While telling a story of her youth, my 90 year-old grandmother made a comment that made me realize the how small the world has become in such a short time. “You know,” she said, “growing up, we didn’t think much of anyone other the Swedish Lutherans.” I was somewhat shocked, thus exclaimed, “But Grandma, did you all believe in God, as Lutherans? And that God created all people?” Shrugging her shoulders she said, “Yes we believed in God, but I guess we just didn’t think that far. After all, I only grew up with people like me, and when I went to college, I went to a Lutheran, Swedish college, and everyone was the same there too.”
My grandmother went to Gustavus. She said it was her only choice, because it was the only Lutheran school sufficient back then. I asked her about St. Olaf University, after all that school has been around awhile and, is Lutheran. She answered like she had never thought of it before. "Oh no, yes it's Lutheran, but it is Norwegian Lutheran, not Swedish." Then she laughed.
Uh, I don't even know what the difference is between Sweden and Norway.
Crazy! Even crazier is how much the world has changed in a relatively short time. When my grandmother was born, women couldn’t vote and while black men were able, society made sure to limit their opportunities by strategically placing numerous obstacles in their paths. Now, either a woman, or a black man will be in the white house. I think that’s awesome.
This thought was brought to you by my scholarship application, when I realized that although the first paragraph had no relation to what the essay on the application was asking, but wanted to keep writing about it anyway. I know, I am pretty deep.
Oh yeah, and I almost forgot to add; today, my 90 year-old grandmother is voting for Barack Obama. Changin' times indeed.
The other week, I acquiesced my younger sister’s request to serve as her substitute as a kids ministry leader at church. Along with another guy, she leads a small group of first grade boys every week. Now, working with kids isn’t exactly a “gift” of mine. Although, I am pretty talented at babysitting children while they are asleep. It’s a tough job, but I have that one down. Regardless, I took on this group of boys for the night.
The curriculum that night was about fear, and how to trust in God to overcome our fears or something along those lines. So after viewing a lively competition of “Leader Fear Factor,” which consisted of frightening competitions such as “who can drink a McDonald’s Happy Meal the quickest,” we sat the boys down for discussion time. The other leader asked the kids to tell us one thing they are afraid of. Their responses were fairly typical.
“I’m afraid of sitting on Ben’s head (or something),” said one boy (editor’s note, his friend’s name was Ben). Another boy quipped, “I’m afraid of the dark,” and yet another was afraid of “gross stuff.” Then it was Ben’s turn. My co-leader turned to Ben, “Ben, what are you afraid of?"
Ben: “Um, one time, during the dry season, in Africa, I was walking over the bridge of Victoria Falls, and I looked down and it was high and I almost fell off. Well I really didn’t almost fall off but kind of. And then also, I’m afraid of having a hippo charge after me, because hippos are big. One time, in Africa a hippo almost ran towards us.”
My co-leader looks at me with a sort of, perplexed awe. “Okay, well yeah, those things are scary, (pause) during the dry season.”
Man, this kid has more experience than me, and he’s only six. He's like, the kid from the Jungle Book (editor's note: yes, I realize that didn't take place in Africa. You get the point.).
Apparently, to experience real adventure, I need to spend more time in Africa; during the dry season of course. I just did not expect to learn this from a first grader in Edina. Yet another lesson in not judging a book by it's cover.
If you had purchased $1,000.00 of Delta Air Lines stock one year ago you would have $49.00 left. With Enron, you would have had $16.50 left of the original $1,000.00. With WorldCom, you would have had less than $5.00 left.
But, if you had purchased $1,000.00 worth of beer one year ago, drank all of the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminum recycling REFUND, you would have $214.00 cash. Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle. - It's called the 401-Keg.
A recent study found the average American walks about 900 miles a year. Another study found Americans drink, on the average, 22 gallons of alcohol a year. That means, on average, Americans get about 41 miles to the gallon. Makes You Proud To Be An American!
Favorite quote from Thursday's debate, from Joe Biden:
"Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we’ve had probably in American history. The idea he doesn’t realize that Article I of the Constitution defines the role of the vice president of the United States, that’s the Executive Branch. He works in the Executive Branch. He should understand that. Everyone should understand that. [..] The idea he’s part of the Legislative Branch is a bizarre notion invented by Cheney to aggrandize the power of a unitary executive and look where it has gotten us. It has been very dangerous."
