Pilgrim Pines, Writing, and Les Mis Reactions

So, for those of you who have been following my Facebook updates (a throng of millions, I'm sure), you know that I am currently in Swanzey, New Hampshire at Pilgrim Pines, a camp that is part of my denomination (the Evangelical Covenant Church).  First, I had heard this place was great, but it really is (you know, sometimes people are biased and think a place is great because their memories and nostalgia have constructed a place bearing little resemblance to reality (e.g. Disney World (that could get me in trouble, but I stand by it))). However, this place is legitimately great in reality. It has the feel of a Northern Minnesota lake (an obvious point in its favor) with the added bonus of surrounding mountains.

Anyway,  I came up here to do some writing, and while writing on my blog wasn't high on the agenda, I am giving in to my baser instincts. It's amazing how easy it is to divert yourself to superfluous activities no matter where you are or how you try to sequester yourself. If only this divergent energy could could be channeled!

First, I had a great time at Stefan and Kiera Fritz's New Year's Eve Party! It was good to see some old Chicago friends and catch up. The one problem: due to a cold and my penchant towards geriatric behavior, I was ready to go to bed by about 10. The rest of the night was spent asking what time it was every 78 seconds and then audibly groaning at how little time had passed since the previous time I asked. I'm sure everyone was elated that I was invited. Although midnight did include a real-life dropping of the ball, granted it was a soccer ball dropped on a flag pole at about 12:03 (I worked the spotlight (read: huge flashlight), but why quibble over the details? It was pretty great.

My sister is still pregnant. She's like the girl who cried baby.  I'm starting to think she's just got a basketball shoved under her shirt.

I like using the word "cosmos" way too much in my writing. It seems bigger and grander than universe, not as mind- numbing and "all that is," and a little more creative than "all creation." Maybe I should do something crazy and consult a thesaurus, which is usually reserved for editing a paper when I realize that I have used "asserts" 6.02 ×10²³ times in a term paper before a scholar's quote (Oh hey, Avogadro's constant!)

As I was going through old journals (another great way to divert yourself from pressing activities), I came upon this quote from John Steinbeck that I think captures better than any other our country's reliance on force, the military-industrial complex, and guns. It could have been written in last month's New York Times:

“Now for many years we have suckled on fear and fear alone, and there is no good product of fear. Its children are cruelty and deceit and suspicion germinating in our darkness. And just as surely as we are poisoning the air with our test bombs, so are we poisoned in our souls by fear, faceless, stupid sarcomic terror.” 

Preach.

I also found this more humorous gem of a quote from St. Brigid of Ireland:

“I would like a great lake of beer for the King of kings; I would like the people of heaven to be drinking it through time eternal.” 

It's just not a quote you have come to expect from saints. And I will leave you with this gem: emotional parents getting interviewed by their children after seeing Les Mis. Note especially the father's words towards the end.