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Statler & Waldorf

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Copied from The New York Times.

Mongols + Orthodox Church = Love

I've decided to write about the relationship that the Mongols and the Orthodox Church had during the Tatar occoupation of Russia. I feel like I've been typing for ever and should have at least 23 pages...but I only have 3 or so. Ugh this is going slow. :P

The Ideal Student...

...isn't me.

I've always had a hard time skipping classes. Even when I'm burning with a 130 degree fever, I still feel as if it's my responsibility to walk through the five feet of snow, uphill both ways, to get to class. It probably has something to do with the way that my parents brought me up.

Mom and dad, I have something important to tell you. I skipped class today for no apparent reason. I'm feeling perfectly fine, but I've been going through something called senioritis where you don't feel like doing schoolwork (or going to class). It's already starting to set it. Thankfully I have pretty easy semesters this year. I invited a friend to go with me to a local coffee shop (she's in the same class as I am) and we both enjoyed our skip.

Mother, please don't cry, but I'm actually writing this blog entry as my professor is lecturing on global warming. He says that "It is caused largely by the carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere, the amount of which is growing each year because of our use of fossil fuels." Interesting, no? Not really.

Don't worry mother, I will graduate. My fear of not graduating is far greater than my wandering mind...

The Soupies

Fall '08 Soupies.

Rules at boarding school

After many years of searching, I think I've finally figured out why they made us tuck our shirts in at boarding school:

A Grateful Heart

I recently gave a kilo of mate to my friend Dr. Felix Aguilar, whose father worked for the Argentine embassy in Washington. He had run out and was getting a bit desperate. I offered to give him some and sent it through campus mail. I received a note a few days later:

Josh,

Thank you so much for sending me the kilo of mate. I drink Mate every morning when I study and pray … so … You’re helping me with my walk with the Lord!!!

Again thanks for your kindness.

Felix

Je... :)

Sleep

My mind wanders
and my heart jumps.
Thinking about today
about all I had to say.
What am I to do?
Dang it, it's almost two!

Help me think

I have two projects in mind concerning the Russian Orthodox Church. First of all, I'm supposed to write an eight to ten page essay about Russian history prior to 1796 (death of Catherine II). I've been trying to brainstorm some to know where to start my research. I have two ideas so far and need to see which idea has more sources. Since these topics are in themselves quite broad, I shouldn't have too much trouble finding information. My two ideas consist of Orthodoxy's influence on society and government in the 17th century (I chose that date because there seemed to be quite a bit written on this century...I still need to find out why) and the story behind the the schism of 1054. The schism between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox church in Constantinople always interested me and I have been unable to go into detail about what exactly happened. Of course, I would have to find a way in which to tie in the separation of the two churches with Russia, but that shouldn't be too hard to do. I could include how and why Constantinople fell and how church power shifted to Moscow. I am in my early stages of brain storming, so please help! I want to have this paper finished by next week if at all possible.

My second project is planning a class field trip to a Russian Orthodox church in Indianapolis or the surrounding area. This responsibility includes finding a church that meets my requirements (close, Russian Orthodox, etc), writing to the Bishop and asking him if he would be willing to give us an informative discussion on Russian Orthodoxy (and how it has changed since coming to the West, etc), researching the church's traditions (how we should dress, whither or not the girls should cover their heads, etc), and find a traditional Russian restaurant to finish off the day. I need to start communicating with our department secretary to find out how to reserve a van and how to get money for people's meal plans.

I'll keep you updated on how these projects go.

Souphouse Retreat

There are always a lot of people in our house and there aren't too many times where we can hang out as a family. It was decided that we were to escape to Michigan, where Ben Mattice's family lives. It was great being able to be goofy and have some great talks. After playing laser-tag, we spent the night on the beach on a tarp and it was extremely cold. Thankfully on Saturday (when we we kayaking, dune jumping, etc) there was a lot of sun. Ben, Upendra, and I paddled for about 3 miles and I got a badly burnt. We were able to meet a lot of new people, some of which might come down to Upland to visit us. We had a bonfire on Saturday night with the girls and we were finally able to make it home to the Souphouse at 1:30 am.

Crazy day.

6:30- Wake up
7:00- Morning Dew
8:00- Pancakes for Morning Dew
9:00-11:00- Work
11:00-1:00- Astronomy lab
1:00- 2:00- Lunch with friends
2:00-4:00- Work
4:00- 5:00- WOW Cabinet
5:00-6:00 Dinner
6:00-9:00 Work
9:00- 11:30- Cleaning the Souphouse
11:30-12:00...- Goofing around and writing this blog.

I can't wait to go to Michigan...