Procrastination

Today I've done my laundry, cleaned the kitchen, changed my blog's template... typed up this post... haha.. uh... sigh... all in the name of procrastination: I do not want to write my Orthodoxy and Heresy essay...
But I will. I haven't done the floors yet. I get to do those if I finish the essay tonight. If not I'll force myself to wait until I finish it tomorrow. It'll be my incentive.
My "Carrot on the stick," Q says. That, my friends, is a hilarious image. DON'T picture ..it! agh...

LoL...

In other news, Quijote has bought his excommunication ticket at Tom Thumb. Hehe... I shall let him enjoy his candy now... muajajajaaja..... ok... I really hope you guys are picturing me rubbing my hands, laughing maliciously? no? hmmm....

ok.. well.. back to school.
sniff...

Your Eyes on a Window

When Time stops
And you know not your own name
When Silence is too intoxicating
You dangle your eyes from the window rim

Can’t drop a dime on Truth
The keyboard might Reply
So you just hang your eyes on a window
And watch the rain fall again

While each drop dies on your glass
A firefly might bite the salt
Sneak through the window screen
Daze a buzz into your sight

There’s an old crying cloud outside
But I want your wet feet to swirl
Green with roaming grass
The screen ajar

My eyes sitting on your windowsill.

Martín Lutero

Acabo de llegar de la escuela. Hoy tuve una clase especialmente extraña. Extraña es poco, más bien incómoda. Dos de mis clases son algo grandes, así que lo que hacen es dividir los grupos en varias secciones, las cuales se reúnen una vez a la semana. La mayor parte del tiempo los grupos de sección son muy interesantes porque en lugar de escuchar al prof. hablar por tres horas consecutivas, normalmente tenemos discusiones… la gran mayoría de ellas muy muy interesantes.

En fin, la maestra ke enseña la clase repartió las fechas, con sus respectivas lecturas, entre todos los alumnos en nuestra sección. A mí me tocó hoy, junto a un chico ke va a ser pastor, y junto a esta otra muchacha. Uffa. ¡Qué rollo! La niña piensa ke lo sabe todo (y para mi desgracia sí sabe bastante) y bueno… tiene una mala vibra! Jajajajajaa… ke horrible… mala vibra. Bueno, el asunto es que me pone de malas. Habla con un nerviosismo, y a la vez con una altivez… y suele interrumpir al que esté hablando… para decir algo en contra del comentario que interrumpe. Lo más triste de todo es ke la mayor de las veces, si no tiene razón, al menos sus comentarios son extremamente inteligentes. Grrrrr…. Un rollo. Pocas personas me ponen de mal humor como esta chava. Pues hoy el chavo ke dirigió la discusión con nosotras estaba hablando sobre la importancia que el pecado tiene en la teología de Martín Lutero. Y estaba hablando sobre las teorías de salvación. Pues algo dijo sobre la idea de la individualidad.. y sobre la importancia que tiene la condición interior del corazón para el juicio de las acciones exteriores. ¡Pues que salta la muchacha! Y ke dice que no (después de interrumpir, otra vez), ke no malentienda, ke la salvación de acuerdo a Lucero era solamente dada por Dios, y nada más. Muy enojada ella, muy ofendida por la ignorancia del chavo: Que acorde a Lutero, el hombre no tiene parte alguna en su salvación.

En mi opinión, Martín Lutero enseñó que la salvación tomaba lugar por medio de la fé. Y claro, después de tan exuberante show, todo el mundo asintió. Pues un amigo suyo y ella se ponen a buscar en el texto… y dicen ke no, y comprueban con la lectura que Lutero enseña que la semilla de la fe la pone Dios. Uffa otra vez. Pues yo pienso que la chava está cruzando la línea entre Luteranismo y Calvinismo. Que aunke la semilla la ponga Dios, Lutero hacía una diferenciación entre la semilla de la fe y la fe misma… y que decir en la opinión de Lutero Dios hace todo lo necesario para la salvación es eliminar la línea directa de acceso espiritual entre el individuo y Dios… y reemplazarla con la idea de predeterminación. Pero… todo eso no lo dije. Se me fue la inspiración. Me enojé. Y ahora estoy enojada porque no pude pensar rápido como ella, y defender la esencia del protestantismo…

En fin, mi consuelo (al menos eso me estoy diciendo a mí misma) es que aunke se me hubiera ocurrido, no le hubiera seguido. Demasiado agresiva para mí. Aunke ahora estoy esperando ke alguien regrese al tema en el futuro, para poderle responder :P

MUCHOS IMPUESTOS!!!

