Monday, March 15, 2004
turning over a new leaf
i've always wondered what that really means. wouldn't it make more sense to say to the effect of 'turning over the leaf' or 'turning over a new side of the leaf' (though they technically only have two sides)? i mean, as it stands, the phrase implies that you're completely abandoning the metaphorical leaf you've already got in favor of a new, fresh start. as nice as this may sound, it is rarely the case, especially sense it's often referring to some sort of habit or vice that you're attempting to change. you don't completely abandon yourself (i'll not venture into the metaphysical mess that idea leads to), you just....change, for lack of a better term. thus, i submit that 'turning over the/my leaf' would better express the reality of the situation.
i find myself believing that this whole notion of abandoning something in favor of a 'new one' instead of taking the time and making the effort to fix what's wrong with the 'old one' is too closely related to our society's habit of doing the same thing for the occurrence to be coincidental. sure, i suppose i could be taking this beyond its logical end, but then again, maybe i'm not. one look at the land of instant gratification (america) is enough to make this a plausible theory, no? i'm sure there's a strong connection between the rise of 'convenience' and the ever decreasing attention spans of american citizens. you wonder why we can't stick to a coherent national policy, foreign or domestic? you wonder why everyone is ready to abandon the so called 'war on terror' when two years ago they couldn't wait to kick some al quaeda ass? the american public has already forgotten what happened sept. 11, the irrevocable changes that occurred in the fabric of our society and the implications of that day for the future. and that was probably the most significant single event in post wwII american history. it's like we've all caught a.d.d. or something....and we've found a way to infect those who have made it through a siginificant portion of their lives without being affected by it.
ok, i admit i haven't really always wondered about that. it really just came to me as i was typing the phrase itself, and if there's anything i like to do, it's to digress from whatever original point i was attempting to make while beating around the bush. moving on....
i suppose that whole intro was supposed to express that i'm going to make a renewed effort to update more often, if not for my practically non-exsitant (numberwise) audience, then at least to help me process things a little better and perhaps pull me a little closer to the right side of sanity. i always complain that no one ever updates their pages so that i'll have something to read, but it's really not legit when i'm one of those people who never updates as well. so enough of that. if nothing else, from now on i can complain with a clean conscience, heh. while i'm in leaf-turning mode, i think i'll start running more, and perhaps even join a gym. you'd think it's new year's or something, but we're closer to st. patrick's day, and since that's my middle name (sans the st., cuz we all know i'm nowhere near that), why not? i get to be different from everyone else, as usual, but that's something i enjoy.
on a side note, i seem to have managed to lose my archives sometime between now and who knows when in the past. doh! if you're a real techno-weenie (i'm really just a wannabe in most aspects) and you can help me find them, i'd appreciate that. i'm quite fond of most of the things i wrote here, though i'm sure there are a few foolish entries that would be better left floating in the cyber netherworld until the end of time.
a short recap of my last two and a half months:
jan 1-18: la falda, cordoba province (argentina) to staff the vida estudiantil summer camp and attend a week long theological institute (in spanish, no less!).
jan 20-27: five days vacationing in san carlos de bariloche, rio negro province (argentina) sandwiched by a 24 hour bus ride on each end. this place is absolutely gorgeous, and if you ever happen to be in argentina (don't laugh, i never thought i'd end up here either) this is definitely a 'must hit' spot. on the edge of a fairly large lake system at the foot of the andes mountains in the patagonia region, it's one of the most picturesque places i've ever seen, and it that was during the middle of summer. i can only imagine how awesome all those mountain peaks look when they're covered in snow.
february: reacclimating to la plata after a month of travel, recuperating, and lots of planning meetings for the ministry this year.
march: begin working on the medicine campus, meeting new students, etc.
march 13: uruguay for the day! it sounds cool, but really half my day was spent on the stupid boat. i don't know if there is a slower motorized vehicle on the face of this planet! now don't go thinkin' i've become some high society type that just travels on a whim....this was definitely a mission with a purpose. more explicitely, i had to leave argentina because my tourist visa was about to expire, but my new stamp allows me to stay another three months. honestly, i doubt the argentine government would know they difference. they have better things to do than searching out missionaries who have overstayed their visas and having them deported, but at the same time, i wouldn't put it past them. the day was capped off by dinner @ one of only two authentic mexican restaurants we've been able to find in the great metropoli of buenos aires and la plata. of course, they're located within two blocks of each other...you can definitely tell these people aren't capitalists. 4 americans eating mexican food in b.a. after spending the day in uruguay. one of the more surreal moments i've experienced recently.
march 9-14: vision team from the states visits and brings bags full of goodies from home, woot! now i have all the music from my old computer (8 cd's of mp3s) plus some bisquick, tortilla chips, and my 'princess bride' dvd. life is good :)
now i gotta go, cuz it's late and i still have to call home. good thing they're 5 hours behind. oh, and by the way, that christmas dinner was great, even if it was served in 80 degree heat. it was like christmas in july, very strange...chau!
