Finished... Mostly!

So I'm now almost finished with my first semester. I had my don rags today and have a math test Wednesday and then I'm headed home! Believe me, I am very excited to be going home. (Side note: don rags are what we call the Torrey final. It spans all 8 units of my honors classes. It's a thirty minute oral exam where my mentor can quiz me on any of the texts that I've read... it's scary because we have no idea what he's going to ask, making the studying a huge task.)

Anyway, I feel like over the past four months, I've grown in many different ways and really been stretched. Here's my list of a few things that I've learned through this past semester.

1) I am a Virginian. Only through four months away have I learned that my heart belongs in the grand Old Dominion - I'm one of very few kids who boast proudly about their state.

2) It's worth a longer walk down the hall to get a better quality shower... it'll make you feel more clean!

3) Be flexible. Sometimes something more exciting and rewarding than homework comes along, and it should be pursued... studying can often wait.

4) Be organized! Know what you have to do and when you must do it. Beware! This may lead to friends becoming rather dependent on you for information.

5) Reading is hard work. Especially if the goal is to truly understand and engage the ideas within the text.

6) No matter what the culture is, the epic poem will always have relevance. It provides a way of thinking about culture from its beginning. We should perhaps more often employ the method of telling stories within other stories to help us to understand where we come from better.

7) Anticipation is half the fun - I've had a lot of different things to anticipate through the semester - my first trips to In-N-Out and Disneyland, my first thanksgiving away from home, my return home, and the arrival of many other significant dates. Yet, as fun as each of these things was, joy is to be found simply in anticipation.

8) Joy is necessary for survival. I don't know if I would have made it through the semester were it not for the crazy amount of joy that I feel in being content where God has placed me. I also am so grateful for a close-knit group of friends who bring me joy and share in my joy. Yet, it's been important to not find joy in my location or others, but to find it in Christ alone. When I rely on something other than the Rock for my joy, then I end up feeling disappointed. When I take joy from Christ, though, everything I do flows from that.

9) Each day should be cherished. It seems that I've been learning this for the past five years. I honestly don't think I'll ever fully understand how to properly do this, but I'm trying. I'm learning to take joy in every moment - fully seized. I'm learning to love early morning chapels, late night study sessions, heart-breaking pictures of fall, immature inside jokes, and mid-afternoon naps. Each of these moments can be fully seized - it's all a matter of how you choose to live. When I seek out the King, then each moment is for Him. And life becomes a lovely compilation of beautiful moments.

10) Contentedness is a gift. I have been (for the most part) completely content over the past few months. Although I am more than a little excited to be back in Blacksburg where my heart belongs, I have definitely enjoyed and loved this time. I have no doubts that God has many more excellent things planned for the remainder of my time. Because His will is indeed good, pleasing, and perfect. With this recognition, what other cares should I have?

All that said, I feel like this has been quite the productive, growing, stretching, and exhausting semester. I'm so thankful for a break coming up. It'll be a little bittersweet leaving Biola for six weeks. At this point, though, I'm pretty sure it'll be mostly "sweet." Blacksburg, here I come!

Life to the Full

Today would have been Kassidy Foster's 15th birthday. One of my sister's best friends, she competed alongside Katie at Virginia Techniques. Kassidy was full of life, spunky, sass, and spirit. In March of 2007, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, which is a form of bone cancer. She passed away that July. For the full story, check out the website.

Even though I'm 2400 miles away from home, my heart is with her family today. I'm dressed in pink (her favorite color) and wearing my Kassidy bracelet. It's not just on important dates, though, that I find it important to keep up her memory. Instead, her life and courage in the face of cancer changed my life.

I'm from Blacksburg, VA - the home of Virginia Tech. In April 2007, the Virginia Tech shootings happened, greatly affecting my hometown. It shook the entire community to its core. Bad things don't happen in Blacksburg. It's too tiny, too quaint. However, something awful did happen there and I don't believe the town will ever be able to forget.

Through the shootings and through the death of Kassidy, I grew. I grew in how I dealt with grief. I grew in my understanding of the world. I grew up - a lot. But mostly, I grew in my understanding of how to live.

As a fifteen year old, I was naive enough to think that I was somewhat invincible - that there was always time to do whatever I chose to put off. Yet through seeing all that could happen in such a short period of time, I came to understand that life is short.

