D.Lo Responds to Post Comments

L-Po: Well, get better soon! Call your mother if you want help with your laundry. Cards are cool. However, do you really want to reinforce the stereotype of religion being the source of all violence?

I intend to include a disclaimer that in all the religious wars in Europe or otherwise there are always elements of politics. Some people, for instance the man who assasinates Henry Navarre after he becomes King Henry IV, may be said to be more religiously motivated in their violence. Worth noting is the fact that we often tend to place them among the less theologically correct historical figures and often even among the less sane. So yes, there'll be a disclaimer to counteract whatever effects there might be of that. Maybe I'll even include a "religious repression under Communist Russia or Communist China" sort of card. I don't anticipate needing help with laundry much, and I appreciate your compliments (edited from "complements") on the cards.

llgp: Cool cards! I especially like the first one because I like to say (or even hear in my head while reading) the word "deuterocanonical." The event card is great, too, because so few people are aware of that event and, of course, there's another fine word: "Huguenot."

I should've expected you to latch onto the word Huguenot. It is a rather fun word to say. Thanks for the complements on the cards.

nana: hope you are feeling better. take your vitamins. love your cards. really looking forward to the complete game.

I am indeed starting to feel better and am taking the vitamins, more accurately the medication my parents got me (thanks, guys!) As for the complete game I am thinking of trying to organize a family test as well as the University campus test, each of which hopefully will happen sometime this semester, so if you are interested please tell me.

Now for some Linear Algebra! As always suggestions for cards are welcome. Also I am trying to figure out how to define the Wesleyan-Holiness Methodism in two or three cards and I am trying to do so somewhat systematically and objectively, which could be difficult given the nature of Wesleyan thought as being less "systematic." There'll probably be a Pietism card in there somewhere, so I suppose that's a good place to start. At any rate I should probably finish the Catholic set before I start on new sets.

Goodnight and God bless.

New Cards! and Some Other Things

After failing to get new cards out last week, and the week before, I have two new cards. You'll notice I've put them up a day early. Consider them as covering the last two weeks. I'm going to try and see if I can't get another one or two out tomorrow. Today there's an Issues in Practice card and an Events in History card.

Hope you enjoy those. In other news, school is going well, but I am sick, somewhat. I am happy because I got to see some Smash Brothers action yesterday and will probably get to do some more today. I think my Marth play is getting better and I'm branching out into using Yoshi, because it's really not good for me to be specializing in just one character and their moves and whatnot; I should probably have at least two or three that I'm using; hence I am branching out some starting majorly with Yoshi. On the academic front I also need to start on Math today and get some laundry done today or tomorrow. I got my first Number Theory assignment back yesterday and I got about a midrange B, which is fine by me. I haven't gotten the one after back yet, but I'm enjoying the class even though it's quite challenging. So socially and academically things are going fairly decent, although physically I could be a bit better.

So.

So, summary.

Since I got here, I've...

* Been to each class at least once.
* Had exactly two class periods cancelled due to snow/ice.
* Gotten a taste of how bad 18 credits is going to be.
* Hung out with people.
* Gone to Mass/Bible study.
* Noted just how much my roommate Tyler procrastinates.

So, classes.

Modern Western Civilization

The professor is going to be fairly solid. The class on the whole should also be fairly solid. What I will probably enjoy least will be the textbook, for the reason that, well, I'm not going to be exceptionally interested in the material coming in. But I did get to pick the history I would take, and I did pick this, so I can't complain too much.

Linear Algebra

Easier than Discrete Math by a bit, and definitely easier than Number Theory. Right now we're mostly dealing with matrices and related subjects, so it'll require further examination. I had problems staying awake last Friday and am (successfully as of today's period) combatting this by the same method I am using in Augustine of Hippo. The professor, who I also had for Discrete Math, is solid, so learning stuff in this course shouldn't be a problem if I apply myself.

Augustine of Hippo

Confession: I've slept twice in the three periods of this course I've had. Not a good sign, but I plan on combatting it short-term with caffeine and long-term with a bit more sleep. That strategy, by the way, actually worked today. Pun: Unintentional, but I'm not going to change it just because it's an unintentional pun. Class Itself: Should be fun and interesting to learn about Augustine. The professor (same one I had for church history last semester and who is the theology advisor) is going to be solid.

