lauren laughs

last night’s o’s game against the tigers was pretty exciting. we still need to get our attendance numbers up, but david, laurel, bryan and i did what we could to fill the stands and keep the vendors in business. in addition to winning a close game (and my fantasy players’ good stats, yeah mora!) we somehow managed to get on the jumbotron THREE times! YES! that great big screen that the WHOLE stadium of fans stares at… and my friends and me jumping up and down for all to see! ah, the excitement.

johnnies are an interesting bunch of people that attend st. john’s college, like me. here’s a pic of my seminar. normally we sit around a big square table and talk about books for two hours, but this particular night we had dinner and discussion.

yesterday (in our last class) we discussed kierkegaard’s philosophical fragments. an interesting question was raised that i’d like to pose to any of you… should we be grateful not to have known the historical Jesus? you don’t need to have read kierkegaard to respond. just reflect on whether being a contemporary of Jesus would help or hinder faith. i’d LOVE to hear your thoughts!!

(i changed the setting on comments so anyone can respond… even anonymously if you prefer… yeah, i’m not actually expecting responses. but it would be cool!)

federal hill has a new addition: daley. and daley’s new neighbors are a raucous bunch. they threw a great block party on cinco de mayo, complete with bean bag games and spanish music. megan, tiffany, christina, me and mary kate took a very sratty shot on the stoop (stoops are a b’more thing, ask if you need clarification).

it’s cinco de mayo. and i used to teach spanish. and i turned in a major paper last night. let the festivities begin! if you avoid tequila and margaritas like me (sad, i know) then try making some white sangria tonight. white wine, brandy, fresh strawberries and mint… a very refreshing way to celebrate the battle of May 5, 1862, when a small mexican army beat the french. yummy.

i recently posted some pics of my friend garreth who is stationed in iraq.here’s a pic from garreth of one of the frequent sandstorms… and i thought lubbock was bad!

i think every once in a while, i should have “guest appearances” on the blog. so meet laurence. he lives and lex and works at w&l as the environmental studies program coordinator. he’s also a fly guide (www.fishthevalley.com) and teaches a fly fishing PE class this term. he’s got mad acoustic skills and a great voice. we met at lex coffee yesterday to discuss energy, environment, ecotourism, brazil, africa, ministry, school, and friends. i think that about covers it.

i finally made it down to roanoke to visit my little bro pierce friday night. mom, stephen, pierce and his friend joan and i had a fabulous thai meal before mom started her major trek to texas (she’s moving). at last i got to see pierce’s pad. i told him to sit on his bed so i could take a pic of his room. being pierce, he decided to pose instead.

i love the city, truly. but being in the mountains, surrounded by Creation and all its sounds and smells… it’s where i feel closest to God and where my Spirit is most renewed. goshen is my absolute favorite place in the world. i drove down from baltimore, stopped outside of lex for a chili cheese dog, put the top down on the car and drove through the mountains until i found my favorite spot. a great big rock in the middle of the maury river cutting through the mountain pass. the river was pretty high (and cold) so the water swirled all around me as i sat and thought and rested. ideal way to start a long weekend!

normally, it takes 30-40 minutes to drive from work in annapolis to home in baltimore. yesterday it took two hours. thank goodness i have a convertible… driving with the top down made the ridiculous commute a bit more bearable. plus, i did some homework. did i really take a picture of myself doing homework while driving? yes. it was that slow.

yesterday i had the JOY of visiting woodlawn high school where i used to teach and coach. my office has been working with GM to bring hydrogen fuel cell technology into the classrooms, demonstrating its use in transportation. students got to look under the hood, talk to technicians, and ride in a very cool million dollar vehicle. it was really neat to see the kids so interested in alternative fuels (they asked great questions!) and to see the GM folks so excited about the students.

it was a very affirming day for me as well. i ran into several former students and every one of them remembered me and how much fun MY class was. i think about my students all the time (i have pictures of them in my office), but sometimes i wonder if i had a lasting impression on any of them or if they would remember anything i taught them. here’s the update…

deatrus, a very smart kid that i absolutely loved even though he was constantly getting in trouble, is now on honor roll and tells me i’m still his favorite teacher. (already, i’m glowing…)

leah, a quiet but brilliant young lady, tells me she is in spanish 3 (she’s only required to take two years) and making great grades. she’s not the timid freshman she used to be.

jess, who had never set foot on a lacrosse field when i first met her and really struggled just to cradle the ball, is now one of the team captains.

WOW. not that i’m responsible for the successes these students are achieving… they are doing all the work. but even just to be a part of it makes me feel like a star.

plus, i got to have lunch with one of my favorite teachers, hope. over 30 teachers left in 2004 with me and another 64 left last year… but hope remains. she’s awesome.