Say it ain't so Joe!!! Haha, that's so great.
Sorry to get all political on ya, but it's the nature of the season. Also, check out this star-studded voting video if you get a chance
A scenario in my class yesterday:
Professor: Does anyone have any ideas on what the advantages to using radio as a method of communication in development would be?
20 second silence from the class.
Finally, I decide to speak up.
Me: Well it can be interactive.
Professor: (pause). Good enough.
What? Good enough?? No wonder no one speaking up in class! I don’t think I’ve ever received a “good enough” comment from a teacher before. Most of them have at least been generous enough to spare the “that’s an interesting insight, are there any others?” line.
Good enough. Hmph. Plus, I would like to add, my answer was actually valid!! I mean, he obviously hasn’t listened to Dave Ryan in the Morning enough. Group Therapy, War of the Roses?? Extremely interactive. So there, now who’s “good enough.” ME.
I went to another wedding this weekend. It was Tammy’s though so it was a rockin’ good time. However, it made me wonder how certain songs were able to obtain the revered status of “a song that has to be played at every flipping wedding.” What, oh song, did you do? Do we have modern day payola on our hands?? Are the B 52’s bribing every single wedding DJ in the U.S. so the memory of “Love Shack” will never fade??
If this is the case, I’m personally going to start bribing DJ’s to ditch their corrupt list, which always suspiciously consist of songs such as “The Chicken Dance,” or “The Hokey Pokey.” Why, for any reason other than money, would intelligent DJ’s feel the need to reach back into time 50 years and give these songs another spin. I mean, the least they could do is come up with a Ludacris remix of the Hokey Pokey. Sheesh. Other songs on the eternal wedding list include ‘classics’ like “YMCA,” or “Celebrate Good Times,” “Footloose,” “Billy Jean,” “The Twist,” and “The Electric Slide.” I would like to genuinely thank whoever sings “Cupid Shuffle,” for coming up with a song that could replace The Electric Slide on wedding dance floors everywhere by 2050. Just in time for my wedding.
As the keeper and generator of the “community song request list,” at every wedding I go to (I always ask people to add to my list, thus diversifying the request choices and increasing the chance they will play the songs I want…haha.), I am going to make sure that people don’t “Twist,” or “Do the Locomotion,” at my wedding. Instead, when/if that fateful day arrives, shorty gonna put on some apple-bottom jeans and get low.
This was a discussion that took place Wednesday in class between my professor and the Fulbright exchange student from Finland.
Fulbright (during introductions): I’m Teemu, and I’m the Fulbright scholar from Finland.
Professor: Oh I’ve always wanted to go to Finland!
Fulbright: Why? (class laughs)
Professor: Why? Well since you asked I’m telling you the whole story! When I was seven, Johanna (something I can’t remember the last name) was my best friend in the whole world and she was from Finland. And she would always go back and forth from Finland and bring back all this cool stuff and I really wanted to go to Finland!!
Fulbright: Johanna (again, don’t remember)?? Oh, she’s the Finish Tango Queen.
Professor: What?!?!
Fulbright: Yeah, well it’s not a very common name so I wouldn’t be surprised if it were her.
Professor: My childhood best friend is a Finish Tango Queen?? That’s crazy! I have to look it up! And call my mother!
I could not believe I was hearing this conversation. It was hilarious. My professor blurts out this random name of her long lost friend from Finland, and she happens to be a famous, well, Tango dancer, in Finland. Hahaha. So we looked her up in class, and it was indeed, her childhood playmate. Random random random, and thoroughly entertaining.
Today is a day that will live on in history. A bittersweet day. Bittersweet in the sense that my lemonade perhaps has one piece of sour pulp, yet the rest is oh so delicious.
Yes viewing audience, today is my last day of work.
Give me a moment while I let it sink in.
YEEAAAHHH!!
I will miss some people here, and some aspects perhaps. There are also plenty of things I will not, indeed, miss. Allow me to elaborate.
Things I will miss:
Things I will (definitely) not miss:
Goodbye Company, my almost lover.
