It's startin' to sink in...

Wow, it's really starting to sink in that I'm about to graduate from Harvard with a graduate degree.

I picked up my cap, gown & hood today and I think that really made my impending graduation a little bit more real. I also was walking back to my room and went through Harvard Yard and saw Tercentenary (big word for 300 years) Theatre all decked out for commencement (Widener Library with Harvard shields above). I'm really starting to feel that this is all coming to an end.

(Banners with various graduate school shields in the theatre)

(HDS shield (left), Graduate School of Arts & Sciences shield (right), Widener Library background)

I'm not sad about that, it's just that it's really hitting me that I'm leaving one phase of my life and entering another. Wow.

And to think it's still 2 days before graduation...

Thanks Be to God and Boomer Sooner!

Random thoughts and iPod shuffle of the week...

I'm really struggling right now. Mainly with my academic work. I am so overwhelmed with it all!

I think I've mentioned that in order to graduate this semester I'm having to take 5 classes and an incomplete, so basically 6 classes. The normal load here is 4 classes per semester. So the simple fact that I'm overloaded with work is really getting to me now.

Combine that with the fact that I've got a monster mid-term exam on Wednesday, a paper due on Friday, and the majority (75%) of my incomplete work due a week from Friday and I'm really just trying to keep my head above water right now.

On top of all this I'm facing having to pass the HDS Spanish language exam in May to graduate also, that is if I manage to make it through all of the classwork above! I've got so much work with my classes I have no bloody idea how I'm going to have time to study for the Spanish exam! And if I don't pass the Spanish exam, I can't graduate.

To add some extra pressure to the cooker, I'm pretty sure some friends of mine are going to be making the trip here to see my graduate. What if I don't pass that exam and thus don't graduate? They will have traveled half way across the country to see me graduate and I will have let them down!

It's all getting to be a little much. I could really use some prayer and Godly intervention.

Now, for something more fun...the ever popular iPod Shuffle of the Week:

1. Up! Shania Twain
2. God Help Me. Rebecca St. James
3. Wide Open Spaces. Dixie Chicks
4. Cover Me. FFH
5. Tight. Stacie Orrico
6. Whole Again. Jennifer Knapp
7. Classical Gas. Vanessa Mae
8. Flood. Jars of Clay
9. Dear Friend. Stacie Orrico
10. Screen Door. Rich Mullins

The rules, for bloggers who want to play:
Get your iPod or media-player of choice set the thing to shuffle, then post the first ten songs that come out. No cheating, no matter how stupid it makes you feel!

Thanks Be to God and Boomer Sooner!

CRAP!

If you take note of the countdown timer at the top of my blog you will note that it is exactly 90 days until my graduation from HDS. And, I just found out that some friends who I consider to be family may be coming for my graduation...

Oh C R A P...

that means I actually need to graduate!

Gotta go, gotta read, gotta write...I've only got 90 days to finish all this stuff!

Image courtesy of here.

What does this say about HDS?

We received a mass email from the Dean of Harvard Divinity School, William A. Graham, today telling us that a total of 5 faculty will be leaving at the end of the year.

Most of the student body as aware that Sarah Coakley was leaving for Cambridge...she really missed England, and who could blame her. But, the other four were a real surprise. They are:

Sarah Coakley, who has been on the HDS faculty since 1993 and our Mallinckrodt Professor of Divinity since 1995, will become the Norris-Hulse Professor at Cambridge University next fall, although she will remain at Harvard for 2007-08 on a visiting appointment to complete her Templeton research project.

Robert Orsi, who has been at Harvard since 2001 as our Charles Warren Professor of the History of Religion in America, and served as the chair of the Committee on the Study of Religion the last two years, is going to Northwestern University as the inaugural Grace Craddock Nagel Professor in Catholic Studies.

Thomas (Tal) Lewis, who has been at Harvard for four years as Assistant Professor of Christian Studies, will become Assistant Professor in Brown University’s Department of Religious Studies.

