Christmas Road Trip with Owen

Thankfully we only had a few short stage 2's!

My Favorite College Towns

I've lived in or near four college towns in my life. There's something about a university community--the athletic events and concerts, the hip campus town, the debates and public lectures, the ethnic and religious diversity. I hope I will always live in this kind of environment. Anyways, here is my ranking of these four towns, based on a number of categories that I find important. My grading system will use the * icon, with one star meaning "subpar" and five stars meaning "outstanding."

1. Boulder, CO (University of Colorado)
cool campus town: ****
hip coffee shops: ***
pretty campus: ****
good athletics: ***
outdoor recreation: *****
road trip factor: *****
concert venue: **
cultural diversity: ****

Commentary: We spent time in Boulder while living in Denver. Simply put, it's a great town. The cost of living is outrageous, so we will probably never live there. But it's perfect for short day trips. I went to a couple football and basketball games in Boulder while in Colorado. The facilities are adequate and the teams are about average, but there is considerable fan support and that makes for a fun environment. The campus is surrounded by beautiful flat iron mountains to the west, and so it's a very picturesque setting. There are lots of places to go hiking and take nature walks, and the Rocky Mountain National Park is only an hour away. Boulder is about a half hour from Denver, so it is very easy to visit the city. Also Boulder is a very diverse and liberal community, so it's an interesting place to go and watch people--especially at the Pearl Street Mall, a pedestrian mall near campus that is a must see for visitors: great restaurants, outdoor street peformers, coffee shops, unique shops, and so on.

2. Fayetteville, AR (University of Arkansas)
cool campus town: ***
hip coffee shops: **
pretty campus: **
good athletics: ***
outdoor recreation: ****
road trip factor: ***
concert venue: *
cultural diversity: **

Commentary: I've only lived in Fayetteville for a few months now, so maybe my opinion will change in the future. But so far I'm very impressed with what the "athens of the ozarks" has to offer. For one thing, it's located in a beautiful region of the state. Honestly I've never seen such breathtaking fall foliage in my life! And with the Ozark National Forest close by, there are some good options for taking short hikes and just enjoying nature's beauty. I'm a little disappointed that Razorback football is not more competitive, but the fan support is so intense and passionate down here that it still makes it interesting. Also Reynolds stadium is by far the best college football stadium I've seen in person. The road trip factor is a mixed bag. There are a number of larger cities within a few hours, like Kansas City, Tulsa, and Memphis, but they're still a long ways away, and not very convenient in the end. Probably my favorite part of Fayetteville is Dickson Street--there is a really great coffee shop called Common Grounds, and some decent restaurants as well. The Walton Arts Center is on Dickson Street as well, and I hear it brings in some Broadway musicals from time to time. Finally, since the Walton family will not allow concerts at Walton Arena--a big mistake in my opinion--residents are forced to go elsewhere to see any big name musical acts.

3. Iowa City, IA (University of Iowa)
cool campus town: ***
hip coffee shops: ****
pretty campus: **
good athletics: *****
outdoor recreation: **
road trip factor: **
concert venue: *
cultural diversity: ***

Commentary: You wouldn't think it, but Iowa City is a fairly cool town. Granted, it is in Iowa, and that has its limitations. But the town has a very unique personality, and that goes a long ways. It has a pretty neat pedestrian mall near campus, though it is overwhelmed with bars and such. But during the daytime, it is fun to walk around and get a cup of joe. Iowa City has a number of great local coffee shops, like Terrapins and the Java House, which make for a great place to sit and chat with friends. And you really can't beat Hawkeye sports. Even as a die hard Cyclone, I have to admit that Iowa is clearly a Hawkeye state. They have a particularly strong tradition in football (thanks to Hayden Fry) and Kinnick Stadium is a great venue for college football. Unfortunately, Iowa City is not a good venue for concerts, mainly because the population is so low. And road trips are difficult since Chicago is the closest large city around. But if you can tolerate the 4 hour drive, it is good for a weekend trip. As far as outdoor activities, there aren't many options, however Iowa City is well known for the Sugar Bottom bike trail, which is one of the best in the midwest. The campus itself is not very pretty and there aren't any good places to sit and read during warm weather, which is a big negative in my opinion.

