Drew's Journal

academic fluff

2009-10-08T20:26:58Z

So my ancient professor of hermeneutics told me my presentation on Kant's Beauty as the Symbol of the Good was lovely. It makes me happy that I rocked this impenetrable text while many of the other classmates made useless presentations using such phrases as "web it out."

PhD begins

2009-08-29T12:35:48Z

Orientation Monday, classes begin Tuesday. I had a conversation with my advisor on Thursday about my coursework and plan for languages and dissertation ideas. The general plan is for me to try to comp out of French early this semester to see if I can avoid having to take the class, and then do qualitative and quantitative research methods to get out of the second language next year. Since my French reading is still pretty solid, and I'll have a dictionary I think I'll be fairly ok. My advisor suggested some test reads for me to see if my reading comprehension is good enough for articles and books in my field.

The idea now for my dissertation is a study of the foundational narratives of three urban Boston churches, probably Arlington Street Church, Union United Methodist (or maybe University Lutheran), and either 12th Baptist or Tremont St. Temple so there would be the extremes of liberalism, conservatism, and mainstream represented. I'd like to see how their foundational narratives function in relation to the American narrative and why three churches on greatly different places of the theological spectrum function much the same in the urban ministry that they provide. (feeding the hungry, activism for important issues, etc.)

long time since updating

2009-07-29T23:57:38Z

4 work days and my first unit of CPE (clinical pastoral education) is complete. It is 400 hours of supervised ministry in clinical settings. I served an orthopedic hospital. Lots of elderly in a lot of pain.

I feel rather emotionally drained. Held the hands of dying patients, was asked by a Hindu man to "pray to your Jesus for me," and was thanked by countless people for my smile and presence.

Start my PhD work in a month's time. Proseminar in Practical Theology, Church and Theology, and Hermeneutics are my classes for the fall, also serving my second year of my internship with the Reading folks, and doing an extended unit of CPE. It's a lot of stuff, but doing what you love has a lot of reward.

done

2009-05-06T13:29:34Z

My MDiv is done. Well, all the papers are in. I'm sure I passed all my classes, but I don't want to jinx anything since three of the courses don't have grades in yet. I double checked break points for the latin honors and found the policy changed from grade break points to percentage of class. 3%, 10%, 15% If I get a 4.0 this semester my GPA will be 3.81, if I end up with a 3.25 for the semester (lowest possible grade I could conceive of) then I'm a 3.72. It is all ego since it doesn't really change anything if I'm cum laude or magna cum. I'm pretty sure even a 3.8 isn't high enough for summa since if it is 5% that means 3 people and I know I'm not 1 or 2 of my class. Still hoping for being magna cum.

My to do list for today

2009-02-24T19:44:37Z

Today's adventure:
Read 90 pages of pseudopigrapha, study chronology and geology of ancient Israel - done, can map shiloh, shechem, gath, ekron, beersheba, dan, all that and then some and don't even begin on asking me when Hezekiah reigned or when Ezra came to town with the torah
go to Gym - rocked the bike and the eliptical. Maybe i should go back to the recumbent bike since even with bike shorts on I had the numbness in the nethers for about five minutes after the biking
Read Grace Jansen - she seems to parrot Luce Irigaray
Sleep - tba

almost there

2009-01-16T20:16:44Z

13 pages to write and the fall semester will be over.

faculty are such primadonas

2009-01-10T03:20:55Z

When I become a prof someday, please slap me if i become a histrionic primadona.

drewlyn @ 2009-01-07T12:04:00

2009-01-07T17:04:28Z

Woot! Continuum accepted the volume, it'll be published in 2010.

one more day

2008-12-30T04:02:05Z

So while I'm still sore, I managed to scrub the bathroom and cook for my guests. I did a 3 alarm vegetarian chili. That means only a third of a can of chipotle peppers in adobo for the crock pot since noncaucasians would cry if I did the whole can in the crock pot. I'm slowly learning to cook in ways where I can appreciate the level of spice without maming those I cook for.

Since yesterday's fall, things went slower. I didn't mop the kitchen or the foyer. I did vaccuum and mop/scrub the bathroom tile. Bathrooms should be clean for guests, right? I also did the open 3 bottles out of the 6 bottles for the party thing since if the other 3 don't get touched, why open em thing and it worked for me.

It's been months since I've done a dinner party and I've missed it. I love cooking for people and entertaining. Seriously, if any of you want to come to Boston I will make you a meal and offer a place to spend the night. It felt so good tasting the chili to make sure it was properly seasoned, bake the cornbread, choose the wine selection, set up the cheese plates, that I almost felt like a real adult again.

drewlyn @ 2008-12-28T19:31:00

2008-12-29T00:31:51Z

Don't fall down stairs - it hurts.

add over liberal to over educated?

2008-12-22T02:25:05Z

Is apologizing for making a solstice liturgy over eurocentric in its paganism me crossing the line into over liberal?

back to boston

2008-11-29T04:23:42Z

Made it back from Albany today. Glad Thanksgiving was there instead of back home since Jefferson County had a travel restriction due to snow. Visited the Watervliet Shaker Village. Writing a paper on the significance of Shakers on American Religion so it was kind of nifty to see Mother Ann Lee's grave and their meeting house. The other buildings are in very sad shape.

drewlyn @ 2008-11-28T00:03:00

2008-11-28T05:03:21Z

Happy Black Friday

busy

2008-10-27T00:32:55Z

Things I've done lately:
I've chaperoned a dance where the youth group went to a dance with EMARC (an organization for folks with developmental, mental, and physical disabilities)
Helped plan a haunted house with our Coming of Age program
Chaperoned the sleep-over that night (with about a dozen youth between 13 and 14)
Meet with a family to talk about their child dedication (think baptism but without the original sin, it's close enough)
Planned said child dedication, the order of service is to the family and my senior minister for review
Planned the memorial service for a deceased matron of the congregation
Done a few pastoral visits
Paper on the puritans, paper on syncretism in American Religion from 1633-1865, paper on Dana Greeley, paper on ethnography of congregations
Started the sermon for the 16th
Planned a social justice event for the 13th on immigrant worker rights
Watched Liverpool play Atletico Madrid for a draw in a rather disappointing game.

