February 28, 2010
February 27, 2010
Powerless
We had a campus-wide power outage today.
ALL. DAY.
As the saying goes, "you never know what you've got until it's gone," and to be perfectly honest, I spent most of the day making a big stink about my technological deprivation.
When the power was finally restored and I started catching myself up on the day's news, however, I found out about the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile early this morning.
It was an abrupt reminder of the foolish pettiness of my own complaints.
And I am thankful that our world doesn't rest in the hands of a powerless God.
ALL. DAY.
As the saying goes, "you never know what you've got until it's gone," and to be perfectly honest, I spent most of the day making a big stink about my technological deprivation.
When the power was finally restored and I started catching myself up on the day's news, however, I found out about the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile early this morning.
It was an abrupt reminder of the foolish pettiness of my own complaints.
And I am thankful that our world doesn't rest in the hands of a powerless God.
February 25, 2010
Ideas
Having them is a beautiful feeling.
I never realized I could be so excited about working on something. I do have a pretty significant amount of work ahead of me, but I can't wait to take it on.
This, I think, is how learning is truly supposed to be.
I never realized I could be so excited about working on something. I do have a pretty significant amount of work ahead of me, but I can't wait to take it on.
This, I think, is how learning is truly supposed to be.
February 24, 2010
Beautiful nights like these
There's a very light mist in the air, the kind that glimmers when it catches light, makes the softest hushing sound against the trees if you listen closely for it, touches your skin just enough that you know it's there, and wraps everything in an ethereal haze.
It's a perfect night for Hamlet, microfiber blankets, and warm chocolate cake.
It's a perfect night for Hamlet, microfiber blankets, and warm chocolate cake.
February 20, 2010
New things
New: I'm finished with the weekend's homework by 11:15pm on Saturday.
New: I will, for the first time since I've been in college, be ahead on my Torrey reading.
New: Lots of music. College is a good time for mooching off of friends with broader tastes.
New: I will, for the first time since I've been in college, be ahead on my Torrey reading.
New: Lots of music. College is a good time for mooching off of friends with broader tastes.
iTweet, iBlog, iAm
I was actually the first of anybody I know to get a Twitter account. However, I only got it because I wanted to use it to update my Facebook status, then quickly decided it was silly and deleted it. I swore never to start again.
My Intro to Convergence class, however, required me to get one so I can started tweeting newsworthy bits of information daily as a weeklong assignment. Upon discovering quite a few of my friends who now use Twitter, I've been entertaining the idea of keeping it even after the assignment is done.
I'm pretty sure that'll be a short-lived train of thought, though. In the past few months, I've been limiting the number of statuses I post on Facebook because, quite frankly, most of what I had been posting was just attention-seeking and not much of anything that anybody but myself cared about. I maintain that as a reason why I don't need or want a Twitter, but also, I have this thought...
In constantly updating about our lives, aren't we a bit distracted from actually living?
I suppose you could argue that the same reasoning could apply to my blogging. But I blog for an entirely different purpose than I might have for Tweeting or Facebook updating.
For one thing, I blog primarily for myself. I blog for the sake of keeping myself in the habit of writing. And I blog because it's a much better outlet than status updates. I feel I'm more honest in my blogs than I ever was in updates, because I'm not really thinking about who's reading it. I'm not writing with the expectation that anyone will read it, or with the intention of someone reading it.
Somewhat contradictorily, however, because I know that someone might be reading, I feel a bit of accountability when I write, and that's a very good thing for me. When I first started blogging, I had a tendency to only write when I was venting about something. But then I realized that should anyone actually read this, I don't want to portray myself as constantly depressed, because really, I'm a fairly happy person most of the time. By pushing myself to write no matter what mood I'm in, I add to the honesty of my blog.
It also compels me to practice writing well. I am, by nature, a fairly good writer, but writing by hand in a journal, I've had the tendency to be sloppy. I also get to practice writing with my own voice (more honesty?) while still being mindful of an audience, which is something I've always struggled with. A few of my early entries were failed attempts to mimic someone else's voice, but I've since abandoned that.
So here I am. I don't plan to Tweet. I'm trying not to even Facebook anymore. To me, it seems that those things condense complex, beautiful, God-created human beings into an avatar and a brief profile.
I want to be more than that. I am more than that.
My Intro to Convergence class, however, required me to get one so I can started tweeting newsworthy bits of information daily as a weeklong assignment. Upon discovering quite a few of my friends who now use Twitter, I've been entertaining the idea of keeping it even after the assignment is done.
I'm pretty sure that'll be a short-lived train of thought, though. In the past few months, I've been limiting the number of statuses I post on Facebook because, quite frankly, most of what I had been posting was just attention-seeking and not much of anything that anybody but myself cared about. I maintain that as a reason why I don't need or want a Twitter, but also, I have this thought...
In constantly updating about our lives, aren't we a bit distracted from actually living?
I suppose you could argue that the same reasoning could apply to my blogging. But I blog for an entirely different purpose than I might have for Tweeting or Facebook updating.
For one thing, I blog primarily for myself. I blog for the sake of keeping myself in the habit of writing. And I blog because it's a much better outlet than status updates. I feel I'm more honest in my blogs than I ever was in updates, because I'm not really thinking about who's reading it. I'm not writing with the expectation that anyone will read it, or with the intention of someone reading it.
