I meant to post this song ages ago. Nico is half the reason why I love last.fm, as I was able to come across this lovely song on Japanese jazz band, Cymbals’ related artists (although they are not that similar!). I don’t think anyone loves this song like I do.

Lucy van Pelt - NICO Lovely and relaxing song by Japanese indie band, Advantage Lucy.

I admit it’s kind of boring, and the accordian is cheesy, but I think it is very well done. For copyright reasons, they changed their name to Advantage Lucy. Most of their songs are very feel-good happy songs, which makes sense, as I always feel happy listening to them. Hooray for J-indie! Here’s hoping someone out there loves this song too.

So last night was the last night I will spend at 4210. The walls are bare and the cupboards are empty, but I managed to grab a shot of my room before everything came down. (Because I know none of you will ever visit me in Arlington, and I don’t blame you.)

The cut-n-paste panorama makes my room look 2.5 times bigger than it really is. I’m not sure about the actual dimentions, but I am thinking I have been living in a 8′x10′ hamster cage for the past 2 years. Don’t get me started on that hole in the wall they call a “closet.” As Kim would type, /hisssssss

Shoutout to my fellow cage-mates at 4210:

Deanna - Oh we’ve got plenty more time to spend together! No need to say our good-byes here. But looking ahead a few years, what will I do without you! You should apply to med school in Houston.

Kim - My first roomie! Good times, good times. Most of which, we forbid ourselves from speaking about. Some of which, I wish you would stop talking about. (fish food…*mumble grumble) Anyhow, I think your overly-large name in my tag-cloud says enough. It’s certainly less fun and imaginative without you around.

Laci - You are just way too cool. The world could do with more people like you. I miss your racist jokes. Only you can pull them off without anyone being offended! =( One semester is far too short.

Doan & June - Yes, you guys get lumped together, because that’s how I still think of you guys. I will never forget how you guys were in bed every night before 11:00pm! That is sooo un-college-like. Keep in touch, girls!

So Kim came back from mother country recently. Actually she’s been back for awhile, but I just now got around to posting. She hooked me up with some way cool pens. What’s so great about them? They’re 0.38mm! That’s what. You just don’t find stuff that small here. It’s un-American.

Although, Long, who seems to have a knack for finding good pens, was able to find thinner ones. But they’re not nearly as cute!

As my undergraduate career in Biology progresses, I find myself being surrounded and exposed to “more serious” thoughts on evolution, religion, life, lizards–everything, really. After some heated discussions, or rather, “calm orderly discussions with underlying passion,” I feel I must make this assertion. Because after these discussions, I get the distinct impression that it is the general consensus that religion and science cannot be reconciled–and that is so very wrong. The moment it becomes apparent I am a Christian, I get that sort of condescending look that says, “Aww you poor thing, you have yet to let go of beliefs that hinder you from truth and knowledge.”

C’mon, you’d want to punch them too.

But I’m not that angry. Not really. It’s quite understanding if you consider the two groups of people running amok these days:

1) “Hardcore” Christian fundamentalist who run around spouting creation “science” without knowing anything about science. I appreciate the good intentions, but you are not impressing nor convincing anyone with your ignorance. Please stop, it’s embarrassing.

The God I know is very intelligent, and created me with a love for discovering, exploring, and learning. I seriously doubt he wants me to disregard all that so that I can following him blindly. He gave me a choice, and a brain. Obviously I am suppose to use both to make a decision.

2) “Hardcore” scientists who like to disregard everything but science, because science is the only concrete, reliable, testable, blah blah blah.

Because yeah, everything in life can be explained by science. That’s why my friends are always “searching for themselves” and trying to “find the meaning of life” or a “purpose in life.” (I am not being facetious, these are their exact words, they are serious, and it breaks my heart.) Last I checked, science has no answer to these questions, and nor does it try to. It is outside its scope, as it should be. In other words, we must look outside science. Is that so bad? Why are you allowed to disregard the spiritual just because it boggles your mind? Why cannot the “ignorant” Christians disregard science because it boggles their minds? I have no problem with atheist who have thoroughly considered everything and unbiasedly searched for the truth (like a good scientist should). They had their choice, and they used their brain.

I will close with some words I found from someone a little more eloquent than I. I don’t agree with everything he has said in his book, but this particular excerpt I like.

“A nonbeliever, of course, puts his or her trust in science and finds no value in faith. And I certainly agree that science allows believer and nonbeliever alike to investigate the natural world through a common lens of observation, experiment, and theory. The ability of science to transcend cultural, political, and even religious differences is part of its genius, part of its value as a way of knowing. What science cannot do is assign either meaning or purpose to the world it explores. This leads some to conclude that the world as seen by science is devoid of meaning and absent of purpose. It is not. What it does mean, I would suggest, is that our human tendency to assign meaning and value must transcend science and, ultimately, must come from outside it. The science that results can thus be enriched and informed from its contact with the values and principles of faith. The God of Abraham does not tell us which proteins control the cell cycle. But he does give us a reason to care, a reason to cherish that understanding, and above all, a reason to prefer the light of knowledge to the darkness of ignorance.”
-Kenneth Miller, Finding Darwin’s God 1999

As promised, here are pictures of my lovely plants, Kipp and Galton. Kipp meaning adorned with a crown (kinda looks like a crown, yes?) and Galton meaning “from the rented place” (ugly name, yes?). I got Kipp from Kim for my birthday, and he has since grown quite a bit! Galton I got from my apartment when they had a paint-a-pot day. Hence, the name.

Aren’t they lovely? If you like Kipp, you can find others like him at eggling.com or at Urban Outfitters. Kip is a Basil plant, and smells really nice! I can’t wait til he gets big enough to snip and eat. Galton is an Oregano plant, and doesn’t really smell like anything as far as I can tell. I don’t mind waiting to eat him.

Herbs seem a lot easier to grow than flowers, so I thought it wise to stick with them, seeing as I seem to have a touch of death on anything under my care. Although, after watching tiny seeds grow slowly each day gets you rather attached. All that hard work they put into sprouting! It makes you stand back in awe at God’s creation, not unlike when I saw the Grand Canyon, or the mountains in Colorado and Tennesee. Just, you know, on a smaller scale. Now whenever I see little plants growing, I can’t bear to step on them. Unless it’s grass. Who cares about grass.

I’m hoping to take the plant science class they offer here. Except, I’m afraid I’ll be quite sick of plants after I’m done. It’s either that or Zoology, and I don’t care much for those. *sigh decisions, decisions.