Late nights

Nothing says "I love you" like a goldfish to the head.
-Michelle Vierra

I just saw Mount Rushmore; that was really weird. And I wasn't there.
-Adrienne McCabe

Adrienne: What is going on with my back?! Ahhhh!! Get it off!
Amal: I heard you all the way down the hall.
Adrienne: There was something on my back. I'm sure it was a mouse.
Amal: That's cool.

Are we strange enough yet?

Goodbye, Jezebel...

IBEXers are no longer allowed to visit this site...

Happy Valentine's Day, Smiley!

Yotvata chocolate milk is best from a bag...

Ummm, can dead fish fall in love?

Tetherball in the Wilderness...with a camel salt lick...

A porcupine left Heather a quill for her hair...

Jer went a little too long without a shower...it started to affect his brain...

You never know what you will find/buy in Bethlehem...

Don't you just love Elvis...

Viola Sightings #24 and #25

Viola was spotted at Ventura Beach, sporting new headgear and taking in the sun.

Immature

So I have been recognizing recently, our society loves immaturity. Do I think I am mature? No, not completely. I believe we are all mature in different areas. But what I have found disturbing is society's obsession with immaturity.
It is in the cartoons. It is in the movies. It is in the comic strips. It is in the advertising. We laugh at immaturity. I am not talking about immaturity in children. They are "supposed" to be immature; they are children. High schoolers and junior highers and college students are all learning how to be mature. In fact, the maturation process should never stop. But when we are entertained by immaturity, then I worry.
It is in the cartoons.
- It is supposed to be funny when someone is acting in a childish way, like getting worked up over something small (a brother saying something harmless, for example) and throwing a fit. This is not attractive. This is disturbing.
It is in the movies.
- It is supposed to be funny when people do not have the maturity to handle various situations, such a breaking up with a boyfriend/girlfriend (screaming, yelling, shifting blame, lying, etc.) or learning some piece of upsetting news (not like death, more like, the car is broken). Or it is supposed to be funny when people cannot relate well to others and they make fun of them instead (their language, clothes, mannerisms, whatever).
It is in the advertising.
- It is supposed to be funny when some lady on a radio commercial can't handle a certain question and she "flies off the handle," screaming. Or it is supposed to be funny when someone else compares getting rid of an old car to getting a divorce ("You never do what I want! You are good for nothing!").

Why should we be entertained by this? If we were to see these things in person, we would not be entertained. We would be appalled and/or saddened. Things are bad enough in real life. Yet if it is in the media, we are supposed to be entertained by it. Don't be a brainless observer. Decide things for youself.

Fun with friends

Lester: I can't do anything normal when you're around!


(Viola sighting #341: Viola was spotted hiding in the bushes near human resources; we think she wants to be their mascot)

Naomi: I hate time. It's always...going.

Viola Sighting #279

Viola was spotted in the ibex office, masquerading as the head of John the Baptist.

Roommate!

I realized last night that I have never written anything about my roommate! How terrible is that! I've been her roommate for a semester and half and I never said anything about her! Any way, her name is Adrienne. She is from Washington and is an ARA on our wing in Sweazy. We get along pretty well, though she is quiet, a little detached, and tends to zone out at times. In spite of these tendencies, Adrienne is usually a good listener; she often helps me figure out various problems. She really lives out her favorite phrase, "Two heads are better than one!"

Adrienne has to pay her own way in order to go to school, so she babysits 9 kids, 8 of which are boys. She is a model student. Her major is Computer Science, which is good because though she can't really focus on people, she has no problem sticking to her work. Oftentimes I will come back to our room and there she'll be, sitting in the same place I left her. All in all, she is a good roommate. I will be sad to see her go at the end of the semester.

Oh, if you want to see a picture of us in my office, I've included one below.

Define: opinionated

Quite a while ago, I was told by a friend that I was opinionated. I thought to myself, I don't really like that and I don't think that is true. The term opinionated seems to imply that you don't really think about what you believe. You just hold onto your views dogmatically. You don't care if a good argument is presented that may show your belief to be immature or incomplete or unwise. You are going to believe what you believe, and no one else's opinions or ideas matter.
In recent months I have found myself more willing to listen to others and to change my thinking if necessary. Therefore, I have an opinion, but I am willing to listen to reason. This is the way you learn. You allow yourself to consider other opinions on various matters. You thoughtfully weigh the options and decide on one, to the best of your ability.
I was trying to think of a biblical example of this, and I finally thought of the Bereans. The Bereans didn't just accept what Paul said concerning salvation. Rather, they took what he said and compared it to Scripture. It is important for Christians to do the same thing. We need to take what has been said and proposed and compare it to biblical principles. This is also a way to have a good testimony, to be willing to listen to others.

opinion
a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in one person's mind about a particular matter www.iclasses.org/assets/literature/literary_glossary.cfm

opinionated
obstinate in your opinions
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

obstinate
stubborn: tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield
contrary: resistant to guidance or discipline
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn