2008: Another Illustrated Year in Review

Last year I started a new tradition.  Rather than sending out a Christmas card letter, I wrote a Christmas card letter blog … 2007: An Illustrated Year in Review.  It was a great way to reflect on the past year (good times and bad) and share my experiences with others, not to mention giving myself something to look back on and remember 2007.  So as 2008 has come and gone, I am attempting to answer Jonathan Larson’s melodic question, “How do you measure, measure a year?”

IN JOBS

2008 was my last year in residence life after three years as an RA and four as a Hall Director.  After deciding (finally) to go back to school in the fall, I closed down West Hall for the last time in May.  I have so many great memories from my years at UCO, and it was certainly hard to leave.  I especially miss all my RAs (my favorite part of the job was leading the staff) and fellow HDs.  Soon after moving to Wheaton, I began working at Bath & Bodyworks and then in the fall picked up a job watching a couple boys after school three days a week.  About midway through the semester I also started tutoring a girl for the ACT.  I didn’t necessarily plan to work that much, and it was definitely a hard balancing act with the demands of graduate school.  I hope to cut back or at least balance a little better this spring.

IN MILES

Hmm, I guess this applies in more ways than one!  If I hadn’t completely uprooted and driven over a thousand miles across the country to begin school this fall, I would certainly count running a marathon as the year’s highlight.  Back last fall my good friend Jamie volunteered to train and one my first marathon with me in April.  We logged many a mile over our five months of training, becoming quite1450 familiar with almost every street in Edmond and on a few long runs, Oklahoma City as well.  We had a good race and met my initial goal of breaking five hours with a time of 4:43:34.  I was a little disappointed that I didn’t beat Oprah, but there’s always next time … the Chicago marathon is calling my name!

IN GOODBYES

After graduating from OBU in 2004, I immediately moved to Edmond to start my job at UCO.  For four fun years I lived there, and deciding to move away brought a lot of sad goodbyes.  I had the best friends!  A few weeks before I left, my friend Melissa arranged a “slumber party card night” for a few of us that usually got together on Sunday nights.  When I got to her house, it turned out that it was actually a surprise Chicago themed going away party!  Sydnie (one of my very best friends who moved away at the beginning of the year) drove in from Tulsa, and a couple other friends were in from out of town as well.  We played cards (of course) and ate Old Chicago pizza while listening to Chicago (the band) and then watched Chicago (the movie).  The highlight of the night was when the doorbell rang and Candace and Melissa were nowhere to be found.  Everyone looked at me as if it was my responsibility to answer the door.  When I opened it, Candace and Melissa were standing beside a brand new bike with a bow on it!  My sweet friends had all gone in together to replace my bike that was stolen earlier in the summer.  Yeah, did I mention I have the best friends?  The young adult pastor at my church also threw a going away swim party, and I was incredibly blessed by the prayers and encouragement from my brothers and sisters I had so grown to love over the past few years (not to mention being blessed by the amazing bible software I got as a going away gift).  Several of these same friends also showed up to carry boxes and furniture down a pretty narrow stairwell come moving day.  I tried to cram in as much quality time as possible my last night there: dinner with Stacey, prayer time with Conversation Cafe friends, a Wal-Mart run with Rodney, one last game of cards with Melissa, Candace, AnaLeah, and Michelle, and then a goodbye to Todd, Jeanna and Caed (in utero).  I think I cried at each goodbye.

IN FAMILY

I love my family so much, so I’m pretty excited for any occasion that brings us together.  I can count on Thanksgiving and Christmas, but this year my cousin Ericka graduated from high school thus bringing us all together again.  I couldn’t wait to see my uncle Jay and give him the Tim Duncan jersey I got for $3 at a garage sale with Sydnie!  He wore it the next Spurs playoff game which unfortunately they lost.  This year also marked another momentous family occasion … Jayme & I getting to live in the same town!  Man, I love that girl; she’s the closest thing I have to a sister and I get to see her all the time now as we’re both at Wheaton.    My sweet, sweet parents and brother helped me get up there, and on the way we stopped in at my great aunt and uncle’s home in Iowa.  Of course we had to watch Field of Dreams.  The last time I’d visited there was about twenty years ago, so it was so interesting to see my grandfather’s home with grown up eyes.