With this knowledge, I was not afraid. Instead, it gave me a zeal for life. Even Kassidy - in her suffering and pain - still lived well, with spunk and pluck. If she was able to that in the most difficult of situations, then what excuse would I have to not do so when things were going well?

Although I sometimes forget what it means to live fully, I think I'm starting to understand that it doesn't always look the same. I tend to think if I'm not being super productive, or engaging in deep and meaningful conversation, then I'm wasting my time.

But perhaps a mid-afternoon nap once in a while is just as full and freeing as an hour long conversation about the meaning of life over coffee. Dr. John Mark Reynolds encouraged my Torrey group when we went to his house for dinner a few months ago. He reminded us that grades aren't everything. That we study in order to learn how to live well.

This has been an important lesson to learn -- that fellowship should sometimes trump study. However, as I've come to understand that that is what will matter in the end. My knowledge of books is only important in that it helps me to engage better with others. My main priority should be living a life filled with Christ's love, spilling out everywhere. I want my life to be full of meaning, because it could end tomorrow. I want to live like Kassidy - with courage, spunk, and faith in the midst of all situations - good and bad.

Late Night Musings

I was reading other blogs earlier and I was amazed. I was amazed by the ability of other bloggers to portray so much with so few words. I decided I wanted to be more like them. We'll see how that goes.

In other news, I'm a bit riled about the unauthorized attention-seeking couple at the White House state dinner the other night. You have to admit, though: they got their attention, alright.

Also: it seems odd that a Muslim holiday is a New York City wide celebrated holiday... I'd be curious to see what other holidays they support and what the payoff for the people is from that.

Thanksgiving: Observations

Every year when it comes time for Thanksgiving, it seems that everyone feels the need to remind us to "be thankful all the time." Of course, we don't hear the reminder again til the next Thanksgiving. I have to wonder what life would be like if we constantly lived in a state of gratitude - acknowledging that life wasn't always epically fantastic, but that we had something for which to be thankful. Aside from that musing, I'll go ahead and admit it: I'm not constantly grateful. And that's something that I need to work on. This Thanksgiving, though, has made me more aware of what I'm thankful for.

1) Biola. Oh my goodness, it's been an experience beyond imagination. I'm learning to think well and to see the world within the context of God's word at all times. Not to mention, there's fabulous community and I'm building great relationships with other students as we explore the world.

2) California. Despite all my mock trash talking, I really am thankful for the state of California. Because I've been living here, I feel that I've gained an understanding for another culture and the way it functions. It's always good to see more of the world, isn't it?

3) Virginia. With my thankfulness of Cali noted, it is now fair to say that I am downright thankful for my home state. After all, the grand Old Dominion is one of the most beautiful states in the Union with some of the most beautiful people in it. I thank God constantly that I grew up in a town where doors are rarely locked, where the mountains are big, beautiful, and protective, and where community still exists.

4) Family. Speaking of community, let's talk about the best community ever. I love my family... immediate and extended. Being away definitely leads to a realization that no family will ever be as cool, funny, or loving.

5) Jesus. This is one big "no duh," but it is more true this season than ever before. I've been reading through the Old Testament for Torrey (Genesis-Joshua, to be specific) and I'm learning more and more about the holy nature of God, his justice, his love, his mercy and how everything points forward to Christ. How undeserving am I to be chosen simply because he loves me? After all, I know that more often than not, I too am like an Israelite, grumbling simply because I've forgotten his goodness.

There's my top five. There's much more, but it would go on and on. Tell me, what are you most thankful for?

My Life Is...

Average! Or is it? It seems that we go through phases of the best ways to kill time here in the grand setting of University. You log onto the computer to write an essay and instead find stories about people who have average lives, check your facebook, write a blog post, look at awkward family photos, or use mystery google. All of these things are exciting... or are they? What in the world attracts us to these websites? What is it about our culture that allows us to believe that it is truly better to absorb our time with reading and relishing the experiences of others, instead of experiencing life on our own?

What if we took the 15 minutes spent on MLiA or facebook and instead used that to converse with family or friends? Have we spent so much time in artificial communication that we've effectively destroyed true community?

As my friend Devon noted, it's ironic that I channel my frustrations about technology here. On a blog. In fact, it may be a bit ridiculous. Although, it may be the only way I can be heard. You tell me.