I am officially an extravagant tax payer.
I paid $77 in taxes. For 2 weeks and a half of work.
WoW. I'm so... generous :P !!
LoL...

dichotomies...

So Im writing one of my midterm papers for Ministry Studies on the relationship between private and collective religious experience. Im arguing that they are not at odds, as popular theology likes to assert, and I'm illustrating my point through the biographies and writings of Pope Gregory the Great and Emerson. Emerson is going to be especially fun, since most theologians think of him as the individualist that he was, and forget about his numerous attempts at reconciliating with organized ministry.. and the many wonderful quotes I'll be using.. and the fact that he was SO much into "choices" ...ah yes... so much fun.
So yeah... I'm using the false dichotomy philosophical fallacy:

“The supposed dichotomy between individual and collective spirituality fails to uphold both conditions for a valid dichotomy. Through his definition of pastoral ministry, Pope Gregory the Great illustrates how individual and collective spiritual experiences are complementary, not mutually exclusive; Emerson, on the other hand, is the very epitome of new spiritual and theological alternatives to individual and public spiritualities --alternatives that prove their joint exhaustiveness null.”

I'm having a lot of fun with it. maybe too much fun. I'm taking an idea I saw at a book in the Harvard store... this guy wrote an essay and gave it a "newspaper" look. I thought it was so much fun! so I'm trying it out... which is SO dangerous... given the fact that although this is not supposed to be a theological essay, it IS an essay :P So I'm thinking I will attach a "nomal" version to the essay... since my crazy version will look like (let's see if this works.... please ignore the text, as it makes no sense ..jiji...) this:



So the weekend has been good. Got a lof of material covered... went through 50 pages of Greek
syntax, vocabulary, and paradigms... I even went out last night and had a blast...
As I just told Q, it makes me happy.

Rehab

So grad school. I may have approached it from the wrong angle. Thought it'd be specialized... focused... detailed... not general... introductory... vague... and so aware of its relative simplicity and its overview-ish tendencies that it feels a need to burden students with reading lists so widespread and so long that they are beyond feasibility… *sigHh*

I protest. Reading 400 pages a day is physically impossible. I can’t keep up!

It’s 11 at night. And I have Greek hw to do… and I have another hw I should do (don’t have to.. but I should..) and I have reading to do…pages and pages and pages of 3^rd Century theological debate, and each text's history and commentaries... and midterms coming up… and 2 essays due in about 17 days..

I’m so tired.

I bumped into this girl in the library this morning. We ended up talking about how she’s had to choose which readings to do. While she was explaining her method, another friend of ours joined us… and then another… and then another. All of us, without exception, are freaking out. Then this girl makes the comment: that a 3^rd year grad student told her that she shouldn’t try to read it all. No one ever reads everything. Two guys in the group concur. They’ve been told the same thing.

Ok. So… what exactly is the point of doing this? This is exactly how I came up with that weird sentence at the beginning of my post. Compensation. They are compensating for the lack of specialization. But of course, it can’t be like this all three years!! I’m taking introductory courses, but I HOPE the general nature of these classes will not stretch out into infinite existence….

Ok.. I’m exaggerating. In the near future, when classes are bit more focused… hehe…next year.. uh, yeah... reading assignments will then be meticulously studied… and the students will be merry once again. our personal sense of intellectual fulfillment will return...

No no… the girl interrupts me (yeah… I told them. I was trying to be ..uh…encouraging?). The reading assignments will continue to grow in length and difficulty, of course. She’s been told so… by the wiser, more knowledgeable 3^rd.. and 4^th.. and 5^th year students. Oh Lord. I will again have to explain to myself that there is a completely rational cause for the disproportionate, unachievable reading expectations. I didnt tell them that.

So… The plan. Im waking up as early as I possibly can. I am reading all day, except when I am in class, and I will restrict my social activities to board games with the HDS peeps on Tuesday nights…

Yes. We played board games today. After such a conversation, my brain sort of gave up. I decided that after staying at home all of last week, and after reading ALL day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I need to stare at something else other than the monitor of this thing.

