pride goes before the fall

The Character of Pride
* Pride is ruthless, sleepless, unsmiling concentration on the self. ~ C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity
* Pride is self-absorption, and there are two kinds: superiority pride and inferiority pride. Pride means you're always thinking about yourself. Either looking at others and thinking you're better than them or looking at others and wishing you could be as good as them, in whatever way.
* Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less.
The Deadliness of Pride
* Pride destroys. It makes you a fool. It causes you to blame others for things that go wrong, and not to learn from your mistakes. Pride keeps you from growing.
* Pride makes you evil. Pride is the petri dish in which all sorts of other hellish things grow. After all, the devil is the devil because he was prideful. Think about that!
* Pride is the carbon monoxide of sin. It's the silent killer. You can't see it or smell it. When you're prideful, you usually don't know it. "Who me? I'm not proud." Oh wait. Yes, you are. That was pride right there!
* Heaping religiosity on pride doesn't help. That just makes you a hypocrite.
The Cure for Pride
* Haman, in the Bible story of Esther (Esther 3:1-6, 6:1-10) didn't ask for the wrong things - a robe, glory, delight, etc. He asked the wrong king!
* The reason we are prideful is because we are seeking love and esteem. But the greater the person, or the One, who loves us, the less insecure we are! The praise of the praise-worthy is above all glory!
* To the degree you believe Christ humbled Himself for you, you will be healed of your pride and humbled.

Historical Note: In Bible times, when a king gave someone his robe, it was about more than just honor. It was delight, it was love, it was asking them to share in the glory. It might even symbolize that the king wants them to take over next - to wear the crown! Now think of this in terms of what Christ the King did for you!

(From Tim Keller's sermon "The Man the King Delights to Honor" on 4/29/07.)

eats, shoots, & leaves

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normal

Well, sorta. Today was sorta normal. I mean, I got a lot accomplished - even before noon - and I was able to enjoy this fantastic city I live in. I had an appointment with a nurse at 10:00 am to start my physical for my new job in China. Then I had an appointment at 10:40 with a nurse practitioner about my wrist. The bump I've had since December? Turns out it's a ganglion cyst and I have to go to a surgeon to have it drained. Yuck! From there I went to the post office to mail a few packages, and then I headed to the hospital for a chest x-ray, also for my job in China. Then I strolled down Broadway, enjoying the sunshine and the people, and hopped on the subway to Union Square. There I grabbed a cheap lunch of gyros from a street vendor and sat in the park to eat and people watch. I stopped in a couple of shops, and I went to Trader Joe's for wine for my Thursday night class. Also browsed in Barnes and Nobel and at the Farmer's Market. Then I came back up north to go to "counseling" before I could get the HIV test, also required for my job in China (that was an experience, let me tell you!). Then I had to go to the lab to get blood drawn for the HIV test and two other tests for my job in China. And the medical requirements still haven't all been met yet! I have an appointment on Friday for an EKG, and then another next Wednesday for a physical and to see all the results. What a pain! Although... I did get to see my ribs, lungs, and heart today, which was cool! Other things I saw in New York today? Two girls tap dancing in the subway stop at Times Square, an MTA bus "in training" that didn't quite make it's turn and stopped traffic in an intersection, and two people with old fashioned little popcorn machines passing out free popcorn on a corner. Love this city!

visitors

Mmm... So nice to finally have a few minutes to sit down and write and get caught up with my blog. I've had so much work to do for school in the last two weeks, and, additionally, I've had VISITORS! Brian was here April 17 through April 20, and Heidi, her mom, and Katie came April 19 through April 23. Yes, their visits overlapped, and I was one busy tour guide!

Brian stayed with our friends Jerad and Liza in Queens, and we met up during the days to (a) print my group's 400-page curriculum project and get it bound (b) eat Chinese food and get a free cone at Ben & Jerry's (c) explore Greenwich village and (d) check out the i-pods at the Apple store. Also, I skipped my science class on Wednesday night so I could join Brian, Jerad, and Liza for some of Jerad's home cooking and some catching up in their kitchen. Brian and I picked up fresh cheese, bread, and a pie at the farmer's market in Union Square.

