Plantman wanted

The Plantman's job opening is posted today at St. Ambrose University, and soon will be in print at widely read journals in science.

Requirements for this "full-time, tenure-track...position in Biology beginning August 2009" include "training in botany, plant taxonomy, and/or wetland field experience. Ph.D. is required."

What's missing here are the qualities that have made Plantman beloved and popular among college students for 27 years: passion for teaching, energy, humor, patience, high standards, and most importantly, telling every class on the first day that they are, each one of them, of infinite worth in God's eyes. This may or may not be an easy position to fill. It will be more difficult to find a teacher who encourages students' sense of self-worth so strongly. I surely am biased here, but then I have every reason so to be.

Liturgy question

In this morning's local newspaper, my eye caught a wonderful typo. The story features a woman who got flooded out of her home in June, detailing how she and her daughter received aid that was an answer to prayer.

According to the article, the woman is a "trained licensed processional nurse." Where in the procession should she be placed? Maybe right after the torchbearers?

Kitchen Duty

Our church kitchen is large, and divided by a wall into two rooms. It's well-organized, as all cupboards and drawers have labels. There's a mighty dishwasher and plenty of counter space. I spent half the morning washing and putting away dishes, silverware, pots, glassware, mugs, plastic containers, jugs, long scary knives; scrubbing counters and unearthing piles of miscellaneous stuff from a fund-raising event last April, then more stuff from the rest of the summer.

I actually liked the work. My brain was on overload, so the physical work of making a large space orderly was welcome, and on Sunday afternoon I will very much appreciate having a clean space in which to prepare our first student dinner of the semester. What I do not understand is why EVERY church kitchen I've used has these same issues. A few people clean up after themselves "religiously," some help every once in a while, but most decide that the clean-up is someone else's job.

Does anyone have a good solution to keeping the church kitchen clean?