Moving forward, looking backwards

I have graduated from Oxford with distinction. I am home (quite literally the home I grew up in) and looking for work.

I have been severely lacking in the blogospheredepartment since Germany / being sick / stress over my dissertation this summer. Well anyways I will catch up and share soon... I was being very nostalgic and found this video on YouTube. I thought I'd post it hereso I can watch it whenever and sigh. :)

I dedicate this blog to Oxford Jenny... I almost bought a backgammon game tonight at Goodwill.

To be published!

Sally and I just recieved word that our article ""Defining Spiritual Growth: Congregations, Community and Connectedness" will be published in Sociology of Religion, a peer-reviewed academic journal. This journal was our first choice, and have been asked to revise it a few times, but now (after years since I originally wrote it, and presented it at the ASA conference) we been given the final acceptance. So, it will probably actually go into print months from now, but, I just giving everyone the heads up!

The article was written in coordination with Sally Gallagher, professor and now chair of the sociology department at Oregon State. To begin, I conducted interviews with four Christian communities (a baptist, presbyterian, Eastern Orthodox, and an Emerging Church) on their understanding of spiritual growth (both the means to it, and the ends of it). It was really interesting. We provisionally found that a strong but flexible core messages about spiritual growth may cultivate stronger congregational commitments.

Anyways... Yae!

False alarm

My fever lasted for 2 days, took 10 days of antibiotics. No MONO.

nature at its finest. thank you nature.

So, I will post pictures from Berlin soon.

Two days ago I borrowed a bike to go to the doctor because my throat had almost closed up on me when I woke up that morning.

Turns out I also had a fever of 102 / 103. (she translated from celcius).

Oh ya, and her name was Dr. Shakespeare. She gave me Penicillan and I have been in bed the past two days. She said if the Penicillan doesn't work it's probably mono.

Wonderful. That will help me write my dissertation.

Berlin -

I leave tomorrow morning (well 3am from Oxford) for the 'Christianity and Culture' study conference in Berlin. I will be back next Wednesday... phone number etc. are on the website I have referenced below. Just in case you don't hear from me. :)

For the conference I will be staying staying at the:

E v a n g e l i s c h e B i l d u n g s s t ä t t e a u f
S C H W A N E N W E R D E R

If you would like to look at more pictures, and / or a description of the facilities in German... go here: http://www.berlin-schwanenwerder.de/galerie.html

I went home...

I went home for two weeks after slaving for months here at Oxford. I had the most wonderful time and cannot wait until I can return home again in October. For permanent.
The view from the bus out of Oxford down to heathrow. These pictures came out cool, so I thought I'd share one.

On the bus leaving Oxford. I am happpy and a bit tired.
Eric apartment. + my beautiful couch. Where I want to be usually. I really like Eric.
Eric and I fried the fish he caught in the ocean with Tyler H.. Beer battered fish. I still have two oil burns on my right hand. But I have a good story to go with it.
We toasted marshmellows with my fam. and grandparents. My mom got this new fire place thing... and I want one. Right now. They are the best, and they make perfect marshmellows. (the marshmellows were my idea).
A picture in Eric's apartment on Belmont in SE Portland. He's always got the music gear out and ready to play.

Joel P West is staying with Eric for half of the summer to record his album. He is a really good guy. Contemplative, interesting, kind, and very talented. Can't wait to hear your new gift Joel.
I was so fortunate to see my beautiful Oregon girls... Bai and Susie. Even better at PF Changs and right before seeing Sex and the City. OH SO Wonderful.
Adam. Best drum player south of the earth. Or, he is good. and really funny. and fun to be around. See you soon Adam.
Billy the stoic but cheerful, WILCO lover. I love you billy. He's newly engaged too. The new member,... my good friend for many years.... Wil Vaughn. Yae!

Eric doing what he loves.
I have to warn you: we did do some wine tasting up and down the valley. We went with my Mom and her husband for a wine tasting "class" or "drinking in the heat with a driver day". Oh, these are some of the most beautiful views in Oregon. Go wine tasting... you can be guaranteed a great day. Promise
Mmmmm.... Pinot.... "I'm not sure".... (mom)...."Maybe, swirl it some more"... (Tom).

MMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Tidal Raves. Best, Food,, EVER. Seahawk bread. MMMM.
the Sea Otter inn or something like that. This is the view from Tidal Raves.
Looking out after dinner.
Major fireworks in Washington.
On Belmont checking our email. I think I was trying to book my flight for Germany that day. And having a latte of course.

One of our favorite places... Stumptown on Belmont outside sitting at the tables.
Eric. Hot hot.
Playing lawn golf. Tom made this specifically for the BBQ the morning of. It is a really fun game, look it up on the internet.
My Papa.
Scott and Nicole.

Eric and I.
Family BBQ.
We played something on wii with my brother and girlfriend nicole named Rockband or something. It was fun. I liked singing, but drums were really hard to figure out. At one point I was just beating on them and crying / laughing.
Yae!
Eric and I really like each other. In fact... we love each other.

Ladies Night / Middle Common Room Photo

Friday. I had finished my exam the day before. We had our MCR (Graduate students at Keble) Photo, last formal hall (have to wear gowns), and ladies night. Here is Jenny and me at Hall, everyone bought wine tonight... special occasion. You can actually put a bottle of wine to go with dinner on your student body card (or Bod Card) and they will charge it to your account. Pretty sweet.

The Hall.
Graduate Students in black tie, and gown. It was such a wonderful dinner. We talked about politics, "one word" exams (an Oxford tradition, ask me later), and drank wine.
This is a picture of our MCR or Middle Common Room. Really nice. It is one of the nicest MCR's in the university I would say. We have ladies tea here, Black Tie events, MCR meetings, and tons of other stuff. Also, you can just come here and chill whenever.
This is the other room in our MCR. It has a large nice TV, comfy couches, and a kitchen. This is like the living room to the formal living room. One you hang out in and get comfy, watch movies etc., and the other you are prim and proper and drink champagne or tea.
The MCR girls... who said smart girls weren't hot? Not me. We took this picture because they all wore these bright dresses (not planned), and it was funny. Plus, don't they look great? International, brilliant, beautiful woment.
We were partly dressed in black tie because we were having our graduate group photo taken. One is formal, and one is silly, and people bring props and stuff. Here is my prop... luckily Noora had two feather boa's lying around.
Here is Jenny and I, and my next door neighbor Sam. She is canadian, and listens to the best music ever. Always good to find at least one person around who is cool and shares your music tastes. I'm bringing home a bunch of stuff from her.

Ladies night... we had to eat outside b/c of college regulations about the pusey room. We had strawberries, chocolates, whipped cream, powdered suger, blackberries, and yes Eric that is a plate full of Ferrero Rochet (sp?). Also, we seemed to have an everlasting supply of Champagne! Very exciting, very fun.
Enjoying our treats.
Yum, yum. I really like champagne.
Then we went upstairs, refilled our champagne glasses, and had our talks. Janice had asked four ladies to give a short presentation on different topics: women in childrens literature, women in today's corporate world, honor killings in England, and dopamine and happiness in the brain. They were all very interesting... these were some of the topics the women were working on in different fields. We were supposed to have a general discussion afterwards about more risque topics, about women's issues and mainly sex...but, as it turns out we asked far too many questions after each presentation, and we were all a bit tipsy... plus it was getting towards midnight. Keble graduate women: (not all, some of the MBA girls were at another conflicting function).

So, although exhausted from the past few days, Sam and I went out for one last drink at a place called the Duke of Cambridge. A normal name for a bar here is crazyenglandtown. It was a good night.

Der Berliner, der Berliner... das is gut, ja

I applied for recieved a study grant from my college for about $500 (I have a check for 260 pounds to be precise) to fly to Germany for a study conference on the "Gospel and Culture". Paid for includes travel, room and board, conference fees, and bus/train fares (to airport etc.) It's pretty cool, the conference is 5 days, and... well... it means I get to go to Germany with someone else's money. Sounds good.
Now the German skillz can be put to good use. Or not, its a bilingual conference (everything is translated into German and English).

no exam no more in this here year

EXAM IS GONE GONE DONE ITS DONE. I got sprayed with champagne, alex got soaked in some whipped cream, and therese got buckets of water.... Best feeling ever. Here we are drinking champagne on the street (Therese and I had already changed out of subfusc).