On Thursday night, Heidi, Katie, and Heidi's mom arrived, and I met them and Brian in Times Square for drinks. My original plan was to take them to my favorite lounge - Flatiron Lounge, but the Wisconsin visitors were reluctant to get on the subway that night. The next place I suggested was way too loud, so we ended up at a lame pub where there was a real live dog sitting on the bar and guys walking around with their beer bellys hanging out. It felt more like northern Wisconsin than New York. I even had a beer. Oh well. I ended up staying that night and the next at the hotel with the girls because:

Two nights eariler a Columbia University grad student had been followed home from the subway to her apartment in my neighborhood, and the man broke into her apartment and raped and tortured her for nineteen hours. He was later (on Wednesday night - the night I came back from dinner in Queens) seen at the grocery store across from my dorm (just fifteen minutes after I got back to my dorm, at night by myself). Needless to say, I was a bit freaked out. He has been caught now, though. Thank heavens!

And so. I spent Friday playing tour guide to the Wisconsin girls. We actually made it on the NBC Today Show; their families at home saw us! Then we went to South Street Seaport for Broadway tickets and lunch outside. It's finally spring here, and we definitely enjoyed the weather. After lunch, we did Wall Street, the Statue of Liberty, and Ground Zero. Then I sent the girls to Central Park to relax, and I met Brian at the Metropolitan Opera, where Jerad is doing an internship. Jerad gave us a full backstage, underground, around-the-block tour of the Met. Absolutely awesome! I'm so glad we had the opportunity to see what most people never do; it gives me a whole new appreciation for what happens at the opera every day. From there, I came back to school to get changed, and then I met the WI girls for dinner at an Italian restaurant and to see Curtains! on Broadway. After the show, I took Heidi and her mom to the Flatiron Lounge. Apple martinis to die for.

Saturday we explored Soho, Noho, the East Village, and the West village, we had lunch in Little Italy, and we shopped in Chinatown. We managed not to buy too much, but it was wonderful to walk around and see all the beautiful signs of spring. We went back to the hotel to freshen up, and then we had dinner at Cafeteria. We all four ordered the heavenly baked mac and cheese - "It's like angels peeing on your tongue!" as they say in Greece. After dinner, the girls went back to the hotel and I went to a birthday party at Latitude for Jawahir and Christian. Wine, anyone?
Sunday was spent working on my Master's Thesis, which is now officially done and turned in, as of 10:25 am today. Pray for it! That it will be approved so I really can graduate! In the evening, I went to church and then met the WI girls for "dinner" at Max Brenner. I finally tried the chocolate pizza. Oooh. Delish!

Today finally felt like a normal day. I got to go to the gym, run errands, do school work... all that daily life stuff that doesn't happen when company comes. And guess what. More company comes in two days. Really, I'm looking forward to it!

reminder

jennifer likes to...

According to Google, here are ten of my favorite things to do:

1.Jennifer likes to spend time with her family, gardening, walking along the Susquehanna River, and traveling. Really, her job is her hobby!
2. Jennifer likes to be the star of the show.
3. Jennifer likes to listen to music and spend time with friends and sorors.
4. Jennifer likes to move between different mediums.
5. Jennifer likes to write, read, color with her children, play dolls with her daughter, take nature walks with her kids, and read bedtime stories to them.
6. Jennifer likes to hang out with her friends and do what she describes as “typical teenager things” like going to movies.
7. Jennifer likes to cheer on the Seattle Mariners - usually - and believes that any moment can be made better with either a Dr. Pepper or a margarita.
8. Jennifer likes to ski and snowboard.
9. Jennifer likes to use it as a whole step drop.
10. Jennifer likes to mix things up working in with actors.

