A Jar Full of Rocks

Just thought i'd post this song...tried to find it for the blog so you could hear it but no such luck. the lyrics wiil have to do. thought of it today during class since we were talking about getting back to focusing on whats important in life. i think my rocks would be loving others and loving god...there are probably a few more. i really hope i don't turn into one of those people that gets too caught up in living to enjoy life. scary to think about.
p.s. i know the song's about newlyweds. hopefully you get the picture.

All I Need by Sara Groves
Newly married, new apartment
All our furniture was saved from the dump
Yes dear maybe we can afford a trashcan next month
All I need is a seat for two and my love for you (love love love)

New baby new life
We will teach him to speak French (poly du france)
We've got no money so we'll make it all ourselves
I'll make the curtains and you make the shelves
All I need is a power saw and a new sewing machine (love love love and a sewing machine)

Honey, this house needs a little something
That bare mantle doesn't look so good (it really doesn't)
Someone told me of a man
Who makes animals from driftwood (he makes animals, little wooden animals)
All I need is your monthly bonus for a wooden walrus

Honey, the Colbaughs are coming over
This house needs some renovations
Just a wall or two, just a little room
And a few new decorations

All I need is a sectional and a satellite TV
dark-wood cabinets that were custom built for me
a painting by that guy that paints with his feet...
Thats all i need...

Tuesdays with Morrie

As we saw in the movie, Mitch is afraid of Morrie's death more than Morrie seems to be (because he has somehow accepted it). Like Mitch, I definately think that Americans are afraid of death...we value life! We spend all kinds of money trying to keep ourselves alive and well! Being an American, I can't really think of it being any other way....do people in other cultures just die instead of using medications available to them? It's a strange idea to grasp for me. I know that we don't like to say "so-and-so just died" to anyone so instead we will say "so-and-so passed away" because it's just that scary to us. The unknown side of the universe-after living so long (according to us) on the earth-is terrifying! I think most of us have a natural fear of death. As a Christian, I know where I'm going when I die (it's still scary sometimes though) but there is a bible verse that relates to this topic of materialism and death. It tells us to worry about the next world instead of being obsessed with things we can obtain on earth because at the end of it all it doesn't really matter how how much our wardrobe costs or how much stuff we own but how we lived our lives.
Hope it's okay if i quote it, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-22)

Gestures and Intersections

I think it's actually pretty intriguing that different cultures have different norms and in extension: folkways, mores and taboos. I went to Lima, Peru over this past summer break and learned many new things about their culture. For one thing, people keep their very nicest things for church (where in my church we really don't care all that much what you look like), they also care about things like hand gestures. For example, you never do the a-okay symbol because it's just really bad. My leader that came to Peru from America says that she can't even do it anymore. Plus, they rake in peru where in america, to say hi, we wave. In addition, if we were to be spoken to on the streets, we were not to respond-or even look at the person-because they were being rude. We americans were also told not to look into peruvian men's eyes because that is considered flirting (they only look at eachother in the eye when they know the other person very very well). Peruvians also have CRAZY driving practices. they never obey the traffic signs and almost nobody crashes. it's pretty ridiculous....



Just a passing thought, I would like to bring up...what is the rules of getting through stevenson hallways?? i know that we upperclassmen may shake our heads at the way a freshman trying to get through a hallway. this must mean there are at least a few unwritten rules that need to be followed in order to not be considered a freshman. i suppose i shall compile a list:
-rolling backpacks
-going too slow for the traffic
-going too fast for the traffic
-running to get to class
-wearing a huge backpack (sometimes bigger than themselves might i add) and twisting around very quickly knocking a few other freshman down in the process (because they happen to be on the verge of tipping anyways)
-dashing straight in front of you (and almost smashing into you entirely) from a side hallway with not enough space to get through.
-going on the wrong side of the hallway (right side vs. left side)

lol. i suppose there are some things that we consider to be abnormal and rather annoying if not followed in our hallways. i wonder if these rules change with regards to other schools in other countries, or other states, or other districts for that matter!

just curious,
katie