when i told her i thought my big head might be a hindrance to getting a girlfriend, she says...
"...don't worry, pretty girls like ugly boys!"
thanks, mom. i love you too.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
about time i showed this blog some love
after a long hiatus, i've decided to update this thing once more (for real this time). i don't know why i've been so streaky with my updates. let's just overlook my negligence and move on together, shall we?
some things that have been happening:
i started teaching a 6th grade sunday school class (mentioned in this post). although i was a little hesitant at first, the kids are awesome (most of the time) and easy to teach. i think i dodged a bullet because none of them are outwardly rebellious in class and they all seem interested in contributing/making their observations and opinions heard. i think one of the difficult parts of youth ministry is getting kids to open up, especially once they hit high school. from my observations, it seems that sixth graders aren't as self-aware yet, so they don't mind talking at length about whatever comes to mind. to them, everthing is important and must be discussed at length NOW, even if it's woefully off topic. this has a negative side too, of course. i have to keep reminding them to respect each others' opinions and be quiet when others are talking. but i'll take too much talking over none at all.
while teaching has its perks (being a teacher means i get to make the rules), it's weird being in a position of (limited) power. i'm much more comfortable in situations where an organized structure is already set in place and all i have to do is fit in and play nice (being a student or an employee). the burden of leadership is one that i'm not completely familiar or comfortable with yet. sometimes, in class, i kind of zone out and wait for someone to say what we're doing next or give instructions. then i realize that everyone is staring at me. but, i'm getting better at it.
--
recently, i was challenged by a friend to try to go one week without being sarcastic/self-deprecating. it's kind of a weird challenge, but one i brought upon myself after one too many of my comments online may have verged on "mean" territory. so, of course i had to agree. it seemed easy at the time, but let's just say i failed spectacularly. the very next (again, online) conversation i had with someone had me stumbling over my words like a fool. i must have pressed the backspace button more than any other key. in fact, to be honest, by the end of the week i had pretty much forgotten about the challenge and was back to my old ways.
i never realized how much i rely on sarcasm and self-deprecating humor in my day to day conversations. in my mind, it keeps things light and easy going. i hate confrontation/awkwardness so i use occasionally self-deprecating humor (inwardly focused sarcasm?) to defuse potentially awkward situations. also, when i'm comfortable around people, i tend to tease them; most of the time using sarcasm. it may be a guy thing. we rag on each other a lot. sarcasm just helps accomplish that goal, i guess. it's almost never biting or mean spirited (indeed, most of it is very well-intentioned), but man, do i use it a lot. and i can see how it might not be as tolerated among members of the opposite sex.
to be fair, sarcastic comments have a way of losing some of their meaning in translation (esp. online), but i guess that's all the more reason to scale back my usage. i'm sure there is some scientific explanation for why some people are more sarcastic than others. it probably has something to do with it being a coping tool used by some to deal with some psychological deficiency/insecurity blah blah blah. for whatever reason, its a part of my personality. i don't think i'll ever be completely rid of it (nor would i necessarily want to), but i am focusing on being a little more cognizant of what i say and who i say it to. being a little nicer never hurt anyone, right?
--
here, have a picture.
some things that have been happening:
i started teaching a 6th grade sunday school class (mentioned in this post). although i was a little hesitant at first, the kids are awesome (most of the time) and easy to teach. i think i dodged a bullet because none of them are outwardly rebellious in class and they all seem interested in contributing/making their observations and opinions heard. i think one of the difficult parts of youth ministry is getting kids to open up, especially once they hit high school. from my observations, it seems that sixth graders aren't as self-aware yet, so they don't mind talking at length about whatever comes to mind. to them, everthing is important and must be discussed at length NOW, even if it's woefully off topic. this has a negative side too, of course. i have to keep reminding them to respect each others' opinions and be quiet when others are talking. but i'll take too much talking over none at all.
while teaching has its perks (being a teacher means i get to make the rules), it's weird being in a position of (limited) power. i'm much more comfortable in situations where an organized structure is already set in place and all i have to do is fit in and play nice (being a student or an employee). the burden of leadership is one that i'm not completely familiar or comfortable with yet. sometimes, in class, i kind of zone out and wait for someone to say what we're doing next or give instructions. then i realize that everyone is staring at me. but, i'm getting better at it.
--
recently, i was challenged by a friend to try to go one week without being sarcastic/self-deprecating. it's kind of a weird challenge, but one i brought upon myself after one too many of my comments online may have verged on "mean" territory. so, of course i had to agree. it seemed easy at the time, but let's just say i failed spectacularly. the very next (again, online) conversation i had with someone had me stumbling over my words like a fool. i must have pressed the backspace button more than any other key. in fact, to be honest, by the end of the week i had pretty much forgotten about the challenge and was back to my old ways.
i never realized how much i rely on sarcasm and self-deprecating humor in my day to day conversations. in my mind, it keeps things light and easy going. i hate confrontation/awkwardness so i use occasionally self-deprecating humor (inwardly focused sarcasm?) to defuse potentially awkward situations. also, when i'm comfortable around people, i tend to tease them; most of the time using sarcasm. it may be a guy thing. we rag on each other a lot. sarcasm just helps accomplish that goal, i guess. it's almost never biting or mean spirited (indeed, most of it is very well-intentioned), but man, do i use it a lot. and i can see how it might not be as tolerated among members of the opposite sex.
to be fair, sarcastic comments have a way of losing some of their meaning in translation (esp. online), but i guess that's all the more reason to scale back my usage. i'm sure there is some scientific explanation for why some people are more sarcastic than others. it probably has something to do with it being a coping tool used by some to deal with some psychological deficiency/insecurity blah blah blah. for whatever reason, its a part of my personality. i don't think i'll ever be completely rid of it (nor would i necessarily want to), but i am focusing on being a little more cognizant of what i say and who i say it to. being a little nicer never hurt anyone, right?
--
here, have a picture.
my class
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