Just Things

Ordinary Time

Every morning I make coffee using a french press. I usually grind it on the spot. I like it strong, and I'm very particular about this. Today's coffee is Kenyan AA.

Last night we had the Best Super Bowl Party Ever, and I think the only person who paid a bit of attention to the game was Liz. The rest of us ate, drank and played Taboo. Have you played this game? I love it.

Every week day morning, I have to decide whether to make up a reason to go out into the cold, since I don't have a formal "job" that requires I do so. I am invariably more productive if I get out of here at 7:15 and hotfoot it to LTS, but I could read at home.

I'm still working through Mary Margaret Funk's book on John Cassian. Thomas Merton still confuses me.

When I had a clergy internship, Monday was my day off. I still prefer to do laundry on Mondays. And not to have clergy internships.

You may not realize this, but I am even more attractive in person than the photos on my blog suggest.

I'm considering a media fast for the first week of Lent. A certain abbot thinks this is wimpy of me, but hey - that's a long time. I mean, does any of us want me not to blog for the entirety of Lent?

On second thought, consider that a rhetorical question.

Is anybody else thinking of some helpful Lenten disciplines?

My Day

Ordinary Time

Yesterday was a very busy and fun day. I went to Georgetown to meet with Doc and discuss my dissertation research. He pointed out that, alas, foundationalism is not so dead as I might like to believe; its kind of a plain fact that while pomo, post-foundationalist churches are flourishing, as well as neo-monastic, catholic churches (like our own), fundamentalism is in. Actually, pretty much the only churches that are falling off are the mainline denominations (hee hee). Doc was also kind enough to give me deadlines: chapter 1 is due on Ash Wednesday.

I'm thinking all kind of brilliant dissertation thoughts, but those are secret. Shhh.

Glen and I had lunch at Fava's. I'm sure all my GC readers have been there, but for the rest of you, it's a downtown restaurant that's been there since 1910. It's got that local Mom and Pop ambiance. I had a burger. With bacon. It was nice. I spent much of the afternoon gossiping about Baptists with Glen and Zac. At Georgetown, there's plenty of Baptist news to go around. Mostly we talked about some of the neo-monastic communities growing up around the world. I'd heard of the Baptists of Northumbria (yeah, I know they're considered interdenominational) but Glen told me about a group of Baptists doing the monastic thing in suburban Australia. Anybody have names or details?

I wandered to the Campus Ministries lounge to meet up with Patrick, but was duped into a Bible study. That Patrick, always looking after my soul! But seriously, lots of fun. Somehow we got turned 'round to that ever-relevant question, "Can a Campbellite be Saved?" We'll do a podcast on that one soon.

I visited Jeremy, my former housemate. If I've told you stories about Jeremy, you know that every time I see him, I feel like it's my birthday. *blushes*

Icon by Alan Creech

Morgan Atkinson hosted the Lexington premiere of his new Merton documentary, "Soul Searching," at the Cathedral of Christ the King last night. I attended with Alan, obviously. The program was really well done, and you should watch it when it comes to KET/PBS on Easter evening if you have any interest in Merton. I'm sure the guys will be pleased to know that this has pushed me over: I'm ready to read Merton.

Okay, so let me explain to you an aspect of blog nerdiness. Every couple of weeks, a stranger will stop me and say, "you don't know me, but I read your blog." I think that's really cool. The first half-dozen times was kind of disconcerting, but after that, it was a pretty neat thing. It means precisely nothing to be "e-famous," but it is fun to meet and chat with some of the people who bother to read what I write here.

I wonder how weird it must be to hear, "Hi, you don't know me, but I listen to your dad's podcasts." (Probably pretty weird.) I briefly met Clay Spencer after the program, and told him just that. I thought it would be funny. Anyway, you should listen to (and read!) the Internet Monk, if you don't already.

Okay. Now I'm going to take out the garbage, clean the kitchen, and get back to reading Stan Grenz. Good times.

I'm such a nerd. But more on that to come...

Things I Enjoy

Ordinary Time

Roger informed me last month that he and Lopez had decided I needed some kind of hobby so that I've got something to talk about besides religion. I insisted that the problem is that they always lead the conversations. So here are some things I enjoy that aren't directly related to religion.

