Ever driving

I spend a lot of time in my car [Lucille four] these days: thirty minutes to school, ten from school to work, forty back to Ames. And that means nothing for some of my Chicago friends, which is incredibly unfortunate. I listen to NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered and sometimes Marketplace if I get off of work late enough. And when that gets boring for my tastes I plug in the iPod [named iHatepantspod]. That's alright I guess, I mean, I feel far more aware of the world that I live in by listening to NPR, and I love that I can have all of my favorite albums on a little thing that can play the songs at random. But it sucks. Not just the cost of filling up of the tank, but of the time I spend being quite unproductive. If I drive both ways in a single day that means that I'm not doing much of anything for eighty some minutes, and when you're as busy as I am, that's a lot of time to waste. I could be doing a fair amount of homework, or working, or things that I actually enjoy doing like running, or writing blog posts, or hanging out on front porches or whatever.

But there is a hidden blessing in all of it. When I can do the things I love [running, reading, spending time with friends], it is all the more beautiful. Despite the grueling runs I put myself through, I love them because they set me free. Last night I was running across an open field straight into the arms of a September sunset and though I was partially blinded and my right calve was cramping up, I was happy. This morning I've spent the past couple of hours in bed reading The Brothers K [a wonderful book, muchas gracias a Monica] and it was so nice to relax and listen to music and dive into the story, laughing, crying, underlining, being provoked to think about the meaning of family and faith. These times are good for my soul. And someday [hopefully soon] I'll be able to enjoy them even more often. But for now, I've got to read me some microeconomics without being too distracted by HD football. you have my love.

I feel the grass beneath my feet

Driving back from Chicago I decided that I should make the music section on my facebook profile less ambiguous. Originally it said something about "alt-country space rock," clearly alluding to Wilco, but some people don't realize that. So I decided to list my top five musical artists, and so all I needed to do was to determine who my top five artists are.

Number one is easy, Wilco. Number two, somewhat easy as it was my former number one, Pedro the Lion slash David Bazan. The race for third place was tightly contested, so I add the "in no particular order" to Belle & Sebastian and Yo La Tengo. The last spot in the top five is a toughie. Radiohead could easily be numero five, but I don't often feel like popping in the last few albums they've put out. Damien Jurado is up there, he goes along well with Bazan, but I really have to be in the mood for Jurado. Sufjan Stevens is a likely candidate but just misses the cut. That leaves Over the Rhine to take command of fifth place, but this may merely be a seasonal selection. I can listen to Linford's melodies and Karin's voice all autumn long. It's good and soothing to the soul.

I've been loving running in this cool weather, and last night I actually ran my fastest mile since starting to run again. It was fun. Next week I hope to check out Iowa State's XC course. Soon the leaves will start changing colors and I'll start smoking my pipe a lot more and I'll laugh and have good conversations and ponder the mysteries of life. Good stuff. you have my love.

Tuned to chords

I made another brief but wonderful trip to Chicago this past weekend. The trip was spurred by the appearance of one David Bazan at the Beat Kitchen on Friday night and I just figured that I would stay the rest of the weekend as well. My accomplice was Brandon Mick, former and, with great hope, future Des Moinesian. The show was tremendous, though it ran a bit late for my liking. I wasn't in bed until two-thirty or so, some four hours after my normal bedtime. I did run into an old friend from Trinity, which was completely unexpected, but quite enjoyable.

Aside from the show the majority of our weekend was spent not doing our schoolwork, but watching the Discovery Channel, some golf, some football, a few movies on TBS and most of the second season of Arrested Development. So you could probably tell that it was a grand platter of viewing material. Aside from numbing our brains, we also walked a bit, ate a bit, drank a bit and discussed theology and the Church and Des Moines. I realized on the drive home how much I miss discussing theology with the likes of Brandon, Lynette, and Andy [also professor Metzger]. There were some keys issues that I worked out with these folks that made me fall in love with theology over the past few years.

We went up to Life on the Vine on Sunday morning and I again realized how much I love that gathering. The sermon was comparing our culture's idea of salvation by information with the idea that salvation via Christ is not about knowing, but by experiencing and participating [though there is, of course, some knowledge that is an integral part of that experiencing]. Anyway, it was fabulous, and so was sushi with the Britchers. And then another long drive westward [an hour and a half of which was spent talking to the tallest of Pants, Andrew], and I was back in Ames. If I could somehow make Portland, Chicago, and Grand Rapids suburbs of wherever I am living at the time, I would. Okay, I have to go to class, but I thought I would leave you with the words of Bill Fay, which were sung by Wilco some six years ago in order to fight against this culture of fear. you have my love.


Be Not So Fearful

Be not so nervous
Be not so frail
Someone watches you
You won't fail

Be not so nervous
Be not so frail
Be not so nervous
Be not so frail

Be not so sorry
For what you have done
You must forget them now
It's done

And when you wake up
You will find that you can run
Be not so sorry
For what you have done

Be not so fearful
Be not so pale
Someone watches you
You won't leave the rails

Be not so fearful
Be not so pale
Be not so fearful
Be not so pale

You must forget them now
It's done

And when you wake up
You will find that you can run
Be not so sorry
For what you have done

Be not so sorry
For what you have done

Be not so fearful

Week one is over and I'm resting in the warm embrace of college football. On Monday I started another academic adventure. It's strange, because I'm not really that old but I feel like I have been out of academics for decades rather than years, for two reasons. The first is that the average age in my classes is about twenty or so, which is only six years younger than I, but it seems like the difference of mentality might as well be ten or fifteen years. Secondly, all four of my classes use the internet a lot. I'm well acquainted with the world wide of web, but I was not prepared to be checking the internet everyday for more assignments and quizzes, notes from the prof, notes on lectures and so on. None of the schools I've attended thus far have used the internet like this, and it might take some getting used to.

On top of this I'm working thirty hours a week and driving forty some minutes from point A to point B to point C and then back to point A. I thought I could make such a schedule last throughout the semester, but I realized yesterday at the edge of exhaustion that I won't be able to pull that off without crashing and burning [in the proverbial sense, not whilst driving, but you never know]. I haven't had a lot of time to run or mingle with my new roommates, two things that are important to me. One good thing that is coming out of this is that I am actually becoming a morning person. My alarm clock is set for six am each weekday morning and I got up right away four of five days, not bad. This morning, though I could sleep for as long as I wanted to, I was up and at 'em before eight. Crazy.

It's a busy life, but it's not an awful life. I'll eventually get used to everything and cut my hours back and things will be good. As September begins, my world enters into the glorious state of near-perfection. Football is back in force [currently watching the so-far excellent Tennessee-Cal game], the humidity of August miraculously vanished, hoodies are awaiting my embrace and I've started reading what seems to be a really good book. Sure there are things that could make life better [teleportation, a girl to call, more Yankee losses], but I'm feeling good today and ready take on the world of academia. Maybe. you have my love.