IN CLASSES

The biggest change in my life over the past year was definitely my return to the classroom.  After tossing around the thought for several years, I finally decided on Wheaton and began their Biblical Exegesis program this fall.  This past semester I took Intermediate Greek, New Testament Theology, and Principles of Interpretation (the level of difficulty increasing respectively).  Principles was certainly baptism by fire.  I made it through my twelve page exegesis paper somewhat unscathed, however, and funfetti cupcakes have become my new celebratory indulgence.

IN VISITS

One of the best things about living in such close proximity to Chicago is people’s willingness to come and visit!  A couple weeks after I moved to Wheaton, a couple HHBC friends stopped in for a couple days on their way back to Oklahoma from Michigan.  I had such a blast with Rachel and Jenny and got my first chance to play tour guide … walking tour guide that is.  I bet we walked fifteen miles in one day.  In October my sweet friend and marathon partner Jamie came for a visit.  I gave her a jogging tour of Wheaton in addition to the soon to be trademarked “Sarah’s Walking Tour o’ Chicago.”  We entered our name into a drawing to win vouchers for discounted front row tickets to Wicked, and we won!  My aunt Kaye came up a few weeks later to bring my cousin her car, so the three of us put in the Chicago miles as well.  My last visit of the semester was from three of the card girls.  I was so happy to have AnaLeah, Michelle and Kelsey with me on their fall break.  They came to my NT Theo class Thursday night and then we spent the rest of the weekend in the city.  I won Wicked vouchers AGAIN, so Michelle got to sit front row on her birthday after having a hilarious birthday lunch at Ed Debevic’s.  We shopped the Mag Mile and did other touristy stuff having an incredible time.  Anyone else wanna come visit?  I’ve got the tour guide thing down.

IN FRIENDSHIPS

One of the hardest things about moving was leaving behind some incredible friendships.  From the card girls, to church friends, to the House Church/Coversation Cafe crowd, to coworkers, to Stacey (who defies any category), I was incredibly blessed in Oklahoma, and I knew those friendships couldn’t be replaced wherever I went.  Thankfully, there are great people in Illinois too!  I found a church I really loved relatively quickly after moving, and Susan and Marshall have been incredibly generous to host a 20-somethings small group in their home each week.  I became quick friends with Sharon, Jill and Kristi.  I also made a good friend my first week here after attending a random discussion group.  Kristine has since become my faithful concert buddy.  I’ve been nothing but impressed with my classmates and was thankful to have my co-exegesis friends Angie and Ashley each in one of my classes.  Emily’s a great roommate, and I couldn’t be more excited to have Jayme living just over a mile away.  She makes the family and the friendship category. 

IN CONCERTS

Yes, no end of year summation would be complete without a concert tribute.  I’ve already written about most of these, so we’ll just go with this year’s list:

• Derek Webb – University Baptist Church, Shawnee, OK
• Caedmon’s Call – The Door, Dallas
• Jenny Lewis – Epiphany, Chicago
• Rachel Unthank & The Winterset – Schuba’s, Chicago
• Don Chaffer – The Union, Naperville, IL
• Ray LaMontagne – Chicago Theatre, Chicago
• Andrew Peterson – Hickory Creek Community Church, Frankfort, IL
• Conor Oberst – The Vic, Chicago
• Over the Rhine – The Union, Naperville, IL
• Shawn McDonald – Willow Creek, South Barrington, IL
• Over the Rhine – Double Door, Chicago

Now that I have access to a plethora of great shows, I have reason to add a new list to this category … Shows I Wish I’d Been Able to See:

• Sam Phillips: No excuse!  I should have gone.  Looking back, I would have even taken a loss on a second ticket just to be there.
• Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God tour: Who cares that it was nearly two hours away on a school night?  I’ve been wanting to see this Christmas show for years, and it was finally going to be within a feasible driving distance.  A plague upon the paper that kept me at home!
• Derek Webb:  Only one thing could keep me from a solo acoustic Derek Webb show, and that would be the afore-cursed paper.  Yeah, I couldn’t really justify going the day before it was due.  I had hoped; it just didn’t happen.
• Bon Iver: A friend introduced me to this beautiful band earlier in the semester, and I was so excited to see he was playing The Vic in December.  Then I noticed the date was the same as one of my finals.  Seriously, Wheaton, you are completely interfering with my true purpose in living here!

