last day in NOLA

I've actually been able to think a little over the past two days. Quiet is hard to come by here, especially since the freaking phone is always ringing so dang loudly when I think I've finally got some peace. So I've had a few thoughts lately, and figured I would share them with all my faithful readers out there.

1. I am blessed. My life really is good. I encounter some ugly stuff, and recognize that there are a lot of people out there without Jesus who live some ugly lives. And by ugly I mean a number of things: unfulfilling, unsatisfying, depressing, dirty, nasty, super-hard. I say "super-hard" because I'm pretty sure that most of life, especially mine during the school year, is hard, but not super-hard. I tell people that I live in Springfield because it is easy, and that's pretty much true. Life is easy there. Rarely do I run across legendary jerks, and rarely do I find myself taking pity on the people I see on the street or in the many businesses I frequent. Here in NOLA, life is not easy. I don’t think I need to elaborate. I don’t think it just comes down to the fact that Springfield is easy and NOLA is hard, I know it comes down to the fact that I am blessed. And I don’t mean that other people are not blessed, but I know how much I truly dislike most of life and existence, and how much I look forward to heaven, and the fact that I’m not depressed all the time means that God is doing some very cool things in and around my life. I’m happy about this.

2. The food here in NOLA is really good. My last two trips here (Jazz Fest in April, and now this one) have solidified perspective for me when I come here. My priorities look like this: visiting family, eating my face out, sleeping and relaxing, watching soccer (and/or Tour de France, if it is July). Some things that I absolutely cannot get in Springfield: homemade red beans and rice, snowballs, beignets, po-boys, boiled seafood. All of those things are reason to visit here on a regular basis.

3. I’ve been reading Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf since I began this trip. I’ve been reading less than I’ve been blogging, which means that last night I finally actually began Beowulf. The first 40 or 50 pages where an essay, which was interesting, but tedius. Well, Beowulf is amazing. The language is absolutely beautiful; the images the words conjure are so vivid and real. I’m going to keep a running tally of my favorite lines, and then go back through to add some of them here, just to share with you all. Here are a few:

Line 7 – “A foundling to start with, he would flourish later on” – imagery and alliteration

Lines 178-180 – “That was their way,/their heathenish hope; deep in their hearts/they remembered hell. – again, imagery and alliteration

Line 310 – “Majesty lodged there” – no place would be spoken of in this way in 2009, and that makes me sad for now and long for then

4. Finally, I’ve decided that I want to buy a house and a computer. Stay tuned for (hopefully) developments.

5. The picture link is to the right. If you want to see shots from the summer, that's where to look.