What I'm Reading
Mes Amis
June 25, 2008
June 20, 2008
Commencement
People keep asking what it's like to be done. And honestly, it doesn't feel so entirely different considering classes begin again on Monday. But I suppose receiving an empty diploma cover (and a hug) from Dr. Mouw is a step in the right direction. In any case it was super fun to have family here and meet friends' families. The weekend passed pretty quickly between an SIS graduation banquet, the lengthy ceremony, miscellaneous parties, and lots of family discussion about mom and dad's upcoming move to Boston where pops will become president of Gordon-Conwell.
I have the pleasure of Naphtali staying with me for the remainder of the week. Luckily, it's 96 degrees today, so we're headed for beaches of Malibu today before she flies home. And even more luckily, I'll see her and the rest of the Hollinger family again in just a couple of weeks for Grandma's 90th birthday!
Photos: http://daphneburkina.typepad.com/photos/the_fuller_life/index.html
June 07, 2008
I Loooooove Laughing!!
An prayer from my sister's (Naphtali) friend's (Mel) daughter, Daisy:
"DEAR GOD, SANK YOU FOR THA FOOD. SANK YOU FOR THA DESSERT. I LOOOVE ICE CREAM. AND I LOVE POPSICLES. AND SANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE GREEN BEANS FROM DESIRE'S GARDEN...AND NEXT TIME I WON'T SAY BAD SINGS ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE WHILE THEY ARE STILL NEXT TO ME. SANK YOU FOR THIS DAY. SANK YOU FOR DYING FOR US. AND PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE GET WELL SOON FROM DYING. AAAAA-MEN!"
http://thelifeofdaisy.blogspot.com
June 04, 2008
Yangtze
What is progress, anyway? What does society look like when it is "developed" - that vague term that assumes some sort of completion? If progress means hydroelectric power and luxury, how can it simultaneously result in poverty and brokenness - tearing homes away from the land and water sources that support them in order to make room for new constructions, tearing daughters away from parents who can no longer afford their education.
I suppose their are pros and cons to any sort of development, including this movie's portrayal of the Three Gorges Dam...a project that is causing the Yangtze's river to rise thereby whiping out families long dependent on her water and fertile banks. All this, juxtaposed against boat-loads of plump white tourists traveling down the river, giving accolades to progress in China.
Are we, too, in sterile boats...traveling along a rising river that is silently creeping over those with the least power and money and persuasion? I don't think it's too idealistic to claim I don't want to be a mere tourist in this world.
May 30, 2008
Humor me
Before running to class this morning, I did my usual check of BBC online. Imagine my initial horror to find a story of Dunkin Donuts pulling an ad of Rachel Ray because she was critiqued for wearing a "Muslim terrorist" scarf! Sanity returned upon reading people's comments below the story. Here's to some good laughs...
May 29, 2008
Inspiration Point
r e c o m m e n d e d h i k e
park at the end of lake avenue | follow the echo mountain trail to the top (2.7miles) | continue up the sam merrill trail to junction (2.5miles) | follow signs to inspiration point (check out the mini-telescopes) | loop back down to echo mountain along castle canyon, then back down the mountain
beware of mountain lions along castle canyon. ryan ran into one there once. thankfully, ryan won : )
May 20, 2008
Heat
The big outdoor thermometer as I drove by a bank today said it was 155 degrees. Perhaps slightly inaccurate, but close enough. I ashamedly was driving a car, thereby contributing to the heat of the day. (I need to get my dear bike fixed!) Anyway, today is actually cool enough to stand reading in my apartment, so no complaints here.
Somehow what I thought would be a somewhat slower quarter is rapidly completing itself. Three more weeks of class, a week of exams, graduation, done. Except graduation is somewhat anticlimactic for me, as I am merely walking across the stage then continuing with classes throughout the summer. It is so nice not to be moving. This is the longest I've lived in one place for a long time. I'm glad to be able to seed some new vegetables in containers on my balcony knowing that I'll be here to see their fruits. I will, however, be spending about a month in Nepal during the late summer/early fall for my practicum. My current Nepali lessons are more sporadic than I'd like, but I am so excited to once again learn from a place and people from whom I've already learned so much. Dear Jesus, please don't let the airplane ticket be too expensive : )
So that's the ever-so-brief update from me. This summer is already packed with fun weddings, a grandma's 90th birthday celebration, one conference in Chicago, and another in Portland. I'm thankful for the flexibility of my job at Patagonia, where I'll continue working throughout the summer.
Now back to the reading.
April 24, 2008
April 15, 2008
Jalama Beach
This Saturday evening we arrived at Jalama Beach campground with 5 carloads of friends, sausages, canned beans, guitars, and a gigantic 8-person tent. The beach is beautifully secluded, and most of our camper neighbors looked like they had been surfing all day. We, on the other hand, set straight to work setting up the gigantic flapping tent, starting a fire, and asking all our neighbors if we could share their parking spots. I'm not sure if we left such a good impression. And the flapping tent, well, pretty much flapped all night long. But a sublime sunset followed by a warm morning, paired with the fun of camping with 13 friends (and a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday sung to our dear Thais), made for quite a lovely weekend. And now that I'm officially Californian (I got a license, of course), it made me love "my" state all the more...haha : )
