So, out of complete boredom one night I went on the
most popular names website. Quite informative, really.
It gives you the top 1000 most popular names from
2000-2008.
So, family, here we are--in the order of coolness:
1. Bryan--rank: 82~you must be a classic. You have barely
decreased in popularity from 2000 (from 70), which is no
small feat, especially when you see some of the others.
2. Michelle--rank : 103. You are Bryan's fiercest competitor,
yet come up short. (this is not a joke about your height) :)
You, however, have decreased from 52, and are becoming
more uncool at a faster rate than Bryan. In the end though,
second place is more than respectable.
3. Corey--rank: 289. Not completely embarrassing--really quite
solid. However, you are depreciating in coolness
similarly to Michelle. But since you are younger, you
will be way less cool than her at her age. statistically
speaking, of course.
4. Arthur--rank: 386. This is the shocker!! I mean, seriously, has
anyone heard of someone naming their kid Arthur
recently? Because apparently, a lot of people are. :)
And "Tom" doesn't even make the list, sadly. But dad--
your name is surprisingly MUCH cooler than mine.
5. Kristin--rank: 883. Thats just embarrassing. My only defense is
that "Kristen" with an e still ranks at 492, but lets
be honest, thats still not even remotely cool. I also
was wayyyy cooler in 2000. (rank 301) yikes.
6. Terri---rank: unknown. Sadly, dear mother, you are off the
coolness chart, but I am sure you are....1001--
I am sure of it!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Poetry Woes
In my writing poetry class, I have written 9 poems
so far that have had to be turned in.
Of the nine poems, only one could be considered
light-hearted, happy, or humorous.
Another one could maybe be considered humorous,
but probably not light-hearted.
That means that 77.7% of my major poems
so far have been about....sad things.
sad situations, or people...
some personal, some fictional.
But seriously....I think I am beginning to understand
the stereotype of poets wearing all black.
And as far as my non-poem life goes....
I generally feel pretty great about it.
so far that have had to be turned in.
Of the nine poems, only one could be considered
light-hearted, happy, or humorous.
Another one could maybe be considered humorous,
but probably not light-hearted.
That means that 77.7% of my major poems
so far have been about....sad things.
sad situations, or people...
some personal, some fictional.
But seriously....I think I am beginning to understand
the stereotype of poets wearing all black.
And as far as my non-poem life goes....
I generally feel pretty great about it.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Justice
I can't sleep tonight.
It's one of those nights where thoughts whirl and twirl
in my head until I don't know where one thought
began how it ended up where it did.
Writing is my therapy for such nights.
And so, I will share with you the better thoughts.
The blog worthy thoughts, perhaps.
On Sunday, my pastor shared a sermon based on
I Peter 3: 8-11. There were a lot of good things
that he said, but the thing that stuck out to me the
most had to do with these verses:
"If you want to enjoy life,
an see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from tell lies
Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace and work to maintain it."
The pastor described justice to me as I have never
heard it before.
Justice means that every person has the right to
good days.
That is all. It seems so simple.
After all, what did I want today? I wanted it to be a good day.
What do I want for my family and my friends?
I want them to have good days.
And yet, somehow, I think that it is easy
to convince myself that maybe I deserve
good days--and maybe I deserve them
more than other people.
After all, maybe certain people
have done something to deserve bad days.
It is mostly a subconscious thought, but sometimes
even a conscious one.
The man on the street must have done
something to deserve where he is.
Maybe in the name of karma, or choice, or sin.
I don't think this is what Jesus thought.
I don't think thats what Jesus currently thinks.
I think Jesus was fiercely filled with love and compassion
for these people. And sadness at their brokenness.
Today, I ran along the path by Lake Michigan. It was beautiful.
It was breath-taking.
The sun was shining, and as the sun was going down, pink
and purple laced the skyline of Chicago.
It's was easy for me to look at the beautiful skyline and walk into
my pretty grad classroom and then my Lincoln Park apartment.
It's better, after all, than looking closely at the city--
looking at the poverty, the exploitation, the hatred and racism,
the domestic violence and substance abuse: in other words,
the bad days of people all around me.
My pastor went on the tell us that we are to bearers of peace:
"seek peace and work to maintain it."
We are the bringers of peace. Bringers of love--and truth--
and justice--the message of hope, not judgment into the world.
To the "least of these", especially, I think--
even though it is to everyone.
It's funny, though, because I know that I am
given peace from God, but a lot of times
I don't even feel it within myself.
So how do I give it to others?
But I still wonder,
who am I bringing peace to in this city? If I look at it
closely, who am I seeking peace for?
I am not sure that it is anyone just yet.
But I am praying about it.
It's one of those nights where thoughts whirl and twirl
in my head until I don't know where one thought
began how it ended up where it did.
Writing is my therapy for such nights.
And so, I will share with you the better thoughts.
The blog worthy thoughts, perhaps.
On Sunday, my pastor shared a sermon based on
I Peter 3: 8-11. There were a lot of good things
that he said, but the thing that stuck out to me the
most had to do with these verses:
"If you want to enjoy life,
an see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from tell lies
Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace and work to maintain it."
The pastor described justice to me as I have never
heard it before.
Justice means that every person has the right to
good days.
That is all. It seems so simple.
After all, what did I want today? I wanted it to be a good day.
What do I want for my family and my friends?
I want them to have good days.
And yet, somehow, I think that it is easy
to convince myself that maybe I deserve
good days--and maybe I deserve them
more than other people.
After all, maybe certain people
have done something to deserve bad days.
It is mostly a subconscious thought, but sometimes
even a conscious one.
The man on the street must have done
something to deserve where he is.
Maybe in the name of karma, or choice, or sin.
I don't think this is what Jesus thought.
I don't think thats what Jesus currently thinks.
I think Jesus was fiercely filled with love and compassion
for these people. And sadness at their brokenness.
Today, I ran along the path by Lake Michigan. It was beautiful.
It was breath-taking.
The sun was shining, and as the sun was going down, pink
and purple laced the skyline of Chicago.
It's was easy for me to look at the beautiful skyline and walk into
my pretty grad classroom and then my Lincoln Park apartment.
It's better, after all, than looking closely at the city--
looking at the poverty, the exploitation, the hatred and racism,
the domestic violence and substance abuse: in other words,
the bad days of people all around me.
My pastor went on the tell us that we are to bearers of peace:
"seek peace and work to maintain it."
We are the bringers of peace. Bringers of love--and truth--
and justice--the message of hope, not judgment into the world.
To the "least of these", especially, I think--
even though it is to everyone.
It's funny, though, because I know that I am
given peace from God, but a lot of times
I don't even feel it within myself.
So how do I give it to others?
But I still wonder,
who am I bringing peace to in this city? If I look at it
closely, who am I seeking peace for?
I am not sure that it is anyone just yet.
But I am praying about it.
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