Song of the Month: "Economy of Mercy" by Switchfoot
Last Week's Song of the Day (since I conveniently forgot): "Redemption Day" by Sheryl Crow
Song of the Day: "Good Enough" by Evanescence
My wonderful Aunt Lizzy told me she likes to take the songs recommended in these updates and play them in the background while she reads about my week so that she can get a full atmosphere going while reading them. So, to make it easier, I chose to start placing them at the beginning of the updates. That way anyone else who decides to make playlist.com part of their Web Wall Journal routine can do so without having to scroll ALL THE WAY to the bottom of the update, then scroll ALL THE WAY back up to begin reading. (You know you live in America when the toughest chore of the day is scrolling up and down a page.)
So, at my mom's prompting, I trotted down to health services on Tuesday morning to see if they could give me flu shot. They told me there is a shortage of flu shots nation wide, so they probably won't be getting them for a month or more. Looks like they're counting on no university students getting sick until then. I'll just keep drinking tea and taking vitamins.
On the topic of plagues, all week we have been l iving in a swarm of aphids. Last weekend when Matthew and I walked to the mall I wore my sunglasses and by the end wished I had windshield wipers. A five minute walk across campus will have you brushing dead pests off of your clothes when you enter a building. I initially thought it was a consequence of all the trees, but even when I went downtown, they were everywhere. Asking upperclassmen, this has never happened here before. Enough people did some wikipedia research and apparently, because last winter was so cold it killed all the ladybugs (which eat aphids) and the weather this month has been ideal breeding conditions for the pesky breed of insect rejects. Supposedly, this is affecting the entire midwest. (Anybody wish to confirm or deny this?) We've had a few days of rain, so hopefully they will die. I actually did an interview for Titan TV about this phenomenon. Hoping people here aren't too politically correct, because I theorized perhaps we were enslaving Jews in Saga and God sent his wrath in the form of aphids. It was funny at the time.
In all honesty, this update is not going to be as exciting as the last. I've definitely been busy this week, but not as spontaneous. Sunday night went by fine, I suppose, except for dinner. The problem with Sunday dinner is that it follows Sunday brunch. Brunch is, without argument, the best meal of the week. Therefore, Sunday dinner is the worst meal of the week. 20Generally it isn't awful, it's pizza or pasta, but last Sunday was unusually awful. Basically, there was lettuce, and there were noodles (minus the marinara). I was haunted all night by Mom's letters and Grandma's emails of all the great food they're making without me. It doesn't matter when I read the emails and letters, they always make me hungry. What I really need right now is a good batch of Ghirardelli brownies. Then I might stop complaining about Sunday dinner. (Psst: anyone thinking of sending me a care package, BIG HINT.)
Updates on my classes:
In chemistry we've begun molecular geometry, which I'm finding very fun. Tuesday's lab entirely consisted of building models of molecules and isomers. Aside from not wearing goggles, I've begun doing research for the term paper. Still don't need a topic for a month, but I have a list of books I will assuredly be using for sources. I want to cover the radium craze, global warming, London smog in the 1870's, and the PG&E class-action lawsuits. Unfortunately, the latter has significantly less literature on it in our library, so I might have to ditch that idea. Though ironically, I did read in Newsweek that PG&E made their list of green companies. Anybody who has seen Erin Brockovich will find that slightly humorous.
I've decided to back off in philosophy. People are now more concerned with expressing their emotional opinions on the death penalty than engaging in rele vant debate. I did express some extended thoughts on Tuesday, but since have chosen to let the topic exist without me. At one point during these thoughts expressed, I went on a summary of ideas on the perspective of victim in rights vs. privilege and as I was speaking, I could tell by my classmates' faces that they had no idea what I was talking about, though my professor understood at least. When I finished and she began writing on the board, there was an awkward silence. Then one of my classmates muttered, "You had me at hello." The timing and delivery was very funny. Otherwise, though, there are a few too many people who are thinking in terms of vengeance in that class and aren't really paying attention to the arguments we are analyzing. A bit frustrating. So, until the end of this unit, I will withdraw my opinion. The next two units are the ones I'm excited for: drug legalization and pornography. Since I don't exactly know how I feel about either issue, it will be good to get an idea of what the arguments are and see where I stand.
