Nobody knows...

Internet, you must rescue me.

Seriously, I'm in trouble. I think I'm about to spend the second Friday night in a row not partying with my many friends, not participating in any Centennial Homecoming events, but watching The Office. My roommate Lauren and I watched season 2 (yes, all of it) last Friday, and we are currently on the second disc of season 3, which is my favorite. This does not bode well for me.

Anyways, I have a lot of news for you. A lot mostly because, I admit, I have severely neglected you, Internet. Apologies.

So, a quick rundown of my life. Junior year now. Doing pretty much everything I possibly can fit into my schedule - history, English, working at the Writing Center, props for Comedy of Errors. A lot. But that's the way I work best, so it's ok!

Its a rainy day here in Grantham, and it's as close to snow as possible. Friday tends to be my theatre day, which means I've walked three times in the rain down to Climenhaga. I am officially frozen (still, three hours after I got back). I absolutely refuse to spend another day or another semester with frozen feet and legs. It's time to invest in some Wal-Mart rain boots.

A lot of what I'm studying right now has to do with historical methodology (how to be a historian), so I'm sure that you don't want to hear about that, but I think I'm learning some really great things. I have noticed that I am much more conscious of my writing process (I'll explain what that means in a minute, so don't worry), probably because of working at the Writing Center. Before I started working there, I usually just spilled words onto the page and sometimes they combined in good ways, but sometimes they were just absolutely horrible. Now though, I spend 10 hours a week dissecting other people's writing and helping them understand how to improve. Now when I write, I catch myself doing the same things our clients do and I can correct it before (usually the best time) I turn in the paper. Now that discussion was not to illuminate how wonderful a writer I am, because, Internet, I'm sure that is already obvious from what you've read so far. Writing can be a very stressful, scary process, especially if you don't really understand how it works. Since beginning work at the Writing Center, my self-consciousness as a writer has increased tremendously, meaning that writing papers is significantly less scary and that I want to do it more! Yay for more writing!

Before you get your hopes up, though, that does not mean that I will return to my frequent-posting-habits of yore. Just to make sure you know, because I definitely haven't complained enough in this post, I am taking 17 hours of credit, plus working around 13 hours a week and doing props for Comedy of Errors. Let me pass this semester, figure out grad school (How about Loyola? Tell me what you think, Internet), get to Oxford (did I mention that I'm going to Oxford next semester?) and I'll try and keep you updated along the way.

I do have just enough time, however, to tell you what I'm doing next. I am going to sleep. See you...Friday? Let's try that. Until then!

Up and Down and Up Again

Ok, time for my just-when-you've-forgotten-who-I-am update.

Lately I've been worrying a lot about what happens if I don't get things right. (<--ambiguous confession.) You know? There are so many decisions to make in quick succession. So far in life it's been 1. Make it through elementary. 2. Survive middle school. 3. Repeat for high school. The goal was pretty general for a long time, but now I have to actually choose between goals. Life has some nerve expecting me to know (in advance!) what career I want, where I want to live and who I want to spend my life with*! Plus I have to finance it all (with significant help from parents)!

So anyways, a general gloom has pervaded my thoughts in recent weeks, particularly since I keep hearing about childhood friends who are now engaged, have high-paying summer jobs or both! Way to encourage me to achieve, universe.

But see, there's the rub. My world isn't just a huge universe full of inconceivable (!) coincidence or unalterable destiny. Even though I can get really ridiculously depressed about mistakes I will continue to make, eventually I am reminded that I'm not alone in this (<-- cheesy, very obvious observation).

This past year has been overflowing with emotion, and I guess once I got away from it all, reality punched me in the face (<-- horrible metaphor??). Now I can say I know that God has great things in the future, even if they're the antipodes** of what I want to happen. And there are A TON of things I'm looking forward to happening soon. An apartment with four awesome girls! A semester when I'm looking forward to all of my classes! Another semester in England! I've got a lot to be thankful for, but sometimes I worry that I will mess it all up by making poor choices or getting hung up on one thing or another.

