clark put it, "It's about time somebody recognized you (I) am a damn good umpire!" I also have a test that morning, so I will have to make sure to be focused on both events.

Speaking of tests, I got my math test score back today, and I am pleased. I got a 95, only missing one question. I was a little disappointed in that I missed the question by making a careless mistake, but I will take a 95 any day.

After class, Michelle and I went by the bank to get a safe deposit box. It didn't cost nearly as much as I thought it might, so that was good. We wanted a safer place to keep our important documents than the "lock box" we have been using.

I am going to head to the library in a while to do some work. Actually, I have a ton of work to do. As always.

Michelle is working later, then she has class. Afterward, she has promised to make tacos for dinner. Yay! I always joke that in high school the one day of the week I could be guaranteed to be there was when the cafeteria served tacos. LOL. Actually, I went every day, but it makes for a funny joke.

I spoke with my uncle Don yesterday, and he wants me to come to his church and speak about my experiences in Israel after I get back. That will be nice. I am going to offer to speak to several other churches, to see if anyone is interested.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

I have been busy this morning ripping some of the CD's I brought back from Clarksville. I also used my iTunes gift card that I had received to purchase Neil Young's new album, "Prairie Wind", which is the third album in his "Harvest" trilogy. It came with 2 free videos, so that was really cool. All albums from iTunes should come with free videos. I also recently bought Nickelback's new CD, "All the Right Reasons", so I have been able to almost satiate my music fix...LOL.

Today will see me in Western Philosophy, discussing the wonders of Spinoza. Later, it's off to Ethics class, where we will watch the Woody Allen film, "Crimes and Misdemeanors". Then, I have got to run some errands (someone told me this is Valentine's Day?), then an Israel meeting, then study time, then time with my valentine.

I hope everyone has a great day. Peace...

This weekend was simply incredible. Friday, at about noon, it started snowing rather heavily here in Memphis. Since Michelle was working, we were not scheduled to leave for Clarksville until about 4 PM. However, her boss was concerned that we would not be able to make it out of town, so she came home early and allowed Michelle to leave early. So, we got out for town about 2:30 I think. People in Memphis drive in a ridiculous manner even when the roads are clear, so adding snow just creates bedlam and chaos. It took us quite a while, and a few death-defying maneuvers, to get out of town. Once we got down the road a ways, we actually got ahead of the snow, and we were just driving through a lot of rain. Not too bad. However, around mile marker 30 (remember, mile marker 0 is the Mississippi River) Michelle started clamoring about how she always craves hot chocolate when it's snowing. Meanwhile, I was just trying to keep us alive...LOL. So, we soon stopped for some hot chocolate and a cinnamon roll. This allowed the snow to catch back up to us, but we eventually got back ahead of it again. Until mile marker 143, when we needed gas. After filling up, we drove through snow for a while until we eventually got ahead of it again. Eventually, we got to my grandparents' house, where I promptly fell asleep from exhaustion. LOL.

My mother had read here that one of our main objectives while we were in town was to visit Johnny's, so she and my dad instructed me not to go there Friday night, since they wanted to take us there for dinner Saturday night. However, our jones could not wait, so we went late Friday night just for a honeybun with ice cream. Mmmm good. Afterward, we were so wired that we called my parents house to see if they were still up, and indeed they were. So, we headed over there to chill and so I could download some of my brother's music. My dad had recently converted a bunch of old home VHS movies to DVD, so we watched Christmas 1986 and had great laughs. That was the year I got my first RC car, and it fun to remember old times. Steve promptly brought out that old car, plus my dad's lasertag gun (complete with holster). Steve watched the movie with horror as he opened a ton of Transformers, and other figurines. He could only imagine how much they would be worth now, unopened. I pointed out that his behavior was dangerously similar to that of the guy in "40 Year-old Virgin". I threatened to never speak to him again if he revealed an "Asia" poster. Then I told the story about the guy I used to know who had close to 10 Asia CD's. LOL.

Saturday, we had a busy day. We started by going to Wal-Mart to buy a trailer ball and a wrench (to install the trailer ball). While there, we ran into one of my former professors, whom I had for English 1010 and 1020. She is the nicest woman, and it was great to see her. We also ran into Dottie Minor, who is a member of the Clarksville church. She told us that her husband Pat was out of town and would miss my sermon, but that she would be there. She is really friendly, and it was great to talk with her.

Then, we went to U-Haul to pick up the trailer we had reserved. I had originally reserved it with the plan that we would tow it with my Nissan truck, but due to the snow we decided to drive Michelle's Explorer instead. When the woman at U-Haul saw we were in an Explorer, she promptly told us we could not rent the trailer, due to U-Haul's policy of not allowing their trailers to be town behind Ford Explorers. I said something to the effect of, "Say what?". I found this to be incredulous. She explained that a number of Explorers had overheated while towing trailers, so they do not allow it anymore. I was just dumbfounded. So, needless to say, we left U-Haul without a trailer.

