Lem's posted a great passage on love and marriage by C.S. Lewis on his blog. It's pretty late at night for me to add anything to it, but this is the big event in my life right now.

Phil is preparing to enter marriage with his girlfriend of over three years. We were friends with Phil for only a month after arriving at Biola in the Fall of 2001 before he and Alisha were going out. It's worked out beautifully, and we've seen them grow incredibly both as a couple and as individuals. They're people of admirable character, and Phil has provided wonderful leadership and love in our house with his commitment to a common purpose of community living. Alisha, too, has noticably matured, growing into a God centered woman with serious concerns for his kingdom, as even a fairly shallow acquaintance over the last few years could reveal. Their relationship is a great opportunity for growth for the two of them, and our whole community is excited about this next step.

Tomorrow is the rehearsal, and Friday's the main event. Exciting times for all!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I found an interesting article on the history of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" through Hugh Hewitt's blog. Here's the link: Mark Roberts.

While I was typing out "Hark the Herald Angels," I accidentally typed "Hark the Herald Angels Sin." That's a funny typo.

Star Wars Christmas Album

The above link is to a site making fun of a Star Wars Christmas Album. Yes... a Star Wars Christmas Album. I'm not joking. Not only is it Star Wars, and Christmas, starring Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, but also it has BON JOVI! Anyway, the link has all this amazing information on it. So I submit it for your viewing pleasure. Be warned, though, it is laced with a lot of profanity.

An interesting piece of information was found by my girlfriend the other day while she was reading Christy, the book about a teacher in rural poor mountain American communities way back when.

It turns out "Mountain Dew" refers to moonshined alcoholic beverages from the back mountains! I know, I know, it's hard to believe, but it's true!

Here's the link she sent me: The History of Mountain Dew". This is a reliable source, too, since it's the drink's main website.

It's interesting that people think it will sell better if it uses alcoholic names. I, personally, don't buy soft drinks because of that, because, hey, I want a soft drink! Curious history lesson, though.

I read a good definition of poetry this semester.

Samuel T. Colderidge's definition, found in his Biographia Literaria, is, in my opinion, pretty spot on. His view is that poetry is the most pleasurable form of written expression, and this is because it is an organic whole. That is, every part plays into every part, and the unified idea is thereby communicated the most effectively. The pleasure comes from looking into the details and finding, again and again, more of the whole: the idea (hopefully a truth) that the poem communicates.

The problem for the Romantics in defining poetry was the use of meter. Coleridge's definition resolves this: meter is a way of organizing words such that every one has a proper place. This allows the words, in a way that a novel can never achieve, to each have an ideal place, a place where they can communicate the idea most effectively through rhythm and rhyme, etc. Meter also allows one to create a feel that prose cannot, for example, the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner is written as a mariner's ballad. This kind of poetry is intrinsic to a certain kind of England, and creates the character of the Mariner. It creates a time and a place through which the character can be understood while minimizing narrative time.

That's why poetry can be so condensed, and why dense poetry is so pleasurable, it's food for thought for days and days.

The Sophomore Torrey students are going to be able to use this text as their text this year in reading Chaucer. This is cool, becuase they'll be reading the actual book in the actual language, using this helpful site. This version of Chaucer is an edited version that uses the archaic vocabulary, but it's glossed with modern English equivalents and modern spelling. From looking over a tale, it looks to me that sometimes the gloss will be absolutely necessary but sometimes it will be redundant. All the same, it's a neat opportunity.

The version can be found here: Michael Murphy's Chaucer.

Here's a link to a site without the modernized spelling that includes a great deal of Middle English literature available to the public, including Gawain and the Green Knight and Chaucer: both Troilus and Cressida and the Canterbury Tales. I love these kinds of databases.

The Middle English Collection at the University of Virginia Library.

To even get a sense of what this is saying, sometimes, you'll need this site, which provides a neat introduction to translating Middle English into Modern English, and teaches some interesting things aobut Modern English in the process.

