Graduate.

Dear reader,

If you still have this blog listed as my primary address, I regret to inform you that I have moved again.

www.anothersoul.com

... and I graduated from Judson University recently, that was cool. :)

Summer is imminent

Well dear reader,

It has been a while. This blog of mine has seen seasons of more usage. I apologized for this in the past. This time, I will simply let it be.

This semester has been at once a strange, wonderful, painful, amazing collection of weeks. There were weeks of great joy, and weeks of great sorrow. Academically, it went well. I received straight A's once more. Considering I had five classes that were mostly upper level for my degree concentration and minor concentration, I am very pleased with the outcome. The picture seen here I took and used for a project in one of my classes, I created a web page for the project. Check it out here.

I'm in Arizona for a few days, enjoying the heat. BTW, you can follow me on twitter @chrismwarren.

So many thoughts are swirling, and yet not one can surface enough to make meaning or significance at this point. Sigh.

Since I am reading Friedman at the moment, I will simply comment on the first few pages of his recently updated tome: The World Is Flat. Friedman contends early on that the Internet and various pieces of it have flattened the globe in a way that makes globalization kick into hyper drive and allow opportunity to be seized by anyone with a computer and access to the world wide web. He is more eloquent then I am, but by creating this post and discussing his book, I am proving his point entirely.

Anyone read the rest? What was the most impactful portion of the book for you?

What are you thinking about? What thoughts are swirling friends?

Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica.

Right, so I was getting excited about Battlestar tonight, and I logged onto Scifi.com to be an uber nerd about it just a few minutes ago.

This is what met me at Battlestar's homepage. I was shocked and slightly dismayed.

I couldn't believe it, they were skipping a week? Why, was it for the Superbowl? (You should come to my party tomorrow!)

Then I realized that BSG was on LAST NIGHT... because last night was Friday... today is Saturday. I am an idiot. In my own defense, I was catching up on some Office episode's last night. I finished Season 3. The ending scene where Ryan gets the corporate job and tells Kelly, "We're finished." Priceless.

Thank God, and thank God for Bittorrent, so I can get a nice copy of it. 

I promised I'd write more...

The semester is starting off good, even if I did miss my first quiz along with three classes today. This semester is going to be pretty heavy on the reading. Especially until I figure out which classes I can skim for and which I need to really read and take some notes for.

I have not settled into a church yet, since I have been here. This is very difficult for me - both finding a church where I will be stretched and will grow and finding a church that is sensitive to the wanderings of a post-modern generation. I am hoping to check a couple out in the coming weeks, and I'd like to post my thoughts here.

Does anyone have Fallout 3? Is it worth getting into? OXM gave it game of the year accolades, but, I'm not convinced yet. Thoughts?

Life as we know it.

School starts back for the spring semester tomorrow. I think that title is a bit decieving. The weather right now reads 28 F, Haze. It snowed about 4 inches earlier, and blizzard conditions are expected between 2am and 10am. The high is expected to be around 6 F, with windchills down in the 15 to 20 below range. Spring semester my ass. Frozen Winter semester, here we come. 

2008 saw some great times in my life. I spent 3 months living at a bed and breakfast in Salzburg, and had the opportunity to travel a great deal during that time. There are photos up in my Picasa Web Albums. I had a ton of good times, and met some incredible people.

2008 also saw some hard times in my life, and I'm not sure if I am ready to be posting about all that here on my blog, those of you who are close know about it anyway.

I don't really make New Year's resolutions... But, I would like to see myself more active here on my blog. I feel like I was in a writer's wasteland for a while, and churning out academic papers hasn't helped that one bit.  However, grades for Fall 2008 were straight A's. This should put me on the Dean's List again, but I am waiting for them to actually post. For 2009 I would like to keep that trend up as well, 3 semesters left. I'm ready to knock it out.

Here's to 2009.

I'm in Europe?

Hey Hey. 

So, I am notoriously bad at updating this thing. Its a love/hate relationship here.

I'm in Salzburg for the fall 2008 semester. 

I have been posting photos here.

http://picasaweb.google.com/chrismwarren

Enjoy. More photos up every Monday (ish).