International Media and Me

Part of becoming excellent at my trade is learning from the masters. It is helpful to observe the many unique news outlets. In this exercise for Foundations, I'll take a look at three different international sources and their approach to news: BBC, Deutsche Welle, and France 24.

In comparison to the typical American news outlet, many European news sources have a broader view of the world and include all of Europe instead of just their specific country. Like the NYT and the Washington Post, which I discussed earlier, these companies use the internet's ability to display multimedia.

At a glance, the three sources seem to have somewhat similar goals. Each of the three displayed a story about the upcoming UK inquiry into the war on Iraq. Clearly, each thought it was an important topic, although it only affected the UK. Each story had shared sources, but differed in form.

The BBC, which has the most at stake in the story, broadcasted the public hearings live in conjunction with their article. They also included blocks with details such as upcoming witnesses and a timeline.

DW's story had many pictures and captions incorporated into their article, but no other multimedia. However, they did set their sub-head significantly apart from the story. This allows the reader to see what the story is about at a glance.

France 24 used a wire report on the situation. They only had one picture within the article. They did have a link to a related article, which was helpful. The site also allowed comments that would be published, unlike the previous two sites.

In general, the three companies seem to have many different takes on journalism. The BBC utilizes audio and slideshows within their stories, giving them a well-developed feel. They make use of video in conjunction with many stories. They also have a segment that I particularly enjoy: “One-Minute World News.” Updated regularly, it gives the latest news for the hour.

DW works less with video multimedia. They are careful to incorporate pictures in a detailed way into most articles, allowing the reader to glimpse them as they read. DW also works with radio journalism. Similar to the “One-Minute” feature, you can listen to the world headlines at the top of every hour on their site.

France 24 has the most seamless integration out of all of the websites. They incorporate video into many of their stories. Oftentimes the video is displayed as a photo, with a play button in the corner. Articles often have more than one video. France 24 makes strong use of video to support each story.

The thing that stuck out to me through this exercise was the awareness that the rest of the world thinks on a more global scale than the US. Take any of these sources and compare them to an American news outlet, and you'll see that they have a broader perspective. As part of my striving to excel, I must broaden my view as well.

Give Me My Eggo!

Breaking news: there is going to be a national shortage of Eggo waffles. Read more about it here.

As a college student, I am incredibly concerned about this delicious snack becoming hard to find. The most concerning part is that the stock of Eggos won't be back to normal until mid-2010. How are we supposed to get a waffle fix until then?

California Dreamin'

So I was thinking about all the details of what goes into a good blog. If you've read any blogs besides this one, you'll understand that it completely depends on what the author wants to do. For instance, news blogs are great. However, sometimes the ones that tell fun stories are also great. It just depends on what's going to be accomplished. I've decided I want to synthesize a news aspect with a story of my life kind of aspect. We'll see how it shakes out.

Anyway, I've been in California for almost three months now and there are plenty of stories that I find at least mildly entertaining. I think I've done a good job of finding a new balance. There are tons of fun things to do and I've only scratched the surface so far - Disneyland, Huntington Beach, late night movies, and on campus events.

I came to the startling and very exciting realization today that my semester is almost over! I only have 27 days before I hop on an airplane back to a land where others understand the word "y'all," sweet tea flows readily, and the horizon is obstructed only by trees and mountains - not brick and concrete.

Clearly, I'm rather excited about going home. (And with a home like I have, who wouldn't be?) However, I'm also aware that I've got a good thing goin' here. As I sit outside in a t shirt and jeans, pounding out ideas on my laptop, I can't help but stop and be grateful.

I don't have much homework this week, so I've had a delightful week. I've been reading and gleaning new ideas. I've been engaging with the New York Times and seeing what's going on in the world. I've been relaxing and being renewed.

Life is slow this week - and that is good. There's been a lot to learn this semester and many hard times, but I know I'm where I should be. And that - that is very good.

Bureau News!

This week my Foundations class has been functioning as a bureau. A news bureau is an organization (ex: The AP) with teams that collect and compile information on a particular story. My team of 7 students had 45 minutes to finish our story.

As we scattered throughout campus to interview students about financial aid, we only had 30 minutes. Not only did we have to get multiple interviews, but we had to ensure they were diverse. A huge interviewing lesson was if I don't seem rushed, the source won't feel rushed. This allows a source to feel relaxed while telling their story.

