Gay Guy in Seminary: Day 15 (Ready for Battle)

Today was the first day of orientation, which is going to last all week. There's a lot of stuff to know! The ordination process takes an average of 3 years, which should happen concurrently while taking classes and tests for the Masters program. I need to get psych evals, write essays and be interviewed to make sure my theology is up to snuff. I'm currently working on the first phase, which is to become an inquirer, but I keep putting off finishing the essays. I wish I wasn't such a procrastinator.

Lunch came with some eye-opening conversation. Apparently, Santa Barbara Presbytery, the presbytery that I belong to, is super ultra-conservative. Presbyteries are the churches equivalent of states, like Santa Barbara Presbytery = Texas. I guess I was pretty naive this whole time because when I think of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, I think of artsy hippie wine drinkers. A couple of my friends were telling me that I might want to try to get ordained in a more liberal presbytery, like San Francisco, but Ventura is where my heart is, and if Santa Barbara Presbytery really is as conservative as they say it is, then I think it's more important for me to try to make things better over there. I know God has put me where I am in order to change things, to make them better. For the past few decades, the church has been hurting itself and the community around it. I was born and raised in the Presbyterian Church; I love this church with every fiber of my being and am proud to call myself a Presbyterian. I realize the fight ahead of me will be hard, but I have a loving family and a wonderful congregation that I'm hoping will stand by my side during this process. I'm not sure why God decided I was the right person to do this, but he did, and if God is for me, who can be against me?

On a lighter note, a bunch of us first-years went to dinner tonight. There was talk of forming a quidditch team... no joke. We had a really great time getting to know each other, and afterwards, one of the girls gave us a tour of Trinity House, the intentional christian living community house. Seven of us ended up on the roof looking up at the stars and listening to the wind blowing through the trees. For a while, I felt like I was on a warped version of MTV's "The Real World." We took seven strangers, put them in seminary...

The minute I stepped out of my car the very first time visiting this school, I knew this is where I was meant to be. I know it won't last forever, but leaving this place is going to be one of the hardest things I will ever have to do.

Gay Guy in Seminary: Day 14 (First Forays into San Francisco)

I've been here for just over a week now and I barely made it into San Francisco today. After church this morning, my next-door neighbor Ryan and I decided we would try to figure out the public transportation and explore the city. We wanted to take the ferry across the bay, but we arrived 2 hours early because the ferry has a limited schedule on Sundays, so we sat at a bar and had some beer while we waited.

It took about an hour to get to San Francisco from Larkspur and cost $8.50 one way. We got to San Francisco around 2 p.m. The cool thing about taking the ferry is that you get a free two-way bus pass good for that day, but we didn't end up using them.

We went to chinatown and had a late lunch, then shopping so Ryan could buy some chopsticks. After that, we walked to Pier 39, which is a total tourist trap, but still very cool. They have a special section of floating platforms just for the sea lions to lounge on. There were hundreds of them, all piled on top of each other, barking away, completely ignoring the dozens of people gawking at them only a few feet away.

There a lot of extremely specialized shops at Pier 39; one store only sold socks, and another only sold magnets. We went to a chocolate shop where I bought chocolate covered marshmallows and chocolate pasta, which I am EXTREMELY excited about!

The weather has been really hot lately, but the heat wave seemed to let up today and it was pretty cold in San Francisco. I was so used to the heat though, so I neglected to bring a jacket. As the day wore on, it kept getting colder and colder, but we couldn't get back to the other side of the bay until 7:15 because of the limited ferry runs. The only other option we had that day was to go back at 4:40, and we didn't want to head back that soon. However we sort of ran out of things to do and still had about 2 hours before the ferry was scheduled to depart for Larkspur.

So, we tried to hide out at Sur la Table while we waited, but the mall was closing and we got kicked out. Because we were cold, we went to Peet's Coffee next for something warm to drink. Now, I have to admit, this was my first time at Peet's Coffee because I'm a pretty avid Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf fan, but Peet's Coffee may have converted me. Their tea selection is AMAZING! Today, I tried the Ancient Trees Organic Pu-erh tea, which was very rich and musky and fragrant. Next time, I'm going to try the Golden Dragon Oolong.

Gay Guy in Seminary: Day 13 (Embryonic Souls)

Before I say anything else, it is freakin' hot here in San Anselmo right now!!! Argh! I thought I was getting away from all of the heat!

But, I digress...

Today's topic is probably going to be a little controversial, so before I get into it, I just want to say, this is ONLY a theory I have been playing with; it's not something that I actually believe. I have nothing to back it up, I have never read anything about it or ever heard anyone talk about it; it's just an interesting idea that I wanted to share with everyone.

