I am really stoked for the upcoming Jolly Holiday lights. Waterworks Park, which is a fairly decent size park in downtown Des Moines with the river winding through it, will feature massive light creations. Think of the neighborhood Christmas lights on steroids! All of the proceeds go to help United way as well. The first night of the month long part there are no cars allowed. It is all walk through. One of the ROTC guys mentioned every soldier should grab a date that evening and head to it. Who knew some of these men had a romantic side?
I have been sick quite recently so I have been trying to get over that. Pretty sure I have made more tea in the last week than all of England for the last century. Hopefully that gets over quick because I need my voice back.
Basketball started this weekend. With a loss, but they will get back. Iowa state game is Tuesday. The place will be packed. I am really excited for that.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
running down a dream
Thoughts on a tattoo:
I have been thinking of getting a tattoo. I decided I would want one only to commemorate an amazing event. Therefore I started searching for amazing events and decided on the marathon. A friend once told me “there are days when I do not want to run the Marathon, and there will be a lifetime of knowing I have.
I looked at interesting ones to run. One of the biggest setbacks is I live in an area not conducive to running for 4 months of the year. I despise running indoors due to the constant need to turn and stale air. Treadmill is also a no-no. That would get ungodly boring. The Disney marathon is over Christmas. That would be an awesome one, running through all the parks. The humidity and heat are something I would have issues training for. At some point in my life I want to run that one though. The Dead Sea Ultra Marathon is going to be my final run. Start in Amman Jordan and end at the Sea. 31 miles. First half is straight down hill. I hope they include the knee replacement surgery at the finish line. I have decided on the Memorial day race in Madison, my home area.
So upon completion of the marathon getting the 26.2 tattoo. At least thats the plan. We shall see.
I have been thinking of getting a tattoo. I decided I would want one only to commemorate an amazing event. Therefore I started searching for amazing events and decided on the marathon. A friend once told me “there are days when I do not want to run the Marathon, and there will be a lifetime of knowing I have.
I looked at interesting ones to run. One of the biggest setbacks is I live in an area not conducive to running for 4 months of the year. I despise running indoors due to the constant need to turn and stale air. Treadmill is also a no-no. That would get ungodly boring. The Disney marathon is over Christmas. That would be an awesome one, running through all the parks. The humidity and heat are something I would have issues training for. At some point in my life I want to run that one though. The Dead Sea Ultra Marathon is going to be my final run. Start in Amman Jordan and end at the Sea. 31 miles. First half is straight down hill. I hope they include the knee replacement surgery at the finish line. I have decided on the Memorial day race in Madison, my home area.
So upon completion of the marathon getting the 26.2 tattoo. At least thats the plan. We shall see.
constellations
This weekend was a good weekend. I went to Ranger Challenge to watch Iowa State compete. We watched the rope bridge, which is where there are two telephone poles and a team must get across via a rope as fast as possible. Then we watched weapon assembly/disassembly. It was like Forest Gump. The fastest time I saw was a 48 second. Then the grenade assault course. All pretty cool to watch.
There was a meter shower recently but due to cloudy sky I could not see it. Some of the best pictures though were on http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/
After my foray into astrophotography this summer I am hooked and want to try some more at Drake. One of the coolest things I like about going to a small school is that I may actually be able to do some of our work. With a small school it was possible to approach a professor and get the ball rolling on be able to dim the lights on campus. This will take a few months, so I will definitely keep you all posted.
My floor is going really well. The boss told me I was a good RA the other evening. I enjoyed this immensely. Some of my girls were initiated into a sorority which went well. A few of my girls had tennis matches and did quite well. My guys are doing well on their volleyball team.
There was a meter shower recently but due to cloudy sky I could not see it. Some of the best pictures though were on http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/
After my foray into astrophotography this summer I am hooked and want to try some more at Drake. One of the coolest things I like about going to a small school is that I may actually be able to do some of our work. With a small school it was possible to approach a professor and get the ball rolling on be able to dim the lights on campus. This will take a few months, so I will definitely keep you all posted.