I saw Torrey Theater's production of a Christmas Carol last night. It inspired me to be happy, merry, and charitable this Christmastime. Good production. I almost cried when Tiny Tim died during the Christmas Future section. And when I came out I was full of Christmas cheer. If that's not a good production of a Christmas Carol, then I don't know what is!

I'm also reading the book with Libby. It's very good, as well. The stage production borrows most of its lines straight from its pages.

Anthony Flew, a leading British atheist, has become a theist. This is a major earthquake in the philosophical world.

Famous atheist now believes in God from Yahoo News

Also, the philosophical journal headed up by professors at Biola University, my own school, are going to publish an interview with him discussing his change in beliefs. While he's not a Christian, he is very sympathetic to the Christian religion. Here's a link to the interview:

Anthony Flew interview on Biola's Website

What strikes me in reading the interview is how reasonable a fellow Flew is. He's the sort of rational person that a fellow wouldn't mind talking to about anything. If someone is willing to change a belief that's very important to them because the evidence suggests that they're wrong, when thay're as old as he is, then they are humble in the face of Truth. That's just a great attitude for someone to have. I hope that this is the first step in a progress towards the true God.

I found something else at Jonathan's Ink, a Torrey grad's site, citing this interesting article by an atheist in response to Flew's conversion. Carrier tries to downplay and dismiss it.

Richard Carrier at secweb.com"

It sounds like a rear-guard action to keep more people from following Flew out of the coop. Fair enough.

A week and a half until the official end of the semester. Today is, in a sense, the last Wednesday of the semester.

I've had more than enough thoughts in the last week to fill a hundred blog posts, but the busy days have crowded them out of my mind. Exteriorly enforced mental discipline is not pleasant, but perhaps I'll grow from it.

Anyway, if there's one time I might be able to post, it's right before I start my work for the day. On the slate for this morning is a chapter of Historiography work in my text-book, followed by a dose of St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica on the Incarnation and the salvific power of Jesus Christ, God incarnate but true man, who walked earth 2000 years ago. To combine the two subjects of the morning: consider that Jesus Christ's life is a historical reality. Jesus really did walk and talk and do the miracles that the Gospels record. God really was walking on earth, 2000 years ago. God walked the earth, and yet... I still struggle with sin and not living entirely for this same God.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Listening to a lot of music lately, as I'm working at my computer continually. I've decided that the song that most represents for me this summer is Run, by Snow Patrol. This British rock song elicits, still, strong emotions and melancholy thoughts. Also, it brings back mememories of sitting on the back porch with Libby, or Lem (There's a particularly vivid memory of him dancing all crazy to the song), or Phil, with the music very quietly playing in the dark night.

It was nice when it was so warm we could all relax outside into the late evenings on Friday nights. Even so, the summer was somewhat melancholy because it didn't seem like I got to spend enough time with Libby. Funny thing is, I still don't feel like I get to spend enough time with Libby, and I'm not sure that I do get to spend any more time with her than I did in the summer... in fact, perhaps less. But the semester is soon to end!

I am tired of it, so it's about time. I wouldn't mind returning to this last summer, if only for the pleasant night-time weather, which is now replaced by chilling cold, which sends us all rushing indoors.

My first project once the rush of the semester's end is itself over, is to develop Christmas spirit, of which I've only felt glimmers at Church and in a few reflective thoughts walking from one place or another on Christ's wonderful gift. But, the general communitity spirit hasn't effected me yet. Christmas lights spark slight interest, but then are forgotten because of all the stress. I used to really like Christmas lights. I hope that I do again this year.

Erk.

Erk indeed, I am going to go to bed, now, because I think I have exhausted any useful work on my thesis, which I am turning an extensive outline in of tomorrow. It's not as much as I'd like to turn in, but I'm proud of what I did get done because I like my argument, which is of course the meat of the whole paper.

I like the argument because I think I'm right and I think nobody else has ever argued it before. That's great!