M. Christian Green, who has been at HDS for three years as Visiting Lecturer on Ethics, will become the Alonzo L. McDonald Family Senior Lecturer at Emory University and Senior Research Fellow in Emory’s Center for the Study of Law and Religion.

Christine Helmer first taught at HDS as a visiting assistant professor in the fall of 2003. She returned to HDS in 2005 from her associate position at her home institution Claremont School of Theology and the School of Religion at Claremont Graduate University, and has taught as Senior Scholar in Theology during the last two years. She will become Professor of Religion at Northwestern University.

What does this turnover in faculty say about life and academia at HDS?

Life at HDS and iPod Shuffle of the Week

Most of my friends already know that Harvard Divinity School has been a very difficult place for me...culturally, personally, academically and spiritually. But, it has been especially difficult of late. And while I don't personally care for the Boston area or Harvard in general, the place would be livable if I weren't dealing with the insanity, and even inanity, that is HDS.

I'm really overwhelmed by the amount of work I've got to do this semester in order to graduate. Admittedly, the fact that I've got so much work is due to many poor decisions on my part. But, the combination of the other pressures here and the workload right now is getting very difficult to bear.

I'm even more stressed by the fact that if I don't graduate this semester, I do not plan on returning to school. So basically, at the end of this semester I'll be finished with my academic career here at Harvard...one way, or the other. I'm still planning on staying here and working at the museum next year, but if for whatever reason I fail to graduate, I will not be coming back to finish.

Anyway, I don't feel as if I have a lot of people I can share this with, so I'm sharing it here. Thanks.

iPod Shuffle of the Week
1. Where is the Love? Black Eyed Peas
2. Caution. Operation Ivy
3. Better is One Day. Rebecca St. James
4. I Belong to You. Lenny Kravitz
5. Just the Two of Us. Will Smith
6. Rise Up. Third Day
7. The Way Suite. John Michael Talbot
8. Party for Two. Shania Twain feat. Mark McGrath
9. Brother's Keeper. Rich Mullins
10. Digee Dime. Burlap to Cashmere

The rules, for bloggers who want to play:
Get your iPod or media-player of choice set the thing to shuffle, then post the first ten songs that come out. No cheating, no matter how stupid it makes you feel!

WTF, Religion at HDS?

My floormate here at HDS, a 3rd year MDiv from Russia, did a collection of icons for her field educatiton and they are simply amazing!

I took some pictures, with her permission, which don't do them justice, but I share them with you (my apologies for my poor photography skills):

The Beginning of the End!

We begin our spring semester here at Harvard tomorrow! YAY!!! This will be the first day of my final semester here at this crazy, whack job place!

Among the weird things Harvard does differently, because, well, it's Harvard, is we don't actually choose our classes until after classes begin. I know, this sounds crazy...and it is. The idea is that you get to go to a variety of classes the first week (which is called Shopping Period) and learn about them, the requirements, etc. (I could go on a tirade about American Capitalist Consumer Culture, but that would make me sound like a Harvard student...and we can't have that!).

The idea of a Shopping Period sounds good in theory (article: Shopping Frenzy: An Honored Tradition). The problem, though, is that professors begin teaching on the first day of classes. The Shopping Period implies that if there are, say, two classes you are interested in that meet on Monday & Wednesday at 11 you should be able to attend one class on Monday and the other on Tuesday and then make an informed decision...sounds good, right? Well, in actuality, the professors begin teaching from day one...so that means you either miss day one of Class 2 or day two of Class 1 before you figure out which one you want. The system, IMHO, sounds great in theory but falls woefully short in reality.

Anyway, I've already mentioned I'm taking a class at Weston Jesuit School of Theology called Theology of Culture. At Harvard, I'm planning on taking a class on museums called Exhibiting Cultures, which promises trips to museums in New York and Boston (YAY! field trips in grad school!), and then I need two more classes and I'm split between three classes:

• History of Harvard and Its Presidents (which is taught by Rev. Peter Gomes who is a friggin' Rock Star!)
• African American Religious History-Part II (I took the first part last semester and really like the professor, Wallace Best)
• Religion in America from 1865 to the 1970s (which is taught by Robert Orsi who've I've heard nothing but good stuff about)

So, all three of these classes meet tomorrow--amazingly at different times, so I'll actually be able to do the whole shopping thing--which means I should know which two of the three I'll be taking by tomorrow night.

