Michael Crichton and other things

I was so sad to see on the Yahoo front page that the best selling author of Jurassic Park and writer/creator of the TV show "E.R." passed away yesterday. He was only 66 years old. I feel about writers the way a lot of people feel about movie stars I suppose. They're my "rock stars" because I love reading so much and I aspire to write myself. He had a wonderful imagination and was an excellent writer. I pray that his family and friends have peace with his passing.

In other news, I had a meeting with my education advisor. I was told last week by someone who really should think before they speak that I would have to repeat several semesters of coursework before beginning my methods. Her exact words were "Oh, no, you won't be starting methods in the spring. You are semesters away from being ready for that." That was devastating because more undergrad work is unbearable at this point. Not because I'm tired of learning or going to school, but because it is such a financial burden on Steven and me. With neither of us having a college degree, we don't make a lot of money. And not having money is the biggest stress in our lives. Thankfully, Steven does have a good job and was able to get it with the Navy training he has. But still, he's kind of the bottom of the barrel in his department and unfortunately, it isn't an upward expanding job.

So me graduating is like our Christmas we are waiting for so that I will have a degree and be able to make more money. And unfortunately, without a teaching degree, history and English are very limited fields, especially in what would be the beginning of my career. It is imperative that I get my teaching certification in a timely manner. I was able to meet with an advisor in the education department who corrected what that rude woman said and I am not in fact semesters away from methods. Instead, if I keep doing well in my classes as I have done so far and my history advisor can work some magic in moving two bad history grades out of my degree plan, I will be eligible for methods in the Spring. I will have to take 2 classes next summer but I was thinking I probably would have to anyway.

Nothing is ever cut and dry or black and white. It feels the older I get, life becomes increasingly varying shades of gray. I suppose if everything were black and white, life would be far less interesting. At least in a gray world, the mistakes we make are not so pressing. It helps me remember that God is an understanding god and thankfully, being imperfect means I'm a real person. What a terrible life to have to be under the weight of the expectation of being perfect.

As far as the election goes, I feel it is far less devastating than friends have felt. I mean, I'm happy with the results anyway because I like Obama. Where I live, liking a democrat is like being a longhorn. And while I respect what others feel, I just don't agree that he will ruin this nation. I don't know that one man alone can do that. As far as getting away from the Godly foundation upon which our Founding Fathers built our nation, it would be hard for me to agree with their idea of Christianity. Many of the men, Washington, Jefferson, and Madison included, were deists. Ever heard of the Jeffersonian Bible? The man who receives credit for writing the Declaration of Independence decided that the Bible was too crowded with mystics and that by removing all the the so called miracles of Jesus, the Bible would be a better tool to live one's life by. So he literally cut out whatever he felt was too "magical" and created the Jeffersonian Bible. Washington also didn't speak about Jesus but rather about the "watchmaker God." This refers to God as someone who makes a watch, winds it, and places it on a table, then leaves it alone. Man is in charge after that. Madison believed also that God was a hands off being. He believed that God did not meddle in our individual lives and rather existed in the outer reaches of all things.

My point in saying all of this is not to tarnish the revolutionary generation but rather see them as what they really were, and that is simply just men. Men who were not always right. We will not always agree with everything our leaders believe and never have. So if we are a great nation as I believe we are, it is because God has intervened. The experiment with democracy has not failed yet, and let us hope that it will not.

It is also interesting to note that in the election of 1860, Lincoln's name did not even appear on the ballot in many southern states because he was so controversial. His winning the election literally split the nation. Now he's viewed as one of the greatest presidents who not only preserved the Union, but strengthened it in the process.

I just love history. What a nerd. :o)