melodic soundwaves: collective soul - run
feed your brain: the lord of the rings part II: the two towers by j.r.r. tolkien
i've always wondered what that really means. wouldn't it make more sense to say to the effect of 'turning over the leaf' or 'turning over a new side of the leaf' (though they technically only have two sides)? i mean, as it stands, the phrase implies that you're completely abandoning the metaphorical leaf you've already got in favor of a new, fresh start. as nice as this may sound, it is rarely the case, especially sense it's often referring to some sort of habit or vice that you're attempting to change. you don't completely abandon yourself (i'll not venture into the metaphysical mess that idea leads to), you just....change, for lack of a better term. thus, i submit that 'turning over the/my leaf' would better express the reality of the situation.
i find myself believing that this whole notion of abandoning something in favor of a 'new one' instead of taking the time and making the effort to fix what's wrong with the 'old one' is too closely related to our society's habit of doing the same thing for the occurrence to be coincidental. sure, i suppose i could be taking this beyond its logical end, but then again, maybe i'm not. one look at the land of instant gratification (america) is enough to make this a plausible theory, no? i'm sure there's a strong connection between the rise of 'convenience' and the ever decreasing attention spans of american citizens. you wonder why we can't stick to a coherent national policy, foreign or domestic? you wonder why everyone is ready to abandon the so called 'war on terror' when two years ago they couldn't wait to kick some al quaeda ass? the american public has already forgotten what happened sept. 11, the irrevocable changes that occurred in the fabric of our society and the implications of that day for the future. and that was probably the most significant single event in post wwII american history. it's like we've all caught a.d.d. or something....and we've found a way to infect those who have made it through a siginificant portion of their lives without being affected by it.
ok, i admit i haven't really always wondered about that. it really just came to me as i was typing the phrase itself, and if there's anything i like to do, it's to digress from whatever original point i was attempting to make while beating around the bush. moving on....
i suppose that whole intro was supposed to express that i'm going to make a renewed effort to update more often, if not for my practically non-exsitant (numberwise) audience, then at least to help me process things a little better and perhaps pull me a little closer to the right side of sanity. i always complain that no one ever updates their pages so that i'll have something to read, but it's really not legit when i'm one of those people who never updates as well. so enough of that. if nothing else, from now on i can complain with a clean conscience, heh. while i'm in leaf-turning mode, i think i'll start running more, and perhaps even join a gym. you'd think it's new year's or something, but we're closer to st. patrick's day, and since that's my middle name (sans the st., cuz we all know i'm nowhere near that), why not? i get to be different from everyone else, as usual, but that's something i enjoy.
on a side note, i seem to have managed to lose my archives sometime between now and who knows when in the past. doh! if you're a real techno-weenie (i'm really just a wannabe in most aspects) and you can help me find them, i'd appreciate that. i'm quite fond of most of the things i wrote here, though i'm sure there are a few foolish entries that would be better left floating in the cyber netherworld until the end of time.
a short recap of my last two and a half months:
jan 1-18: la falda, cordoba province (argentina) to staff the vida estudiantil summer camp and attend a week long theological institute (in spanish, no less!).
jan 20-27: five days vacationing in san carlos de bariloche, rio negro province (argentina) sandwiched by a 24 hour bus ride on each end. this place is absolutely gorgeous, and if you ever happen to be in argentina (don't laugh, i never thought i'd end up here either) this is definitely a 'must hit' spot. on the edge of a fairly large lake system at the foot of the andes mountains in the patagonia region, it's one of the most picturesque places i've ever seen, and it that was during the middle of summer. i can only imagine how awesome all those mountain peaks look when they're covered in snow.
february: reacclimating to la plata after a month of travel, recuperating, and lots of planning meetings for the ministry this year.
march: begin working on the medicine campus, meeting new students, etc.
march 13: uruguay for the day! it sounds cool, but really half my day was spent on the stupid boat. i don't know if there is a slower motorized vehicle on the face of this planet! now don't go thinkin' i've become some high society type that just travels on a whim....this was definitely a mission with a purpose. more explicitely, i had to leave argentina because my tourist visa was about to expire, but my new stamp allows me to stay another three months. honestly, i doubt the argentine government would know they difference. they have better things to do than searching out missionaries who have overstayed their visas and having them deported, but at the same time, i wouldn't put it past them. the day was capped off by dinner @ one of only two authentic mexican restaurants we've been able to find in the great metropoli of buenos aires and la plata. of course, they're located within two blocks of each other...you can definitely tell these people aren't capitalists. 4 americans eating mexican food in b.a. after spending the day in uruguay. one of the more surreal moments i've experienced recently.
march 9-14: vision team from the states visits and brings bags full of goodies from home, woot! now i have all the music from my old computer (8 cd's of mp3s) plus some bisquick, tortilla chips, and my 'princess bride' dvd. life is good :)
now i gotta go, cuz it's late and i still have to call home. good thing they're 5 hours behind. oh, and by the way, that christmas dinner was great, even if it was served in 80 degree heat. it was like christmas in july, very strange...chau!
melodic soundwaves: collective soul - run
feed your brain: the lord of the rings part II: the two towers by j.r.r. tolkien