So, there you have my month full of thoughts. I know I'm not alone in fearing mistakes, so do yourself a favor, Internet, and give yourself a break :)

Also, please check out Starkidpotter's videos. Not only does A Very Potter Musical feed my inner theatre geek and HP nerd at the same time, but Little White Lie is also absolutely fantastic, and I've been listening to the soundtrack for two weeks. Enjoy!

*with whom I want to spend my life
**you guys have no clue how freakin' happy I am to use that word in a sentence

Recent Events

Whole sentences? This is gonna be tough...wait, you want whole paragraphs? That are coherent?? I'm sorry, Internet, but that might be a little much for me right now. Summer is a time for much thinking and pondering, yes, but apparently not for writing things down. I've started at least three entries that have petered out as I got further towards coherency. Even now, all I can offer is a list of incredible things I've happened across recently and an entry written maybe 3 weeks ago with some mental wanderings as I watched Turner Classic Movies late at night.

The petered-out entry from just after our Yellowstone trip.

Tonight has turned into a classic musical night:

1. On the Town

2. Royal Wedding (which I have never seen!) (edit: Now in my Top 5)

3. Singin' in the Rain (ahhh!) (also my Top 5)

4. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Adam, Benjamin, Caleb, Daniel, Ephraim, Frank(incense) and Gideon!)

Our trip to Yellowstone was utterly fantastic. The hills and valleys there are so beautiful that I'm pretty sure if Tolkien had ever seen them, he would have seen Rohan and Gondor, and even the Shire at points.

We saw so many wild animals! Bison are old news to me now (please don't bother me with such trivial creatures), and the same with elk, although we only saw one with antlers, plus one moose, one big horn sheep (very dignified), one coyote (!!), and several mountain goats with one kid.

Once we arrived at our house and saw a bear preserved, we made it our mission to see a live one. Sadly, we went home unfulfilled in that dream. We had many almost sightings that turned out to be nothing more than far off black stumps

And that's where I either became too absorbed in my movie marathon to continue or simply fell asleep. Here's my List of Incredible Things I've Happened Across Lately.

1. I love dogs that are cuddly. I love dogs that are not cuddly as well, but our new dog, Jack (aka Clive Staples Lewis), curls up as close as he possibly can to me, and it makes me feel very warm and fuzzy inside. (It is extremely unfortunate that our cat, Kate, does not get this same feeling when Jack tries to make friends with a few menacingly friendly barks.)
2. New clothes - they are crisp, clean, animal hair-free (a rare thing in my house) and also yield a warm fuzzy feeling.
3. A Very Potter Musical - So goofy, but very sincerely affectionate to Harry & Co. The music is great and at times reminiscent of Les Miserables!
4. Jobs - I have one for a whole month, starting tomorrow!
5. A familiar book - specifically Harry Potter et al. I am rereading the series in preparation for the movie in...10 days, I think? I'm through approximately 1/3 of Chamber of Secrets, and the pleasure I get every time I open the book again is ridiculous. I can just feel myself sinking back into the universe, suddenly surrounded by old friends. This feeling happens with favorite scenes, chapters, books, and in very special cases, entire series (Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Jane Austen [yes, I know her books are not a series]). I'm desperately trying to finish a book that tries way too hard, and to read a book that was written with such ease and natural feeling is sheer pleasure.

New Ideas

Why, hello there!

I don't believe we've met; let me introduce myself. My name's Elizabeth, and I am halfway done with college.

And now, I'm back home with the humidity and the tall grass and the bugs and the dog, just sort of hanging out. I've got to get a job soon, but right now I'm just soaking in the sun (not really - I'm as pale as a sheet) and basically detoxing from the most ridiculous semester ever. On my drive home (7 hours, ugh), my mind wandered through the past two years, and I was absolutely amazed at how much has changed, especially in the past year and even the past few weeks.

And before you get irritated that this entry will be full of cliche memories instead of wildly entertaining humor and dazzling displays of artistry, please remember that this is my life and my blog and I can write whatever and however I please. Can you hear the latent anger?