My floor is going really well. The boss told me I was a good RA the other evening. I enjoyed this immensely. Some of my girls were initiated into a sorority which went well. A few of my girls had tennis matches and did quite well. My guys are doing well on their volleyball team.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
All the pretty people
This week was homecoming at Drake. Eric Hutchenson gave a concert. I wasn’t there, but it was supposedly sweet. The day before Maya Angelou gave a speech to the packed Knapp center. Every semester Drake brings in someone of Angelou’s caliber and varies the field. Her, along with Thomas Pickering (for the Government folks) Ken Burns (Film maker) and a bunch others have graced Drakes grounds by their presence. Last weekend was a dueling pianos thing which my mother and brother were here for. It was a great time. My floor is doing an Office watching party this Thursday.
Once again Drake IR department has really earned it’s stars. There will be a trip for IR majors to Egypt this summer for 6 drake credits for two weeks. I might go, as it would be an amazing time.
Once again Drake IR department has really earned it’s stars. There will be a trip for IR majors to Egypt this summer for 6 drake credits for two weeks. I might go, as it would be an amazing time.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
All the leaves are brown...
I am an RA now. This leads to some very interesting stories, most of which cannot be shared due to the personal nature of those involved. The moment one comes up I will definitely let you all know.
My apologies for not writing for awhile. I have been very busy. The summer was excellent, though with less of an international theme. Spent time up on the Apostle Islands. Check out what I did with my father mark, and our friend John. http://www.friendsoftheapostleislands.org/
I have been here at Drake for 8 weeks. Classes are going well. The floor that I oversee of 38 first year students is fantastic. Life is going well.
The temperature is starting to fall, which makes morning workouts rather chilly. My Arabic teacher is from Egypt. She has never seen snow and though that 40 was cold. The winter might be pretty cold on account of the colder summer. The only time it got really warm I was on the island in Lake superior, where I was cold most of the time. I think this may be karmas response to two summers of average 100+ in Jordan.
Tour season starts soon here at Drake, so I will be sure to post responses to the questions I am getting. Rumor has it that Hubbell North is going to start soon, which means nice renovation done in time for next year! Score just in time for me to study abroad. Oh well at least there will be some improvement. I am really excited to see what it becomes, as the planning meetings for it were pretty interesting.
My apologies for not writing for awhile. I have been very busy. The summer was excellent, though with less of an international theme. Spent time up on the Apostle Islands. Check out what I did with my father mark, and our friend John. http://www.friendsoftheapostleislands.org/
I have been here at Drake for 8 weeks. Classes are going well. The floor that I oversee of 38 first year students is fantastic. Life is going well.
The temperature is starting to fall, which makes morning workouts rather chilly. My Arabic teacher is from Egypt. She has never seen snow and though that 40 was cold. The winter might be pretty cold on account of the colder summer. The only time it got really warm I was on the island in Lake superior, where I was cold most of the time. I think this may be karmas response to two summers of average 100+ in Jordan.
Tour season starts soon here at Drake, so I will be sure to post responses to the questions I am getting. Rumor has it that Hubbell North is going to start soon, which means nice renovation done in time for next year! Score just in time for me to study abroad. Oh well at least there will be some improvement. I am really excited to see what it becomes, as the planning meetings for it were pretty interesting.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Harder Faster Stronger
I was promoted in ROTC today. I am now an MS-2. I wear the same rank as an E-4 (corporal/specialist) I have two bars now instead of one. Tomorrow is my last PT test. My legs still are not great so run time will not be much to note. However the magic number for me is 42. I need 42 pushups to pass. Other than that I should be golden. Wish me luck. BULLDOGS LEAD THE WAY!
One toke over the line sweet jesus
So someone asks about Alive on campus and it being a cult. I wondered the same and did some investigating for my RA class. This is what I am here to report. Obviously Drake can conduct an internal affair should they see fit, and this in no way represents an official university policy. Hope you enjoy:
Alive, and the governing body of Campus Fellowship is one of the largest organizations on campus. Alive is hosted on Thursday nights. However Campus Fellowship has something almost every night. Bible-studies based on residence halls, life/support groups, meals, and social events also become part of the lives of “Alivers.” (It should be noted that Alivers is the Drake colloquial term for those that attend Campus Fellowship/Alive events regularly. This term is not meant in any demeaning way. Those interviewed were generally very accepting of this term, and thus it will be used in the following pages. Alive, as well as many aspects of Campus Fellowship (CF) will be covered, as one cannot accurately talk about Alive, without discussing CF.)
