Tea and Theology

Thank God it's..."Reading" Week

2007-10-25T21:31:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm not sure about the "Reading" part, ;-) but I've been enjoying the week so named by Princeton Theological Seminary. Actually, all of my reading is going to get done at the tail end of the week, but with mom in town from WA we've been doing a lot of playing--and what a beautiful week for playing it has been! Here's the week in review through pictures:

After church on Sunday, I took mom on the pretty country drive out to Doylestown to have tea at the 1814 house and to meet Kevin. Check out Kevin's blog for his account of his first time in a tea room having Afternoon Tea. It's pretty cute!

On Tuesday, mom and I headed into NYC and spent the morning at the Chelsea Food Market (foodies that we are) and then went to a taping of the Martha Stewart show. We tried to get lottery tickets for Wicked but were sadly unsuccessful. However, we had a LOVELY dinner at Le Pain Quotidien including a "wicked" piece of pumpkin pie (with FRESH mint tea) for dessert!

Wednesday night was Raclette Reunion night complete with a Raclette dinner. Lexi's Mom loved meeting Pidge, Bitsy, Gigi and FiOna and we all shared lots of laughs! Gotta love the girlfriend times!

Thursday: Not wanting anyone to ever doubt our commitment to tea, we made the 300 mile roundtrip trek to the Harney and Sons tea shop and tasting room in Millerton, NY. Let me tell you, we stocked up tea BIG TIME! It was a beautiful fall day and the fall colors out our window for much of the ride were spectacular! We are up to our ears in tea now, but that is how we like it! As mom and I like to say, "Seize the day!" :-)

Happy Turkey Day???

2007-10-19T13:08:00.000-04:00

Well wonders never cease! I finally became used to looking out my apartment windows last winter and seeing groups of deer wandering about looking for food, but I never would have guessed that I'd peer out my window one October afternoon only to find a pack of 5 TURKEYS strutting about my shared backyard! Is this common in New Jersey? This is going on my 5th year in Princeton and it is the first I've ever personally seen some wild turkeys walking around as if they owned the place. I mean, how cool is that? I remember learning in 8th grade American History (with good old Mr. Seaholm) that Ben Franklin loved the turkey and wanted it to be our national bird. In a letter to his daughter, Ben said he found the Eagle to be a bird quite lacking in character whereas "the Turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America . . . He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a bird of courage, and would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his farm yard with a red coat on." Hear, hear, Ben! Well put. Enjoy the pix!

When at all possible, go hiking!

2007-10-18T21:21:00.000-04:00

Like the Israelites wandering in the wilderness and complaining to Moses about their sorry situation, murmurings have arisen as to the outdated post on this 'ole blog of mine! What's a girl to do but satisfy her readers! :-)

Indian summer or not, hiking in the fall on the East Coast has to rank right up there as one of the best weekend activities out there. I mean, with all the fall foliage (even IF the leaves aren't as brilliant this year because of less rain), it is simply spectacular! And of course, hiking with someone special always makes it even better. Kevin and I had the best day hiking at the Delaware Water Gap two weeks ago. We had it all, great soundtrack for the trip there and back, yummy picnic, invigorating exercise, beautiful scenery on the hike and out the car window, great conversation along the way and even a little excitement--what would you know but crossing a small stream we came across a little snake! I did my best to be brave and calmed myself and made my way past it without much more than a little extra adrenalin pumping through my veins. I had to laugh, too, because somehow I had this distinct feeling that the warm weather and the vegetation around us might easily make for a run-in and sure enough, it happened. I feel like I've made significant progress in coping with my fear of snakes. Not only do I now run again on the Canal Path with confidence and ease but I can encounter snakes suddenly on a hike and not turn and run away. Let that be a lessen to all of you wusses out there! Ha! Just kidding! :-)

Aren't Kevin and I a cute hiking couple? :-)

Salad Recommendation...with a slight ammendation...

2007-09-24T23:52:00.000-04:00

So last night I tried out a new salad recipe courtesy of Everyday Food. Kevin got to partake of it with me, and we both agreed that it is quite tasty indeed and that the salad is particularly appropriate for the fall. The salad is called Roasted Sweet Potato and Watercress Salad but it also has feta cheese and roasted walnuts (tossed with cayenne pepper and evoo to boot!) in it. The watercress is tossed with a little bit of honey, evoo and lemon juice. The only thing I might change, if I were to make it again, is the watercress. While very nice and light, the watercress has long stems which make for an interesting eating challenge. Kevin suggested Romaine, which would be delicious. I think baby spinach might also make for a nice substitute.

Any Irrational Fears?

2007-09-22T11:01:00.000-04:00

Okay folks, here's the deal. I am afraid of snakes. I can't stand them. They give me the heebee-geebees (however you spell that)! But my fear of snakes has been fairly dormant in the past few years. See no evil, fear no evil. However, I like to go for walks and runs on the canal path located behind my apartment complex and I've recently found myself watching all the twigs on the path very carefully to make sure none of them looked too snake-like. I wasn't even sure if snakes lived in this area. I kind of naively hoped that New Jersey didn't have snakes or something like that. Nevertheless, once or twice when I've been out running during the past few weeks, I thought I saw some very small snakes on the ground in front of me. I couldn't be sure and they were very small so I just did a quick kind of hop/jump move over that area and ran on my way (probably looked very silly). A few days later though, my friend Brittany and I were out on a power walk. It was a beautiful sunny, September afternoon and we were chatting away like normal when all of the sudden we both let out an ear-piercing scream, stopped in our tracks and grabbed one another's arm. Brittany immediately turned around and started running back and I had to catch up to her and tell her to stop. Now what possibly could have been the source of our screams and fear, you wonder? Yes, you've got it. One big, fat lazy snake sunning itself in the middle of the canal path! Dang! My enjoyment of the canal path has just taken a nose-dive. Brittany and I walked back just as fast as our legs could carry us, all the while our eyes were peeled as we nervously kept watch out for any more snakes. Guoughhhh! Yuck! You can give me slugs, bugs, worms, spiders, etc and I'm fine. I'll be brave. I'll touch them or kill them or move beyond them without any problem. But when it comes to snakes, I have no real grasp on reality. My worst fear is that I'll be out for a run and won't see a snake fast enough and my foot will come down on it, and it will be a horrible interaction of the snake squirming and freaking out and me freaking out and being totally spooked from the experience of actually feeling the snake beneath my foot. I hate to even think of it!

