Interstitiality

Procrastination

My Top Ten Sure-Fire Ways to Tell That I am Procrastinating

10. Long nights, little productivity
9. I am actually making the time to do fantasy sports research
8. “Oh, there is another book/article that I have to read”
7. “I need some junk food” or “I need some caffeine” (especially since caffeine tends to make me sleepy)
6. I have four IM windows open while I am writing and doing research
5. “I need to take a break” (again!)
4. ZZZZZZZZZZZZ (sound coming out of my office)
3. Lunch hour becomes plural, “lunch hours”
2. I’ve just moved up 50 places in the Madden XBOX Live standings.
1. I am blogging regularly

Some other Anagrams

OK, I found many anagrams for the word, “episcopalians.” Not all of them are clean. Some of the funnier ones include body parts… that’s all I’ll say for now. Two of my favorites: “I lisp ‘acne soap’” and “ass pain police.” Whoops, that last one has a body part.

You can search for your own favorite anagrams at this anagram/word smith site. There are better sites out there, I'm sure of it. This one was the first one that I found when I Googled "anagram," and it works.

Calvin and Barth are rolling over in their graves...

I learned from Baruch Grazer, who found a link from Pharyngula, which directed him to Eclecticism, who heard this tidbit on NPR...

when one rearranges the letters to the word, "presbyterians," one can spell, "britney spears."

This puts a whole new spin on Calvinist piety--"Hit me baby, one more time" or the doctrine of total human depravity--"Oops, I did it again."

System of a Down

I am putting the finishing touches on a workshop/grant application. As I am working, I have a tune in my head that has been there for days. The tune is “Hypnotize” by System of a Down. System of a Down is a band that intrigues me in many ways. The band members are of Armenian descent. They are unabashedly personal, political, and enigmatic. Most of their stuff is too heavy-metal-oriented for my tastes. I am not a fan of heavy metal, but I am a fan of any band that has some kind of political consciousness. This particular song weaves at least two strong themes together--the events in Tiananmen Square and someone sitting in a car “waiting for my girl.” I have heard many potential meanings to this song. Interestingly, when guitarist and singer, Daron Malakian started talking to L.A. City Beat about the song, saying that he wrote it while waiting for his ex-girlfriend in his car, lead singer, Serj Tankian, interjected, “Don’t let out too much.” After Tankian’s comment, Malakian said, “Oh, yeah, it’s not written about anything. It’s a bunch of bull$#!%!”

You can see the video on VH 1.com. Look for the song link, “Hypnotize” in the video section, under the band’s picture.

Super Bowl Party

Do you prefer coffee or steel? Find out on Sunday, February 5, 2006 at 5:30 p.m when the Seattle Seahawks take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. We will be hosting a Super Bowl Party. Chili and snacks will be provided. Feel free to bring other appetizers or desserts to share. Bring your own favorite beverages. Come for the football, the food, the fellowship, and, of course, the commercials.

If you need directions, email or call me.

Random Answers to Random Questions

As seen on Wide-eyed and Laughing's site...

1) When you looked in the mirror first thing this morning, what was the first thing you thought?
Damn, I’m too tired to go to work today.

2) How much cash do you have on you?
$0.00. I had four quarters, but they bought me a Pepsi.

3) What's a word that rhymes with TEST?
dispossessed

4) Planet?
I live on Earth most of the time.

5) Who is the fourth person on your missed calls?
Stephen

6) What is your favourite ring on your phone?
The T-Mobile jingle, which actually is not very convenient since about 10,000 other people have the same ring tone.

7) What shirt are you wearing?
A navy blue, silk, mock turtle-neck

8) What do you label youself as?
Depends on the context (now you can tell I’m a biblical scholar).

9) Name the brand of shoes you've recently worn.
Ecco

10) Bright room or dark room?
Bright

11) What were you doing at midnight last night?
Writing a canonical evaluation letter

12) What did the last text message on your phone say?
Hey! Feeling much better.

13) Where is your nearest 7-11?
Dodge and Main in Evanston

14) What's a saying you say a lot?
Whatever it is, it has the word, “tension” in it.

15) Who told you they loved you last?
My spouse, about ½ hour ago.

16) Last furry thing you touched?
If dog hair counts as fur, my dog Roy

17) How many drugs have you done in the past three days?
None

18) How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?
None, we have a digital camera.

19) Favourite age you've been so far?
18 or 19

20) Your worst enemy?
Myself

21) What is your current desktop picture?
A big, giant tube (shot from within the tube). For those in the Midwest who have no idea what I mean, think surfing.

22) What was the last thing you said to someone?
”Take it easy.” I was just saying goodbye to a student.

23) If you had to choose between a millions bucks and being able to fly, which would you choose?
As far as I know, flying doesn’t help one with early retirement. Show me the money!

24) Do you like someone?
I like a lot of people. I dislike very few.

25) The last song you listened to?
I listen to music all the time, even when its just in the background. The last song I remember listening to was “The Ghost of You” by My Chemical Romance.