This past year, I met some of my best friends in the world (amazing, amazing people), I added a major (English) and a minor (Theatre) (and a concentration, but that's another story), discovered a love of parentheses, and now at the end, I know decidedly what I do not want to do - this might shock some of you - write.

Yeah, when that thought first occurred to me, I thought it was blasphemy, but it's sadly true. I cannot spend my life writing for the sake of writing. I'm not motivated enough, and also, I'm not good enough. I doubt that anyone will ever pick up a book solely based on seeing my name on the cover, especially not anything creative. All three of my English classes this semester focused on the power and beauty of language, definitely something everyone, not just majors, needs to understand, but instead of scribbling out volumes of inspiration, I was bored and struggling - occasionally apathetic. Why?

My high school memories are a little fuzzy at this point (at least academically), but I think the fact that I took primarily history classes my first year of college has forever altered the way I read and write. Basically, whenever I read anything (with the exception of select fictional series), I'm asking, "What's the point? What does that mean? What does the author mean by that?"

Now you non-Humanities people might not understand the significance of that, but apparently in English - primarily poetry - those questions are huge no-no's. At least that's the impression I got from the classes I took. Historians investigate and make assumptions, but literary scholars sort of soak in the language - they sit and wait for meaning to appear to them, which I so hate to do! It makes me want to scratch my eyes out!

Hem, wow, but it's totally true. At points this semester, I felt like I was going crazy. I really struggled with my writing ability this semester, and it really confused me, because I know I'm a good writer, yet I struggled to even mildly appreciate most writing I did, much less enjoy doing it. The only class where I am satisfied with my performance is, of course, my urban history class. Every piece I wrote in that class had a really distinct and aggressive search for meaning, interpretation, what happened (etc.) behind it.

So those are my very interesting thoughts on English philosophy. I hope you all enjoyed it. I leave tomorrow (in 3 hours, actually) for Yellowstone (Montana!) and I can't wait! One wonderful week riding horses, climbing rocks, panning for gold (yeah, you can do that!) and running away from bears. Rest assured I have packed several (several) books to read including The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Frost/Nixon by Peter Morgan, and of course Pride and Prejudice by dear Miss Austen. I'm not sure what kind of electronic communication we will have out there, but honestly, I'm not too bothered by the thought of temporary isolation. So goodbye until Sunday week!

Trials and Tribulations

Well, it's been quite a while since I tried to articulate my thoughts, simply because there are so many of them and it's so hard to think them!

Despite getting delayed by an unnamed (because I can't spell it) volcano, I made it back to the States, luggage intact. I'm really missing Oxford, and my friends there, but I am enjoying being home too. It's so hard to explain what it feels like to stay in one place for a short time like three months, but develop a real life there, and then return to something so normal as home. It's wonderful to be home, but it feels almost like going backwards.

I started my internship at Lee Hall Mansion on Monday, and soon I will be giving tours on my own! I know I will enjoy this - just hearing about organizing the archives and polishing 19th century silver gets me excited! Plus I am helping with the middle school youth group this summer. I have to admit, the first night, I was terrified. Middle school for me was...awkward, to say the least, and going back there something I plan never to do. So, you can understand why willingly walking into a room full of people just barely (and sometimes not) shorter than me would be nerve wracking. But turns out they're normal people too!

I wanted to talk more about the last few days in Oxford, but that will keep until next time!

Out of my System

Sore throat, cough, sneezing <-- definitely the swine flu.

Yeah, not really. Although I am going to NYC on Saturday, so who knows?

I was actually going to write something, but am now too tired. I really am sick. Poor me!