After finishing an interview, I would text information to the "chiefs," who stayed behind to compile the story. I had to pay much closer attention than I normally do when sending texts, making sure to properly attribute sources.

When we gathered back together, we had interviewed diverse students and compiled it into a detailed piece on financial aid. It took each member of the team to make the story excellent. This exercise taught me the value of working with a team on gathering news - we found much more in little time than we could have found alone.

What is news?

Okay. So my title seems a bit strange for a journalism major. After all, isn't journalism all about news and writing it? I've been mulling over this for the past few days and have decided I'm not sure that our culture has a proper definition of news.

I just looked up "news" on my handy mac dictionary and here's how it defined news: "newly received or noteworthy information, esp. about recent or important events."

In turn, I tend to think of news as the most recent status update on facebook or the latest gossip about Kate-plus-8-minus-John. In my generation, we have a startling tendency to be unaware to anything but that which entertains us. As a result, our mind narrows.

For instance, I've heard my friends and myself log onto facebook and question, "I wonder what's going on in the world today." Wouldn't that be a more pertinent question to ask the New York Times or the Washington Post? Or when we want to learn more about something outside of our immediate circle, we'll catch up on the latest issue of People and find out about the next Twilight, High School Musical, or Harry Potter bit of gossip.

This constant connectivity seems to have done nothing but make our world smaller. With everything at our fingertips, we no longer have a need to be informed. It's a concerning trend, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out in the next 5 years or so.

Imagination in Media

As the news is revealed today that Major Hasan, the shooter of the Fort Hood shootings, was in contact with a radical cleric in Yemen, it causes the reader to think. For instance, how would this feel as a Muslim member of the military?

Here are some thoughts that I may have were I in that position:

- Is this story fully investigated? Is it really warranted? After all, there have been many instances where all media sources jump on a bandwagon only to discover later that the whole story has changed.

- Is it really possible to conjecture that this was his motive? Simply because he was in contact with the cleric does not mean he was necessarily encouraged by that.

- Isn't the word "radical" a good clue that not every Muslim is like this? It seems unfair to characterize the actions of an entire religion by the radical beliefs of two men.

- Where is the counter-story? Why isn't there a story on Muslims in the military who are peaceful, American citizens who want to fight for their beloved homeland? In a situation like this, where the idea of Muslims within the military is becoming wrapped up in solely Hasan, it seems that there should be some kind of "balance."

I find the last one to be my biggest contention. As a Christian, I am aware that there is a problem of evil within the world. Hasan was an evil man who chose to act on those impulses.

However, I have no doubt that there are many Muslims who are faithfully serving in the military to serve me and keep me safe. I am so thankful for each of them, and am incredibly hesitant to only look at Hasan. Whenever there is an extremist in a situation, it seems almost necessary to remind the American people that there are many other "normal" people in the same category.

So Many Mediums of Media!

"Print media is dying out, you know.” That's almost always the first response I get when I explain that I'm a journalism major. While there is definitely some amount of truth to that statement, as a print emphasis student, I have to push back a bit.

One of the excellent things about the direction print has taken is a tendency to use the internet to more clearly describe a story. It is highly intriguing to see the differences between the print and internet versions of The New York Times. It is also interesting to notice the difference between separate papers, but that comes later.

Both the internet and physical print editions of the paper have their own benefits and drawbacks. For instance, when you pick up the print copy of the NYT, it feels tangible. The stories are arranged on the front page in a way that tells you what should be most important. In contrast, the stories online are just listed, with much less separation.

With the physical paper, reading a story briefly is much easier. The lede is right there for you to see, making it more effective. However, online, less is available at a glance. Instead, the reader must click on the link to find more information.

The best feature about the internet, though, is the amazing amount of variety in mediums available. Through a plethora of pictures and video, even more of each story is told besides simply the print. For example, in Friday's paper, the Fort Hood story was the main story on the front page. The article had a huge center photo to grab attention, but very little beyond that. Online, the story contains quick links to other stories as well as photographs, a map and video.

When you read the NYT every day and frequent their website numerous times throughout the day, it becomes easy to forget to broaden your view. The Washington Post's online section is set up differently and their articles reflect the severe differences between D.C. and New York.