IN MISCELLANEOUS

These are my honorable mentions, I suppose.  I certainly don’t want to forget:

• Volleyball nights at HHBC & Parkview
• My “Tribute to the Twenties” Finer Things Club invitation … No paper.  No plastic.  No talking about work.
• Henderson’s 20 Something Date Auction & subsequent date … Jamie and I raised over $400 auctioning ourselves off for missions, and we got to see Derek Webb. 
• Thursday night LOST parties with Todd & Jeanna
• My last West Hall Academy Awards Gala
• My last Strangers in the Night … my girls got me a date this year!
• Three weddings in two weeks … Kelsey, Anna and then Dave & Teresa
• Last weekend in OK road trip to Dallas … Jamie and I visited Kelly and got to see Shane Claiborne on the Jesus for President book tour.

Well, that about sums it up.  Until next year, friends …

In Search of the Third Place

Exactly three months have passed since I last posted, my longest blogging break on record. If I ever had an excuse, however, I suppose packing up everything I own, moving across the country, unpacking and trying to adjust to a completely new life would be a pretty good one.

Coming off of my little hiatus, there’s a lot I could write. I might do an annotated and illustrated update soon, but for today I want to talk about the Third Place.

I moved to Wheaton about two weeks ago, completely prepared in most respects. I stayed in Edmond a couple weeks after my job ended, so I had plenty of time to pack and get organized for the move. I had a place to live (thank you, Jesus) and even tentative job lined up for when I got here. In Anne Lamott’s book “Traveling Mercies,” she talks about two prayers she returned to over and over again: “Help me, help me, help me,” and “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Throughout this whole ordeal, my heart has echoed the latter.

When I moved to Edmond four years ago, initially it was really hard. I was lonely. I had a few friends in OKC, but no real sense of community in my new place. The start of the school year helped once I had a staff and had grown closer to a couple of my coworkers, but it was a good year before I felt really a part of a community outside of work.

So in moving here, I knew it would be hard again. I was prepared somewhat. I am not a superficial friendship person; I hate small talk. I just want to snap my fingers and magically conjure up deep friendships. However, as my good friend Stacey reminds me, the superficial stage and the small talk are necessary to the development of the depth I long for.

I think the hardest part now is the loss that I feel. I mean, I knew it would take time to develop the kind of relationships that I had in Oklahoma, but being here and only knowing a handful of people (if that) has reiterated how blessed I was not only by my friendships but by the communities I was a part of there.

As much as I want to fast forward to deep community, I know it’s not possible. I have to start somewhere, so that’s what I’ve been doing this past week. Last Tuesday I visited a group discussing a theology of poverty and a specific chapter of “Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger.” Having read some of the book a few years back upon the recommendation of a professor, I jumped at the opportunity to discuss something so interesting (and rarely discussed in my usual circles). Plus, I would be getting out and meeting people other than my roommate. : )

Ironically, the conversation at one point turned to community, and someone mentioned a phrase I had never heard of before. He said something about the decline of the “third place” in American society. I interrupted at this point asking for clarification, and received a little sociology lesson. The first place is considered one’s dwelling place, the second place, their workplace, and the third place is a place of community apart from home and work. For some it may be a bar, a local park, a church; the place is insignificant. What matters is the community that develops there.

Sitting there among this group of strangers then, it clicked. Yes, the third place. That was what I was looking for. That’s what I needed. Third place, anyone? Got one I could join?

Now, please don’t start to feel sorry for me. : ) Things are good, really. Moving carries with it inevitable adjustment. I know the community will come in time, and I’m actively pursuing it, even if it means going to dinners in homes where I don’t know a single soul and succumbing to the despised chit chat. (Actually, I had an incredible experience doing just that this past week … real third place potential there) Being here just makes me really thankful for all the third places I had there. I was so blessed by Sunday morning FLOCK, FLOCK at Craig and Beth’s, card night with the girls, Henderson Monday night volleyball, House Church, Wednesdays in the Mesta with Stacey, Conversation Cafe, and Friday Panera breakfasts with Jamie.

