As much as I'm a little leery of all things postmodern, I usually like Rob Bell; I just wish I knew more Greek and Hebrew so I could check his exegesis:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-p_W_ZprQYU
Prof KLP, I have you to thank for my disposition to agree with Mr Bell here.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
La musica, la musica
This is an interesting discussion, and something that I think about a great deal. Check it out, if you want.
http://www.thecommonroot.org/forum/topics/2345046:Topic:1389
http://www.thecommonroot.org/forum/topics/2345046:Topic:1389
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Back to London
So...it's 6:30 AM and I've been up for going on 2.5 hours - what other reason for this than election day? I'm not as hardcore as Rod and Darren though - they've been going since 1 AM here (8 PM in America, Eastern time), and they cooked a bunch of us breakfast. Thanks to a faulty alarm, I didn't make the 4 AM GMT meet-up that we had scheduled, but at 4:30 I jumped out of bed, threw on my glasses, the nearest clean(ish) clothes, and a bandana and ran over to Buxton Street to watch the BBC and see the votes coming in.
Whew, is all I can say. It's all over!
There were many laughs and jokes at the expense of those bloggers featured by the BBC...and I in no way want to claim that I have or ever will blog about politics. But I have enough coffee in me to keep me up for quite a while, so I might as well update!
Life here has been a bit mixed up - Masha Clark was here for a wonderful week of touring London, and then Allison arrived and she and I went to Spain for a while. I'm priding myself on the fact that Mom now knows the tube well enough to get herself from Liverpool Street to Heathrow, even if it's only one transfer at Holborn.
Spain was lovely - not as warm as it would normally be, but still lovely. The architecture was definitely the high point: all the fountains, tiny streets, obscure monuments to even more obscure saints (and the not so saintly, a la Don Juan Tenorio), the Real Alcazar, and the gothic Cathedral. Allison and I took in some flamenco, an Arab bath/spa called "Aire de Sevilla," plenty of shopping, exploring, and generally enjoying the city.
It's been a bit tough getting back into the swing of things these last couple days - what with being quite tired and having a nasty cold. I'm sure all this not-sleep is helping quite a lot, too. Tonight is Bonfire Night, though, so I'll probably bum around with STP to set some fireworks off. All last evening I could hear fireworks going off everywhere - just like the fourth of July, only that everyone has their own private fireworks as opposed to just big town displays.
More of an update to follow...
Whew, is all I can say. It's all over!
There were many laughs and jokes at the expense of those bloggers featured by the BBC...and I in no way want to claim that I have or ever will blog about politics. But I have enough coffee in me to keep me up for quite a while, so I might as well update!
Life here has been a bit mixed up - Masha Clark was here for a wonderful week of touring London, and then Allison arrived and she and I went to Spain for a while. I'm priding myself on the fact that Mom now knows the tube well enough to get herself from Liverpool Street to Heathrow, even if it's only one transfer at Holborn.
Spain was lovely - not as warm as it would normally be, but still lovely. The architecture was definitely the high point: all the fountains, tiny streets, obscure monuments to even more obscure saints (and the not so saintly, a la Don Juan Tenorio), the Real Alcazar, and the gothic Cathedral. Allison and I took in some flamenco, an Arab bath/spa called "Aire de Sevilla," plenty of shopping, exploring, and generally enjoying the city.
It's been a bit tough getting back into the swing of things these last couple days - what with being quite tired and having a nasty cold. I'm sure all this not-sleep is helping quite a lot, too. Tonight is Bonfire Night, though, so I'll probably bum around with STP to set some fireworks off. All last evening I could hear fireworks going off everywhere - just like the fourth of July, only that everyone has their own private fireworks as opposed to just big town displays.
More of an update to follow...
Monday, October 20, 2008
The speed of sound
I was walking down Princelet Street the other day with Hannah and the kids and a bunch of pigeons flew up into the air from the pavement where Ben was about to terrorize them with his bike. Of course, whenever this happens, I always start singing “Speed of Sound” to myself for old times’ sake, but not always out loud. And it struck me that oh, my goodness – I’m halfway through my time here, and what an idiot I’ve been not to realize how fast time is going!
