I just posted some pictures from the couple hours we spent in London on the way to Greece. Hopefully I’ll get the rest of the trip up tomorrow. I added a voting feature to this album so you can rate the pictures. Check ‘em out!
When I was reading Hugh Blair’s lectures on Rhetoric today for my dissertation, I came across a line he uses from Alexander Pope’s “Eloisa to Abelard” (which I read a long time ago): “Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!”. Here’s the surrounding context and a bit of the poem: this part was written in the form a letter from Eloisa writing from the lonely chamber in the convent where she has cloistered herself away from her famous philosopher-lover, Abelard, who currently resides, castrated, in a monastery.
How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray’r accepted, and each wish resign’d;
Labour and rest, that equal periods keep;
“Obedient slumbers that can wake and weep;”
Desires compos’d, affections ever ev’n,
Tears that delight, and sighs that waft to Heav’n.
Grace shines around her with serenest beams,
And whisp’ring angels prompt her golden dreams.
For her th’ unfading rose of Eden blooms,
And wings of seraphs shed divine perfumes,
For her the Spouse prepares the bridal ring,
For her white virgins hymeneals sing,
To sounds of heav’nly harps she dies away,
And melts in visions of eternal day.
Anyway, those of you who have seen “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, go and read the poem and tell me if the movie matches up with the poem in any way. It’s a bit weird that there’s been no mention of the connection between the poem and film in the media (but I suppose that testifies to the “now-ness” of our culture and media–totally ignorant of the past in many ways).
Ok, I have to tell you guys about how I spent last Thursday evening. There was a “Supporters Meeting” for Scripture Union, which (apparently) is a group that sponsors Bible clubs in schools in the U.K. I wasn’t really planning on going, but Helen, an older lady at our church, asked me if I wanted a ride because she was sure I would enjoy it. So I figured I’d make an old lady happy and go along. The meeting started at 7:30, but since it was on the other side of the city she said she’s pick me up at 6:30. Well, it only took us about 20 minutes to get there, so Helen and I sat in the car in the parking lot for about 20 minutes watching a group of about 10-12 year olds playing soccer. And carrying on semi-awkward conversation about topics such as her former missionary days and, of course, the weather. The drive to the meeting wasn’t too bad, except that she kept telling me what the speed limit was (she was driving) and wondering why everyone was going so fast. I neglected to point out that she was driving 10 mph under the limit. She also pointed out interesting things in the city, like the location of Edinburgh Castle (which you can see from pretty much everywhere in the city) and how to get to the train station. Useful information if you’ve just stepped off the plane…but we’ve lived here for almost a year! On the way back from the meeting I got more useful information, like which streets lead to Princes Street (one of the main streets in the city), the fact that there are lots of places to shop on Princes Street, and the fact that the New Town is designed in Georgian architecture. Again, very interesting, and pretty obvious stuff. The best part, though, was when we were about a block away from our flat. Helen said to me, “so, do you know where you are now?” Hehe. I resisted the temptation to tell her that I’d known where I was all along. Very funny, you’ve gotta love older folks.
In other news…
I’m preaching next Sunday evening at our church on Mark 2:23-3:6. Fun passage :). I haven’t really done too much preparation yet, but I think I have a good idea of where I’m going, and I’m excited about it.
Still working on the first chapter of my Christian Education handbook. Hopefully I’ll have it mostly written by the end of the week.
We got some Thai noodles from this Asian market by our flat. Here are the cooking instructions from the label:
“FRYING & PRODUCING: Make the rice noodles soak for three seconds, isolate the water elements, add the matching materials to fry them for one to two minutes.
SOUP NOODLES: Make the stock soup and matching materials boil into well-done, it will immediately be alright to place them into the rice noodles to be boiling for two minutes.”
Ok, that’s it for now. Hopefully I’ll be getting some more pictures from out trip up soon!
I find it is hard to live one’s life creatively even though that’s what I want to do. I guess I just get little snippets of ways in which my daily tasks can be a living out of the gospel. And although I think a lot of people agree that we need to live out our Christian faith, it seems we get confused about how to do it, when to do it, or too busy to do–or, we just plain don’t know *what* to do. It’s not about 10 principles to implementing Christian faith, or whatever, but about loving Jesus. I feel like so many (especially young) Christians want to have a trendy, postmodern-friendly faith, and let the tenets of the faith be watered down. Where are the radical (truly radical, as in the early church and reformers) believers now-a-days? But I guess it is about being ‘radical’ in your love for Jesus and the way in which His grace has chosen, grips, and sustains us and this usually takes place on a small, unnoticed scale.
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In all my reading so far for my MSc dissertation I feel inundated with information. It’s only 15,000 words so it’s really just a long essay, rather than this HUGE piece of work. It’s really hard to figure how it’s all going to hang together. I plan to start writing (at least a bit) next week.
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I haven’t written a poem in a very long time. I feel all my energy has slid to the analytical part of my brain; have I lost my creativity?
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Bryce and I are keen to get in shape. Being in shape, being fit and thin are not such a big deal here as in the States, and in CA especially. This is a very good thing. This is also a bad thing as it lulls you into complacency about being in shape (especially when you have a big winter coat!).
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Questions: What drives you? Does anything drive you? What do you think drives most people today?
The End (for now).