the dreaming tree

well my sister is engaged to be married. so that’s cool, i think. i just wish i knew the guy better, but i guess it’s not my decision anyway, so it doesn’t matter. i’m sure my sister knows what she’s doing. and i’m happy for her.

i’m taking a russian literature class. don’t laugh. it’s a survey of russian lit, starting with medieval writing and going all the way to the early 20th century. some of what we’re reading: eugene onegin by pushkin, dead souls by gogol, anna karenina by tolstoy, crime and punishment by dostoevsky, some chekov stories…it’ll be a fun, though perhaps ardous at times, semester. definitely some deep stuff in there. i’m also really excited about my beethoven symphonies class, and especially happy because we’re playing beethoven’s 5th in orchestra for the first concert (with some berlioz peice and the hummel trumpet concerto, for those that care).

in other news, father maple has some exciting shows coming up, first at john brown university on saturday, then a few shows in hot springs at the poet’s loft and the attic, then at juanita’s in little rock (!) and a show with the wedding in fort smith. fun fun times ahead. go see our myspace page for more: www.myspace.com/fathermaplemusic now i have to go get a taco.

i’m back in fayetteville, where it’s thunderstorming, and i’m really tired. i’m trying to find one more class to take to get to 12, but i’m not having any luck so far. as of right now i’m taking a class on beethoven’s nine symphonies, composition, orchestra…and linear algebra. yes, i, who haven’t taken a math class in over three years, am going to dive right back into a junior level course and see what happens. i wanted to take an english/lit class, but there’s not really one currently open that interests me. anyway, i’m gonna get to bed amid the thunder…more later.

this is stupid, but i’m quite upset this morning. i went to the dentist expecting a typical check-up, but little did i know that today would be the last day i could say i’ve never had a cavity. yeah, for the first time in 25 years i have to get a filling, and i’m livid. i understand that most people would be quite satisfied with such a thing, but i feel like, well, literally when he said, you have a cavity, i felt like someone punched me in the stomach. seriously. and to make things worse, today was the first time to see a dentist other than dr. watson since i was 4 years old, so that in and of itself was a little uncomfortable. and the way he said it, the fact that i have a cavity was no big deal. i was just another patient to this guy. now i’m sure he’s a really nice man and a good dentist and all, but still…augh!

ok, now i feel a mite better. but it still sucks. no cavities was supposed to be my destiny…now the dream is over.

whenever i’m working a crossword puzzle and figure out a clue that’s harder than, say, santa’s landing spot, i find myself remembering where/when and from whom i learned the word. like today “serif” was a part of the puzzle, so i thought of when i learned what that meant when i was talking to my friend sarah one night online. i guess i do the same kind of thing a lot of times when i come across bits of information and just kinda briefly recall the circumstances of learning it. i’m not sure where i’m going with this, or why i’m posting it.

i’m watching the so you think you can dance finals. yes. i’m thinking maybe travis will win, but i’m fine with benji, too. and i can’t believe i just talked about it in public. what a sad dude i am, but i should know the results by the end of this post.

and one last thing, everyday at work i think about anywhere from 6-11 topics i want to discuss, if not on xanga, just with someone in general. topics ranging from philosophy to sports to theology to books to…whatever. and i usually think about it for awhile, but then i’m either too tired at the end of the day to write out anything significant, or i’ve actually forgotten the things i’d considered. and then i get sad because i didn’t get to talk about whatever it was. i’m also not sure what the point of this paragraph is.

benji won. i kinda thought he would.

i’m such a loser.

i don’t have time to really talk about it much because i’ve got other things to attend to…today on npr i listened to an hour on the recently popular exhibits which display human bodies. yes, real, once living, human bodies. if you haven’t heard about it, it’s really kinda extraordinary. the cadavers are shown, stripped of their skin, in a wide-variety of positions, such as playing chess, doing yoga or throwing a baseball. it’s pretty controversial, especially concerning how the bodies are obtained (the shows claim that they are from willing donors who are fully aware of their intentions)…but it’s also wildly popular. when i first heard about it, i was a little turned-off, but now i’m kinda intrigued. if you go to the website, you can see a couple examples from the show: bodies: the exhibition. anyway, i might post more about it later this week, after i’ve had time to contemplate it more fully. do y’all have any thoughts?

i’ve done so much scanning this summer that i’ve worn the paint off the edge of the scanner where the paper is fed. so that’s kinda awesome. also, the local paper just started printing the new york times crossword puzzle, in addition to the other one (wherever it comes from). that’s right, two crosswords per day, so that gives my brain a little recreational stimulation to look forward to when i get home. annnnd i’m a dork. i need something legitimate to write about. anybody? bueller? (is it 1986?)

