New Week

Well, this week the temp agency offered work Jackie M-F, seven hours/day.  We’re grateful.  It’s not glamorous and hardly mines the depths of Jackie’s skill.  Wiping tables, serving cafeteria food, and loading industrial dishwashers is a far cry from the distance-ed program at the Seminary.  Still, it’s employment, which means bread on the table, and, just as importantly, passes the time interestingly.  Apparently there are other bright spots:  unlimited orange and grapefruit juice throughout the day, coworkers who sing and whistle and dance while serving food, and a free lunch. 

Other news #1: We’ve settled on church–Holyrood Abbey Church, a congregation of the Church of Scotland.  In our pre-Edinburgh conversations about selecting a new church we agreed that, apart from the basics, our most important criterion was distance.  We wanted a church within a short walk, and Holyrood is just that: ten minutes (max) from our door to the pew–that means ten minutes going down our sixty stairs, winding through the neighborhood allies, crossing a busy intersection. Not bad. The folks have been most warm. The preaching is sincere and hearty.  The music/hymns have been almost entirely new; not counting last night which was a special service and concertedly traditional to fit the occasion, we’ve attended five services and sung only two previously-known songs.

Other news #2: We’ve hosted our first guests.  Last night after church, we walked back to our flat with a fellow American couple. He’s doing an MSc in Philosophy with hopes of a PhD next year.  They both attended Denver Seminary and recently worked at an orphanage in Peru.  Popcorn and apple pie (from a terrific recipe that we just discovered) kept the conversation flowing, and we have now officially shared our little flat with folks other than ourselves. Will you be next?

Other news #3: I’m searching for a new thesis topic. As of last Tuesday I’ve been topic-less.  After reading an excellent dissertation that covered much (most?) of my proposed topic, I decided to abandon my intentions to explore the relationship between Ezekiel and Leviticus. (I know, you’re muttering, “What relationship?”)  It’s a bit of blow, as I’ve been anticipating a fascinating study for these many months, but, in the spirit of Polyanna, I’m glad 1) that I encountered this hiccup at this stage, rather than in a year’s time and 2) that Ezekiel remains an under-studied book and thus there are plenty of interesting threads to explore.