I walked into Cool Beans on the Thursday evening before spring break. Attending Alive is the only time I had ever been up to that part of the building. When I got up there I saw a lot of people. Probably 200 or so, which seemed like an excellent showing for something right before spring break. I had been a few other times at the request of friends so I had a decent read on how things were going to work. They started off with a few songs. This was my favorite part, as I used to play in a worship band. I only knew one of the songs, but they put the words up on a projector so people could sing along. Halfway through a few people put their hands in their air like I see on those worship compilation CDs. I am not used to worship like that, so it was new, but nice to see people passionate about something. Then a brief social meet-n-greet time was given. It was at a previous one of these times that I was informed “Catholics don’t have the truth.” That was in response to my prodding about why members of the group were going to Italy (turns out they went to Spain instead) to “Share the word of Jesus” (colloquially referred to as converting.) That line of thinking I am very uncomfortable with based on Catholicism being around for 2000 years, Peter being the first Pope, etc. However this could have been one member’s personal view. There is not really an Alive doctrine, or bylaws. There is a nice little booklet that describes what the GCC (Great Commission Church) believes, as they are the ones who fund Alive through Walnut Creek Church. However there is no legalistic ruling on what can and cannot be done. This was a major misconception I had, and am glad I have had alleviated. There are definitely some cultural norms that most members self police on each other (see the TD article ) but I did not see any rule book.
The words and actions were interesting. The gentleman speaking was eloquent. He was quoting a new version of the bible, which made me feel uneasy. I have major issues when anyone changes texts, or as it appeared in this case, brought the verbiage up to current standards. I consider this “dumbing down” and am of the persuasion that it should not be done with religious texts, as things can get warped or changed, which could lead to some misfortunes. In terms of cult practices, there was no punch, and nothing was sacrificed. Students were not told to go bomb abortion clinics, nor to send their life savings to a smiling face on TV. I did have an issue because it seemed that when asked members were not sure why they do certain things. Most only hang with each other, as do other large groups on campus (Greeks with Greeks, etc). The issue I had with actions from certain members, was that once it was made apparent I was there for research, and not interested in joining, certain members stopped talking to me. I got the feeling from some members, not all, that they were only interested in talking to me to convert me. I could see this being an issue on the floor next year. Imagine a resident thinks he is making friends, only to find that if he is not 100% sold on the messages Alive sends and stands for, his friends might drop him. There are some members however that I have stayed in very close contact with, as well as many of my colleagues who I have found to be very pleasant and non-judgmental. I was only asked once if I knew where I was going after I died, and that if I didn’t accept Jesus Christ and live my life for him that I was going to hell. (I could see that being a potential problem for the floor as well.)
This experienced taught me to gauge my battles. It is never, ever appropriate for me to tell any of these members that they are wrong. I have no proof either way of who is right, or if anyone is right. I cam to college realizing I pray to the pulpit of I don’t know, and it has been an excellent adventure finding out. This experience has taught me how to ask more open ended questions. I really do not care what they believe, I care why. I want to know the motivation behind what they do. They live a different lifestyle than I would say the majority of students at Drake, which helps make Drake entertaining, intellectual and diverse. I care to know what motivates them. (upon finding out, this paper would get very long.)
