there's no place like gnome.

I got my hair cut yesterday.  Six weeks had passed since the last cut and my head was showing it.  It was time for a trim, a little boost.  With Brent.  And I am so smitten by him.  Again.

I am smitten by my gay hair stylist.  I love how he cuts my hair and gives me tips to manage my curls.  (He told me that with my hair type, I should only be washing my hair every third day.  Ew?  On other days, just rinse and condition.  We’ll see about that …)  I like how when he dries my hair after washing, he make a conscious effort to dry the inside of my ears with the towel.  (Creepy?  Possibly.)

We also talked about his dad.  The last (which was the first) time I saw Brent for a haircut, he told me he was jetting home to Arkansas that night to be with his family as his dad underwent heart surgery.  All is well.  Recovery is happening in wonderful ways.

While I’m smitten with him, I’m not smitten with the cost.  He told me – as he helped me put on my coat – that he had his review last month and has moved to the next level of stylist, which means his price increases.  Now, my next haircut with Brent in the big city will cost nearly as much as THREE (also awesome) haircuts at the Aveda salon in Montevideo, where I got my hair cut while on internship.  eek.

“What the hell is a gigawatt?”

It was on this day, twenty five years ago, that Marty McFly went back in time to the red letter date in history of November 5, 1955.  October 25, 1985.  Thus began the back and forth journeys of Doc Brown and Marty, making up the Back to the Future trilogy.

Now, if you were unaware, Back to the Future is my favorite movie.  If anyone asks what my favorite film is, there is no hesitation.  There’s no list of two or five that share the first place spot.  Back to the Future.  Hands down.  Favorite.

Sometimes people ask me why it’s my favorite.  It is kind of an odd choice of favorite movie, not shared with many others.  Back to the Future is a movie I grew up watching.  Remember when McDonald’s sold movies – just a few choices at a time – with the purchase of a meal or something?  I think we bought the Back to the Future vhs in a McDonald’s deal for $5.  I remember watching it as a family, specifically with my dad.  He loved the movie and I grew up watching it with him, asking questions about how the pieces all fit together, and quoting parts of the movie.  We used to quote and act out scenes in the tobacco strip house with my cousins, Mike and Kyle.  (I can still picture Mike using a tobacco lathe as his guitar, doing his impression of Marty McFly’s guitar solo at the 1955 Enchantment Under the Sea mating ritual.)  As I grew older and watched the movies more, I loved how they all fit together.  I loved watching it one more time and finding another similarity or something that answered a question from the movie prior.  

It’s a special day – a heavy day, if you will.  (“Weight has nothing to do with it.”)  The AMC theater is playing Back to the Future tonight at 7pm … but I have class.  What may be my one chance to see my favorite movie on the big screen is being trumped by a class on youth culture.  Tonight, we’re talking about body modification … ick.  I guess I’ll drink my Pepsi free in class instead of at the theater watching the digitally remastered classic.  (“If you’re going to have a Pepsi, son, you’re gonna have to pay for it.”) And maybe I’ll wear my brown “life preserver” as tribute to Marty’s red one.  (“Dork thinks he’s gonna drown.”)  And eat peanut brittle from a bowl like George.  Yes.  This will work.

(I don’t actually like peanut brittle.  This won’t work.  I still wish I were at the theater.)

Some group photos from the run, posted on (and then admittedly stolen from) a fellow student’s blog!

As I talked to a classmate at lunch yesterday, we were discussing our weekend plans and I mentioned I was doing a five mile run/walk.  (Remember?  The one I thought was a 5k and not five miles …) He asked, “For the apples?”  That’s actually what it’s called – Run for the Apples.  It takes place at an apple orchard in White Bear Lake and, as Nick said yesterday, it kinda sounds like a benefit.  Run for the apples.  They need you.  Save the apples.  Do it for the apples.  Nick had bought an apple in the caf line; he held it up and inspired me by saying, “Run for this guy.”  

With that encouragement, I ran for the apples.  Well.  I ran and then I walked.  I walked and I ran.  I am in no way fit enough to run a solid five miles but I think I did pretty well.  Five miles in one hour and thirteen minutes.  I’ll take it.  To most runners, not so great a time.  Was I the last of the Luther Seminary crew to cross the finish line?  Yes.  But I’m okay with that.  A year ago, I never would have signed up or thought I could run any of it.  I’ll take my completion time and be proud of finishing. 

The campus nurse/wellness director encouraged students to sign up to do the race by giving us a free tshirt and paying half of our registration fee.  There were a good fifteen of us who took advantage of the hook and did the race sporting our Luther Seminary “Healthy Leaders” tshirts.  The group of sem students were great to cheer everyone on as the finished.  Cheering me on at the finish line was also a surprise spectator from Dawson!  Long story short, Stacy – whose now fourth-grade son, J., is one I would speak about often in previous posts – was there with her sister, Carrie (who was signing autographs because she is an Olympic runner), and Stacy just happened to be at the finish line as I crossed it.  (phew.  Got that?)  Stacy and I both only had a bit of time to chat – but she said she’d be sure to tell Kendall back at Grace that she saw me finish! 

