Jordan Conn is my hero.

In other news, I love being home. I really didn't like this house all that much when I lived here, but now, it is so restful for me. Reading on the screened in porch. Watching The O.C. or Planet Earth snuggled up in my Dad's chair in our big, fancy living room, and napping on the couch. It's just a nice, peaceful place to be. I suppose it hasn't always been so. But it is now.

I put in a special request with my Dad to have dinner with his girlfriend this week. Barbara. She is the coolest. She came over tonight, and we finished off 2 bottles of Shiraz together and talked about everything imaginable and poked fun at my Dad's politics and prejudices. Dad sent her my paper on Sophia Christology, and she came in the door ready with talking points about it. If I were to recruit the perfect addition to our family, she would be it. Too feisty to bend to my Dad's sad, old-man conservatism. Gives them something to argue about. It's the kind of tension my parents used to thrive on in their relationship, until my Mom gave up. But Barbara is a worthy foe. She's been around the world, and she's got opinions bigger than this tiny southern town. If Dad doesn't scare her off with his drinking and republicanism, I think she could settle in with us forever.

Otherwise, my week is filling up fast. I don't have that many friends in Birmingham, but almost none of them actually socialize with one another, so I have to set aside an evening for each of them. Of course, none of them have daytime free, leaving me to read and watch tv all the livelong day. I am not complaining.

Nate has got me reading this Brian McLaren book, Finding Faith, to help me along in my "spiritual journey." It is not really helping (probably because I don't really see myself in need of help), but it was sweet of him, I suppose. None of his answers to all the big questions are really satisfactory, but the part of it that really gets to me is the part about ritual and sharing in community and experiencing God in nature and all those sorts of things. What does that mean? I love the idea of spirituality and communion with god, but I am more and more annoyed with dogmas. Oh well.

Cheers to no more school. So far, we got 1 A and 2 A-'s. Better than I deserve. I always report my grades to folks, and I've noticed that other people are usually a little more private about these things. Oh well. Eat it.

If you'll remember, I've had quite a bit of wine this evening, so I may not be making so much sense. I apologize.