For poetry, we had an essay assigned this week—a summarize and opinion essay. Every moment I spent working on it was reluctant, it is so dry. On Thursday as I was working on it, there was a knock on the door. I was greeted by six familiar faces, whom subsequently spilled into my room out of boredom. So, Sarah and I entertained six of our guy buddies with yet another YouTube party. Cramming eight people into a dorm around my computer is much more fun that writing an essay on a dry topic.
German class has been interesting. I will come back to that later
Salsa is still a fun work out. I like dancing with Chris as my partner, because we're both percussionists, so we both have the same feel for rhythm. The instructor is teaching us both salsa and merengue, the latter of which is supposedly easier. Chris and I are finding salsa easier, because in merengue, you loosely follow a count and in salsa you strictly follow steps and a count. It's hard to get out of the counting mind-set when that has been your job as a musician for eight years. Regardless, we're getting the hang of both, and it is a fantastic way to start out my week.
Tuesday girl's small group was awesome. Can't exactly pin point why, but everyone had something to say about the passage we were discussing and people were just feeling the motivation. Despite a long day, I felt awesome going to bed afterward.
Also, on Tuesday night, I had a revelation. (Kind of.) While reading "on Time" from The Prophet, it occurred to me how much we as individuals invest in a single moment. Right now, as I type, I am investing my memories of the week, my anxieties and excitement of said memories, my anticipation for how people will receive this update, my fears of somebody taking what I say the wrong way, my current tangle of emotions, and other thoughts that cling to what I am doing in this instant. It occurred to me Tuesday night how much even the most mundane moments in our lives have so much of ourselves invested in them. That thought can be daunting, because when we put so much into that moment, there is always the chance that the moment will not transpire the way we hope. But, in some ways, it's fascinating that even when we're not conscious of it, we are putting value into everything we do. I think realizing this will help me appreciate everything I do, even the prosaic, just a little bit more.
Let's take this idea a step further: if we as individuals put so much into a single mundane moment, how much does God invest into every moment? We invest dominantly for ourselves, but the moment was created by God for us. We are limited on what we can simultaneously process in that moment, but God exists outside of the parameters of time or capacity. It's incomprehensible.
So, yes, my spiritual relationship has been a major factor in my life lately. Since I've arrived here, it has definitely strengthened beyond what I had before. Another major player in my life has been my German class. Unlike most of my classes which meet twice a week, I'm in German four days a week. A lot of language exposure. Actually, now that the language is becoming more natural, I'm remembering vocabulary from highschool that we haven't gone over in class. I think my memory is just unlocking a lot of stored information.
The other day, my professor brought up the movie Das Boot. He asked if any of us had seen it and, though I know the reference very well because of Mom's endearing nickname for the cat, ("das Boots" pronounced the American way) I have never seen it. (Taking notes, Dad? There are plenty of movies you've been meaning to show me.) Nobody had, unfortunately, but Michael, who sits behind me in class mentioned he'd seen a movie by the same people called Stalingrad. So, as the rest of the class moved on to other topics, I asked him about the movie and he said he owned a copy still wrapped in plastic because nobody would watch it with him. Naturally, I volunteered to watch it with him. I wasn't going to pass up on a movie about the battle of Stalingrad. So, we scheduled Saturday to hang out.
This wasn't completely unprecedented. I actually talk to him in German relatively frequently. Since I miss lunch three days a week to work (no, I don't starve, I just get a meal exchange at the Dugout) he likes to tell me what I miss at Saga on the days I have to wait until 2:30 to eat. Actually, up until this weekend, most of our interactions were based on food. (Why not?) Watching the movie, though, I actually got to get to know him better than just snatches of comments during German class. We ended up hanging out after the movie because he wanted to=2 0show me some music (listening to an AFI CD he loaned me right now, actually) amongst other things. For those of you who have received some of my latest mixes, he was able to hook me up with a 3 Days Grace album, so I was very, very pleased. I didn't end up going to see Dead Poet's Society because I was still hanging out with him by the time it started. It was nice to hear him talk outside of German class, because learning a language kind of gets in the way of learning about someone personally.
