Four from College
1. This resonates with the sights seen through my office window:
College Freshman Cycles Rapidly Through Identities
2. I don't think I've ever seen a college with fewer smokers than Carleton, and I've spent quite a bit of time as a student, researcher, or employee at (let's see) eight different places. Here, it's unusual to see even one person smoking on the walk to the union, much less a group hanging out. It's not just the season, either: it's practically balmy here now, and as anyone who's worked in downtown Minneapolis can attest, the smoking doesn't stop when the snowing starts.
3. Perhaps along those lines, it's amusing to see the few conservatives in Northfield and/or at Carleton overzealously enact their beliefs. Today's example was a biggish pickup truck, parked prominently outside the union, with the Republican trifecta o' automotive adornments: an "Abortion Stops a Beating Heart" bumpersticker, one of the flag-patterned "Support Our Troops" ribbons, and a POW/MIA flag.
4. Definitely along those lines, campus mail today brought me a little form on which I can submit a prayer to the "Carleton Prayer Room." The form bore this disclaimer: "This is a Christian prayer room and we pray in Jesus' name. However, we will gladly help you regardless of whether or not you believe in God, Jesus, prayer, Allah, Buddha, karma, or anything else. This is not an attempt to convert you, judge you, push morals, or make you nicer." A fascinating bit of prose, no? I'm amused by the uneven list of things in which you can believe. What about evolution? the essential goodness of people? Antinomianism? Shiva? On the other hand, I'm worried about the list of things which "this is not" - especially the insinuation of the last item in the latter series. Are they saying I'm not nice enough already? That makes me mad enough to slash some truck tires.
College Freshman Cycles Rapidly Through Identities
2. I don't think I've ever seen a college with fewer smokers than Carleton, and I've spent quite a bit of time as a student, researcher, or employee at (let's see) eight different places. Here, it's unusual to see even one person smoking on the walk to the union, much less a group hanging out. It's not just the season, either: it's practically balmy here now, and as anyone who's worked in downtown Minneapolis can attest, the smoking doesn't stop when the snowing starts.
3. Perhaps along those lines, it's amusing to see the few conservatives in Northfield and/or at Carleton overzealously enact their beliefs. Today's example was a biggish pickup truck, parked prominently outside the union, with the Republican trifecta o' automotive adornments: an "Abortion Stops a Beating Heart" bumpersticker, one of the flag-patterned "Support Our Troops" ribbons, and a POW/MIA flag.
4. Definitely along those lines, campus mail today brought me a little form on which I can submit a prayer to the "Carleton Prayer Room." The form bore this disclaimer: "This is a Christian prayer room and we pray in Jesus' name. However, we will gladly help you regardless of whether or not you believe in God, Jesus, prayer, Allah, Buddha, karma, or anything else. This is not an attempt to convert you, judge you, push morals, or make you nicer." A fascinating bit of prose, no? I'm amused by the uneven list of things in which you can believe. What about evolution? the essential goodness of people? Antinomianism? Shiva? On the other hand, I'm worried about the list of things which "this is not" - especially the insinuation of the last item in the latter series. Are they saying I'm not nice enough already? That makes me mad enough to slash some truck tires.
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