Austria

Yawn...

It has been a great summer. Things in my life have changed quite drastically since last I wrote here. I worked at Starbucks up the road from Judson for the summer and tried to save as much money as possible. That included me biking to work, taking the bus, and begging my co-workers for rides. I made it a whole year without a car! Currently, I have been 13 months without a car, car payment, insurance or gas... I think I chose the right year for that.

I made the Dean's List this last semester. An achivement that my mother is quite proud of - I gave her the certificate. Right now I am in West Virginia gearing up for a semester abroad in Austria. There are 12 of us in total (including the professor who is going with us), and we come from four different colleges throughout this region of the U.S.

I'm taking two history classes (a WWI, and a post WWII), elementary German, and digital photography as part of the program. The other main component of this study is a large travel element. We have 11 free weekends to travel anywhere in Europe that we can get and get back by rail. The program includes an unlimited EURail pass.

I hope to post pictures and regular updates here. I depart the US tomorrow morning. Cheers.

Midterms, Some papers from the DR, and a photo link...

I promise that I haven't been simply sitting around since I got back from the Dominican.

Here are a couple of papers turned in this week related to my trip:
La Republica Dominicana (ANT271)
9 Pages from an ethnographic position.
SLEX 1 - Dominican Republic (SSC355)
Borrows from the other paper, but here I use some concepts explored in my Cultural Diversity (Sociology) class to try and examine the community a bit.

Midterm grades were solid:
SPC120 Foundations of Speech: B+
BST102 Intro to New Testament: A
SSC355 Cultural Diversity: A-
MAT111 Mathematical Investigations: A
ANT271 Cultural Anthropology: A
Chapel: F (Apparently, my exemption from last semester doesn't carry over, just some paperwork and that will be fixed.)

Here are some photos of my trip, thanks to Kids Around The World.
(I'm in one, keep scrolling)

4 weeks left. Pray for my sanity.

Lets go build a playground!

Right. That is going to be me in just a few days. I depart in a couple of hours. So, I thought I would post to tell you that I love you too - even if I'm not coming to build you a playground during Spring Break.

Its been a hard week, so pray that I have some energy - mental and physical.

* Mar 8th- Depart for DR
o 4:30am, Leave Judson, travel to O’Hare
* Mar 9th – La Romana
o Church and Softball
* Mar 10th- La Romana
o Building Playground
* Mar 11th- La Romana
o Building Playground
* Mar 12th- La Romana
o Visiting churches in other Batey’s (communities)
* Mar 13th- Santo Domingo
o Excursion Day in Santo Domingo
* Mar 14th- La Romana
o Playground Dedication
* Mar 15th- Depart for Chicago

bokardo.com, I laughed.

Occasionally I read Joshua Porter's blog about social networking.

He occasionally posts little comics. Above is one that I enjoyed.

My IT Family.

The following entry is copied over from our Soroti, Uganda team's blog. Its pretty terrible, I found out last Friday, and was shell shocked the rest of the weekend from it. I know that the team is responding in love, and for that I am grateful. I am still processing it... well... I'll let you read it for yourself. -CW

[Link to the original entry.]

"February 25
Major Tragedy

We want to inform you about something tragic that has happened on our team and ask you to pray with us. On Friday, February 15 our teammate and friend was brutally raped. She had been in Soroti with us for two months to do some grass-root work for a new area of ministry our team desires to get involved in – counseling traumatized children. She was also here for the purpose of doing a vision trip to look at the ministry with hopes to come back and join our team in a year. She is a counselor and has a passion for helping traumatized children. We are extremely saddened by what has happened to her.

Since Friday our lives have been consumed with medical visits; police investigation; contacting International Teams, her home church and her insurance company; and caring for our friend. On Tuesday, Richard Ojola, the man who attacked our friend, was arrested. Our friend had to go and identify the man. She, along with us, is very concerned for the man as this is a high-profile capital case and he will most likely receive the death penalty. We have never faced something this hard. The whole thing has been terribly traumatic. Amazingly, our friend is doing fair.