So friends, what should I do? Last run, I took a different route--one where I knew I wouldn't encounter any snakes. Should I keep to this new route until the weather changes and I'm sure the snakes will be gone (this should be by October)? OR--Should I somehow try to face my fears and run on the canal path--come what may? If any of you have an irrational fear or good story that you want to share, please do tell!

Oh the joy of learning French!

2007-09-13T20:48:00.000-04:00

It's been a slow and steady process of learning French this summer. And now on my last night of studying, my last night before my French language exam, which I am required to take and pass (!!!) before the beginning of my second year in the PhD program (which begins next Wednesday), I'm all joy and smiles. Yes, studying French non-stop (almost) all week long will do that to a person. :-) Or will it? Maybe the big grin on my face (thanks for the study break, Brittany!) is instead a symptom of the light at the end of the tunnel. Yes, perhaps that is it. Instead of weeping tears of sorrow for the end of French, I'm smiling with glee at the thought of the freedom that will soon be mine come noon tomorrow. Whatever the case may be, this is the end of French, folks. It's been great! But now, alas, back to German I will go....

A Few Highlights from Summer 2007

2007-09-10T20:54:00.000-04:00

Well now that summer is over, it strikes me that I should once again update this wee lil' blog o' mine to mark some fun memories from the summer. While much of my summer was indeed spent inside the PTS library working in the media lab, learning French and reading a lot on theological method, I did manage to do some fun things and hang out with many good friends. I'm thankful and I'm sure once the full impact of the craziness of fall semester hits me, I'll be missing those lazier summer days and longing for warmer weather. For now though, I'm excited for what is in store in this coming year. September always marks new beginnings for me, oftentimes more so than January. I am definitely a product of the academic calendar. Plus, fall is my favorite time of year. Who can resist the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, new schoool clothes, pumpkin bread and chai tea and the changing of the leaves? Ah, but before I wax on anymore, here are some summer photo highlights. Enjoy!

Having my dear friends, Katie and Cari, over for our last bible study of the year before we all went separate ways (Cari and Todd moved up to New York and Katie and John to Germany).

The Smythe family having lots of fun at Disneyland--I promise we really aren't that scary looking in real life!

Here I am with both sets of grandparents before my brother's awesome senior recital.

My brother's graduation was in the morning before the hot Cali sun got too intense. Here we are waiting for the ceremony to start and trying to catch glimpses of my brother processing in.

The happy graduate himself!

Celebrating the "Month of Harry Potter" included a Hogarts-esque dinner hosted by my friend Brittany and myself. Brittany and I wanted to embody our role as hosts of this dinner as much as possible, so we dressed up as if we were Hogwarts students in Gryffindor.

After repeatedly telling stories about my fine afternoon tea productions, I finally threw a tea party for Anna Kate, Kara, Brittany and myself (Nicole, we missed you!) to celebrate friendship and the opening of the movie about Jane Austen.

And finally, there was Cape Cod, Labor Day Weekend, 2007--a.k.a: The Raclettes (Lexi, Pidge, Bitsy, Gigi and Fiona) do the Cod!

We spent a nice day relaxing on the beach at Buzzards Bay! I even enjoyed a refreshing swim in the Atlantic ocean.

Here's the cute little cottage we stayed at (thanks to the hospitality of Jeff and Nicole!)

We took turns cooking for each other each night and had all sorts of great conversations around the table!

Catching the sunset on our last night

Trek Hybrid 7200, Yeah Baby!

2007-06-08T17:45:00.001-04:00

Check out my new wheels! :-) Hurray! I'm so excited about my bike purchase. It has been a long time in the making and I finally took the plunge. I even bought a brand-spanking-new bike instead of a used one. Whoa!!! Don't worry though, I thoroughly researched my purchase and I think I made a great investment! I even outfitted the bike with a nifty front basket to carry my books/lunch/purse as I ride to and from work (PTS library) all summer and hopefully even into the fall a bit. My ride this morning was nice. I can take a canal path about half of the way and then have a sidewalk next to a busy road to use the rest of the way. The sidewalk part is a slow and steady upward grade and by the time I arrived at the library I had worked up a decent sweat, which induced me to give thanks for once for our ever-freezing library! The ride home was an easy one as I can coast most of the way to the canal path. And with the temps as high as they were today, I was glad for it. Of course after just a few trips my legs are already asking me what's going on. I've not been on a bike ride since last summer after all. That's okay. I'll adjust. I just hope my "seat" adjusts along with my legs! ;-) So, here's to saving gas money, cutting down on my share of pollution, reducing morning/afternoon traffic stress, and getting to exercise while getting to and from school! I'll drink to that! Any ideas for bike names?

"Oh no I di'int!"

2007-05-14T00:24:00.000-04:00

Here's one that will go down in Shannon history: Was out to dinner with some girlfriends on Friday night, celebrating the end of the school year. We were at this place in town called Triumph Brewing Company and were seated upstairs. The bar was down below. Well, dinner was good and conversation supreme. We were wrapping up our meal and I was talking about the "SNL Through the 90s" show that I had seen on TV the other night. I mentioned loving Molly Shannon and her funny characters like Mary Katherine Gallager, and the joyologist/"luv it" lady. I was getting revved up in my story-telling and shared about how I often used to do impersonations of these characters. I started doing the classic "luv it" lady move where she crosses and kicks up her leg a lot while she says "I luv it, I luv it, I luv it!" My friends were laughing. "Oh, funny Shannon!", they were probably thinking. They hadn't seen me do this before. Well, all of the sudden, the little navy blue ballet flat I'm wearing comes off my foot as I'm kicking up my leg. It flies high into the air (high ceiling building) and then begins its descent all the way down to the first floor, in the bar. Oops!!!! Double oops when we discover it has hit a lady sitting down there. A manager brings my shoe up to me and I gratefully accept it and apologize. One catch though, there is this other guy with him who is bristling and says that there is going to be a big problem because the shoe hit his wife. He is really angry and looks like he's ready to punch someone's lights out. I apologize, call him sir, explain that it was an accident. He realizes he can't beat me up. He realizes I'm a woman, sitting at a table of women. If I had been a man, I think he would've hit me. But, thankfully the manager was right next to him and explained that he saw what happened and that it was an accident. The man leaves and storms back downstairs. OMG--it was crazy! It went from being incredibly embarassing to nightmarish in a matter of seconds. Thankfully everything ended fine. I was mortified, but my friends were still laughing. They thought the impersonation was even better with the shoe flying off. And apparently the look on my face was something! I just can't believe I did something so stupid (on accident of course!). Yikes! I don't think my friends will let me live this one down anytime soon.