Somewhat contradictorily, however, because I know that someone might be reading, I feel a bit of accountability when I write, and that's a very good thing for me. When I first started blogging, I had a tendency to only write when I was venting about something. But then I realized that should anyone actually read this, I don't want to portray myself as constantly depressed, because really, I'm a fairly happy person most of the time. By pushing myself to write no matter what mood I'm in, I add to the honesty of my blog.
It also compels me to practice writing well. I am, by nature, a fairly good writer, but writing by hand in a journal, I've had the tendency to be sloppy. I also get to practice writing with my own voice (more honesty?) while still being mindful of an audience, which is something I've always struggled with. A few of my early entries were failed attempts to mimic someone else's voice, but I've since abandoned that.
So here I am. I don't plan to Tweet. I'm trying not to even Facebook anymore. To me, it seems that those things condense complex, beautiful, God-created human beings into an avatar and a brief profile.
I want to be more than that. I am more than that.
February 19, 2010
And with a lemon lollipop
Class attended.
Nap taken.
Friends laughed with.
Free Chick-Fil-A eaten.
Laundry done.
Boyfriend talked to.
Homework started.
Week ended!
Nap taken.
Friends laughed with.
Free Chick-Fil-A eaten.
Laundry done.
Boyfriend talked to.
Homework started.
Week ended!
February 16, 2010
Only two and a half weeks in...
I'm in this really weird place right now of alternating between feeling like I'm on top of things and struggling to stay caught up. That's partly because of Torrey; instead of the notes and pull questions that always kept me in a constant state of stress, I'm supposed to be writing for Evangelical Outpost in a way that integrates ideas from my Torrey texts, but is still good journalistic experience.
However, while I like to think and have been told that I'm a pretty strong writer, I'm an extremely inexperienced journalist. I haven't written for a school paper since my sophomore year of high school, I blog primarily for myself instead of geared towards an audience (I'm not sure how to write for an audience in any context other than an academic paper), and I feel that I don't know enough about a broad enough variety of subjects to relate things to each other in the way that bloggers tend to do.
Also, I've never been too great at coming up with original ideas.
I am relieved and looking forward to doing this kind of work, because I think it will be much more productive in helping me develop my thoughts more than what I was doing before. But it's going to take a LOT of God's grace for me, as unqualified and inexperienced as I am, to pull it off.
My lack of ideas has been really the bane of my homework thus far this semester. My two journalism classes are not that homework-heavy, but they both require my weekly commentary on blogs or news articles that I follow, and I'm having trouble coming up with thoughtful things to say. I can do that when it's thoughts on something I sought out on my own, but as an assignment, I feel like it's almost forced creativity, which I struggle with.
That's also why the idea of joining the staff of regular writers for a widely-read and well-known online publication intimidates me.
The theme of my sophomore (slash junior?) year seems to be humility. Not just in the broad sense that I usually think of it, but I'm realizing how much these days I need to really depend on God for even the smallest day-to-day things.
That kind of dependence is scary to me, because I like being in control of things.
Yet at the same time, it's also such a comfort knowing that even though I'm so very incapable, I have strength through the God of the universe.
I'm pretty sure I've posted this verse already, but it's just so fitting for where I am right now that I have to post it again:
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. -2 Corinthians 12:9
However, while I like to think and have been told that I'm a pretty strong writer, I'm an extremely inexperienced journalist. I haven't written for a school paper since my sophomore year of high school, I blog primarily for myself instead of geared towards an audience (I'm not sure how to write for an audience in any context other than an academic paper), and I feel that I don't know enough about a broad enough variety of subjects to relate things to each other in the way that bloggers tend to do.
Also, I've never been too great at coming up with original ideas.
I am relieved and looking forward to doing this kind of work, because I think it will be much more productive in helping me develop my thoughts more than what I was doing before. But it's going to take a LOT of God's grace for me, as unqualified and inexperienced as I am, to pull it off.
My lack of ideas has been really the bane of my homework thus far this semester. My two journalism classes are not that homework-heavy, but they both require my weekly commentary on blogs or news articles that I follow, and I'm having trouble coming up with thoughtful things to say. I can do that when it's thoughts on something I sought out on my own, but as an assignment, I feel like it's almost forced creativity, which I struggle with.
That's also why the idea of joining the staff of regular writers for a widely-read and well-known online publication intimidates me.
The theme of my sophomore (slash junior?) year seems to be humility. Not just in the broad sense that I usually think of it, but I'm realizing how much these days I need to really depend on God for even the smallest day-to-day things.
That kind of dependence is scary to me, because I like being in control of things.
Yet at the same time, it's also such a comfort knowing that even though I'm so very incapable, I have strength through the God of the universe.
I'm pretty sure I've posted this verse already, but it's just so fitting for where I am right now that I have to post it again:
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. -2 Corinthians 12:9
February 13, 2010
Day one
Convergence. Homework. LAX. Chris! Friday rush hour L.A. traffic. Random 7-Eleven grand opening. Free Slurpees. Shopping. Free Chick-fil-A. Not-free Chipotle. Driving confusedly. Blockbuster. Parking confusedly. Stash Chick-fil-A. Enjoy Chipotle. Friends. Movie. Laughter. Common Grounds. More friends. No Scrabble. Movie #2. More laughter. Sleep.
The weekend is shaping up to be a fun one!
The weekend is shaping up to be a fun one!
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