i want to write a new post, but i’m just sitting here staring at the screen. so i decided to just start typing and see if anything worthwhile comes out. if you’re betting, the good money is on nothing.

i played violin in church again this morning, just accompanying a congregational song, so that was fun to just join in worship and not have it be a solo/performance.

i went and played ultimate this afternoon with boys named sue (that’s the name of the little rock club team). and by play i mean practice…we ran drills and talked strategy before we finally just scrimmaged, and by then i was plum tuckered out. plus i played barefoot because i’ve got a pair of blisters on my heels, which make it quite painful to run around with cleats on.

i like scrambled eggs better than fried, i think. but fried are still quite good.

this is a portion of a book called bono: in conversation with michka assayas, in which bono directly answers the interviewer’s questions about God’s grace vs. other religions’ ideas of salvation…and i think it’s beautiful. read it and behold the power of the Gospel.

Bono: You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics—in physical laws—every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It’s clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I’m absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that “as you reap, so you will sow” stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff.

Assayas: I’d be interested to hear that.

Bono: That’s between me and God. But I’d be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I’d be in deep shit. It doesn’t excuse my mistakes, but I’m holding out for Grace. I’m holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don’t have to depend on my own religiosity.

Assayas: The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.

Bono: But I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there’s a mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and, let’s face it, you’re not living a very good life, are you? There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That’s the point. It should keep us humbled… . It’s not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven.

Assayas: That’s a great idea, no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it’s close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has his rank among the world’s great thinkers. But Son of God, isn’t that farfetched?

Bono: No, it’s not farfetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn’t allow you that. He doesn’t let you off that hook. Christ says: No. I’m not saying I’m a teacher, don’t call me teacher. I’m not saying I’m a prophet. I’m saying: “I’m the Messiah.” I’m saying: “I am God incarnate.” And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You’re a bit eccentric. We’ve had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don’t mention the “M” word! Because, you know, we’re gonna have to crucify you. And he goes: No, no. I know you’re expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah. At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh, my God, he’s gonna keep saying this. So what you’re left with is: either Christ was who He said He was—the Messiah—or a complete nutcase. I mean, we’re talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. This man was like some of the people we’ve been talking about earlier. This man was strapping himself to a bomb, and had “King of the Jews” on his head, and, as they were putting him up on the Cross, was going: OK, martyrdom, here we go. Bring on the pain! I can take it. I’m not joking here. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that’s farfetched …

[Bono later says it all comes down to how we regard Jesus]

Bono: … [I]f only we could be a bit more like Him, the world would be transformed. …When I look at the Cross of Christ, what I see up there is all my shit and everybody else’s. So I ask myself a question a lot of people have asked: Who is this man? And was He who He said He was, or was He just a religious nut? And there it is, and that’s the question. And no one can talk you into it or out of it.

i’ve been trying not to cry for the last 5 hours at work. and for most of you, this will a) mean nothing, and b) seem really strange. paul eells, who has been the voice of the razorbacks for the past 28 years, died last night in a car wreck. the sports talk radio station here in town spent all morning devoted to talking about paul, who had a reputation as one of the nicest men of all time. many many people called in to tell stories of how he treated them with dignity and respect and kindness in their everyday meetings with him, with no cameras or publicity around. governor mike huckabee said, “The reason that Paul Eells was so beloved in this state was not only for his unmatched professional skills … but for his authentic optimism, kindness, and thoughtfulness.” i mean, the guy really was an arkansas icon. and i usually tear up a little bit when i hear paul’s signature “touchdown arkansas,” but this morning as they’ve been playing back some of his greatest calls, i’ve just wanted to weep, and have had a few tears drop. and then finally i got what i had been hoping for, and that was a testimony from someone who attended church with paul, who spoke of God’s role in paul’s life being quite evident, and not that he was just a nice guy. he truly reflected Christ everyday, and that was really what caused the most emotion to spring forth from me, even now as i’m typing this. i could type for quite awhile longer about paul eells’ affect on me and thousands of others in the state, even though many of us never met him. maybe it is ludicrous to have such an attachment to a radio/tv sports broadcaster, but for razorbacks fans, he has literally been what you think of when you think of razorback football for nearly 30 years. which means for me it’s the only voice i’ve ever heard calling razorback games, so i have no idea what i’m going to do when i hear someone else’s voice doing it. probably cry some more. and i can’t wait to be in the stadium for the first game when they show a tribute on the screen and 70.000+ rabid fans stand and salute the man whose voice captured razorback excitement.