Nothing Exciting to Report Except a Bruise on My Knee

I haven't posted in a week because nothing exciting or weird has happened to me. What do you do on a blog when that happens? In the past week I have worked at Cokesbury, went on a Senior High Retreat (where it snowed about a foot, and I guess that was exciting to me, but I don't know about anyone else), wrote a paper criticizing H. Richard Niebuhr's use of relativism in his last chapter of Christ and Culture, learned about Process Theologians from the Chicago School, and worked at church...does any of this interest anyone? My guess is no. So what should I write about when this happens? I have really gnarly bruise on my knee from attempting the Roger Rabbit dance on a slippery floor (I am such a cool youth minister!!). Be sure to ask to see it. Maybe I'll take a picture of it and post it...hmm

It's Official: I am a hill person

My brief stop in Atlanta yesterday on my way back to Johnson City from Auburn made be realize I am have assimilated to country living. I was mesmerized by the billboards, the amazing variety of stores, and fact you can eat Thai noodles, buy a wedding dress, chemical supplements, linens, books and get you nails and taxes done all in the same shopping center! No wonder city folk have to earn so much money, there is so much to spend it on (the use of 'folk' is a deliberate attempt to present myself as a hill person). On I-26 between Asheville and Johnson City there aren't any billboards, no one is trying to sell you anything, it's just the mountains. I think that is what I've gotten used to, without cable TV, without constant internet access, without the billboards (just the occasional j.crew catalog) I forgotten how much people want you to buy stuff.

I Heart Auburn

I love Auburn! Now I know that is not news to anyone who has known me for more than 5 minutes, but I am currently writing this post in...Auburn! I'm in my old office at ACF, listening to John Wasem (special thanks to Stephanie), and experiencing deja vu. When I left Johnson City yesterday it was snowing, and today in Aubrn it's 80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. I've eaten at Veggies-to-Go and now feel like I'm going to throw up but it was totally worth it. I haven't seen so many pro-Bush bumperstickers since the last time I was in Auburn. Crazy how being 20 and driving a BMW makes you a Repbulican. I'll back to Johnson City tomorrow, the land of snow, ice, and NPR. Being here makes me realize seminary has aged me at least 20 years. I might as well be 45. All my little freshman are juniors now, my old roommate has a baby, and there is a Hooters on College Street. A Hooters of all things! I hate Hooters. But I still love Auburn, War Eagle.

Learning to Garden

This summer I am going to grow food. Gardening in Arizona consisted of nothing but giant zucchini that we would throw into our neighbors pool. I don't remember anything else actually surviving the heat. In Georgia my mom grew tomatoes, and in Auburn growing food is the last thing on anyone's mind except for the people working in the experimental gardens with the big signs that say "Don't eat. Experiment Garden" or something like that.

So now that I am all grown up and know basically nothing about surviving outside of Western civilization I am going to learn how to grow food! Probably all I'll be good for is pulling weeds, but I'm still really excited. The most exciting thing about the whole garden for me is that we will be growing my great-grandfathers tomatoes (he was a botanist for Rutgers University). Here is what the Catalpa Tree Seed Co. had to say about the tomatoes: "Rutgers has proven itself for years to be highly productive. Large, attractive fruits with thick, solid flesh. Superior flavor, delicious in salads, unsurpassed for home canning. Indeterminate. " Isn't that nice! You can see how beautiful they are in the picture. I'll try to keep everyon updated on my progress as a gardener/theologian.

Spring Break No Fun in Grad School

In undergrad spring break is all fun and games. The nation's youth, having worked hard all winter on their abs and fake tans, escape their troubles (bad grades and credit card bill caused by all the ab workouts and time in the tanning bed) by going Mexico. If you are especially pious you might go on a mission trip to Mexico, but somehow you always end up in Mexico.

Alas those days have passed and now for me spring break means:
1) studying A LOT
2) working
3) sleeping, though not as much as I'd like because I'll be doing 1 and 2.

I can't really complain because I am going to Auburn for a few days (and the Middle East in May), but somehow spring break still fills me with nostalgia.

Stephanie Moore Fur-loss Program

Are you tired of unsightly purple (or any color) fur? Do you wish you could just be a normal boy or girl? Well the Stephanie Moore Fur-loss Program is for you.













Just 30 days and you could have the man (or woman) of your dreams caring you away after your 25th birthday party.

Cost is minimal and all proceeds go to help starving seminary students.

Jonah the Goldfish Sand Sculpture

Here is a fantastic picture of a sand sculpture I created of my goldfish over Christmas break. The weather was great in Savannah so we (my wonderful sister, brother-in-law, and I) hit the beach to create some impressive, though sadly temporary art work.

You Can Never Be To Careful With Schistosomiasis

For all of you traveling to Africa in the near future be sure to check out this site warning of the dangers of the parasite, Schistosomiasis. The site is in German but the picture of the lifecycle of the little bugger is priceless. http://www.medizin.de/gesundheit/deutsch/606.htm

No National Boundaries!!

It seems that Spring has arrived in Johnson City. My tulips are coming up and the robins are back. In honor of the robins I will be sharing a section from my new favorite book, Bird Life (for young people), written by Helmut E. Adler, Ph.D Professor of Psychology, Yeshiva University. Why, you may ask, is a professor of psychology writing a book on bird life specifically for young people? I'm not actually sure but according to Dr. Adler "bird behavior knows no national boundaries" which may be a good way to unite all peoples of the world. If our birds aren't so different maybe, just maybe, we aren't so different after all either... Just something to think about.

Crazy Tennessee People: Story #79

On the way to church I saw the most red-neck thing ever, and I've seen some pretty funny stuff (a horse being lead by a rope on Interstate 26 by a man in the back of a truck). Some kids were in the parking lot of Dairy Queen and one of them had attached a lawn mower motor to his bicycle. It still had the big plastic exhaust system on it. I'm not sure how safe it was but it seemed to be working at the moment. Pretty ingenious, however, I think if you're eating at Dairy Queen you need to be peddling the bike.

METS Trip!!

Some very exciting news has just come in...I am going to the Middle East!!! Emmanuel is part of a 3 week guide tour of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, and Greece. Students from five other seminaries are going as well so we can dialogue about theology while in the starting place of it all. Special thanks to RJ, Nathan, and Amanda for their wonderful recommendations that I'm sure are the reason that I was accepted (since I talked about my goldfish for 5 minutes when they asked about hobbies in the interview, I'm in grad school and work two jobs, who has time for hobbies?). This trip as been such a great experience for everyone that has gone before, I can't wait to go!!

Well friends, someone recently asked me what sort of blog this will be and that is a great question. I want this site to be a place of refreshment for the soul, education for the mind, and most of all about me and my opinions. Many, many people ask me "Caren what do you think about______?" (fill in the blank with what ever is on your mind), and now the whole world can know! So today as I sit in my office at Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church my opinion for the day is...

Misspelling of common words by gas stations, payday check cashing places, etc...This must stop immediately or we will have a future generation of kids spelling quick without a 'c'.

No one really cares what I'm doing, but I felt left out so here we go.