When I first saw their infamous ‘God Hates Fags’ signs, Westboro Baptist Church devotees triggered a mix of emotions in me. I was enraged that they would show such disregard for people and families. I was sad that they were so brainwashed. I found in laughable that they would dare to call themselves a church. So, I guess their plan worked. I was another one of the masses that got sucked in, even if just for a little while, and couldn’t resist responding.
Part of the problem is that I am a Christian. Westboro Baptist makes me really insecure when I see them on TV. I can’t help but lament the fact that people are going to form impressions of Christians from seeing these guys on TV. So, something in me tells me to spend a lot of time and energy battling against people like them. It’s an impulse that is hard to ignore.
If college students mastered this kind of efficiency, they’d graduate a year earlier.
We have crossed the 5 month mark. That’s kind of a weird number to mention, when I could just wait for the 6 month mark of being in Korea. I know this. However, we’ll likely be traveling during that time, and I won’t be able to post about it within a relevant span of time. So, 5 months it is. I like 5 months better than 7 months.
You can do nothing scarier, nor more exciting, than move to another country. Except maybe fly into outer space. Your chances of moving to another country are much better though.
The longest I’d ever been outside my country prior to the move to Korea was 1 month. I’ve now exceeded my personal best by %400. (I think.) What I’ve learned is that the secret to great travel is to put in some time. It has taken me all the way up to this point to really settle in, get over all the homesickness, and to just enjoy the heck out of the place. Each day it becomes more fun to be here.
You never really get that feeling going for just a few weeks though. You never really get to dig in and enjoy all the culture has to offer if you aren’t going to be around for awhile.
As if it wasn’t enough to be in Korea, in less than two weeks we are satisfying our travel itch again by trekking over to Turkey to check out Ephesus and spend some relaxing time with friends. I only wish I could be there longer too.
You can incorporate permaculture principles into all kinds of different environments. Here’s how to get some permaculture into your living space:
You’d have to be living under a rock to not know about the earthquake that has happened in Haiti. At this point it is all over the news and it is being talked about all over the world. The natural urge for most during a time like this is to feel the need to do something to alleviate the suffering. That’s a very good thing to feel.
For many, that urge comes along with a feeling of a need to do it quickly. That is also a good thing to feel. The response to the Haitian crisis has been a much needed glimmer of positive light in a world that has been inundated with ugly examples of what people are capable of lately.
But don’t be too quick to send your money to Haiti….
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Not the usual problem.
Yesterday was an interesting day. There I was, at my desk typing away on the computer when I heard Kristin say that the washing machine was acting funny. Of course, this is not the kind of the that any husband wants to hear. Women have a keen sense for things being out of balance, or seeming a little ‘off’. Therefore, that means that when they suspect that something is functioning a little bit differently than usual, it is, without a chance of being anything otherwise, broken.
She knew this because, in her usual perceptive manner, she noticed it was making a new beeping sound. It normally sounded later in the cycle. This is something I have no ability to even comprehend, of course, so I scoffed at first. My solution was to shut it off and try again. That went about as good as could be expected, and within minutes, we were well on our way to wasting 20 minutes of our lives. My handy trick did nothing. We were still staring at a washing machine filled with water, and listening to an odd beeping noise I was growing rather sick of hearing.
Hey Y’all
Ok, so some of you may be wondering by now, “How’d that Korea stuff turn out?” Well, so far so good actually. We had a bit of a hiccup there with a school that dropped us because we couldn’t come as early as they wanted (we would have had to give up having a honeymoon, and we decided that idea was about as much fun as getting hit in the toes with a hammer). However, we ended up being offered a spot with a school that could take us when we wanted to go, and who were paying a little bit better.
As it turns out, some of my friends that I talked to who are in Korea said that the first school was not all that great anyways. So, we signed a contract and headed off to the Consulate to get our documents verified after an awesome lawyer friend notarized everything for us for free! (Saving us about $200). The Consulate looked over our documents and said they were legitimate, so they put the Consular Seals on them and we stuck them in the Purolator depot to head off to South Korea. The Purolator lady was super cool, and really helpful, and we tracked our stuff on the internet with eager anticipation.
I love good music.
There are times in life that the way you feel can’t be expressed with just plain old words. Those times call for good music. Have you ever felt that way? You just couldn’t get things right until you threw on a good song? Well, recently, I had one of those moments. My friend Ben told me to check out Zach Williams, and from the moment I heard the first song it just captured my life at the time.
http://www.zachwilliams.com
Check him out and see what you think.
- Craig