A Decade in Retrospect.

Well, I suppose it is that time of year. We are wrapping up another year, and another decade! It seems like a lot of excitement!

I don't really want to do anything special for today's post, just thank the LORD that this year has been so wonderful, and so full of surprises. And not only this year, but also the entire decade. To think that 10 years ago I was, well, 10! I think its safe to say I have grown a lot. In fact, I get to say, 'yeah man, I was a teenager during those 00s!' (alright, not as appealing as the claim to 90s teenage fame, but give me some credit).

Remember where we have come from. 2000- brand new millenium! 2001- the attacks on the Twin Towers and Pentagon. 2004- Tsunami strikes Indian Ocean Coastline. 2005- Hurricane Katrina. 2008- Barack Obama elected first black U.S. President. It's been a busy decade.

Amidst all of that we seem to live our lives, day after day, sometimes in complete oblivion to world events. By the grace of God alone are we here. Our lives are so small, so insignificant. I was out on the playground in elementary school when the Twin Towers fell. When Hurricane Katrina unleashed its wrath on New Orleans, I was likely working a shift at the BK Lounge. (I know I was working a shift at the BK Lounge when Michael Jackson was declared dead.) Call me a realist, but each of our lives is such a profound mystery to every other.

But isn't it cool that we continue to live to see the light of the next day? I think there is only thanksgiving that can be offered.

Sure, 2010 is the start of something new, something maybe grand and fabulous. It may be a time of great trial and tribulations. For a lot of you, its time to start looking over the past year and set goals for the next.

But what if this year, you just said thanks for being alive. For living. Really living. For the mundane, and the extraordinary. For the tears and the smiles. For the experiences you'd like to forget and for those you'd like to remember. Give thanks to the One who has given you life. And then, make 2010 worth it-in the eyes of God.

Word of the Day: Regal

Quote of the Day: "Can you smell my hair? Does it smell like shampoo, or Oliebollen?" Kristen

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes

I cannot believe how much it has snowed!

Lines from a lovely email that my friend sent me.

"I wonder if you like the Beatles. I ate a pancake this morning. I am almost a man."

Wise words.

Kristi visited today. It was fabulous. I think I am ready for Christmas break to be over.

Word of the Day: Chicken

Quote of the Day: "A Whopper by any other name would not be a Whopper." Greg

The Christmas Story

Silent Night,

Holy Night,

All is calm,

All is bright

Round yon virgin mother and child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Hark! the harold angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled.

Joyful all ye nations rise

Join the triumphs of the skies

with angelic hosts proclaim

Christ is born in Bethlehem

Hark the harold angels sing

Glory to the newborn King!

The Birth of Jesus

¹In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ²(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³And everyone went to his own town to register.

⁴So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.⁵He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

⁸And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

¹⁶So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

luke 2:1-20

Word of the Day: Celebrate

Quote of the Day: "Merry Christmas!"

An Exterp

I have been putting off this whole blogging thing for a while. It is my 200th post (I know, I felt pretty accomplished when I noticed that too.) so I figured I would share something special with you all.

The following exterp is the beginning of a fun little story I am writing.

On one side of the ocean there was a man in a top hat. He wore the top hat with pride. His rounded face stuck out strangely from his suit. Old faded pants, forgotten beneath a flashy overcoat and a skulky smile, followed his legs down to the most peculiarly red shoes. The shoes resembled somewhat of those Dorothy wore in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and anyone looking the man up and down would wonder why he wasn’t clicking his heels together. The overcoat was rather large and ancient and had many pockets hidden in its interior. The overcoat quite liked its maze-like interior and prided itself in its pockets. It especially liked the two on the outside where the man in the top hat kept his hands warm and dry. In the exterior pocket on the right side of the jacket, the man carried a wristwatch, a slice of mint flavored chewing gum and a coin. The wristwatch was not to be worn around the man’s wrist as its name suggested. It had far to much value and knowledge to be exposed in that sort of manor. Each of the pocket dwellers resolved some sort of emotional gratification to the man and he kept them close, fingering them as often as he could manage and spending the rest of the time tipping his hat to the seagulls that mulled and squawked about the shoreline. The top hat had been tipped a total of ninety three times so far that day. The chewing gum, wristwatch, and coin were being suffocated by the man’s hand. Passers by thought very little of the sight.

The man had been standing at the Pier for quite sometime. He watched the waves roll in and out making a soft crash as they hit the rocks. The seagulls landed on the tops that poked from the water while the waves receded and were sent off in a disgruntling flight as the waves returned. The man continued to tip his hat. The ocean air that morning was especially salty. The sun had not yet shone face and the docks seemed eternally wet, not from the ocean water, but rather from the dew that had not yet dried its way out of the night. The only thing that was missing from the strange scene was the small dog that made rounds about the piers. The dog, a young, unwashed, tangled mess of a terrier mutt, befriended all the local traffic and enjoyed barking relentlessly at the man in the top hat. Perhaps the quiet that filled the pier that morning was unusual and eerie and only noticeable to those who understood the terrier. The wristwatch, the chewing gum, and the coin, though quite feverish from the man’s hand, were pleased with the unusual quietness on the foggy morning with the dew still laden and the waves rolling in, it was perfectly wonderful to rest a while and to take a nap.

