thank you clive staples

Finally, though I have had to speak at some length about sex, I want to make it as clear as I possibly can that the centre of Christian morality is not here. If anyone thinks that Christians regard unchastity as the supreme vice, he is quite wrong. The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins. All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronising and spoiling sport, and back-biting, the pleasures of power, or hatred. For there are two things inside me, competing with the human self which I must try to become. They are the Animal self, and the Diabolical self. The Diabolical self is the worse of the two. That is why a cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute. But, of course, it is better to be neither.

-Mere Christianity

What kind of idiot are you?

Last year my new year’s resolution was to be nicer to telemarketers. I know, it sounds strange but trust me I can be a real monster when you invade my privacy by calling me to take your dumb surveys and give thirteen cents to the Pigeon Survival Cause.

I digress. . . so I got a piece of junk mail from a company called Arbitron and inside was a crisp one dollar bill. Now that’s the kind of telemarketer I want to be nicer to. I ignored the letter and stashed George Washington in my wallet to use on CTA rides. Then came the second letter. . . with another dollar.

That letter I read. They want me to take a radio survey for a week and then I’ll get ten bucks. Now listen, the second reason I hate telemarketers is because they think every American household adult is an idiot (Seinfeld quote: For I’m George Kostanza King of the Idiots!). Sign up for this or that cause, take this survey and we’ll send you a coupon for $.75 cents off a car wash, when really you get put on some ridiculous list of “Idiot’s to Call”.

Bonita sees right through that kind of thing.

But when I got a call last Saturday morning at 9am from Arbitron saying that I’d be receiving more cash in the mail soon my vision got a little foggy. Then I got $2.00 more bucks in the mail bringing my total up to $4.00. You have no idea how excited I’ve been for free money!! My friend Jamie told me this summer that she signed up for some dinner surveys and gets coupons in the mail for free dinners and I thought she was on the “Idiot’s to Mail” list. . . I was wrong. She is my inspiration!

Early this week after my cash and phone call I got the survey in the mail from Arbitron. I have to write down my radio listening habits for a full seven days, log the details, send it in, and then I get more cash-o-la. This all means that I’m letting Big Brother pay me to invade my privacy. . . who’s the idiot now?? Eh????

pensive

i get like this sometimes. where there are so many ideas and concerns flooding my mind that I can't be sure how to pinch one long enough to squeeze out any sense.

last night i was glad to be reminded of this:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

it's an interesting exhortation. a live sacrifice: offer your body and renew your mind. this will test and approve God's will?

offer your body.
renew your mind.

offer body.
renew mind.

offer.
renew.

sacrifice.

being around latinos

makes me really really happy.

how do you get your high?

i get mine from climbing.

I went out to Devil's Lake, Wisconsin, with friends to rock climb and it was such an awesome time.

sometimes we climbed, sometimes we danced. sometimes we roasted 'mallows. sometimes we hiked. overall it was a beautiful place to spend a weekend with beautiful people.


Belay on!!
i was really excited because i became so much more comfortable just using the rock face. when you indoor climb you stick to the routes, but outdoors you step on anything you can, shove your hands into any crack just to get up to the top. it was AWESOME.


and the views from the top are incredible. i love fall.

the shores at buckingham

they’re turning the lights off one by one
first the fountains
then the boats are sent away
the rugs have been pulled from under the volleyball courts
so that the sand is left naked

it won’t be long until the dust will fall on it all
burying our sails
burying our spouts
while we wrestle all winter, longing to be unfolded
longing to be spit through