I RAN!

I ran today at physical therapy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But I am so out of shape....lots of work left to do, but I am making progress. Now I get to start the "return to running" program. :)

That's all...back to work.

The Golden Compass

This morning I found a couple of "movie warning" emails in my inbox that can be found below in green. My response is afterwards in purple.

(Apparently, in the last movie when the children kill god, they call him Yahweh: See the Snopes website for that additional info.)......... Please spread the word about this around. An aware public can make a difference!

"The Golden Compass" is set to premier on December 7, during the Christmas season, and will probably be heavily advertised. This movie is based on the first book of a trilogy by atheist Philip Pullman. In the final book a boy and girl kill God so they can do as they please. Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when he said in a 2003 interview that "My books are about killing God."

The movie is a watered down version of the first book and is designed to be very attractive in the hope unsuspecting parents will take their children to see the movie and that the children will want the books for Christmas.

The movie has a well-known cast, including Nicole Kidman, Kevin Bacon, and Sam Elliott. It will probably be advertised extensively, so it is crucial that we get the word out to warn parents to avoid this movie.

Please consider a boycott of the movie and the books. Also, pass this information along to everyone you know. This will help to educate parents, so that they will know the agenda of the movie.

You can research this for yourself. Start with this article on Snopes.com. Once there, look to the column on the left side named “Hottest Urban Legends.” Click on “Golden Compass.

(I read the snopes article and this is definitely worth passing around. It's very disturbing. I normally don't forward this kind of email but I think it is well worth spreading.)

Not tired of reading about the movie? Here's MORE DETAILS
---
The movie has been described as "atheism for kids" and is based on the first book of a trilogy entitled "His Dark Materials" that was written by Phillip Pullman. Pullman is a militant atheist and secular humanist who despises C. S. Lewis and the "Chronicles of Narnia". His motivation for writing this trilogy was specifically to counteract Lewis' symbolisms of Christ that are portrayed in the Narnia series.

Clearly, Pullman 's main objective is to bash Christianity and promote atheism. Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when he said in a 2003 interview that "my books are about killing God." He has even stated that he wants to "kill God in the minds of children". It has been said of Pullman that he is "the writer the atheists would be praying for, if atheists prayed."

Psalm 22:22 "I will declare your name to my brethren"
Isaiah 42:8 "I am Yahweh, that is my name"

My Reaction and Response
Go and actually read the snopes page:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

From what I can tell, the movie is based on the first book in the series. The children are fighting against an oppressive god. I don't think they call the god-like figure in the movie Yahweh, rather they call him "the Authority." But the dissolution of the Authority isn't suppose to happen until the third book and so it is unclear if it will be in the movie or not.

I'm going to go and see the movie to be informed. The person who wrote it is an atheist, not a criminal or a bad person as is implied in the emails. The books have actually won awards...because you know what, I bet they make children actually think! I don't see anything wrong with reading C.S. Lewis AND Pullman because they offer great stories based on different beliefs. Being able to THINK through both of those stories helps you from being blinded from the misgivings of both sides.

"Several key themes of the novels, the rejection of organized religion and the abuse of power in a fictionalized Catholic Church, are to be diluted in the adaptation. Director Weitz said "in the books the Magisterium is a version of the Catholic Church gone wildly astray from its roots" but that the organization portrayed in his film would not directly match that of Pullman's books. Instead, the Magisterium will represent all dogmatic organizations.[33] " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Dark_Materials:_The_Golden_Compass

What a great opportunity to actually talk about the abuse of power by organized religion that has happened in our world. Lots of examples to draw from for all types of religion- slavery, the Reformation, wars and wars and wars, treating women less than men, etc.

It's about being educated and it is ok to ask questions, read/watch materials that are different from your own beliefs and even talk to someone who believes differently. In the end, it makes us all more aware of what we truly believe and connected as human beings. Every person sees the world from their vantage point and having those multiple perspectives can lead us towards a better understanding of each other and of our world. Not allowing "outside" thoughts or media into our world means we are never challenged to think or consider alternatives that could lead to more developed understandings of complex issues.

