Just me

My college experience is adjourned and I'm headed to the playground for the rest of...who knows how long. It's a bit anticlimactic since everyone else still has a semester to go. Kind of a lonely accomplishment--just me. Still, feels nice.

Announcing...

...the beginning of the end.

This announcement is to inform you that Justin Gilbert Michael Fitzgerald Okimi completed his last undergraduate classes today. (And for all the slacker-comrades of mine, I skipped one, just out of principle.) I just have to write my exams. And quite frankly, I'm not worried. This is the beginning of the end of sixteen and a half years of labor. Anyway, I know most of you have graduated but don't rain on my parade. I'm excited.

(In other news, I got my visa today so I can go home AND return to the U.S. legally.)

Tim Jordan

Today is Tim Jordan's birthday. He is quite old. I will not tell you how old in an attempt to protect the innocent. But know that it is a lot older than me. Which is good and believable because Tim acts older than me--one of the many things I appreciate about Tim. Following are random things that I appreciate about Tim.

He is a consistent swimming partner. He would never make me wake up. But his consistency made me feel guilty enough that most of the time I would wake up and later in life my heart will be even more thankful than I am right now (and that's saying a lot). I will also mention (since it is 2:22 a.m. and I am a bit rambly) that I did not appreciate how Tim, over the year, became a much better swimmer and I did not.

Tim always listens to me. I could be telling him the most retarded story or what is really troubling me right now and Tim would listen with the same intensity. Of course his reactions differ but he always listens. And his reactions to what's really troubling are honest and helpful. Which I appreciate as well.

Tim let me take naps at his house when his house was closer to campus than my house.

Tim burned Brian Regan onto a CD for me (as well as other comedians, but Brian Regan has had the most profound impact.)

Tim has CellularOne service so I can call him without using minutes.

Tim would often give me lunch for free after I took the aforementioned naps.

I don't know if I've ever said this out loud. But back in the dawn of time when I was forming many friendships for which, today, I am very grateful, I worried about Tim's return from Prague. I thought his return and other people's arrival (I won't mention them because it's not their birthdays) would leave me off to the side. I am happy not only that that did not happen, but also that in the process I became friends with Tim. And consider him one of my truest friends now.

So if you happen to read this, Tim, happy birthday! And thanks for your friendship. And I'm sorry that I have no better picture of you.

My Christmas List

I find that I don't blog very often because I don't really like to write. I often have something to say or something I want to say and in this day and age something I want to blog about. But I don't have the energy to write. I do like to talk and tell stories. Any of you who spend time with me after not spending time with me know how much I like to tell stories. And when I finally do find it in myself to write I just pretend that I'm talking to you and I write down my words. Which is why I hate research papers. Because, really, who could read a research paper out loud. I'm not sure why I'm not more into writing stories since I like telling stories. But, in any case, I'm not.

All that aside, one new thing at Union these days are "Feed Your Mind" discussion groups led by students in the Creative Leadership class. Although I thoroughly enjoy them (well, the two I've been to) I usually go only when Matt is leading out and he says, "Do you want to come?" since they are supposed to fill a certain amount of time with discussion and that's easier with people (and I suspect, even easier when one of the people is me, because, as I have alluded to, I like to talk.)

In any case, if nothing else, I enjoy discussing things with teachers (like Mr Blake, Barry, and today Kim Steiner) and other students. I wonder if we could somehow take that concept into education....

So today the topic was the commercialization of Christmas. What I enjoy most about the discussions is not that we answer any questions, but that I come to some conclusions for myself. I'm forced to think about what I believe and it helps me bring solidity to the abstract.

Today's conclusions (in no particular order):

• Christmas is commercialized. So is practically everything in life.
• Commercialization can be good (Vaccinations? Generally I'm opposed to capitalism and all that but maybe there's some good in it for right now).
• We think the commercialism is very bad at Christmas because we keep letting it get worse the rest of the year. (i.e. if I buy the kids everything they want all year round, can I blame them for wanting really big things at Christmas?)
• Blaming the media or the stores is silly. Almost stupid. They give us what we ask for.
• We're probably not going to change everyone, but surely we can do something.

And that's what it comes down to. What can we do? What can I do? I can let it stop here with me. Oh, I'll buy a few gifts this year and I'll enjoy receiving too. I'm honest enough to admit that. And I will realize that the season is about more than gifts. I will laugh and smile (and get grumpy some too) until well past dawn because it will be the first time this year that my whole family is together. I will remember how much I have and how many have less. I will remember the gift that was shared with humanity on the first Christmas--even if it was at a different time of year--and try to find ways to share the gift, life eternal, with others. I will go out a couple days before Christmas and buy the best leftover scraggly tree at the Caledonia Garden Centre and decorate it, not as a shrine to the commercialization of Christmas, but as a reminder of my childhood--of the innocence and wonder that allows me to still put out cookies and milk even though our chimney is very narrow. And a few days later, because the New Year holiday is very important in our family, I will reflect on this year. And where I have come. How I have grown. I will thank God for life and for love. And I will look forward to another year with him. And that is my Christmas list.

Sledding

We went sledding tonight for a couple hours. It was pretty sweet. It's one reason I love snow and winter. We had chains and races and an 8-person toboggan (that's the sled) and a jump that we tried to fix by mixing snow with Holmes Lake water and packing down. My favourite though was bowling--trying to knock down the people walking up the hill.