But, by far, the best part of the new semester is that it is my last semester here!

F R E E D O M ! ! ! !

Thanks Be to God and Boomer Sooner
Feast of St. Hyacintha of Mariscotti

The coolest thing...

I've got one more final due tomorrow...YAY!!! I have about 6-7 more pages to go on it and then I'll be finished with the fall semester here.

But, there's no rest for the wicked holy (HA!)...while HDS doesn't start classes again until Jan. 31 I'm taking a class over at Weston Jesuit School of Theology and it starts on Monday. I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment. The class looks really interesting though:

ST 374~~Theology of Culture
Professor: Dominic Doyle
How does the study of culture, which integrates the various branches of inquiry into human meaning, challenge and invigorate theological reflection? Through lecture and discussion, this course explores how the rise of cultural studies transforms the nature and purpose of theology. Readings from authors such as: H. R. Niebuhr, Kathryn Tanner, Charles Taylor, Jon Sobrino, Aloysius Pieris, Benezet Bujo, Nicholas Boyle, William Cavanaugh, Robert Schreiter, and Judith Perkins.
~~~
In other cool news: I noticed this cool add on that lets you hover over a link on your blog and it brings a small window up that lets you see a preview of the site being linked to. After seeing it on several blogs I read I finally found the instructions for it here:

Mulier Fortis
Oh wow! I commented on the fact that several blogs hosted by Wordpress had the really snazzy ability to "see" another webpage by hovering the cursor over the link.

The Dúnadan has obviously been exploring, because he discovered how to do it too... and he was kind enough to put up the information for the rest of us (and gave me a mention in the process!)

The code can be found on the Snap.com website (and they tell you where it goes as well, so you don't need to be afraid of the big bad html beastie that lurks behind every template!!)I promise you, it's easy as pie... try hovering over some of my links, just to prove it!

Totally free, and oh so cool!

Thanks Be to God and Boomer Sooner!
Feast of St. Charles of Sezze

Theological Humor...

I don't know how many people will get this, but theological humor is something highly valued here at Harvard Divinity School. In that spirit here is one that I was laughing out loud at...

Rahner, Kung and Benedict meet St. Peter:

Karl Rahner, Hans Kung and Pope Benedict XVI all die on the same day, and go to meet St. Peter to know their fate.St. Peter approaches the three of them, and tells them that he will interview each of them to discuss their views on various issues.

He then points at Rahner and says "Karl! In my office..." After 4 hours, the door opens, and Rahner comes stumbling out of St. Peter's office. He is highly distraught, and is mumbling things like "Oh God, that was the hardest thing I've ever done! How could I have been so wrong! So sorry...never knew..." He stumbles off into Heaven, a testament to the mercy of Our God.

St. Peter follows him out, and sticks his finger in Kung's direction and "Hans! You're next..." After 8 hours, the door opens, and Kung comes out, barely able to stand. He is near collapse with weakness and a crushed spirit. He , too, is mumbling things like "Oh God, that was the hardest thing I've ever done! How could I have been so wrong! So sorry...never knew..." He stumbles off into Heaven, a testament to the mercy of Our God.

Lastly, St. Peter, emerging from his office, says to Pope Benedict XVI, "Joseph, your turn." TWELVE HOURS LATER, St. Peter stumbles out the door, apparently exhausted, saying "Oh God, that's the hardest thing I've ever done..."

Biretta tip to A Catholic Londener.

Thanks Be to God and Boomer Sooner!
10th day of Christmastide,
and Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus!

Grad School...

The story of my life right now...

Terrible life choice indeed!

Thanks Be to God and Boomer Sooner!

4th day of Christmastide,

and the Feast of the Holy Innocents