Merry Christmas

Hey gang, it's a little premature, but I figure that I won't be near the computer tomorrow, anyway, so Merry Christmas from out west!

It's very snowy here. Oregon sort of gets the whole spectrum of weather, minus the humidity you get in DC, so you think we'd be prepared for everything...but instead, we're not prepared for anything. Ca C'est Bon.

Problem with it is that everybody's plans have kind of been ruined. Roads aren't all that clear, haven't been for the past several days, and the melting that's happening now will only make for floods, leaks, and other unplanned and unwanted predicaments. I'd be fine with it all...but it's scary to think that all that my friends and I are thinking is, "Damn, there go our plans to spend our last winter break as students together!" when goodness knows how many folks on the street might be dying because of what I've been looking at as inconvenience. It's sobering.

As a boon, though, the weather and the lack of opportunity to hit the malls running has the potential to really make people focus on something that somehow got forgotten as the hippie state went trendy: love and community. Those raw, real relationships are inescapable when cell towers arent' working, internet's out, and you can't drive out of your house. Oh, and the power is out. Not at my house, but yeah.

Anyway...this semester's been crazy. I somehow pulled far better grades out of classes than I thought I would (or even meant to), and I took my comprehensive exams and passed with honors, so I'll be graduating in May 2009...provided I don't fail the one class I need to complete my psych track (I'll be graduating). Trying to figure out what to do next year hasn't completely taken over my mind, but it has become a novel concept to consider this break, seeing as most service organizations would like to have applications handed in by the beginning of February.

I went on a monastic discernment retreat this past weekend. It was pretty cool, but I am not thinking that's where I'm called to be. It was cool and I love having that amount of time to just pray and to be, but...something about the community, something about the kind of conversation that scintillates me...well, it wasn't there. Oh well. I've got some figuring out still to do. Welcome to life!

I need to go get ready for Mass, but that's the random "Michael's life" blurb for now. God bless! And Merry Christmas, once again!