Currently, Angie is accompanying our friend back home for two reasons: first, our friend is unable to function properly because of the side-effects of the anti-HIV drugs; and second, the trauma has not yet hit her and could at any time. At home, she will be able to have the care and support she needs. Her insurance company is covering all of the costs, including business-class airfare for both of them and Angie’s hotel. It is very difficult for her to leave like this but we know it is best for her.

A few things you should know. First of all, WE ARE NOT IN DANGER! The attack happened at night and we do not go out at night. The people here have shared with us that it is dangerous being out after dark, which is why we stay in after dark. There is no danger in the day time; besides, we are almost always with other people. Secondly, we have been so thankful for the support of the other missionaries here, the medical help, the work and kindness of the police, our Ugandan co-workers, International Teams, her home church, her insurance company and the love of our neighbors and friends here.

Third, please pray with us:

• for our friend and the healing she needs. Pray for peace as she says good bye to her friends here and as she faces everyone at home.
• that Richard is HIV negative and if he is positive that the medication our friend took will prevent her from getting HIV.
• for Angie and our friend’s travels.
• for Richard Ojola. Although we know justice needs to take place, we also want to see this man forgiven by Christ. We hope to witness to him while he awaits the trial. We do know he was a child soldier and not right in his mind. This doesn’t excuse him but it does make us sad. Jesus told us to pray for our enemies and that is what we need to do. Our friend was able to give him a note and The 4 Spiritual Laws in Ateso, and he did respond with a note requesting forgiveness from her and from God.
• for the future weeks as court matters need to be resolved (our friend may very well be summoned back to testify in court – they assured us her travel expenses would be paid for by the Ugandan government)
• for us as a team here: Josh and Mandy, Angie and myself, and our children. We have all been under a lot of stress. We are tired and weak emotionally and physically. In addition to this tragedy, our children have been sick. Grace now has dysentery. Avalien has been throwing up and keeping a fever. Our water was out, our power was out, our internet is in and out…these are all little things, but when we are already under this much stress it adds up. We are thankful we have each other.
• that the outcome of all this will be for the people of Soroti to come to Christ. We need to be a witness through this situation. The police thought we were crazy for not wanting him to die, for giving him a tract, and bringing him bread and water later that night after he was arrested. They wanted to know why we would do such things. They are amazed we want to share God’s love with this bad man. We pray our witness in this difficult time will transform this community. God can do all things. We pray that His kingdom will penetrate this area to the point where nights will no longer be a time of danger, but of peace.

We know evil is in this world but it does not have the victory. God rules over all and is above all! He is here with us helping us and giving us peace. We are so grateful we can trust and believe in Him. We hope you do not over react from this letter, but we really thought you should know and be praying. Again, our friend is doing fair and we are safe. Thank you for all of your prayers."

Kenyan Violence

This came in today... I have refrained from publishing previous emails I have received on this topic because of details which may be too specific, but this one is 'sterile' enough. If you don't know what is happening in Keyna, navigate to your favorite news site online and it will slap you in the face there.

International Teams has been touched by the violence directly, someone connected to one of our teams was killed about a week and a half ago.

Here is the latest from Stephen Freed, the Director of International Teams/ International.

Dear Fellow IT-ers,

We are requesting continued fervent prayer for our workers in Kenya,
their families, and the entire nation.

As previously written to you, Kenya is in a condition of violent
reaction following the December national elections. Old wounds of
tribal, land, and disadvantage issues have arisen following concerns
over fraud in the election.

As of February 4, estimates are approximately 350,000 persons have been
displaced from their homes, with many homes being burned, and fear and
threats spreading. Approximately 1,000 people have been killed in a
wide variety of locations. With the potential cycle of revenge and
retaliation for acts of violence, there is much to pray for. Asking God
for the power of His restraining Holy Spirit to stop the evil of greed,
hurt, and revenge.

