Quiet mornings

Well, after a long summer, a fun excusion out east for a couple of weeks, and some craziness, I'm back in my office more frequently. I plan on enjoying the peacefulness here in the morning as the sun shines in through the east-facing window and casts a glow of morning light on my skin.

Wait, the sun?!? Yep, it's shining today, for which I'm pretty thankful.

I've realized that I'm thankful for a lot of things lately. It's that sentimental type of thankfulness -- the type that emerges almost unexpectedly when you experience a rare and brief moment of clarity about life. Okay, it's not like I'm clear about life at all, but I've felt for moments that somehow the broad scope of life -- all its pains and joys all bundled up together -- has been reeled in, glimpsed, and just as quickly cast out again. And here I sit, wondering if there will ever be another tug at the line.

Yep, definitely sentimental. But onto more interesting (and random) things...

- Handbells. This season is going to rock. Among other pieces, we're going to be playing Blue Christmas, Sleigh Ride, Transiberian Orchestra's Christmas Eve/Sarejevo, and...In the Hall of the Mountain King! I'm particularly excited for the last two. Of the former, I have memories of decorating Newman House (at my college) for Christmas. Of the latter, I have memories of running crazily around my living room with my golden retriever and my brother while acting out the music. Hey, we were kids. And it's already been established that I'm a nerd. The music is going to be challenging. I've already identified a few tongue-twisting passages for my arms (arm-twisting passages?). But it'll be well worth it in the end if we can pull everything together.

- Finances. From doing some financial research and reading lately, I've come across two interesting articles. One is about couples (particularly older couples who have already accumlated lots of kitchen and living-type stuff by the time they get married) creating charity registries for their wedding. The other is a mini-biography of John Templeton, a investment wizard who uses his accumlated money for rewarding philanthropy in the areas of religion and science. I find all of this interesting. I want to read more about the Templeton prize, and perhaps I'll blog about it sometime. For me, it brings to mind interesting questions about the nature of helping, what constitutes progress in the religious and scientific domains, and interreligious thought and collaboration.

- A disgruntled hookworm. This article is courtesy of the Onion, and it documents the frustrations of a parasite that is unsatisfied with its human host. It's hilarious.