if you call me...

you will hear my newest voicemail:

"Caller ID is the greatest invention since FIRE!"

you might be confused for several reasons...

1. why dont i have a normal voicemail?
"Hi I am Claire. Leave a message." that is boring. instead, people call me for some sort of entertainment. if i am in class, asleep, or otherwise occupied, i dont want to let the masses down. so i use random quotes and i try to change it every few weeks. if you say something brilliant to me, i might just use it. so be warned. so call me.
2. why would i say this to the people who call me?
i just think its funny. if you are calling me, you should have a sense of humour to be my friend. you should know that i would love to answer my phone, but i cant because i am busy. i would say "sorry if i have offended you" but really, i am not sorry. cause if you are offended, you should have better humour and a better self-esteem.

and know that i do truly, deeply love you.

why so blue, panda bear?

by all conventions, i should be ecstatic about this weekend.
but i am not.

its a HUGE football weekend:

a. Clemson [12th] V GA Tech [13th]: one of our only difficult home games this season
b. ESPN Game Day is coming to Clemson
c. Homecoming- so the stands will be packed out
d. Night game- tailgate for hours- enjoy a nice cool gaming atmosphere


Potential reasons for complacency:
a. no clear plan for the day- i want to see and do everything- this just isnt possible!
b. as monumental as GameDay coming to Clemson is, not too sure what it actually means for me
c. the people i end up at games with always want to leave early or arrive late. i hate it, but i dont know what else to do. dont really want to sit by myself at the games, ya know?
d. wish i had a car so i could come and go as i pleased. or wish i had a bro here who would have fun with me and take care of me.

and i am a bit sad this morning.

Friendly Humanity

during my morning coffee, i tend to peruse the bbc news website to get an overview of the events in the world. often, i will go back and read further. today, did the olympic construction hault due to an ancient tomb or the convoy blast in sri lanka take my attention at first? no. of course not. there was a cartoon picture of Pope John Paul II- and now, the Vatican is producing a cartoon of the life and death of this diseased pope. watch the trailer- it may prove fascinating...

A Friend of All Humanity

"Jack" for life

here's how it happened [and its NOT my fault!]
1.once, i asked where we would watch a football game
2. it was pointed out that i, a girl, asked before the guys
3. then, i got to know the guys quicker than the girls at church
4. jokes began about my "being one of the guys" [much to the dissatisfaction of several girls]
5. i threatened to hit the guys if they made allusions to my "guyness"
6. this weekend, i brought 3 male friends to meet my family, where
- my mum called me "one of the guys from clemson" while taking a photo
- Lynda shared the fact that she calls me "Jack"
7. thus, its sealed forever now. i will not be able to live this down. at least as long as i associate with these people at dcf. and its my own mum who sealed the deal.

*the picture above was taken the moment after mum made her comment and matt turned to me to say "you cant slap your own mom"*

unlived, untested

would you be willing to sacrifice your body- over and over again- if, through it, you could bring some greater good? how are we to bring good into people's lives? how are we to preach forgiveness if we cannot even forgive ourselves? what if we dont have anything to forgive?

i know these thoughts are vague. but i fear going into specifics. i fear putting the images in my head to words. what future implications could they carry? i have been taught not to voice my fears. but this is more a fear that i lack faith. so i will share- though it terrifies me.

rape. the chances of being raped in africa are ridiculously high. its one of the strongest weapons. how can i ask woman after woman to embrase Jesus and to trust that HE will vindicate them? how can i ask this of someone if i have not been forced to do such a thing? that is just straight up naive. and yet, the thought terrifies me because i dont know that i could trust, love. and definitely not forgive. how can i share a faith i do not even live?

who do i think i am? what do i think i know? how can i ask something that i wouldnt even be able to do? but could i? would i?
or would i be like nicole kidman in dogville- where i thought i would be able to forgive and i couldnt?

do thoughts like this even matter?

football [american]

allow me to explain my obsession with football -to clarify-

1. its american football. so its distinct and unique to my country.
2. its a main reason i came to clemson university. (i think God used my desire to have a football team at my school to stir me from cofc to clemson.)
3. every time we have a home game, i am CERTAIN to be there. i wont go out of town if there is a home game. its a rule. (I had to break this rule last year for the weddings of two siblings of mine- tragedy!)
4. i absolutely adore it- the intricate rules. the crunch of the players as they tackle. the excitement of a good qb sack. the rush of scoring a touchdown and the cheers from the uproarous crowd...
5. its just fantastic.

Here are a few pics for your enjoyment...




it should also be noted that football makes me poor. apparently you cant get a job in CLE without working "game days" and that just isnt an option. my wallet will appreciate the end of our fantastic season!

riddle me this... only, not so humourous

seriously. what is going on? i would love the person who can answer this question for me. love you, and hate you. cause i probably wont like your responce.

over the last week, American news reports have covered:
1. two cops shot in Lakeland, Florida when they pulled a man over for speeding. a full swat search ensued through the swampy, marshy land- i dont think they found him.
2. A 32- year old man enters an AMISH one-room schoolhouse. he orders the boys to leave. and shoots the girls- execution style. the fifth girl died of injuries early this morning. what an invasion of rights and privacy for the secluded community. i suppose i can safely say that they are not so secluded anymore.
3. A teenager is spotted in Las Vegas with a gun- and two schools- including an elementary school- are locked down. how do you explain that to your seven year old?
4. A man takes six girls hostage in a school in Colorado- does who knows what with them- kills one of the girls before shooting himself.
5. A 15-year old kid killed his head teacher in Wisconsin.

All within one week.


I dont even know what to say. My heart is so heavy. I read about prisoners being dumped for drowning in rivers in Burundi, about horrible human rights violations of orphans in the to-be-accepted EU state of Romania--about these states that do not have justice and who hide their problems.
and then, about this- in America. are we any better? what of the terrorist torture laws that have been up for passing? what of the human rights violations in the slaughtering of the unborn-- they might as well be orphans for the love their parents give them.
What are we to do? Where are we to go? In this world of globalisation- there is no escape.
we are all the same.

corrupt state.
corrupt people.

my heart is heavy. yet i cannot weep.