First Day at CSMSG

I am the only field education position wearing a seminarian collar. It is a bygone practice. I personally like it, not because it makes me feel entitled, special, distinguished, for I know that my ignorance is great in he church. The collar itself is a pointer to this. There is a vertical black line in the middle of the collar to let people know (1) I'm new (2) Say hi to me (3) I'm learning, gimme a break. I wear the typical black priest shirt, pants, and shoes to match.

I woke up 6am contra my usual 5am. My body is adapting slowly. Once at the church my suit was topped off with a white robe called an "alb" (latin for white, from which we derived albino). It was a little hot to say the least. I sat in at the altar at the 8 and 10 o'clock services. I did very little other than be introduced to the church, observe, and find my position in the procession for entrance, exiting, and for baptisms at the 10 o'clock service. It is strange being up at the altar. It's as if I'm sitting in the midst of a dream I once had.

A picnic was held after the 10 o'clock service. Bratwursts and beer were served and the people were very welcoming. I think the collar helped to set me apart so people had no problem finding and greeting me. It was very nice and I love the church and Saint Louis people very much. Everyone offered to hook me up with people to hang out with, suggested places to see, offered answers to my questions, etc. The rector Archie and my advisor and associate rector Mike are hysterical, intellectual, and most importantly pious and "real" men. I think I will get along great with them and have much to learn.

The 5:30 service was quite small, only having around 15 people, and takes place in a very contemporary funky chapel. The cross looks like a smith beat a cross out of metal, a weaver fixed up some tapestries with Christ on it, and the stained glass windows are red instead of the blue I'm used to. It has a very comfortable feel to it. The people dressed more casual, ironic since I a further tunicle (Never trust a man in a tunic - Land of the Lost) was added on top of my alb. I was decked out in all kinds of robes at this point. Sweatin' like a hooker in church if you'll pardon the expression. I read the second lesson, a decent passage from 1 Peter. One of my favorites that in essence says its better to suffer injustice than do injustice. I think one of the psalms we sang was also the the first I ever sang, in my first visit to an Episcopal church. I recall my good friend Laura saying it was ridiculous how they sang of giving bulls and rams and such (not to pick at her). And I recall thinking it was odd, and now I laugh because it is the Psalms we sing, and we still believe they can be appropriated and understood in modern context as symbolic for our own thanksgivings and worries. Very "fitting" as Anselm might say for such a thing to occur to me today.

After the 5:30 service I got changed and headed over to Jed's (sp?) and his wife Mary-Beth's house. They took me over to someone else's house who was having a get together. A bunch of architects from a firm/company all hanging out. They were all around 24-26 which was nice since the Episcopal church on average is 55+. Regretful I know, but I can't very well be deciding truth based on whether or not others my age are somewhere. Truth first, pleasure second. We just had some drinks, grilled out, and played a game called "washers." From what I gathered it is a midwestern version of cornhole, although they have cornhole and even cornhole leagues in Saint Louis. I told them we keep it to tailgating but said washers was very "cute." There is a small wooden frame no longer than a foot long and about 8" wide. A pvc pipe sits in the middle of it and the box has just enough sand in it to cover the bottom. Standard cornhole rules, 1 for sand, 3 in the hole, points from opposing players subtract from one another. We lost but I got to meet some people. I met some interesting people, got to talk a little with a few of them, at a lot, laughed a bunch. It was good to talk around. Jed and Mary-Beth insisted there was a lesson in it - have some non-parishioner friends, particularly around your age. I like both of them very much. I feel I can talk with Jed honestly and we can understand one another (he went to General Seminary in NY) and I can cut up with Mary-Beth and she shoots it right back at me. "Thems good peoples."

I'm found a ridiculous radio station that plays blues, jazz, and some stuff that sounds like it ought to be on a 1950's underfunded stage play. I like it over say iTunes or Pandora at nighttime. Reminds me of older days and keeps me calm. Something about having interference, the faint old noise, I just prefer it over the crystal clear quality of computer age stuff now. Something about this room makes me want to be simpler. The small window, the vacant space, knowing I am alone in the basement. Perhaps it'll turn into the classical monastery cell before long. I can do me push-ups, read, write, listen to a spot o' music, and that should be fine with me. The occasional game with my cousin and brother help me stay up with them too though - technology isn't all bad, nor complexity :)

CSMSG, Park, Neighbors

I woke up at 4:30, 5:00, 5:30, 6:00, about every ten minutes from then on until about 7:00. Georgia time is only an hour ahead so I'm not sure why the sleep schedule is so loony.