4. Ames, Iowa (Iowa State University)
cool campus town: *
hip coffee shops: **
pretty campus: ****
good athletics: **
outdoor recreation: *
road trip factor: *
concert venue: ***
cultural diversity: **

Commentary: Since ISU is my alma mater, it pains me to put it in last place. But objectively this town is pretty boring, as far as college towns go. There is not much of a campus town to speak of, and there are almost no outdoor recreation options, unless you count the fairly unimpressive nearby Ledges State Park in Boone. The only options for road trips are Kansas City and Minneapolis, with each being more than 3 hours away, unless you consider Des Moines a viable road trip destination. The athletics are up and down: there are good years and bad years and I find ISU fans (including myself) to be far more fickle than their cross-state rivals. And Jack Trice Stadium is a pathetic excuse for a Big 12 football stadium. Having said all that, however, ISU does have a very pretty campus. And the fall is a great season to be a student and walk around campus. I always enjoyed sitting outside by the campanile to read between classes. Also Ames manages to get pretty decent concerts (or at least when I was there they did). This is probably because Des Moines never had a good venue to host a good show (not true anymore--they just built the Iowa Events Center). I've seen Aerosmith in Ames, as well as some top Christian acts, like DC Talk, Steven Curtis Chapman, Third Day, and so on. Finally, as a land-grant university that focuses primarily on agriculture and engineering, Ames is not particularly diverse. Yes, there are plenty of international students around. But the culture is fairly conservative and less interesting as a result.

Spare Tire Be Gone!

I know it's cliche to focus on the wasteline around the holidays. But right now I'm fatter than I've ever been. And I seriously need to lose between 10-15 pounds, or it will become necessary to buy new clothes that fit. So for no other reason than because we can't afford such a shopping spree, I'm planning on starting a diet of sorts with regular workouts. Anyone want to join me? I need something that will be fun and not likely to discourage me after a month. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

We finally saw Narnia film

Thanks to Whitney Virtue for watching the kiddo so we could go see The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe on Tuesday night. We enjoyed some buttery popcorn and a giant thing of Mr Pibb. And of course the movie was quite entertaining. The special effects were very impressive, and I even enjoyed the musical score, which is not something I normally pay attention to.

On the way home we were discussing how obvious the Christian allegory is in this story. It is pretty clear that Aslan represents Christ, and that Edmund's treachery points to the sin of humanity, and so on. Do most people realize this? I would think so. But then again, do most people really understand the heart of the gospel message? Again, probably so. But I wonder if there are some folks who totally miss the point here.

Anyways, as much as I enjoyed Narnia the real highlight for me was finding out that M. Night Shyamalan has a film coming out next year called Lady in the Water, and starring one of my favorite actors, Paul Giammati. And of course the trailer reveals almost nothing about the story, but just enough to hook you and make you curious to learn more. I have enjoyed all of M. Night's films--even Unbreakable--and can't wait for this one to come out.

A tough start to the holiday weekend

Here's Owen all decked out for his first Christmas! He had a rough day yesterday acting really out of sorts and cranky in addition to having a little sniffle. After a bout of inconsolable crying I figured I should take him in to the doctor as this is highly unusual for him. I'm so glad we did because as it turns out he has his first ear infection. If you think of Owen, please pray for him as we have a busy weekend ahead of traveling to Iowa to visit friends and family.

My Favorite Christian Authors

Here is a short list of my favorite Christian authors, based on their creativity and lucidity. It is an absolute joy to read their works, and I encourage you to share in this experience, if you haven't already:

1. Mortimer Adler (How to Read a Book; Ten Philosophical Mistakes; How to Think About God; Truth in Religion)
2. C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity; The Screwtape Letters; The Chronicles of Narnia; Miracles)
3. John Piper (Desiring God; Future Grace; Let the Nations Be Glad; The Pleasures of God)
4. Alvin Plantinga (God and Other Minds; Warranted Christian Belief; God, Freedom, and Evil)
5. Dallas Willard (The Divine Conspiracy; Renovation of the Heart; The Spirit of the Disciplines)
6. Os Guinness (Fit Bodies, Fat Minds; No Time for Truth; Prophetic Untimeliness)
7. John Eldredge (The Sacred Romance; Wild At Heart, Waking the Dead)

Coming soon to theaters (and DVD)

This is interesting. Next month Steven Soderbergh (who directed Traffic) will be releasing a film that will appear in the theaters and on DVD at the same time. One reason behind this move is to combat piracy. Since people in other countries are already watching these movies before their DVD release, then why not take advantage of this market by making the product available immediately? One concern, which Soderbergh dismisses, is that this will discourage people from going to the theaters. But I will always want to go out to watch movies. Truth be told, my living room is a rather lame place to watch a good flick. You can read the interview with Soderbergh here.

Why I Love My Dog

If you haven't met my Welsh Corgi, Zoey, then you're really missing out on something special. She's still a puppy, and therefore somewhat hyper, but she's really got a heart of gold and aims to please us however she can. She knows all the basic commands such as sit, lay down, come, stay, give, off, and so on. And she even knows how to roll-over, although sometimes she gets so excited (because she knows she'll get a treat) that she just ends up spinning around in circles. Anyways, in tribute to Zoey, here is a list, in no particular order, of what I love about my dog:

1. how she belches after every meal
   
2. her velvety soft ears that I rub on my face
   
3. how she lays on her back, spread-eagle, while napping
   
4. when she eagerly greets me when I come home from work
   
5. her persistence in getting us to play tug-of-war
   
6. how she barks at me when I start wrestling with Heidi
   
7. when she growls at something outside, then looks at us as if to say, "well,
   are you gonna' do something about that?"
   