Another one bites the dust....AND Meeting the Indigo Girls!

2007-05-12T00:09:00.000-04:00

So, the first year of my Ph.D program is officially done. Yesterday, at approximately 11:55am, I turned in my last paper of the semester. Woohoooooooo!!!! I've been at this "higher education" for some time now, and what never ceases to amaze me is the feelings I go through immediately after turning in my last paper for the academic year. It is usually always the same feeling but somehow I forget what it feels like until it is really upon me again. It is something like surreal. And yet it is also always a bit anticlimatic because I have this moment where I think, "Now what do I do?" That's so funny. It's like, I've been going and going and pushing and pushing and all of the sudden the weight I've been carrying drops off and I'm disoriented. When this happened yesterday I went home and crashed for 3 hours. That was nice. Although I always have to fight the guilt that threatens to ruin it. My brain desparately searches for something else I should be doing with the time (i.e., cleaning my apartment!) until I tell myself to calm down and give it a rest! :-)

Well, the laziness didn't last for long. Last night and today I started putting my together my summer calendar--organizing my independent study, coming up with my reading list for my dissertation topic, figuring out how long I need to learn French on my own , and parceling then it all out on my summer calendar. I'm afraid that maybe I've got too much to do and not enough time. I'm going to have to be very disciplined to stay on top of it all. My hope is that if I can schedule my days well, I'll have time to relax and enjoy summer, exercise AND get all my work done. Thankfully, I've got some summer jobs in the library that will really provide me with study time while I'm on the clock. Thank goodness for that!!!!!

Just as I got through the first year of my Ph.D program, which is a huge accomplishment and one more step toward my goal of being a theology professor, I also accomplished another personal goal last week. Yes, yes, I did. I took a study break and went to an Indigo Girls concert.....AND, I got to meet them afterwards! It was great! They are my FAVORITE band EVER and meeting them was awesome!! They were very chill and down to earth and friendly. Amy even asked me what what my name is. Ha! It was cool!!!! :-)
Here are my pix from the meeting! You can see that I'm very excited!!!

That's Amy Ray and me!

And this is Emily Saliers and me!

Mind What Your Mother Says...

2007-04-25T22:45:00.000-04:00

Mom thinks it is high time I updated this blog. Other friends have hinted at this over the past couple of months, too. Sorry folks! Not that you sit anxiously chomping at the bit awaiting my little blog posts. Geez! You know I save the good stuff for face to face or voice to voice anyway! I should let you all know that the scene outside my windows is finally looking different. Trees are budding and/or in bloom. The grass is really, really green. I'm sneezing and blowing my nose from the pollen. It is dark out now otherwise I'd take a photo and post it. New Jersey is beautiful in the springtime. It just takes a long time for Spring to come. We are in the last week of classes and trees or only now blooming. This is a bit behind schedule if you ask me. I've tried to keep track of when the trees begin to bloom since moving away from the Evergreen state to New Jersey and I expect it by the first of April. Not this year though!

Meanwhile, I'm sitting on the couch with my feet up, trying to look relaxed while I scrunch my head and burn brain calories translating a German translation of a Greek text into English. Did ya catch that? It's for a final paper and a doozy of a one at that. I'm happy working on it, though and that is always a good thing, right!?

Happy Spring Semester!!!!

2007-01-29T20:41:00.000-05:00

I took a little blogging break as I enjoyed my "one week of freedom" in the academic year that is Princeton Theological Seminary's! Hah! And even that had reading to prep for classes for spring semester! Oh, well! I enjoyed myself--lots of movies, cleaning and organizing the apartment and hanging with good friends. Not going to complain. And then, I rolled out of bed today, after hitting snooze once or twice (ouch--back to a normal sleep schedule) to discover a beautiful view from my windows. I love looking out to the back of our building rather than to the front, where the street and parking lot are! It was just a dusting, and so classes were on normal schedule (God's got a wicked sense of humor as I know for a fact some people were on their knees begging/praying for a big snow and cancellation of classes today). The dusting was just fine with me as I was excited for my classes (the two I had today were FABULOUS!). It was so beautiful, too! I'd still love one big snow dump, but as winter can stick around until the first of April in grand 'ole New Jersey, there is still hope!

Hostess of the Mostess?

2007-01-17T20:17:00.000-05:00

So, my friend Nicole stayed with me for a few days a week back because her apartment was loaned out to friends and she ended up needing to come back earlier than expected. We had a grand 'ole time. Only problem was that the poor girl is addicted to Diet Coke (she drinks it for breakfast!). She found my beverage offerings to be somewhat limited in that 1.) I have no soda in the apartment, 2) that left me with milk, water, OJ and tons of tea to offer her, and 3.) Nicole thinks tea tastes like grass and will have nothing to do with it. Thus, she kept having to go down to the lobby and buy Diet Coke from the vending machine. Well, once Nicole left and went back to her own apartment I wised up and purchased a 6 pack of mini Diet Coke (they were just too cute to pass up and I'd always wanted to buy the minis) to have around for hosting purposes. My friend, Anna Kate, pictured above, is also pretty connected to her Diet Coke so I figured my purchase was a good investment. And so it was with great pleasure the other night that I was able to offer her a Diet Coke to drink when she came over to my place. Well the plan was that this little six pack would last me a while as I generally never drink coke myself. Herein is the problem. I've been in "finals mode" going on three weeks now and my eating hasn't been the greatest, especially this last week. Pizza, Chinese food take-out, homemade paninis and tuna melts, you get the point. My little pack of mini Diet Cokes came to mind each time I sat down to one of these nutritious dinners. Lo and behold, I am now out of Diet Cokes! Oops! So much for my grand plan. I'm either a) going to have to buy more in order to continue to be a good host and risk the fact that I might also drink them myself or b.) quit buying them so that I don't keep drinking them and risk being a bad host. What's a girl to do? Any thoughts???

When I was a child...

2007-01-16T12:06:00.000-05:00

and still in diapers, "wipes" were a way of life. Now that I am an adult, I've been reintroduced to them. The ones pictured above are for adults. Watch out, now. I see you laughing. Don't mock until you give 'em a try. It just might revolutionize your life. It did mine!

"It's hard work, but it feels good!" ~A.K.E.

