Platypus of Truth

Sadu -Hem lives in the back of my fridge. It's something like this: *Unidentified pieces of contorted meat tumbling out of the fridge.* Sharon: what is it? Me: *holds a hand spread wide over a suspect piece* Impossible to say. Wait! Nooo !!!!! meat: I was once a great creature.... For untold ages have I slumbered.... but now I arise to wreck terror on the living as I did in days long ago!!! Sharon: What should we do?!? Me: Burn it! Burn it!!!! *After 30 minutes kitchen prep, mushrooms, orange, rice, soy sauce, plus 40 minutes cooking time...* Me: Mmmmmm . Tasty evil.....

Happy Tet everyone! We've just come back from ringing in the new year Vietnamese style. Boy, am I stuffed....

In those days, Utnapishtim went forth into the world and sought to make disciples; and to pass on to men the wisdom of the time before the flood. But the people refused to listen, and caught up in their own cares they said: "Who made Utnapishtim, the old gray-beard, lord over us? What use can his wisdom be? His sermons are too long! Lo, the flower passes from bud to fruit! Lo, the butterfly is in the meadow! These things call to us. We will pick the fruit while it is ripe. We will chase the butterfly in the meadow." Then Utnapishtim was angry. He looked down at the Unnim which was in his right hand; the world-destroying power. He looked down at the Annim in his left hand; the soul destroying power. But neither of these things could proclaim wisdom. So Untapishtim was silent, and the heart within him was angry. Then came Og, King of Bashan, and laughed at him, saying, "Old gray-beard, why do you think that the people will listen to you out of respect for your ...

Finals are over, and with them the first half of the year. I've had to pick up an extra class along with the other upper school teachers since we haven't been able to fill the slot left by a teacher we lost earlier in the year. It's a pass/fail course for eighth-graders called "High-School Prep." The video series we're using is excellent, so it's definitely worth the kids time. In other news, I've finished Machiavelli and plowed through Voltaire's "Candide. Both worth the read as two of the giants of emergent secularism. I'll be incorporating a survey them into my lectures. Right now I'm toying with a trip through Boswell's "Life of Samuel Johnson" or "The Diary of Samuel Pepys." Then again, maybe those can wait... The added stress of an extra class has kept me from posting any deeper musings. Once I adjust, we'll hopefully get some. The Platypus' musings are always deep.

Hi all, It's been a while since I last managed a post. This have been busy around here, but not in a bad way. The Platypus, as ever, has been speaking Truth and assisting me in my pondering. So what's new? Urbana went well. My wife and I had a blast with the team and recruiting (even though I never worked for the company!). I definitely like the way World Team does business, and it was a pleasure to help out. We learned all about "St. Louis Style" pizza: thin crust, large toppings, and something like a layer of cheese whiz under the normal cheese. Very interesting... School is going well as we approach finals. The kids have gotten down to business, and the worst of the discipline problems seem to be past. We'll see what happens when Summer Vacation gets closer, but for now I'm enjoying the break from "controlled chaos." Speaking of education, I'm still working my way through "Guns, Germs, and Steal," a masterful, yet ...

My Wife in a burkha. My wife wore a burkha with veil on Saturday. It was interesting, to say the least. Beneath that black column of rich and delicate cloth, my wife disappeared and lost all trace of personality. People avoided eye-contact. They would not address her. I became my wife's window on the world, her keeper. -until she spoke. Only her voice could break through that spell of anonymity and convert that still and terrible black column into flesh and blood once more. It was an act worthy of Pygmallion or Phantasties . As a choice, there is awesome and noble power in that veil, as Orual knew only too well. For one to take it up not out of their own free will; I can think of few tyrannies more absolute. More on this later...

"I can't stand those sort of hymns. They're too lilting and seem like they're always folding back on themselves. I like the ones that have more force to them: da,da,da,da,dum!' You know, something by Wesley." The Integrated Evangelical