Here's a funny story I came upon while reading Zora Neale Hurston's Mules and Men (copyright 1935, New York: Harper Perennial) for my Reading Cultures class:

Christ was walkin' long one day wid all his disciples and he said, "We're goin' for a walk today. Everybody pick up a rock and come along." So everybody got their selves a nice big rock 'ceptin' Peter. He was lazy so he picked up a li'l bit of pebble and dropped it in his side pocket and come along.

Well, they walked all day long and de other 'leven disciples changed them rocks from one arm to de other but they kept on totin' 'em. Long towards sundown they come 'long by de Sea of Galilee and Jesus tole 'em, "Well, le's fish awhile. Cast in yo' nets right here." They done like he tole 'em and caught a great big mess of fish. Then they cooked 'em and Christ said, "Now, all y'all bring up yo' rocks." So they all brought they rocks and Christ turned 'em into bread and they all had a plenty to eat wid they fish exceptin' Peter. He couldn't hardly make a moufful offa de li'l bread he had and he didn't like dat a bit.

Two or three days after dat Christ went out doors and looked up at de sky and says, "Well, we're goin' for another walk today. Everybody git yo'self a rock and come along."

They all picked up a rock apiece and was ready to go. All but Peter. He went and tore down half a mountain. It was so big he couldn't move it wid his hands. He had to take a pinch-bar to move it. All day long Christ walked and talked to his disciples and Peter sweated and strained wid dat rock of his'n.

Way long in de evenin' Christ went up under a great big ole tree and set down and called all of his disciples around 'im and said, "Now everybody bring up yo' rocks."

So everybody brought theirs but Peter. Peter was about a mile down de road punchin' dat half a mountain he was bringin'. So Christ waited till he got dere. He looked at de rocks dat de other 'leven disciples had, den he seen dis great big mountain dat Peter had and so he got up and walked over to it and put one foot up on it and said, "Why Peter, dis is a fine rock you got here! It's a noble rock! And Peter, on dis rock Ah'm gointer build my church."

Peter says, "Naw you ain't neither. You won't build no church house on dis rock. You gointer turn this rock into bread."

Christ knowed dat Peter meant dat thing so he turnt de hillside into bread and dat mountain is de bread he fed de 5,000 wid. Den he took dem 'leven other rocks and glued 'em together and built his church on it.
And that's how come de Christian churches is split up into so many different kinds--cause it's built on pieced-up rock.

Now that I fixed the story so that it makes sense, what do you think?

To respond to William, life in the Windy City is going fine, although right now I think I could tell you more about life in my dorm room, in a small cubicle (third floor, east side, third one in the second row) at the library (Regenstein, or "the Reg") or on the bike ride between my dorm and campus. I did go downtown a few times during orientation and when Amiee and Allison visited me last weekend, but if someone asked me what characteristic sets the city of Chicago apart from other places I've been/lived, right now I would say that there's a lot more required reading.

I'm glad to here that William is writing songs and throwing practicality out the window; I think those two things probably go hand in hand. I wrote a song the other night. It's very short, and its about getting out of the rushing current of society, although you probably couldn't tell if you heard it.

That gives me an idea. In the spirit of quixoticity, we should all set aside time every day to do "impractical" things that won't help us progress in society, like writing songs or other cool things. Maybe if we consciously set aside some time to do these things, we won't have to deal with a guilty societal conscience. Down with progress! (for a short time each day)

By the way, I heard a rumor that a certain individual by the name of Kiara has promised to leave her mark on the blogosphere. I hope this rumor is true, but I feel the need to warn this Kiara that blogging is not for the faint of heart.