2007-01-15T22:26:00.000-05:00

My place of work the past two weeks has varied only slightly. When I'm writing, though, I usually spread out at the kitchen table because it is bigger than my desk in my room. As you can see, I can be kind of messy. The good news is that I have two papers done and only one to go. The scary thing, though, is that the last one is due Saturday morning. I'm in high-gear! It's not a joke! "It's hard work, but it feels good!" Thus saith, A.K.E.! :-)

Neighbors

2007-01-13T19:41:00.000-05:00

I looked outside my window the other day to see these guys in the backyard eating lunch at about the same time as me. Naturally, I dropped my food, grabbed my camera and clicked a few shots before they left. Oh course, the whole time I was thinking, "Great! Some new pix for my blog!" So much for being in the moment, right? Ha! But really, you can't plan this stuff! You're just glad when it happens! We have been having such a warm winter, I think my "neighbors" were happy to go out for lunch! :)

I made a little clucking noise to get him to look up! Smart, eh?

He decided to go somewhere else for dessert!

Random Ramblings...

2007-01-10T20:01:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know you are probaby saying to yourself, "Isn't that what she's always up to on this blog of hers?" but give me a moment.
1. Filling out the form correctly the first time around saves you a lot of time and hassle.
2. I've been linked on Heavy Duty Power and am feeling pretty special right now.
3. One paper down, two to go--one of which I will commence writing tomorrow at 8am. YES!!!
4. I love going grocery shopping.
5. Sometimes rambling to a friend while you are supposed to be studying is really helpful.
6. It all gets done in the end so don't stress.
7. Adding cut up orange slices to a spinah salad with a nice homemade vinegarette dressing is remarkably refreshing.
8. Why was today a no mail day? :(
9. Thank goodness for protective cases for iPods--never leave home without one!
10. A mere 30 minutes of snow flurries is way too tempting and mean!

Okay! I'm done! Back to the grind!

Remember the Sabbath Day...

2007-01-07T17:53:00.000-05:00

There was a time, when I used to feel guilty, back in undergrad days, when I didn't make the best use of the weekend, getting every last jot and tittle of my unrealistic plan for studying accomplished. Then somewhere along the way, still in undergrad, I was introduced to the concept of keeping the Sabbath. Some concept, huh? Not exactly new! :-) But still new to me. I remembered my parents loving their Sunday naps and hating when they made me have quiet time in my room so they could rest in peace, but I never connected it to Sabbath-keeping. After all, Dad was working hard on Sunday morning as a pastor. I just figured they were tired and that was all there was to it. Well, the exhaustion that comes with being an overachiever, new to college life and freedom to stay up LATE, hang with friends at all hours, etc, finally caught up to me not long into SPU life. Thus, when Marva Dawn came and spoke to us about the idea of keeping the Sabbath and SPU got on board with talk of Sabbath culture or something (we were all about culture talk at SPU), I was all ears. I read her book on it, and loved the concept so much I was inspired to enact it in my own life--much to my little mind and body's surprise and delight. It's a good thing!!

All of this to say that today, when my 40-minute power nap before working on my Aquinas paper turned into 3 hours of heavy sleeping, I relished in it rather than say FREAKING OUT THAT I'M BEHIND IN MY PAPER WRITING SCHEDULE! Seriously, I'm now fully recharged and my mind is as clear as a bell. I'll have many productive hours to write tonight and that is all that matters. Thanks, God, for making the Sabbath for us and not us for the Sabbath!

PS: A word to the wise, sleeping with two fleece blankets over you does not seem to help one stick to a 40-minute nap schedule. I was so incredibly warm and toasty (but not TOO warm and toasty) that my body felt on kind of a movement lock-down. I couldn't possibly have gotten up any earlier if I had tried. Wild horses would have had to drag those blankets from me! Or somethin'! ;-)

Still Dancing...

2007-01-03T01:12:00.000-05:00

"Yes, Virginia, it's true. Shannon still does interpretive dance." Some of you are privy to the fact of my legendary history of interpretive dance, especially while enrolled at Seattle Pacific University. I entertained the masses. Well, not exactly, but almost. A few of you saw me dance once or twice during my first two years of PTS. I must confess, I hadn't danced recently. But going home for Christmas brought it out in full force. Of course, the seeds of my dancing go all the way back to my childhood when I would "entertain" my lucky babysitter by dancing around to my records in our living room. I remember feeling at that tender age that some day I would be doing this on a bigger scale. What can I say, guess I'm a visionary!

These pictures are from Christmas Eve night. We've just finished opening our gifts and you can see my brother in the background. In photo op #1 he's delighted by my interpretation of "Breath of Heaven." By the second photo, he's gone back to fiddling with my new iHome (yippee!) and is ignoring me completely. That's okay. I was inspired. Believe it or not, I was thinking through my theses for the three final papers I'm now working on back in P-town. Now that's something to dance about! ;-)

Retraction

2006-12-21T10:35:00.000-05:00

Forget going home for Christmas.* My brother just informed me that my parents have finally caved in in their old age and purchased a fa...this is so hard to say...a fak....I think I'm going to be sick....a fake...there!...A FAKE CHRISTMAS TREE!! What?????? Excuse me??? Are you for real?? I feel completely taken for the fool. My mother announces to me a few weeks back that I am really going to love the tree this year. "It's so big," she said. "And very pretty. Our prettiest one yet." Being the trusting child that I am I take her at her word and never stop to think maybe, just maybe, she's referring to a big "beautiful" FAKE TREE!!!!!! Good grief! Look, if I'd wanted to sit in front of a fake tree, I would have just stayed in P-town with my little 14-inch fake tree from Michaels and drunk myself to death with my over abundance of Christmas tea while listening to Clay Aiken singing "Mary did you know?" and Amy Grant singing "Breath of Heaven." Seriously! What were they thinking? They live in God's country--the beautiful Pacific Northwest. WA is the freakin' Evergreen state!! I mean, how hard could it be to procure a real live Douglass Fir or whatever??? Christmas tree farms in our little corner of the world are about as ubiquitious as Starbucks are in Seattle or any other big city in the world for that matter.

My brother warned me not to make too big a deal out of it and to do all of my mourning before going home as he thinks that my parents are dreading my response. Maybe they should have been forthcoming with me in the first place! As it is, they've set me up to give them grief. They were surprised when Samuel made as big of a deal of it as he did when he arrived home from southern Cali. Here's what he had to say to that: "i live in southern california. where pine trees are a myth that exist only on hallmark cards and in plastic form on hollywood movie lots." Poor boy! Give him some real green!

