Hocus Pocus

This is what I learned in my Religious Studies class today ...

In the early days of the Christian Church, regular folk didn't participate much in the service.  The priest stood behind a shoulder-high screen with his back to the people, and spoke entirely in Latin.  Not being able to see what was going on, and not being able to understand the words, made the whole experience a mystical one for congregation.

Then the priest intoned the words, This is My Body, and the bread in his hands was magically transformed into the true body of Christ.

Those words, in Latin, are Hoc est Corpus Meum.

Over the centuries, those words have been reshaped into the more familiar Hocus Pocus - an incantation used by magicians as they perform their tricks.

Who knew ...


(Any misinterpretation is my failure, and should not be considered a reflection on the excellent teaching in this class.)

Tales from the beach

The stars:  I woke up in the middle of the night and went out on the balcony to look at the stars.  In the city I can see Orion, but here the constellation was only marginally brighter than the other milions of stars in the night sky.  There were so many, and they seemed so close.  It was awesome.

The dog:  We watched a dog sitting alone on the beach, staring out to sea.  Every now and again he would move, walking a few feet, then sitting down again and continuing his vigil.  After a while, we saw a surfer come into shore.  The dog leapt up and went into the water, said a warm hello, and walked off home with his dad.

The sunset:  The lodge faces west, and we get the most fabulous views of the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean.  The beach gets crowded about this time - surfers packing up their gear, landlubbers strolling the beach to enjoy the fading day.  This picture was taken from the balcony of the Great Room where we go for dinner.

Somewhere over the rainbow

Arrived in Tofino on Monday after a five hour bus ride, an experience in itself:  Over the Malahat to Duncan, then stops at the Nanaimo airport and ferry terminal; through Parksville and Coombs to Port Alberni, where we stopped to eat our picnic lunch in the bus station parking lot; then on to the Pacific Rim Hwy, over The Hump, and through a winding stretch of road with a sheer drop to Kennedy Lake on the right and a rock face on the left; a quick stop in Ucluelet (Ukee to the locals), then on to the Long Beach Lodge Resort in Tofino.

Weather is fabulous, food is great, staff are engaging, and the view is unbeatable.

BOGO

The course I'm taking this semester is different in so many ways from the last one I took.  It's more lecture than discussion.  It's more information than analysis.  And it's in a lecture hall, rather than a classroom.  After the mind-blowing experience of the Ethics class, I was somewhat concerned that it might be a bit ... well ... boring.

Not so.

The prof comes across as someone whose brain is so full of information that his mouth can't keep up.  (One of the complaints about him on the Rate My Professors website is that he never finishes his sentences.  It's true; I get that.)  And he is so well organized!  As well as lecturing us three days a week, he posts his Prezi presentations, and his recorded lectures, online for us to review.  He provides us with review questions, and the corresponding answers, for every lecture .  His TA runs exam clinics before both mid-terms.

Today he spent the whole class working through next week's assignment with us.  And here's where I get excited:  He gives us a contemporary news article, a YouTube video, or something similar, and asks us to make one, just one, interesting connection to our course from it, and write about it.  He says that relating the course material to contemporary issues makes the whole thing more understandable (and memorable).  In the class today he showed us an old news article about an archaeological dig and a newly discovered church site, and had us brainstorm connections to the lectures so far.  I can hardly wait until he posts the real assignment on Friday!

This is a man who wants us to succeed in his course.

But there is another bonus to this course - those recorded lectures.  It just so happens that there is another person in this household who is also interested in this course, and now has the opportunity to learn along with me!

A matter of perspective 2

I have been travelling on the bus quite a lot in the last four months, and have noticed something quite interesting:  Young women don't sit beside me.

Mine is usually the last shared seat to fill.  My seat companion is most likely to be another older woman.  If not her, then a man, irrespective of his age.  Only when there are no other seats on the bus will a young woman share mine.

Why?

Is it because I look grumpy?  Is it because I remind her of her mother - Will I tell her to party less and study more?  Is she afraid that old age is contagious?

Hmmmm ....

Diary of a mature student - Chapter 9

Dec 5 - No more pencils, no more books

All done!  I handed in my final exam today, and am now officially finished with Moral Problems in Contemporary Society. 

It was an amazing experience.  I had a great professor, and friendly classmates.  My project team was awesome.  I learned stuff I never knew before, firmed up my beliefs on some topics, and changed my thinking on others. 

So ...

I really should be a vegetarian.

Robert Latimer made the right choice.

Abortion and euthanasia .... there are no easy answers.

The Inter-Cultural Association of Victoria does amazing work.

I can no longer eat pineapple with a clear conscience.  

The land has moral value.  

Colonialism has taken on a whole new meaning for me.

First Nations got a raw deal.

Stop nuclear power NOW!


Next semester - Introduction to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam!

Diary of a mature student - Chapter 8

Dec 1 - The Group Presentation

I had a dream last night:  I slept in, rode my bike (?) to UVic and got lost on the way.  Forgot my notes and cell phone so had to go home to retrieve them.  Arrived at class in my night clothes.  Colin didn't show and Chris left.  We waited and waited and waited.  Finally, Purolator arrived with Colin's notes and Franzi and I had to hustle to put together the presentation.

I'm not the slightest bit anxious.

What really happened:  I slept in (a little), probably because of my earlier disrupted sleep.  I caught the same bus as always and arrived well in advance of class, notes and cell phone in hand.  Colin and Chris also arrived early, as did Franzi, all well-prepared (though Colin did admit to over-sleeping himself, ack!).  Colin and Chris rocked the presentation. 

The prof said it was great!