So, here goes life!

I think I'm done deciding how it's gonna be and what I'm gonna do: I'm ready to do it and be done with it, you know? Well, here it is, ladies and gentlemen: I'm getting my law degree and my MDIV! More later

Another Good Friday

I really love Fridays! I really enjoyed this past Friday, and I'm glad for that as it was one of my only free Fridays for the rest of the semester. I don't have official office hours, so after Chapel, I went home and cleaned up the house and did some laundry etc. I picked up Casey @ about 1:15 and we headed to Alley Cats for Lunch: it was really good [I don't like riding in his truck while his front passenger seat is still not so much fastened to the rest of the truck...]. Afterwards, we went to the new Texas bookstore downtown and then to the Choclaitre. I got dark chocolate orange cremes and he got milk chocolate carmels.

Afterwards, I went to the office to see what was going on, and the great ORGANIZE A HISTORY OF SA Project was underway. So, I ended up getting sucked into hanging out there untill 7:00 or so. [Actually, I wasn't so much hanging out as I was slaving away reading old files and cleaning them out and organizing. Hm...] Now, I was supposed to see a moive and get dinner with Tyler but it turns out his medicine for his sinus infection didn't just make him high as a kite, it knocked him out for the duration of the evening. So, when it was 7:30 and he hadn't called, I made other plans.

I went to to Taco Bell [shudder - I hate that place] with Suzanne and then we went over to her house to watch Bridget Jones' Diary. Afterwards, we went over to Layne's and picked up him and Alex [the commie] and we went back to Suzanne's and watched White Chicks. It was great fun, and I am now pouring myself into bed someitme around 1:00.

Last semester @ ACU?
So far, so good...

FGM

I'm not quite sure what I think about the word clitondectomy. To be quite frank, actually I'm sure I hate it, and I'm simply unsure how to communicate that without sounding like some zealot who needs some cheese and crakers and an episode of Barney. I personally, prefer to use the words FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION, because that is EXACTLY what it is.

130 million women worldwide have suffered at the hands of patriarchy and undergone this horrific experience. A recent Justice Testament from the International Justice Mission says that FGM occurs most frequently in 28 African Countries and a good number of the 16 Middle Eastern Countries, some in Asia and immigrant families in Europe and here sporadically engage in the practice.

You can use a word like clitorindectamy for a women who gets an operation in a hospital, not for GIRLS under 14 and some as young as 4 who get MUTILATED without ANSTHESIA while being SAT ON and HELD DOWN while NAKED with a TIN CAN LID or a SHARD OF GLASS.

The power of words is the most awesome power in all creation, for one word can rob a world of voices crying in the darkness from their humanity.

I'll be more careful with my words I chose and I hope you will be too.

Jerk

So do you guys ever have those days where you feel like the biggest jerk in America? Today was definately one of those days for me, you know what I mean? Well, after IJM Chapel today, I'm walking through the campus center with Justin and Sarah C. and Joey when Zach comes up and grabs me and says "I HAVE to show you something!!!" He drags me over to the Freshens Yogurt area where there is a guy I've had in class before [and, shamefully yes, I already have a bad impression of him] with a sign in orange highligher on white computer paper that says "REPUBLICANS ARE EVIL LIARS". I asked him why he had this sign on his computer, and he responded "It's an assignment". And when I found out he had no intelligble answer much farther than "I don't really care" and "All people are evil liars" my attitude didnt' really improve much. Shamefull, isn't it?

This is just another example of my hammering someone who probably didn't quite deserve it. I need to be more careful of how I use my gifts I think. But, what should I do? I mean, yes I can walk away, but there are people out there DYING because they just want to speak or vote or walk in freedom and without fear and this uneducated indivdual is NOT taking advantage of his freedom of speech to advocate for antyhing or anyone - just to incite anger and resentment so he can write it down in his Pokeman notebook. No. I'm sorry, just NO.

I'm Sooo Excited!

So remember me speaking at the Economic Outlook Conference yesterday? Well, someone heard me and heard Dr. McCalub buildin' me up and that person happened to work @ THE ABILENE REPORTER NEWS and went back and told someone...

Later that night, someone called me and wanted to INTERVIEW ME!! So, I met him today and I'll be in Saturday's paper - excited, I THINK SO. BUYAH!


Ok, so I am officially leaving Abilene next Thursday after Congress and the Legislative Process on the 4:20 flight to Houston, and then I'm connecting to LAX. THE CONFERENCE IS GONNA BE A BLAST!! Oh, the Lord is showing me so much.


PEACE OUT
A-TOWN STOMP

The Best Weekend Ever

Ok, so I just had the best weekend of my life you know it? Well, first of all, I won 1st in Extemp @ my tournament and that was my last bid for Nationals for AFA. [It makes that my third bid this semester for NFA Nationals in Extemp, and I'm the first person in the HISTORY of ACU Forensics! Buyah!] I also won 3rd place in Speaks for Parli and my partner and I won 1st in Parli by TOTALLY TEARIN' UP these jerks from Arkansas State - it was oh so gratifying [in the most Christian way possible of course.] But oh wait - IT DOES INDEED GET BETTER!

Dr. McCalub's office called me to ask me to make a small thank-you speech at the Economic Outlook Confrence on Monday.

And THEN...

My department called to say that the Pepperdine School of Law had called them to invite me and one other Senior to the Law and Social Justice Conference AS THEIR GUESTS! Ahhh right!!! Hm...what law school should I go to???

Goodness

So the first week of school is OFFICIALLY OVER. I'm so excited about my last semester here at ACU. I mean, I'm not excited that I'm leaving, but I'm excited that I'm graduating. This week has been a blast so far. This past weekend, I judged the Abilene High Speech and Debate Tournament [for free] because it is something our squad does as a favor to Abilene High. About half of my team showed up to put in the hours also, and Casey went to. He judged Ted Turner debate and extemp, and watched one CX round with me. He totally had a blast, and enjoyed Ted Turner debate a bunch. He has been thinking about joinin' the team, and I think that put him over the line.

Friday night, the last round was over at like 11:00 at night, and I dropped everyone off at home and got all the way back to my apartment before I realized I was STARVING. So, when Casey called and said he was going to Taco Bell and should he pick me up, I was like, UM YAH! So, we got some Taco Bell - NOT my fav but u know, this IS Abilene - and watched the Emperor's New Groove till like 1:30 or something in the morning. Probably not a genius thing to do, as we had to be at Abilene High by 7:45 the next morning, but we made it. After the tourny on Saturday was over, Casey and I met Gudgel and Cheryl for dinner @ the Cotton Patch, and then we watched The Bachelor. Afterwards, we talked till about 12:00, and then Gudge and Cheryl went home. Casey and I stayed up till 1:00 or so, and then to bed I went and he went home.

This morning I went to the 8:00 am service @ Highland, like always, and went home and went to sleep. I was supposed to eat lunch with him @ 12:30 after he got out of church, but I fell asleep. So, when he called @ 12:30 I was like,"um...hello? Oh hi Casey. Yes, yes I am sleeping, but only kinda. No, I didn't forget, yes I'm coming." Subway, mm...Tuna on wheat with bannana peppers, olives and tomatos. Yes!!

The Eagles beat the Vikings, I'm upset...Casey's extatic and Tim is waiting for the Patriots to win a Superbowl. Sorry dude, not gonna happen.

I'm @ Extemp Lab now, so I'd better go.

Peace Out
A-Town STOMP