There is no immediate danger for attending this group. However should my residents ask I could provide some reasons to not attend. A heightened emotional state tends to happen in certain aspects. I have seen people break down into tears at alive, and other CF events. I know I cannot protect them from everything, and it is not my job to shelter them by any means. However, putting them under emotional pressure will only compound the normal pressures they are put under in college already. If it is a regular occurrence I would not be accepting of that behavior intentionally elicited from my residents. Alive/ CF provides almost parallel programming. There is always something legal and free to do under the group’s direction. This is an excellent thing, as not all of my programs will suffice for all of my residents. However if the events that Alivers go to are dictated to them, then we have an issue. I have never seen an email that says “Thou will meet here at this time or though goes to hell,” so therefore I am not terribly worried about it. However it is something to be advised about. I could also use their programming ideas to implement in the hall or the floor. Some of my most entertaining experiences at Drake have been because of Alive social programs. Some of their political views are very different from my own. I firmly believe in the first amendment, especially the right to free speech, and the right to freedom of religion. However, both must be taken with a grain of salt. The right to free speech does not mean that if a resident of mine is gay, I will let anyone abuse them in anyway, regardless of what grounds. The reverse holds true. In fact this morning a student in my class was ripping into another student on their views of intelligent design/creationism. Civil discussions are fine. Verbal abuse is not. Whatever the opinion is, I may not agree with it, but I will fight like hell to make sure no one takes it from you. I do not have any instances of knowledge, nor do I expect any. It is undisputed that this group does not support homosexual marriage, which could get very interesting in the next few years in Iowa. My biggest fear though is summed up quite nicely in the TD article (Linked Earlier) “Some people believe those who attend ALIVE live a sheltered life. It doesn't necessarily center on a "no drugs, sex, or alcohol" policy, but rather those in ALIVE might miss out on diversity and ways of thinking beyond just what one is told.”
There are definitely some excellent aspects of this group. They provide one amazing support system to members. I also feel as if I could approach many of them should I have an issue. I see a very strong and unwavering sense of loyalty to each other in the group. I personally wonder if this loyalty would remain should someone decide the group was not for them. The discussions, when kept civil by both sides, really expand your mind. College is about bettering yourself. Learning to express opinions creatively and thinking from a different perspective is what half of this experience is about. That is the reason students leave their friends, families and homes: top live the life of the mind. Alive and CF certainly allow one way to challenge that.
Dr. Bakari has confirmed this is not a cult(see attached email). That is good enough proof for me. It has been a very interesting journey researching this paper, any questions or discussions feel free to contact me at i.weller@mac.com
Alive, and the governing body of Campus Fellowship is one of the largest organizations on campus. Alive is hosted on Thursday nights. However Campus Fellowship has something almost every night. Bible-studies based on residence halls, life/support groups, meals, and social events also become part of the lives of “Alivers.” (It should be noted that Alivers is the Drake colloquial term for those that attend Campus Fellowship/Alive events regularly. This term is not meant in any demeaning way. Those interviewed were generally very accepting of this term, and thus it will be used in the following pages. Alive, as well as many aspects of Campus Fellowship (CF) will be covered, as one cannot accurately talk about Alive, without discussing CF.)
I walked into Cool Beans on the Thursday evening before spring break. Attending Alive is the only time I had ever been up to that part of the building. When I got up there I saw a lot of people. Probably 200 or so, which seemed like an excellent showing for something right before spring break. I had been a few other times at the request of friends so I had a decent read on how things were going to work. They started off with a few songs. This was my favorite part, as I used to play in a worship band. I only knew one of the songs, but they put the words up on a projector so people could sing along. Halfway through a few people put their hands in their air like I see on those worship compilation CDs. I am not used to worship like that, so it was new, but nice to see people passionate about something. Then a brief social meet-n-greet time was given. It was at a previous one of these times that I was informed “Catholics don’t have the truth.” That was in response to my prodding about why members of the group were going to Italy (turns out they went to Spain instead) to “Share the word of Jesus” (colloquially referred to as converting.) That line of thinking I am very uncomfortable with based on Catholicism being around for 2000 years, Peter being the first Pope, etc. However this could have been one member’s personal view. There is not really an Alive doctrine, or bylaws. There is a nice little booklet that describes what the GCC (Great Commission Church) believes, as they are the ones who fund Alive through Walnut Creek Church. However there is no legalistic ruling on what can and cannot be done. This was a major misconception I had, and am glad I have had alleviated. There are definitely some cultural norms that most members self police on each other (see the TD article ) but I did not see any rule book.
