storms

Laying on my back in my shadowed room, I looked past my silhouetted feet which were propped in my half-opened window, to watch the storm emerge outside. Brief moments of illumination revealed my quiet and still neighborhood. There's something so comforting in the sounds of storms - the rain rattling on the roof, the slight buzzing of the dampened power lines, the low rumbling in the distance... All these sounds, which independently would not be as beautiful, slip through my window with great ease. I absolutely love storms. I could sit for hours and just soak it all in. I remember a few years ago, how I would play in the rain. My roommates and I - no inhibitions, no cares at all - would take off, full force and just run through the rain. I can honestly say, those nights were some of my favorites. Nothing mattered. It was as if the rain had some sort of magic, some sort of shield to anyone and anything that might interfer with our night of rain dancing. I miss those days. But for now, I'll simply enjoy the beginning of spring nights, which only promise more storms to come.

ben, nik, jon & james...

and the soundtrack of life. That was the FULL title of my blog, but it didn't all fit on the subject line.

Ben. He's my Film & Literature professor. His 5 year old daughter has spring break this week so he brought her to class. Mya. He kept smiling and winking at her. He introduced her to the class. He helped her get a drink from the water fountain, and walked hand in hand with her down the hall. If I thought he was cool before, this just solidified it for me.

Nik. He's my environmental geography professor. Even on the first day of class, he impressed me with his humor. I'm a sucker for humor. I love the fact that while he has a very definite stance on issues (he's a tree hugger, for sure), he presents both cases, and gives viable reasons for each side of the story. He never forces his beliefs on anyone, and likes to ask questions, leaving things unanswered... And every now and then, he'll point at some poor victim, say, "Yes... You!" in hopes they'll give him an answer, even though they weren't raising their hand. Hasn't worked yet.

Jon. What a nutty professor. He's always a bit discombobulated when he comes to class. Always has his iPod going - I wonder what he listens to? But he's kind of a crazy guy... He's my civil disobedience professor, and is SUPER creative in his assignments. We wrote an intellectual dialogues paper in which I wrote a conversation between MLK Jr., Gandhi, and Thoreau. We created "protest posters" and our final project is actually generating a protest campaign. Way to make things interesting, ProfK! He's cool.

James. They don't get any more interesting than James. He's gotta have a millions stories. I'm serious... This guy has probably seen so many things in his lifetime. Fitzgerald and Hemmingway is what he teaches, and he's in total awe of these writers. He's a writer himself - short fiction I think. But when was the last time you got to visit your local Harry W. Schwartz, listen to a guy who's in his early sixties, wearing a red flannel shirt and a pair of jeans, reading Jack Kerouac's "On The Road" while his buddy amazes everyone on the saxaphone? I like James... He's make a cool grandfather.

The soundtrack of life... I had a weird moment today. I was walking on campus with my iPod plugged into my ears. Now, I listen to music all the time, but this was different. As I walked around on campus, songs would come on and I felt as though I had a soundtrack. Have you ever had those moments that you thought, "This song would be perfect to be playing in that background." Well, that's what happened today, and I wasn't even trying! It was kind of creepy actually... I'd be walking around thinking about something and a song would come on that related. I was journaling at one point too, when another song came on that was perfectly fitting. CREEPY. But slick none the less...

Good profs. Good music.
These were the thoughts of the day.

relevant

Just thought I'd let you all know that I got a writing internship with Relevant Magazine. I'm pretty stoked about it. I start April 1st, so I can't really tell you how it's going yet. But it looks as though I'll be working on the "Progressive Culture" section, and doing a fair amount of editing, some writing, and interviewing (who, I'm not sure).
So that's pretty cool... I'm excited. You can check out the website at www.relevantmagazine.com. They will be launching a new website in a little less than two weeks, and will also have new merch available as of March 25. So check it out. I'll keep you posted as I learn more.

Later.

missed

I didn't know her. I don't have to know her, I guess. I've learned a lot from those who DID know her, and are now battling their sense of loss, missing her. They're expressing her kindness, her love for people, her love for God... I didn't know her. But do I need to know her? She was a sister in Christ, whether I knew her or not, and today I join the many others in mourning her loss: her family and friends, my brother and sister in law, the band who lead worship at a conference I was at, and one of my brother's closest friends - a best friend of this girl. I can't pretend that my mourning is the same. It's not. I have no idea the pain and hurt they are experiencing right now. But I mourn the loss of another young person who felt they had no other option. I mourn for her family, her fiancee, and her friends who now have to do life without her. I didn't know her, but I feel like I did. Everytime I walk past my friends who have a huge smiles on their faces, but have so much pain inside... Everytime I see a friend of mine, journaling their inner most thoughts... Everytime I ask the question, "Is life worth living?" I didn't know her... but I'm sure she will be missed. May God bless Laurie's friends and family. You will all be in my prayers.