I found this to be helpful in my consideration of religion:

Religion becomes both a violation of others' rights and a form of addiction under the following circumstances:
· When it is forced, rather than voluntary;
· When it abuses trust for personal gratification;
· When it misuses power to exploit others;
· When it seeks to force behaviors on others through political manipulation;
· When it uses any form of violence (i.e., "end justifies means") against others of different belief systems;
· When it isolates its followers from the rest of the world in order to remain pure
· When it is a compulsive escape from everyday reality and used to justify abusive behavior toward family, friends, and self.

http://www.philosophy-religion.org/criticism/addictionnew.htm

Don't let these statements make you feel like you can't talk to me about this further or that I am not open to having a conversation. I certianly am open and love to talk about things. My purpose in writing this is to encourage dialogue and instead of sending an email around that is meant to cause alarm based on assumptions; why not send around an email that encourages people to learn and make a decision on their own. In the end, if they still find the movie or books to be anti-religous then they will know why for themselves and feel firmer in their faith. Or they may learn something about their faith that they disagree with and try to change it. Or they may feel confirmed in their belief that there isn't a god. But, at least they considered new information with an open mind and thought about something important instead of letting someone tell them what to think. That is how inequities and injustices are perpetuated in our world.

This has been a good exercise for me today to explore these issues myself, so I am thankful for that. I hope we can continue to talk and dialogue as these are important conversations.

Fall is over...Winter is here....and I'm just posting

Yeah, yeah...I said I would be better about posting on here. Hahahaha! Didn't that fall by the wayside.

Last night was the last night of classes for the fall term and I finally feel as though I am back among the living. It was a crazy term and I'm glad it is over. It also means that my last time of attending a formal class in the fall is done! Yipee!

Now- what do I do with myself? It's nice to just come to work and not have to worry about class tonight or what is due tomorrow. I think I will sleep all weekend.

Life Updates
I am doing really well recovering from my knee surgery. I am going to start trying to run next week! It has been difficult, but my body feels more like itself every new day.

We have booked our tickets to Texas and fly in to Dallas on Christmas Eve and leave on Jan 2. I haven't been home in a year, so I am looking forward to seeing everyone. It should be good times!

Winter and Spring travel is looking to be busy. We have a couple of weddings, friends to see and a trip to New York for a conference. It is very possible that I will be flying from Hawaii(wedding) to New York(conference)! That will make me feel like a real traveler. The conference in New York is HUGE and I will be presenting two papers- one as the primary researcher and another as a secondary researcher. There were 12,000 proposals submitted and we were selected! In addition, we just submitted a book review to the Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy...hoping that gets accepted and published. Then I would be published 3 times in one year! I'm so excited with where my academic life is heading.

We did make a trip to Austin in November for an Alpha Gam babyshower. It was so fun and all 11 of us were there for the weekend. We've known each other for 12 years now and still have so much fun together. It's a gift that I am thankful for every day.


I also made a trip to Banden, OR with my faculty advisor and two close classmates (we do all our research together). We also had a really great time on the coast and the beach was so beautiful.

Fall is Here!

Well, folks...the students moved-in today. It's official. My summer is over! I can't tell you how many people around here were morning the passing of summer around here today.

But, the air is starting to get crisp and the leaves are starting to change colors. We start classes on Monday and Fall term is sure to be another busy one. I am planning the first Homecoming in about 15 years at the UO. It's been fun to see people get excited about having it again. Should be a great week and something to build from for years to come.

I am taking 12 credits this term and will be plenty busy with coursework in addition to a pilot study I will conduct at the end of the term. The pilot study will contribute to my dissertation and will put me a bit ahead when I start that big paper next summer.

I am recovering from that super fun knee surgery. It has been a very interesting and frustrating process. Since this was my 3rd knee surgery, my muscles have been fighting me every step of the way. They are very protective of my knee and anything we have tried to do to rehab it. I have been making strides...who knew it would be so difficult to make your quad contract!

John has continued to keep himself super busy and making a huge name for himself. I am so proud of all he has accomplished here already. He secured a $1 million dollar donation to endow the Leadership Resource Office (which he started only 2 years ago) and has started great programs that challenge and support students in their leadership development. I can't tell you how many people have come up to me to tell me how amazing they think he is or how much they admire all he has done.