Someone Stop Me Now

I used to make such shockingly long posts - what happened?*

Anyways, I was reading an entry from near the end of the spring semester last year in which I had just completed my last paper of the semester. The thought makes me drool. O_0

So, I present accordingly:

4/22 - 2 3-4 page papers, 1 1 page (single-spaced) due
4/24 - 1 1 page (single-spaced) due
4/27 - 1 1 page (single-spaced) due
4/28 - 1 1 page (single-spaced), 1 5-6 page due
4/29 - 1 7-8 page (rough draft), maybe 1 1 page (single-spaced) due
4/30 - 1 1 page (single-spaced) due
05/4 - 1 7-8 page (final) due
05/5 - 1 1 page (single-spaced) due
5/12 - 1 portfolio (~15 pages -most of it's already written) due

So, 11-12 papers due in the 2 1/2 weeks of class left. That is absolutely amazing/ridiculous.

*According to Dr. Downing's class, my dash usage there was punctuationally (<--not a word) incorrect, but I say personality and style trump punctuation in some cases.

Long long ago

Also, I was just looking back on this entry when I was reading Northanger Abbey. Those good old days when I had free time.

i can haz sleep plz? kthx

I'm tiiiiireeeeed. You know exactly the tone in which that was meant to be said.

Spending the day in Philly is great, but it makes for total and complete exhaustion.

I'm pretty ready for this semester to be over. (But not really because some very dear friends are graduating) This semester has been pretty crazy in multiple ways - academically, emotionally, work-fully...??

Currently I am not allowed to go to bed because my roommate's boyfriend is over...he's watching her play minesweeper...such wonderful relationship-developing activities...totally worth less sleep...

Dear blog/internet, I feel guilty for not writing coherent entries in a while. But all my coherency (is that a word?it is now.) is needed elsewhere right now - and sometimes there's not enough to go around.

I'm so brain dead. But I just keep writing because I can't sleeeep! It's not fair!

Just know that right now I really don't realize how whiny this will look once posted - it seems perfectly legitimate to me. 12 minutes until he has to leave...

Ok, just in case either of them read this, I don't hate them. Really. And I made my protest known before he got here and as soon as he walked in. So I'm not just complaining here. Trust me, they know how grouchy I am right now.

aghhhhh

Read it.

This is a great speech.

I forgot to mention that today I taught my brother how to drive stick shift. Woohoo!

Hallo the House!

I'm still alive. Also I'm at home for Easter. Also, I have possibly 10 papers due between now and the end of the semester - totally not an exaggearation.*


*originally a typo, but left intact, because I enjoy saying it that way. pronounce the vowels individually, not together like 'ear'

Just have to get this down before I forget it...

I think I know why the elusive connection between history and literature fascinates me. I wrote a paper last semester on the development of Nathaniel Hawthorne's conception of romanticism and the role of the author/narrator in the novel and in that genre in particular. It was part psychology, part literary analysis, part history, part knowing what to look for in the many, many wonderful pages of text I read. It's almost like my own brand of archaeology: I read letters he wrote, letters written about him, researched historical developments of the time and then read three novels he published over three years, back to back, and tried to see where all those pieces fit together.

I must say it is extremely presumptuous to say that I have my own brand of archaeology - that no one in the world has thought of it before and that I have really invented anything new. On the contrary, I'm sure one day in the future I will crack open a book of literary criticism or history, read a few lines and shout, "That's it! My idea! They stole it!" Of course no one will listen to me, the short girl who tries to write a few lines every once in a while. But I will know. Deep down in the part of me that I will never discover maybe ever, even in eternity, only I will know what it feels like to make the connection between history and story, between thought and page and between author and reader.

Hello There

Boy, do I have some complaining/talking/reacquainting to do!

See, here's the thing - the longer I go without blogging, the harder it is to start again (that is unless it's a really, really long time; then I can just start over). Everytime I come up with an idea for an entry, I think, "No that's way too long ago. Try again." In the meantime, the date on my last post is growing farther and farther away! It's a vicious cycle!

It is my fault entirely that I have not spoken in a while, and I beg you to forgive me. If, however, you desperately need someone to blame, I can quite easily provide you with the names and addresses of the culprits.

