Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. ~Mother Teresa
I am fascinated by different cultures. Today I heard a good presentation that reminded me about high context and low context cultures. Some scholars argue that the American South is an example of a traditionally high context culture in the midst of a low context nation.
A related topic is direct versus indirect communication. I definitely think that in the South, women especially are socialized to communicate more indirectly. Even today, if I want someone else to do something, I always phrase it as a question instead of a command: "Could you please make a copy for me?" And I find it difficult to strongly criticize someone I'm talking to. Instead, I would say mostly nice things and slip a kindly worded suggestion in the middle. But if they were from my context, they would understand.
I think this type of background makes direct communication seem more jarring, especially when it comes from someone with whom you do not have a strong relationship. Understanding the cultural differences is essential.
What do you all think about this--especially those of you from the South?
A related topic is direct versus indirect communication. I definitely think that in the South, women especially are socialized to communicate more indirectly. Even today, if I want someone else to do something, I always phrase it as a question instead of a command: "Could you please make a copy for me?" And I find it difficult to strongly criticize someone I'm talking to. Instead, I would say mostly nice things and slip a kindly worded suggestion in the middle. But if they were from my context, they would understand.
I think this type of background makes direct communication seem more jarring, especially when it comes from someone with whom you do not have a strong relationship. Understanding the cultural differences is essential.
What do you all think about this--especially those of you from the South?
We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature--trees, flowers, grass--grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. . . . We need silence to be able to touch souls.
~Mother Teresa
~Mother Teresa
I'm reading this book for about the third time, and I have to say it's just as good this time around as it was before. This time I've gotten smart and gotten myself a free copy by agreeing to review it! :)
I decided to change back to a black layout. See what you think.
We accidentally went to Auburn on our road trip. It was the week after their national championship--not bad. We saw the toilet paper in the trees at Toomer's Corner and everything!
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. ~e.e. cummings
I went on a great road trip with a friend today. We drove all around the state, eventually making it to Eufaula. I'll post more pictures later if I get a chance!
I think it is safe to say that while the South is hardly Christ-centered, it is most certainly Christ-haunted.
~Flannery O'Connor
~Flannery O'Connor
I finally made it home and am enjoying the snow/ice from the warmth of my house. :)
Still stuck and not sure when I can get home...blah. At least I have a warm place to stay!
This is what happens at the bread aisle in the grocery story when snow is forecast for Alabama!(photo from www.alabamawx.com)
It's going to snow again...maybe a lot!!!
This is amazing, since it didn't snow at all for at least the first five or six years I lived in Alabama!
This is amazing, since it didn't snow at all for at least the first five or six years I lived in Alabama!
Every good, beautiful, perfect, inspiring, moving, joyful, sustaining, edifying, unifying, loving, gracious, whimsical, happy, life-giving, soul-stirring, paradigm-shifting, kind, generous alive thing is a gift from God.
~Cathleen Falsani
~Cathleen Falsani
(Tune: London Bridge)
Help us build a bridge of peace,
Bridge of peace,
Bridge of peace!
Help us build a bridge of peace,
Hi-ho, laddies!
Help us live in friendly ways,
Friendly ways,
Friendly ways!
Help us live in friendly ways,
Hi-ho, lassies!
Don't you wish you could come to the archives with me??
Help us build a bridge of peace,
Bridge of peace,
Bridge of peace!
Help us build a bridge of peace,
Hi-ho, laddies!
Help us live in friendly ways,
Friendly ways,
Friendly ways!
Help us live in friendly ways,
Hi-ho, lassies!
Don't you wish you could come to the archives with me??
I've been having more "fun" trying to decipher old handwritten minutes.
Try not to be too jealous.
Serendipity seldom strikes in the shower or on the beach--serendipity most often happens in the archives. ~Laurel Ulrich
I'm still recovering from 2010...here's to a better year ahead in 2011!
Don't look now, but Jesus is coming back in 1843. You heard it here first, folks.
Two inches of snow are on the ground at my house--the first white Christmas in almost 100 years. But I'm not there!
Baptists of the eighteenth century viewed Christmas as "worldly and popish."
Alabama was the first US state to officially recognize Christmas as a holiday. It did so in 1819.
Alabama was the first US state to officially recognize Christmas as a holiday. It did so in 1819.
...by reading this book and watching this video.
“Birmingham with her congestion of wealth devoted to selfish and worldly purposes presents a situation that should appeal to the heart of every true Christian.”
"In another generation I believe that liquor ill have disappeared not merely from our politics, but from our memories."
Women’s gifts to charity:
$3,204.45
7 pairs shoes
1 bed
1 suit furniture
1 sewing machine
63 chickens
1 quilt
$3,204.45
7 pairs shoes
1 bed
1 suit furniture
1 sewing machine
63 chickens
1 quilt
Watch out, world. I've been back in the archives again, digging up crazy old stuff like this. Okay, so this isn't technically part of my research project, but it's just too good not to share!
