It's day 2 of forced bachelorhood and i'm a bit bleary - didn't got to bed till nearly 3 a.m. I can never sleep when Annette's away.

When I checked email this morning, Annette had written me a nice note expressing how good it was that she'd made this trip and thanking me for giving her up for 2 weeks. Here's a sample of what she said:

Daddy was so happy to see me....Yesterday we just talked and talked.
Bethel Ann [Annette's sister] called several times but we're keeping my visit a secret [for when Bethel Ann is in Wichita for her birthday] so it was fun to all be tiptoeing around when mom and dad were on the phone with her.

This morning, i SO could have kept sleeping but i saw that it was
quarter to 8:00 so i went down to see Daddy before he went off to work and wish him a happy birthday.... we sat at the table and talked.
It's like one last taste of life here.
[Annette's parents are moving after 35 years in the same home]
Thanks for letting me have this chance.

Sounds like my sacrifice isn't in vain :-)

Annette flew home to her parents house today :-(

No... she didn't get fed up with my pathetic jokes and walk out, nor was their a family emergency. Actually, it's a surprise for her father's birthday (Sept. 30th) and for her sister's birthday. She should be arriving in Wichita in two hours and only her mother knows - it's kind of her mom's birthday gift to the others.

Of course, this all means that i'm stuck here in Toluca, Mexico all alone (and everyone says... aaaawww, poor Tim). It's only the second time in 12 years of marriage that we've been apart more than 5 days. I'm not really 100% me without her... i don't eat well, don't sleep much, and i bathe and shave less (who's going to mind if my face is fuzzy and pokey).

I guess it's pretty obvious why these are going to be 2 pathetic weeks in the life of me. Check back regularly to read to saga of "Tim the Reluctant Bachelor"

Possibly the best enunciation of the beliefs of a postmodern christian I've come across, the following quote was taken from an online essay written by the musician, Moby.

i used to be a rigid Vegan, Christian, Dance enthusiast, Marxist, etc. i was so locked into my beliefs that i genuinely believed that I was right and that anyone who disagreed with me was wrong. luckily time has passed and i've (hopefully) become less of an ideologically uptight jerk.

i'm still a vegan and i love christ and dance music (the marxism has fallen by the wayside...) but now i would never say that i was right in my beliefs or that someone who disagreed with me was wrong. the only time i'm willing to say that someone is wrong in their belief system is when their belief system leads or compels them to feel justified in violently forcing their will and their beliefs onto other people. i guess that democracy and a belief in an individuals right to self-determination would be my fundamentalism now. i do fundamentally believe that every person on this planet should be free to think and act and live however they choose, so long as their actions don't compromise anyone elses ability to think and act and live as they, in turn, see fit. the world is a complicated place, and it's safe to say that none of us are objectively correct in our beliefs. we can find comfort and utility in our beliefs, but that doesn't mean that we're right and that someone else is wrong. the central flaw in most fundamentalism is that fundamentalists try to subjectively establish and defend the supposed objectivity of their belief systems. humans are little creatures who live in a universe that's, apparently, 15 billion years old. we might get glimpses of objectivity every now and then, but we're so inherently locked into our temporal and corporeal selves that we're irrevocably locked into subjectivity.

...we can know things on a simple, human level, and that's it. our simple, human level is so tiny compared to the vastness of the universe, that we should never think that our personal beliefs are universal or objectively true. i believe that it's possible to have glimpses of objectivity, and who knows, maybe some people on this planet do have a profound understanding of the objective nature of the universe. it's possible, but statistically not too probable. so if you're one of the people who have figured out the objective nature and truth of the universe please let the rest of us know. but please respect our right to disagree with you, cos who knows, maybe you're wrong.

...i've said it before, and i'll say it again, the universe is a complicated place, and our belief systems should reflect and accommodate that fact, and our belief systems should be based on humility and a respect for the beliefs of others.
[to read the entire article - click on the blue text above]

Annette came across this excellent article=> Redefining Relevance. I highly recommend it for parents, youth workers or anyone involved in teens' lives.

Here's a few choice quotes:

"When adolescent culture began to splinter into its endlessly expanding collection of sub-genres, each with its own music, look, language, attitude, and rules about how to wear your pants, I must admit that I reluctantly gave up."

"I've discovered an important little secret. The students I serve are far more responsive to my willingness to listen to what is going on in their lives than in my franticness to try to keep up with what is going on in their world."

"Do you want a ministry that's cutting edge relevant? Start replacing some of your radio listening time with time spent listening to your kids. Start watching them in their families instead of only watching MTV. Start reading their relationships instead of Teen People. That's where true ministry relevance is found."

However, the article is much better than those three quotes... so take 5 minutes and click here to read it.

In two hours we leave for Argentina. We'll be participating in youth workers conferences, a summit of people who train youth leaders in Latin America, and meeting with colleagues over meals of delicious Argentinean beef. We'll post some photos when we get home in a couple of weeks.
Click here for the Washington Post's take on Argentina