Quirky Curiosities
Stop bugging me for donations. People walking along the ave in the middle of the day are students who don’t have time to listen to you blabber on about something we don’t care about.
And besides, you’re trying to hit students up for money. Just sayin’
It wasn’t that epic, but I did get the last spot in a 17 member class.
Architecture 151: Appreciation of Architecture II. (3)
Astronomy 190: Special Topics: “Exploring the Moon.” (5)
Italian 102: Elementary Italian. (5)
LSJ 379: Prisons Anthropological Perspective. (5)
Tuesday saw Obama shirts, buttons, hats, sweatshirts, signs, and magnets take over. Nary a Republican supporter was to be found. I suspect they were in hiding as usual around this school. But the mood was very pensive. I think we realized that the election would be over soon, yet we were (or I was, at least), running over possible scenarios: Would Obama and Rossi win? What if McCain grabs Ohio and Pennsylvania? Florida? Palin as vice president? Maybe Drudge was right after all?
Students and teachers were testy, cranky, and generally pessimistic. We’re elitist Seattleites who distrust any state that isn’t touching an ocean, and generally consider our red-state cousins as Republican peons. We’ve seen elections in our grasp before… only to have it wretched away by some suspect voter registration issues in a swing state or a politically-charged and unusual supreme court decision.
As classes got out, we filed to different parties, turned on MSNBC, and waited. With disbelief in our eyes we saw Pennsylvania go for Obama, and then Ohio, and Virginia, and Nevada. Then we added up the electoral votes, and saw that California+Washington would push past the mythical 270 which had eluded us for the previous two elections. Stunned at what was happening–even thought deep down we knew it would happen–the networks called the election for a democrat, and then McCain gave his concession speech. The rest of the night was a blur of jubilation, partying and eating. My phone lit up with calls and texts from friends who were trying to confirm they weren’t dreaming.
After everyone left and Eddy had gone to bed, I sat in my living room with the projector still on MSNBC looking at results on my laptop. Outside students, parents, and homeless were singing happy songs while wandering the streets drunk and happy. I didn’t want to go to bed–I wanted to let it sink in.
Today the mood on campus was different. No more Obama shirts were seen, but almost everyone had a little bounce in their step, they were looking up instead of down, and people were smiling again. I think they’re in disbelief–and that’s because I’m sure it still hasn’t hit yet.
Savour this moment.
No, they weren't wrong. Matt Drudge.
Recently I went through a minor revamp of my facebook profile, and in the midst of that minor endeavor, I came across a minor issue: that little innoncent box that says “religion.” Currently my answer was “Swedish,” and before that: “agnostic.” But the real issue was that I am an atheist, and I wasn’t sure how people I know would respond to that. Quite frankly, I believed that others would think of me differently. Then I decided that I didn’t care what I would be thought of.
Religion–especially how our country and world treats it–has always be a topic which I’ve devoted some amount of spare brain cycles towards. This post may be a little disorganized and confusing, but I hope it inspires some of your own thoughts.
The Beginning
I didn’t grow up surrounded by scripture, pews, or crosses. And nothing seemed amiss. When I was around 10, my father gave me the only bible in the house. It was the one which his mother got him when he was 10. He told me that when he was my age, his mother made him go to bible school for six months–every Sunday. And when those six months were up, he could decide if he wanted to keep going. My father said that I could choose to read it if I wanted, and that I could make my own decisions.
I looked at the pictures. And remember reading about Noah. Then I lost interest. I haven’t read it since.
