Friday, April 20, 2007
20:27

The Patriot's Day Storm took down a third of our wooden fence, and quite a few shingles on the roof. Water was leaking into bathroom, bedroom and studio. The trees on the property show considerable damage and we were without power for three days. At one time all three Westbrook bridges over the Presumpscot were closed because of flooding. In Maine a situation like this is a sure sign that spring is coming!

Crowded Beaches and Precious Findings
Sunday, April 08, 2007
20:40

Yes. And then there is vacation. Vacation from a sabbatical? Sure. I'm on Cape Cod, looking for heart shaped stones on the beach and counting waves, debating with myself whether I should ever return to normal life. And best of all, it's only the first day...

Tuesday, March 20, 2007
17:59

Utrecht, Netherlands. An experiment: at 10 AM I was shown a manuscript of the Gospels, the Codex Boreelianus, and studied it in the presence of five New Testament colleagues for three hours. I had not seen the codex before and almost no information about it was available to me beforehand. Then I had a two hour break for lunch and a walk. From 3 to 6 I was scheduled to give a public lecture on the manuscript and show pictures I had taken in the morning. It worked out well. Even the PowerPoint. By the time I finished, the manuscript felt familiar, more like a friend than a stranger. Working with a manuscript for me is an exercise in listening. And Codex Boreelianus had many stories to tell. We hope to find the funding so we can write them up and share them with you.

Wednesday, March 07, 2007
16:17

Sitting in an airplane always makes me sleepy. At the end of the day you will have slept little and sat much. And two days later you remember neither. A DMin student once called me 'The hi-tech professor'. I dismissed the remark. I travel with my BlackBerry to keep in touch with email, I just answered three days worth of emails on a one hour flight. I use the PocketPC to read recent book manuscripts submitted to me for review, and I have an IPod to listen to my weekly French and German and English podcasts. And that's just what I carry on my body. I carry a pouch attached to my belt where I keep my wallet and the creditcard with the blue chip which identifies me to the electronic kiosk which prints out my boarding pass. And in my backpack I have my tabletPC, a two pound tech miracle with WIFI internet, video camera, microphone, which allows me to call home for free anywhere in the world through an internet connection. And of course a hi-res digital photo camera for the New Testament manuscript I am eventually going to see on this trip. Eventually.

Thursday, March 01, 2007
10:45

The bad news is that they had to shave my chest. I came home from New York feeling very weak. Just walking up the stairs to the second floor made me breathe hard and there was this pressure that had bothered me for days. My father died with 55 of a massive heart attack. When I called my doctor, she told me not to wait if anything out of the ordinary occurred. So when I almost passed out sitting at my desk, it was time to have myself checked out. I was brought to Maine Medical Center by ambulance and pushed on a stretcher through the corridors. I always wondered what it would look like when my life passes by in front of my eyes. Staring at the ceiling I realized it would probably be white tiles held in a metal frame. Two days of tests. The heart is healthy. Probably just a virus, my doctor said yesterday. And now the good news: My hair will grow back.

Saturday, February 17, 2007
19:01

Of all the things I love to do in my job, my work for the American Bible Society has always stood out as exceptionally pleasurable. Starting as an outside consultant 13 years ago, I then became an advisor to the board, and last year a full member of the board. I dedicated my professional life to better understand and explain the Christian Bible - no wonder I love my work for ABS.

Friday, February 16, 2007
00:44

I was waiting at the Portland airport, ready to leave for California, when my brother reached me on my cell phone to tell me that the building where he had his business collapsed during the night. It took two weeks before I could go and visit. The floor of the room is gone and three of the four walls are missing. The folders with his presentations and manuscripts stand neatly in the shelves he had screwed to the wall, in the second floor with no stairs, unprotected. Beneath it rubble. We could not identify any part of his grand piano buried under the debris.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007
20:50

Where in the world is Dr. Trobisch? On sabbatical. January was a busy month. Every weekend somewhere else. First Des Moines Iowa, then New York, then Germany, then Sacramento, California. And then? Three days without having to get out of bed before 10. Life can be good, even for a scholar.