He showed me pictures of the various resorts in Costa Rica he's stayed at, because he has parents who like to travel. He's been to a nice handful of country's, of which I'm slightly envious. Though on the subject of abroad, I did make it to the international office (finally) and scheduled an appointment to meet with someone about options for study abroad. That will happen in October sometime, so I will let people know what my thoughts are for that. An idea that Michael and I discussed was maybe doing a May term trip instead of a full semester abroad. He mentioned a possible trip to Russia. I think that would be exciting. We'll see what the future holds.
In the meantime, I hope you all are doing well. I would really, really like to speak with Emily and Randel over the phone sometime this week. (Though I suspect she won't be checking her email to read this.) Either way, I love all of you and hopefully th is update isn't too dry. (It's just hard to follow up last week's.)
Until next week!
Janna
Monday, September 28, 2009
First Week at BBC
26 September 2009
Well I just finished my first week of classes here at Belfast Bible College and I am quite happy. The classes that I’m taking are great and the professors all seem to be very competent in their subject and good at teaching. In fact, there are so many good things going on here that when I first arrived I was overly anxious about getting the most out of my time here. I have been looking forward to this for a year now and I’m only here for three months so I wanted to get everything perfect. I wanted to make sure that I took the right classes, hung out with the right people, and went to the right places at the right time. I was nervous that I would get something wrong until I finally realized that if I just have good communion with God then it will all be ok; he’s in control and He knows what’s best for me. If I make Him my top priority then everything else will be ok and I don’t have to worry about it. The deepening of my faith in God is a constant process that is always clear when I look back at different episodes but the process is never easy at the time.
For those of you that are interested, here are the classes I’m taking:
Biblical History-New and Old Testament
Biblical Discipleship
Old Testament Prophets
Youth Ministry
Missions in the Bible and History
Pastoral Ministry
We also have a mid-day prayer Tuesday-Friday, a devotional service and a world focus prayer on Tuesdays, and a fellowship group on Thursdays.
I
t’s great to be at a college that has such a sound theological understanding of teaching and community. The planned events throughout the week and the year are all geared towards creating a strong community that learns from the classes and each other while we each play a role in the community. The college courses are able to be offered a very low price because of donations from the community as well as work that we do while we’re here. Every student has duties to do such as cleaning up after lunch, serving tea, or locking up at night etcetera in order to keep the costs of the upkeep to a minimum.
The atmosphere created is much more relaxed then I’m used to in an educational setting. The professors are very approachable and I’ve been able to talk to some them during our daily tea break. It’s very much a community focused on real education in the many forms that it can take place and I appreciate that very much.
Dave
Well I just finished my first week of classes here at Belfast Bible College and I am quite happy. The classes that I’m taking are great and the professors all seem to be very competent in their subject and good at teaching. In fact, there are so many good things going on here that when I first arrived I was overly anxious about getting the most out of my time here. I have been looking forward to this for a year now and I’m only here for three months so I wanted to get everything perfect. I wanted to make sure that I took the right classes, hung out with the right people, and went to the right places at the right time. I was nervous that I would get something wrong until I finally realized that if I just have good communion with God then it will all be ok; he’s in control and He knows what’s best for me. If I make Him my top priority then everything else will be ok and I don’t have to worry about it. The deepening of my faith in God is a constant process that is always clear when I look back at different episodes but the process is never easy at the time.
For those of you that are interested, here are the classes I’m taking:
Biblical History-New and Old Testament
Biblical Discipleship
Old Testament Prophets
Youth Ministry
Missions in the Bible and History
Pastoral Ministry
We also have a mid-day prayer Tuesday-Friday, a devotional service and a world focus prayer on Tuesdays, and a fellowship group on Thursdays.
I
t’s great to be at a college that has such a sound theological understanding of teaching and community. The planned events throughout the week and the year are all geared towards creating a strong community that learns from the classes and each other while we each play a role in the community. The college courses are able to be offered a very low price because of donations from the community as well as work that we do while we’re here. Every student has duties to do such as cleaning up after lunch, serving tea, or locking up at night etcetera in order to keep the costs of the upkeep to a minimum.
