Thanks.

I've noticed that I haven't been a very grateful person lately. I can get wrapped up in what I have to do or what's going on. Sometimes I'm feeling like life is one big "to-do" list. And it get tiring. However, since this is the time to be thankful, I'll be thankful.

Things I'm thankful for:

• My wonderful family, both here in Minneapolis and Up North who loves me and cares for me.
• An Other Half who is funny and incredibly resourceful.
• Employment that allows me to live a comfortable life (but not too comfortable).
• That I've been eating healthy food for so long now.
• That I have two days off this Thanksgiving weekend to spend in Seattle.

As I'm writing this list, it's beginning to sound like Luther's explanation of the first article of the Apostle's Creed. Maybe it's just best to go with that:

I believe that God has created me and all that exists.
He has given me and still preserves my body and soul with all their powers.

He provides me with food and clothing, home and family, daily work, and all I need from day to day.
God also protects me in time of danger and guards me from every evil.

All this he does out of fatherly and divine goodness and mercy, though I do not deserve it.
Therefore I surely ought to thank and praise, serve and obey him

This is most certainly true.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Rough and Tumble

Today I attended my first professional football game. I watched the Minnesota Vikings and the Oakland Raiders face off against one another. It was a victory for the Vikings (which is always a plus). A good time was had by all.

Now, some of you reading may think that I'm not exactly the type of person who attends a football game for fun on a Saturday afternoon. You would be right. However, I have parents and cousins and a brother-in-law who really like watching the Vikings. One of my cousins got 8 free tickets, so he invited us to go to the game with him (we bought 2 more tickets from a scalper to let 10 of us attend). My parents took the two seats that were elsewhere in the Metrodome. Us "kids" all took the 8 seats just behind one of the goal posts. The seats would have been perfect, but most of the action seemed to happen at the other end zone. At one point, the Vikings got the ball to the 4 yard line in front of us. Then the quarter ended and they scored a touchdown on the opposite end of the field from us.

But that doesn't really matter. We had fun. We drank beer and ate ice cream (and pizza and chicken strips). We got to hang out with family. What more do we need?

I will say, in comparison, it's like Pride, only people are all wearing the same color scheme.

Red Pants

Today, I'm wearing red pants to work. Daring, I know.

Wish me luck.

Big Names

We've had a speaker frenzy here at my college. Last Friday, I was able to hear Rick Steves speak, and it was AMAZING!!!!

...I can hear crickets in the background...Is is possible that some of you don't know Rick Steves?

Rick Steves wrote a book entitled Europe Through the Back Door. He's written guidebooks for countries and regions all over Europe. He's really become the gold standard. He also has a PBS television show called Rick Steves' Europe. If you are planning to travel to Europe and you have something like a Netflix account, you can find episodes that relate to your specific country.

Rick is this nerdy-looking guy, but he has a great philosophy about travel. He advocates for trying to blend in with the locals as much as possible. He doesn't like the large travel groups that huddle behind a tour guide with a brightly colored umbrella. Rather, he thinks that you should get lost in the city, struggle with the language, and discover some of the most beautiful secrets that a city, country, or region has to offer. Most travelers miss some of the best parts of a trip because they are too scared to break out of their comfort zone, even when they are in a foreign country.

His speech to our community was "Travel as a Political Act". He addressed economy, terrorism, and our understanding of our global community. Perhaps if we knew people from other countries, we wouldn't be so quick to judge them for what they do or don't do. He also pointed out that some countries have really innovative ideas for dealing with social problems (drugs, litter, transportation). We could learn a lot by seeing how other places run their society.

Anyway, that was Friday. Today is another special speaker day. This time, we are going to hear from actress and activist, Jane Fonda. She's speaking in just a few hours. We decided that she was going to be so big that we moved her presentation to the gym (our largest room). It's not an ideal setting, but we'll make it work.

Jane was supposed to come a couple of years ago, but she had a last-minute surgery, so she had to pull out. I'm glad that she honored her commitment to our college and returned.

Her look has changed quite a bit over the years. Here's what I found before:


And here is how she is being advertised to us now:

It looks like she's matured a bit.

The Prodigal Leather Jacket

My Other Half's jacket has come home. Apparently, on older guy just confused my other half's nice leather jacket with his cheap, old one.