February 22, 2005
in between writing two theses (that is the plural of "thesis," right?), working at two different jobs, learning about both epidemics/diseases (which is paradoxically revolting and delightful) renaissance italy (this apparently means that i have to learn about greek/roman antiquity as well...oops!), autobiographies and conversion experiences (BEST-EVER), and spending precious time with friends, i have found the time to truly enjoy reading thomas merton's the seven storey mountain for my literature course. it's incredible.
merton was english, but grew up in france and at boarding school in england, and after his expulsion for cambridge (for activities inappropriate for such an institution), resumed his studies in the usa. he experienced a profound religious conversion (which has made him worthy of being called a "modern-day augustine"), and became a trappist monk. the seven storey mountain is his autobiography. there are so many things i'd like to write about it, but as i'm only halfway through, it wouldn't really be right. instead, i'll leave some quotations:
"souls are like athletes, that need opponents worthy of them, if they are to be tried and extended and pushed to the full use of their powers, and rewarded according to their capacity."
"the devil is no fool. he can get people feeling about heaven the way they ought to feel about hell. he can make them fear the means of grace the way they do not fear sin. and he does so, not by light but by obscurity, not by realities but by shadows, not by clarity and substance but by dreamsand the creatures of psychosis. and men are so poor in intellect that a few cold chills down their spine will be enough to keep them from ever finding out the truth about anything."
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merton was english, but grew up in france and at boarding school in england, and after his expulsion for cambridge (for activities inappropriate for such an institution), resumed his studies in the usa. he experienced a profound religious conversion (which has made him worthy of being called a "modern-day augustine"), and became a trappist monk. the seven storey mountain is his autobiography. there are so many things i'd like to write about it, but as i'm only halfway through, it wouldn't really be right. instead, i'll leave some quotations:
"souls are like athletes, that need opponents worthy of them, if they are to be tried and extended and pushed to the full use of their powers, and rewarded according to their capacity."
"the devil is no fool. he can get people feeling about heaven the way they ought to feel about hell. he can make them fear the means of grace the way they do not fear sin. and he does so, not by light but by obscurity, not by realities but by shadows, not by clarity and substance but by dreamsand the creatures of psychosis. and men are so poor in intellect that a few cold chills down their spine will be enough to keep them from ever finding out the truth about anything."
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February 09, 2005
one of my most beloved memories of my time in frankfurt was a visiting a little thing i like to call körperwelten, creepy professor gunther von hagen's touring exhibit of plasticized body parts and internal organs. you may remember june 9 2004, that fateful day in which i became aquainted with deceased fellow homo sapiens, horses and (perplexingly) a gorilla, and accidentally cradled a human liver. and officially swore-off foie gras, delicacy that it is.
well there's good news for my future friends in the chicago area (my new home starting this summer): körperwelten/body worlds is coming to the museum of science and industry through september 5. if you desire the company of gellified spleens and cardiovascular systems or just need an extra reason to turn vegan, this might be a good place to spend a saturday afternoon. um, actually, not really.
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well there's good news for my future friends in the chicago area (my new home starting this summer): körperwelten/body worlds is coming to the museum of science and industry through september 5. if you desire the company of gellified spleens and cardiovascular systems or just need an extra reason to turn vegan, this might be a good place to spend a saturday afternoon. um, actually, not really.
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February 08, 2005
my beloved friend and german teacher, frau buller, organized the collection of 129,303 paperclips spring of 2001 for what began as a whitwell middle school project to collect one piece per holocaust victim. frau just told me that the group received 30 MILLION clips, and created a memorial in whitwell, tenn. with an original train car that carried victims to the camp at auschwitz.
now, this amazing story has been documented into a movie ("paper clips") and a book ("six million paper clips" by dagmar and peter schroeder). frau said they are "unbelievable." i'm looking for them around the bloomington area-- hopefully the movie will be here soon.
as frau says, the power of one idea or one person is incredible.
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now, this amazing story has been documented into a movie ("paper clips") and a book ("six million paper clips" by dagmar and peter schroeder). frau said they are "unbelievable." i'm looking for them around the bloomington area-- hopefully the movie will be here soon.
as frau says, the power of one idea or one person is incredible.
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