Journeys with Tim

O for a closer walk with God

How about some poetry this morning? This is from William Cowper (pronounced "Cooper") who is one of my favorite Christian poets. His poem Light Shinning Out of Darkness is also worth reading.

O for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame,
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb

Return, O holy Dove, return,
Sweet messenger of rest!
I hate the sins that made Thee mourn
And drove Thee from my breast

The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from Thy throne,
And worship only Thee.

So shall my walk be close with God,
Calm and serene my frame;
So purer light shall mark the road
That leads me to the Lamb.
... William Cowper (1731-1800)

JS Mill

I'm finishing my lecture on utilitarianism for this week's class. Mind if I share my favorite John Stuart Mill quote?

Capacity for the nobler feelings is in most natures a very tender plant, easily killed, not only by hostile influences, but by mere want of sustenance; and in the majority of young persons it speedily dies away if the occupations to which their position in life has devoted them, and the society into which it has thrown them, are not favourable to keeping that higher capacity in exercise. Men lose their high aspirations as they lose their intellectual tastes, because they have not time or opportunity for indulging them; and they addict themselves to inferior pleasures, not because they deliberately prefer them, but because they are either the only ones to which they have access, or the only ones which they are any longer capable of enjoying. It may be questioned whether any one who has remained equally susceptible to both classes of pleasures, ever knowingly and calmly preferred the lower; though many, in all ages, have broken down in an ineffectual attempt to combine both.

Potter Review

Saw Harry Potter #3 over the weekend. A review is coming, but my initial impressions: darker, gritty, yet still entertaining. Bottom line: a different director makes for some interesting comparisons with the first two. More later.

Harry Potter

This is going to be a Harry Potter weekend of sorts. A friend and I are going to see the latest Potter movie tomorrow. I've seen the first two, which I thought were excellent. I thought about re-reading the book before seeing it, but then realized that seeing the movie first, then re-reading the book is better.

I also need to finish the fifth book. To be honest, my interest is fading. I loved the first four books, but I just haven't been up for this one. I think it's because I liked the smaller story scope of the first few. The story is now getting so big, and so involved it's losing some of its dynamic. There was something fun about a small plot involving a boy and his friends solving little mysteries at their enchanting school.

Plus I miss the innocence of youth. Now that Harry and the rest are getting older they are acting more like adults. Is it me or is Harry angry most of the time? I know people might say that being angry is perferctly natural for Harry given what he's been though, but for me, what made him so likeable was that he wasn't plagued by all the typical problems of youth.

I guess I'm glad Rowling will only write seven books in the series. (I hope so, there's roumor she wants to write more). Seven will be just long enough.

btw, visit J.K. Rowling's official site. It's of the best sites I've ever seen. Not the best format for sharing information (like a blog), but has a cool style. It's almost like a computer game. Listen for the background sounds too. Cool.

Yea for Yahoo!

The good news is that Yahoo expanded its mail service. (I use Yahoo for student contact). Users now get 100 MB of storage space, plus a 10 MB email attachment allowance. The bad news is that a net blackout has disrupted service. Good for them. Now I can send those large picture files, and use the extra space for additional backup.

Big Thinker

Nominee for Big Thinker of the Month: Thomas Barnett and his new book The Pentagon's New Map.

I first learned of Barnett from an article he wrote for Esquire which is based on a briefing he has been giving around Washington for a few years. In the briefing he outlines his vision for the Pentagon and the world in the next 20 years.

It's a bold picture centered on the idea that the world is divided into two parts - the functioning Core, which comprises advanced nations, interconnected through communication, trade, etc. - and the Gap, the rest of the disconnected world. Barnett believes that "disconnectedness defines danger" meaning that the future trouble spots for the US are those places that are disconnected from the rest of the world.

Based on a history of US involvement, Barnett (who is a professor at the US Naval War College) claims he can explain and predict the Pentagon's long term interests.

I caught him on C-SPAN's Booknotes. I can't wait to read the book.

extreme weather

We got a severe weather warning this afternoon indicating tornado activity just north of town. I headed to my office in Oldfather and grabbed this shot. (It's taken through two panes of glass so the image quality isn't the best). No tornado hit the ground, but you can clearly see the rotation forming. Thankfully it was heading away from town. Close call. Soon after we got bright skies.

work

Here's one of my perfect Saturday scenarios (there are lots of them, but here's one). I sleep as late as I can. When I wake the air is cool, but my toes are warm (why is it that my toes get so cold at night? And God help you if you suggest I wear socks to bed!). The sun shines brightly through the window, begging me to take its picture. My place is clean and I don't have a thing to do all day. The day is mine. I talk to Jesus and attempt a little light reading to get my mind awake.

I take a late breakfast on the patio (menu: summer fruits, yogurt - with granola, and tons of oj). Then attempt the longest shower ever taken by mortal man. I dress quickly and I'm out the door. Off to adventures with friends and places unknown.

So what did I really do today? Grade papers. Note to self: it always takes longer than you expect. I finished preparing for my class just before 5:30pm. Just in time really. Ten minutes later and the power goes out due to a summer thunder storm. It's restored in time, but I'm not worried. I am ready for tomorrow's class. I gotta get up early, and it's getting late so - goodnight.

Oh I almost forgot. Here's a little diddy from Uncle Walt.

Afoot and lighthearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me.
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

...Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.

W.W. Song of the Open Road

movies in the classroom

Finding movies to show in my ethic class is the hardest part of preparing. I think it's cool to show movie clips and then discuss them, but it takes a lot of time (and some money) to find just the right clip. Last week I wanted to find a clip about the clash of cultures, but none of the movies I checked out worked so I didn't show any. I was frustrated about that.

This week I'm talking about sexual morality, but I have no idea what to look for. Ideally I want to find a 10-20 clip relevant to our discussion, but sometimes I have no idea how to find the right clip.

I do find that discussion cases work well. I find a true ethical dilemma usually from a news story and then ask students questions about it. They love to share their opinion (who doesn't?) and it gets them ready for our discussion. I love to get people talking. And I admit it, the more heated the better!

...

This week I start as TA for a phil. course. These gigs are always more work than fun, but I get paid. (It's much more fun to be doing the teaching).

My ethics class is going really well I think. The students seem engaged and with me for the whole time, which is saying something given that the class is 4 hours! It helps that I have more dicussion cases this time around. People love to share their opinions. Wouldn't you just love me as a teacher?!!

capitol city

Two shots of the capitol building. It always seems like construction is going on, but the building is amazing. The tallest in the state and a worthy photographic subject. These were taken yesterday during my morning walk. The camera is facing south.

June is here

and there's much to do. Today I'm finishing my lecture for my weekend ethics class. We're discussing ethical relativism and abortion. My goal is to wade through the bad arguments and get students to think about the issues more deeply.

Also on the agenda today...
† find a movie clip to show during class.
† finish reading various articles.
† shop at Target.
† pay bills.
† blog.
† and too many others little things...