So … first place? Check. Second place? Check. Third place? I’ll get there. Prayers appreciated friends.

The Innocent Man at UCO

Earlier in the year my attendance was required at an on campus conference for everyone under the umbrella of Administration and Finance, of which Housing had recently become a part.  One of the main objectives of the conference (other than “inspiring” us via “ispirational” speakers) was to have us intermingle with the various departments on campus, as was evidenced by our assigned seating at tables with complete strangers.  During one particularly cheesy inspirational speech, we were told to go around our table and share an experience that had greatly impacted our lives.  My cynicism soon turned to pure fascination as one of the ladies at my table volunteered her story.  It turned out that back in the 80s her brother had been wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife.  Greg Wilhoit was sentenced to death, and lived on death row five years before his appeal was heard and conviction overturned.  The death penalty had always fascinated me, and I was shocked to meet someone so deeply affected by it.  My curiousity prompted a long discussion between the two of us later that day, and Nancy even gave me a DVD with the 20 20 and American Justice news stories about her brother.  John Grisham’s non-fiction book, “The Innocent Man, Murder and Injustice in a Small Town,” chronicles the conviction and near execution of Ron Williamson, another Oklahoma man wrongly convicted.  Ron’s cell happened to be just accross from Greg’s, whose story also finds a place in Grisham’s book. 

The death penalty concerns me for many reasons, the possible execution of innocent people being one of them.  Add to that the astronomical cost of death penalty litigation and the fact that minority convicts are more likely to get the death penalty than whites, and my concern grows.  And then there’s the question of whether or not it even deters crime.  Even if the state has legitimate authority to put a person to death, should it?  I know I’m a little Derek Webb obsessed, but there’s another quote that fits.  “How can I kill the ones I’m supposed to love?  My enemies are men like me.  I will protest the sword if it’s not weilded well.  My enemies are men like me.  Peace by way of war is like purity by way of fornication.  It’s like telling someone murder is wrong and then showing them by way of execution.”

Last week I was thrilled to notice a blurb in Centralities (the daily UCO faculty/staff campus news email) about Greg Wilhoit speaking at UCO tomorrow night.  Sadly, I’m already in Texas for Thanksgiving, but I thought I’d pass along the info for anyone else interested.  Seriously, someone needs to go and tell me all about it!  From Centralities:

‘The Innocent Man’ Greg Wilhoit Visits Campus, Nov. 20

The College of Liberal Arts Speaker’s Series welcomes “The Innocent Man” Greg Wilhoit for a lecture on his five-year death row experience and life after exoneration at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20, in Pegasus Theater, Liberal Arts. Wilhoit was the first person in Oklahoma to be exonerated from death row.

Wilhoit’s story was told in last year’s novel “The Innocent Man” by John Grisham. For more information, visit http://www.libarts.ucok.edu/speakers.htm .

“Too soon and we take it all for granted; too late is more than we can bear.”

For almost three weeks now I have been waiting on some significant information, information that will determine where I will be and what I’ll be doing for the next year or two.  I liken this waiting to when I applied for my current job three years ago and was told I should find out by the end of the week (interviewed on a Tuesday) if I got the job.  When five o’clock that Friday rolled around with no news, I was a little disheartened.  It seemed to me that taking longer than expected couldn’t be a good thing.  But come Monday morning I got a call telling me I got the job, and I honestly think my joy was somewhat enhanced by the wait.

Someone recently asked me to share the most significant spiritual lesson I had learned over the past year.  My mind immediately went to the Lord’s faithfulness.  As I look back on the course of my life, I am amazed at all the circumstances that God used to bring me to where I am now, how He prepared me for each new step, and how faithful He was to provide for me along the way.  The Lord is so faithful to provide for all of my needs, and oftentimes, in true Good Father fashion, many of my wants.  I have learned to trust His wisdom, even if it means disappointment.  So that’s where I am now, waiting and trusting.

