Dear Diary, The feelings have been getting stronger no matter what I do. The last few weeks have grown simply unbearable. I wake up with sweaty palms, a palpitating heart and abstract, poetic lyrics swirling around in my head with no means of escape. I’ve been in denial long enough, and I can’t lie to myself any longer. Diary, I think I’m in love with … Continue reading It’s official: I’m in love with Regina Spektor

Would you know what I meant if I told you I were sun-drunk? Bear with me for a second; I think you know exactly what I mean. This intoxication comes not from the bottle but from hours and hours at The Lake soaking up the sun, pure and unapologetic. When you eventually retreat back indoors, you still feel the heat of the day in your … Continue reading To Minnesota, with love

John McCain and the other Republican candidates across the country are experiencing a political nightmare right now. I feel, however, that this election could be the perfect opportunity for the Republican Party to reestablish the conservative principles that can best get us through our country’s current economic crisis and all of our other serious domestic and foreign policy challenges. For far too long, many Republican … Continue reading Principles over politicians

Heather lives in a little house with a big apple tree in the front yard and lots of tall grass in the backyard. Heather’s favorite number is two. She has two arms, two legs, two eyes, two ears, two hands and two feet. Heather also has two mommies. Mama Jane and Mama Kate.” The above quote is from the well-known and groundbreaking children’s book, Heather … Continue reading Tolerant toddlers: tolerant teens

I’ve said before that I am someone who looks for and seeks out change in the world. I think I ought to talk about that a bit. You know, the whole “change” bit. As strange as it might seem, it’s actually the timeliest concept I can think of right now. Change, as I imagine it, should be a habit. There are a lot of people … Continue reading Complacency

As our country hurtles toward a presidential election defined by change, we fly by the tenth anniversary of a horrific crime that illustrates just how much, in one decade, that country has remained the same. On the night of Oct. 6, 1998, just outside of Laramie, Wyoming, two men brutally beat gay college student Matthew Shepard, tied him to a fence and left him to … Continue reading Matthew Shepard: An anniversary of hate

Within the liberal arts educated, NPR listening, New Yorker reading academic subculture exists a movement toward promoting science education and awareness to people who, like me, are not scientists. In the last four years, the NPR program Radio Lab has grown in popularity and established itself as a leading force in this movement. The show covers big topics like music, sleep, laughter, language and many … Continue reading Of science and storytelling

I occasionally have the strange suspicion that I may have been Jefferson Airplane’s Gracie Slick in a former life. Yes, I realize this couldn’t actually be true, seeing as she is still alive and all, but sometimes-given the right coffee-to-volume ratio-I own those vocals, whether I am actually singing along or not. I think the connection is beyond the acid-flavored lyrics and more about the … Continue reading Our generation’s challenge

Earlier this week, Presidential Candidate John McCain offered us his plan to rectify the financial and economic crisis currently shaking Wall Street. It’s pretty simple, actually: fire the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to McCain, Commission Chairman Christopher Cox should be fired because he was “asleep at the switch” when the crisis hit. McCain was quoted in a Bloomberg article saying, “the … Continue reading McCain’s financial flip-flop

If you don’t mind, I’d like to take off my conservative Republican hat to talk as a Christian member of the Gustavus community. Some people seem to get the impression that socially conservative Republicans think they are the only “true” Christians, but as a social conservative, I think there are many liberal Democrat Christians who care for others and follow Jesus’ teachings much better than … Continue reading Guided by God