Skinner gone crazy?

2008-09-28T02:39:31Z

Reading the Social Implications of Universalism by Clarence Skinner. In the midst of him talking about how Hell exists in the anguish of wrong doing instead of as an actual place, he includes this:

Vampires still live and grow fat on the blood of human beings, throwing the anemic skeleton forms into the teeming city to crawl out a wretched death in life.

I'm not seeing him reference this as a metaphor, and it blows my mind that in the early 20th century a learned individual believes in vampires...

soup

2008-09-28T01:09:13Z

Made pumpkin-peanut soup tonight
1 pumpkin (pie sized)
1 jar of peanut butter (trader joe's organic, creamy)
1/2 cup light cream
salt
pepper
cumin
cinnamon
ginger
1/2 tsp thai chili sauce - DO NOT OVERDUE
3 cups water

All seasonings to taste

While the pumpkin was cooking (nuked it for speed) I brought the water, peanut butter, cream, and seasoning to a simmer. Once the pumpkin was cooked, I skinned it, cut into small chunks, tossed in the blender with the wet mixture and blended until smooth. Seriously, a little of the chili sauce goes a long way.

Twas yum. Now back to reading more UU Social Gospel thought

drewlyn @ 2008-09-10T21:38:00

2008-09-11T01:40:22Z

A friend from undergrad passed away last night. If any of you have prayers for Sarah, feel free. Third year of death in the first two weeks of school.

drewlyn @ 2008-09-04T20:23:00

2008-09-05T00:23:56Z

Jesus was a community organizer.

Pontius Pilate was a govenor.

Just sayin...

drewlyn @ 2008-09-01T09:43:00

2008-09-01T13:46:54Z

Delicious mistake of the day:
Tried cooking spicy chicken basil fried rice. However I only had brown rice which I cooked with a little too much water so it was almost congee like. The rice never gained the consistency of fried rice, and I didn't use enough cayenne. However, it was yummy and I might start putting basil in all my fried rice.

woo

2008-08-29T17:43:50Z

So the book compilation I was pretty sure I was going to be in went to the publisher and my chapter is included unless their editor axes it. My first legit academic publication, wooo! Helped orient the new students, and there are a lot of decent folk in the new class. I don't know if I am ready for the semester to begin.

drewlyn @ 2008-08-27T21:59:00

2008-08-28T02:28:56Z

Today I feel like I officially began at Reading. My desk has a mug and a glass, a tea pot, a french press, the postcard from Ankor Wat that Susan sent from the trip she and Duncan took to Thailand, the stones Ben picked up for me from the Aegean mission sites of Paul and the cave at Padmos where John had his revelation, some silk scarves that give the desk color, a postcard from Astoria (Portland's GA), and a new calligraphy set. My books are on the wall shelf.

I had a two hour intro meeting with Tim, my supervising minister. We talked of my spiritual practice, what I understand silence to be, what I understand spirituality to be, my precision of words, and my passion in ministry. I am giving a reading this Sunday for the worship service. I met with the DRE. I feel more ownership now of really being a minister at Reading.

In my time at Reading I'll get to do some nursing home visits. The local clergy divide time supporting the homes.

Tomorrow I help orient the new class at STH. It should be quite nice. Hope you all are well.

drewlyn @ 2008-08-24T21:13:00

2008-08-25T01:17:04Z

First Sunday at my new church was this morning. Low key, was introduced, stood and waved. I met several sweet folk. I have good feelings about Reading. Had to leave the cape at 7 to get there early for service, drove back after. Took a nap then went on a bike ride. Broke a spoke (boo) so probably will need a new rear wheel. Went to Nauset and got beaten up by the surf. Enjoying my last night at the cape by surfing the net and wearing sweat pants. I forgot to bring a hoodie and it got chilly on the beach last night with only a tshirt on.

drewlyn @ 2008-08-23T13:31:00

2008-08-23T17:36:05Z

Not even 24 hours on the Cape and I've had 2 lobstahs, swam in the ocean twice, a nice hour long bike ride, showered outside, and luckily no sunburns yet. People are a lot more friendly down here than the normal mass hole around Boston. The beach has plenty of families, kids, and I've no problem being shirtless around other portly folk.

drewlyn @ 2008-08-21T10:13:00

2008-08-21T14:17:03Z

Saw Rasputina last night. Melora rocks. There is something very sensual about cellos. Their sound/tone is almost like a human voice. The cellist playing them seems like part of the instrument. Next week I see Xiu Xiu to win some indi cred.

There is something about the music scene these days that confuses me. If you know the lyrics, why aren't you singing along or at least moving instead of standing there like a lump?

tired

2008-08-19T20:08:04Z

I'm wondering what happened to last year when 4 people did my job instead of just me and how can it possibly get done during rush when there is only one person doing it.

I don't like there being more work at the end of the day once I've put in 9-10 hours then there is when it began.

feel tired even though i've been sleeping plenty.