So, the question of the day is: Where do souls come from?

Most Christians believe they are all created by God, either at the moment of conception, shortly thereafter, or he created them all at once and there's a big holding pen for them all while they wait for a body.

Some Eastern religions teach reincarnation, meaning souls move on after people die to be reborn as someone or something else. However, this view does not account for the origin of the soul.

Other beliefs hold that souls are all pieces of one greater soul, or godlike being, living to gain experiences to be reabsorbed into the main larger soul.

I have to embarrassingly admit that I do not actually know what the official Presbyterian Stance is. When I typed in the question, "Where do souls come from?" into the official PCUSA (Presbyterian Church of the United States of America) website, it came back with 1,300 matches, so it was pretty much a dead-end. I'm sure I'll learn the official answer to this question at some point in my four years here. If I had to guess, I'd say that Presbyterians believe God creates souls as people are conceived. I mean, who knows really?

So, the idea that I had was that maybe we inherit our souls from our parents, half from our father and half from our mother. Replicas of their basic essences come attached to the egg and sperm and fuse into a new soul upon conception. And, since their souls are immortal, the newly formed soul would also be immortal, even though the body is not. Since God created everything, and if this is how God made the world to function, then God is still the ultimate creator of the new soul as well.

The new soul would develop just like a fetus would, going through different stages of growth and development, starting out as something very simple with lots of potential, into something very complex and capable of many things. At our core, we are our souls right? So, wouldn't it make sense that a soul that has experienced more would be different from a soul that has experienced little?

Is this idea crazy, sacrilegious or heretical? Like I said, it's not something that I believe, but it seems like it could be possible. Thoughts anyone?

Gay Guy in Seminary: Day 12 (The Quest for Ice)

I know it's atypical, but I really don't like to shop. I like to get in the store, pick up what I need and get out of there as fast as possible. Part of it is that the air in stores really starts to bother my eyes after a while, and another part is that I really hate waiting in line.

I forgot how much crap you actually need to live on your own. I had this huge list of stuff to get today; one of those things was ice cube trays. I mean, this shouldn't be that hard right? I'm pretty sure I've found ice cube trays when I wasn't even looking for them. Well, I drove all over Marin County trying to find the damn things hitting Longs, Target, Marshall's, Ross and finally finding them at Safeway. Along the way, I managed to pick up dryer sheets, chocolate, pickled baby corn, a digital camera, gooseberry preserves, candles, paper towels, spaghetti, Q-Tips and balsamic vinegar. Now: waiting for water to freeze! <----(insert evil laugh here)

The check-out girl that I went through at Safeway actually has a reputation for being an amazing cashier. She's a tiny thing with tattoos on her arms and buzzed red hair. As I was standing in line, a woman came up behind me with her full cart, looked over my shoulder to see who the cashier and then commented to her daughter, "Oh good, it's her. She's really fast." Then while the elderly woman in front of me was waiting for the cashier to find some rain checks for her, she was telling her how great of a cashier she was and how she always looks for her when she is getting ready to check out. Now, that is an amazing work ethic! I should write a letter to her manager to make sure they know what a great employee they have, but I forgot her name...

For anyone that knows me in real life, they should know I LOVE ice!!! I can't believe I went this long before trying to rectify this situation! I guess I've just been so busy cleaning... (today: range-top, back-splash behind range-top, cobwebs everywhere, top of fridge & vanity table in bathroom) I swear I've cleaned every surface in this apartment!

It is unbelievably hot right now! I thought San Francisco was supposed to be cooler. I was so focused on buying ice cube trays I forgot to buy some ice cream. With all this buying, I hope my student loan comes through!

One weekend before actual school stuff starts. I'm really excited for everything to start happening up here, but I so don't feel ready for it!

Gay Guy in Seminary: Day 11 (Trader Joe's Thwarted by Charles)

I went to Trader Joe's this morning and bought all the wine. Neither of the people who would not let me buy the wine yesterday were there. I wasn't really sure what I was going to do if the cashier was there, but I did toy with the idea of going through his checkout and reminding him of who I was. Had a nice glass of Trader Joe's Old Moon Old Vine Zinfandel as I read The Lovely Bones. It was in fact lovely. Only five hundred bottles of wine to go before I can finish my wine cork board...

I had planned to go to the farmer's market today, but I noticed an Asian market on my way back from Trader Joe's and wanted to check it out. Pretty limited selection, but I did buy a whole catfish, head and all. I got back to the apartment and made catfish sinagong, a tamarind based soup. Ate the head, including the eyeballs for old times sake... kinda gross, but I wanted to see if I could still do it, LOL.