Big-time criminal #1: The Vlogbrothers
...especially this one

Big-time criminal #2: Messiah College. That's right, the entire institution. Or at least the School of Humanities. I would name professors, but who knows who reads this thing? But please, never EVER let me be involved in three departments at once. It's insanity, so hold me back, Internet!

Big-time criminal #3: Daylight Savings Time. You all know what I mean.

So yes, I have more to write about, but my roommate just pointed out that I have an 8AM class tomorrow and I am online right now...Good night!

Philadelphia

Here's the thing. I miss Philly tons. I miss the noise, I miss the streets, I miss the vastness and I miss the people. I belonged there*, and already it feels like last semester was a lifetime ago. The living situation provided a balance between public and private that cannot be replicated. We were just in a great community there, and I miss it.

Surprise sort of grabbed me when Ryan (the RD) emailed me about a job during May-term. The family's got a vacation planned almost exactly during that timeframe, so I obviously can't go, but I am sooo tempted. Seriously, my parents are taking me to Yosemite (!) and I would rather go to the city and work. I still may get to spend the summer in the city (work-study please?), but just the opportunity to go do my old job with friends made me realize exactly how much I miss the place.

*Not that I feel I don't belong in Grantham - Messiah's awesome :)

Illness sucks

That's all.

Title

You all know that the most difficult thing about blogging for me is figuring out the titles of each post, because, above all, I hate when the first line of the post appears in the sidebar. Just when it goes onto two lines and then trails off...agh!! Absolutely horrible. The past few days I've been composing entries in my head, and I would have an excellent title to go along with it, but I was never at a point where I could actually sit down and write the post, so of course I forgot them all.

Anyways, I have not been blogging a lot, but I have been writing a lot, so here's something from my journal.*

So, I'm not totally sure what is happening in my head right now. Which is probably good, because then I can't mess it up. That verse "I put away childish things" comes to mind. I'm looking at all the books on my bookshelf and thinking that several of them probably don't belong on an English major's shelf. Not that it's the worst writing ever (I've seen much worse, including my own), but what I choose to read (and often buy) ought now to be something that challenges me to be better: reader and writer. Thus, Middlemarch** is now in my bag, though I haven't yet begun it. I need to get used to the idea of it first, and I'm sure George Eliot would appreciate a chance to evaluate her reader.

I have a lot of YA (young adult) fiction on my shelves, some of which is excellent (The Graveyard Book, Beauty, Crown Duel), but more aren't very spectacular (This is a books-are-sentient-beings journal, so I won't name names). I need to stop buying books before I've read them, because then I feel pressured to love them.

*My journal is an interesting little brown leather notebook with an extraordinarily difficult fastening. For at least two years I've been trying to figure out the best way to hold it shut, and recently, I've found that a paper clip holding the strings together is very reasonable. The other day though, I had an epiphany about a way the designers may have intended it to be kept shut. However, it's way to complicated for my talents to describe that way, so just rest assured that my notebook is now staying closed quite consistently without the help of a paper clip.

**Also, I decided approximately 30 seconds ago that I will not underline the names of books here, primarily because it's my journal and I will enthusiastically demolish unnecessary rules of punctuation whenever I can, but also because I would like the books I write about, particularly the good ones, to feel at home here. Being able to shrug off a binding and let your punctuation down is a valuable gift, one which I hope all my book friends will accept with my compliments.

...

So much to do...and yet I'm talking to you.

That rhyme is so painful, but I can't bring myself to delete it.

Today is a wandering day. I haven't really accomplished anything, except read an essay on confessional poetry, which is a genre which can be either utterly horrifying or exceptionally beautiful and specific. I should write a response paper on it before the concert I'm going to at 8, but it's probably not going to happen. I also have to at least outline a paper that is due Tuesday. I also discovered recently that a book I have to read this week is 300 pages. !!!. I think that by the time I am dead, I will have read everything in existence. In English at least. It's a worthy goal, I think.

Commentary?

Also, in an effort to challenge myself more in Advanced Writing, I decided I was going to post what I write in there, at least every once in a while. So here's what I wrote today. The prompt was Sacred Place? and I definitely will appreciate any thoughts you have (constructive criticism: I'm particularly concerned about cliches and also what you think works - if anything).