The atmosphere created is much more relaxed then I’m used to in an educational setting. The professors are very approachable and I’ve been able to talk to some them during our daily tea break. It’s very much a community focused on real education in the many forms that it can take place and I appreciate that very much.
Dave
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Web Wall Journal
The campus is quiet on this drizzling Sunday as we approach fall. Leaves have begun falling, and a few colors can be spotted amongst the green for those searching for signs of autumn. The serene season is on its way and I believe I may take a walk today to enjoy the changing weather. But first, I must update the rest of the world on life's exciting new adventures.
After I quickly sent out last week's update, I rushed to grab a quick dinner and dress up for church. I went with a guy from my philosophy class (met him during orientation week) to his Apostolic Pentecostal church. So, dressing up included a skirt and no make-up. In this sense, they are very old-testament, but in some ways, they are much more modern than many conventional churches. There is a reason that the Pentecostal church is the fastest growing in the world of all the Christian churches. That is because they are a very passionate bunch. Their service is dominantly music, and do they know how to rock. (Dad, some of those bass lines you would have enjoyed messing with.) And the message is delivered with just as much passion. I am not accustomed to the minister leaping and shouting at various times, and I'm even less used to white people shouting "amen!" in the congregation, (though this I always found to be an enjoyable addition to any service) but this is the norm on a Sunday night service at this Pentecostal church. Thinking about it in retrospect, I think the Pentecostal church is a lot like slam poetry. Slam poetry is definitely representative of its time. As I wrote in my paper for my poetry class, poetry has not died, it has simply evolved and taken on different forms in a changing society. As times move faster, and people don't have time to sit and wrap their minds around metaphors, slam poetry comes into play, with more immediate speech and presentation that demands your attention in an increasingly distracting world. The Pentecostal church is something like that, as many people don't want to sit and gradually learn about God. They want him right here, right now, and experience you cannot ignore. That is why I think the church is growing so much right now: it fits the society of this time period.
As for me personally, I don't know if Pentecostal is my style. Definitely nothing wrong with that, but everyone needs something different at a different time in their life. Being a mellower person by nature, I would like to explore a few other churches before settling on this one. It was enjoyable, but I also have to keep in mind time. Their services are two hours minimum.
So, that was my Sunday night. Monday went by at its own mild pace, but this was nice because I had the opportunity to read everyone's feedback and comments from the last update. I hope you all keep emailing and/or leaving comments on facebook, because even if I don't personally reply to each one, I love reading them.
Yes, Monday was just another day until Sarah mentioned she was going to a salsa class at eight that night. I liked the idea of learning to dance in a way that requires some thought and skill, even though I'm not much of a dancer, and I have not gotten myself over to Shirk Center yet to use the weight room, so I figured I should go and try to get some exercise. Naturally, only two guys showed up for the class, but I knew one of them because he's an English major, and a percussionist, in Intervarsity, and he lives in Dolan, (where I work) so we see each other relatively frequently. What's even better is, he's naturally good at dancing. Where he comes from, contra (a kind of old-fashioned line dancing) is very popular, and so he has some natural ability. Together, we were able to put together some pretty sweet turns and the accomplishment and activity gave me such a high, I think I wore a permanent smile for two full hours. Near the end, he started showing me some contra turns and that in itself looks like so much fun. I claimed him as my salsa partner tomorrow too, and I look forward to dancing again.
Sarah and I also know that the Flyte twins (two guys who are in my poetry class and who play lacrosse with Sarah) know how to ballroom dance. When they left their water bottle in our room Sunday morning, we decided to hold it hostage until they agreed to teach us to ballroom dance. They said sure, so now we have to hold them too it. Perhaps next weekend.