For instance, while the New York Times' front page contained stories about Palestine, the New York Police, a gruesome discovery in Cleveland, a review of Afghan forces, and of course, the Fort Hood rampage.

In contrast, the stories on the online front page section of the Post did include two stories on the rampage as well. However, the other two were on political issues. However, some things did not change. Both Fort Hood stories utilized extra media online such as pictures.

When the text of the stories is actually compared it becomes apparent that these are two very different papers. The stories differed in content, sources and style. However, the same basic facts transcended through the story.

When a reader contrasts the different accounts, online and print, and between different papers, he is more fully equipped to understand the details of each story. This comparison allows him to be able to pick out nuggets of truth from each biased story.

Fort Hood Shootings

Reading about any kind of shooting should sicken everyone a bit. However, as someone who lived through the biggest mass shooting in the U.S. (at Virginia Tech) and saw all the ramifications play out, it absolutely nauseates me. My heart broke on learning more about the Fort Hood shootings.

I find the response to be very interesting. The media has been very slow to leap to the conclusion that the shooter was part of a terrorist extremist group. However, the more facts are gathered, the more that looks like a significant possibility.

It is an incredibly complex situation requiring much tact during coverage. President Obama serves as a figurehead for the media and the nation to look to in this tragedy. I read an article recently expressing the author's disappointment with his response to such a tragedy. Upon reading this, I looked up the video and found that it was much as the author had described. I, too, was saddened by Mr. Obama's response. In the wake of such an immediate tragedy, it only seems proper that he would deviate from his prepared speech. It seems as though he should address the nation's fears and concerns about the shootings, as well as his condolences to those who lost loved ones.

However, he spent the first few minutes discussing the conference and his shout-out to Dr. Joe Medicine Crow. When he finally did address the nation, there seemed to be a startling lack of emotion.

Am I the only one who is concerned that a conference took precedence over the loss of 13 American lives? Post your thoughts.

Church as Community?

Within the life of a Christian, it is important to denote that it is not a life led alone. Instead, Christianity is all about building relationships. However, in a society where we are so individualized, it has become difficult to understand what living life together really looks like.

As Christians, it is incredibly easy to become focused on our spiritual life alone. However, it is important to realize that we are to be building one another up as well. (Ephesians 4:29) Within Scripture, we see many examples of the early church, who broke bread together, sold what they had to give to the poor, and served together with "gladness and singleness of heart." (Acts 2:42-47)

"We say we want community, but are unwilling to make the sacrifices for it to happen. It's too inconvenient and messy. We want the benefit of church without her demands. Something has to change," says Jonathon Dodson in his Boundless article "Stop Going to Church." The beginning of finding a solid community to be a part of is being willing to make it happen. This can mean anything from sharing with those who are in need to opening your home for hospitality.

Too often, we look to see what we can get from church instead of how we can give to the Church. What are ways in which we can serve? Get involved? Love the Body? Joshua Harris would claim that you need to start by "Pour[ing] Your Life Into It."

Yes, going to church is an important thing. It quickly loses its excitement, though. But being the church is drastically more important. God should not be seen only in our relationships on Sunday morning. Instead, He should be evident in every relationship we have. There should always be this aspect of "koinonia." That is, fellowship and community.

Within the body of a church, one way to begin pursuing the idea of living life together is through small groups. For instance, Todd Hunter cast a vision for 3 is Enough groups. They "provides an imagination and structure for prayerfully paying attention to the Spirit, the people, and the events of our life," reads the website.

An interesting take is that only white people need small groups. Being a very white person myself, I can actually easily understand this line of logic. Perhaps for the typical white Christian, we need that extra push to connect with others. After this extra push, though, we should branch out and bloom.

Yet, don't forget that it is not all about us! Instead our ministry is through the power of the Holy Spirit and not of ourselves.

Once we have caught onto the vision of what it is like to share the events of our lives with others, then we can branch out and begin to pursue Christ-centered, meaningful relationships on our own. Then each relationship becomes a reflection of His glory for the good of others. What a different picture of the church than just a building with a steeple!

Classic Cartoons Have to Grow Up....

