December 7, 1941

We're Richie Rich!

Do you guys remember that movie with Mukulay Caulkin (sp?) when we were kids called Richie Rich? For those of you who can't remember, it was about a kid who was basically the son of the richest man in the world and had everything. This movie came out in 1994. There's a scene in the movie where Richie and his friends are at school. "School" consists of each kid sitting behind this huge mahogany desk with a big fancy-looking computer, fax machine, and telephone while being taught by the teacher as he walks around the room. They did all their work, of course, using their computers, which in 1994 was cool enough in and of itself. But the thing that we kids thought was awesome (hey, we were in 4th grade at the time) was that they could pass "notes" to each other using their fax machines. We thought that was the awesomest thing since sliced bread. We NEVER in a million years thought school could possibly be as awesome as it was for Richie Rich. "Wouldn't it be awesome if the real world were that way?" we sighed.

Now, 12 years later, computers in classrooms are the norm. It's odd NOT to see people with them. And we students, even in high school, do most if not ALL of our work on computers - anything written, anyway. Moreover, the advent and popularity of instant messaging and email means that we literally can - and, let's face it, usually are - passing "notes" in class to each other (paperlessly, I might add) without the teacher ever knowing. Just like Richie Rich.

Technology is so flippin' cool. I wanna know how our parents did college without computers.

FINALLY - Sanity Triumphs in the Cell Phone Cancer Debate

Finally, a study that shows at least some people in this world have brains in their heads.

Your cell phone is not going to give you cancer any more than your radio is. Most people believe this nonsense about cell phones causing tumors because they assume that cell phones operate on some high-tech frequency that's bad for your brain. This is absurd. Do you know how your cell phone works? It's a two-way radio. That's it. A radio. Do you have ANY IDEA how many radio waves you're exposed to every day? If radio waves caused cancer, we'd all be dead by now, I assure you.

Man It's a Freakin Good Day

So last month I wrote and submitted an essay on my study abroad experience for an international education organization/magazine. They emailed me today to tell me that I won 2nd prize and that as runner-up I am invited to come to Washington DC with them (all expenses paid) in late March for an advocacy day. We're going to get to meet with members of Congress on Capitol Hill and talk about international education issues. I am so wicked stoked.

And I'm getting published.

Sweeeeeet.

Good Day

It's been a good day, or a good evening anyway. I have been praying for months now to find a church and body of believers here in Tempe that I could get involved with that's close enough to campus so I don't need a car to get there. And tonight my friend Rachel invited me out to a small, still-growing church that she's been to a couple times. I almost didn't go, because I wanted to get some homework and studying done and was honestly just in one of those "I really don't want to talk to God right now" moods. But I went anyway.

Oh man, good thing I did.

I am in love with this church already and I don't even know five people in it. I would never have found it in a million years - it's in the middle of a neighborhood, just a block from Casey Moore's, which is a pub that I've heard a lot about but never been to. Anyway it's this one-building church, and the only room in it is the sanctuary, which holds maybe 60 people. There are two services on Sunday, one in the morning and one in the evening. I ended up at the evening service, of course, and it's almost all ASU students. The teaching was great, the worship was great, and everyone was friendly. The songs were all original and many were written by the church worship leader himself especially for that body...it was just such a breath of fresh air. And it's barely a mile from the apartment. I am so thankful! Praise God for answered prayers!

If you wanna listen to the sermon we heard tonight (or any other night, for that matter) you can find 'em here. Tonight we heard 77.9

Also on the Cool List tonight, a nostalgic picture:

Kopf Hoch!

Hausaufgaben machen, lernen, mit Professoren treffen....hört es denn JE auf? Egal, ich schaff's irgendwie! Nur noch 10 Tage bis Weihnachtsferien (und ich meine Weihnachtsferien, nicht Winterferien!) Nächster Halt: Finanz!

Hau rein!

Richard's Steamer

I found this absolutely hilarious. Be sure to watch till the end.