Since I graduated from College, I basically have shut down my brain. Now it's beginning to come back on-line, having recovered from its late exertion, and has been occupied with evil.

That's because I've been reading The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Doestoyevsky, and it is startling how convincing his portrayal of the brothers are. I'm about 2/5ths of the way through it at the moment (for those of you familiar with the book, this is the part in which the narrarator records Alyosha's recording of the Elder's discourse about himself).

It's amazing how good the Elder is, and how evil someone like, say, Ivan, Dmitry or his father is. And you get the impression that even darling Aleksey has something inside of him that is Karamazovian. I suppose that I, too, am a Karamazov.

It is sure to me that there is no good on earth that cannot be corrupted by man, and that no man on earth can save all the goods on earth by his own power. It is only by the Grace of God that nature is preserved, and the only incorruptible things on this earth are miraculous gifts that he gives us. Because we are just that screwed up.

Check out the Horton Web Cam!

http://www.biola.edu/webcam/BiolaWebCam_v18.htm

Friends don't let friends drive away from their wedding reception in a plain car. We're good friends.

Dude. There was a chocolate fountain!

I found the handsomest groomsman and sat by him.

This is the origami box that I learned how to make. And that is my See's Candy sucker.

Joe spent the reception folding origami boxes...and teaching some of us how to do the same. By the way, that is not a cigarette he's got; it's a See's Candy sucker.

And here's the happy couple at the reception. Sure, you could make lots of jokes about their height difference, but the long and the short of it is...eh, never mind.

As promised, I bring you pictures from the Guenther wedding. To start us off, here is one of Katie getting ready with a couple of trusty bridesmaids, Heather and Catherine...in the toddler room at the church.

One of my roommates for two years, Katie Fisher, is getting married today. It's kind of a bitter-sweet thing for me and Bethany (my other roommate of two years). We're very happy for Katie and Dustin. They're about to enter a wonderful new phase of their lives and bind themselves to one another for as long as they both shall live. But we're sad to see her go. This apartment has been a real blessing to all of us, and it's not going to be the same. We've actually had a 4th roommate all along, but each semester that person has changed. Katie is the first of us "constant three" to leave, so it's going to be really different. The three of us, especially, have really had a special community, and at no other time in our lives will it be like this. But that's ok. In fact, it's good! This is the way it ought to be. I mean, c'mon, it would be really weird if the three of us were still living in this apartment together when we were 40. Katie and Dustin will be starting their own new community, population: 2. And for Pete's sake, it's not like we'll never see them again! The community we've had isn't being dissolved, just altered.

So, this afternoon, Bethany and I will wear long periwinkle dresses and stand up on stage with Katie, who will be looking the most beautiful she's ever been. And it'll be a very good day.

P.S. Jonathan will be wearing a tux with a periwinkle vest and standing up on stage with Dustin, with whom he has roommed for 3 years.
P.P.S. Maybe I'll post some pictures of this event.

My left leg got quite a workout tonight.

See, I learned how to drive stick shift. Well, here's the thing: I'm obviously not what you would call great at it, but I've got the basics. I drove around on the streets for a while (I started in a big empty parking lot and stayed there till I was more comfortable with it) and got up to 4th gear. There's still lots to learn, of course (for example: hills). But it's a start. And it was really fun! Ok, well honestly, there was a while at the beginning when it was not fun; it was pretty frustrating. That's when I kept making the same kind of mistake over and over and couldn't figure out how to fix it. It's no fun to try to learn something and not be making progress. But once I got past that it was really exciting!

And Jonathan is very helpful and patient. :-)

Here is a heart-wrenching story about some people trying to save a life, despite great tragedy:

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050616-121815-6990r.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-06-15-saving-baby-cover_x.htm

This is the story of Susan Torres, a woman whose brain recently stopped functioning due to malignant melanoma. They are keeping her body alive so she can bring her unborn baby to 25 weeks, at which point it has a chance of survival. It's heart-wrenching, and if someone has the means, there are ways (available in the article) to help alleviate the hospital bills, anyway.