As I mentioned before, I had to write a paper for my poetry class. On Monday, all seven of us in the class were informed that our professor doesn't hold class the day a paper is due. So, lucky duck that I was, poetry is the only class I have on Wednesday, but we had a paper due, so no class was held. So, I kind of had a break in the middle of the week from classes, but not really, since I had so much going on Tuesday, I spent all of Wednesday completing assignments and studying for my chemistry exam on Thursday. It wouldn't have been quite so crazy if I hadn't volunteered to sing for Intervarsity praise band. I was called earlier in the day with a list of seven songs, only three of which I had heard before, so while I studied for chemistry, I listened to the songs I didn't know on YouTube and promptly at five-twenty I was at rehearsal, which went until eight o'clock that night, when group started. Group itself went from eight to nine-thirty, so by the end, after we performed and group was dismissed, I felt like I had run a marathon: learning four brand new songs in a day and performing them the same day. Not to mention, I am their only female vocalist, so Kyle (president of Intervarsity) was very excited to have me lead on many songs. Had some songs that were written for female vocals, so even if I only had two solo songs, it felt like more. A lot of fun, a dose of stress, and a lack of dinner, but we pulled it off with only a few excusable mistakes.
Also tried to rip some music offline on Wednesday, but something with the Internet here won't let me. I can do it, but the recording turns out muffled and hollow. I can't do any illegal downloading either, because the school can confiscate my computer if they catch me, which I really don't want to deal with. So, when I discovered my Hard Day's Night CD missing and wanted A SINGLE SONG from it, I could get it. Looks like mixes with new stuff will have to wait until summer vacation.
Started a new book in philosophy. We're now on the subject of the death penalty, and the book argues against it, which I have no problem with. However, in order for the writer to argue effectively, he has to discredit absolute pacifism to appeal to the majority of the world who isn't. Well, me who happens to fall into the minority was offended at the mere page he dedicated to absolute pacifism with an inadequate argument (which clearly assumed the reader was not an absolute pacifist) and decided to express a grievance about it in class. She's going to allow me more time to argue against his premise on Tuesday (supposedly) where I will explain the flaws in his argument. I'm becoming quite antagonistic in this class, and I'm reminded of the good old days in Klemm's freshman world history class where I quickly became first-year teacher's worst nightmare. I kind of regret being such a pain to him now, and part of me wonders if I will regret being a pain in this class later. For the time being, I'll stand by my opinions.
I would have woken up the next morning well-rested if the Ferguson fire alarm hadn't been pulled at 2 in the morning. The truth is, I knew it was coming, as Sarah had witnessed some drunk Munsell boys attempt to do it the night before, and get pursued by a flock of RA's. Since it hadn't transpired, I had a feeling they would try again. So, at 2 am on Friday, we all stood outside in our slippers and pajamas and waited for the firemen to tell us what we already knew: that there wasn't a fire. Went back to bed grateful, actually, that it was Thursday night, and not the night before, since their original plan would have disrupted my sleep before an 8 am chemistry test. The fire alarm pranks have gotten so bad in Munsell/Ferguson that they are now offering a $1,000 reward for anyone who knows who is responsible. Sarah proposed that one of the chemistry lab projects should be a forensics investigation with finger-printing. Though I don't know who has pulled Munsell's fire alarm four times, I do have good reason to believe it was Munsell six that pulled ours the other night. But word of mouth isn't exactly hard evidence.
Fridays and Mondays aren't necessarily hard days, but everything in my schedule is really tight because of work, so I was running around like a mad woman until four o'clock. Not a bad day by far, though. Kim is my supervisor, and we spent the first hour of my second shift just talking about life's choices and lessons. I love that she enjoys talking to me, because I like hearing her talk about her grandchildren, and I respect her a lot for her experiences and advice from them. I enjoy taking time out of my week to be in Dolan.
Otherwise, Matthew came up again this weekend. Friday night was mostly dinner and conversation, though we did catch the end of Finding Nemo in the Munsell TV lounge. Saturday, we decided to walk to the airport and made it most of the way there, then walked back and took the car to the mall where we purchased much needed beverages. While we ate dinner, I received a text inviting me to an open mic night to see someone from Intervarsity sing. They heavily encouraged people in the audience participating, and though I had not planned on reading, I incidentally had two short stories with me, albeit rough draft, and I decided to just pick one and give it a shot. It was one of those impulsive decisions I don't necessarily regret, but am unsure was really for me. They're watching Dead Poets Society next week, and since I haven't seen it, I'll probably go with Sarah.