And finally, siiiiiiiiii, I will pick and choose too. I will admit I am not capable of reading so much. I hate admitting to it, but I’m going to have to be realistic. I'm not finishing my readings as it is. So I’m going to read what I believe to be the core readings of each class (meaning I will choose what NOT to read... as opposed to ending the day with the realization that I didn't ever get to the important text) and I’m going to try to enjoy this. I'm not going to spend the time going over that last Tertullian "book." I'm going to sleep. Heck. Im going to get more organized, and I'm going to enjoy school.

That’s my main concern: Will “enjoying” grad school get me in trouble? It certainly has so far. Taking my time has most definitely thrown me back. I need to find a way to both enjoy this and keep up with the work.

I've been high on school this week. lost in the impracticalities of extended studies. I am officially in rehabilitation mode.

FOTOS :D!!

Ok... so this is all messed up... LoL...
I loaded them up in the wrong order... and now I dont know where exactly THIS text is going to go.... but anyways.... That's us..... in the park, in North Station, in my apartment (see the broken cake? I'm such a great cook!
see the PJs? Yeah... enjoy it... that's the LAST time you see me without my makeup... LoL...) And that's us at a church, and then us in front of the funky bridge we liked. Q says it loooks like a wish bone... hehehehhe....
So yeah... we had fun... lots and lots and lots of fun. I made a few serious attempts to convince him that he should miss his plane and stay a week longer... or a month... or a year.. you get my drift...

So now life is back to studying from 6am till 12am... and waiting around for my family and for Q to get online.... jijiiji....

Hola Mami

Pues hoy ha sido un dia bastante normal.... pero ayer me llego la caja ke mando papa!!! con los dulces y mi blusa con el agila y el "Hecho en Mexico" y con mis pinturas y la cosa esa del mole (yuuujuuuu!!) y ....
CON EL ESCUDO!!!! Que bonito ke se ve!!!! muchos tenkius.....!!!
Hmmmm.... creo ke la unica keja ke tengo es ke cortaron la tela super cerca del dibujo, y pues ahora como le hago para impedir ke se desboronen los hilos??? nimodo ke coser sobre el escudo! pero no importa ni un pokito.... me dio mucho gusto ke me llegara :) jejeje... esa no me la esperaba....
tambien me dio gusto ke me mandaran el mini-stretcher.... ke bueno porke aunke me mandaron mis pinturas, pues no tenia en donde pintar! jiji.... oyes... dile a Misa ke no sea rata, ke me regrese mis pinceles! muajajaja.... bueno, no se... tal vez el no los tenga... jiji....
Este... pues Q (Quijote... mi nin~o chulo bonito... aunke la Q me recuerda todo menos Quijote... jiji.... le tengo ke buscar un sobrenombre mas cortito ke Minino... bueno ... Quijote) se fue ayer en la man~ana.... y pues ahora se siente medio raro ke no este... en cuestion de una semana (o menos!) me acostumbre a ke estuviera aki otra vez y pues... bueno... esta medio triste el asunto.... Si Dios quiere viene en Thanksgiving.... aunke ojala no fuera el unico.... Ama' !!
Hoy tuve un Quiz de Griego... y me fue bien, con exepcion del vocabulario... jeje... pero pues estuve estudiando anoche hasta las 2 de la manana.... no por estudiosa... mas bien por lo contrario: sali de clase a las 5 y regrese al apartamento y me puse a "estudiar" despues de la cena... y pues nada. no me podia concentrar! asi ke me fui y me sente en la cocina a tomarme el te (muy a tiempo tambien, justo a las 7) y me puse a leer un libro... y luego regrese y checke mi email.... y luego trate de estudiar... y no podia!! bueno... asi me fui como hasta las 9... y luego Q me llamo... y bueno... ya despues de eso me senti mejor. el caso es ke no empeze a estudiar hasta ke me entraron los nervios del quiz... a eso de las 10.30!!! Espantoso. Ya se. Es un horror. No se porke pero me senti rara todo el santo dia.
en fin, pues hoy fue horrible despertarme a las 6 (bueno... 6.20) para ponerme a estudiar otra vez... y zaz! ke no andaba tan mal! *yujuu* de algo me sirvio repetir las listas esas ke me dieron... jeje... Y bueno... tuve clase a las 9, y luego a las 11, y luego a las 12 me vine a comerme mi pizza (calentada en el microondas de la escuela, sobre una hoja de cuaderno porke meti la pizza en una bolsita de esas de zip y se me olvido traerme un plato de papel o aunke sea una servilleta! jajajaja... ) y a escribirte :D (eso es una carita sonriendo... los dos puntos son los ojos y la D es la boca... ves? y esto :) es una sonrisa con la boquita cerrada.... y :P es alguien sacando la lenguita asi como ke jugando, como cuando dices algo cura..jijjiji.... los ves??)
Ahorita en unos minutines empieza mi clase de la 1, y asi se me va a ir en clases hasta las 5 (por lo ke decidi ke hoy no iba a pedir trabajo en la escuela. ya ves ke puedo escoger cuando trabajar) y luego me voy a mi cuartito a leer todo lo ke no lei este fin de semana. muajajaja.... ahora en la noche te llamo para contarte porke esta cosa la esta leyendo Q *insertar risita perversa tipo A --A de Abigail*.
Muajaja....