Or do they? During my five-minute study break tonight, I stumbled across an article on the NYT website. One that enraged me a little bit, pushed a button, if you will. Apparently, Disney has decided it is time to update Mickey. Frankly, I'm not okay with this. They feel the need to make Mickey cater to a generation of tweens who text and are more technologically advanced than even I am. In all honesty, I'm not sure if you can update Mickey enough to make a group who is at an age where they think they're too cool for anything think that Mickey is cool.

This also ties into a shocking discovery I made at Target the other day. Dora the Explorer, the pudgy, backpack-toting heroine of Nick Jr. grew up! I stumbled upon a Dora Explorer Girls doll. It's a "tween" version of Dora, and follows the model of Webkinz, where it's interactive with the web. Yessiree, plug Dora into your computer and you can change her hair, eye color, and jewelry! To some extent, I suppose it makes sense: the little girls that Dora was originally geared toward aren't so little anymore, and their favorite bilingual role model should grow old with them, perhaps. However, I was still a little taken aback at the concept of a growing-up Dora. I must say, once I got over my initial outrage, shock, and disappointment, I began to realize that she's a pretty classy modern doll (especially compared to Bratz.) Take a look at the review here and see what you think.

Beyond that, we have the familiar cases of Barbie and her breakup with Ken, the Bratz dolls who are simply trashy, and the maturation of other classic cartoons (Winnie the Pooh to name one.) So, is this a necessary thing? Do companies really need to change characters to have them evolve with the times? Or is their classic-ness (for lack of a better word), what endears them to us?

Comment and let me know your thoughts. I'm off to finish a paper!

The Differences in Blogging

Today in Foundations, we performed an experiment. Posing as hardcore liberals and then hardcore conservatives, we had to look up different hot-button issues and post about them. It gave me a great understanding of the differences between the different styles of each ideology. There are wack-jobs everywhere, but when it comes down to reliable sources, the liberals are typically allowed to be much more subtle. This is because most people are so used to hearing their thoughts and ideas that it's nothing new for them. On the other hand, conservatives do not have this same ability. They have to be very loud and clear about what they believe because they feel as if they are presenting new ideas to the entire nation. To some extent, I would have to say I can't blame either side for their tactics. However, it is clear that something needs to be done to level the playing field if people really desire "unbiased" journalism the way they say they do.

I Miss...

Food. For one thing, as great as the caf at Biola is, you can still tire of the same meals. (There was one week I ate pizza about six times.) There's plenty of great food out here in La Mirada... but most of it is hard to experience without a car.

Thank God for a Chickfila. I get a sweet tea fix there and it's like a taste of home. Also, I've been recently introduced to In-N-Out, which I feel is essentially the mascot restaurant for SoCal. It is pretty tasty, I'll admit.

Yet after living in the same small town for 18 years, I had gotten set in my routine of the same food. I liked my routine. So yes, I miss restaurants from Blacksburg (not to mention my mom's cooking.) A few of my favorites are the following:

• Elderberry's Smoothies & Wraps: Oh my goodness, the best chicken caesar wrap a girl could ask for. Each wrap and smoothie is full of flavor. Not to mention the atmosphere of their shops is absolutely wonderful. Because it's locally owned and operated, everything feels homey at Elderberry's.
  
• Souvlaki: The caf serves gyros, but no one can serve up a gyro like good old Souv's. No more than a tiny hole in the wall, it's the place to go in Blacksburg for some amazing Greek food. Suggestion: when eating with more than three people, you may want to venture out onto Henderson Lawn to partake of your meal.
  
• Bojangles': I know this is a chain. Yet it's also only in the east. (Oh, and Honduras.) Looking at the map was rather depressing, really. We got a Bojangles' in Blacksburg about 2 weeks before I left. Their spicy chicken and biscuits are delicious, especially with a sweet tea. I've asked friends, "So... do y'all have a Bojangles'?" You can tell the answer is no since they look at me like I've just uttered a completely foreign word.
  
• Jimmy John's: Yes, it's another chain. Yet I fully expected to see this one out here. Everyone who's had Jimmy John's knows that it tops any other chain sub shop. After all, they are "freaky fast." Plus, their subs are simply delightful. I firmly believe that eight inches is the perfect sub length.
  

There you have it. My top four missed eateries from the East Coast. You can bet I'll be eating plenty of each of them during my six weeks of Christmas break. In fact, between my favorite restaurants and my mom's cooking, I may just gain the full freshman 15 over break!