I ate breakfast with my host family. Later I had a long discussion with Mark, the husband, about political system differences between the US and the UK. Riveting if I do say so myself. One comment stuck out in my mind about how in times of desperation, the US legislation is so spooked to action in agreement with the executive branch that the US isn't much different from the UK where the Prime Minister serves in both capacities. War would be a prime example in our times I'd suppose.

I drove down to The Church of Saint Michael & Saint George (henceforth CSMSG) to take a look around. I was supposed to call my advisor Father Michael sometime to talk about tomorrow's first day. It just so happened as I was pulling in to park he pulled up next to me. The same thing occurred when I got to my host home. No phone calls, lots of luck, if I believed in such things.

I toured Forest Park which is a stone's throw away from the church. This place is gigantic, with an art, science, and history museums as well as a zoo. According to Father Mike the zoo recently surpassed San Diego's as top notch. There are several golf courses and rolling green hills coming down from each building. "Art Hill" comes down from the art museum and is in the last remaining building from the World's Fair of 1904. Georgeous. This thing looks something akin to the Taj Mahal in layout. There is a pond followed by a stretch of green, though this one is uphill, topped with an old looking, majestic building. There are tracks for jogging, cycling, etc. A stage where they do Shakespeare on the green, several places to eat. But the best thing about the zoo, museum, and events is they're all free. Amazing. I never really went into Atlanta because every time I did research on their exhibits they all cost ridiculous amounts of money. This one is free and right by the church, bi-winning like Charlie Sheen.

The neighborhoods are full of beautiful hardwoods of various sorts, lush and verdant. The houses are in the Old English stye. Very quaint.

At the church I got a tour through the whole place. There is a chapel for Sundays, one for school mass which is used in the summertime for evening mass (it's quite funkadelic), and a tiny room with no more than 10-12 chairs used for daily mass. I'll be assisting in all of these sooner or later in varying degrees and two out of the three services on Sunday. Father Michael gave me my black shirt with my seminarian collar (nothing more than a standard white collar but with a black stripe down the middle). They're working on a cremains (word for cremated remains apparently) sort of 'cemetery' or whatever the word is for such an area. There isn't much room for a cemetery since all the land is filled with houses. I have my own office complete with several icons and pieces of religious artwork already up (all beautiful) as well as one creepy doll standing on a wooden platform surrounded by a glass shield. It reminds me of the rose from Beauty and the Beast except inside is the Blessed Virgin Mary in a black dress an frock. Father Michael informs me they put it in the "new person's office" and the church affectionately calls it "Scary Mary." It's an antique and they don't know what to do with it. It is a little creepy indeed, but I like it. I'm already programmed into the phone lines and my name appears on the digital face plate "Blake T." I've got calendars and event sheets with all the stuff I'll be doing already up. I've got my own key to lock the place up, a computer desk, chair, several book shelves both standing and wall-mounted. It's all rather impressive and too much for a measly 10-week intern.

Mari and Mark cooked dinner and invited the neighbors Peter and Bethany-Anne with their children Miles and Michael. I played with Francis while we awaited dinner and guests to arrive. Peter is in the advertising business, now selling electrical medical equipment such as defibrillators, pace makers, and the like. Bethany-Anne is a chemist who does something now, didn't catch it, but in the past has worked on antioxidants that are in plastics, worked for the company that produced the colors for M&M's, etc. Bethany-Anne seemed real keen on me and talked for me a long time about all sorts of religious topics and experiences with being Roman Catholic in Minnesota versus West Virginia. We have a similar sense of humor and we joked about me being "normal" even though I'm a seminarian. As a group we discussed whether or not to play the lottery - haha. I of course took up my political statistical training on utility outcomes as a model, but Bethany-Anne was quick to point out the entertainment value or "dream" value some get out of it. True enough, I ended up comparing such actions to voting. I guess we all play the odds in hopes of dreams sometimes.

I was offered water, beer, or wine. I took the classy choice of beer and Mark pulled out some imports and domestics. There as a single Miller Genuine Draft which I simply had to have in my wine glass. It went well with the ribs but seemed totally out of place for such a white linen event. I secretly found it funny but didn't say anything. We had a lintel soup before the main course of ribs, carrots, green beans, corn on the cob, cornbread and a desert afterwards of tiramisu, watermelon, mango, and strawberries. Mari is a very kind woman. I mentioned to her my favorite fruits were mangoes and watermelon and tadaa! they showed up. Mari got up and played the piano after desert. It felt very much like what I imagine old times to be like, when people old had one another for entertainment. Even though it was one song I thought it strangely enchanting and nostalgic. I am very fortunate to have such hosts.

