Spokane almost didn't Rock my Socks: The Story of My Morning

I made my reservation to go to Spokane using a free flight voucher that I earned by giving up my seat on a flight in December. Very exciting, saved like $400. But I never received a confirmation e-mail.
So this morning I call United, assuming they got the e-mail address wrong. It turns out my reservation has been CANCELLED because I was supposed to go to Newark and pick up my ticket within 24 hours of making the reservation, not within 24 hours of my flight like I thought. The service rep says there's nothing she can do. There's 14 day pre-flight purchase requirement on the voucher, and I'm basically screwed unless I want to schedule for the weekend of the 14th or purchase the ticket. Obviously I'm started to cry at this point, push the agent a little bit and finally give up and hang up and cry. Bad. Very Stressful.
I pull myself together, get my game face on, and call back to talk to a higher up who can override the 14 day thing and make all my dreams come true. The next agent I talk to, who I assume can do nothing, as able to rebook me on my original flights, clarifies that I need to go to Newark tomorrow to pick up my ticket, and asks for the name of the person who said there was nothing she could do. Of course I don't remember her name, and she was probably new or something and didn't know what to do. So after a small breakdown and a very stressful start, I am still going to Spokane next Friday to frolick and chat with Anna and Jaime and Caitlin and Heather and the fabulous Whitworth TH/PH department.
The End.

Academy Awards

The third song from Enchanted, the one from the ballroom scene (sorry, I can't remember the name) . . . well it's a 2/4 then a 4/4, but they were walzing to it. I'm impressed by the ability to keep time with a non-existent beat, and a very quick time at that.
Apparently I need to see No Country for Old Men.

Spokane Rocks My Socks

Or maybe it's just the people in Spokane, and the fact that I'll be seeing them March 7-12. (insert deep sigh of contentment.)

The Vagina Monologues

I'm running lights for the Seminary's production of The Vagina Monologues this weekend. Has anyone ever seen a performance of the show? I am very ambivalent, and would love to hear some thoughts on the content and purpose, especially taking into account that it is being performed in a Christian community. I'll probably post some thoughts after the production. I have many, but I will see the show three more times by the end of the week, so I won't commit myself to anything yet.
Here's an article. There are also a few of the monologues up on YouTube. I haven't watched those versions, but they probably give a decent idea. I know "moans" is on there, and that one is a part of the Seminary's production. The original 3 monologues are available on google books.

Long Lost Artist

Alisha and I go way back. Ah s-group, life stories, Jamba Juice . . . And after falling out of touch for years, we've reconnected in the blogosphere. And you can too! She's an artist with some really fun work; lots of variety and color and personality. So check her out on Etsy.

It's a Lovely Thought, but . . .

Ethnic conflict has torn through Kenya in the wake of their December elections. Over 1,000 have died. President Bush is in Africa this week, going to some of the more stable countries and celebrating the US's contribution of successes in Africa. He's sending Condoleeza Rice to Kenya so leader there can "hear firsthand U.S. desires to see that there be no violence, that there be a power-sharing agreement that will help this nation resolve its difficulties."
Oh, yeah, that'll show 'em! I'm sure the centuries-long ethnic disputes that are more deeply ingrained than democracy and have torn tribes since long before the U.S. was a glimmer in Europe's eye are going to end once they know that the U.S. discourages violence. And once they see our stellar example.

A Little Blog Love

Tag, I'm it. It won't be as exciting as Mary's though.

Contents of my purse:
1. wallet
2. chap stick
3. phone (usually, but right now it's actually charging by my bed)
4. car keys (usually, but right now they're hanging on their hook)
5. whole foods receipt

Yep, I have a small purse. And I tag the same people Mary did.

Contemporary Indulgences

One of the arguments Luther made in his 95 Theses against papal indulgences was that if the Pope had the authority to free souls from Purgatory, why didn't he just do it as a free gift of grace instead of demanding that people buy indulges to spring their relatives.
So on facebook there are all these groups with names like "Join and I'll donate to cancer" or "for every person that joins I'll give $1 to . . ." People join the groups and then feel good that they have had a part in a charity, and have raised awareness of a cause by having the group listed on their facebook profile. That's fine, but the question I have is if these people can afford to donate based on people joining their facebook group, why aren't they just donating regardless of how many people lend their cyber-support?

Thoughts on My Own Hypocrisy

During college and beyond I have felt like I had a pretty well developed understanding of how I believe the church and state should interact, which is particularly important in an election year. I came to believe that one should not base one's politics solely on issues of faith. Faith should inform politics, indeed for a committed Christian it cannot do otherwise, but it should not dictate politics. I related this directly to voting based on moral issues for which one's opinion was based on religion alone. I'd say that if I didn't have a purely political or philosophical reason for voting one way or another that would be suitable in multi-faith or a-religious dialogue, then I had no business voting for or against an issue for purely religious reasons. As you might guess, and know very well if you know me, this means that I have little to no tolerance for the "Christian Right" or the candidates they endorse.
Recently I've been thinking about my political opinions, as one ought to do this year, and I've recognized some hypocrisy in my own strongly-held view of the role of religion in politics. While rejecting certain hot-button issues as the basis for my political leanings I have embraced others, my views about which I now realize are almost entirely formed by my faith. I have come to base my vote mostly on domestic social and immigration policy and on foreign policy, founded on the belief that people are of infinite worth. I'm nearly, but perhaps not entirely (yet), a pacifist; I think people deserve at least basic healthcare; I think it's selfish of America to keep out immigrants, since nearly all of us arrived here as immigrants within the last few generations. So great, I know what political camp that puts me in, and so do you now. But those opinions are based on my faith, on the biblical injunctions for justice and peace and welcoming the stranger.
I'm not a fan of inconsistency. I am a logical and linear person living in an increasingly secular and pluralist world in which I need to be able to have meaningful, persuasive, and diplomatic conversation with neighbors of myriad faiths and cultures, while simultaneously being deeply formed and transformed by Christ.
I have no intention of radically rethinking how faith ought to inform politics. My opinion on that has been formed through study of ethics, politics, and especially European history. There's room for growth and nuance, but a complete turnaround is highly improbable. That means I need to think more carefully about my political stances. I need to be able to articulate my positions without reference to faith, while still allowing faith to shape what I believe to be right. I seriously doubt it will change how I vote, but I'll be voting for reasons that would hold water in a debate with myself.

On a different but related note, CNN already has some fascinating stat breakdowns on the primaries. It's really interesting to see how different demographics are voting.

Reading

The past week I've done little besides reading (and going to class and work and eating and sleeping). For perhaps the first time in my seminary career I completed all my reading for last week, and for definitely the first time in my academic career I'm already finished with all of this weeks. And it was no small feat either. I think the PhD seminar with it's multiple complete books to read each week and only 5 students has me running scared. That, and my room is clean, which I never had time to accomplish last semester, so it's actually pleasant to sit in my chair and do my reading.
My three primary classes are converging in interesting ways. I'm reading Bonhoeffer and Augustine and Aquinas and just war theorists and pacifists of various stripes and a whole lot of historiography, and they all speak to each other in interesting ways. All told, it looks like it will be a good semester academically.
I've also been reading Jerry Sittser's new book, Water from a Deep Well: Christian Spirituality from Early Martyrs to Modern Missionaries, and am enjoying it very much. I'm only a chapter or two in, so I'll say more on that when I've read more.