Reverb (15 and 16)

Reverb10


December 15 – 5 Minutes Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010. (Author: Patti Digh)

Firespinning at the handle bar and forest park. Wednesday nights. It's fun and amazing. People are great too.

I have good friends. I need to remember that. I need to remember to be willing to talk to them and be open and honest, even if I can't tell what they're thinking. the friends I have do have my back and it's sometimes hard to remember but i need to.

Hotpot night needs to be repeated. So much good fooooood. Also game nights are great.

I went to see Wicked at the Fox Theatre. It was awesome. Pretty singing and fun characters.

I learned that I don't hate being girly. Also, I discovered eyeliner and eye shadow this year. Crazy, right? but I actually do like them -- something else I should remember

Gokul is really tasty. They're opening up a new branch on teh loop. That means tasty tasty indian food close by. I love Chaat. I love bhel puri, dahi puri, and samosa chaat. I definitely need to remember that. :)

Quals this year was scary, but not the worse thing in the world. I can study adn focus and get to the point where I feel confident. I need to remember that about myself.

I also like classical music. I've forgotten that, but my friend made me go to the symphony. I like it now.

I also shot a gun for the first time. A revolver. It's actually quite fun. And when it's really cold outside and the metal gets warm, my hands are happier.

The Ren faire and pirate fest in STL are both lots of fun. I should go again and maybe bounce around and scream at jousting people more. :)

And the chinese wold expo.... hm... i'm out of time.

December 16 – Friendship How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?

I have never been religious. I never wanted to believe in a doctrine that has been passed down with seemingly arbitrary rules and strange customs. I don't like the idea of a higher being or anything like that. In fact, I tend to not be friends with super religious people (with the exception of one or two who are too awesome not to be friends with). So... it was weird when I made a new friend and got to know him and his religion.

I think when I make friends with people and really get to know someone, I give them a lot of leeway. Since I do care about my friends as individuals, I no longer try to lump them into some random category.

My friend is religious. He is religious enough that it shocks me. What shocked me more is the fact that he didn't grow up religious. I wanted to know what sort of intelligent, sensible human would spontaneously choose to listen to doctrines and follow random practices? I've discussed this issue with him. I think his answer boils down to the fact that he believes in God. Because he believes in God, he respects the god. From his respect stems a desire to honor the god. I think, in the end, following certain (what I think are silly and irrational sometimes) codes, practices, and traditions is a way to identify specifically with the religion he follows.

Somehow I'm ok with that. He made it personal and he doesn't blindly follow parts of his religion made up purely by church denominations. I think knowing how he chooses and his choices makes me feel more comfortable with his religion and its presence when I interact with him.

 I don't know if my willingness to give my friend leeway is something that has intrinsically changed in my views, but it is something that I ponder often.

<3
Hao