So, because I read it at open mic, I am attaching "Jazz Revival" to this update for those receiving by email. This is not necessarily a final draft, and I'm looking for feedback from those who haven't given it already. (Meaning Dad, Ms. Yaremko, and Emily do not need to feel obligated to respond to it.) The feedback I've already gotten has not gone into the editing process yet, so for those reading a second time, not much has changed. I'm still a bit unsure how I want to revise it.
Otherwise, I have information for those thinking about visiting. It is possible to get into Saga and eat with me despite the fact that you won't have student ID's. As long as you have money, they'll let you in. (I think all meals but brunch are $5.15, because brunch is about $8.) Discovered this with Matthew's visit, so people may want to keep that in mind.
Other than that, I found another Beatles fan! She lives right across the hall from me, and I discovered it when she plugged in her iPod to take a shower and she had a Beatles playlist going. I told her it made my day, we discussed a mutual love for the mop tops, and then later this week, I burned her the Love album. Yesterday, she told me how much she loved it, and how she had fun identifying which parts of songs were from where and such. Beatles fans make me smile.
Looking forward to receiving email, comments, and letters from everyone. I'm thinking about you all, and miss you very much!
Until next weekend,
Janna
After I quickly sent out last week's update, I rushed to grab a quick dinner and dress up for church. I went with a guy from my philosophy class (met him during orientation week) to his Apostolic Pentecostal church. So, dressing up included a skirt and no make-up. In this sense, they are very old-testament, but in some ways, they are much more modern than many conventional churches. There is a reason that the Pentecostal church is the fastest growing in the world of all the Christian churches. That is because they are a very passionate bunch. Their service is dominantly music, and do they know how to rock. (Dad, some of those bass lines you would have enjoyed messing with.) And the message is delivered with just as much passion. I am not accustomed to the minister leaping and shouting at various times, and I'm even less used to white people shouting "amen!" in the congregation, (though this I always found to be an enjoyable addition to any service) but this is the norm on a Sunday night service at this Pentecostal church. Thinking about it in retrospect, I think the Pentecostal church is a lot like slam poetry. Slam poetry is definitely representative of its time. As I wrote in my paper for my poetry class, poetry has not died, it has simply evolved and taken on different forms in a changing society. As times move faster, and people don't have time to sit and wrap their minds around metaphors, slam poetry comes into play, with more immediate speech and presentation that demands your attention in an increasingly distracting world. The Pentecostal church is something like that, as many people don't want to sit and gradually learn about God. They want him right here, right now, and experience you cannot ignore. That is why I think the church is growing so much right now: it fits the society of this time period.
As for me personally, I don't know if Pentecostal is my style. Definitely nothing wrong with that, but everyone needs something different at a different time in their life. Being a mellower person by nature, I would like to explore a few other churches before settling on this one. It was enjoyable, but I also have to keep in mind time. Their services are two hours minimum.
So, that was my Sunday night. Monday went by at its own mild pace, but this was nice because I had the opportunity to read everyone's feedback and comments from the last update. I hope you all keep emailing and/or leaving comments on facebook, because even if I don't personally reply to each one, I love reading them.
Yes, Monday was just another day until Sarah mentioned she was going to a salsa class at eight that night. I liked the idea of learning to dance in a way that requires some thought and skill, even though I'm not much of a dancer, and I have not gotten myself over to Shirk Center yet to use the weight room, so I figured I should go and try to get some exercise. Naturally, only two guys showed up for the class, but I knew one of them because he's an English major, and a percussionist, in Intervarsity, and he lives in Dolan, (where I work) so we see each other relatively frequently. What's even better is, he's naturally good at dancing. Where he comes from, contra (a kind of old-fashioned line dancing) is very popular, and so he has some natural ability. Together, we were able to put together some pretty sweet turns and the accomplishment and activity gave me such a high, I think I wore a permanent smile for two full hours. Near the end, he started showing me some contra turns and that in itself looks like so much fun. I claimed him as my salsa partner tomorrow too, and I look forward to dancing again.
