I broke my own rule. Call me a hypocrite, but today I listened voluntarily to a Christmas song outside of the designated listening period. Several years ago I came up with a schedule for when my mom in particular, and everybody else in general, is permitted to listen to Christmas music. Due to the overplaying of music, I quickly become sick of the music, as good as it is, long before Christmas leading to the following schedule.  July: 2 weeks are permitted; The first two weeks of November; The day after Thanksgiving until about mid-January. Those three periods are the only time that I permit people around me to listen to Christmas music, but tonight I was on YouTube and saw White Christmas and had to listen to it. That’s all. But seriously, I’m kinda eager for the holidays!

Sure it’s an unintelligible header, but my head really is mush right now. All day I’ve been studying for my two tests tomorrow but I still don’t feel as if I know the stuff all that well. Latin American History and History & Lit of the Old Testament are probably some of my favorite classes and want to do well, but studying for big tests always stresses me out. And it doesn’t help that I’m so easily distracted by other things. Oh, I’m feeling much better though! Not quite entirely over my cold, but much better is an improvement. Ooogah Booogah well back to the studying even though it’s so nice outside lately. I forgot how nice Nebraska autumns are.

Well it’s been nearly 2 months since I last posted. I mostly haven’t because I don’t have good things to say, at least in my mind. Or I’ve been too busy, or both. Now I’m back at college and very happy to be here. Sure classes are going fine and I’m teacher aiding (TAing) 8th grade english at the public middle school, but one of the biggest things I’ve noticed so far this year is my health.

Usually on monday, wednesday, and fridays I’ve gone running for a few miles before getting ready for the day. I’ve also been eating much healthier. Having a chicken patty and a salad is really good for lunch btw. But last thursday was what seemed for me a hilarious example of me getting physically fitter. For my lifetime wellness class (yeah it’s required unfortunately), we had to do a 12 minute run around the track. 12 minutes really isn’t that long I don’t think. My class is pretty much full of athletes, there is only one track runner and no cross country people though. But as we’re running I’m just following along behind the pack of football/baseball players, but they were totally going so slow that after a few laps I just decided to pass them. For the rest of the time I just got further and further ahead of them and found it very ironic that the athletes were huffing and puffing to run while I was perfectly fine and even lapping the other non-athletes. The only person running faster than I was, was Amanda, who is in track so I’d hope she’d be faster. But anyway, I think the prof was a bit surprised that I could actually run decently compared to the athletes. There really is quite an athlete/nonathlete divide. Not to say we don’t mix, but it is very noticeable that the circles run a little ways away from each other.

On Friday and Saturday I helped my high school move from the building that I went to my last 2.5 years that is only 5 minutes away to a different school 35 minutes away. I helped out when faith first moved from the small church not to far away during my sophomore year, but now it’ll be in a place that I’ve got no familiarity with. I’ve always known that faith wouldn’t stay in the old Hawthorn building forever, but it is still a little sad and nostalgic for me and the other alum to see it go. Maybe I’m just an old fart, but too bad. The new location will cost more for the school to maintain, but it does offer more potential for recruiting students based on its central location in the county. Though for us and the other Marengo families it’s a big increase in commuting time, not that it matters for me at all. I just really hope that the positives of the move will outweight the negatives and it’ll work out for the school to keep holding on and the nine trillion pounds of furniture I lifted the past couple days won’t have been wasted.

Well here I am on my new computer! On another note. . .

If you haven’t heard yet, the word on the street is that Michael Jackson died today at age 50. 25 years ago he released the best selling album of all time here it is.

Over the web and around the house i hear some people’s sadness for the musical icon. Sure his pop music is alright, but I honestly don’t care for it too much. Many more peeps, at least in my circle, seem to be rejoicing in MJ’s death. Society in general seems to hate the idea of hatred. Sure “tolerance” is important, though I think it’s better to not be bias (positively or negatively) for any reason. But that doesn’t stop hatred from happening. The other night I watched the movie Seven Pounds a nice movie about a man that feels that he should give up his wealth, power, body, and even life to help those he deems worthy. I find this strange though that he helps those that are “good” (as judged by him) rather than the “bad” ones. A few months ago a friend was saying she wanted such and such bad things to happen to some person that annoyed her and I asked how it is possible to desire harm and detain help from somebody that you hate. Sure Michael Jackson might be a child mollestor (I don’t care if the court didn’t think so) and Will Smith’s character had a decent reason for not aiding a corrupt man and my friend may have had decent reasons for wishing harm on somebody. . . but that doesn’t make any of it excusable.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Sound familiar? (Matthew 5:2-11). Looking at God’s words and example he didn’t destroy the evil, or we’re so screwed, but he purified instead. So should we wish harm on those that differ from us or do we endure instead? For me it is harder to tell somebody that I was wrong then it is to be wrong and know it. Although it might be easier to be, or at least have the conviction that you are right and have the other person continue to be wrong. Wouldn’t it ultimately be best for the other person to not continue living in thier incorrection but to convert to that which is right?