Well, Mom and Dad, if you are reading this blog, you know the secret is out! I'll do my best to mourn from a distance so that I can keep an open mind when I finally do get home. I ended my last post of longing with a nice little Advent reflection. Can I make such a leap this time?? If I take a stab at it it will only be cheesier than the previous one. Here goes: Perhaps I should consider this fake Christmas tree as but a tiny sign of the still-to-be-100% redeemed world (ie: it's part of the "not yet") for which Christ was born into the world. If so, I can never be fully satisfied and say, "It is well." No, no! I must brave on, praying and working for the day when all Christmas trees will be real. So there!

*This statement is meant for effect only and should not be read literally!

O Christmas Tree

2006-12-20T16:40:00.000-05:00

My mom tells me the Christmas tree this year is the best one ever, all big and full and beautifully decorated. It didn't help that I woke up on Monday morning wishing I was home already, cup of tea in hand, sitting in front of the lighted tree, making up for lost time. Sigh. Not that this last week in P-town isn't filled with fun holiday cheer. Monday night was the Young Adult Christmas Open House for my church. Last night I had dinner with the family whose kids I babysit on Wednesdays. Tonight is the seminary Christmas concert followed by time hanging out with friends. Tomorrow night I'm going over to a friend's place for yummy treats. And then it's Friday. TGIF. Oh wait, Friday night is looking a bit bleak. Everyone will pretty much have already left. I guess I'll be cleaning, doing laundry, watching a movie...longing to be in front of the family tree with the fam. Sigh. As it is, I won't officially be home (as in pulling up to the driveway) until after midnight on Saturday night (a.k.a., on Christmas Eve). I've never gotten home for Christmas so late before. I don't know if I like it. We open our gifts as a family on Christmas Eve night so I'll be wrapping all my gifts earlier in the day. I'm usually the first one to put gifts under the tree. Not this year. If only it didn't cost an arm and a leg to change a flight. Okay, enough of my complaining. At least I'll be home for Christmas. Maybe I should take advantage of my longing and consider the even more important time of waiting and longing for the in-breaking of God into our world that is signified by Advent season. After all, we know that all shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well. God did assume human flesh unto God's self and enter our broken world and frail humanity. And God will come again to finish what God began. When I look at it in this light, what is a few more days away from home longing to be in front of the Christmas tree???

Begin

2006-12-19T00:37:00.000-05:00

Begin again to the summoning birds
to the sight of light at the window,
begin to the roar of summoning traffic
all along the Pembroke Road.
Every beginning is a promise
born in light and dying in the dark
determination and exaltation of springtime
flowering the way to work.
Begin to the pageant of queuing girls
and arrogant loneliness of swans in the canal
bridges linking the past and the future
old friends passing though with us still.
Begin to the loneliness that cannot end
since it perhaps is what makes us begin,
begin to wonder at unknown faces,
at crying birds in the sudden rain
at branches stark in the willing sunlight
at seagulls foraging for bread
at couples sharing a sunny secret
alone together while making good.
Though we live in a world that dreams of ending
that always seems about to give in
something that will not acknowledge conclusion
insists that we forever begin.
--Brendan Kennelly

Would you have been able to answer this?

2006-12-17T15:06:00.000-05:00

This morning in the 6th grade Sunday school class, we had a little party since it was our last class before the New Year. By way of review of what we've been learning all fall and for a little fun competitive game, I made a Jeopardy game for the kids to play. Every week, we open class with a reading from the Old Testament that features in the New Testament somehow. Every week we mix up the opening reading a little bit, trying to keep the kids engaged and involved. Liz, one of the other teachers, the past two weeks, has printed out the passage on strips of paper and invited a group of kids to come to the front of the class and do a reading of the day's Scripture passage. This has gone over really well with the kids. They all clamor on top of each other for the coveted seven reading parts. Then, those chosen kids, read aloud their part with all of the dramatic flare their little 6th grade personalities can muster (which is quite a lot!!). I was curious how much of the passage they were actually taking in though so, since we had had the same passage for three weeks in a row, I decided to figure the passage in to the final Jeopardy answer. Here's what they were up against:
"In Isaiah 61:1-2, this is one of the many things God's anointed one was sent to do."

Much to my delight, all three teams got this right. They had been listening all along!

As we head into this final week of Advent leading up to Christmas, take time, if you can, to read Isaiah 61:1-2 and rejoice in the good news that this is who Jesus Christ was, is and will be for all people. Amen!

Merry, mery, merry, merry Christmas!

2006-12-16T23:17:00.000-05:00

Oh the secrets that were told! Last year, my friend, Millason, helped Aramark cater the annual faculty Christmas party at the house of the President of Princeton Theological Seminary. She worked the coat check and had the funniest stories about seeing the "before" and "after" professors--i.e., seeing them before and after booze! As you can see from the picture, I was quite intent on taking it all in. I was so entertained by her stories that I decided right then and there--back in December 0f 2005--that come next December I was going to work the faculty Christmas party come hell or high water! :-)

Yep! Just got home! It was highly entertaining... Let's just say, the professors like to get loosened up by a little vino. I myself got to bring home two bottles, along with a nice little tip for working the coats so efficiently. Yeah, baby! It was truly a merry time!

And you thought there was nothing good on day-time televsion!

2006-12-15T11:11:00.000-05:00

Ha! Check this out! I beg to differ! This is Q-U-A-L-I-T-Y!!!! I'm still smiling and have been listening to my Les Miserables soundtrack ever since....at the end of the day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhXsJjVdj1E

Thursdays are T-days

2006-12-14T09:14:00.000-05:00

T for Thomas
Thomas as in "of Aquinas"
Read: Scholastic medieval theologian who wrote way too much and literally put the "systematic" in Systematic Theology.
Are you hooked?

I sure wasn't at the beginning of the semester and even now I'm quick to say that Thomas Aquinas is NOT the reason I went into Systematic Theology. However, now that I know an inkling about Thomist studies, I find SOME of it interesting--most particularly, the various schools of thought that try to understand his Trinitarian Theology, it's place in his work and its influence on the rest of theology to come after him. This coming week up until Christmas I will be working hard to try to improve, augment and adapt the position paper I presented in seminar on his doctrine of the persons of God so that at the end of the day, I will have a final paper to turn in come January 12th.

