Quick Update: Yup

Where I talk about what I've been up to before I go eat the steak dinner waiting for me in the dining hall at TL Storer Scout Camp...


So I owe an update that is far more involved than this. But alas I cannot yet give it to you.

Here's a run-down of everything that has gone on since my vacation in Maine (Old Orchard Beach, Ocean Park) with my family.

Canvassing in Boston: Good Try
In what I can only dub as God's will, I was canvassing in Boston with Public Outreach Fundraising, trying to raise enough monthly dollars to be rehired on Staff over my 6 evaluation days, and I failed to reach this goal. I say it is God's will because I had intended for this job to be my part-time fall-back job in case the Student Org at UNH and InterVarsity Staff didn't work out. So I was going to come back to Boston two or three days a week to canvass at $14 an hour for the American Red Cross to support myself while hopefully IV staff and UNH part-time staff came through.

Thus, I was trying to give myself an escape route for what I have labeled as "God's short-term plan" for myself. That is, I was saying to anyone and everyone who would listen that I was stepping out in faith, renting an apartment in NewMarket, NH, without knowing for sure if I would have IV staff or UNH staff. But really, that wasn't stepping out in complete faith, it was stepping out in partial faith. I had my selfish back-up in place.

Quick Toughts: Strugglin' with purpose

Where I discuss why having a blog can seem stupid sometimes... and find myself thinking about the importance of family.

Out of all of the things that you could be reading right now (and let's include me in this, so that I could be writing right now), why the heck is it my blog? What is it about this that makes it worthwhile? What am I hoping to accomplish?

So this is me musing about the "importance" of keeping this blog and updating. On the importance of reflecting upon my experiences this summer in writing, in a public forum. Kyle's blog (check it out here) is I believe an important read as it reveals to us the distant readership his life and experiences, and therefore the lives and experiences of those around him, in the city of Tampa as he reaches out to people in deep faith and prayer. Even for those who do not believe in God or fully acknowledge the man and son of God Jesus, his blog is important to read.

Mine though?

Quick Thoughts: Brain Dumping...

Some more random thoughts to get you (read: me) through the day (night)...

So if I had a wish-list of books, included among them would be:

1) http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=3626
Which, if you don't like clicking links, is "Love Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community" by Andrew Marin.

     Withought going into too much detail for this post, homosexuality, sexuality, and other commonly believed "sins of the flesh" are of huge focus and thought and, well, hand-wringing importance to me. Having a gay brother and many gay friends,

Quick Thought: Memorials...

So, a quick thought as I walked by the Holocaust Memorial in Boston, near Fanueil Hall today...

I never really thought of the meaning of "memorial" before. Okay that's not true. I understood them to be physical (usually) monuments or places where the goal was to invoke memories of people, places, events, etc. in history. And for the most part, they have always seemed like curiosities for me... "War memorial, who is going to forget that we had a World War?!"

You know? Today was the first time I realized that it's not about forgetting history, but about keeping history in the front of our minds, and being coerced into thinking about events that are indeed important.

For example, as I walked by/through the Holocaust Memorial today, on my way to the North End, I found myself thinking about perhaps what it would have been like to be branded with a number and forced into a camp. Furthermore, I wondered about how it would have felt to walk into the camps as

Quick Update: Independence Day...

Where I promise to start typing up my reflections upon my past 5 weeks, where I talk about the meaning of independance and freedom, and where I explain the week I have ahead of me...

Sean where the heck have you been?!

     Okay okay, so I know it's been a long time since I last posted. There are reasons for this. First, is that I had exactly one day at home from Europe before I was off again to Hartford, CT where I volunteered fro the week at Heads Up Hartford!, a diversity camp for urban and suburban youths. Jayson Seaman, one of my Outdoor Education professors at UNH, really pushed for me to help out there, and I am so glad that I was able to do so. It was truly a blessed experience, with a whole lot of love flowing from that place. I have made friends for a lifetime. Check out their website: http://headsuphartford.org/
   [Side Note: They abbreviate it HUH!.... I cannot wait until I can help design and implement the first Heads Up Boston!... Yup.... HUB!... How poetically and savagely apt is that?!]