Responding to God

I actually met the prof for this class at the theology-major party and she's awesome. It's going to be fun stuff, although I'm going to have to find time for five instances of an assigned weekly spiritual practice, which could be troublesome, because I also have to find enough time to do said practice for roughly fifteen minutes in a minimally distracted and minimally interrupted space. However the class should be an overall good and interesting experience as it seems to be taking a more experiential approach to learning.

Philosophy of Religion

This should be fun. The professor I know to be solid given my Intro to Philosophy course a few years ago. The material also interests me and I hope to be challenged

Number Theory

Will be fun, but boy is it going to be tough. I have a bunch of proofs due tomorrow, essentially. Not that I didn't do any this weekend, but I should've done more. To illustrate how this class could be, here's a picture that my roommate took of me while I was thinking about one of the proofs:



It's really not that bad and according to the professor (who I am also predicting will be solid) the homework sizes will go down, but the picture was genuinely taken while I was thinking about the math homework.

So, socializing.

General Entertainment and Gaming

Played games (video, like Super Smash Brothers and SoulCalibur II) with friends and with my roommate. Played pool with a couple of friends, too. Generally hung out. Watched some of The Office including the excellent two or three episode arc that ties like half the series' "through lines" or overarching stories together. Also, on SoulCalibur II, I think the plan is that Tyler and I will be playing at least a few matches a week (not necessarily a few times a week, but it might go in in leiu of other procrastination tools like The Office on a given night. Eventually we hope to actually get better at playing the game. It'll be fun because we're fairly evenly matched at it.

Other

I've had the chance to talk theology / random life things / philosophy with people some this semester which of course has been loads of fun. I haven't had quite the two-or-three hour discussions yet but I've at least heard a few peoples' funny stories, which is always good.

So, religion.

Bible Study and Mass

Um, well, I went to CHUBS (Christie Hall Bible Study) last week; that was about it for Bible Study. Also, if you didn't know what the U stands for, 'tis a marketing thing: "It's because we want you there!" is the line used.

I also went to mass (Christie Hall Mass and Chapel of Christ the Teacher both Sunday nights) and I'm doing hall mass again tonight.

The Christian Theology Board Game

This is my sort of independent project which is designed to be a quasi-educational board game about Christian theology. I haven't done enough work in the last two weeks as evidenced by the lack of new cards on Sundays. However I intend to pick up the pace and start doing them again by next Sunday. If I can get enough done then I can take a weekend (perhaps with some help from my closest on-campus collaborators) to put together an actual copy of the game, and soon after to test it out. The Advisor (the theology prof) said he'd be willing to test it with us which could make for great fun.

So, conclusion.

That's pretty much everything that's been up with me lately. Good day and God bless, all. Also, Tyler is procrastinating like mad right now, not that being on Facebook is helping him any.

Pac-Men Invade Campus

Enjoy. Apparently this one was one of the originals, the second of them I'm guessing. It's spawned some copy-catting. A pretty light-hearted and non-malicious prank.

Goings-On; Three New Cards

Here are three cards for this Sunday; today I have The Great Awakening, Modern Methods of Biblical Criticism, and Five Fundamentals. Enjoy!

So I go back to school in about a week. Back to UP. I've had some fun on this break, though. I went back to visit my old youth group at NVF for the Christmas party, which was cool. Actually, visiting NVF in general has been alright. I've gotten to see lots of people I don't usually see and to engage in a style of worship I haven't taken part in in...well, in awhile, let's say. I went to Seattle with my folks for Christmas, and got to see family there, and all that. Whoever's reading might know this, but one cool thing about seeing my family in Washington is that my Great Aunt Sharon, who lives up there, might be the only person in the family I can talk about Math with past about the level of Pre-Calculus. That's not meant as an insult by any means; more as an affirmation that I appreciate having someone there I can talk math to/with. Let's see...

Two Thursdays ago, some friends came over and hung out, and I made burgers. It was fun. We also played Trivial Pursuit, which was cool. My favorite moment of the evening was when a friend asked where my parents were. I said they were out of town, which was totally true. He noted that I hadn't mentioned that. I smiled. "I know." That was a lot of fun. Then one Thursday ago I went to see The Departed with Joel / kokosmasher. It was a very well-done movie. Quite violent with a good amount of profanity, although I think The Boondock Saints has ruined my standard of "a good amount of profanity" forever.

This next week I plan on hanging with Tyler and Doug for a bit, which should be cool.

Special thanks to Matt Prior (this blog, g) for suggesting the Great Awakening card. Good day and God bless, y'all.