When I was a junior in college, I really felt led to apply to be Head RA my senior year.  It was odd; I had never really considered the position, and my desire had always been to stay an RA in WMU until I graduated.  I loved that place so much, and I couldn’t imagine being happier anywhere else on campus.  But as the time drew near to apply, I really felt like it was the right thing for me to do.  I prayed about it like crazy, along with my family and small group, and I put my very best effort into my written application and interview.  There wasn’t one thing I thought I could have done differently; I was all in.  And then we got our letters, and I didn’t get it.

I was disappointed.  I cried.  I was confused.  Although I trusted that it was somehow right, I couldn’t understand why God would place it on my heart to apply only to have it not work out.  It was His desire in the first place, not mine.  So what was I supposed to do now?

I think there are some experiences that people go through, bad experiences, horrible even, and they never get to know why.  Thankfully, the Lord has since shown me in several different ways why that position was not best for me.  Most significantly, the Head RA position lasted through the summer after graduation, and the job I got began June 1st.  Also, as a Hall Director each year for the past three years I have had to make a decision between two amazing Senior RA candidates, and my experience of going through that process has brought a much needed understanding and empathy.  I could list lots of other little things, but really my point is that God saw where I would be years down the line and acted totally in my best interest.  Faithful and trustworthy indeed.

Sometimes I wish that God wanted me to be a nurse, or an accountant, or a high school English teacher.  Anything that I could just go to school for, graduate, and then do.  But when I look at what brings me the most joy, what challenges me, what I could see myself doing for years to come, it is none of these things.  More than anything else, I want to study and learn Scripture, its language, its context, its application.  I want to help others learn.  At this point I’m thinking college professor, but I’m open.  It has been my experience that God doesn’t reveal His will to me in huge chunks, but rather in small steps of obedience.  So here I am, three years out of college, with an awakened and incredibly intense desire to be back in school.  But just like Head RA, I didn’t choose this desire.  Believe me, if I had chosen, it would be a lot easier than this.

So I’m sitting here, thinking that I need to remind God that He’s led me up to this point, that this was His idea, not mine, that this is for His glory, so why wouldn’t He follow through on it?  But my perspective is limited.  And the Lord is wise.  It comes down to what I believe about Him.  Even if I am disappointed, and even if I never get to know why, I will say as Job did, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Praise the Lord for significant lyrics, because other than Scripture, nothing speaks more to my heart and circumstances.  One song has been my anthem over the past year, as it continually applies to situation after situation.  As I seem to be in a season of waiting, I am comforted by the truth of these words.

There’s a restlessness in the soul of man

Nobody’s tamed it yet

You never fail to keep any promises

But somehow we forget

 

That You’re always right on time

 

And You feed us all with a silver spoon

And like Your foolish kids

We start worrying about what we’re gonna do

When the hunger comes again

 

But You’re always right on time

With an open hand

You have exactly what I need

Daily bread, daily bread

 

You have the wisdom and the patience

We need Your grace to see it clear

Too soon and we take it all for granted

Too late is more than we can bear

 

So You’re always right on time

With an open hand

You have exactly what I need

Daily bread, daily bread, daily bread

 

(Jill Phillips – Daily Bread)

 

Who knows, maybe Monday I’ll get my news.  It’s definitely not too soon, and I won’t take it for granted.  However, God is good, and He hasn’t given me anything I couldn’t bear.

12.01.06

Yesterday as I began to put some Neosporin on a recently aquired “cardboard cut” on my finger, I thought to myself, “Hmm, I wonder when this expires.”  Flipping the tube over, I saw stamped in tiny print “EXP 2/2002.”  There are several things I cling to from my college days; little did I know that Neosporin was one of them.

Today is the second in a line of snow days for the university.  Snow days are both bad and good for hall directors … bad in that we are considered essential staff and therefore have to be on call for our respective buildings, good in that the rest of the university is closed which drastically reduces the amount of email/phonecalls I have to mess with, not to mention the fact that I don’t technically have to be in my office.  However for students, snow days produce nothing short of jubilation.  It’s been fun to witness the screaming down the halls, “Classes are cancelled tomorrow!” and see the red faces of those just in from sledding on trash bags or air matresses. 