8. her furry white chest and cute little white paws
   
9. when she runs circles around the house for no reason at all
   
10. how she licks my toes when I get out of the shower
    

Christmas Break is Here

One thing I love about still being in school is that I always get an extended Christmas break every year; whereas if I were working in the "real world," my holiday vacaction would be limited to just a few days, and then it would be back to the daily grind again. Maybe deep down in my heart, this is what truly motivates my desire to work in the academy someday, because even professors get to enjoy these long Christmas vacations.

On a related note, I just finished my final paper for greek philosophy. It is not my best work, but it is done. And for now, that is enough. So since this is finished, my Christmas break has officially begun. Of course, tomorrow I will be working at the restaurant, so it's really a pseudo-break of sorts. Actually, now that school is finished, I will probably start working more and perhaps even be more busy than before. So ignore the previous discussion about how great Christmas break is. Because now that I think about it, it kinda' stinks!

A Hard Day's Night

David was really hoping for a restfull nights sleep last night in preparation for finishing his last paper of the semester today so he can turn it in on Monday - but here's how his night really went:
11:00pm David finally arrives home after a full day of work at the Olive Garden
12:00am after taking some time to un-wind heads to bed and hopes for the best
3:15am - Owen wakes up as has been the habit over the last few weeks (we think it may be due to teething as he was sleeping 10-11 hours straight prior)
4:00am David can't fall back to sleep so he tries a change in scenery on the couch
4:45am We are awoken again this time to Zoey barfing in the hall - David gets up to help me clean up (what a guy!) and we look at the clock realizing it is just a matter of time before Owen wakes up for his morning feeding
6:15 - Yup, there's the little whimper - Thankfully he goes back to sleep for about an hour so I can charge my batteries a little
7:30 A - la - la - la, bum, bum, bum, I hear Owen coo...time to start my day, and thankfully David is still snoozing

To wean or not to wean...

I am seriously considering beginning the weaning process with Owen. We have been on solids for almost 2 months and he is doing really well with them. Owen never did warm up to the bottle so it will have to be formula in a cup - we'll see how it goes as I give it a trial run this afternoon.

Narnia Film in Theaters

Today the much anticipated The Lion, The Witch & the Wardrobe opens in theaters and I absolutely can't wait to see it. Heidi and I are trying to read the book quickly before heading to the theater in the coming weeks. Ebert and Roper give it two thumbs up, and usually if those guys like a film, I tend to enjoy it as well.

Much Needed Night Out

Tonight we enjoyed a fabulous meal with our community group at Bordinos, an upscale Italian restaurant here in Fayetteville. The conversation was stimulating and the food was great! And given the stress of the past week, it was a much needed night out for both of us. We were more than happy to fork over $15 to the babysitter to make this happen.

Personality Plus

Owen is becoming more and more his own person. He is making a wide variety of noises with such purpose and intensity I think he even surprises himself! He is now more apt to object to circumstances he finds negative, such as my leaving the room or when he lets me know he is done eating. But also with this comes an increased response to just about anything he witnesses. Today I was reading him a story to settle him down for his afternoon nap and I had developed the hick-ups. I continued reading, and with each 'hick' Owen would burst into giggles - adorable! He is also quite pleased to watch with great interest how we play with Zoey. He is catching on how to play tug-of-war even if Zoey wins most of the time.

Bringin' Home the Bacon

Today I worked a 12-hour shift at the restaraunt. It was a long day. My feet are tired and I have a slight headache. But I made some pretty good tips, despite one of my tables underpaying by almost $20. To be honest, I'm a little surprised that I'm doing well at this job. It's not really my personality to be warm and hospitable to strangers, or to anyone, for that matter. For now, however, this seems to be working. Hopefully next year, or sooner perhaps, I will move on to something better. In the meantime, I should be thankful just to have a source of income.

An Apology for Blogging

There is some vanity in creating a blog, for it kinda' assumes that others are terribly interested in reading about your personal life. Now if you're a celebrity or important politician of some sort, then the assumption is well-founded. But since we are neither, and live a rather simple and ordinary life, we recognize that nothing revolutionary or inspiring will result from our blogging efforts. At any rate, perhaps some close friends and family members will view this blog as a helpful means to keep up with the our activities. And of course, we promise to post cute pictures of Owen for the doting grandparents!