Our workers in the Rift Valley area have gone through much trauma and
direct threats and losses. Our teams in the Molo area near Nakuru have
had neighbors homes burned, are often sleeping outside at night to be
safe from a possible sudden burning of their own homes, have had to flee
on numerous occasions, and are desperately trying to protect those they
are serving. At the same time they are having to make difficult
decisions about staying in their immediate towns. We honor and respect
their incredible hearts of service as they minister to hundreds of
displaced persons.

Our teams in the Nairobi area are also being forced in numerous
instances to move from their own homes out of fear. Belonging to a
certain tribe, and living in an area where another tribe is in the
majority has led to threats and great risk. These teams have endured
the fear of losing contact with loved ones, and the difficulty of moving
from place to place.

Currently Nairobi is in a state of uneasy calm. Circumstances change
from day to day. Violence has decreased in recent days as opposing
party leaders are finally beginning to talk and negotiate. Our teams
are ministering to many internally displaced people who have gathered at
certain locations waiting to see how events will turn.

As of today we continue to plan to hold an East Africa Regional
Conference right in Nairobi. Some of our new African partners and
workers may be unable to travel to this conference because of safety
issues. We welcome your prayers.

Across other nations in Africa we rejoice (as we do in Kenya as well) at
the development of powerful mission movements. Please pray with us as
we welcome many new workers and partners, and find a whole new "IT"
emerging in East, Central, and Southern Africa - as well as Sudan and Egypt.

Warm regards,
Stephen

Where are all your assignments?

Yeah, I'm not sure. This semester has been pretty easy so far. A bit of light reading... but nothing too earth shattering.

I have a paper for Thursday due for my New Testament class (Which is significantly better than my OT class was... Sorry Erickson, but you're boring!).

So, in the mean time... here are a couple of things for my Speech class.

Introductory Speech (SPC120). It is only an outline... I don't have audio of my actual speech.

Bonus Assignment (SPC120). I had to relay notes on a speaker that I heard publicly for some bonus credit. While I nailed my actual speech, I apparently have problems memorizing vocabulary terms. Grrr. I'm still fairly confident that I will do well in this class.

I have probably had the most homework from my Math class... But, I'm not going to make scans of that or anything crazy for you. How about I simply relay my test scores. I have a major one coming up Thursday.

I went to the Faith and International Development Conference this past weekend at Calvin College in Grand Rapids. It was good stuff. Maybe another post to follow... for now, I need some sleep.

Forgotten Ways, The

It's been a while since I was in the habit of knocking out a few books. So here is an update of one that I am tracking with.

[Taken from my moleskin] 20 Jan 2008
Reading: The Forgotten Ways, Alan Hirsch.

"I've had good intentions of reading this book since it came out -- and now, coming off of Exiles by Frost; it only seemed fitting. Alas - I do not read nearly as much as I should - nor do I finish all of the books that I start.

I had this book for the entire Winter break, and simply had not read it - I renewed it from the library without reading a single word.

I cracked it on my flight to PDX last Friday, but didn't make it very far. I ended up chatting with the guy next to me. Today on my return flight I am sitting here with a mix of emotion. First, excitement, joy, wonderment, awe; but all of that is tempered by a tepid fear and a creeping anxiety.

I remarked to Jake [a fellow mobilizer here at ITeams] that this book is going to change my life, and I truly believe that after reaching about a third of the way in."

... So there you have it [minimally edited] straight from my personal journal. I'm only to about page 70, and there are 295 pages [includes table of contents, and addendum's/glossary/bibliography - btw, I hate when publishers do that!].

Creation.

These guys had showed me how to stencil. [Jake B and Matty S]

These guys gave me the tutorial, gah! I love teh interwebs1!

So - I created. Here is my offering.


[first some photoshop fun, i grabbed a pic of some church doors that snapped in voronezh russia and put it through the process. came out with this, and added a couple words in stencil friendly font.]






[therapeutic]







[orth. cross stencil... yes, i understand that this design almost defeats the purposes of stencil. i get it you crazy 'scene' kids... i'll step it up on the next one, so bugger off.]


[final design]

[front]

[back]


So what do you think?? I will get another up soon, this weekend is crazy busy.