I, too, was looking forward to Thursday once I heard the university was closed.  My intent was to sleep in a little that morning and then get some major organizing/catching up/cleaning done in my office that afternoon.  Ha.  Instead, I was paged at 8:30 that morning to come and take care of an “incident.”  Some day when there’s a little more distance between myself and my HD days, I will have to write some sort of memoir about all such “incidents,” but for now I’ll just leave it at that.  The rest of my day was spent preparing for “Hanks for the Memories.”

A little background: A few years ago at a small gathering of high school friends over some sort of college break, my friend Amanda mentioned a movie marathon that she had particpated in a few weeks before.  Some friends of hers had began hosting twenty four hour movie marathons with those who stayed awake the whole time winning commemorative t-shirts.  That year they made it a Tom Hanks tribute and called it “Hanks for the Memories.”  Now considering that I rarely have an original idea for a program, I decided to copy this fabulous event and two years ago West Hall hosted its own very first HFTM. 

So it’s Hanks time again this year, and just look at the adorable t-shirt girls will get for sticking it out the whole 24 hours!

As a disclaimer, nowhere in this post did I say that we would actually be watching movies, much less mention any specific flick.  You know, copyright and all.

 So after risking my life and the lives of three of my RAs to finish getting all HFTM supplies yesterday amidst the sleet, snow, and cold, I am happy to report that all is ready for the big event.  And with it being a snow day and all, I even got to sleep in this morning.

08.25.06

At the end of last semester I enrolled myself in Beginning Tap Dancing for Non Majors and Hatha Yoga for Fall 2006, all courtesy of my lovely employee benefit called the tuition waiver.  However, the more I thought about it over the summer, I felt that while I would thoroughly enjoy a tap class, I would probably benefit a bit more from taking a Greek readings class I noticed on the class schedule for the fall semester.  My Greek skills have fallen into pitiful disrepair, which is particularly pitiful considering that Greek may be what I want to do with my life.   So, in an effort to perhaps prepare for my future, I enrolled. 

Now as time passed, I mourned the loss of my tap class less and less and looked forward my Greek class more and more.  I was super excited come Monday morning … Readings in New Testament Greek, 9:00 AM, Liberal Arts Building room 227.  I felt like a freshman as I walked in a complete circle twice trying to find room 227, which happened to be in a rather obscure little nook.  But I made it … the search only enhanced the anticipation.  However, I get to the class only to find only three other students and no professor.  It turns out that the class had been cancelled.  Ugh, and too late to re-enroll in tap! 

So I began to evaluate the situation and decided that I would maybe try out the Biblical Greek I class later that morning.  The same professor was supposed to teach that one as well, so maybe I could find out something more about the Readings class.  After speaking with Dr. Debolt, it turned out that even though the class had been cancelled, he was planning on meeting with interested students informally to work through selected NT readings.  Which is awesome for me … I could get my $78 in class fees back and still take the class I had intened to take! 

So Wednesday afternoon I meet with Dr. Debolt and one other interested student … our first class meeting.  We basically read through the first fourteen verses of John, and while I was pleasantly surprised at my vocab recall, I was horrified at my form recognition.  I realized the effort that it would take to get back to the level at which I needed to be, and I was discouraged.  However, I wasn’t surprised.  I have picked up my Greek New Testament maybe five times in the past two years.  And let’s face it, I wasn’t that great of a Greek student in the first place.

I began my Greek journey five years ago, sophomore year in Greek I with Dr. Kelly.  I studied hard for my first test and made like a 96, but wasn’t willing to put in the time and effort to keep that up.  It was bizarre … I was so used to having things come naturally and not having to study much to make good grades.  But I don’t care who you are, Greek isn’t like that.  I mean, natural talent and intelligence will help, but only so much as maybe you won’t fail the class if you’re really smart.  Greek takes nuturing.  It takes lots of time and attention.  I still maintain that I wasn’t mature enough to take Greek as a sophomore.  I didn’t realize what it demanded, and once I did, I wasn’t willing to comply with its demands.

