West Wing and Real Life

Okay, the other day I was watching my dvds of West Wing and I cam to episode "Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics" and I was wondering where the name for the episode came from- and oddly I found out rather soon. I was reading Reader's Digest and in an article on political manipulation of Statistcs it mentioned that Mark Twain had said a phrase containing these very words. I found it especially interesting since I am studying statistics right now at school, which beffudlingly I enjoy.

Also, I have been annoying people with my favorite joke of all time from the show, and which makes me laugh every time that I hear it, despite the fact that it is also one of the cheesiest jokes that I have ever heard.It comes from the character of Margaret:

"Why in France do they eat only one egg for breakfast?

Because in France, one egg is un oeuf."

Still Missing

I was reading this article while I was doing some research on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (someday I would love to work for them) and I came across this article discussing the number of children who are still repoerted as missing from Hurricane Katrina. We are all getting back to normal life, but is of the utmost importance that we don't forget that for many people the wondering and pain is not over.

"The NCMEC registered 4,828 Katrina children in the weeks following the hurricane, and has resolved 73 percent of those cases. As of Nov. 8, however, 1,286 children had yet to be united with loved ones. Sixty-three and a half percent were listed as black in the registry. That is consistent with the 2000 New Orleans census figures of 67 percent black.... Some of the missing children may be among the dead and yet to be identified because of the decomposition of water-logged bodies....Another disturbing possibility is that some children could have been kidnapped. "There were 4,000 sex offenders evacuated along with the children," O'Brien said. These sex offenders have not yet registered their whereabouts as required by law in most states. However, so far there have been no cases of sex offenders found with missing children."

http://www.alternet.org/wiretap/28379/

A.W. Tozer:

"Much that passes for Christianity today is the brief bright effort of the severed branch to bring for its fruit in its season. But the deep laws of life are against it. Preoccupation with appearances and a corresponding neglect of the out of sight root of the true spiritual life are prophetic signs which go unheeded.... The whole Bible and all the great saints of the past join to tell us the same thing. "Take nothing for granted," they say to us. "Go back to the grass roots. Open your hearts and search the Scriptures. Open your hearts and search the Scriptures. Bear your cross, follow your Lord and pay no attention to the passing religious vogue. The masses are always wrong. In every generation the number of the righteous is small. Be sure you are among them." (Quoted from "The Inspirational Study Bible, from "The Best of Tozer" compiled by Warren Wiersbe. The bold is mine.)

How much does Tozer kick ass? Just that simple 5 word sentance is enough to change my life. You usually think of great theologians as being so entrenched in their own theology and denominational boundaries, and so seeking fame for their own perspective that they would be want to really say the masses are wrong, and that the passing religious vogue is a negative thing. Now it is all Purpose Driven Life and Wild at Heart. He is pointing out that all of those "good" people that many Christians try to emulate, seeking acceptance and to ease their conscience by conforming to the mold of the "severed branch" culture that surrounds them are wrong, and that we are failing to be what we are really called to be if we appear to fit in. "The masses are always wrong."

But one must ask why? Why are the masses wrong. Isn't it possible that we could all of one accord seek out the truth and have found it in W.W.J.D. bracelelts and singing vegetables? Well, first I don't really believe that we could collectively seek anything without some misscommunications, and some people doing it merely to fit in. But to a lareger extent, anytime that the masses label a behavior as right, and what we are supposed to do, it cannot be true because we do not all have the same path or calling.

My small group has been reading "The Barbarian Way," in which the author talks about how John the Baptist was in prison and pretty much asks Jesus to get him out of this situation, but Jesus refuses, even though he otherwise has done far more dramatic miracles. It was simply that Jesus knew that John had a different destiny from the majority. And the challenge comes, are we brave enough- do we have enough resilience and faith to step out into this destiny. Can we know that this life is but a breath- less than that- it is the inhilation before a long sigh? Can we look stupid? Can we look dorky by talking to others who may be unkind to us, or look different from us? So much of life I can relate back to the behavior of my preschoolers, and also to my life in high school. Huh, looks like that time of my life wasn't a waste after all. Curious.