Try it yourself! Type in your name in the search box, using quotes: "_____ likes to".

one hundred

This is my 100th post! I've seen on other people's blogs that the 100th post seems to be something to celebrate. In my world, the only "100" thing we celebrate is the 100th Day of School. However, I suppose 100 is a lot, so, in the spirit of celebrating my 100th post, I thought I'd share some pictures of past 100th Day of School festivities with my students in Shanghai.

it's finished

FINALLY. All semester I've been working as part of a group of four to design a social studies curriculum for first and second grade. At the beginning of the semester, I agreed to coordinate and edit and format and compile every one's work. I had no idea at the time what a big job that would turn out to be! Today I printed the curriculum. It took an entire color printer cartridge and over an hour just to print (not to mention the two solid days - 9 am to 10 pm - I spent writing and editing this weekend, plus all the other time over the course of the semester). It's 368 pages!!! And it looks fantastic, if I do say so myself. Now, I have to get back to work on my Master's Thesis - Action Research Project. The final version of that is due next Tuesday, and, right now, the thesis is 120 pages long. I've never written so much in my life! And, in addition to all the school work I have to do, I have to (and get to) spend time with Brian, who's here from today through Friday, and Heidi, Katie, and Mrs. Hintze, who are here from Thursday through next Monday. I don't think I'll have time to breathe until the semester is over!

easter vacation

I found out at the beginning of the semester that my class for April 10 would be cancelled. That left me with five and a half days free over Easter weekend, so I called my mom and asked if I could go home. She was able to arrange it, and she managed to get my sister and her husband there from California, too! We were blessed to be able to spend a long weekend with the whole family together. Dad, Mom, Katie, Chris, and me. And on Saturday, my aunt and uncle and grandma drove down from Nebraska, and two of my cousins came over, too. We had Easter ham sandwiches, and I gave away lots of good "stuff" from China that I had stashed in the basement. Also during the weekend, we went to my very favorite restaurant in the world for steak, we visited a special exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Unioin Station, we played dominoes, we went to our old church, and mom and I went to a crazy warehouse with the sign "Good Stuff Cheap" where we found curriculum materials and big books for $3.00. It was a fantastic break from the norm, and I enjoyed spending the time with my family. Love you, guys!

waterworld

When I watched the news at 11:20 last night, we'd gotten 6.4 inches of rain in Central Park - yesterday alone. This morning on the news they said we're up to 7.5. The usual rainfall for the month of April in New York is 4.3 inches. We're soaking wet! It's my first nor-easter! There's flooding everywhere, and transportation problems abound. Luckily (yeah right) I had so much work to do that I didn't have to go out in the rain. The curriculum project I'm coordinating for my group reached 330 pages yesterday, and it's still not done. I wonder how many hours it will take to print! So, if you're wondering what I'm up to... it's writing papers. I am in grad school, so I suppose it's to be expected!

Here's the picture from the front of the New York Times for today. The caption? "Think of May flowers..."

all that jazz

Last night - yes, on a school night - Jenn, Alison, and I went to see CHICAGO on Broadway. Alison went down in the morning and nabbed student rush tickets for us, while I worked away on a group project for school. Student rush tickets. That means we payed $26, and we sat in the third row!! Close enough that we could smell them. And see the sweat dripping down their cheeks. That wasn't so pleasant, but there were definite benefits of sitting close. Like we had a darn good view of those ripped guys' muscles. Woo! And we were able to see every detail of the (scant) costumes. And we were able to see the actors interacting with one another - little things on stage, and a little bit just off stage in the sight lines. And we could hear their individual voices as they sang all those wonderful songs... "And all that jazz!" Another bonus of seeing CHICAGO now is that Roxy, the lead, is being played by Bebe Neuwirth. Previously, Bebe played Fraiser's wife on the sitcom, and she won a Tony award playing Velma Kelly in CHICAGO in 1996 (Velma is the other female lead). The show was fantastic, and we sang all the way home.