OH- how could I forget. Justin arrived from Japan and is living with us now. Justin is John's best friend/brother and watching the two of them catch back up has been fun. We are all waiting (Justin more so I am sure) for Junko, Justin's wife, to get her green card and visa so she can move here as well. We are hoping for November at this point. I'm excited for Junko to get here because she is awesome and we are going to have alot of fun together.

Ok, it's time to do some work. Talk to ya'll again soon. :)

What a summer!

Hi folks,

I apologize that it has been SO super long since I have posted on here! Life has just been so incredibly busy and there has been so much going on. That just means I have lots to update you on!

I made it through the academic year and thought that the summer would provide some downtime. HAHAHAHA! Just kidding....that would not be true. But it has been a wonderful summer.

Several things have happened:
- I had family visit twice! My Mom, Logan and Cami came to visit followed a week later by my sister Angie. We had a great time showing them around Oregon. It was great to have family visit and spend time with them in this beautiful place.
- I had ACL reconstruction surgery.
- We moved! New house in a quiet part of town and our friends Justin and Junko are moving in with us when they arrive from Japan.

All of this while working and taking classes...needless to say, it was busy. But again, we had such a blast with my family visiting and were glad to move. Here are some pictures that highlight the summer.

What does today mean?

Well, today was a very tragic day at Virginia Tech University. This morning I got to work and saw the news that a shooting had occured. My heart goes out to every member of the VA Tech community and anyone who may be effected.

As the events unfolded throughout the day and the death toll rose, it seemed surreal. Could this really happen at a University? At places that are havens for learning? Don't get me wrong, we certainly have violence on campus- every place has crime. And with Universities the size they are now a days, campuses are small cities. Imagine a small town of 36,000 people and you are looking at the size of VA Tech. Imagine a Texas A&M or UT where the students alone total 45-50,000 students plus thousands of faculty and staff. But our worst crime tends to be theft, not shootings or murders.

Where I think we have gone wrong in response to all this is the amount of finger pointing and blaming. My gosh...I just spent a couple of hours catching up to the world's response to the events today and I must say that we are the worst! Debates about gun laws and God in schools are everywhere. We can't stop for a moment and morn with those most effected. We can't send condolences and embrace others. Instead we start bitching about politics. I'm so disgusted at this.

We must let the dust settle and respect those who are in pain by embracing them in love right now. Not inundate them with hateful debate and finger pointing.

I don't know what today will mean for the future, but I do know there is great sadness and pain.

Getting Ready

We just finished the second week of the term! Now I have a week and a half until we leave for Japan. We are so excited for this opportunity! John's best friend, Justin, is getting married. Justin has been living in Japan for about the last 5 years and is marrying a woman named Junko. She seems super sweet and we have been emailing lately. She and her Mom are letting me borrow a Kumono to wear to the wedding! Our trip will be 10 days long. We will be getting in 2 days before the wedding. After the wedding, we will spend the week traveling and site-seeing with the newly weds. Honeymoons are not a tradition in Japan and we feel lucky to have time with them. We will be sure to take a million pictures and write about our experiences.

Otherwise, we have been working alot and trying to stay on top of everything. I can't believe it has almost been a year that I have been here. June will mark one year!

Letting a little emotion out...

Hi folks,
I'm just feeling a little exhausted, down, sad...this past term I've had to respond to 4 student deaths. From January to March, four young people have died and I've happened to be the person on duty. A friend of mine here said to me, "Amber, you're suppose to be there. The person that helps others through this. You're suppose to be the one." At first, that made me feel really good. That I could help someone carry the load, help someone through a difficult time. Now I need to step back a moment.

This past week I've watched 18-24 year old men cry, hug each other and publicly say "I love you, man." The men might not otherwise do this, but they were holding each other up and taking care of each other. It was such an amazingly beautiful thing during such a dark time. To watch the character of the family to not be angry at the person or situation that took their son's life...recognizing the common grief, sadness and burden that they and the person that killed their son would both carry with them the rest of their lives. These were the gifts I have been given this past week.