My Flapper Costume and Open Mic Night

I was reading what I wrote about good movies that I watched recently, and I realized that I forgot the movie that was the impetus of the whole thing. Matchstick Men is a wonderful, wonderful movie. I was surpirsed- I bought it without ever having seen it from the video store as previously viewed movie for $5. I'd remembered hearing a little bit about it when it came out, and something about the female actress in it, but it wasn't until I went to my good friend Roger E's site that I learned that the actress playing Nicholas Cage's 14 year old daughter really was 23. At one point in the movie I even recall thinking thast they had dressed her up in order to make her look older, but really the whole time she was playing much much younger. Its yet another movie with a twist, and though I suspected a tweist was coming, I hadn't figured out all of the components of it, and I immediately wanted to see it again to see if I could catch more, which is the makings of a sucessful movie, both plot-wise, and commercially.

I also realized that I haven't blogged baout our new Sunday tradition. Now that Todd is all moved in ot his house, we drive after church to the pancake house and get breakfast and then go to his house, and talk until about 4 pm. Talk usually ranges from the River, worship styles, movies, racism, education, and completely unshockingly- relationships. I think that Todd and his roomate Matt enjoy getting our womanly perspective on issues. The first week that we came over, Matt started in the other room, but made his way to the kitchen and eventually was asking us questions. Its so funny to see guys as being that clueless about the way that women work, for normally I hear the other side of it- my female friends asking me why the men in their live's are so utterly befuddling (I love that word) to them. We also went there Halloween night to pass out candy to the neighborhood kids and have hot cider and roasted pumpkin seeds. MMMMMmmmmm. I had to wait until after my geology lab that night. I only saw a few people in costumes on campus, and I felt kinda bad for them, because I think that they thought that a lot more people would be dressed up. I didn't dress up for Todd's house, but I did for our small group's party a few days before, as a flapper, which has apparently only added fuel to the fire about me and my clothing, for apparently the boots that I bought years ago with my fellow members of Veritas de Vita are 'hooker boots." Really this is a retaliatory move on Stacie's part for my calling her "Stacie Jo," for the past year or so. If anything, my boots would be compared to riding boots of the sort that some stached British woman would wear fox-hunting. I have alaways been one of the most modest, most demure people in groups that I have been in, but lately I have become in dress and vocally the person who is on the outside, which is truly bizarre to me. What does that say though if my calf-high boots and a costume on sale at Traget can do that? Also, really, I don't say anything that shocking- I just say what everyone else is thinking, I just have the balls to say it out loud. We, as Christians, all seem to like to pretend that we never have an unkind, naughty, or malicious thought. Not that I'm excessively mean or something, I just speak the truth. (BTW_ Stacie went ot Halloween as a Kissing Booth, so really she has no place to protest what I was wearing.)

Talking about being bold and saying things- I was VERY bold a few weeks ago during Open Mic Night at the River. I printed off some of my powems with the intention of putting them in the Spring where we had art and poetry last time, but no one else had their stuff there. And then, Stacie gets up and reads her poetry and talks about being brave and taking risks, which is something that we have talked about in small group and just the two of us. Then, Jerry Barrett gets up, compliments Stacie and talks about the importance of writing and sharing a piece of yourself with others when you have something to say. Then, Angel gets up to sing, and talks about being who you really are, no matter what others think and sings Video by India Airie (sp probably.) So, when they opened it up at the end for whoever hadn't previously signed up for a slot, I fianlly gave in and went up there. I told the audience about my being convicted and then I shared my poems and I think got some good response. People even mentioned them on Sunday, which was especially nice to know that they remembered them over the weekend. Angel said that she wrote a song and wanted my advice on it, which is the sincerest form on admiration. The crowd was smaller at this Open Mic Night, but I thought that the quality of the performances went up- or at least the flow went up.

(Need to go- must study, must sleep.)

I'm so exhausted and I've still got a lot more to do. I'm debating right now because I could finish up next semester and be done forever with school, but I would have to go insane and take 6 classes. They'd all be interesting, but I'm not sure if I'd enjoy them at all if I was that busy. I also still need to save up my money for my car repairs, but I know I couldn't do it if I had that many classes. The other side of it is taking 3 classes this semster and 3 the next, but in April, I KNOW that I will want to be done. Okay, done venting, I'm just tired of not having any weekend because of all that I have to do.

Quote:

"I don't chase men, I just follow them around."
~Angel Marie Hughes