have to share

I saw this yesterday, and I knew I should share it with you. You may have seen the clip on the news, but it's worth watching again. It reduces me to tears each time I see it, and it reminds me to be thankful for my dad, for little children, and for the all sacrifices of our nation's troops.

angela came

So... I've been pretty busy with school work until the last week or so, and I know I need to catch you up on lots that has happened in February and March. I thought I'd give you the highlights of my friend Angela's visit. She was here March 15 - 20, and we did it ALL while she was here - including some awesome things I hadn't done before!

Thursday, March 15
* Took the bus to the airport to pick Angela up, and we took the bus back to school
* Angela gave me a funky up-do and we got ready to go out
* Went to Radio for happy hour
* Went to bed around 3:00 am



Friday, March 16
* Times Square; got Broadway tickets
* Lunch in Little Italy - Angela had her first cannoli
* Walked through Chinatown (It sleeted and snowed 5.5 inches on us that afternoon!)
* Visited Lower East side Tenement Museum - New to me, and so interesting... They used census records to find out who used to live in the building, restored the apartments to what they would have been for those families, and told us the stories of how the families made their livings, etc.
* Spamalot on Broadway

Saturday, March 17
* El Museo del Barrio - They had an exhibit titled "The Disappeared" - Again, new to me, and really interesting but also quite sickening to see what governments in Central America have done to their people.
* St. Patrick's Day Parade on 5th Avenue
* Rockefeller Center, NBC Studio Experience Store, Dean & Deluca, Radio City Music Hall (Here met up with Jane and Trixy who teach at Concordia in Shanghai and who were here for an art educators' conference.)
* Top of the Rock - Also new to me, and waaaaay cooler than the Empire State Building.
* Chinatown for Shopping
* Dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant
* Dessert in Little Italy

Sunday, March 18
* Ground Zero
* Historic St. Pauls Chapel (I didn't realize you could go in here! This is where George Washington used to go to church. It was also a relief station after 9/11.)
* Wall Street and the Financial District
* Statue of Liberty
* South Street Seaport and the Brooklyn Bridge
* Lincoln Center
* Barnes and Nobel for coffee and a rest
* Central Park
* FAO Schwartz to see the guys dancing on the piano from the movie Big
* Church
* Dessert at Max Brenner, the chocolate restaurant, in Union Square

Monday, March 19
* Lunch at Carnegie Deli - The best pastrami I've ever eaten, plus homemade pickles. Worth the hype. (I hadn't been before.)
* MOMA - I hadn't been there before, and I absolutely loved it! We saw VanGogh's Starry Night. Plus, I got in free with my student ID!
* Starbucks for a rest
* Shopping in Greenwich Village
* Washington Square Park
* Dinner with Liza and Jerad, a friend from high school, at a French restaurant in the west village.
* Cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery

Tuesday, March 20
* Breakfast at home
* Off to the airport. It's always hard to say good-bye. We had a lot of fun and shared a lot of new experiences, and we were both exhausted by it all!

that's my school

We're Number One: Teachers College tops rankings in U.S. News and World Report

In its annual rankings, released on March 30, 2007, U.S. News and World Report magazine named Teachers College the nation's top graduate school of education. The U.S. News rankings -- contained in the issue headlined "America's Best Graduate Schools" --are based on two types of data: the opinions of experts in the field about program quality and a range of statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school's faculty, research and students. The statistics underscore TC's ability to achieve top quality while also maintaining a much larger and more academically diverse program than most other schools of education. In addition to topping the list for the amount of funded research (at $37.5 million), TC awarded 231 doctorates in 2006, nearly 40 percent more than the next-largest program on the list. TC moved up from the number two ranking last year. Stanford's Graduate School of Education was ranked second this year, followed by Harvard and Peabody (Vanderbilt) in a tie for third.