With Eid past, life among the Bengalis has gone back to normal – whatever that means. Kids’ club has started up – we’ve had one week at the Hanbury and one week going out to see Prince Caspian at the RichMix Cinema on Bethnal Green Road near the top of Brick Lane. (X3 in the cinema...I had forgotten how much I really enjoy that movie. I was near to tears more than once. Such a sap!) After that ,we had girls’ club, which was supposed to be bowling, but ended up in a long and futile battle with the London Transportation; a long wait in Aldgate East tube station, and then a long wait outside of Liverpool Street Station, and finally just goofing around over an early tea at McDonalds for the rest of the time. It really turned out to be a great time, though. There are some great girls there, and so many of them are pretty young, so hopefully they will be able to stay involved with the girls’ club for many years to come. Four of them commandeered my camera for a while, and I’ve not uploaded the pictures onto my computer to look at them yet…this could be rather interesting!
I made the mistake on Sunday of trying to walk the cycle that I have borrowed (thank you, Andy and Jacob) up Brick Lane in search of food to share at a picnic. As might be expected at 1:45 on a Sunday, both beigel shops were full up of people with queues way out onto the street. I decided that I couldn’t be bothered to tie my bike up somewhere and wait that long, so I continued squashing past people (one of whom, probably an American by accent, said “seriously!” as if it were a capital offense for me to try and walk my bike through the street) like I was going the wrong way in a river until I found an older man selling some fruit and brought that instead. I was meeting up with some people from church at Victoria (fam: Vicky) Park for lunch, and that turned into a long afternoon of doing the cryptic crossword – which I am quite horrible at. This might be complicated by the fact that I don’t know all the phrases, euphemisms, and figures of speech that someone writing these crosswords might be using, unfortunately. But it was a lovely day, and when I got back to the Spirings’, Hannah’s parents were there and I got to chat with them about their recent sojourn in America, among other things. Hannah’s dad introduced me to the practice of putting golden syrup on Yorkshire puddings, which was delicious but so incredibly rich. Every time I think about golden syrup I kind of groan, just because it’s so sugary! It make me want to smack my lips together and drink a lot of water.
At City Gateway, things have been a bit crazy, but thus is life. Yesterday was my first (well, technically second) day of helping out at Lansbury Lodge women’s project, and I must admit, I did not expect to be quite doing what I did all day. At Limehouse Youth Centre, I’m still helping to run evening club, do door-knocking, and get ideas/events started for girls’ night. I believe we just got the next batch of door-knocking stuff today, so that will be my afternoon, perhaps.
Have made a few goals for the next couple weeks: first, get my coursework done but not be a recluse (tough one, that!) Second: manage to enjoy the time with my mother and not fight too much. Third: post more regularly on here/journal regularly.
A friend at Limehouse and I were talking about the differences between areas of London, and the comment came out: things are much more laid back here, in the East End. In some ways, I suppose this is true - you don't quite have the hustle and bustle in a high commerce or touristy sense that you might get in the heart of the West End. In some ways, things certainly go do slower here, are less efficient, and generally more agreeable. But certainly not in all ways. Canary Wharf is an important centre for business (even with its ghastly skyscrapers), there are several major motorways as well as tunnels under the Thames, and the immigrant community is a rapidly changing one as well.
So - I guess it depends on what you mean by 'things move slower.' If you are Michael Scott, then things move a little bit slower in Scranton, PA. If you are Erin Clark, then perhaps where you currently live can't really be defined by 'slow-moving.'
To switch gears a little bit (and to wax philosophical), I've been trying to keep up on American politics...unfortunately, I have not been entirely successful. Or is it fortunately? No, I won't go that route. I think it's good to be informed about politics and to make an informed choice whenever one has the privilege to vote. What really tires me, however, is the constant barrage of arguing and slandering and accusing and defending and...and...and the knowledge that no one candidate is going to keep all his or her promises - by a LONG shot. I've been saying recently, when pressed, that I really don't think a two-party system is sustainable in a county of the US' size and responsibility.
