Tesla, Suz, Zeth and I drove to the Conewago Creek to check out the flood situation. We confirm; it flooded. 🙂 Pictures are from Kunkle’s Mill Bridge (the little calf houses floated down the road, someone’s dock drifted by) Boring Bridge Road (my Redneck Art stop sign blew over) and Beaver Hole Bridge or as my daughter calls it “Our Bridge” because we love it there!
Apr 17, 2011
Cut your hair, show you care event
By · 1 Comment
York College of PA’s SIFE team (Students in Free Enterprise) held a fundraiser for Relay for Life cancer research on April 17th. Held on Jackson Street in York, people gathered outside eating, playing games, tie-dying t-shirts and listening to music. Inside, The Dollhouse Salon employee’s gave haircuts with all proceeds going to Relay for Life. The event was a success and at the last count prior to leaving, 9 people had their locks trimmed. If you didn’t stop by you missed out on all the food, fun and the chance to tame your unruly hair.
I took my sister Suz, son Zeth and daughter Tesla and we all had a blast. Hope you enjoy the pictures and GREAT JOB SIFE!!
~P.
Apr 16, 2011
Squirrel Attack!
By · Leave a Comment
They just SEEM friendly!
The squirrels on YCP campus are so funny to watch. One came right up to me today while I was sitting outside the library. I threw him a pineapple chunk which he turned his nose up at. The only other thing I had was a bag of mini chocolate chip cookies. He snatched up the crumbs I tossed him, holding them in his tiny little paws. He was just so cute and next thing I know he was sitting on the ground beside my foot waiting for more. I reached down with a piece and he took it out of my fingers with his teeth. Now that entertaining to me. I broke a cookie in half and held it out to him. With enthusiasm I was not prepared for, he leaped onto my hand and snatched that delicious morsel with his teeth.
I need YCP to post signs so I can learn what I clearly missed in kindergarten.
Attention Moron: Do not hand feed the squirrels. They are wild animals with no manners.
Theres proof of squirrel gratitude!
No love from the squirrels ~P
Apr 14, 2011
Indulgences For Sale
By · 3 Comments
Yo Pope! We don't need no stinkin' indulgences!
Pattie Crider
Group 1 Response 4
Luther’s 95 Theses
Indulgences for sale! Get your Indulgences!
The clearest concern found in Luther’s 95 Theses is the issuance of indulgences by the papacy. At least 54 of the 95 clearly are directed at the receipt or issue of indulgences. Luther believed the Catholic Church was greedy for taking money from even the poorest people. In exchange the Pope forgave them of their sins in the name of God. This is a clear problem in Luther’s opinion and his 95 Theses addressed this issue with bold words and new perspectives.
Luther was thought of as a rogue priest in his actions of nailing 95 Theses to the Catholic Church door on the eve of All Saints Day. This document was certain to raise a stir as Luther addressed his concerns. These concerns would cause a serious financial issue for the Catholic Church. Luther stated a true believer does not need to purchase his/her salvation. Also, salvation cannot be bought for someone who is deceased. The Church found this threatening because the sale of indulgences was a major source of its income. The building projects in Rome during the early 16th Century were financed by the sale of indulgences. To Luther, this was the church “selling grace” and from his perspective, unacceptable. (Chidester pg 316)
Luther’s 95 Theses was viciously biting toward the Pope. He clearly had issues with the papacy and the payments they received for pardoning the transgressions of Christian sinners. That is, the sinners who had enough money to buy an indulgence. Luther raised this question to Christians: Does the Pope truly have the authority to grant forgiveness? He also directly questioned the Pope on why his personal funds are not used in establishing new church construction.
Luther did not stop at just stating a believer didn’t need to purchase an indulgence. He wrote that purchasing indulgences does nothing to save your soul and instead condemns it. Further, he instructs Christians to provide for their families before paying the church for an indulgence letter and followed that with telling Christians the act of giving their money to help the poor is more pleasing to God than the purchase of indulgences. He also explained that buying an indulgence letter is strictly voluntary.
The perspective of all people having the ability to be saved by God without the means of purchasing a letter of indulgence seriously conflicted with what the Catholic Church was teaching. Luther’s statements, especially his razor-edged cuts at the papacy certainly put their robes in a twist. The Pope wanted people to believe their sins were forgiven through an indulgence letter because the Churches financial security depended on it.
According to Luther, there were no guarantees in these indulgence letters. Also, one should not take them so seriously that they lose their fear of God. The fear was that humans would use the indulgences to assure themselves they are in good graces with God. In doing this they would no longer fear the wrath of God and the possibility of eternal suffering in hell. Luther believed it was in vain to think these papers would get you a golden ticket to Heaven.
To at least limit the churches influence on Christians concerning indulgences Luther wrote that preaching about indulgences for half or more of a sermon is injurious to God’s Word. He compares the receipt of indulgences to the nets of fisherman which now fishes for the wealth of men. These are harsh words against the powerful papacy. The controversial 95 Theses spread quickly by means of the printing press and the church had to respond.
