Today, I sent off my last three applications for graduate schools. Now, the Waiting Game begins. Hopefully by February or March, I'll know if Iowa, Washington, California, or Chicago love me. But, honestly, at this point, I was just glad to get those f*ckers in the mail. Of course, forgetting that a week from today is Christmas, I had to wait a half hour in line at the post office to get said f*ckers in the mail. D'oh!
We hosted a successful lab holiday party last night. Well, successful in that I didn't fall over or anything. I think Z really charmed everyone... and we both lucked out at the anonymous gift exchange. He got a martini shaker, and I got a decorative chop stick set, complete with Hello Kitty chopstick holder and a golden statue of fat, happy Buddha.
Oddly enough, this is now the third Buddha statue I own, which seems rather high for a non-Buddhist. And speaking of religion, my mother informed me the other day that I've officially become an "inactive" member of the Presbyterian Church. There's little formality in the title - it just signifies that I haven't been active in that particular church for (I'd guess) over four or five years now, and they (as I believe all religious denominations should do) update their lists for both financial reasons (so I'm not counted as an active member, thus requiring the church to pay financial dues on my behalf to the regional Presbytery) and justplainhonesty. My mom, who's still an active church-goer, doesn't particularly care, mind you. Due to past family controversies, she's one of the strongest supporters of an individual's right to carve out his-or-her own personal religious beliefs, or to even have none, if they wish. But, since I haven't felt much allegiance to this church in some time, I'm wondering if I should even withdraw my name entirely from their registers. I'm sure something like that would be done after a decade or so anyway. But, with their stances on issues surrounding homosexuality are clear and, while moderate compared to some other Protestant denominations, still fall far from my own obvious concerns. Perhaps I should sever my name from them, at the very least as my own, personal protest.
If so, should I "pick" a replacement? Anyone with any inkling of my personal beliefs may wonder if there even is an organized religious or spiritual organization that fits with what-I-believe. Those precious few with more-than-an-inkling of my personal beliefs will also recall my deep-set wariness and discomfort with most forms and manifestations of organized religion, and wonder why I am even considering such a move. Well, to tell you the truth, I'm wondering that myself. Z, now and then, wants to find a gay-friendly church (he was raised Catholic) to go to. Perhaps, the next time he gets one of those urges, I'll take him up on it.
Then again, to do so, he'd have to give up his Sunday-morning ritual of news programs... while I lay in bed reading.... which, actually, I find more comforting than any ritual recititation of the Lord's Prayer.
Posted by James at December 18, 2004 04:53 PM