The photos

A few photos from my outdoor antics in the past couple of days are in order. Timo and I had lots of fun shoveling and working on a snow fort together.



I don't think I wrote about the 13 Christmas snowmen in the first place, but here is the site of their massacre.





The boys got to go sledding together after dark, which was really a blast. It's kind of funny that the pictures that worked out here are mostly of us wiping out. I guess that goes to show how hardcore the experience was.

O'er the hills we went

Tonight Joseph, Daniel, Timo, and I went to Battle Creek Park to sled. After google maps directed us to some forlorn corner of the (huge) park with the hill nowhere in sight, we were lost about 20 minutes trying to find the sledding hill. Eventually we found it, and although the lights were off (it was past 10 pm), we decided to sled a bit anyway.

It was quite entertaining. For one thing, every able-bodied Minnesotan should probably go sledding at least once a year just to keep it in the blood. Also, the couple inches of fresh powder over more packed snow gave perfect conditions for hitting the slope. We all tried to make it down in one piece and without fracturing our tailbones, and we succeeded fairly well in both of those. It was kind of funny when a couple other late night sledders showed up and one of them popped their inner tube the first time down the hill. I couldn't help but laugh. We finished by all linking arms and going down the hill side by side. We all crashed, as we knew we would, and most of us went down together, but somehow Timo escaped and made it to the bottom. Overall, we sustained only minor injuries, and the experience was satisfactorily exhilarating.

Unfortunately my ailing computer is not wanting to read my SD card, so the inclusion of the few pictures I took will have to be postponed indefinitely.

Why I Blog

Looking at my blogging record for the past couple of months, I must stop and ask myself, "Why am I doing this anyway?" I am well aware of the fact that my blog is no state-of-the-art publication, and I'm pretty sure it's not revolutionizing too many people's lives, or even keeping people up on what I'm up to--certainly not when I publish something once a month.

I write for several reasons. For one thing, I like to think, and even if my thoughts are crazy, I like to share them with others. Along that vein, blogging about something makes me think more concretely about it. I think about a lot of things, but putting them down on "paper" makes me think of them in a more concrete way. In addition, I love language, and I'd like to learn how to express myself better in a variety of media. I will never become a better writer if I never write.

My final reason for writing, if my boldest, is that I believe I have something to contribute to the world. I don't say this because of who I am, but more because of who God is, and who people are in light of that. God has created us in His image. True, we are fallen people. However, we still can learn so much from the perspectives of those around us, through the relationships we have with them. In the academic community, I hear a lot about the benefits of collaboration and interdisciplinarity. At the heart of those sometimes lofty-sounding ideas is the simple truth that ideas grow into meaningful thoughts, words, and actions when you share them with those with whom you have contact. I suppose the best way to ensure that your life will not matter much is to stay to yourself and keep your notions in your own head.

Having said all that, no one really likes to read a blog that doesn't have a healthy dose of pictures, videos, or other more visually attractive elements. Since that's the case, I'd love to share a few pictures to capture a few of the highlights of my last several weeks.

The family enjoyed the puzzle that I got free from church and gave to them. :)

After a fun time bowling with CEF oldies, we made it to Annie's with the Lee clan.

We had to strut our gangsta-ness just a little.

I got to hang out with my former roomie Mike in Madison. Here he is in front of the seat of Wisconsin's glorious government.

At Northwestern, I was able to attend my first NU basketball game--all the more fun since we beat the University of Illinois 73-68.

I spent a little time in my beloved city of Chicago.

I also got to travel back on megabus with family, which was a new treat.

Here Dad and I stand next to the majestic bus itself.