So, we headed over to Tim's house to load up what we could of the stuff we had left there when we moved to Memphis in August. First on the priority list for me was the CD's and DVD's that I had unwittingly left there. Since all my CD's are alphabetized, I have been without everything from the M's to the R's since we moved here. That includes my Neil Young and Pink Floyd. This has been a sore spot with me, so I am overjoyed to get them back. Then, we went to Wal-Mart to return the trailer ball and wrench. Then, we went to visit the people that she used to work for, but the kids were not there so we decided to come back later. So, I got a haircut and Michelle got hers trimmed a bit. We then cruised by Verizon to see Kent, and while there ran into Tim and Teri Sims, who are expecting another baby in a few months. So, their two kids will only be about 14 months apart. Wow. Turns out that Teri knows Kent's wife Daphne. I had never known this...LOL. We visited with Kent for a few minutes before heading over to my parents' house to get ready for dinner, and for me to copy more music. Steve and I played some games on the Xbox while everyone waited for my parents to get ready. We eventually hit the road and we all enjoyed a nice dinner at Johnny's. Steve's girlfriend Tina met us there, and no one was quite shocked that Steve and I engaged in an almost-epic battle of Ms. Pac-Man. That was a lot of fun. Ms. Pac-Man is one of my favorite video games of all time. Some of you may remember that I once held the high score on the machine at Austin Peay, until they unplugged the machine and moved it about 8 feet. That was horrible!...LOL

After dinner, we headed back to my parents' house where I could finish copying music, and while doing that Steve and I listened to some of Dark Side of the Moon (on his new special version CD) in surround sound, which was fabulous. Michelle was significantly ready to go, so we departed.

We got over to my grandparents' house, and I had planned on reviewing my sermon, but instead I mainly toyed with my new music, getting organized just the way I wanted it. Meanwhile, Michelle watched the last half of "Dirty Dancing". Then, the lights went out and I embarked on one of the least-restful nights of sleep ever. I don't think I slept for more than about 2 hours total, and woke up with a terrible headache, and with every bone of my body hurting. Plus, I felt like puking. I was not sure if I was going to be able to make it to church, and I was certainly in no condition to speak. But, I persevered, and made it there. I was already a nervous wreck, and when my parents walked in, I almost fell out of my shoes. No one had told me they were coming, so I was quite shocked to say the least. This increased my level of anxiety/nervousness by a factor of about 15, so I promptly went to the bathroom and got sick. Real sick. I cleaned myself up, and with about 5 minutes to spare, declared myself ready to proceed.

Somehow, I made it through the service, although I do not know how. I was so overcome with emotion that I could hardly breathe, let alone speak coherently. Afterward, it was remarkable how many people told me that I looked so relaxed. I wanted to say it must been because I felt dead...LOL.

After worship, the entire family gathered for lunch, which was a lot of fun. I didn't really feel like eating, but I managed to get some food down (Can't pass up a free lunch...LOL). It was great to visit with everyone, but before I knew it, it was time for us to go. We went by the Clarksville Academy, where the local baseball umpires' association was supposed to have a meeting, so I could say hello to the guys. However, no one was around, so I surmised that the meeting must have been cancelled. Then we went out to visit the kids Michelle used to watch, and we were all excited to see each other. They told us they were doing well in school, and that made us really happy. I had sold my Dell laptop to their mother last summer, and she told us that over the holidays some of the family that were in town had downloaded a bunch of games and stuff and gotten it messed up. She had just gotten it back from the shop on Friday. I was glad that there was nothing mechanically wrong with it. I fooled around with it for a bit, defragmenting the hard drive, and doing the same with their desktop. I also tried to fix the desktop's monitor, but could not do much with it. Looks like it is going bad.

We hit the road about 4 or so, and as soon as we got going, I knew I was not going to be able to drive the whole way. I was so exhausted that I could only drive for an hour or so, and had to get Michelle to drive. She drive for a time, while I slept. Except for when she would slam on the brakes, waking me up. Anyway, she drove past Waverly to where we get back on the interstate (mile marker 143), and we stopped for a few minutes to get some coffee and snacks. I felt much better, and was able to drive the rest of the way. We got home a little after 8, unpacked the car, and promptly sat our butts down. We were tired. We cooked a frozen pizza, of which I did not eat much (still no appetite), watched Grey's Anatomy, then went to bed. Just before retiring, however, I opened the envelope I had received at church, which contained my paycheck. When I saw the amount, I was flabbergasted. They paid me much more than the normal rate, plus mileage. Whenever I speak at a church, I don't usually discuss the pay, knowing that the church will pay me fairly. So, this was quite a surprise. A great way to top off the night, and hit the rack.