The Catholic Church found their priest to be a heretic and erroneous in his theses. Luther was given the chance to take back all he had written but instead he showed he could be even more defiant. His life was spared but he was excommunicated in January 1521. (Chidester pg. 317) Though he was kicked out of the Catholic Church, Luther’s perspectives carried on. It was his Christian ideologies that led to the establishment of the Lutheran faith.
PS. I received an A on this paper. 🙂
Apr 13, 2011
Reflecting on Creative Writing
By · Leave a Comment
Reflecting on Creative Writing Course
Through-out this semester I believe my writing skills have improved. The credit for this improvement goes to the Creative Writing course. I have always had interest in creative literary pieces but prior to enrolling in this class, I never read outside of the genres I enjoy. This semester allowed me to step out of my comfort zone of novel reading and realize the enormous amount of genre themes and forms of writing available. The general terminology provided in the Creative Writing Textbook and classroom discussion greatly assisted in my understanding of the language of writers and meaning of literary terms.
The Creative Writing course also calmed my fears concerning my major in Professional Writing. I wanted to feel comfortable writing my own non-fiction stories but did not know how to go about accomplishing this. Often I would doubt my ability to make what has happened or is happening in my life interesting to others. I did not want my short stories to have a whiney sense about them that would cause a negative reaction from a reader. My goal was to find a way to share clips of my life in a humorous and/or shocking fashion that would hold a reader’s attention as a compelling piece of work.
At times the writing workshops were interesting beyond words. The creativeness of my classmates really pushed me to give serious thought to what I would be presenting during my workshop timeslot. Assumptions I made at the beginning of the semester were crushed by the abilities of my fellow students. Never again will I jump to the conclusion that someone who appears uninterested in class discussion won’t have the ability to write captivating stories. Of all the works presented during workshop, the piece that impressed me the most was that of a student that appeared to be lost in his own thoughts during class.
Workshop also taught me the fine art of constructive criticism. This is very important because I now have the ability to look deeper into a written piece of work and not only critique it but realize how differently people can interpret a story or poem. I have a stronger appreciation for poetry and enjoy reading a poem several times to see if I can interpret it differently. Classroom discussion of my essay opened my eyes to all the different avenues I could take concerning an aging bridge in York County.
I also credit visiting writers for creating excitement outside of the classroom setting. Marcy Dermansky, Curtis Smith and especially David Shields passion for writing was contagious. Meeting these authors and hearing their personal stories as struggling artists was inspirational. I literally felt like I could burst with happiness when Shields both praised and critiqued my hermit crab essay. Also this semester, I attended the Professional Writers Forum at Gettysburg College. The amount of information I acquired will undeniably assist me in the future.
The greatest development for me personally is blogging on the WordPress.com website. When my professor said “For nineteen bucks you can get your own blog site” my ears perked up. I have been blogging regularly since early March and now have a following of people reading my work. Recently my site surpassed five thousand hits and has generated comments on my site and to my email. My plan for the future is to publish a creative non-fiction book containing slices of my life. This blog site has become a preview to what my book will contain. I believe loyal readers of my blog site will have interest in reading my published story.
With these hopes of publishing a national best-seller, I will continue working on my drafts from class. Using the knowledge I have gained this semester during class from my professor, visiting writers and classmates I will continue to push myself to “write what I can’t shut up about” to the best of my ability.
Apr 13, 2011
“Cut Your Hair Show You Care”
By · Leave a Comment
“Cut Your Hair Show You Care” is a Relay for Life fundraising event put on by York College of PA’s SIFE team this Sunday 17th from 11 am to 3 pm at 304 Jackson St.
All proceeds from the event will go to Relay for Life and cancer research. Admission is $5; this gets you into the event where there will be food, music, games and fun.
For an additional $10 you can sign up to get a haircut by the professional haircutters from The Dollhouse Salon.
This will be a fun event and it is all benefiting a great cause. Hope to see you all there whether you are getting a haircut or not! Everyone is invited to come so bring a friend and tell everyone you know.
For more information contact Chelsea Pavelchak at cpavelch@ycp.edu
Apr 8, 2011
family
By · 1 Comment
Daddy’s sleeping with the dolphins.
Grandma’s knitting peach pie.
Sam’s dodging car bombs.
Suzie’s really high.
Blaine’s playing demolition Frisbee.
Pap’s smashing his guitar.
Sawyer’s sinking a ship.
Mom’s at a bar.
Zeth has squirrels nesting in his hair.
Jarrid’s bathing the fridge.
Joe bet on purple.
Kathy jumped the bridge.
Tesla’s making up silly stories.
Mason’s tackled football.
Ying’s chasing semi’s.
Jesus’ gonna call.
