Only Wonder Grasps Anything

Ikea by road or by mail?

So Lars and I just finished looking through Ikea's website, and calling them for shipping rates to Iowa where she'll be teaching. It turned out that shipping a bed, shelf, chair, and a little basket would cost about 95 bucks, because of the weight of the wood bed and shelves (six of them).

Even with gas costs as high as they are, that 200 mile drive to Atlanta's Ikea store looks much more costly when compared to UPS.

wow.

fun pictures

This is what I do at work - just kidding...

hmm, where's my calculator?

bark. bark.

those made me laugh, folks.

strange way

"Strange Way" - by Martyn Joseph. If you're not familiar with Martyn's songs, you should be.

Strange way to start a revolution
Strange way to get a better tan
Strange way to hold a power breakfast
Strange way show your business plan
Strange way to see if wood would splinter
Strange way to do performance art
Strange way to say “I'll see you later”
Strange way to leave behind your heart

Strange dissident of meekness
And nurse of tangled souls
And so unlike the holy
To end up full of holes
Strange way

Strange way to hang around for hours
Strange way to imitate a kite
Strange way to get a view of Auschwitz
Strange way to represent the light
Strange way to watch for stormy weather
Strange way to disprove gravity
Strange way to go about fund-raising
Strange way to sing I’m liberty

Strange dissident of meekness
And nurse of tangled souls
And so unlike the holy
To end up full of holes
Strange way

Strange way to test for haemophillia
Strange way to spend a happy hour
Strange way to down a bitter cocktail
Strange way to merchandise your power
Strange way to reassure your mother
Strange way to finish your world tour
Strange way to pose for countless paintings
Strange way to gather in the poor

Strange dissident of meekness
And nurse of tangled souls
And so unlike the holy
To end up full of holes
The world is too much with us
Could we not now just elope?
Strange way to hold us closer
Strange way to give us hope
Strange way

the Bible's first theologian

Its a good thing that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, because if that wasn't the case the Bible's first theologian would have been ruled out on three counts: this theologian was a Gentile, a slave, and a woman. Who was she?

She is the first person in the Bible to name God, which is what theologians do: she called him El Roi - the God Who Sees Me. So who was she? What's her name, and her story?

it's all right here

I'm not God nor a girl, but I like this song a lot - Sara Groves did a good job writing it. If you don't know her music, go buy "Add to the Beauty". Its worth the money. (Oh, if you want a copy of the song below, its on her "All Right Here" CD.)

-----------
It's every loss and every love
It's every blessing from above
Here I am all added up
Oh, it's all right here

It's what I know and what I'm guessin'
It's half-truths and full confessions
It's why I choose to learn my lesson
Oh it's all right here

[chorus]
And I'm not God I'm a girl I confess that I don't have sea of forgetfulness
No, it's all right here
It makes me stronger and makes me wince
It makes me think twice when I pick my friends
Oh, it's all right here it's all right here

It's caution and curiosity
And it's all the things I never see
Welling up inside of me
Oh, it's all right here

It's what is best and what is worse
It's how I see the universe
It's in every line and every verse
Oh, it's all right here

[chorus]

Every heart has so much history
It's my favorite place to start
Sit down awhile and share your narrative with me
I'm not afraid of who you are

I'm all here and you're all there
Some of this is unique and some of it we share
Let's add it up and start from there
Oh, it's all right here

[chorus]

It's caution and curiosity
And it's all the things I never see
Oh, it's all right here
It's what is best and what is worse
And it's how I see the universe
Oh, it's all right here
It's all right here
Oh, it's all right here
I'm all right here
Oh, I'm all right here
I'm all right here, alright

Saturday afternoon

currently listening: Ramones "Rocket to Russia"

Saturday afternoon - folding laundry, organizing some stuff and throwing out stuff I don't need, while listening to an early punk album. If you're wondering how I decided to pick up a punk album, the short answer is that U2 credits the Ramones with getting them started, and since I like U2 I figured I'd try the Ramones. I like their sound - I can hear how they influenced U2 and it sounds like Franz Ferdinand probably traces some of their influence to the Ramones.

Yesterday when I picked up "Rocket to Russia" at the used book and CD store, I also found "Best of the Velvet Underground" and Fiona Apple's "Extraordinary Machine". Velvet Underground by funke's recommendation, and Fiona Apple's album by recommendation of a pop music seminar at the L'Abri conference in Rochester back in February.

the long lunch

Well, Dad and I got to see the Portugal vs. England match while eating lunch at an Applebee's in Knoxville... we got a much later start than we'd planned--typical for Swanson's leaving on a trip. (My brother wasn't surprised when we called him to see if he was home yet.) Anyhow, lunch took a lot longer than we expected, because the score was tied, and I wanted to see who'd win. We ended up leaving as they were starting to play overtime at 0-0.

Later in the afternoon I got in touch with my uncle, who had watched the game while helping pack up things at my grandparents' house, and he told me the Portugese won. I know certain friends of mine in St. Louis are happy about that victory.

I just learned a week or so ago that my uncle (the one who I called for the result of the match yesterday) is putting a tent up in the woods on my grandparents' land and he'll live there while the new house is being built. He would do something like that... Tomorrow I think he's setting the tent up, so when we're over there loading up the car for the drive back to Georgia I'll take some photos of his tent-home in the trees.