How can this happen? Swiss voters decided to ban minarets, the towers that are constructed on Islamic mosques. Writes the BBC: “Supporters of a ban claimed that allowing minarets would represent the growth of an ideology and a legal system &emdash; Sharia law &emdash; which are incompatible with Swiss democracy.”
We made it back in one piece! Above is a photo of our tent covered in snow Saturday morning. It was a cold night but worth the lovely scenes for the next two days. Here are some highlights:
In all, a pretty amazing trip. I really really want to get back into nature now, especially with winter happening. There’s a state park near my cabin and I’m getting ideas!
Update: I made a flickr photoset of my weekend for you enjoyment.
I had big plans for a whole elaborate post about my camping trip coming up this weekend, but it’s late. Suffice it to say that this weekend I’m heading to Lake Marie State Park with Laura to take on the elements (and the temperatures!) for two nights. We’ll be making camp at a private little site on the shore of one of the lakes. We’ve even got plans for geocaching. I’ll have lots of pictures to share!
Ok, I need some Facebook advice. Is there a waiting period for friending someone on Facebook? Like, if I met someone at a meeting or during a conference or at the bar, at what point can I request their friendship? Is it the same on LinkedIn?
In the interest of intellectual pursuit, let’s review some precedent. Gun laws mandate a seven-day waiting period. That’s really more for weeding out the lunatics, but I think there’s some merit: If you have to wait seven days, your immediate need for gratification will wane. Probably a good thing. Applications for the Facebook world? I suppose such a waiting period would help cut down on the people who friend absolutely everyone with no discretion.
Next precedent: Romantic interests have a traditional three-day waiting period before calling after a date. Perhaps it worked well for our parents, but my Gen Y cohorts and I have full schedules and limited attention spans; raised on the 24-hour news cycle, we need feedback fast, so I’d say that waiting period is out the door. And even so, the three-day rule isn’t quite analogous, since a phone call means a conversation, which could mean another date. A Facebook invite, on the other hand, could mean an acceptance and that’s it.
So I want some rules. Anyone have any experience to offer? When is too soon to friend? When is it too late? And do any rules cross into other social media like Twitter and LinkedIn?
Ages and ages ago Ryan gave me this neat set of coasters that you can customize with little photos. They sat around until I got the itch to shoot photos and I thought of a neat idea.
These are all small photos from the blocks around my apartment building. Clockwise: The “M” from the Marshall Avenue sign, a pair of heels that have hung on some power lines for about four months, the “W.” from W. A. Frost, and the “400″ from my building’s address. Neat, huh? And do you get the “M” and “W”? I impress myself ;-)
I’m going to need a good workout tomorrow after all the food I ate at Open Arms tonight! Seriously, I was a bit out of control :-) I snacked on turkey and zucchini bread, and now I want to cook with both. See, this is why I like Open Arms — So many recipe ideas!
Tomorrow’s workout is going to be killer. I’m going with Chris and we’re going to spend probably an hour and half in the gym. I’m going to show him some new stuff and should get pretty wiped out. Chris, I hope you’re ready for those rows!
Blog note: I added two links to the blogroll, for my friends Heather and Julie. Heather writes a sports blog and Julie is taking one photo every day this summer.
I have way too many books on my docket. Thoughts about my next read? Leave your choice in the comments.
Some of these books I got as gifts, some I bought myself. Some are documentary, some are escapist fiction. Not sure what I’m in the mood for, but leaving this world sounds good.
So, any thoughts?
Took the camera out tonight. Here’s a shot outside the back of my apartment. I’m thinking of getting this and some other alleys printed. Check out the rest on my photostream.
I wanted to share with everyone the organization I spend my Tuesday nights with. Each week I work in the kitchen at Open Arms of Minnesota, a charity that prepares and delivers free meals to people with AIDS, MS, ALS, breast cancer and other chronic illnesses. From 7 to 9:30 p.m. I make soup, package dinners, chop vegetables and do whatever else needs to be done around the kitchen.
I got involved with Open Arms in college. I was taking Theology 200: Christian Belief Ancient and Contemporary because it was a required course. I had picked my section at random and found out on the first day that we’d be working at OAM as a service-learning experience. I was nervous because it sounded like a big time commitment, and I even considered switching sections. I’m glad I stuck with it, because I got to know an awesome organization. We only delivered meals a couple of times, but it was always a pleasure to work with the employees and to briefly meet the clients when we dropped off their food.
I didn’t get much chance to work with them again after that class because I was so busy and didn’t have a car, but once I graduated I knew I wanted to work them into my schedule. So in January I picked up a shift and have been going ever since. I look forward to it every week as a way to unwind, chat with the other volunteers and do something good. And I’ve even picked up a few cooking tips, too. I stick with it because I really believe that the organization is doing amazing direct service to people with HIV/AIDS. That theology course turned me on to the shocking number of people who contract, live with and die of AIDS around the world. I hate sounding preachy, but it’s stunning that it’s gotten to the level that it has. So, instead of getting on a soapbox and lecturing about something I’m no expert on, I’ll let UNAIDS tell some figures. I’ll also encourage everyone to look into Open Arms for a way to do some volunteering. Thanks!
Laura visited me Saturday morning. Instead of dropping money at some restaurant, we stayed in, cooked, and enjoyed a beautiful morning wit conversation. This is a pic of the meal when we started. Check my photostream for the after shot.