Apr 7, 2011
L:Brackish Water
By · Leave a Comment
L: Brackish Water-“No! Don’t get in that water Tesla!” A little pool of water remained after the creek flooded. The water was dark as oil and appeared just as slick. Tesla halted suddenly at the edge, aware of how icky the water actually was. “That’s disgusting Mommy!” she squealed in delight, proud of the fact she knew what disgusting meant. “Yes, it is.” I replied, thrilled she didn’t stomp through it like other rain puddles she can’t seem to avoid.
Apr 3, 2011
Craig Zobel
By · 1 Comment
Director Craig Zobel presented his film, “Great World of Sound” at the Humanities Center Thursday, Oct 28, 2010. This was the second film in the Humanities Film Series at YCP. Zobel was born in NY and graduated from North Carolina School of Arts. His movie won several prizes across the country and was featured at “The Sundance Film Festival” in 2007. Magnolia Films, impressed with the movie, funded and handled the distribution.
The movie was filmed in Charlotte, NC and dubbed a “funny drama” by Zobel. The story of two music promoters, actors Kene Holiday and Pat Healy, try to find the next amazing act only to slowly realize their true positions are master scam artists. The actors start unsure of how to perform their sales pitch and gradually become more into their roles. They play off each other, tell stories to make the sale and pledge their support for the unknown superstar. The singers and bands are excited about this chance to make it big. Genuine concern shows on their faces when the promoters begin their pitch on why they must commit their own funds for a recording contract. Eventually the two main characters realize they are part of a scam and after taking their final payment, they give up music promotion.
Zobel took a unique method to film these audition segments. Filmed behind a one way mirror, the musicians did not know this was a movie production. The set was built to look like hotel rooms and the promotions headquarters setting was “dentist office decor in 1983.” The actors leaned on each other, often improvising on the spot depending on responses they received. This kept the movie incredibly fresh. After the pitch scene was filmed the auditioners were let in on the production and asked to continue participating. Less than 6 people refused and from that point forward they were led by Zobel to achieve what was needed in the film. The film was cleverly cut to present the characters growth from money hungry to being ashamed of taking people’s money .
The audience was given easy clues to realize the music promotion was a scam. “Great World of Sound” teased the conscious of its characters and viewers. Zobel stated “I didn’t want the audience to think ‘this is a scam’ and lose interest.” He also recognizes a theme to his films of “people rationalizing doing something bad” for their own gain.
Zobel had great support from his family and friends, often pitching in for free to see him complete his movie. Zobel’s father assisted the actors portraying scam artists with his past salesman days. The next film wrapping up in January 2011 is about a Swedish Mobster who decides he should produce video games as a legitimate income. Fans of Zobel’s film work and his online Japanese cartoon, HomeStar Runner will be eager to see his next film release…hopefully featured on YCP’s campus.
Apr 3, 2011
Ghost Hunters
By · 1 Comment
Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, stars of SyFy Channel’s “Ghost Hunters” made an appearance at Penn State College’s Pullo Family Performing Arts Center. They are also founders of “TAPS”, The Atlantic Paranormal Society located in Warwick, Rhode Island. The pair started the show telling about their lives. They own a plumbing company together and never anticipated having a hit television show. Jason is married and has five children as is Grant who has three children. Neither of the two are doctors or scientists as people tend to assume but, they do have 20 years experience in paranormal activities. Currently they are publishing “tween novels” similar to the “Goosebumps” book series.
Types of “haunting” they experienced are Intelligent, Residual, Poltergeist and Inhuman. An Intelligent haunt is usually a human spirit. They interact with the living humans they encounter by moving objects, making noises or calling out. Residual haunt is generally caused by an object within a home or building. The energy is emotional and non-interactive. Poltergeist haunts are usually negative and can involve human manipulation. The rarest haunt is Inhuman. This activity is caused by something that never walked the earth and can be a very strong presence.
Case studies of the two paranormal researchers were shared by power point presentation. They stressed they were not professional speakers. Even before the show there were technical difficulties and those carried into the show. Jason and Grant had great senses of humor and shared several pictures and videos of show footage. Some highlights were the New Bedford Armory in Massachusetts, when a boom mans weight belt is flipped upwards into his face. The Cash Town Inn, PA where a picture frame moves on the table of the investigators room.
A lively question and answer segment closed the show. Upcoming episodes were discussed with a teaser on new technology in the future to help them get in touch with ghosts and entities. All the episodes are taped at night because “that’s when the ghosts are most active and our photography equipment works best in the dark” according to Jason. Both he and Grant have grown accustom to the hazards of their line of work. It is normal for them to be pushed, hit or scratched when communicating with spirits. “We are working with human spirits and expect reactions from them” stated Grant. Fortunately, they have never had a serious injury or encountered a spirit trying to intentionally harm them.
The paranormal duo and family are now the proud owners of The Spalding Inn in Whitefield, New Hampshire. If you are looking for a Halloween road trip they are holding the Spalding Halloween Party, October 23rd and would love for all the ghouls and boys to attend! Information is available on their website http://www.scifi.com/ghosthunters.
girlboxer1970 