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| Yes, I live! I guess I just don't have time to post or I forget to do so. Anyway, I trust you all enjoyed that Steeler display of dominance last night on MNF. That was sweet.
Classes continue apace as do various other phases of life. I am realizing this week that the fall semester is not going to last that much longer. That means I need to start laying plans for my J-term class on Harry Potter, which closed yesterday on the first day that sophomores could register for classes. No freshmen will get in at all unless someone drops out later on. This is a source of some dismay to some of my freshmen students. I may have to offer the course again in January 2009 to avoid lynching.
Well, my Medieval Europe students are finishing up their exams, so I shall close this missive. Cheers!
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| OK, so I haven't posted in a while, and a lot has happened in that time, especially recently. Where do I begin? Well, first of all I should comment on the wedding in our family. It went very well this past Saturday, so it was worth the time and effort we put in before AND after (I didn't realize how much there would be to do after the wedding, but so be it). The ceremony was appropriate and moving, the reception was fun, and the happy couple really enjoyed the entire day. Still, I can't say I'm sad that it's over, though certainly our lives will be different with one child now married and about to move to Chicago as soon as the honeymoon is over.
Then there's the seventh and final Harry Potter book, which I was able to read yesterday afternoon and evening. I like what J. K. Rowling did with this book in winding up the series. There is quite a bit of strong Christian imagery in the pivotal scenes and at the heart of the plot, though certain fundamentalists will no doubt disagree with that assessment.
There are lots of things to do in the next 9 days before we leave for vacation, and then after that I have three days before Bethany and I begin our road trip to Southern CA, driving the car there that she will then use on her campus there. Once I return from CA, faculty workshop and other events will be upon me, so it is imperative that I get some things ready for my classes before we leave for vacation at the end of next week. So much to do, so little time...
That's all for now. We shall see if Xanga is dead as some people think or if comments appear from the Slytherins and Gryffindors among my readers.
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| June already? How did that happen so quickly? Now here I am with two daughters at home for a few weeks before one gets married and leaves home for good, and then a few weeks later the other one will go back for another year of college. Where has all the time gone? The other day I was cleaning my car and nostalgia hit. We bought that car new when Katie was 5 and Bethany was 3, and it's been through a lot since then: vacation trips to Canada, trips to visit family in Ohio, New York, and Tennessee, at least 40 oil changes by me, even more car washings and waxings by Natalie and me, etc. It's amazing how attached one can get to an inanimate object, but "Old Blue" is going to be 17 in October, and I'm sure hoping she will keep on tickin' for a couple more years until Bethany is done with college. I almost feel guilty for looking at car ads and pondering what my next car might be, when Old Blue has served me faithfully for so long, and can still get up and go when I give her the gas. I am attached to that old car, and I realized just how much as I was cleaning her inside and out on Saturday. I'm glad I took the time to give that old car an extra bit of attention - she deserved it.
I've been doing a lot of cooking lately, particularly on the charcoal grill, and I've decided that I really enjoy it. I am not so keen on doing dishes and cleaning up, but trying some new things on the grill and having them succeed is lots of fun. Tomorrow will be chicken kabobs with a soy sauce marinade - it's making me hungry just thinking about it. Mmmm, mmm, mmm...
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| It's the lovely month of May! This might be my favorite month of the year because of the weather, the promise of summer, the chance to play golf, and, except for this year, the end of the school year and the opportunity to read things I have put off, etc. However, this spring I have been on sabbatical as you know, so the reading opportunities have already been good. That's why I'm able to report on a book I finally just finished, The Jesus Machine by Dan Gilgoff. It is mostly about the American Religious Right and particularly the role that James Dobson has played over the last 30 years or so, but the book overall, especially the last part, addresses the question of the proper role of evangelicals in American politics and how that role has developed and continues to change. It's a very well done book by a US News reporter who has interviewed lots of key people and maintains a well-informed objectivity that really makes this book worth reading for any evangelical Christian who also happens to be interested in American politics (and of course I fit that description!). It's a good read and worth the time, so pick it up if you get a chance and this sort of thing interests you.
Today my younger daughter heads for Greece and my older daughter begins her last ever week of finals at college. Milestones abound! I will continue to encourage my new grass seed to grow after all the hard work I put into the front lawn (lots of tilling, shoveling, and raking) when I'm not reading or writing or encouraging the new site supervisor at her job or offering unwanted advice on a wedding or offering welcome advice on reliable used cars for soon-to-be-marrieds or cooking the occasional meal or getting some exercise or even, maybe once in a while, playing some golf. But that's probably more than you wanted to know, so I'll sign off now. Keep on rockin'!
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| We got back from CA on Tuesday night, and of course it turned cold and began to rain. Finally today it is sunny, though, so maybe we'll see some good weather yet.
The main reason we went to San Diego was to see Bethany perform in "Little Women", and it was great fun! She was wonderful, of course, and to prove I am not biased, here is an excerpt from a short review by a writer on www.sdtheatre.com: "The other two voices in this cast that register
attention, though, are soprano Bethany Brautigam (as MEG MARCH)
and clear baritone Alex Moore (as Professor BHAER). Both
of these young actors show a prominent talent for the stage and/or screen." (emphasis on "a prominent talent" added by me...) We also got to enjoy a lot of sunny but cool weather, though when we arrived on Friday it was raining. Apparently all Southern California needs to do to get rain is for me to visit. Perhaps I could hire myself out for that purpose! That's about it for now - the NFL fans among you know that today begins the NFL draft, the first for new Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. The draft has become the second biggest event in the NFL year, trailing only the Super Bowl, and in fact for a lot of NFL fans draft day might even be bigger since all the teams are involved and nobody loses.
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