bueno... ya me tengo ke ir a mi clase. I luv youuuuuuuuu!!!

So yeah....

Q is gone...
But it was a wonderful, wonderful couple days...
hope he sends the pics soon :)
jiji...

Mami Chula

Mami... te hice una cuenta. Tu nombre es Mamychula y tu clave es la misma ke la del email de papa.
Luv you! a ver si asi te apuntas... jijijiji.... muaajajajajja... ya no tienes escusas.....

oh... y cuando pongas un comentario, puedes hacer click en tu nombre para ver tu pagina. yo escribi "direcciones" sobre como usar esto.

Oh...

and Greek is kicking my butt. did I mention it already? thought I'd say it... since it's been occupying my mind like 80% of the time...

Heroes... and real heroes... and prayers...

Has anybody seen the show?
saw a 2 min trailer while waiting for Q to get online.... and I loved it! LoL... I don't actually have the time to watch an episode right now... jiji... but I shall make the time to see it (on nbc.com) sometime next week.... they show the last episode online! how cool is that?
Q, amor, I have got to change that abbreviation... Q has another meaning for me... and it's weird having all this complicated academic info lurking out from the back of my mind every time I see that letter... hmm... M is taken... hmmm... how about R? sort of taken too, huh? I'll think about it...

So... speaking of heroes --well... real heroes this time-- I'd like to make an announcement: My parents are amazing. They are the wisest, most loving, most fully accomplished people I have ever met. No particular reason, really, for that last random thought. Today I've been thinking of how amazed I am at the huge blessing they represent... It's just so awesome to know that the two people I've always looked up to, always wanted to be like, are my parents. A warm, fuzzy feeling I wanted to share :)

And well, in good old Orthodox tradition: Prayers for my baby nephew, who had a bit of a problem last night. He's ok now... out of the hospital and everything... but it was "quite a scare," as Mom said.. and of course for my sister, who must still be a bit upset..
And for Mom... who's working hard not to let ALL the stuff that's going on at home and work keep her from finishing her teacher certification. She's been getting all A+, my friends... this whole time. that's like a 5.0 on a 4.0 scale. I'm not kidding. She is so amazing. Mom, if you are reading this... TE AMO!!

I *heart* the Internet

Been talking to Misael on the instant messenger thingy lately. Definitely brightens my day. I love the internet!! I just wish Mom would get online sometimes too ... jiji.... but yeah, hopefully she'll come visit for Thanksgiving... miss her lots... Dad says she's been working too much. Mom... stop! lol... right... like she'd listen to me... hehe...
So I've decided I'm gonna bring my kids to see me. I think if I'm gonna have to pay interest on this money, I might as well spend it right. I want them to visit... spend some time where I'm staying at... have some fun... see the city... yup. Gotta bring them here at some point :D Jiji... so... I'm thinking maybe in the summer, before I go home for the break? jeje.. got some planning to do :P




Hm... well... on the silly side of life, I got this little poem from one of my professors... she put it in a little handout she gave out the first day of class. FUH-NNey! LoL... I thought it was beautiful, though... hehe...


The Writing on the Refrigerator

I am leaving you.
I am leaving you for someone
who will not let the milk go bad.

Someone who won't be seduced
By supper-quick-cake-mix
Or potatoes in a box.

Someone who will kiss me after onion soup.

I want someone
who finds smoked mozzarella sweet.

Someone who will squeeze roasted garlic
out of purple skins
that slide between our fingers,
and after that,
will lick my hands clean
because washing would be sacrilegious

I am leaving you for all of this.
I have taken all the spices, the cookbooks,
the lacquered chopsticks and non-stick skillet.

My keys are on the table.
Dinner is in the oven.

~Alexis Gargaliano.


Aww... hehe..