Repost on Crash

We showed the movie Crash in Gospel Mission class today. It is not an easy film to watch. It intentionally uses stereo-types to later redeem them or deconstruct them. In the end, the characters become more "human." What follows is a re-posting of my thoughts on the film.

Paul Haggis, who wrote the screen play for Million Dollar Baby, wrote and directed this Magnolia-style film.

The movie's primary content is racism. Haggis spins individual character vignettes and then methodically weaves them together. The characters' intersecting plots do not all resolve well, but there is still a strong theme of redemption for most though not all of the characters. I personally do not like themes of redemption when it comes to racism, unless the story is told from the point of view of people of color. Even then Hollywood tends to cater to the suburban sense that everything will eventually work out OK.

While I like happy endings, easy resolution on a painful and polarizing topic like racism doesn't sit with me well. Crash falls short of schmaltz, but the movie, in my opinion, doesn't move past the individuals to expose the social depth of this problem. Movies can make you feel good and hopeful at the end, however, they can also motivate you to action rather than passivity. In the end, Crash DOES make you want to be kinder to people of all colors and races. Racism, however, is not eradicated with well-intentioned, friendlier people. Being kind can only get you so far. Ending racism requires a social revolution in small and large sectors of our society. It is much more a structural problem than something that can be fixed with nicer people.

Overdue photos

Here are some photos from the Rev. Sio's ordination. I was one of her presenters. It was quite an honor. Three of us made the road trip this past December, inculding the new deacon herself.

With the bishop:

The road trippers:

The Seabury crew:

Still Preoccupied with 1985?

My musical tastes are hopelessly pop-cultural. I am not ashamed of this fact. If I have a track within today’s pop music scene, I would say that my tastes are squarely in the “alternative” sphere. My only true dislikes are country and heavy metal.

It is not strange to me that I still listen to popular music, even when I have a teenager (and one who is two years away from being a teen). My parents were like many parents in the 70’s and 80’s. They loved elevator music--Barry Manilow, Kenny Rogers, John Denver, etc. I, however, grew up in a generation where punk rock, heavy metal, hip hop, and alternative were born. When I was in high school, listening to music that was different than the music of one’s parents was what one did. I’m not so sure that this is the case anymore. At least, it certainly isn’t the case in our household. Our kids listen, almost exclusively, to the music that we purchase or listen to on the radio; and, here’s what’s weird, they actually think that it’s “cool.” Their friends agree. In fact, one of my teen’s friends had recently asked us for anything in our CD library from the 80’s or 90’s. He wanted to be retro. Retro! I keep waiting for our kids to latch onto something musical that repulses me, that makes me aware of the fact that I’m an aging generation. It hasn’t happened yet.

With our oldest, we are actually feeding him music that expands his musical tastes. He would be happy to listen exclusively to Green Day. He has grown fond, however, of bands like Franz Ferdinand, the Gorillaz, and artists such as Kanye West. Our youngest, on the other hand, takes it upon himself to watch Fuse (a music television channel that actually plays music) so that he can add to the family’s growing IPOD listings. He has good taste. Adam, almost single-handedly, turned our entire family into Linkin Park fans.

So when is the music rebellion going to happen? Maybe it won’t. Maybe there were a couple of generations at the turn of the 20th century that made music their point of self-definition. Maybe my children will find a different way to make their mark. Maybe their generation will decide not to make a mark. Who knows?

He's Got All Kinds of Time

I don’t always like to admit that 1) I am passionate about football, particularly the NFL; and 2) I am hopelessly sentimental. These two things come together in a recent clip, advertising the NFL and the NFL network. The song is “He’s Got All Kinds of Time” by Fountains of Wayne. Yes, Fountains of Wayne, the same band that gave us, “Stacey’s Mom” (has got it going on). This is a great clip, especially if you are football fan. Check it out! (Note: Click on the link for the ad. The clip takes a long time to load, and you will need Quicktime video player if you don't already have it).

Just had to blog...

I have not been a very good blogger over the past months. I must admit that I feel shame over the small number of my entries. Still, I saw something in the news today that startled me. I had to blog on it, even if briefly. The irony in this article from the AP is so rich that it's worth repeating.

Clarence Ray Allen was executed in San Quetin, CA yesterday. He had suffered a heart attack last September. He asked prison officials to let him die if his heart failed. They stated that they would not honor his request. Vernell Crittendon, a prison spokesperson put it this way: "At no point are we not going to value the sanctity of life...We would resuscitate him."

...and then they executed him.

Happy New Year! (I Think)

I feel like I have come back from the dead. Not only was I on a long blogging break, but I am recovering from a stomach virus or food poisoning. This latter condition meant that I spent my New Year’s Eve in bed, groaning at the smell of food. I still can’t even think of tacos without getting queasy.

My New Year has begun with a bang. I am teaching a Jan-term intensive at McCormick Theological Seminary. It is my first chance to teach a cultural interpretation course. It meets for the next two weeks from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. The first night went pretty well, though I will need to adjust. Four hours is a long time, especially that late at night.

The class is about half African American and mostly women. Should be great fun!