Fall 07 wrap up with grades

The following is a wrap up of the classes that I took for Fall 2007 at Judson University. This post had the original listings and which books I used (and how much I paid) as well.

Quick Stats: I now have 48 credit hours to my name with a cumulative GPA of 3.375.

BST101 - Intro to Old Testament. Dr. Bob Erickson. GRADE RECEIVED: B.

I learned very little in this class. We had three grades from three tests, and that was it. I received a 93/100, a 74/100, and a 96/100, which is an average somewhere around 87/100.

College lesson learned: Never purchase all of your text books beforehand. I bought a new Bible for 29.99, and a brand new book for 22.99, both of which I did not open. I was able to borrow the main text for the class - I'm glad too, that would have been another 54.99 down the drain (Thanks David!).

HIS480 - History of the U.S. since 1945 to present. Dr. Craig Kaplowitz. GRADE RECEIVED: B+.

This was the most challenging course I took this semester and yet, it was my favorite. I am also most proud of this B+, as I feel I worked my tail off for it. I was expecting to receive a high C to low B, so a high B is especially rewarding. Kaplowitz is an engaging, approachable professor. He is extremely knowledgeable and can deliver his thoughts in a clear concise manner. He assigned a load of written assignments. I have 13 that I uploaded to Google Docs. 3 of those were medium sized papers (1800 - 2200 words), while most were one pagers. One was a research paper, but was only required to be of medium length. I read the most for this class as well. We made it through all four of the texts assigned (three were smaller volumes of primary source material, with some analysis, while one was a full text).

College lesson learned: Don't let your advisor sign you up for whatever... This was a high level class that will end up being nothing more then credit fodder as it does not count toward my final degree. And, it was stinking hard! Albeit rewarding.

HIS262 - History of Civilization II 1500 ad - 2000 ad. Dr. Craig Kaplowitz. GRADE RECEIVED: A.

I enjoyed this class. Kap did a good job with a subject that is boring to most people. (Not to me!) If you are going to take History of Civ II at Judson, and you will if you want to graduate at JU, take it with Kap. We had three medium length papers, in addition to weekly assignments, but there were NO TESTS, NOT A SINGLE ONE. We made it through the text, make use of the online resources with that text book (Worlds Together, Worlds Apart), it can save you a bit of reading.

College lesson learned: Make friends in your class. They can take notes for you when you miss, and even turn in papers when you know your going to 'be sick' that day.

MED240 - Writing for the Media. Professor A. Paul Mouw. GRADE RECEIVED: B.

Prof. Mouw is a wealth of experience, if a bit eccentric. If you are struggling with how to write, don't take this class. The lack of feedback after assignments will not help your style improve unless you seek out Mouw. If you are decent at writing, this class can show you ways to make your writing more effective. I took away a new insight for using different voices for different mediums.

College lesson learned: 8am classes stink. If you can take an alternative to a general ed requirement, do it! I took this class in place of my ENG102, and it was a lot of fun.

SOC151 - Intro to Sociology. Dr. Tim Johnson. GRADE RECEIVED: B-

Notes are critical, especially when you have a professor that writes things he wants you to know on the whiteboard. I took more notes for this class then 3 of my classes combined, the only other course that rivaled was HIS480. Johnson's notes are crazy... and they don't make sense unless you are there to hear the lecture. So, copy exactly what he writes... and then take your own notes on top of that. Johnson's tests are hard... mostly because he incorporates things from the reading that you may, or may not discuss in class, and expects you to know them. There were concepts, names, and readings that I was being introduced to for the first time while reading the study guide for the test. Without the study guides, and my notes, I would have failed every test we took (2, plus final). I am excited to expand on some of the ideas introduced in this class with Johnson next semester as I take Cultural Diversity.

College lesson learned: Get out of the classroom! As part of this class, I did an optional service learning experience. I went several times to feed the homeless in Elgin, and also went brown bagging in the city. Those experiences greatly enriched my learning.

Book total for Fall 2007 was $317.51 USD, I got back about $111.00 USD. THAT IS A NET LOSS OF OVER 200 DOLLARS FOR ONE SEMESTER. Half of the books I returned I did not read in great detail. One I never even opened. Most went for less than 40% of what I paid.