We can also pray.

This is such a good summer. Jonathan and I get to spend lots of time together...every day (imagine that!). It's sooo much better than last semester. And the semester before that. And come to think of it, it's a whole lot better than last summer too (when I was working late on weekdays and even several weekends). So, basically, life is really good.

I just finished reading Lilith by George MacDonald. That is a good book; I definitely recommend it. Parts of it were a little slow-going for me, but the overall story is just great. The end is especially beautiful. I now have a better understanding of why C.S. Lewis chose George MacDonald as his guide through Heaven in The Great Divorce. Maybe I'll reread that next.

Here's a picture of the cabin, with a fallen tree in front.

And this is Lake Mary. Still has ice on it!

Here are some pictures from Mammoth, taken recently by Dave and Beth Lowe. It's June. And there's still snow. Crazy. Look how pretty it is, though! This is Emerald Lake.

This is for Elementary PE teachers everywhere:

Here's a game where no one loses--footsies. Seriously, folks. Have you ever heard someone say, "I was playing footsies the other day, but I lost pretty bad." ??? No, of course not! Everyone wins! So, that makes it a great candidate for Elementary PE. Everyone can participate, and no one loses. Of course, to keep it modest, the girls would need to wear long pants so their ankles remain covered. Clearly. And before begininng, everyone could do toe-curls or something to warm up.

This post makes me feel uncomfortable. I mean, are you imagining it? Do you see the little kids lined up playing footsies? That's just wrong.

But it makes me laugh. Is that bad?

Biola's Bookstore is having its "Buy it so we don't have to count it" sale this week. It started Monday and I don't know when it ends. It's 30% off all store merchandise... plus a 10% staff discount! So it was 40% off (they take the 10% off the pre-sale price).

I bought some cool books at it:

1. The Princess and Curdie - macdonald
2. The Princess and the Goblin - macdonald
3. Lilith - macdonald
4. Phantastes - macdonald
5. Norton's selection of Tennyson's poetry - tennyson
6. selected essays: rennaissance and medieval literature - c.s. lewis

I can't remember what else I bought, but I'm pretty much the most excited about Tennyson. I am going to have to take a Saturday morning and set it aside to read "In Memoriam." Alright! More great English poetry!

At the moment, I'm trying to read The Brothers K. 30 pages in, the spectre of its continuing for another several thousand is daunting, but the translation is engaging, and I can see some interesting things coming along.

Libby and I just finished reading On the Shores of Silver Lake (Laura Ingalls Wilder). That was a pretty good Little House book. I liked it. Laura Ingalls caught a glimpse of Almanzo Wilder! Gasp! We'll have to see what develops!

Next we will read King Lear together. It is the greatest Shakespeare that we haven't read, and so it's a must-read. I read the first scene recently and I liked it a lot. Poor Cordelia. I am looking forward to this the most of all the books that I'm reading. This year I've come to appreciate Shakespeare for what he really is: the best author ever to write in our language. There are a few really great books, and fewer great authors. Shakespeare is ours! There's so much to learn from him! Richard III was so amazing to get into. I don't understand the half of it yet, but I can see enough to be awed.

After we finish Lear we are going to read the Silver Chair, and then we will read the next Little House book. We're rotating our way through the Narnia series and the Little House series. The Narnia books take less time to read, I think because the chapters are longer.

We are so literary.

Well, it's now been one week since Libby and I graduated from Biola University. No longer college students, we struggle for existence against the waves of debt and difficulty flowing from supporting one's self in this topsy-turvy world.

Ha ha, no it's pretty good so far. We get to see each other a lot more than we did in the semester.

I'm adjusting to my new job. Libby's calling for the Academy (she's recruited the most applicants!) and tutoring.

Because our schedule is so much more regular now, I seem to have a lot less time to use the internet, so I don't really have all that much time to post. But that's ok, I'll find time to post if anything important occurs to me or happens to me. And I'm sure Libby will, too.