Some day I would like to go to a Christmas market in Europe. Beautiful....but freezing cold, I'm afraid. Nice to visit but not to stay!
O Lord our God,
we confess that we have slept through the night,
our world darkened by our sin,
and our energy sapped by our striving for unworthy goals.
Make us watchful and keep us faithful
as we await the coming of your Son our Lord;
that when he appears,
he may not find us sleeping in sin
but active in his service
and joyful in his praise.
we confess that we have slept through the night,
our world darkened by our sin,
and our energy sapped by our striving for unworthy goals.
Make us watchful and keep us faithful
as we await the coming of your Son our Lord;
that when he appears,
he may not find us sleeping in sin
but active in his service
and joyful in his praise.
". . . The past has such magical power. The beauty of its motionless and silent pictures is like the enchanted purity of late autumn, when the leaves, though one breath would make them fall, still glow against the sky in golden glory."
~Bertrand Russell
~Bertrand Russell
"I wonder if followers of Christ 150 years from now will look back at Christians in America today and ask, 'How could they live in such big houses? How could they drive such nice cars and wear such nice clothes? How could they live in such affluence while thousands of children were dying because they didn't have food and water? How could they go on with their lives as though the billions of poor didn't even exist?"
~David Platt
~David Platt
"Tell about the South. What's it like there. What do they do there. Why do they live there. Why do they live at all . . ."
~William Faulkner
~William Faulkner
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold,
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
--Robert Frost
Her hardest hue to hold,
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
--Robert Frost
Not enough students signed up for my class, so it was canceled. I'll try again next semester.
Too bad! Maybe next time I'll put up posters that say "Take Me for BP!"
Too bad! Maybe next time I'll put up posters that say "Take Me for BP!"
I'm having so much fun preparing for the class I'm teaching! I really love learning. Let's hope the students at least don't hate it!
Okay, people. Now that I'm old, I have to acknowledge something that I have learned and finally admitted:
My mother was right.
Here's just a sampling of the good advice that she gave me, and that I eventually decided to take:
My mother was right.
Here's just a sampling of the good advice that she gave me, and that I eventually decided to take:
- Don't put elastic in the dryer.
- Take your vitamins.
- Don't carry something by its power cord.
- Floss your teeth.
- Clip your fingernails over a garbage can.
- Always give people the benefit of the doubt.
So, all you young whippersnappers out there...listen to your mothers. :)
I have four different thermostats in my house right now, and none of them works right.
It is 58 degrees in my house.
And my parents are coming to visit tomorrow.
Remind me never, ever, ever, ever to own a home.
Here's a picture of the property I live on now--in the late 1930s.
Here's a similar view today.
Check out the growth of the tree in the upper left corner, among other things.
When I teach a class, I am never going to do anything to make any of my students feel like this."People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." ~Maya Angelou
96% of people in Birmingham describe themselves as Christians--the second highest of any US metropolitan area.
Birmingham has the highest rate of church attendance of any US city: 67%.
64% of people in Birmingham believe strongly in evangelism--the most of any US city.
more
Birmingham has the highest rate of church attendance of any US city: 67%.
64% of people in Birmingham believe strongly in evangelism--the most of any US city.
more
My blog seems to be getting boring. Facebook and Twitter are more fun, and I do a lot more there. So I changed my blog template, so you can at least have something new to look at. :)
God, you have given us enough to meet our needs
and those of our neighbors.
We confess that we value accumulation more than sharing,
and that we blame those who lack for their need,
never recognizing that you wish to provide for them through us.
Forgive us our overflowing storehouses
and unhealthy appetites.
and those of our neighbors.
We confess that we value accumulation more than sharing,
and that we blame those who lack for their need,
never recognizing that you wish to provide for them through us.
Forgive us our overflowing storehouses
and unhealthy appetites.
Hmm, I'm still here...nothing too exciting. I've been working and studying for the class I will be teaching. This is MUCH better than studying stuff for my dissertation. You can talk to me in person for my reflections on that experience (if you catch me in the right mood).
Anyway, now I'm the professor...strange!
Anyway, now I'm the professor...strange!
Today 45% of Americans ages 25 to 34 are married.
In the 1960s, more than 80% of Americans ages 25 to 34 were married.
In the 1960s, more than 80% of Americans ages 25 to 34 were married.
Try not to be too jealous of my exciting life. ;)
On my trip, I somehow lost my watch. The funny side of this was using my phone for an alarm. It was stuck on New York time, so I had to set it to wake me up at like 1:30 AM every day!
I'll have to buy a new watch, but that won't be very expensive.