College lesson learned: Your campus bookstore is a blood sucking leech of convenience! DO NOT SHOP THERE, DO NOT RETURN YOUR BOOKS THERE! The only thing worthwhile about Judson's bookstore is that they sell clothes with the name Judson on them. I will be getting all of my books off of half.com or someplace similar for next semester. I will also try to inter-library loan as many as possible as well - you can't beat free.

So, all in all, a good semester. I'm thankful for my scholarship, and am in prayer that it will continue. If you are in the spirit of giving, you can paypal me some money and it will go for school required medical insurance and books for Spring 2008. If you want to make it tax deductible before the end of the year, you can give to my International Teams account which helps support the wage I receive and can serve to differ my travel related expenses this next Spring. Either way, an email to chrismwarren at gmail dot com can point you in the correct direction.

Cheers until 2008!

Do not turn away from me

Thank you for wrapping yourself in flesh and coming to this earth.

Thank you for living, dying, and living again.

Give me courage to live like you Jesus.

Give me strength to endure like you Jesus.

Father, embrace me as your son, do not turn away from me.

More Than a Transcript Grade

Ok, here is a bit of substance to go along with that random interjection from earlier... (Caution, the rest is long.) Written for my Intro to Sociology class.

More Than a Transcript Grade

“How can we worship a homeless man on Sunday and ignore on Monday?” In his book, The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical, Shane Claiborne describes a true life event that forever changed his life and those of the people involved^[1]. The quote from above is painted on a banner that someone had hung over the entrance, and is the first thing that greets Claiborne and a few of his friends when they meet this group. The setting is that a group of homeless people have begun to squat inside of an old vacant cathedral in Northern Philadelphia. After Shane and a few of his friends stumble onto this makeshift community, they learn that the city in conjunction with the local diocese which owns the abandoned parish are going to forcefully evict the new tenets from the property. In a flurry of grassroots activism, students from the college he was attending turned out en mass to support the fledgling community.

Shane and his friends are struck by the reality that our Lord and Savior was indeed a homeless man. The gospels even highlight several times where there is anxiety and concern that there might not be enough food for the crowds that gathered to hear Jesus speak^[2]. Jesus did not live “the good life” like so many of us in the United States enjoy. It is impossible to ignore what is becoming epidemic in this country (and many other nations as well). In the U.S. up to 3.5 million people experience homelessness in a given year^[3].

To bring some of my experience in working with the homeless here in Elgin, and in Chicago over the course of the past semester and compare it with what we have been learning in Dr. Johnson's Intro to Sociology course has been extraordinarily enriching. I often find myself in class thinking of living examples of ideas we are reading out of the text^[4].

In my first Service Learning Experience Paper (SLEx Paper), I discussed the social order of the homeless briefly. I feel that to truly dive into and evaluate that, I would need to spend more time being inside that network. Recently, Mike Yankowski was on campus leading our Spiritual Enrichment Week here at Judson University. There were five chapels that week, instead of the requisite three that there normally is. I had heard a little of Mike before he came (He is somewhat of a figure on campus, thanks in large part to him being here the year before, and his book now being required reading for some classes), and just before he came a friend of mine from Denver (Who actually works for the Denver Rescue Mission where Mike stayed) recommended his book Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America. The book is a reflection on the six months that Mike and his friend Sam spend living as homeless men in six different cities in the U.S. Mike told a story in chapel of a man they met in San Fransisco who was known among “the park people” as “The Jesus Guy.” The Jesus guy is actually George^[5]. In chapel, Mike described even more than what is found in the book. George is actually living in government housing himself, and spends much of his income on food that he brings down to the park to share with other homeless people. This stands out because it marks a clean delineation within the homeless community. This man who barely blips on the social radar of the lower class in America is actually doing well enough to be a provider to a group of homeless that live in Golden Gate Park. Instead of saving as much money as he can to propel himself higher within “normal” society, George is intentionally positioning himself in such a way to maximize what he can offer to the others who live as he recently had.