Saint Louis, Michael, & George

>>Driving
Tennessee has sheared crags surrounding each side of the most winding interstate roads I've ever driven on. They also have a speed limit for trucks posted under the usual one.

Illinois is flatter than Lady Gaga's voice. Flooded fields flat. They need to install some storm drains in the middle of their corn fields. Corn? I'm not actually sure what they're growing out there. Maybe rice?

I saw a tag that said "Ullico," which I *think* is a nickname my father used to call my mother, whose name is Ulla. Either that or I know that word from somewhere.

8 hours. My legs are killing me, the blood has stopped moving some time ago. I get sleepy when that happens so I fidget a lot in the car.

>>Saint Louis
Industrial, rusted truss bridges, broken down factories, surrounded by gleaming glass and steal. This place looks barely post-industrial. But it looks strategic, purposeful. I like it. There is one bridge that looks as if the trusses are nothing more than toothpicks and string, marvelous.

>>Host Family
The wife is Japanese, her name is Mari (mar-ee). She got her MD in Japan and spent time in both the US and Japan growing up. Now she teaches physiology and statistics at Saint Louis University. The husband Mark is British and is a theoretical physicist who teaches at Washington University.

Mari took me through the entirety of the house, explaining everything. Even small things such as what oven mitts are used for. I kind of chuckle at the over explanation, I know she is just being kind. Mark cracks me up. He's got a hint of sarcasm on the end of every sentence, and watching him tease his wife cracks me up even more. They are a calm, collected couple. They have one son named Francis. He just finished his 1st grade year in a Catholic school but attends a Japanese school on the side. Mari is traditionally Roman Catholic and Mark grew up in the Church of England. They settled on the Episcopal church I am at now, the Church of Saint Michael & Saint George.

Mark leaves soon for Los Alamos, New Mexico but will return after a week. After that he leaves for Britain for some time. Mari and Francis are going to Japan, where Francis will be in a Japanese public school for the summer. Their school years start in April. Mari explained to me, "It starts in the spring because this is a time of new beginnings."

>>Town
They live in a neighborhood whose population is roughly 50% Orthodox Jewish. It was interesting to see so many traditional outfits and yamulkas out and about. A main road divides their neighborhood from the other side which is predominately African American.

There are Chinese restaurants lining the main road nearby, Olive road. Every third shop seems an accurate assessment. For dinner we went to one that had taken over an old theatre that had closed down. We sat in a floor with some eighty tables, only two of them filled when we got there. It felt so empty, and I only saw three employees. A giant red curtain loomed at one end of the building with lights above them, the only sign left, though a large one, that this edifice was once a place for showbiz. I was hoping we'd get dinner and a show. No such luck. Apparently it was only used during the Chinese New Year where they opened it up to reveal a dragon dance. Wish I could see that.

>>Home
I am in a basement, my room is bigger than my apartment one which is quite sizable. I have my own bathroom and got a few groceries. Everything is very nice, very clean, well organized.

The normal excesses are missing from my life. I do not have tons of electronic things and junk weighing me down. I feel as if I can devote myself to study and exercise without temptations to good around at all hours of the night. I think I will very much enjoy this room. There is one small window, only 2.5' x 2' in the middle of the room, just enough to let in some light, and just barely above the ground.

>>Work
Due to phone and e-mail difficulties I have still yet to get in contact with my advisor Father Michael. I shall probably just head down to the church tomorrow to see what all is going on. On Sunday I will be introduced to the church publicly. I should probably be nervous, but I seem unable to get nervous, worried, or even excited about things until they are happening.

>>Night
Ironically I felt lonely during the daytime instead of the night today. Every other day those are flipped. Sometimes I worry about myself dealing with it. Hopefully the people here will keep me busy enough during the daytime to not think on it, and too tired after work to stay up late enough for it to set in. But experience tells me otherwise.

I shall do some reading now. There is much I wish to study this summer. I will do some reading and discussion with my good friend Ahmaud. I am always encouraged and enlightened by discussion with him. He is a good man and a good friend. I am going to immediately tackle some articles he gave me on the issue of homosexuality. It has become a very interesting topic to me theologically, probably couldn't help it having joined The Episcopal Church. After this I hope to read though the Venerable Bede's Ecclesiastical History so that I may learn more about my roots in the Church of England going back to the 3rd and 4th centuries. I would also like to go back through parts of Aristotle's Metaphysics that I have already read, and forge forward further. Time will tell.