Hrmmm. That will take quite a lot more mulling over.
At any rate, this week masha clark is coming to visit (I think she is pretty stoked) and Allison is coming on Friday, after which the two of us are going to Sevilla. Sigh...it will be nice to have a holiday to catch up on Zzzz's, conversation, and pleasure reading ;) And of course, tourism!
With Eid past, life among the Bengalis has gone back to normal – whatever that means. Kids’ club has started up – we’ve had one week at the Hanbury and one week going out to see Prince Caspian at the RichMix Cinema on Bethnal Green Road near the top of Brick Lane. (X3 in the cinema...I had forgotten how much I really enjoy that movie. I was near to tears more than once. Such a sap!) After that ,we had girls’ club, which was supposed to be bowling, but ended up in a long and futile battle with the London Transportation; a long wait in Aldgate East tube station, and then a long wait outside of Liverpool Street Station, and finally just goofing around over an early tea at McDonalds for the rest of the time. It really turned out to be a great time, though. There are some great girls there, and so many of them are pretty young, so hopefully they will be able to stay involved with the girls’ club for many years to come. Four of them commandeered my camera for a while, and I’ve not uploaded the pictures onto my computer to look at them yet…this could be rather interesting!
I made the mistake on Sunday of trying to walk the cycle that I have borrowed (thank you, Andy and Jacob) up Brick Lane in search of food to share at a picnic. As might be expected at 1:45 on a Sunday, both beigel shops were full up of people with queues way out onto the street. I decided that I couldn’t be bothered to tie my bike up somewhere and wait that long, so I continued squashing past people (one of whom, probably an American by accent, said “seriously!” as if it were a capital offense for me to try and walk my bike through the street) like I was going the wrong way in a river until I found an older man selling some fruit and brought that instead. I was meeting up with some people from church at Victoria (fam: Vicky) Park for lunch, and that turned into a long afternoon of doing the cryptic crossword – which I am quite horrible at. This might be complicated by the fact that I don’t know all the phrases, euphemisms, and figures of speech that someone writing these crosswords might be using, unfortunately. But it was a lovely day, and when I got back to the Spirings’, Hannah’s parents were there and I got to chat with them about their recent sojourn in America, among other things. Hannah’s dad introduced me to the practice of putting golden syrup on Yorkshire puddings, which was delicious but so incredibly rich. Every time I think about golden syrup I kind of groan, just because it’s so sugary! It make me want to smack my lips together and drink a lot of water.
At City Gateway, things have been a bit crazy, but thus is life. Yesterday was my first (well, technically second) day of helping out at Lansbury Lodge women’s project, and I must admit, I did not expect to be quite doing what I did all day. At Limehouse Youth Centre, I’m still helping to run evening club, do door-knocking, and get ideas/events started for girls’ night. I believe we just got the next batch of door-knocking stuff today, so that will be my afternoon, perhaps.
Have made a few goals for the next couple weeks: first, get my coursework done but not be a recluse (tough one, that!) Second: manage to enjoy the time with my mother and not fight too much. Third: post more regularly on here/journal regularly.
A friend at Limehouse and I were talking about the differences between areas of London, and the comment came out: things are much more laid back here, in the East End. In some ways, I suppose this is true - you don't quite have the hustle and bustle in a high commerce or touristy sense that you might get in the heart of the West End. In some ways, things certainly go do slower here, are less efficient, and generally more agreeable. But certainly not in all ways. Canary Wharf is an important centre for business (even with its ghastly skyscrapers), there are several major motorways as well as tunnels under the Thames, and the immigrant community is a rapidly changing one as well.
So - I guess it depends on what you mean by 'things move slower.' If you are Michael Scott, then things move a little bit slower in Scranton, PA. If you are Erin Clark, then perhaps where you currently live can't really be defined by 'slow-moving.'