For example if you were talking to a child and they asked you what 2+2 is and you said it is “4″ and they said “nah-ah it’s 5″. You could just walk away with the excuse that you tried to tell them but they didn’t believe you. Or you could continue to state your argument (using much reasoning hopefully). Which is ultimately better? Sure you might waste some of your precious time and they may never fully understand but unchecked incorrection is more lamentable then loss of good. I would much rather a Christian die then and non-Christian because one has a mansion waiting the other still needs to hear the infite love of God.

I think this is why it really bothers me when I hear somebody say “damn you”. Sure people probably don’t know or at least think much about what it really means, but honestly you’re asking God to sever himself from them for eternity, what sort or demon in you would want that for somebody else?

Perhaps it is just the onset of spring (even though it did snow today) that suddenly in the past few days has driven a desire in me to get dirty. Many of my favorite sensations have to do with the upkeep of a yard. And lately it really hit me how long it has been since I really stuck my hands into the deep, dirty, moist, beautiful earth. Even though things like the weeding that mom always made us kids (though it only seemed to be me at the time) do was painful at the moment there is just something about gardening that I like and now miss. No mom, you can’t just make me do whatever when I get back this summer! But I have had the urge to do something with plants.

Isn’t it such a strange thought to think that what we see as ordinary and plain will someday be the stuff of history books? But then did Julius Caesar think “I’m going to make history right now” when he crossed the Rubicon? Or did John Wilkes Booth know that his name would be known to almost all Americans? Today we watched a video about the 1920s in history and there were clips that always seem to go along with certain eras of history. There’s famous images that really define periods such as:

Those are some of the (but certainly not all) of the highlights in the 20th century outside of my lifetime, but what sorts of things do I remember or just even happened so far in my lifetime that probably will be known?

Tonight me and friends watched some of those old, cheesy, but still good classic Christmas kids’ movies. We watched Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town. Even though they really aren’t masterfully good films, they’re still quite entertaining. JP and I were laughing at parts that could have unnecessary censorship. Basically we’d imagine where they could put a censorsihp bleep in and it’d be quite hilarious. Also some of the animations are just so bizarre it was great. Some other great classic Christmas films are:

• It’s a Wonderful Life
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• Home Alone
• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
• White Christmas
• A Charlie Brown Christmas

Other ones that are good, but aren’t the best are:

• Miracle on 34th Street
• The Nativity Story
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Elf
• I’ll be Home for Christmas
• The Santa Clause

Well I’m sure I’m forgetting some stuff, what’re y’all’s favorite Christmas movies?

So it’s totally 12 days until Thanksgiving break. Concordia thankfully has that whole week off, Woot! Anyway, school ends that Friday and then dorms close Saturday morning. I am planning on hitching a ride with a friend who lives in Oklahoma to Grandma & Grandpa’s in Wichita on Saturday. Then I’ll be going with Grandpa to Larned so he can show me off and I can be an advertisement to Concordia. Grandma will probably stay back in Derby preparing for Thanksgiving. Sometime (Tuesday-ish maybe?) my family is coming! Sorry Mom & Liz (and any other family possibly reading this) but I don’t greatly miss y’all. I am eagerly waiting to see family though. It’s kinda strange, even though I know I could easily live longer without feeling the need to seem them, I’m very much excited at the prospect of seeing them. It so very strange having a new life here at Concordia, but also having the past being part of me. I don’t want to stay seperate from things in the past, but I definitely don’t want to stay in it. Anyway, I’m really looking forward to seeing my family, and having a break from school work kinda helps too.

Well tonight was the preview for the musical and there were a few peeps there, but it definitely wasn’t filled. Compared to the disaster that was last night tonight went extremely smooth. There were still a few problems some being my fault, most being the annoying actor’s, but overall it went quite well. If only I can improve it for the five shows. Ummm really not too much to tell about. I’m really not sure what I should blog about now, so I guess I’ll just randomly add a Bible passage in.

If the Lord had not been on our side- let Israel say-

If the Lord had not been on our side when men attacked us,

When their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive;

The flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us,

The raging waters would have swept us away.

Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth.

We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 124 (randomly chosen by Stephanie)