Prepare Ye

I just watched the dvd of Gran Torino . I heard about the movie when it first came out, and didn't get around to seeing it until it got to the top of my Netflix queue. While watching it, I found myself connecting with Father Janovich, the Roman priest in the movie. He is dealing with the cantankerous Walt Kowalksi (played by Clint Eastwood) and violence in the Highland Park neighborhood where is parish is. I wondered how I would deal with the people and situations in which he found himself. Hearing about the CPE experience of some of the first year students at The LTS and my own preparation for internship has put me in a "shadowing" mindset. I don't really know how I feel about how Father Janovich reacted, but I enjoyed the portrayal. If you don't mind a lot of swearing and a great deal of ethnically demeaning and stereotypical language, it's a very good movie.

So, I checked my Facebook page when I got back to my apartment after class today (because I would NEVER check it during classes) and in the top right corner of the new (and notably inferior) layout of my home page is a box labeled as "People You May Know" and it gave me the opportunity to add as a friend Rev. Sarah Vorhees Hershberger. That's right, the same Rev. Sarah Vorhees Hershberger who is the center of the Lutheran Universe. I have 8 friends who are friends with her. Wow, I am this close to being relevant. Or I am REALLY enjoying the Sudafed for my sinus congestion. Unfortunately, the combo of the Sudafed and the name I gave this post will probably cause me to relive the most terrible experience of my life, when I went to DisneyWorld and got stuck inside the Small World ride when it broke down. I heard this wonderful song for 30 minutes straight. AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGG!!

For those of you who were thinking, "Gee, I'd like to read The Hobbit , but I only have 1:37 of spare time. Is there a cheesy video summary of the book as sung to a crappy '70's beat by a pop culture icon who can't sing?" (And I know there are dozens of you out there, and you all have my blog on your feed burners - at least until you are subjected to this.) For your dining and dancing pleasure, I give you Leonard Nimoy and The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins. May God have mercy on your soul.