The Long Route

Well, I didn't get into the Douglas College Self-Employment program, thus I won't be getting the formal training or $300 week funding support to start my sole proprietorship, but y'know, that's okay. I'm pretty zen about it. I'm going to go it alone, figure it out and make it happen. It'll take longer, no doubt, but this way I can make it my own thing.

I'm planning to call it Rogue Wave Communications ("Stand out. Be phonemenal.") I checked to make sure no one's using that name in B.C. so I'm good to go. First step is to register the name and figure out to create a website. The big question right now is, how the hell do I do that?

I'm going to do some Internet research and maybe YouTube will help me out. For learning HTML I know w3schools.com is a help. But do I really need to know coding to create a business site? Being the anti-tech person (barely know how to use an iPod), this is going to be a real challenge...

But I've decided, sink or swim, I'm going to start the new year with a new business. We should all think of ourselves as self-employed anyway, regardless of who writes our paycheck.

122 Tosses

So I can juggle for a while now (about a minute), but my limit seems to be just over 100 tosses. I can't figure out how those guys do it for, like, half an hour, and not just with juggling balls, but with swords. Sometimes swords on fire. You can't drop those, though; it's not an option. Someone's toe might get cut off or burned, or both.

For anyone wanting to get started, though, here are a couple of tips:

1. Practice standing next to your bed. This way, when you drop the balls, you don't have to reach down to the ground. The balls will be at waist height. 

2. Start by tossing just two balls from your left to your right hand and then back the other way. Try to make the balls reach the same height with each toss, directly above the opposite hand, so they neatly fall down into your hand without you having to reach for them. 

Self Employment?

Today I put in my application for the Self-Employment Program at Douglas College. I'm planning to start a small communications company, and knowing absolutely diddly-squat about how to start or run a business (yay, English degree!), I figure this will be the best route to get it off the ground. Always wanted to be CEO of Something Inc.

I find out Dec. 23 if I'm in. Either way this is gonna happen. It would just be a lot easier with help.

Bartending New Year's?

Last week I met some people at a friend-of-a-friend's closing show thingy at Wild Rice and one of them happened to be the bar manager. I thought to myself, this place is pretty cool, and hey, since I don't have any plans for New Year's this year, why not be here, serving beer and cocktails? It'll be volunteer, but I'll be somewhere fun and getting to try out my flair skills. Or at least learn some flair skills. I already know how to pour a beer, so that's a start. Sent Alison a message, she seems keen about the idea. We'll see what happens...

#35 - Bible, cover-to-cover

The Good Book. The Word of God. The Holy Bible.

Started reading Genesis on January 1 this year... "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth," and last night I finished with the final words of Revelation, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

I've now read every single word, from cover to cover. (Although the version I read is a protestant copy, which means, technically, I could read MORE books from the Apocrypha in an orthodox bible, but for now, I'm done!)

(Side note: when I started reading the King James version this year, I didn't realize that this is the 400th year anniversary of publication. It was in 1611 that Prince James, in England, commissioned this copy to be read in churches there. Kind of a neat coincidence.)

Took me almost a year of reading almost every day, and wow, what a book. I started off feeling really frustrated by the fairy-tale perspective of Genesis (Adam and Eve and the snake in the garden. Really? I'm supposed to believe this stuff?) and grew even more perturbed by much of the bloody violence in the Old Testament, interspersed with insanely boring chapters outlining long family histories. "And Jonah begat Samuel, who begat Jehosaphat, who begat..."

There's a reason most people haven't read the bible. It's very long and very challenging.

But then again, isn't that the point? There's also a reason it's still today the most widely published book in history. I started out with cynicism and yet despite my resistance to it, could not help but be moved and inspired by the Christian holy book. There are, if you're willing to stick it out to get to the good stuff, incredibly entertaining stories, inspiring quotes, heroic and noble characters, and the ultimate message of hope, in the gospel. Even if you're not religious, even if you don't believe in God, I dare you to read the New Testament and not want to be a Christian, even just in your heart.

For all the mistakes and disappointments we find in each other, Jesus Christ is Love itself, Hope embodied, and the ultimate hero. He's someone to idolize, to follow, to trust in. I'm biased, of course, being raised in a Catholic family, but I honestly think even if I wasn't a Christian before, I'd be very tempted to consider becoming one now. Not necessarily in the way that becoming a Christian means in the modern world, following a proscribed formula laid out by some church I don't fit with, but to start off with, just in my heart and mind, just by trying to be more like Jesus. Nobody can argue with trying to be more kind, more loving, can they?

I think we can all, everyone in the world, no matter what our religion or even atheist perspective, learn something profound about what it means to be the best human being we can be, from the example of the life and teachings of Jesus. And in that, there is great hope. Thank God for the Bible!