Which reminds me, I should be working on that Filipino cookbook...

Basically had a really lazy day reading, which I kind of needed because this week had been pretty crazy. Seminary stuff starts up full swing next week, so I need to make sure I'm ready for that. But, if it ain't broke, don't fix it... gonna read for the rest of the day and deal with the serious stuff tomorrow. Peace out yos!

Gay Guy in Seminary: Day 10 (Thwarted at Trader Joe's)

My roommate and I spent a pretty hectic day cleaning and getting everything organized one I was able to figure out that the extra stuff in my room didn't belong to him. Apparently, his last roommate left a lot of stuff behind all over the apartment that I guess we are the proud new owners of. The apartment is actually quite lovely now. While I was going through all of my things, I came across a Visa gift card that some of my co-workers had given me as a going away present and I decided I would splurge on some bottles of wine since I had left all of my wine at home. I didn't want to bring it and risk having to keep it in my car where it might have gotten too hot.

So, Amber came by again, my unofficial guide to Marin County, so we could do some shopping and then catch a movie. We got to Trader Joe's, one of my most favorite places to shop, and we went through the wine section and I was trying to teach Amber about wines. It looked like they were out of that happy face wine, so I went to one of the cashiers and asked if they were out. He called over the manager and he said that they were out of it. I thanked him and kept shopping. We got to the register and the cashier, the same guy I had asked about the happy face wine, asked to see my ID. I was kind of surprised because I'm not usually carded. Then he asked to see Amber's. Amber is about 2 weeks away from being 21. I tried to explain that Amber had nothing to do with the wine; she doesn't even like wine and I was buying it for myself. He said that since he had seen her handling the bottles, he could not sell us the wine unless she was 21 as well. He called over the manager, the same manager I had asked about the happy face wine, and he said that they could not sell us the wine because I could be buying the wine for Amber. He told me that they had to go to meeting about it and that the term for it was "tag-along sale" as if telling me the term legitimized the ridiculousness of the situation somehow. As if I would EVER buy alcohol for a minor!!! I remember one time, some guys came up to my little brother Brian and asked if I would buy some for them, and he told them to not bother asking!

I had picked up some milk, lettuce and laundry detergent as well, but I just left everything there and walked out of the store cuz I was so pissed. Amber kept apologizing, as if it were her fault; I had to keep telling her not to worry about it. This is like the time I couldn't buy alcohol because my driver's license expired, as if my birth-date were suddenly invalid. The stupid thing is that I'm just going to go back tomorrow to buy all of it, so all they accomplished was wasting my time. I think the thing that pisses me off the most is how much I actually love Trader Joe's. If it was a different organization, I would just boycott it for the rest of my life, like Blue Cross or Citibank.

oh well...

Gay Guy in Seminary: Day 9 (Bomb Components)

My first full day in the dorm:

Woke up to the bell tower ringing at 8:00 am. It either rings at random times during the day, or it rings every hour on the hour and I just seem to miss it somehow.

Had breakfast.

Started doing the dishes. Tried not to throw up when the smell from the rotting food and mildew assaulted my nose. This was when the elusive roommate showed up. He had been gone since last Monday, so basically a week. The rice cooker was on for a week!!! He apologized profusely and seemed very embarrassed. Apparently, he was not aware I was going to show up. He had to leave ten minutes after he showed up for an internship in Dublin, CA.

Wiped down the trash can.

Cut my hair.

Cleaned mildew out of the shower and pulled grimy hair out of the drain. It took about an hour. The grout was still black in some places.

Went on Amazon and bought the rest of my textbooks. $185.00 on my Visa debit card. Knowing that I was about to embark on my seminary journey, priceless.

Read the "Good News" version of the Book of Luke. It was harder to get through than "The Message" version, even though I really like the "Good News" version, but I imagine any version would seem to take longer than "The Message." The part that really hit me this time around was when the angel appeared to Mary and told her she was going to become pregnant with God's child. And, I loved the part when she went to go visit her cousin Elizabeth, who by then was six months pregnant with John.

Went shopping with Amber and bought hot dog, soda, chicken bake, mildew stain remover, bathroom mat, tacks, niacin, fish oil, cork board, key rings, oil paints, elastic string and metoprolol tartrate. The bomb will be finished in about an hour; Amber has been slaving away for three while I sprayed the shower stall and blasted the mildew away.

When we got back, my roommate had cleaned out the fridge and mopped the floor. I guess I'll keep him, LOL.