The wake-up call came way too early this morning, and I could not manage to stumble out of bed in time to make it to math class. Which was OK, since we probably were just going to go over Friday's test. There is no attendance policy, so it's not big deal. I decided to go to the library, where I planned on doing some reading, but instead I have been writing this post for about the last hour or so. At 11:30, Michelle and I are meeting for lunch (appetite is BACK!), then we have a meeting at 12:30 here on campus. Then, I have film class at 2:30, and she has to work for a few hours before she goes to class. Maybe I will get some school work done tonight while she is in class.

I checked my email earlier, and one of my professors wants to get together over lunch to informally discuss the ethics of human cloning. That sounds exciting. I do not know too much about it, although I tend to be against it. So, it will be good to converse with someone who is knowledgeable about it. I think we are going to get together in the next week or two.

I have an Israel meeting tomorrow, and a baseball meeting on Wednesday night. So, I do not work again until Thursday. So, our expenditures will definitely be cut back this week. Maybe we will pick up some Ramen noodles...LOL.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

This morning found me downloading Green Day's album "American Idiot" from iTunes. I have been listening to it for the last 30 minutes or so, and I really like it. I have never listened to much of their music before, the one exception being "Good Riddance" some years back. Therefore, I did not have a good idea of what their sound was, but I am enjoying it. Very energetic, to say the least. 3-piece bands always have unique sounds (i.e., Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Rush, ZZ Top, et al.).

I also checked out the 2006 Grammys album, and I may buy it soon. I already have some of the music from it, but there are several songs I don't have. I may do that next week.

Today, I am turning in my ethics paper that I finally finished at 11:30 last night. Also, western philosophy class should be good. We will be talking about Baruch Spinoza, who managed to simultaneously get excommunicated from Judaism, and piss off the Roman Catholic Church. Talking about predestination can do things like that. I had never read him before this class, so it is a refreshing break from the Kant-Mill cycle I have been on.

1 more day till we roll to Clarksville!

Peace...

I have hit a patch of writer's block today, as I have made very little progress toward finishing my ethics paper. I have a lot of ideas in my head, but I have not been able to get them down on paper. We rented the movie "Cinderella Man" the other day, and it is due tonight. If I want to watch it, I must finish my paper, so maybe I will get a sense of urgency.

We are marking the hours till we get to Clarksville, although it feels a little weird not knowing what the schedule is going to be once we get there. We should get into town about 9-10 PM Friday night, so we don't expect to do much except go to Johnny's for a honey bun and ice cream. Saturday, we will be packing some stuff up that we had left in storage. My main personal objective there is to retrieve the CD's that I unwittingly left behind. This includes all my Pink Floyd, Neil Young, and Robert Johnson. This has been a sore spot with me since we moved here. So, when we get back, I will have serious ripping to do. Also, while we are there, I am planning on raiding my brother Steve's music hard drive to add some stuff to my collection that I do not have on CD.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

We had our debate in ethics class today, and it went well. My team actually won, which was quite surprising to me. Although, the outcome had no effect on our grade, other than merely participating will help everyone with their participation grade. My team had a couple people not show up today, so boo to them. We overcame their absence, and presented a pretty good argument.

We are looking forward to being in Clarksville this weekend. I need to call Mike Clark to see if they want to have dinner Friday or Saturday night, or do something else. My whole family is getting together Sunday after church, and that will be neat. It will also be cool to unwrap our Christmas presents that my parents got us--I am beginning to like this idea of celebrating Christmas in February...LOL.

I am getting nervous about preaching at Clarksville church, which is kind of weird since I normally get nervous about preaching as soon as I accept an invitation. I guess I have been so busy with school work and stuff that I have not had time to get nervous. Although, I have a pretty good sermon, and I think that helps, too. Hopefully I will say something meaningful.

I ran into Caroline Averitt today while I was eating lunch. It was good to talk with an old friend from Clarksville, although she laid a guilt trip on me for having never come to the Wesley Foundation. She is heavily involved there, and I think she may even work there in some capacity. Anyway, I explained that I work almost every Tuesday, and Michelle has class. But, I told her we would make an effort. She told me her brother Jay will be coming here in the fall on a full academic scholarship; I am really proud of him. Last time I spoke with him, he was wanting to be a youth minister, so I hope that desire is still with him.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

I haven't spoken with Kent since before the game, but I know he is overjoyed with Pittsburgh's win over Seattle. He has been a true Steelers fan since he was a kid, and has been waiting a long time for the Steelers to win another title.

Michelle and I had much fun watching the game. Actually, I had much fun and she did homework...LOL. It was one of the strangest games I have ever seen. A lot of twists and turns, with Seattle dominating but never taking control. It was more of Seattle LOSING the game than Pittsburgh WINNING it.

Today will be filled with homework and reading. Also, I need to work on tomorrow's presentation. Need to work on Sunday's sermon, too. Need to do some Spanish stuff online. Need to study for Friday's math test. Not too much going on, other than that stuff...LOL.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

Some interesting things happened in ethics class today. We were talking about moral relativism, which is the view which contends there is no universal code of morality that is good for all people. Rather, it holds that each society's moral codes are determined by the individual society. The professor asked the class if anyone agreed that this was a good philosophy, and several people raised their hands. Then the professor asked if anyone was in strong disagreement with this system, and I, along with some others, raised my hand. I pointed out that it is essentially a fallacious argument, and used an example of slavery in the U.S. I submitted that just because slavery was at one time morally permissible in some parts of the U.S., that does not necessarily make it right. In the end, two black women on opposite ends of the room started arguing with each other, and they dominated the conversation for about 15 minutes.

We got an interesting assignment for Tuesday. The class split into 3 groups, and Tuesday there will be an in-class debate. One team will have to argue in favor of a moral issue, one team will have to refute those arguments, then the two teams switch sides. The third team will act as judges. My team will have to argue in favor of the issue in the first round. The issue that we will argue in favor of is female clitoridectomy. Yep, you read that right. The real kicker is that my team elected me captain. So, I split the team into offense and defense. The offense will argue in favor, and the defense will counter the other team's arguments. Further, some team members will prepare the opening and closing remarks. So, all of this should be a lot of fun. The outcome of the debate will not have an effect on our grades, other than getting participation points. That is why I made sure everyone has a role.

One drawback to getting up before dawn is that I am now completely out of gas. After I finish my Flying Dog Winter Ale, I am going to bed. A night without watching O'Reilly Factor is like a day without sunshine, but oh well.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...

The sound of rain pattering upon the window woke me up this morning at about 4:30. Having not been able to return to a sleeping state by 5, I arose and started reading. I decided to take a break for breakfast and to listen to my new Train CD, but after a couple of songs, I qued up some Coldplay. It occurred to me that although I bought their "A Rush of Blood to the Head" CD last summer, in the hubbub of getting married I was never able to listen to it much. So, I have listened to several songs, and I really like it. I have always been a sucker for a well-written song. "Amsterdam" is particularly interesting, since I will have an 8-hour layover there on my way to Tel Aviv. What a haunting tune.

One of the benefits of being awake an such an insane hour is that I got to chat with one of my Facebook friends who is studying in Italy this semester.

I need to read some more Descartes before class, and also print some stuff out for Ethics class. Wait--I am now at a 21st-century university--I am free to turn on my computer in class now. Cool. Memories of Austin Peay still haunt me sometimes.

I have an Israel meeting tonight at 5:30, and Michelle has class until about 8PM. Looks like another dinner apart. We are really unhappy that our schedules are so unalike that we hardly can enjoy a meal together. Tonight we have a date with the IRS, because we are going to work on our taxes. It should not take much, since we already have gotten everything organized and in place. In fact, we have most of the numbers already entered into TurboTax, so with just a little more work we will be done.

Although, we did take a night off last night, and played putt-putt and rode go-karts. That was much fun. We actually tied in our game of putt-putt. She had an incredible front 9, parring 8 of the away holes while I was stinking up the joint with 4's and 5's. On the back nine, she cooled off a bit and I made some clutch putts in the 6-10 foot range to tie the score. The loser of our games usually buys the other a pretzel, so this time we split one.

I hope everyone has a great day. Peace...

I left math class this morning feeling particularly upbeat. I love it when I can get into a frame of mind of thinking logically, in a linear fashion. Cool.

I ran into Wes Fink after class, and it was good to talk with him for a few minutes. He's a cool cat.

Gonna grab some lunch with Michelle, then hit the books.

Peace...

I Love Me Some Train

Oh, how I love me some Train! Train's new CD was released yesterday, and while I knew I would be getting it soon, what a wonderful surprise it was for Michelle to buy it for me, and give it to me last night when I got home from work. I enjoyed listening to about half of it before going to bed. Listened to some more this morning, too. It's a wonderful record.

Math class will be starting in a few minutes, then it's off to the library for a full day of research/writing. I need to continue working on my paper for Ethics class. Ethics class yesterday was really great. I was really engaged with the material, and I was able to make several good comments. Western yesterday was a little strange. It is not often that a professor can speak for 20 minutes without me understanding anything at all that was said, but that is what happened yesterday. I turned to the woman next to me and told her I was completely lost. She said she was too, asked the prof to go over what he had just said, and after he condensed it to about 3 minutes, I understood it completely. Cool.

I have an Israel meeting tomorrow. I emailed he prof yesterday to ask him if the recent Hamas election victory would interfere with the trip at all, and thankfully he said no. So, we are still a go for launch.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...