and electronics!

I did the typical daylight savings time mess up and got up an hour early. I'm okay with that, I'm never up early. So I figured I'd give a happy little Sunday morning post. I was hunting for sunday themed pics and came across this... yes, we seem to have a great many things to be thankful for.

I missed out on the whole Sunday School thing... I sang in a church choir for a little while, but I only showed up to actual church when we had a performance. From the looks of things I missed out on the beautiful joys of banner making.

Grand. I'm going to get ready for church.

The Lorica, or, St. Patrick’s Breastplate

I arise today
Through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of
Christ’s birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of
His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of
His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of
His descent for the judgement of Doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of
the love of the Cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of the resurrection
to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In prediction of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendour of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak to me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to save me,

From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From every one who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in a multitude.
I summon today all these powers
between me and those evils,

Against every cruel merciless
power that may oppose my body
and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and
smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge
that corrupts man’s body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poising, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So there come to me
abundance of reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of
every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of
every one who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye of
every one who sees me,
Christ in every ear
that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation

taped heels

Yesterday was an eventful day involving the purchase of a new pair of Doc Marten boots. They are the same as my last pair, except they are... well, new.

I really wanted to wear them this week. I'm spending the next few days in the Toronto area and I figured that I'd love to have my squeaky new boots with me. But I packed my sneakers just to be safe. That was probably the best idea I've had in awhile... before I'd even walked for ten minutes in these boots I had blisters so bad that I was hobbling. Sigh. There's nothing quite like breaking in a pair of Docs. Once you do they're perfect, but until that point they just plain hurt.

I stopped as soon as I saw a bench and switched shoes, but it was too late. I already had two massive blisters on my heels. So currently I'm sitting in my sisters residence room taping my heels to ease their suffering. Ah the tortures of beauty. ;)

soup's on!

tonight at my house we had an ole fashioned soup party. It was pretty darn cool if I do say so myself. In the pots were a lovely african peanut soup with tomato and cilantro (vegan) and a squash curry soup made lovingly by thom. I made a couple of loaves of bread and mum brought over an apple crisp. We fried us up some sweet potatoes and had ourselves a feast. Thom, Desiree and Rick were in the mix, as well as my parents and my brother and my friend Jen.

It was great, we moved the couch from Des' room into the kitchen (a permanent move from the looks of things) and just had a blast. It made me laugh because not eveyone knew each other but we all chowed down and laughed it up. It didn't hurt that the soups were amazing either.
The proposition at the end of the evening was that we continue this idea and cook together a couple of times a week maybe. I think it's the best idea we've had in awhile... We can all cook pretty well, but we're way more creative together. Good food and good times? Sign me up...

long hair.

I saw this girl on the bus the other day. She has just gotten off work at Tim Hortons and she looked really, really tired. The kind of tired where you wonder if the person has been crying or just had a long day. I guess a few hours of 'Welcome to Tim Hortons' can really take the wind out of you.

As the bus lurched along she wiped her face and took her hair out of her hairnet. I watched it fall. I've never seen hair like that in my whole life. It was past her waist, thick, wavy red.

She spent the rest of the busride with her head back, hair just touching the floor and staring at the cieling. I stared out the window and watched leaves fall.

A little direction...

Well, I had my interview at Kawartha Youth for Christ today to see if I can volunteer. It's looking like I surely can and maybe even a little more than that. I'm pretty happy.

I think I just really like it when God confirms stuff, you know? One of the best parts of Lifeteams really was that I knew that God wanted me there. It made everything remarkably easier to deal with. I figure that if God puts me somewhere, then he'll work with it. This week I'm finally starting to get the sense that I am right where God wants me. It feels really, really good.

All over the city, on the highwires around my house are shoes that people have thrown. I always stare at those shoes. They're supposed to mark where drugs are sold (or in some cases in urban centres, where gang murders take place)... but I think that most of the Peterborough shoes have more simple stories.

My favourites hang by the big old churches downtown. There's something about the contrast of a silhouetted pair of sneakers on a highwire against the glow of a stained glass window that gets me thinking about God. The way he meets us where we are, again and again.

Ontario in the fall.

This morning I opened my window. My window's screen has been cut off. It looks like it was exacto-knifed and just left there. My landlord hasn't fixed it so when it's open, the cat needs to be detained elsewhere otherwise she uses it as a convenient escape route.