I love to cook. If we're friends and you live around here, I've probably cooked for you.

I do watch a little television. I never miss Battlestar Galactica or House, M.D. Don't ask about the South Park pajamas.

I am a recovering Sci-Fi nerd, while we're on the subject. I'm mostly okay now (Babylon 5 was a long time ago), but I think BSG has taught me to love again. Ha!

I don't watch sports at all (I don't really care about it) but I did play soccer in high school.

I'm really bad at Halo.

I lack independent taste in music. I listen to the things my friends recommend to me, and mostly I like it. I can't stand Perfect Circle, and I don't listen to Tool when home alone. It makes me feel like I'm in a horror film.

Exercise interests me. I just joined a gym. Again. I lost 40 pounds in the first half of 2004, most of which I'd put on after the accident.

We should go throw a Frisbee.

I really like Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner, and T.S. Eliot.

History is endlessly fascinating. I have a B.A. in history, and could tell and listen to interesting stories for days.

I work part-time at a bookstore, and I really get a kick out of it. Marketing and customer service and thinking about how to run a business well are (surprisingly) of considerable interest for me.

I live with med student/chemist and a statis-- static-- er, math guy. Somehow we do find things to talk about besides religion.

Okay, that's all.

Today

Ordinary Time

Yesterday I

made breakfast
prayed the office with my housemate
cleaned my room while watching Battlestar Galactica (very efficient, I am)
went to LTS
listened to an Internet Monk podcast
read Bonhoeffer
read Mark
read Lauren Winner
read Jean Vanier
took a nap
had dinner with two Jesses
discussed atonement theology
returned phone calls

Today I

showered
ate breakfast with friends
read the first 7 pages of Mike's chapter
answered e-mail

Today I will

go to LTS
print notes
have Pad Thai with a friend
go to the bank
go to the post office
read more of Jean Vanier
read more of Lauren Winner
read two chapters in Mark
do laundry
pray the office
make tuna melts for dinner

Technorati Tags: food, theologians do it in libraries

Silly Things About Me

Eastertide

I can't stand the feel of jeans on my ankles, so I am almost never barefoot while wearing them, even just sitting around the house.

It's very important to me that I keep up correspondance with people, and knowing that I probably know too many people to do this with regularity doesn't alleviate my guilt. I have a number of friends that I love but I have not spoken with in about two years. I hate that.

When I was 17 I turned my hair bright orange. It was awesome, and I've always entertained the idea of doing it again.

I love coffee. I never liked the stuff, but started drinking it a little in response to peer pressure friends. It's also the thing to do amongst VBCC. Between the inherent coolness of the activity and the Eucharistic overtones, I eventually became hooked. Alan and Liz have this neat coffee machine that grinds the beans and doesn't use paper filters. Best stuff ever. I lived in their house for about four days before decided it would be my little "job" to make the coffee.

Other than that, I'm pretty much their Kato Kaelin.

The other Kyle is one of my best friends, and except for that whole "me living in Dallas or Oxford" thing, we've been almost inseparable for the last 5 years. This is why it continually amuses me that we have few common interests, except that we're both just so awesome. Case in point:

I have never stayed awake through an entire Star Wars film.

ESPN's SportCenter makes me want to poke myself in the eye.

My favorite bits of are this icon of the Emmaus Road encounter (it's my favorite gospel story) and Rembrandt's Return of the Prodigal Son.

My favorite breakfast for myself is coffee and toast with jam. If I'm with other people, I love to make pancakes or a fritata.

My friends make me a better man. I could name at least a dozen people who give me more than I could ever imagine to offer in return, but I won't because we're all a bit shy.

I could listen to Jen or Johnny talk for a very long time, because their Northern Irish accents amaze me. They're also great people.

I almost never listen to music while I study.

I think about Rowan Williams at least once a day.

My reading for Biblical Interpretation is a bit more boring than I thought it would be, and that bums me out.

I love throwing frisbee, but I don't like formal games. Sports have rules, and that really upsets me.

One of my favorite things is sitting in the Creeches' living room and exchanging clever remarks with Alan as we surf blogs on our laptops and watch EWTN.

I have so much stuff to go get done right now, but I wanted to sit down and write something fun.

Technorati Tags: espn, ewtn, coffee, eucharist, kato kaelin, star wars