2007 Musings

I know that I’ve been scarce the last few months. I will place the blame on my new job, my move across the country and other fun things. I want to write more, I really do. I don’t have New Year’s Resolutions, but I think the closest I can come to one is to write more…now that may not be more writing on here, just more writing in general.

At the end of each year (or beginning as it was) I always seem to have the same feeling. Its not quite depression, but it’s a little close. I cannot quite explain the “sinking” feeling in my stomach, and I am not really sure what it really means. I am not afraid of getting older, I am not afraid of the change in years, or at least I don’t think I am. I think maybe it’s because I have a cynical outlook for 2007, or maybe it’s all the junk food I ate over the holidays.

2006 was a very interesting year, both world-wide and personally, though I will chose to muse briefly about the not so personal peculiarities of 2006 and impending oddities of 2007. I am very thankful that our national political scene saw some change this year, although I think this year signaled the end for my support of any sort of “party politics”. Both political parties as a whole are disgusting and disgraceful. I hope that some of the new folks will signal a change and join with some of the more senior independents. I am especially looking forward to seeing Jon Tester and Jim Webb in action. I am also happy to see that the interior west is making its mark on US politics. I have believed for a long time the libertarianesque leanings of the west should come to the political forefront.

I am however, frightful of the next two years of Bush reign. It appears that as I write this, Bush and his one time opponent John “I used to be a maverick” McCain want to increase the number of troops in Iraq despite the lack of support from military officials, congress, or the American people. Thank goodness there is some oversight of the President now, albeit, not as strong willed as I’d like to see.

I am going to end now, but hopefully it won’t be so long until I haunt these parts again.

And another thing...

And another thing…

I apologize for the random flavor of this message.

…The transition to this new place and new job is really beginning to take an emotional toll. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but the adrenaline of being in a new environment is starting to wear off, as the reality and routine set in…

…I totally missed ringing in the 4th anniversary of having a blog. I don’t know where time goes sometimes. It seems like yesterday when I was still living in Colorado and started this site. A lot has happened since then, but then some things never change…

…Friendships are a funny thing. Sometimes you may think you have met someone whom you believe you will always be friends with…and then it turns out that you lose contact with them…and sometimes you have a friend who is in and out of your life in a flash and you never know when you will see them again…I don’t mean to get sentimental, but I’ve spent a lot of time looking back and reflecting on my friendships. I am amazed by how I’ve lost touch with people I swore I’d never lose touch with. That doesn’t really sit well with me…

…It is great to see the self-destruction of the Republican Party in American politics. I would never advocate for everyone in American politics believing the same things, but I am glad that the alleged Party of morals and the American way is being shown for what it is…a group that is lead by self and special interests. Don’t get me wrong, I think that the Democratic Party is also a group lead by self and special interests, but their hypocrisy is not on the same level as the “family values” party. You cannot visit Raw Story or even ABC News without seeing another detail or story about this demise. I think that the Democratic Party is not far behind, as I believe the American public is tired of both parties…

…It amazes me how much members of a profession that is taught (and required) to respect differences, still has no problem making judgments based on appearance…

Getting in the Flow

The transition has been moving forward. We’ve had our ups and downs, and I am sure they will continue. On my mind a lot lately has been the hassles of organizational politics. Since I left my last job, I have vowed to stay as far away from gossip and bad politics as I can. My hope is that I can stay out; I think I’ve been doing well so far.

The flow of life is so very different here. If I want to go eat dinner at 3am, I have more choices than Denny’s or IHOP. If I want to go see a movie at 11pm, I can do it. If I need to go to a store on Sunday…it will be open until at least 9pm. It really is a change.

I recently picked up The Story of B by Daniel Quinn. It is one of the few books that have had a significant impact on how I view the world.

Exciting New Blog

I just read over at Sonafide that there is a new blog on the block that is geared towards the more "progressive" or "liberal" christian. The blog is God's Politics and is from Jim Wallis and others.

Hopefully this blog will increase the visibility for the other side of Christianity.

Life and Times

I am still trying to get into a routine. To those who read on a somewhat regular basis, I apologize for the sporadic posting.

Moving and starting a new job is a difficult transition. This is the third such transition for me in my life. Each one has presented different obstacles and trials, but have been difficult nonetheless. This transition has been of particular stress because of a variety of things. 1) We spent a week here before we were able to find a place to live. 2) My job is very time consuming, and I started the day we moved into our place. 3) Jenn has been struggling to find a job that is in education, pays well, and that she is not over qualified for. 4) We are attempting to solidify a social network early on in our time here. 5) We had never been to this city before, everything is new. 6) We are trying to grieve our move and at the same time emotionally move ourselves away from the things we did not like about ourselves in Arkansas. 7) Move on from my old job. I had a really good friend from long before Arkansas get the job I just left. Its difficult to think that this person is now where I was, working with the people I worked with, and seems to be having a better go at some of the aspects of the job than I did. Despite all of the obstacles, we are still very happy to be here, and love this city.

I don't like the difficulty of transistions. But fortunately for me, most of the people I work with are in a very similar situation. It makes things easier for me, but still does not make it easy. I am thankful for my job. Just a couple days ago, I went to a speaker who was talking about incorporating humor into the work place. He asked the attendees to think about the things at work that stress them out. I am so fortunate that right now, and for the first time I can remember, the only thing that stresses me is out is that I have a lot do, and am not really sure how to get it done. This is the best stress I can imagine having right now.

I enjoy being this age and being able to learn from my past experiences. I am hoping to take this opportunity to regain the things about me that I have forgotten, to live a life of someone my age, and to make new friends while re-building bridges to old friends. So I guess this is the official start to a new chapter in my life.

Life in the City

Wow...things are going fast and its hard to keep up.
I am feeling very removed from things going on in the world, but at the same time feel a little closer, because now I no longer live in the middle of nowhere.

Students came back this week, so it was the first time I've been able to meet some of the students I will be working with. I am excited for the year, and the possibilities it holds.

We Have Arrived

We have arrived in our new hometown, and have been searching for a place to live in this hot, yet not at all humid, climate. Its been fun running around town seeing everything, but it would be so NICE to have a home.

Thought I'd update, let you know more will come soon as consistent computer access commences.