pitiful episodes in pointless pontification.

*clears throat*
Right, this is a venting entry. You have been warned.

*
*
*

Now, I knew when I signed up for phd school that I'd be spending a big chunk of my time discussing theory and principles, paradigm shifts and whatnot. But I didn't know it would get old so quickly.

I'm all for learning my discipline (or my several disciplines, since I'm a super-cool American Studies student), but I wish we spent less time dwelling on these intellectual suppositions that 95% of the people in this country could care less about. I signed up for phd school because I want to understand folks, so I can be able to help folks understand themselves in relation to everybody else, not because I want to be stuck in the theory jungle trying to hack my way out by making up new phrases and critiques and paradigms and whatnot.

The Ivory Tower is not the place I want to be, and I don't want to learn and think and write for people in the Ivory Tower. Start praying for me now if my future is going to be limited to writing articles and papers that no one outside of conferences will ever hear or understand. What good does that do society? What good would that do me?

I mean, I guess theory has its place in the grand scheme of things. Synthesizing information, reconciling events in history with the atmosphere of history, etc, but it's beyond frustrating when all we do is pick apart these intellectual explorations without even trying to apply them to the real world.

Anyway, like I said, I knew what I signed up for. It's good for me I guess. I am learning, and growing. Maybe it's up to me to sift the pragmatic wheat from the dogmatic chaff. Exercise those brain muscles (right, oh science genius friends of mine? you know who you are. what goes on when I exercise my brain?). Surely I can make more of an effort in that respect. Yeah.

Er. . .okay. Venting over.

Now in a completely unrelated and random transition, here are some lovely pictures of my lovely neighborhood. I know you've been dying for visuals. Sadly, I haven't yet gone out to get any pics of the beautiful autumnal leaf colors; hopefully I can do that soon. Well, I better do it soon before the leaves are all gone. Anyway, this is all you get for now (click them to hugeify them!):

the beauteous Loring Park

framed by lovely downtown Minneapolis

garden of solitude, sometimes -- though too it's too cold at present to properly partake of its peace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Verse For You Today:

God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not tell the truth:
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and his word is not in us. ~ 1 John: 5-10