"Sacred Is Nowhere I Am"

Where is sacred?
The church others occupy
The home
People invade: is sacred alone?
Alone is lonely.

Sometimes lonely demands.
Sacred pulls a story:
Twisted experience.
Sacred is a fortress.
But my know-how - what is that?

Human crumbles;
I am not sacred.
But I
(my soul) -
That is consecrated.

Soul - [sohl] noun
The animating principle
Of life, feeling, thought,
the essential element
In everyone that is individual.

I don't have the knack -
Holy is what I can do.
Dust is not sacred,
Nor is bone.
Sacred is breath.

Decode my thoughts!

I'm really not sure what is going on in my life right now. Nor do I know what my life is going to look like tomorrow or next week, much less this summer. I think God is trying to teach me a real lesson in trust right now. The question is whether I will let him. I try to consistently and consciously spend time with him, but it's really hard, especially now that I'm getting up around 7 AM most days. But at the same time, I feel blessed, because it's always on my mind, and I know that that is God poking me in the ribs (where I am not ticklish, btw), trying to get my attention.

In other news, or maybe it's the same news from a different perspective, my impression of my classes are now completely different than what I expected them to be. I really, really enjoy Contemporary American Poetry, particularly the professor Matt Roth. He has been so helpful and understanding to me while I try to figure out whether I really want to take this class or not. Urban History is ok - the verdict still may be out on this one. Dr. LaGrand is a definite plus, but the material is not as interesting as I thought it would be, and it is definitely lacking in the pure history that I miss from my days as a single major.

Now for English Studies. Oh, what a joy. Not. So this is definitely one of those places God is using to teach me a lesson in humility and respect for those in authority. I think there is probably a personality disconnect between me and the professor. Also, I absolutely despise the feeling that I'm starting college all over again. It sucks. (As a side note, does anyone know of a satisfying alternative for that word? I really shouldn't use it, but it's so convenient!)

Advanced Writing is very challenging, but only if I let it be that way. Haha, I love being cryptic. What I mean is if you yourself don't drive the course, you won't get anything out of it. Because it is all about improving your own writing, what you learn is very ambiguous in a sense. It's a constant challenge. Still adore the prof, though :)

So, I wish I had more to say after my 10 day absence, but I really don't know anything at this point. It's very disorienting. I guess I'm just really sort of rediscovering the possibilities.

Wow. Cryptic!

In Celebration

(warning: there will be many ALL CAPS moments in this post)

This post is a celebration of the following things:

• my FIRST DAY at the Writing Center
• the fact that I am typing this on MY computer
• the NINETY pages I have yet to read for my LaGrand class
• the fact that today was a much better day than yesterday, when I spent an hour and a half PHOTOCOPYING GREEK (Thanks, Dr. Pettegrew. Thank you so much :)

Celebrate these things in whatever manner you feel best. The way I am going to celebrate is to read those aforementioned ninety pages in, hopefully, ninety minutes. HA!

No More

As I've reflected over the past few days on my ever-changing life, I've realized that I complain. A lot. So, I am declaring a no-whining zone in this blog (at least for this entry ;)

In an effort to promote this new, positive outlook, here are some good things that have happened to me.

Classes started Monday! Wellness won't be so much fun, but right after that is my one history class of the semester with probably my favorite professor ever, Jim LaGrand. I am definitely a fan of his. His voice sounds like Kermit and his faith shines through everything he does. We haven't gotten into any course material yet, but the class (U.S. Urban History) will definitely be one of the most challenging of the semester. He is legendary for lots of reading, writing and tough grading. Woo!

I'm still deciding how I feel about Contemporary American Poetry. It's definitely out of my comfort zone, which seems to be the standard for this semester, but it could still be good. I just have to get used to the English way of doing things as opposed to the History way. It shouldn't be that much of a difference, but I do have to think about things in a different light.