**FOR SUMMARY POSTS, START WITH Genesis.

Revelation

The Book of Revelation doesn't make sense unless you've just done a lot of drugs. I think most theologians would agree with me on this one. 

The whole 22-chapter saga, written by John (as in the fourth gospel and letters from John) is some kind of weird tale of seven-headed dragons, vengeful angels pouring blood into the sea, earthquakes and storms, the four horsement of the apocalypse and, let's not forget the Antichrist, who's number, we are told, is 666. Why? Who cares? None of this makes any sense! Mother of Pearl, this one's effed up. Finishing the bible with this book makes me wish it wasn't in the bible, I have to be honest, because the books leading up to this one are historical, genuine, heartfelt, and make so much sense for what it means to follow Jesus. The gospels, Corinthians, James, even the Old Testament stuff, like Ruth, Job, Psalms, and the lovely Ecclesiastes are somehow overshadowed by this embarrassingly violent, kaleidoscopic mix of visions at the end.

The really strange and interesting thing about Revelation is that John writes in the first person, with Jesus as the narrator, and Jesus says don't change a single word in this book, don't take one word out and don't ad any words at all. Leave it exactly as it is, or else...

Wow. Trippy.

From what I've learned through Bible for Idiot's and Cliffs Notes, if for nothing else, the book of Revelation is meant to remind Christians that Christ will be back, and will be ready to make a judgement about mankind, so be ready. In the end, the bad guys always lose and the good guys always win. 

The end... Or is it? 

"He wich testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." -- Revelation 22:20



**NEXT: bible summary/commentary

#18 - See A Pro Hockey Game

Well, that was easy! I've always wanted to see a hockey game live, right? And today, out of the blue, my brother Aidan calls from work, and he's like, "Hey, do you want to go see the Canucks tonight?" And I'm all like, "Uh, yeah!"

Turns out my sister-in-law's Grade 3 student's dad works for the team, so he offered her free tickets and she didn't feel like going tonight so my brother asked me. Sweet deal. All I had to pay for was a skytrain ticket and a slice of pizza from MegaBite on the way to Rogers Arena.

So anyway, seeing the game live was cool, despite the home team losing 6 - 5 to the Nashville Predators. Damnit, Canucks! At least there was no riot. The only excitement outside at the end was a couple of bongo drum hippies busking in the rain. I finally feel like a real Canadian now, though, having been to a pro hockey game.

And I did get to see a pretty exciting game in which Bieksa did a really funny pommel horse move over the Nashville goalie's net and I did get to give strangers enthusiastic high-fives for the goals the Canucks scored.

The things I expected:

1. It was cold in the arena. I'm glad I wore a toque and a scarf.
2. People made a lot of noise when the Canucks scored. That was awesome.
3. A lot of people drank a lot of beer out of plastic cups. (I didn't because I'm starting an alcohol-free month. Didn't know I was going to a Canucks game tonight when I thought of the idea this morning.)

The things I didn't expect:

1. There was A LOT of advertising all throughout the game, on the jumbo-tron, on the banner going around the stands, on the inside of the rink and anywhere else they could stick ads. It was kind of annoying. When there's a commercial break, you still have to watch the commercials even if you've paid for a ticket. They're on the jumbo-tron.

2. When there's a commercial break these kids in green t-shirts skate onto the ice like bats out of hell and shovel up all the ice shavings. So that's what's actually going on while I'm forced to watch car commercials every 10 minutes while I'm in my living room!

3. Women in the bathrooms are drunk and will be very rude regardless of how classy they look before they open their mouths. I guess that's just hockey culture. I've never heard a woman yell, "Hurry up, bitches!" in the washroom during intermission at a ballet or opera. Never.

4. The highlight of the game for me, not being a huge hockey fan (let's be honest here, the Canucks lost the Stanley Cup... I'm officially... maybe even permanently... off the bandwagon) was the game during the first intermission the five-year olds played. It was so fun watching these little tykes give it their everything, which wasn't much at all, but one kid actually scored a goal and the whole arena cheered earnestly and with gusto while the lights went bezerk and the announcer said, "Score!" Forget Burrows, that kid must feel like a million bucks tonight as he's getting into bed in his PJs with his teddy bear and Canucks nightlight shining the orca logo on his ceiling.

Good game.

Jude

The letter from Jude is the last of the epistles to the early churches. Jude calls himself the brother of James, so we can assume he's also the brother (or half-brother, technically) of Jesus.

Anyway, Jude's letter is just a quick reminder not to follow false prophets, whom he earnestly explains as being evil. This letter is more important for understanding the history of the church than for understanding the teachings of Christianity, I would say.

And next Revelation, which is the final book in the New Testament, and, in fact, in the whole bible. I've been warned I'm in for a bumpy ride. Should be interesting...

**NEXT: Revelation