Not a soul could figure out what had become of the terrier, nor why it had chosen this particular day, of all days, to disappear into obscurity. Where obscurity was, is another matter entirely, and though no man had ever ventured to figure out where obscurity really is (for there could be many disappeared movie stars and writers there), each was sure it existed. The wristwatch knew where obscurity was, but was not about to reveal that to either the chewing gum or the coin, and certainly not to the man in the top hat. Instead, the wristwatch ticked patiently as the coin and the chewing gum drifted into a deep slumber within the man’s hand. Once it had been determined that both were fast asleep and not about to disturb anyone, the wristwatch ceased ticking and drifted off into its own slumber. The man in the top hat knew nothing and continued to cling to the three tightly.

On the other side of the ocean there was a lighthouse that was missing a window.

There are big hopes for this story. I also feel as though this blog needs a makeover, in honour of post 200.

Word of the Day: Quite

Quote of the Day: 'Life is Compost.' from The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield

Stumble

Just Copy and Paste the links. I don't know why they aren't working.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1GeltG/pascalcampion.com/door.swf

Now, that is one of the most entertaining websites I have ever come across. Click it and see for yourself. Watch the entire thing, and there is no sound, so don't worry about it scaring everyone.

This one is just funny.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/77Mxqg/wildammo.com/2009/08/09/what-stormtroopers-do-on-their-day-off/

And, can you believe it? It is nearly Christmas! It isn't quite time to think about Christmas though. I have had exams, and the last issue of the Crown for the 2009 year (which is also the last issue of the decade. Pretty stellar). Plus, putting in a lot of time consuming work in for the Crown in general. We are sending out the issue to the Alumni in the Hamilton area in the hopes that some will subscribe. So, if you are interested, here's the plug. You have until Friday to make up your mind. Leave me a comment and I will get in contact with you, you know, all 10 readers I have. : )

So yes, tedious work. The company didn't fold the papers for us this time, so I spent two hours this afternoon, with the EIC's wife and our Digital Editor, folding all the papers. Then, we had to distribute them in the mailboxes. Then, we had to fill envelopes with the letter to the Alumni, explaining what's going on, a subscription form (just in case), and the Crown issue. 776 envelopes and 4 hours later, Tim, Danielle and I were finished. The EIC had to sign all the letters, which is a pretty ridiculous job.

Oh yeah! And I write exams! I have one left, but it is in the last time slot of the last day. Most unfortunate. Then, it will be Christmas. Preparing for Christ is exciting, but so is the fulfillment of the promise.

"Oh come, o come Immanuel. And ransom captive Israel."

Word of the Day: Facetious

Quote of the Day: "Next year, we'll put a sign on the bedroom door that says BK Lounge! " Amanda Fraliegh

Beauty is More Than Just Skin Deep

Curious.

I pretended to read this morning, but instead, I was slyly watching my roommate get ready. She changed her outfit about 8 times, trying to decide whether to wear the hat, or not to. She flattened her hair for about half an hour straight (I couldn't tell what she was doing to make it look any different) and spent another 20 minutes deciding on which scarf to wear.

I think the entire process was nearly an hour.

I don't understand girls' need to primp. I don't honestly think it makes much of a difference. Especially since, for my roommate, she is beautiful. She is just..beautiful. God created her the way he wanted her to be, and so spending hours upon hours putting on makeup, finding the perfect outfit doesn't seem like the most spectacular use of anyone's time. Me? It takes me a total of half an hour to shower, dry, straighten my hair, throw some makeup on my face, and decide I'm ready to face the day. My choice of clothing doesn't affect what my friends think of me. I'm grateful for that.

It's just discouraging when I see my roommate spend so much time trying to look just right, when she already is exactly as God wishes her to be. And that's beautiful; inside and out.

And now, for some exam prep and study. Oh the semester is nearly finished and Christmas is in sight!

Word of the Day: Snowflake

Quote of the Day: "And now your door is exquisite for the next time you choose to visit!" -Note on Dr. Faber's door post re-decorating.

HST

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/12/09/ont-hst.html

Yet again, the Ontario government wants more money. I'm confused. How is this supposed to help the economy?

Word of the Day: Christmas!

Quote of the Day: "I just had to rub it in your face to hold onto my dignity." Kait

Macs are Awesome

Thanks to Alex for lending me the new iMac Snow Leopard.

Word of the Day: Kakooph!

Quote of the Day: "I'm just trying to be a nuisance." Rich

Nearing the end.

Lounge chairs in the Crown Office provide an excellent place to nap.

I am taking time out of essays to jot down a few thoughts:

Christmas is coming. Wonderful. But it snowed in Juarez this week. And I will complain about this again, because Hamilton is the tropics. It doesn't snow. I wish it would, because someone has built reinforcements for a potential ice rink on the soccer field out behind AUG Hall. It just..appeared. I would like to be able to skate. I would like to be able to walk down the cute little streets in Meadowlands where garlands hang from the street lights, where cars don't dare go. I want to look up and feel the snowflakes on my face. I wonder if I have taken snow and painted it into a vision that doesn't come often enough. Perhaps that is what makes it so special. God's gift spread lightly over the earth.

I drink Spiced Chai from my travel mug tonight. The blue mug that Joel brought up to me at Redeemer last March has been getting just enough wear and tear that the butterfly stickers I stuck on the exterior are starting to wear off from being washed. Sidenote: 32 cups of tea is a lethal amount of Caffiene.

And finally,

Christmas is coming.

One essay left, out of the 13 I have had to write this semester. I cannot believe that there is nearly nothing left of the year. 2009 has been good.

Word of the Day: Brazil

Quote of the Day: "Oh! Time is doing that thing I hoped it wouldn't."