The words and actions were interesting. The gentleman speaking was eloquent. He was quoting a new version of the bible, which made me feel uneasy. I have major issues when anyone changes texts, or as it appeared in this case, brought the verbiage up to current standards. I consider this “dumbing down” and am of the persuasion that it should not be done with religious texts, as things can get warped or changed, which could lead to some misfortunes. In terms of cult practices, there was no punch, and nothing was sacrificed. Students were not told to go bomb abortion clinics, nor to send their life savings to a smiling face on TV. I did have an issue because it seemed that when asked members were not sure why they do certain things. Most only hang with each other, as do other large groups on campus (Greeks with Greeks, etc). The issue I had with actions from certain members, was that once it was made apparent I was there for research, and not interested in joining, certain members stopped talking to me. I got the feeling from some members, not all, that they were only interested in talking to me to convert me. I could see this being an issue on the floor next year. Imagine a resident thinks he is making friends, only to find that if he is not 100% sold on the messages Alive sends and stands for, his friends might drop him. There are some members however that I have stayed in very close contact with, as well as many of my colleagues who I have found to be very pleasant and non-judgmental. I was only asked once if I knew where I was going after I died, and that if I didn’t accept Jesus Christ and live my life for him that I was going to hell. (I could see that being a potential problem for the floor as well.)
This experienced taught me to gauge my battles. It is never, ever appropriate for me to tell any of these members that they are wrong. I have no proof either way of who is right, or if anyone is right. I cam to college realizing I pray to the pulpit of I don’t know, and it has been an excellent adventure finding out. This experience has taught me how to ask more open ended questions. I really do not care what they believe, I care why. I want to know the motivation behind what they do. They live a different lifestyle than I would say the majority of students at Drake, which helps make Drake entertaining, intellectual and diverse. I care to know what motivates them. (upon finding out, this paper would get very long.)
There is no immediate danger for attending this group. However should my residents ask I could provide some reasons to not attend. A heightened emotional state tends to happen in certain aspects. I have seen people break down into tears at alive, and other CF events. I know I cannot protect them from everything, and it is not my job to shelter them by any means. However, putting them under emotional pressure will only compound the normal pressures they are put under in college already. If it is a regular occurrence I would not be accepting of that behavior intentionally elicited from my residents. Alive/ CF provides almost parallel programming. There is always something legal and free to do under the group’s direction. This is an excellent thing, as not all of my programs will suffice for all of my residents. However if the events that Alivers go to are dictated to them, then we have an issue. I have never seen an email that says “Thou will meet here at this time or though goes to hell,” so therefore I am not terribly worried about it. However it is something to be advised about. I could also use their programming ideas to implement in the hall or the floor. Some of my most entertaining experiences at Drake have been because of Alive social programs. Some of their political views are very different from my own. I firmly believe in the first amendment, especially the right to free speech, and the right to freedom of religion. However, both must be taken with a grain of salt. The right to free speech does not mean that if a resident of mine is gay, I will let anyone abuse them in anyway, regardless of what grounds. The reverse holds true. In fact this morning a student in my class was ripping into another student on their views of intelligent design/creationism. Civil discussions are fine. Verbal abuse is not. Whatever the opinion is, I may not agree with it, but I will fight like hell to make sure no one takes it from you. I do not have any instances of knowledge, nor do I expect any. It is undisputed that this group does not support homosexual marriage, which could get very interesting in the next few years in Iowa. My biggest fear though is summed up quite nicely in the TD article (Linked Earlier) “Some people believe those who attend ALIVE live a sheltered life. It doesn't necessarily center on a "no drugs, sex, or alcohol" policy, but rather those in ALIVE might miss out on diversity and ways of thinking beyond just what one is told.”
There are definitely some excellent aspects of this group. They provide one amazing support system to members. I also feel as if I could approach many of them should I have an issue. I see a very strong and unwavering sense of loyalty to each other in the group. I personally wonder if this loyalty would remain should someone decide the group was not for them. The discussions, when kept civil by both sides, really expand your mind. College is about bettering yourself. Learning to express opinions creatively and thinking from a different perspective is what half of this experience is about. That is the reason students leave their friends, families and homes: top live the life of the mind. Alive and CF certainly allow one way to challenge that.
Dr. Bakari has confirmed this is not a cult(see attached email). That is good enough proof for me. It has been a very interesting journey researching this paper, any questions or discussions feel free to contact me at i.weller@mac.com
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