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Category: miscellany

Stop the U.S. Imperialists from sneaking into your house!

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So, today I happened to be browsing a North Korean website鈥攖hat’s totally normal, right?聽Well, the truth is, I don’t do this often, since North Korean websites generally serve up an uninteresting array of news related to what Kim Jeong-eun is up to, and how awful South Korea and America are. But this time聽I was surprised to see a button labeled “Game”鈥攏ot only did it promise something more interesting, but they used an English word that South Korea has adopted, but which I would expect the northern comrades to avoid. At any rate, I was ready to play some North Korean computer games!

Not all of them would load (North Korean servers aren’t known for their speedy page delivery), but I got a few to fire up. First I played a geography game with a map of the Korean peninsula, the goal being to recognise聽each province and major city by its shape, and then stick聽it in the proper place on the map. I didn’t do too bad, despite my very limited knowledge of Korean geography! Read More

Goodwin Cemetery

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leroyI like cemeteries. Call me morbid if you like, but there’s nothing like strolling past headstones and trying to decipher worn epitaphs to put things into perspective and remind me of my mortality. As I look at people’s names and the dates of their birth and death, I can’t help but wonder about what went in-between, and the circumstances surrounding their deaths. What happened to the two teenage brothers buried near their parents, who died within days of each other? One hundred and fifty years ago, who were the mourning people who gathered around when a woman was laid to rest below this stone vault?

On New Year’s Day I visited a cemetery that I had passed many times before as I walked to and from work. It’s located just beside one of the major highways through town, and unless commuters are particularly unobservant, I’m sure many of them see it every day. And although now it’s in a busy suburban area, it harks back to a simpler time, when the highway was just a dirt road, and the city was only a small town in the former Cherokee territory.

Although this cemetery has been kept up, mowed around, and so forth, time has certainly taken its toll. The oldest grave, from 1837, is missing the original stone, and many of the headstones lie broken and fallen despite being the last relic and often glorious monument to the person lying beneath. Read More

I Have Such a Great Life

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I do a lot of thinking, and this evening as I walked home from work this thought dawned on me: Life is great! I often ponder how I can improve myself and make life better, more efficient, and more effective, but this evening I’ve just been thinking about all the blessings God has sent my way. The Lord has been mindful of me! Here’s a few of the things I came up with:

  • I have parents who love me and take care of me even though I’m far, far away.
  • I have a great sister who is good at making bread, taking on responsibilities, and hiking mountains.
  • I have wonderful friends who encourage me, challenge me, and stir me up to love and good works.
  • I’m a part of a loving congregation of saints who encourage me and pray for my ministry.
  • I get to work with Christians every day.
  • My job is to help people learn God’s truth, and I even get paid for it!
  • God keeps giving me opportunities to teach the good message and preach His Word.
  • I live in a place where multiple languages are spoken, and I have lots of language-learning opportunities.
  • I have enough money for food, and even to splurge on ice cream.
  • I have running water, electricity, and Internet.
  • I have a dishwasher.
  • I have an apartment that I can afford, and I can use it to be hospitable.
  • I’m getting to host interns in my apartment this summer.
  • I get to terrorize squirrels, watch chipmunks, and wait for blackberries to ripen.
  • I have birds that visit my bird feeder all the time.
  • I can walk to work every day.
  • I get to travel a lot, and through my travels I’ve gained a sort of international perspective.
  • I’m a child of God.
  • I can sing for joy, because I’m redeemed!

What’s on your list?

How to Not Look Like an American Tourist in Europe

Mashkioya 3 Comments

My sister on a Belgian parkbench

I don’t really like being a tourist. At least I try to avoid the term, even if I am travelling and taking pictures of commonly visited sights in foreign countries. I guess the main thing is that I want to experience the culture more, speak the language, and get deeper than the superficial experience enjoyed by most other tourists. So when I went to Europe, I naturally wanted to try to blend in as much as I could. I did some preparation before the trip, but much of what I now know I discovered in my travels. If you are planning to go to Europe and you too want to avoid looking like a tourist, this post is for you! Here are some things that I’ve learned: Read More

Bucket List

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A while back, I made a list of things I would like to do or accomplish before I kick the bucket. I don’t know how long ago this list was made, but today I happened upon it again, and was pleased to find that I could cross some things off. Here are the things I have done:

  • Go to Europe
  • Make deviled eggs
  • Learn to cook other things besides dessert and breakfast

Evidently this list predates my time at university, since I did all three of these during that time. And what about the rest of the list, you ask? Here it is, with a few additions I just made:

  • Make peanut butter
  • Play a harpsichord
  • Buy land
  • Translate the Bible into Nahuatl
  • Have a pet firebelly newt
  • Spend more than a week in Mexico
  • Go back to Texas (apparently a more recent addition)
  • Publish one or more books of poetry
  • Record another album of music (you can hear the first one here)
  • Attend an international Esperanto congress
  • Visit the Kennedy Space Center
  • Ride in a blimp

So there you go! I accomplished the first three in my first twenty years of existence, so if I continue at that rate, I should be done by the time I hit 100. An exciting life, eh? What sort of things are on your bucket list? Leave a comment!