I’m typically a pretty safe and lucky person when it comes to injuries.  (knock on wood)  With the exception of the minor sprained wrist a few summers ago and the popped knee-cap of ’01 and ’05 (Same knee-cap, two experiences of seeing it popped off to the side.  Once while on a bus and once while sitting on a bed.  Two amazingly lame injury stories if you ever want to hear them.), I have a pretty clean slate.  And the current injury is not serious in the least; it’s due to a rogue inanimate object – my rotary cutter.  Let this be a word of caution to you all … they bite.

I was cutting fabric to complete a case for my kindle and somehow, in moving this piece or that, my rotary cutter took a spill off the craft table and landed blade-down on my middle toe.  Masses of blood later, I’m fine.  No worries.  No stitches. (Once I was able to maneuver some paper towel between my other toes to cover the middle one, I was able keep working with momentary pauses to switch out the paper towel for new ones.)  I think it’s a good story.  And a good reason to shake my angry fist at the cutting tool and exercise greater caution in further cutting excursions.  (You should know I quilted/cut fabric last night injury-free. That’s not to say I wasn’t a little nervous and retracted my blade more than I ever had before the cutter went rogue …)

– the Kindle club.

I’ve been dreaming and wanting the Kindle, the e-book reader by Amazon, for nearly a year now.  The confirmation students in Dawson knew this well and rarely a week went by when Kyler didn’t ask me if I had bought my “Kendall” yet.  Kyler: I finally did.  I joined the Kindle club.  And I feel pretty good about it.

It arrived in the mail today and it contributed greatly to my impressive procrastination of the day.  I’m learning the buttons, playing with features, and will honestly admit that I have read nothing on it yet but the user’s guide.  In due time.  My hope is that it will help me be more dedicated to leisure reading because I do enjoy a good non-theological read and think reading for fun will benefit my sanity.  There have been many books I have wanted to purchase in the past months but I’ve held off, knowing I would finally break down and buy a Kindle and thus be able to pay less money for the book at that point.

But for now, I must write a sermon and a final course paper.  No new books yet – let’s not get too excited.  I will indulge in a little Jane Austen – Mansfield Park was free!  That’s another great thing about the Kindle – hundreds of books with copyright dates before a certain year are free to download.  This e-reading device will pay for itself!  (I hope … that’s me trying to not feel guilty about the purchase …)

// afraid/apprehensive/scared/pessimistic/nervous/worried //

Tomorrow afternoon, Friday, after a long day of classes, is the first step in my approval process.  In order to be considered for ordination, I need to be approved by both the faculty and by my home synod candidacy committee.  Tomorrow is the interview with my faculty advisor and another faculty member.  They will ask me questions about my approval essay and other questions about my theological beliefs.  I’m terrified.  

I’m not always so quick or so articulate about my theological beliefs.  (Real great for a pastor, right?)  I can articulate theology in a sermon or in a confirmation lesson but ask me academically what justification or grace is and I’ll begin to stutter.  Sure, I’ll grab my thoughts and voice sooner than later but it’s not always pretty.  (What else isn’t pretty?  My self-confidence.)  Add it to the interrogation feel of me sitting across from two professors with their doctorates in theology/Bible and I’m scared stiff.  

I know I shouldn’t be worried.  They’re professors and they’re nice people.  They want to see me succeed.  But it’s just the idea that if I screw this up, this could prevent me from doing what I truly feel called to do.  Not only what I feel called to do but what I love to do and where I feel my gifts are used to the fullest.

Prayers and warm thoughts at 4pm are gratefully welcomed.  

Update: I’m approved!  Well, my faculty interviewers will recommend me for approval … this is simply the first step but one in the right direction!

A week ago, I drove westward on the roads I know well – the ones that lead from St.Paul to Dawson.  I was making a quick Sunday night venture to gnomeville to give Karen, admin extraordinaire, a HUGE hug.  That really was my only object; everything else was extra.  Karen’s father had passed away suddenly and my heart goes out to anyone with that experience or any kind of sudden family death.  The hug was delivered to Karen at the visitation.  Check.  And then I was blessed with lots of hugs beyond that.  It was wonderful to see many of my former coworkers, though under such icky circumstances.

It was sad.  It was wonderful.  It was weird.  Dawson is no longer my current home.  Grace is no longer my church.  There is a new intern.  It felt a bit strange … which in many ways was a good piece of closure for me as I continue to move forward in my school year, but in other ways the grief continued as a reminder that it is different, over, and never will return.  Please don’t misunderstand me – I love it still.  I felt welcomed.  But it’s … very different.  (As is only to be expected.)

I spent the night in Dawson and was greeted at the place of my stay by four giddy girls, jumping up and down, yelling, “Noodles!” to every car that passed that wasn’t mine.  These four girls greeted me with a cheer, with hugs, and by making me run through the banner they made me —

It was super sweet.  The banner now hangs on the wall of my bedroom.  I love it.

My friend, Sara, and I had a sleepover on Friday night.  We drank our favorite almond champagne from Trader Joe’s, watched The Big Bang Theory on dvd, compared making-our-own-hummus-stories (Sara’s was a success.  Mine not.), and checked in – it had been a while since we’d seen each other even though there are only ten minutes separating us.  (Well, ten minutes plus homework, jobs, families, other friends.  We’re busy people.  As are all of you.)