Recent events on campus pertain to the issue of homosexuality. Historically speaking, conflicts between and within faith communities are not something new on the map. Humans have been dealing with contradictions and alterations in traditions for, let’s see, centuries. That said, it is necessary to temporarily overlook this philosophical topic and objectively witness the way in which the discourse was ideated. Every community experiences conflict. … Continue reading Direct communication: Not just for comm majors

For people who have read my commentaries in the past, you know it is uncharacteristic of me to not only talk about things before they happen (I’m writing on 10/10/10) but also discuss what is a sensitive political issue in the campus community. I don’t wish to seem crass, but “gay rights” is only a political movement because it has to be, and I hope … Continue reading Since it’s Coming Out Week…

I am normally not one for board games. This probably stems from my standing as a middle child with two brothers, and thus I endured much torture and failure while trying to play such games with them. In Monopoly, I was the one who ended up with a single house on St. Charles Place after my brothers formed a joint ownership of all remaining properties, … Continue reading Friends, fellowship and Settlers of Catan

At the risk of feeding the flames of overreaction and self-righteousness, I want to talk this week about the Bible verse on The Rock. I don’t promise to add a fresh perspective, just one that comes from someone who considers himself to be a reasonable person, in spite of being a Lutheran. The Christian Bible has often been dismissed by non-Christians as being perfectly valid … Continue reading Get the hell out of my religion

Words. Arranged in few and sparse, they are all but for the worse. Smushed and squished like sardines in a can, these words overwhelm, confuse any woman. Hence—the length of a song suits me—a commentary, my cuppa tea! On that quippy note, I illustrate here on our imaginary chalkboard the word “Gustie” in all its splendor. What connotations mingle with that word? Smiles, hard workers, … Continue reading The powerful connotations of words

Mondays. Who invented them? …Why? Here at beloved Gustavus, we learn (hopefully) about the history of Western civilization and the development of our culture and perspective. If not, something’s up with where our money’s going. Since attending this hilltop haven, I’ve been blessed with a good handful of EXCELLENT MONDAYS! I beg of you, how does that happen? In my experience, it starts with a … Continue reading Mondays are not always horrible. They can be wonderful.

Seeing as earlier this week was the Nobel Conference, it would be appropriate to write an article about food. Appropriate, but maybe a little too obvious. Instead, I write here about another aspect of food: my dog and how much he loves it. My dog Bobber gets three meals a day, just like me. Two scoops in the bowl at breakfast, one scoop at first … Continue reading Do you miss your animal companion?

Eternal nothingness is fine if you happen to be dressed for it. -Woody Allen Geez! You scared me. No, I can talk. I was just in the middle of something. I was doing nothing. It’s okay, I’ll finish later. Yeah, nothing. I’ve still got some to get through by dinnertime. See, it’s on my planner. I’ve always tried to allow some time for it, but … Continue reading The Zen of doing nothing

Here is the truth for pretty much 100 percent of college students: texts are coming in and going out at any time of the day or night, transmitting messages of both importance and absurdity; the cell phone could buzz at any time with an important phone call from a friend or a parent; practice times get changed, deadlines are extended, people break up—this is all … Continue reading I would give you a call if I could