The latest Bible book to strike me (metaphorically speaking) is Ecclesiastes. The one before that was Job, but considering that I don't have that one entirely figured out yet, I won't be blogging about it anytime soon.

I've noticed the books which tend to resonate with me are slightly more obscure Old Testament ones. Books like John or Romans or Psalms are well-traveled, but I enjoy finding the treasures in less well-known gems.

Ecclesiastes is no exception. Attach here the usual disclaimer that this is not a scholarly paper. I did enough of those in Bible college; these are just my thoughts and impressions. It's also just a brief sketch; for the full picture, read the book!

It’s Thanksgiving in America, though for this American in Toronto, there’s no celebration. Canadian Thanksgiving happened, as always, on the second Monday in October, a day which Americans may or may not remember is Columbus Day.

However, I have a reason to be deeply thankful this year. Probably more than one reason, but certainly one. Yesterday marked the purchase of my first, very own digital SLR, the realization of years of hoping and futile dreaming and being almost certain that I’d never be able to afford one. In truth, I couldn’t. But thanks to some very kind friends who realize that I am not quite a whole person without a camera, the dream has become a reality.

About a month ago, news outlets reported the horrific story of a man who was tasered to death by police at the Vancouver Airport. Now, an eyewitness video of the event has been released. (Link goes to news article with description and link to video; warning, video is disturbing).

I was deeply shocked and outraged by the story upon reading it, but now, having watched the video, am even more so. The case was a nightmare compound of miscommunication, a failure of airport officials to help, and the incompetence of police who used totally unjustified brute force rather than attempting to defuse the situation peaceably.

One of the first things I noticed when I moved to New Hampshire was the startling friendliness of other runners. Among my top priorities after moving to each new area (and I lived in five distinct ones, but that's another story) was to scope out jogging routes.

Jogging has been a consistent in my life for the past three years, a routine priority engaged in to maintain both physical and mental health. Runners will know what I'm talking about. I'd as soon think of giving up my three- or four-times weekly runs as I'd think of giving up brushing my teeth.