I'm addicted

My wife thought it would be fun to sign up for the free month trial of Netflix (the streaming plan). We signed up the day before Thanksgiving, and by Friday, the day after, we had watched about eight movies; that doesn't beat the record, I'm sure, but it beats our record. Needless to say, it has been fun, especially since we don't own a TV and the only way we watch movies is on her laptop; however, now her DVD drive is screwed up or worn out--because of all of the movies/Gilmore Girls episodes we've watched on it--and it skips a lot during playback which is really annoying. With Netflix, you just hit the play button, provided the movie is available to stream. It has been fun, I just know we would get nothing done if we had a membership on a regular basis.

This Blogging Assignment

I have to admit that this blogging assignment hasn't been half bad. I dare say it has been fun; although, I can't say for sure that I will continue to write in it after this semester, but it has been fun. Who knows, right? I'm a numbers guy and so far I have had more fun in my writing classes than my science/math classes. Kind of strange how that works huh? I guess future semesters will be interesting as I get further into my major. I will say that I still prefer a multiple choice test or a test like that to an essay test. I can't write when forced like that. I like to do that at home on my own time, when I am able to work on it a little here and little there, and let what I want to say, or how I would like my writing to flow, to develop in my head for a while. I've noticed an improvement in my writing and it has been good for me to learn the basics like grammar, etc. to help improve my writing.

Time

It is getting to the point in the semester where there is never enough time for everything that needs to be done--at least it feels like there isn't enough. What if classes started every two months, wouldn't that be nice? Forget the idea of loading up your schedule all at once, no more mid-terms, or other assignments or tests coming all at once for all of your classes. Why not start 2 or 3 classes every two months? Then the assignments and tests would be staggered instead of all at once, there would be shorter lines for finals, and other tests in the testing center, because the entire university wouldn't be trying to take a test at the same time, just the few who signed up for that four-month class period. It would help you get your degree done faster. While classes are ending and getting harder, other classes would be just beginning and easy for now. it would be a constant flow of learning instead of stop and go with the semester's as they are with breaks inbetween. and if you did need a break, just wait and couple of months, finish the classes you are in now, and then sign up for more once they are done.

I don't like how everything comes at once in all of my classes. When I realize I have a test or a big assignment in one, it turns out its the same story for all of my classes. Oh, if I were in charge....

The Real Story

Another week has passed and, once again, I have nothing specific to write about. Towards the end of the week, both my wife and I got sick, because our son got sick earlier this week and gave it to us in payment for his care. Oh, the joys of parenthood.

I learned something pretty cool, at least to me, in my religion class. We are studying the New Testament, and in this semester, we only go over the gospels. My professor explained that in scriptures, descriptions are deliberate when they are included in the text by their authors. Have you ever thought about what Eve looked like? Was she blonde, brunette, tall, short, strong, anorexic, etc.? The reason we don't know is because her physical description was never included by the authors of the creation and Garden of Eden stories. A description of what Eve looked like is not important--almost irrelevant--therefore, the author chose not to include a description of her in the text..

With this concept in mind, we discussed the birth story of the Savior as described in Luke 2, and more specifically the traditional picture we have of the stable, manger, and swaddling clothes. Why were the descriptions of the inn, the stable, the manger, the wise men, etc. included?

A stable in the time of the Savior and in Bethlehem was a cave, which they would put animals in and partially cover the opening with rocks to give them protection in the night. The manger was not a cute little wooden object that most of us put on display each Christmas season with our nativity scenes. It was a trough carved in stone, sometimes simply dug out in the side of the cave where the herders and shepherds would place food for the animals. The swaddling clothes that Mary placed the baby Jesus in after his birth were strips of fabric, not a blanket or quilt like we use today, to swaddle the baby and keep him secure. The use of strips or pieces of fabric was also the way that dead bodies were treated and wrapped with embalming agents (such as myrhh--gifted to the Savior by the wise men). With this more historically accurate image of the birth story, we are able to see similarities in the place of birth and also of death of the Savior. The author of Luke painted the picture that this baby, the Savior of mankind, was born.......to die.

The descriptions are there for a reason, the scriptures are not a best-selling novel that the authors put as much description into the text as possible to make it more interesting--no, the descriptions are there to help us understand the symbolisms and lessons that the authors, and ultimately God, would have us learn, and it is up to us to take note of these things as we read and study the scriptures ourselves.