I also broke my glasses, unfortunately. I had put them in the pouch in the back of the seat in front of me on the plane when I was trying to rest. I shifted my foot the wrong way, and POP--there went the glasses frame.
That mistake is either going to cost me $3 in super glue (unlikely to work), or $350+ in an eye exam and new glasses (more likely).
This turned out to be quite the expensive trip!
I'll have to buy a new watch, but that won't be very expensive.
I also broke my glasses, unfortunately. I had put them in the pouch in the back of the seat in front of me on the plane when I was trying to rest. I shifted my foot the wrong way, and POP--there went the glasses frame.
That mistake is either going to cost me $3 in super glue (unlikely to work), or $350+ in an eye exam and new glasses (more likely).
This turned out to be quite the expensive trip!
PRG-JFK-ATL-BHM
approximate travel time: 22 hours
time difference: 7 hours
High temperature in Prague: 68 degrees F (20 C)
High temperature in Birmingham: 95 degrees F (35 C)
approximate travel time: 22 hours
time difference: 7 hours
High temperature in Prague: 68 degrees F (20 C)
High temperature in Birmingham: 95 degrees F (35 C)
what I'm not doing
thinking about my dissertation
stressing about my dissertation
studying my dissertation
being upset about my dissertation
thinking about all the $$ and 100,000 Delta miles I spent to come to Prague (okay, well, maybe I'm doing this one a little bit)
what I'm doing
whatever I want to do!!
thinking about my dissertation
stressing about my dissertation
studying my dissertation
being upset about my dissertation
thinking about all the $$ and 100,000 Delta miles I spent to come to Prague (okay, well, maybe I'm doing this one a little bit)
what I'm doing
whatever I want to do!!
WHEW. I did it!!
I can't say how glad I am that that's over--and glad it had a happy ending!
I can't say how glad I am that that's over--and glad it had a happy ending!
Friday, Sep 17
6 PM local time (or perhaps a little earlier)
11 AM Alabama time (or earlier)
6 PM local time (or perhaps a little earlier)
11 AM Alabama time (or earlier)
This feels like the Olympics: you practice for years, but have only one brief chance. The pressure is intense, and everyone is watching you. Except, of course, in the Olympics you know your routine. Here, you are at the mercy of whatever questions they ask you.
Is this really the best way to determine your academic knowledge? When I am in charge of the world, things will be different. :)
Is this really the best way to determine your academic knowledge? When I am in charge of the world, things will be different. :)
Last night I was trying to sleep when a roach jumped onto my pillow. That's about how my life is going these days.
I know this sounds ridiculous, but for the past month or so I have sometimes been very tired again...fortunately, not most of the time.
eat chalk
sleep on a bed of nails
get stuck inside an elevator
eat brussel sprouts and celery for a week
walk in the snow barefoot
have a root canal
sleep on a bed of nails
get stuck inside an elevator
eat brussel sprouts and celery for a week
walk in the snow barefoot
have a root canal
For the third time in the past year, I am busy studying my dissertation stuff and probably won't be on here much.
Maybe at some point in the future I can finally move on to other projects. Until then, I don't really have much to say about it.
Maybe at some point in the future I can finally move on to other projects. Until then, I don't really have much to say about it.
good:
Alaska
invited to teach a class at Samford
very, very bad:
required to go defend my dissertation again
Alaska
invited to teach a class at Samford
very, very bad:
required to go defend my dissertation again
Just the view flying in to Alaska was amazing. It's going to be a great week!
Aand I'm back to those tired, draggy feelings and sleeping for ridiculous numbers of hours when I get the chance. Awesome.
In Hawaii you can go to school barefoot, and go to funerals wearing shorts.
I got upgraded to a faster flight to Hawaii and a FIRST-CLASS SEAT all the way! Try not to be too jealous! ;)
This weekend I visited Graceland for the first time. I had never been before, even though for the first six years of my life I lived less than a mile away. We went by that house too:
I'm not just dying to go see more Elvis memorabilia, but it was worth seeing once for sure!
I'm not just dying to go see more Elvis memorabilia, but it was worth seeing once for sure!
Here are a couple of landmarks in Durham, North Carolina, where I visited last weekend.
I'm kind of surprised they let them keep these up today! Vulcan they're not.
I'm kind of surprised they let them keep these up today! Vulcan they're not.
Here's a picture of my friend's kitten during my visit, just hanging out.
503 pages
1,458 footnotes
1,619 paragraphs
147,928 words (including footnotes, bibliography, etc)
I'll just say here that I sent it in. Now I need the examiners (ahem) to recognize its amazing, world-changing brilliance and approve it. :)
1,458 footnotes
1,619 paragraphs
147,928 words (including footnotes, bibliography, etc)
I'll just say here that I sent it in. Now I need the examiners (ahem) to recognize its amazing, world-changing brilliance and approve it. :)
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