Toronto was great... Socialism is great (uh oh... hopefully I am protected by the 1st and 14th amendment to say that socialism is cool even though I live in an individualistic country)... Canadaians are great... Anyway, NYC was a lot cooler than Toronto in the sense that there was more to see and do and it was bigger-- however, Toronto was great, in that it was a clean city, it was a diverse city, and the people are so nice there. The 3 homeless people I saw in Toronto had full cups/hats with money and food sitting around them. It doesn't seem that the Canadians were indifferent to inequalities and atrocities that I think Americans, as a whole, tend to ignore. There was a Starbucks on most every corner- just like NYC. It was sooo safe. I didn't see one scary part of town the whole time I was there. Shopping was good. Theatre was really good. Oh and Tess, you are going to crap your pants when you hear who half of IMPACT got to see...


Is the suspense killing you yet???


They (I wasn't with the group) went to a book/music festival in Queens Park and while they were there they spotted a guy playing his guitar. They went over and realized it was the lead singer (I forget his name-- is it Ed? or something like that?) of Barenaked Ladies!!! They said he was just sitting there, playing his guitar, and the people around him weren't going crazy or anything. They were just sitting there listening as if he was just some random guy playing his guitar in the street. As Judd said they said, "Eh, isn't that a barenaked lady?" (hee hee) "Eh, it is... He's good... This concert is good... let's just sit here and be cool, calm and rational Canadians unlike those obsessed Americans."

So yeah... I just got off the bus a couple hours ago and I still have some hmk, unpacking, and sleep to get done yet tonight and it's 3 am and I must be lonely (Matchbox 20 totally ruined every instance where I have to use the phrase "3 am"-- in fact, I am not really lonely... I am just mad that that song is in my head now thanks to the fact that it is 3 am and Matchbox 20 sang that silly song).

Night,
boo

quote of the day: (because i like reading these in other ppls blogs- i will write one when i think of one)

"They have trees and mooses and sled dogs, lots of lumber, and lumber jacks, and logs... people think that's kind of a drag, but you have to go there to get milk in a bag... they say "eh" instead of "what" or "duh"- that's the mighty power of Canada... Let's go to Canada... Let's leave today... Canada, Oh Canada... i se vous plait"

(i have no idea if i spelled that long-ways-to say please-in french right?)

Again, it's been awhile. I've been forgetting to blog- which is weird because I remember to read everyone else's blog... O-well.

I've been getting into my classes. I really like my English 484 class and I like the content of my Journalism Law and Ethics class. However, reading Mike's blog about Theory, Brit Lit, and such has made me miss what I think was my favorite semester in my undergrad career. I loved what those classes did to my head. The classes I am currently taking do not lead me down those paths in my brain.

Lee asked what mock trial is, so here's a brief description: Our BGSU team will compete with other teams (we get to compete with Yale!) in a mock/phoney/fake trial. We have a case- the same case for every competition and we prepare a plantiff case and a defense case. We have lawyers and witnesses. I am a witness named Francis Leo-- I am a crazy author- I committed myself to a mental hospital in order to write an undercover book about people in a mental hosptial and during my stay at the hospital I met a guy who would later beat a famous golfer with a tire iron (thus ruining his career). I am testifing about how nice of a guy the tire-iron-guy was in the hospital and how it must be the hospital's fault for mistreating him and letting him out of the hospital too early. My character is British and dresses like Dr. Alvarez... so imagine me as that... and so that is mock trial...

Something I have been thinking about lately is altruism. We are talking about it in IMPACT and it's got me thinking about Jesus' message-- if one were to try to sum Jesus up into one word, it would be quite easy. The word would be love. Well, what is this love that we are supposed to emulate? That is the question I've been asking myself lately. What does it mean to love as Christ loved? I feel like the little kid that wants to grow to be 6 feet tall in a minute, so to do so, he closes his eyes and tries to stretch every muscle in his body, only to open his eyes and see that he is no different- that he is going to have to wait for a process to occur.

I want to love as Christ loved. It is hard. Just think of all the people that die everyday in horrible ways. Think of what just happened to the small school in Russia. I looked at the picture on the front page of the NYTimes of the mother holding the corpse of her dead 6 year old son and it is so easy to show love and compassion for that mother. Tears are easy for her and actually they are hard to surpress.

What is hard is to love the terrorists that took guns in there and shot the children, didn't give them food or water, who blew up parts of that school. What were they thinking? How does Christ love them? I want to love them too but compassion comes slowly and relcutantly for the shooter.

How are we to love the tension? Tension is to be loved when it is like a passing note to a beautiful chord-- what is the beautiful chord in that mother's life? Or the father who lost three children and their mother who was a teacher? The problem of pain is so great-- I don't think we talk about it enough as Christians. The argument is unfalsifiable- however, it's all we've got to explain why God allows (or does) evil and painful things to happen to people. I think that it somewhat lazy to just say that God has a plan, so when something bad happens it must fit in that plan. No need to worry. I think we should get hot and bothered about pain in others' life- Jesus sure did. I think the problem of pain argument needs an adjunct- intercessory prayer.

God wants us to be praying to him-- about what? Well, about all this pain, maybe? I mean, we could never know if our prayers were answered and what pain we have prevented by praying; but we would know that we aren't selfishly sitting here in our warm and cozy rooms, at a modern and swanky computer, with medicine flowing through our veins, full tummies, and warm bodies. In order to know what to pray for though, we have to be informed Christians. I get so frustrated when I find that I have not read the paper that day and/or forgotten to pray for the pain I've heard about that day. Sure, pain might be good for us and for those people- but I think that often times it is not (like when people die painfully, unsaved) and we have the power to interecede for people- by praying- by acting.

Well, that is just one thing I have running through my head right now.

The other thing taking up way to much space is the stinkin election. I am so tired of it and I am sure ready for November 2 to get here. It makes me sad that Christians are so divided in this election- but at the same time it makes me kind of excited because it gets people talking about the mess. What really is frustrating is that our issues are split between the tickets. A Christian has one of two ways to pick- pick the candidate that is in favor of more Christian issues or the candidate that is for one big Christian issue. Decisions, decisions.... Eh... I don't want to get into it right now... so with that, I'm signing off;)

-boo

Hey all,

Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile (I apologize as if you cared). There's been a ton going on lately, such as: finishing my summer at Chase Brass and Copper Co. (thank goodness), starting school, getting used to classes, getting used to living with Kara and apart from other people, and all the other jazz that comes with a new school year.

I am taking some cool classes like Journalism Law and Ethics, a class on British TV Comedy (Literature and Film), Teaching Students With Special Needs, English 484 (a way cool prof- Dr. Alvarez), and the one class I am not so sure about is Creative Writing. I wish I had the talent some of my friends had for this class. It's all about digging within the recesses of your brain and concoting a story. I've never done that before-- so we'll see...

I am also doing this thing called Mock Trial this year- I have to be a witness on the stand for the team- which will be interesting. I think I am going to play a crazy author- which shouldn't be too hard. I have to develop an accent- which is hard because I wouldn't want to be bad at it- it would suck to misrepresent a way of speaking.

Anyway... I think that is all I will write for now. I have lots of things buzzing around in my head that will hopefully be more interesting- I will blog about those things later.

-boo