The lady taking the picture said Alex looks out of it... but we all were... no sleep, too much adrenaline. No food. I had tried to eat a bagel that morning, but I was so nervous for the 3 hour exam on everything we had learned for the year, that it came up shortly before I left for the exam... yes, you understand me correctly.
LUNCH! I had nachos!

Then we went to Worcester College (Alex's college, is sooo beautiful -- pronounced 'worster').


One of the main quads...

You have to remember that walking on (or if you prefer, playing croquet on) lawns here at Oxford is strictly by permission only at sometimes during the year. Last week I got two emails about which quad lawn we could walk on starting next week. All this = very well kept green loveliness everywhere.
Worcester's outside bar area, etc.

This is common in colleges, when they win rowing competitions etc, they write on walls with chalk... they fade through the years.
This is one area (or acres of area) in the back on Worcester college, basically its own large park with wildlife, benches etc. In a week Worcester is teaming up with two other colleges to host one of the fanciest balls in Oxford. Tickets cost 120 pounds, it 'white tie' which means white coats with tails, and ties (fancier than a black tie event). Also, see the pond in the background there, well it is large, and they are going to erect a floating dance floor on it. Yep...
Tired and happy girls.

Ducks and stuff.

My head in the sun, not worried about taking the exam anymore.

Worcester college, has the oldest residential hall in Oxford, it has been continuously inhabited by students for 900 years or something crazy like that. Honestly.

The back of the residential hall. These colleges aren't exactly scraping by. There are always gardeners tending the 'atmosphere'.

I'm just happy to be done with the exam. Now... only a dissertation to write!

Examination Procrastination

Tomorrow morning I will be taking my exam for the Nature of Religion. I have my bod card, new pens, a clear plastic bag, watch, Candidate number (no names on exams), and of course... my gown, mortorboard, satin bow, white collared shirt, black heels, black stockings, and black skirt. Oxford tradition lives on...

Do I have to wear subfusc? (FAQ from Examination Schools Website)

Candidates must present themselves for examination in full academic dress, i.e. cap, gown and 'subfusc' clothing, which is defined for men as a dark suit, dark socks and black shoes or boots, a plain white shirt, white collar and white bow tie; for women, a dark skirt or trousers, a white blouse, black tie, black stockings and shoes, and, if desired, a dark coat.
In the case of any candidate who arrives at an examination improperly dressed, the Proctors require that an Invigilator simply ask the candidate, at the conclusion of the paper, to dress correctly for his or her next appearance, and make a note of the candidates name in the log sheet. If he or she appears at a subsequent session still improperly dressed the Proctors are informed.
Candidates are allowed to remove their caps during the examination, and also gowns or jackets, if they find these uncomfortable or inconvenient. Invigilators will however check that candidates are properly dressed when they leave the place of examination.

2 days to go

I'm sick of studying for my exam... and... my head is full. That is what I am going to write on my exam. Clearly what the examiners want to read. Honest, factual, succinct.

Dalai Lama in Oxford

Friday morning I walked down to the Sheldonian theatre on Broad street in the center of Oxford to see the Dalai Lama. His visit has been planned all year, and sold out as early as this fall. I recieved a ticket along with the 4 other people in my course 'Study of Religion' by our supervisor Peggy Morgan. We only got to go because the undergraduates specifically studying Buddhism, ironically had an exam on Buddism the morning of. Bad for them, good for me!
Here is my very special ticket. I will keep it forever.
He was very funny, and had an aura of joy about him. What else would you expect? It was a great experience. This whole Oxford thing does have its payoffs.

The famous Sheldonian Theatre by Christopher Wren.

The inside of the theatre. A picture I took on matriculation day.