Intro to English Studies is looking to be fairly easy. There is only one paper that is more than one page. Apparently we will spend all semester revising it, but I'm not too worried. Stay tuned for when I find out how wrong I am :)

Advanced Writing was the one course that absolutely terrified me. It still does, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be the best class ever. I completely adore the professor, a funny, quirky woman, and, at least in the beginning, it feels like Creative Writing in high gear.

Money is a big concern for me this semester. Philadelphia and JTerm, both with minimal employment, kind of drained the coffers, and if things go as planned, the summer won't bring much extra cash either. So, I'm the work-study in the History department. It was really hard to get hours during Jterm, but just today, I got several more things to do, so hopefully, that will keep going, and the hours are very flexible. Altogether, this semester was looking to be pretty busy, but not anything that I couldn't handle with a little stress....

Surprise! The Writing Center just had a position open up today, and I guess I was next on their list. I'm not sure what the hours will be, or the pay, or anything really, but I'm going to try my best to make it work. I've wanted to work here since the first semester of my freshman year, and I'm certainly not going to let it go now.

Ok, so the movie Suzanne (my roommate for those of you who don't know) [edit: the movie Suzanne and I are watching (thank you, Jackie)] is nearing completion, and I have must get some sleep before tomorrow. Lots to do, lots to do!

Evil

For those of you who reside in PA, OH or anywhere in between, please see this entry for any future encounters with snow.

I HATE IT.

How is this possible?

Such a day I've had. Please be warned - the following can only be described as whining.

In the past week, I have had a total technology meltdown. All the days run together now, so I can't remember exactly when, but at some point, my computer display quit working. I am now fairly certain that the hard drive also quit, because I tried to connect it to a monitor, and nothing showed up. As a direct result of the computer death, my iPod must find another source of power. Also, at some point this week, my phone died even though I had charged it up the night before. It's better now though, so I think it just wanted a short break.

Saturday night, on my way back to campus, I noticed the the engine of my car was not too quick on the draw. I parked it (illegally) in front of my dorm and didn't think much of it. This morning, however, when I faithfully made my way outside in order to go to church, it refused to start at all, and the noises it made with each succeeding attempt were progressively more dismal. I called Campus Safety, who said I had to go sign out the battery jump start pack thing (I don't remember what they called it), so I walked to the Safety House. "Oh no!" they said. "You get those at Dispatch." Laughing (quite sincerely) at my mistake, I walked to Dispatch, where I obtained the slightly heavy thing and started my car without much difficulty. I parked the car in D Lot, where it's supposed to be, and continued on with my day. In a later conversation with my dad, we decided to just replace the battery, considering I'm going on a trip later this week and the current one happened to be nine years old. Definitely time for retirement.

So, I walked to D Lot once again, ready to drive to Sears, but alas, my poor Honda Civic couldn't even handle that. I headed back to Dispatch to get the thing, carried it back to D Lot, and started my car. From there to Sears was another adventure, as it involved returning the thing to Dispatch, and getting gas, so I wouldn't kill my car twice over. I didn't shut the car off at Dispatch, but I had to at the gas station, and there was a slight moment of fear when I turned the key. But no worries, as my car performed one last service for me and started with no trouble. I proceeded to Sears, where they kindly installed a Diehard Gold battery, and I successfully drove back to campus without the nagging fear that my car was going to suddenly shut off.

I should mention that during this week of technological failure, I have had relatively no entertainment. My computer is also my dvd player, and I have been shamefully deprived. I did read Northanger Abbey, though, and I think, with some reflection, it will become a favorite of mine. Tomorrow, I send the devil computer off to HP, with a whole list of maladies. Good riddance, say I! The only regret I have is that my iTunes library is slightly in jeopardy. I have it all on my iPod, but still, it makes me nervous. All my documents are safe, however.

I am now completely worn out and ready for this ordeal to be over. I think my next entry may be from the great state of Ohio (go bucks :)). Until then!