Mike also told a story of an elderly man who approached them one night with a loaf of bread. The man walked up, asked them if they had eaten, broke the loaf in two and handed them the crusty hunk of bread. Seeing that this man was frail, they insisted that he take all the bread. The man simply responded that God had provided enough for him today, and that he should share the excess with others in need. Again showing that even within the homeless community, there is a network of social support. To evaluate the effectiveness, or measure the reach of this network is not my aim here, it is simply something that is there.

Near the end of the semester in Sociology, we began to study labor markets and how they are split into two distinct echelons. The primary labor market typically being described as “white collar” and the secondary labor market as “blue collar.” We studied some of the more intricate details and some of the “why's” of this reality, but near the end Dr. Johnson spoke of “channeling” into the labor markets. I was struck in that moment that the homeless exemplify that, they are victims also of labeling. Once you are homeless, there is a what is often referred to as a “vicious cycle” of employment obtainment. Jobs are hard to find in the current economic trend, and if you don't possess the basic skills for a given job, you are out of luck. But, even when you possess the requisite skill, if you are without a permanent address or phone number, you may be denied employment as this demonstrates “unacceptable risk” on the employers part. This comes full circle when you realize that to obtain housing, one must have income.

In the end, I feel like participating in SLEx enhanced my study of sociology. You might have titled my SLEx “LIF110: Intro to Urban Problems”. The early mornings serving breakfast, and the aching legs after wandering around Chicago passing out lunches are positive memories. That along with readings from Shane Claiborne's and Mike Yankowski's books lead to true life education. I was able to experience what I was being taught. I was able to see case studies come alive before my eyes. Definitions and statistics translated into true life, theory became practice. As I have already noted, I have just begun learning about homelessness and urban problems in America, but I move on from this semester with more than a simple grade on a transcript.

Citations

1. Shane Claiborne. The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical. p. 56.

2. Matthew 14:15.

3. “http://lahsc.org/wordpress/educate/statistics/united-states-homeless-statistics/”Accessed: 06 December 2007.

4. Stark. Sociology, Tenth Edition.

5. Mike Yankowski. Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America. pp. 138 – 142.

Finals - Fall 07 Edition.

Bah.

Finals are coming in a week.

I just took my last test (so basically a final) in my Intro to Old Testament class tonight. I am supposed to be writing a couple of assignments for tomorrow now... But, I simply have no motivation.

Next Tuesday (which is actually a reading day) I have one paper, and one serious project (which has seen little headway in recent weeks) due by 5pm. And, I need to make up the articles for my Media class that I have been delaying.

That said... Tonight was a free meal (for commuters) at the cafeteria. That brings the grand total to meals eaten in the cafeteria this semester to three. It was decent, the ham was even good, but the salmon was awful. Seriously, I am getting sick just thinking about it. I hope no one ate it.

Free ice skating for commuters on Friday! haha.

After classes end I will finish getting all the written stuff up here, as well as provide the grades I receieved on each one... And eventually the course grades too. Good stuff.

I will be back in Tucson from December 19th to the 28th. Lets party.

Grades - Midterm Fall 2007

So, I only have a few weeks left in the semester, four weeks plus finals week. We also have a half a week break for Thanksgiving... Here are my grades at midterm (a little over a week ago I got these). I should already be registered for my Spring 2008 courses but, thanks to lackluster advising, I have no idea what I need to take. I was hoping to get down to the registrar today and see about sorting it myself, hopefully I can on Monday.

If you have forgotten, here is a longer description of each class, as well as the texts used for each one.

Midterm Fall 2007:
MED240 (Writing for the media) - B
SOC151 (Intro to Sociology) - NR (not reported) but, I would guess low A on a test grade, paper grade, and work that I have gotten back.
HIS480 (History of the U.S. since 1945) - B
HIS262 (History of Civilization II) - A-
BST101 (Intro to Old Testament) - NR, but just got test back, which is the only grade we have received, 93%. So, A.

Assignments I turned in Thursday, Nov 8th 2007:
ARE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS OUT OF CONTROL? (HIS480)
Holiday Memories (MED240)