This morning I was reading, and a red leaf blew in my window. I was inexplicably moved. It was like a present. Then it started to rain, I left my window open and moved my books off the windowsill. It was really cool to listen to. When I walk out my door I smell leaves. I kind of have to wade through them actually, to get to the street. I love Ontario in the fall, I wish the season was longer.

Tonight at seven thirty I think I'll bust out the red bicycle and go to Saint Peters in Chains for mass. Stained glass windows and twilight hours were meant for each other.

They are twins... that is why.

I finished my sessay!!

Well, yes I did just in the nick if time and procrastinated all to rat. I finished it though and it's handed in and I dont have anything due till next Monday. Hurrah!

::things I have learned from this, the first of many university essays to come::

1) I still procrastinate... a lot.
2) Even when I finally get down to work, I generally waste a ridiculous amount of time.
3) In terms of time actually spent writing, I can get essays done rather quickly.
4) I should uninstall msn while writing essays
5) I should consider writing essays in the daytime, rather than waiting for inspiration to hit at midnight.
6) university is still okay.

Well. Yeah that's about it. I think I'm going to go for a late night bikeride... but what I should really do is my political studies readings. There are men in the basement trying to fix our furnace... which is good. It's bloody freezing in here...

peace out.

pass the tofurkey jerky?

Yeah, the smells of massive amounts of food are permeating my parents house. Seven pies... my mother made seven pies... I mean really. She always outdoes herself.

Speaking of which... I should probably go help with the squash. Fourteen people are coming tonight. Andrew McKeachie is mix, and is currently napping in my room. Oh thanksgiving...

I am thankful for food, lots of it. Friends, lot of them. And God... who loves me in spite of me. Pass the tofurkey.

No-nothing. know-nothing.

I've been working trying to keep on top of school stuff for the past couple of days. I'm finding it rather difficult. I dont want to be writing papers all weekend so I think I'll pull an all nighter tonight if I can. Maybe if I fool myself into thinking that all my work is due tomorrow instead of Tuesday, I'll actually get it all done. The things I do...

Okay. I must go and make salsa with Raechelle.

do I have to go to the doctor if my butt goes numb?

I'm sitting in the trent library killing a little time while the screens load. My first assignments are this week and next in all classes. I'm finding it rather intimidating... not to mention time consuming. They may make a scholar of me yet... but I think I'll give'm a run for their money... ha, well I guess it's actually my money... I digress.

I've been working on this library assignment for a couple of hours... it's not even so much me who's slow, it's the computers. And the massive amount of people using them.

I dont know what I'm doing... I seriously don't know what I'm doing. I just finished this online test... 75.5% ... I think I'm doing it over again.... shoot me and call it a mercy killing. I need a taco.

this is Adrian. Pray for the guy. He's part of lifeteams this year and his visa was denied to study here. He needs to go back to his home in mexico to see if he can get a student visa into canada. We're all hoping that he'll be back at Lifeteams in two weeks with some great stories of how God provided for him. Pray he gets his visa, pray for strength and patience for him and this years Lifeteams crew in B.C. thanks guys.  

the fate of my last fourteen dollars.

I would like to inform you all of the fact that I just spent my last fourteen dollars. I'm not sure which is worse, that I found out that I only had fourteen bucks in the bank, or that I subsequently spent it on icecream and cough syrup.

Poverty seems so romantic, until you find out that you don't even have enough money to buy a snickers bar.

sigh.




.

I'm sick. You're tired. Let's dance.

I am sick... But less tired than I was yesterday. The whole sojourn to Oakville ended up being longer than I had anticipated. We made it to Andrew's and spent the evening touring Sheridan and eating great mediterranean food together. Except I missed my Go train that would get me to Union station in time to get to the Bay street Greyhound terminal by midnight for my bus back to Peterborough. So we shrugged and had a beer together.

I didnt sleep at all. I was on the road by six, and back in Peterborough at ten thirty. I caught a cab to my eleven o'clock sociology lecture. I even went to my political studies seminar and participated meaningfully. After that was done I went to a corner of the bata library foyer where I went to sleep sitting crosslegged with my face resting on my backpack. My mom swung by and picked me up a couple of hours later. This transit strike better not last. (Notes to non-peterborough readers; the Peterborough transit workers are on strike, meaning buses are currently non-existant).

Alright. I've got to write some brilliant notes on Doctor Faustus for my English tutorial on Monday. I'm trying to make it so that I'm not doing readings and laundry and such on Sundays. I figure that I do petty work stuff like that everyday. I'd rather work harder on Saturday and get Sunday for church and hanging out and rest.

Overall my rating for the concept of sabbath is five stars... God is a genius.