Conversations in my Thomas seminar can be quite stimulating. We've had one particular debate about Thomas' method and starting point going on all semester. Every week, the same debate gets slightly tweeked to better fit into that week's readings. Last Thursday the idea in question was this:
1.) Whether it is on the basis of faith that Thomas knows that natural reason can provide us with a knowledge of the common essence of the Triune God.

Now, it seems clear enough from what Thomas himself says that this is indeed what Thomas believes himself to be doing. The question some in the class are after, though, is whether this is legitimate. Can natural reason provide us with a picture of God that is in line with God's self-revelation in Jesus Christ, witnessed to in Scripture? Or will such a starting point create a metaphysical picture of who God is and what God can and cannot do that will inevitably "box God in" and ultimately not be the God revealed in Jesus Christ? This is what is up for debate.

I could go on, but I just realized that this is probably boring you and/or confusing you and you are wondering why you ever took the time to stop by my blog and take a peek. Well, consider this my exercise this month in putting the theology back into "Tea and Theology." Now, go drink some tea and forget about it! ;-)

Coming back to Princeton in September

2006-12-13T10:50:00.000-05:00

The experience Jen and I had of flying to Newark and then taking the train to Princeton was a memorable one indeed. I'll spare you the gory details, but a picture's worth a 1000 words!!!

Ahhh, relaxing among just a few of my many boxes before I begin the mad process of setting up digs... Who knows why I'm in a skirt! A girl's gotta look cute though, right?!

Jen, why do you look so interested? Oh, what? You got up at the crack of dawn to drive into NYC with Shannon and then sit in line for 6 hours in Central Park for free tickets to Mother Courage starring Meryl Streep! Now I get it! Memories.....

This is our happy, post-waiting in line, "we got tickets to see Meryl" happy face. If I look a little pale with disheveled hair it is because one of my bags was still missing at the airport with all of my toiletries. Don't worry, though. I had on deodorant that day! ;-)

Now that I'm trying to catch the blog up on my life these past few months, here's what I did for my B-day this October

2006-12-13T10:44:00.000-05:00

I LOVE the Indigo Girls, in case you didn't know. It was a blast going with my good friends, Amy and Cari to se them in concert in Philly. Their new album out this fall, Despite Our Differences, is their best one yet, in my opinion. Get it today! Oh yeah, and my t-shirt is from one of their new songs, Pendulum Swingers, which is "totally awesome." Some of their biggest fans created motions to the chorus that are just too silly but so fun. I'll gladly perform them for you in person when I see you next if your little heart so desires!!

My ever-so humble new digs

2006-12-13T10:35:00.000-05:00

It will be a work in the process the next four years. How I'd love to be able to register! Ha! This little place that I now call home is a mixture of cheap, free and hand-me-down furniture, old dorm room decorations, sugar and spice and everything nice like tea and theology books. Yes that's what Shannon's "quaint" apartment is made of! Tee-hee!

Who I hang with on Wednesday afternoons this year

2006-12-13T10:31:00.000-05:00

Cuties Sam and Emma Bezilla brighten my Wednesday afternoons. I need me some fun kid time each week to keep sane and grounded. These kids are top quality--extremely smart and creative they always keep me smiling and laughing! Here, here!

PhD students cannot live by studying the Word alone

2006-12-13T10:27:00.000-05:00

Adam in OT, Nicole in American Church History, Laura inSystematic Theology, and Brittany in NT all agree with me that we must also eat food, good food that is, and plenty of it. YUMMMM! Here we are one blustery fall night eating Nicole's delish homemade soup. Life is good!

Just so you know...I met Meryl Streep!

2006-12-13T09:43:00.000-05:00

For the full story, go to http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S16/49/92S82/index.xml?section=topstories
or for a personal account see the December 1st post here, http://alataye.livejournal.com/.
Here's my personal account of what happened to me after her speech:

I exited immediately after the announcement was made by the big round guy about where she would need to exit and happened to come right outside to where security was barricading off a door and there was the dark black car waiting. Meryl came out within a minute (about 30 seconds after the President of the university came out apologizing that she wasn't Meryl) and started to walk immediately to the car. I really don't even think she had seen us. But then we started clapping and she turned around, looked very surprised and somehow indicated, as only she could do, that she was very touched and immediately came over and started shaking the hands of the people in the front of the group. They kept saying, "It so nice to meet you," and she would say, "Thank you, thank you" and kind of divert her eyes. She got to me and stuck her hand out, almost not looking at me and I said, "Ms. Streep, thank you, that was profound." She looked surprised by that and said thank you, immediately moving on to the last person." Then she walked away. It was surreal! I finally "met" Meryl Streep (one of my life goals), shook her hand and communicated with her--trying to tell her what I really felt, but of course it sounded cliche. It is so true, though! She communicated deep truth in a way only she could have done. She was an extraordinary mixture of charming self-deprecation, humor and story-telling, all of which surrounded a deeply philosophical core about what was really her desire to see her work as human connection, reconciliation and empathy--which it is!!!! It was an unforgettable night!

This is not what Christmas is all about, but it sure is pretty!

2006-12-13T09:34:00.000-05:00

I went into NYC last Friday night with two good friends, Erin and Lindsay. It was girls' night out. We went for dinner in the West Village (Surya--very good Indian food), and then proceeded to Rockefeller to go ice skating. Mind you this is a nice festive activity to do in the city in December, but slightly insane when you stop to think that it was 17 degrees out that night, plus very windy. We were layered up like little school children going out to play in the snow on recess. Crazy cold as it was, it was a blast. Skating around Rockefeller rink looking up at the great tree above the lit fountain was really something. I highly recommend it!

After a LONG pause from Blogging...

2006-12-12T23:45:00.000-05:00

I'm back! No excuses, really, but I have been busy in PhD land and then found a new distractor to waste time on the inevitable MySpace. Yikes!

Anyways, hi out there. If anyone still checks this page, that is!

To give you a sampling of the fun I have in the PhD program, check out the email my friend Kara, a first-year PhD student in New Testament, sent me.

"O Holy Night ... I love that Christmas carol. But the other night I was listening to it and realized it was SUCH an enlightenment carol. It's such a product of its time in all the good and bad ways!

The first verse represents the German idealistic tendency in theology, where Jesus' message could be reduced to an eternal truth (typically it boiled down to the "Brotherhood of humanity and the eternal worth of the soul"), rather than having the weight of social/historical particularity. Knowing this ... listen to selected words to O Holy Night:

"O Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining.
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
'Til he appeared and the soul felt its worth."
...

"Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease."

WELL: I still love the song, although I hate that train in biblical interpretation (where you strip off the "myth" to get to the ideal) ... but I mean, you can't hate a song that includes an anti-slavery verse! I just think it's so interesting the theological suppositions imbedded in these songs we sing without thinking about it. :) Maybe you've all already thought of this."

Why no, Kara, somehow this hadn't crossed my mind, but now that you point it out, I , like, totally see what you are saying. It is like, totally, reminiscent of Adolf von Harnack... (Said in valley girl voice for full effect). Kara thinks I'm mocking her, but really I'm just embracing the brilliant nerdiness in her that I see in me...Or is it the brilliant nerdiness in me that I see in her???

Missed me, didn't ya? ;=)

My last day in Goettingen: A Sad Good-bye to my amazing hostess, Biggi

2006-07-30T18:16:00.000-04:00

Ga-ga for Luther (or: a silly pose at a fountain in Wittenberg!)

2006-07-30T18:14:00.000-04:00

Luther's House!!!

2006-07-30T18:13:00.000-04:00

Posing with Luther's favorite lady

2006-07-30T18:11:00.000-04:00

This is the statue of Katherine von Bora, Luther's wife, which stands in the courtyard of Luther's house in Wittenberg

Door where Luther posted his 95 Theses

2006-07-30T18:08:00.000-04:00

This is the famed Schloss Kirche in Wittenberg, of course this is not the original door as it was a wooden door and burned down in the Seven Year's War and was later replaced by this big old iron thing with each of the 95 Theses engraved into the door itself...

Luther's looking well fed, don't you think?!

2006-07-30T18:03:00.000-04:00

Offensive note to the Jews on the outside of Luther's church

2006-07-30T17:57:00.000-04:00

It really is incredible that they did this but as we all know the church always has and always will have things for which we are not proud of and for which we must apologize and work to counter in various ways...

Wittenbergs Stadtkirche: Where Luther Preached

2006-07-30T17:54:00.000-04:00

Also where the people first received both bread and wine during communion and heard the sermon preached in their own language...

Shannon standing in front of the fountain at the castle

2006-07-18T11:42:00.000-04:00

Anyone notice my new purse? Isn't it pretty? I got it while shopping in Paris! I like it a lot! ;-)

Wenigerode Schloss

2006-07-18T11:37:00.000-04:00

We hiked up a little ways from town to get to see this castle. The grounds were impressive and the view of the land below was great. The parts of the castle we got to tour inside were quite ornate with rich furnishings and large rooms. My favorite was the grand dining room with its gigantic long table all set with the many dishes and glasses and silverware for different courses.

Fun with Naomi and Claire Wagner in Wenigerode

2006-07-18T11:34:00.000-04:00

One of hundreds of butterflies we saw on our hike

2006-07-18T11:31:00.000-04:00

Just some little wild flowers!!!!!

2006-07-18T11:27:00.000-04:00

A peaceful path...

2006-07-18T11:20:00.000-04:00

Hiking in the Harz mountains was just what I needed this weekend. I can hardly wait to get back to the PNW and do some more hiking!

Shannon and Merilee enjoying a day in nature!

2006-07-18T11:12:00.000-04:00

Ooh, a cave bear!

2006-07-18T11:07:00.000-04:00

Inside the Baumannshoele in Ruebeland in the Harzberge

2006-07-18T11:02:00.000-04:00

Translation: In the Baumann cave in Rubeland in the Harz mountains of Germany. Oooh, seeing Germany from the inside out! You gotta love those stalagtites and stalagmites! Anyone else remember 4th grade geology and can tell me which ones are which? ;-)

My favorite German flowers (maybe they're not German...Keine Ahnung!)

2006-07-18T10:57:00.000-04:00

These are the Nachtkerzen (night candles) that are all over in Biggi's backyard. One of my favorite past time in the evenings is hanging out on the patio and then between 8:30-9:30pm running around between all the Nachtkerzen plants watching the flowers open up. I feel like such a little observant scientist (something straight from the Nature Channel--you know it's bad when you make a movie of one of the opening), but really, God's creation is so cool!

Happy Shannon!

2006-07-12T06:36:00.000-04:00

Here I am checking out the Tea Museum after a great brunch and successful tea shopping trip!

Tea, glorious tea! I was anxious to try it!

2006-07-12T06:31:00.000-04:00

Ooh, la, la! I'm a happy camper! Fresh squeezed orange juice, Princeton Darjeeling tea, toast with yummy jelly, shrimp, smoked salmon salad and eggs. Oh, and lemon curd strawberry tart for dessert. It's good to have tea on Sunday in Paris!

Ahhh, Renoir's Le Moulin de la Gallette

2006-07-12T06:27:00.000-04:00

Just one of many Impressionist paintings I got to see. So much fun!!!

Sacre Coeur at Montemarte

2006-07-12T06:24:00.000-04:00

Ah the infamous gargoyles! Don't you love how he's sticking his tongue out!?

2006-07-12T06:19:00.000-04:00

One of the many views from the towers of Notre Dame

2006-07-12T06:14:00.000-04:00

St. Teresa of Avila statue inside the Notre Dame

2006-07-12T06:07:00.000-04:00

Notre-Dame, of course!

2006-07-12T06:03:00.000-04:00

Stained Glass window inside Basilica of St. Denis

2006-07-12T05:59:00.000-04:00

I don't have a picture of the outside of the church because it was raining when we were there.

In the St. Denis Crypt

2006-07-12T05:54:00.000-04:00

Such good lil' doggies at the feet of the little girl on the sarcophogus (sp?)

I love my Gastgeber (host)!

2006-07-03T10:48:00.000-04:00

I watched my first World Cup game (Germany vs. Argentina) on Friday night. Biggi brought her little TV out to the patio and we set up a little outside viewing area. Germany won in overtime! We decided to celebrate (Warum nicht?)! Pineapple, starfruit, mango, kiwi, strawberries and champagne--sehr lecher! I felt honored because this is a family tradition Biggi's family has for New Year's Eve, birthdays and special occasions and I got to participate in it. Lucky me!
Biggi was happy Deutschland won! She is so much fun to laugh with! We've had lots of fun together this past week. She is definitely a beautiful blessing in this whole experience!

Views of the countryside from the castle. Amazing!

2006-07-03T10:44:00.000-04:00

Classic!

