Procrastination Station

This is me officially procrastinating. Our professor is Gloria Stronks and I've been laughing all week at her. She is at a point in her life where she isn't afraid to offend, and she is a wonderful story teller.

The hilight of the week has definitely been hanging out with my good friend Peter (I actually posted something yesterday on here about that but somehow it is lost). Peter is one of the few guys who can make me laugh without saying anything. Yesterday we went into town to do some grocery shopping. He bought 6 cans of Split Pea soup. And Ham. And brown bread. But will eat it if only he can find a toaster. And not juice. But milk. If it is 1%. But not cereal. He doesn't like yogurt. He likes ice cream but not popsicles. He definitely likes chocolate, but no typical chocolate bars.

We discuss everything and disagree all the time and it always ends in a laugh. Yesterday we were at "Topher's" (the only local establishment in town) and we started arguing about birth control and if it is normative for married people to not want to have children (I know, two Dutch guys who can't have kids anymore arguing about birth control in a smoky bar in Northwest Iowa). I think we got heated (so to speak) and the guys drinking next to us got a little nervous when they heard us talkning about sex. As a joke I mentioned I was a democrat and they were all gone in five minutes!

Northwest Iowa is hard to explain. I do love it here and sometimes wonder if I could ever live here. I think it is a romantic ideal, but sometimes I wonder if romantic isn't always so bad. That being said, I was never a good romantic--I asked Bev to marry her when she was in her dorm room studying for a major kiniesiology exam; I still feel bad about that).

Some good friends, Dave and Jeri, are off to Sioux Falls tonight to stand vigil with others outside the penitenterary as South Dakota is putting someone to death
I need to go read Parker Palmer. I need to get through this week. I need to see Bev and the girls as I miss them desperately. Remember them in prayer too. As I have blogged about before, Bev's brother died suddenly in March. This weekend they are coming together to empty out his house as it has been sold. While the grief will be with them always, there will be a chapter of there connection to him that closes when the house is emptied and the keys turned over.