So I made a “B” in Greek I.  I worked harder in Greek II, but without the solid foundation I needed, I made a “B” in Greek II.  And while in other classes I could study the night before an exam and pull of an “A,” not in Greek.  Greek III?  “B.”  Greek IV?  “C.”  A “C!”  My only “C” ever … and in my major … pitiful.  I took a Greek Readings class the same semester as Greek IV, and pulled off a B, but barely.  My senior year, I finally realized my love for the language and pulled off an “A” in NT Textual Criticism as well as an “A” in my second go-round with Greek IV. 

However, my good grades could be more indicative of my adaptation to studying better for tests, rather than my actual grasping of the language.  I think it all goes back to Greek I.  Man, if I had only worked harder back then …

So basically, all this is running through my head as I am trying desperately not to sound stupid in my on the spot translation of John.  I realized that while I will certainly benefit from taking the Greek Readings class this semester, I will benefit even more from going back to the basics of Greek I.  I mean, I’m going to have to do it anyway … the question is, do I have the discipline to go back and re-teach myself?  Or should I actually enroll in Greek I so that I have to go to class and study for quizzes and tests?  Is it worth $78 for me to ensure a little outside motivation?  You know, I think it is.  And you know what?  It won’t hurt to show that I took Greek I again … and made an “A.” 

So here I am, enrolled in the same class I took five years ago, finally in the right frame of mind to take it.  I went to my second class today, and I absolutely loved it.  It was such a confirming moment.  I just soaked up every word … things I never knew like the phrase “ephelcistic nu.”  My professor is pretty brilliant.  And hopefully I can make it to some of the Readings meetings … basically free one on one time with a Greek monster … pretty great.  So I realize that this all probably means nothing to anyone except perhaps RegularGoy, but it’s all ultimately for me anyway.  Blessings, all!

07.15.06

I love summer Friday afternoons.  Getting off work at noon is fabulous.  I particularly enjoyed yesterday afternoon … no real plans other than sneaking in a last minute bid to win Fray tickets.  So I decided to visit one of my favorite places on campus: the UCO library.  While I enjoy reading and occasionally check out books, my UCO library visits are more often to check out movies for free, which was my intent yesterday afternoon.  I needed a mindless way to pass the time before the auction ended, and watching a movie seemed the perfect escape.  Now you may be wondering why I call the library one of my favorite places on campus.  Is it the vast amount of books waiting at my fingertips?  No.  Is it the random collection of CDs?  No.  Is it the decent selection of films new and old?  No.  My fascination with and love for the UCO library lies in its architecture. 

A four story building, the library has stairs that begin on the ground level and ascend straight up to the fourth floor with no turns or curves.  You can see the top of the stairs from the bottom, and the bottom from the top.  The first time I saw these stairs I thought, “I wanna get married in the UCO library.”  Think about it, girls … how cool would it be to stand at the top of the stairs in your wedding dress, looking down at all of your friends and family and most importantly your soon to be husband?  And guys … imagine seeing your soon to be wife for the first time, looking the most beautiful she has ever looked, slowly coming into focus as she descends the four story staircase.  It’s a beautiful picture.

Now I’m only half serious about getting married in the UCO library, but it is a fun thought every time I frequent it.  And the movies just happen to be on the fourth floor … a terrific reason to take the stairs. 

So yesterday I made the ascent and after a careful search, settled on an 80s John Hughes flick I have been wanting to see for some time.  I knew it was about time to watch “Some Kind of Wonderful” after Lorelai referenced it just before her first date with Luke saying, “Alright, but no taking me to an art museum after hours and then to an empty Hollywood Bowl where you’ll give me a pair of diamond earrings that you bought with your college money, when all the time you’re really in love with your best friend, the drummer, who’s posing as our driver for the evening.”  And let me just say … sad day that I had not seen this movie sooner!  Obviously I am a sucker for quotes, so I thought I’d share some of my faves from the film:

“You know, exposing your skin to sunlight will make you old before your time.  And eventually you’ll look like an albino raisin.”

“Well, I like art, I work in a gas station, my best friend is a tomboy. These things don’t fly too well in the American high school.”

And in my opinion one of the most fabulous last lines of a movie, “You look good wearing my future.”

Oh … and I won my auction!  Fray, here we come!