As hard as each of these situations have been, I have learned so much. Its amazing how the death of people that you never personally knew can effect you. These four students were very different people, but they were loved so much by everyone around them. Each and every one of us touches someone else with our lives whether we knew them or not. They each left a legacy by displaying the content of their character through the way they treated others. I didn't know these four students, but the legacy they left has touched me. I can only hope to live up to the life that these four students lived. Now I feel a little better...thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Verdict is in....

Well, I went to the doctor yesterday and he confirmed...I've torn my ACL AGAIN!

Bright side of the story is I don't need immediate surgery and can take my trips that I have planned:
- Chicago for St. Pattys
- Conference in Orlando first of April
- Japan late april

Bad news is I will have to have the major surgery and I can't do it until August given my school and work schedule.

Other than that, life is busy with school and work. Not too many quiet times between those two things, but we are doing well. Hope life is great with you!

Why Can't I Be Invincible?

Well folks...two posts in one week! It's your lucky day!

Just feeling a little down and frustrated at the moment and thought I would post. See, two weeks ago John, Chris (good friend of John's) and I went snow skiing. Now, for some of you who have known me for years know that I have had 2 surgeries on my left knee- all for my ACL. Yeah- you can see where this is going...

So we went skiing and all was going well. Beautiful day, beautiful snow, beautiful scenery. We had been down the mountain about 6 times and all was going well. Before we took a lunch break, one more run.


So we get on the ski lift and up we go! Chris on the far left, John in the middle and Amber on the right side. We get to the top and get ready to get off the lift. As we stand up and ski down, I catch the back of John's ski with my left ski and try to turn right. When I do this, my right ski goes right and my left ski stays put. So now I'm starting to do the splits and as I go to fall down- pop. My knee pops out of joint and I am down for the count. Not a comfortable place to be with your head in the snow and your legs in god knows what direction. Luckily between John and the medic at the lift they were able to get my skis off and stand me up. Of course, I totally stopped the entire lift for about 5 minutes. I knew it was hurt and couldn't/wouldn't attempt to ski back down. Jan, the volunteer medic, put me in the sled and skied me down the mountain behind her.

Here I am in the ski patrol station waiting for my make shift, cardboard box, splint to be put together and duck taped to my leg. Since we had taken a shuttle, I spent the rest of the day in the lodge drinking bloody mary's and watching others ski or fall down the mountain.

Today I was finally able to visit the Orthopedic doc who looked at my leg, did a knee exam and said, "Well, I think it's torn again." The fact that I can't straighten my leg could mean two things- 1) the ACL is torn or 2) the meniscus is torn. I go in for a MRI on Friday night...yeah, John and I are having a date with the big loud machine. We'll see what the shows us when I meet with the doc again on Feb 12th. Until then, I'll be hobblin' around and taking the shuttle to class. Anyone want to buy some nice ski pants and goggles?


I'll keep you posted...

Sorry for being MIA...I'm back!

Howdy, hello, hola,

So I disappeared since NOVEMBER! AAAHHH! Never meant for that to happen. So where to even start on what been going on over the last couple of months.

Thanksgiving was nice even though I was on duty for work. We were able to sneak away to John's parents for lunch. I did a little day after Thanksgiving shopping and then it was back to work and school. The term ended well and I survived my first term of working and going to school full time. The winter break was wonderful- we were able to visit Texas, thanks to my parents and had so much fun. The nieces are getting so big and funnier by the minute. Logan is 5 now and is already a little scientist. She asked for a frog dissection kit (fake frog :)) and microscope. I just get such a kick out of her and am so glad she is exploring all the world has to offer without being confined to "girls" stuff. Everyone in the family is doing well and seeing them was energizing and rejuvenating. Nothing can replace spending quality time with family.

We started the winter term off with the same crazy weather that brought ice and snow to the south. The weather couldn't be better now though, as the sun has been out all week! So, it's been back to the books and busy at work. Family weekend is coming up in 2 weeks and graduation planning is under way.

That's the story in a super, small nutshell. I'll be making sure I post more frequently in the future! Thanks for staying with me here!