2006-07-03T10:40:00.000-04:00

Again, a picture says 1,000 words! This was the group for the day (plus me, of course!) And in good form we were two historians (Reformation and Medieval) and two theologians (Philosophical and Systematic). Hee, hee! We're nerds in line to see the Wartburg! "Luther, Luther! We want Luther!"

The Lutherstube (Luther's room)

2006-07-03T10:36:00.000-04:00

Here is where Luther is said to have lived and worked on his German New Testament. People have been making pilgrimages here for some 300 or more years. I felt very Protestant seeing it for myself! ;-)

Wartburg!

2006-07-03T10:27:00.000-04:00

It was a beautiful day and we hiked up here from Eisenach after lunch. The castle is known for many things, which we found out on our tour (although the woman spoke very fast and we caught only the smallest bit of what she said) and with which I will not bore you. However, you should know that we were interested in it because Luther spent about a year (1521-1522) here under "house arrest". During this time he translated the New Testament into the German language.

Traditional German lunch- Mmm? (ps: not eaten by me!)

2006-07-03T10:25:00.000-04:00

A Mighty Luther Statue stands in Eisenach

2006-07-03T10:21:00.000-04:00

Now this is actually a German statue I'm interested in!...

Watiting to tour Weimar

2006-06-30T10:54:00.000-04:00

This is me with my classmate, Lara, from Jordan. She loves Bon Jovi and America and speaks more English in class than German. It is pretty funny! She's very energetic and always smiling. She is going to be doing a PhD at the University here in Goettingen.

Trying Thueringen's famous Rostbratwurst!

2006-06-30T10:51:00.000-04:00

One of the more happening centers in Weimar

2006-06-30T10:46:00.000-04:00

Home of Lucas Cranach, painter and friend of Luther

2006-06-30T10:41:00.000-04:00

Pretty streets in Weimar

2006-06-30T10:39:00.000-04:00

Famous Goethe-Shiller Statue

2006-06-30T10:35:00.000-04:00

This space marks off where there was a young persons block of barracks.

2006-06-30T10:31:00.000-04:00

By the time the camp was liberated something like 90% of the inmates where under the age of 23 and the overwhelming majority where from countries other than Germany.

One of the remaining watch towers surrounding the prisoners camp

2006-06-30T10:30:00.000-04:00

Road leading to the path taken on the death marches

2006-06-30T10:28:00.000-04:00

View into the Crematorium Courtyard. The pathological facility is just to the left

2006-06-30T10:24:00.000-04:00

Buchenwald Crematorium

2006-06-30T10:19:00.000-04:00

Survivors have remarked that it is not the chimmey that they most recall but the horrible smell that was always coming up from out of the chimmey.

View of the Gate Building (Bunker) from the Prisoners Camp

2006-06-30T10:18:00.000-04:00

Experiencing Buchenwald Concentration Camp. I will not forget!!

2006-06-30T10:13:00.000-04:00

The picture looks out across where the muster ground was to the depot (big building) and the disinfection station to the right of it.

"It was Sunday, yes, a beautiful Sunday in March. One life later, many lives and many deaths later, I stood there again in the dramatic empty space fo teh muster ground of Buchenwald. The birds had returned, the same wind blew over the Ettersberg. As I contemplated the landscape, I felt my whole life spreading out before me in memory, becoming transparent with its dangers, its misconceptions, the blindness of its ideological illusions, its stubborn striving for knowledge and clarity."
Jorge Semprun, speech held on the occasion of his receipt of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in 1994. He was an inmate of Buchenwald from 1943-1945 and went on to be a politician and writer.

Luther pix in a church

2006-06-26T11:20:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, at first, you aren't 100% sure whether a church is Catholic or Lutheran. Then, all of the sudden, all becomes clear!

Duder-doggie!

2006-06-26T11:16:00.000-04:00

That's for you, Dad! There were many cute dogs in Duderstadt but it was hard to get the camera out and set in time before they went past or I freaked the owner out!

Some countryside from the bus window

2006-06-26T11:14:00.000-04:00

Discussing literature and life with "the boys"!

2006-06-26T11:12:00.000-04:00

A "little" afternoon snack? I think not! Pure pleasure!

2006-06-26T11:11:00.000-04:00

Pretty House (Goethe himself lived there for 2 whole days!)

2006-06-26T11:09:00.000-04:00

Here I am!

2006-06-26T11:06:00.000-04:00

Occasionally I find it good to give this "solid" evidence of my presence in Germany! So here I am in front of the pond in the park in Duderstadt! Yes!!!!

The proverbial, long dusty road, perhaps?

2006-06-26T11:04:00.000-04:00

View of the city from behind, in the city park

2006-06-26T11:03:00.000-04:00

Side view of the church in the city center.

2006-06-26T11:00:00.000-04:00

Old Fachwerkhaus next to the church.

2006-06-26T10:58:00.000-04:00

Apparently this is where the priest used to live.
I think the colors and line designs are pretty.
There is a dog inside barking at us! (that's for you, Dad!)

Of course, the old church in the center of town!

2006-06-26T10:55:00.000-04:00

"Get me out of Deutschland NOW!"

2006-06-26T10:53:00.000-04:00

When we toured the old Rathaus we saw the dungeon and many of the old torture devices! I'm working towards an Academy Award here in this pix, don't you think?

Duderstadt's old Rathaus

2006-06-26T10:51:00.000-04:00

Duderstadt

2006-06-26T10:44:00.000-04:00

Duderstadt is surrounded by an old wall and this is looking at the main entrance. I love how it is "spiral-like" up top!

Think on this...

2006-06-23T12:55:00.000-04:00

"Were it possible for us to see futher than our knowledge reaches, and yet a
little way beyond the outworks of our diving, perhaps we would endure our
sadnesses with greater confidence than our joys. For they are the moments
when something new has entered into us, something unknown; our feelings
grow mute in shy perpexity, everything in us withdraws, a stillness comes,
and the new, which no one knows, stands in the midst of it and is silent."

"And this is why it is so important to be lonely and attentive when one is
sad: because the apparently uneventful and stark moment at which our future
sets foot in us is so much closer to life than that other noisy and
fortuitous point of time at which it happens to us as if from outside."

Rainer Maria Rilke

Specializing in Tee AND Wein--not half bad!

2006-06-23T12:06:00.000-04:00

Proof of more tea shops in Goettingen!

2006-06-23T12:04:00.000-04:00