To switch gears a little bit (and to wax philosophical), I've been trying to keep up on American politics...unfortunately, I have not been entirely successful. Or is it fortunately? No, I won't go that route. I think it's good to be informed about politics and to make an informed choice whenever one has the privilege to vote. What really tires me, however, is the constant barrage of arguing and slandering and accusing and defending and...and...and the knowledge that no one candidate is going to keep all his or her promises - by a LONG shot. I've been saying recently, when pressed, that I really don't think a two-party system is sustainable in a county of the US' size and responsibility.
Hrmmm. That will take quite a lot more mulling over.
At any rate, this week masha clark is coming to visit (I think she is pretty stoked) and Allison is coming on Friday, after which the two of us are going to Sevilla. Sigh...it will be nice to have a holiday to catch up on Zzzz's, conversation, and pleasure reading ;) And of course, tourism!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Eid Mubarak
Well, this past week included Eid Al-Fitr, the celebration day (or three days) at the end of Ramadan. After finding a pretty selwa kamiz to wear on Whitechapel, Alice and I headed out post lunchtime-service to visit late into the evening. Was interesting to hear how Alice explained our celebration-or-not-celebration of Ramadan...because we weren't really celebrating, not being Muslim, but we certainly wanted to be with our friends in the community while they separate and show respect for their culture by coming beside them in a really joyful time, I guess. At any rate, it was wonderful to have kids who remember me from being in school and, now, kids' club.
For yes, today was the first kids' club for this term. We had 31 at one point (although we leveled out at 28) and the hour and a half went SO INCREDIBLY FAST! I was picking up kids from Jacobson House, although few could actually come today. Will have to follow up this week and try to see the kids who couldn't come!
I sent in a very long paper this week, which was lovely and cause for much rejoicing. Sending in the paper was lovely, that is - not the paper itself! It wasn't horrible, but I just did not really want to write it at all. Next up are a few textbook reflection style papers, which should be fine.
I'm still plowing through "The Book of Hiding", although I made considerable progress this week and hope to finish it today. the Lifeshapes book is going, too, but I don't want to read it too fast, preferring to mull over what I read a bit more.
It's officially autumn here, which means chilly, chilly, chilly. I forgot how tough it is to really keep warm here...man, I am such a pansy! What happened to I-love-winter-Erin? Will have to stock up on the jumpers :)
For yes, today was the first kids' club for this term. We had 31 at one point (although we leveled out at 28) and the hour and a half went SO INCREDIBLY FAST! I was picking up kids from Jacobson House, although few could actually come today. Will have to follow up this week and try to see the kids who couldn't come!
I sent in a very long paper this week, which was lovely and cause for much rejoicing. Sending in the paper was lovely, that is - not the paper itself! It wasn't horrible, but I just did not really want to write it at all. Next up are a few textbook reflection style papers, which should be fine.
I'm still plowing through "The Book of Hiding", although I made considerable progress this week and hope to finish it today. the Lifeshapes book is going, too, but I don't want to read it too fast, preferring to mull over what I read a bit more.
It's officially autumn here, which means chilly, chilly, chilly. I forgot how tough it is to really keep warm here...man, I am such a pansy! What happened to I-love-winter-Erin? Will have to stock up on the jumpers :)
Friday, September 26, 2008
Pictures at long last!
Thanks to the correct camera cord (all the way from Hong Kong - literally. a technology shop in Hong Kong), here are some pictures for you:
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Abtmblo2aMmTkY
if you go here and click on "View Album" and then "Detail View"...you'll see the pictures and my comments.
I'll try to keep them coming as I take them, but in my efforts to avoid being a tourist, they may be slow in coming.
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Abtmblo2aMmTkY
if you go here and click on "View Album" and then "Detail View"...you'll see the pictures and my comments.
I'll try to keep them coming as I take them, but in my efforts to avoid being a tourist, they may be slow in coming.
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