      So that's where I've been, helping out there, and then for the past two point five days I've been slowly moving into my place in Newmarket, NH, and catching up with old friends, new enemies, and some lukewarm acquaintences. Just kidding about the enemies and acquaintences. (That word is harder to type/spell than I expected...)

So, what about them updates you promised us?

   Yeah, about them. Here's the list of things I need to reflect upon, with "sub-reflections" below:

Quick Update: Day 16...

... Where I discuss churches, Cathedrals, more answered prayers, Catholic Mass, the necessity of sleep, and my future fears.

Churches!

Okay so here's the thing about my trip to Europe. If I were to make a list of things I had to do whilst here, there would be three things. 1) Eat a crepe. A real one. 2) Drink Guinness in Ireland, and 3) Listen to classical music, with a choir, in a cathedral or big ol' stone church.

I hadn't done number three (that sounds like a toilet-related thing?) this whole trip, and thought that I was missing out on my chance to when I didn't go back to visit my friend Xann in London. She knew of multiple choirs that sang in Westminster Abbey and the like (Westminster Abbey! C'mon, how cool would that be?!). Coming to Lyon, I thought, meh, maybe there's a chance. But I hadn't even thought of how to get there, nor looked up anything.

Well, two nights ago, after waking up at 3 in the afternoon and spending time on the interwebs sending e-mails about my future after Europe (more on that later), I went out for a walk trying to find the tourist information center. I didn't find it. But I found a cool "place", aka Square, with this fountain with four horses. It's called La place des Terreaux.

Quick side-note... Don't order Guinness from a French cafe if the waiter scoffs at you when you order it and says "typical"... I've never tasted a sour Guinness before. Nor had I wasted 7.50 euros on one. But two birds with one stone on that one! I think I said that in yesterdays update, but it's worth noting twice.

Anywho...

I decided to wander from there towards this Basilica that I saw up on a hill. It's called Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. I essentially started wandering at this point, going wherever my feet were taking me. Or, as Teddie described it, being my own "spirit guide". He can explain later.

I walked up many, many steps to reach the top of the hill, and wandered my way into the amazing panoramic view of Lyon. Wish I had a camera, but I'm sure you can Google the image :-) Actually, let me do it for you. Here.

So anyway...

Quick Update: Day15...

... Where I actually talk about the cat this time, and discuss how no matter where I am sleep is important, and about how people have the same questions about God, faith, science, humanism, and pragmatism no matter where you go or what language you speak. Or, at least in French.

So I sit in the kitchen, using the girl (I still do not know her name... one second, I'm gonna scour the kitchen maybe I'll find something with her name on it... nope nothing)'s laptop, eating rice with onions, red peppers, some soy sauce, and this awesome (and I mean AWESOME) mixed herb spice all together. This is at the end of day 15. A lot has happened since I last posted. Which is sort've surprising but then again when you're in a foreign country, I guess not?

Anywho, we'll start with last night.

Wait wait wait, the cat.

Oh that's right, I was going to talk about the cat. First thing when I got here, they have two cats. I think one's name is Joplin. Now, I don't know what it is about me, but cats looove me. And that would be great except that I am definitely allergic to their dander.

At any rate, Joplin jumps up on me the first time I sit down in their flat two nights ago. The girl (I really need to learn her name) was shocked, and said that she apparently has adopted me (the cat). Later on, the cat just decided to jump up again and lie down on my leg, and juuuusttt relllaaxxx, literally had her leg dangling. The girl host saw this and said that the cat doesn't do that with anyone, not even her or her boyfriend, and its her boyfriend's cat.

So, these cats love me. As is evidenced by the fact that Joplin has slept next to me for the past two nights. I bought some allergy medication for 4 euro. Well worth the cost methinks. And I'm starting to like cats. Uh oh.

"People would be better if they realized that it was them, not God, who did a good thing in their lives."

This was the gist of a 4AM conversation that I had with