Not Quite

Nope, I haven't forgotten you just yet. Here's a list of important things I should talk about but need sleep too much to do so right now.

• Barack Obama was inaugurated today as the first black President of the USA. A big deal.
• JTerm is almost over (that's code for "Ohio is almost here!!!!!!!!").
• I was working on my book list for the spring semester and my computer screen went all kinds of crazy. (MACBOOK??!!)
  
• After I relocated to the computer lab, I scoured the Internet and succeeded in being a thrifty person and keeping the book list for 3 English classes, 1 History class and Intro to Wellness around (slightly under) $225. This is a ridiculous achievement, and I am, accordingly, ridiculously proud of it.
• I'm about halfway through Northanger Abbey. It's a good book, but not matching up to Emma, Pride and Prejudice, or Sense and Sensibility. Good news though - I am enjoying it far more than I did Mansfield Park.

So, that's how it is right now. When I get my computer fixed (or a new one - I so completely despise this computer; I practically look for opportunities to break it (except I didn't do it this time, promise). If you haven't heard the story, ask. It's a good one.), I will do a real blog post. So many good topics running through my head today (chapel - is world reconciliation feasible before the second coming of Christ?) (Obama - is leadership quality or policy more important in choosing a president?), but no time, and then, when time was gained, no computer. Anyways, that's it for now. Hopefully, my computer will decide to stop being stupid, because I really don't have time for its tantrums right now.

Fun day

But before I get to that, two things.

1. I am an oddly amusing person. Or maybe I'm just odd. I was reading something I wrote a while ago where I used the word 'indescribable.' For about ten seconds, I thought that I had misspelled the word, and I cannot describe the thrill of terror that went through my veins.

2. Today was a fun, semi-busy day. Today, however, is the exception in Jterm. The rest is always monotony. For example, either Sunday or Monday afternoon - I can't remember which - I took my keyboard apart. My laptop keyboard. Although I did get an OCD-kind of joy from cleaning it, the fact that I actually have time to do this is testament to how much I am telling the truth when I complain about Jterm.

Okay, so today. I got a few minutes extra sleep because I subconsciously chose to ignore my alarm. Also my phone fell under my bed and it was on vibrate (accidentally), so I really couldn't help it. I wasn't very late to class, but it was nice to not be stressed about being late, particularly after a certain 8 AM theology class last semester. I spent the class kind of floating around doing random things that people needed me to do. I painted, I used the chopsaw, I power-stapled, and I retrieved shoes from the old schoolhouse which is, in fact, used by the theatre department as storage. It was nice to do different things, rather than spend all day on one project.

Also (wik), I met a few people from Philly for dinner, and it ended up being a kind of reunion, which was great! You always kind of associate people with the environment you met them in, and it was nice (and kind of weird) to hang out with some elsewhere. But we were in the union for close to 2 1/2 hours, and laughed a lot.

Also also (wik), American Idol is back! If you are a music major or if it is a serious part of your life at all, feel free to criticize the show, but for me, I love watching it, and its return was a great surprise. The auditions section at the beginning of the season is always the most awkward and uncomfortable, but I will gladly get through that to see the rest of the show.

Also also also* (wik), I have a two liter of Diet Coke in the room and it is all mine.




*Maybe three times is a little much. Apologies.

Ahhhhh

I know, I know, I've neglected you and I'm supremely sorry for it. There's no excuse, except I just didn't feel like it, so there.

Life is very boring right now. Add going from Philadelphia at Christmastime to Grantham in the dead of winter when half the already smallish student population is not there to the fact that my roommate (whom I haven't actually lived with yet) is also not here and the fact that I have absolutely no homework ever for my Jterm class and you get Utter Boredom.

So I've watched the first season of Friends in less than a week. Several movies. I'm almost done with a book which I should have finished long ago if it were not for the aforesaid Friends and movies. I also got a job on Friday, so hopefully that will take up more time. But it is only five hours a week. I need human contact outside of class!

Sorry, I'm very whiny, but I think I have good reason. And that may be all I feel like talking about right now. So bye!