Sarah and I also know that the Flyte twins (two guys who are in my poetry class and who play lacrosse with Sarah) know how to ballroom dance. When they left their water bottle in our room Sunday morning, we decided to hold it hostage until they agreed to teach us to ballroom dance. They said sure, so now we have to hold them too it. Perhaps next weekend.
As I mentioned before, I had to write a paper for my poetry class. On Monday, all seven of us in the class were informed that our professor doesn't hold class the day a paper is due. So, lucky duck that I was, poetry is the only class I have on Wednesday, but we had a paper due, so no class was held. So, I kind of had a break in the middle of the week from classes, but not really, since I had so much going on Tuesday, I spent all of Wednesday completing assignments and studying for my chemistry exam on Thursday. It wouldn't have been quite so crazy if I hadn't volunteered to sing for Intervarsity praise band. I was called earlier in the day with a list of seven songs, only three of which I had heard before, so while I studied for chemistry, I listened to the songs I didn't know on YouTube and promptly at five-twenty I was at rehearsal, which went until eight o'clock that night, when group started. Group itself went from eight to nine-thirty, so by the end, after we performed and group was dismissed, I felt like I had run a marathon: learning four brand new songs in a day and performing them the same day. Not to mention, I am their only female vocalist, so Kyle (president of Intervarsity) was very excited to have me lead on many songs. Had some songs that were written for female vocals, so even if I only had two solo songs, it felt like more. A lot of fun, a dose of stress, and a lack of dinner, but we pulled it off with only a few excusable mistakes.
Also tried to rip some music offline on Wednesday, but something with the Internet here won't let me. I can do it, but the recording turns out muffled and hollow. I can't do any illegal downloading either, because the school can confiscate my computer if they catch me, which I really don't want to deal with. So, when I discovered my Hard Day's Night CD missing and wanted A SINGLE SONG from it, I could get it. Looks like mixes with new stuff will have to wait until summer vacation.
Started a new book in philosophy. We're now on the subject of the death penalty, and the book argues against it, which I have no problem with. However, in order for the writer to argue effectively, he has to discredit absolute pacifism to appeal to the majority of the world who isn't. Well, me who happens to fall into the minority was offended at the mere page he dedicated to absolute pacifism with an inadequate argument (which clearly assumed the reader was not an absolute pacifist) and decided to express a grievance about it in class. She's going to allow me more time to argue against his premise on Tuesday (supposedly) where I will explain the flaws in his argument. I'm becoming quite antagonistic in this class, and I'm reminded of the good old days in Klemm's freshman world history class where I quickly became first-year teacher's worst nightmare. I kind of regret being such a pain to him now, and part of me wonders if I will regret being a pain in this class later. For the time being, I'll stand by my opinions.
I would have woken up the next morning well-rested if the Ferguson fire alarm hadn't been pulled at 2 in the morning. The truth is, I knew it was coming, as Sarah had witnessed some drunk Munsell boys attempt to do it the night before, and get pursued by a flock of RA's. Since it hadn't transpired, I had a feeling they would try again. So, at 2 am on Friday, we all stood outside in our slippers and pajamas and waited for the firemen to tell us what we already knew: that there wasn't a fire. Went back to bed grateful, actually, that it was Thursday night, and not the night before, since their original plan would have disrupted my sleep before an 8 am chemistry test. The fire alarm pranks have gotten so bad in Munsell/Ferguson that they are now offering a $1,000 reward for anyone who knows who is responsible. Sarah proposed that one of the chemistry lab projects should be a forensics investigation with finger-printing. Though I don't know who has pulled Munsell's fire alarm four times, I do have good reason to believe it was Munsell six that pulled ours the other night. But word of mouth isn't exactly hard evidence.
Fridays and Mondays aren't necessarily hard days, but everything in my schedule is really tight because of work, so I was running around like a mad woman until four o'clock. Not a bad day by far, though. Kim is my supervisor, and we spent the first hour of my second shift just talking about life's choices and lessons. I love that she enjoys talking to me, because I like hearing her talk about her grandchildren, and I respect her a lot for her experiences and advice from them. I enjoy taking time out of my week to be in Dolan.
Otherwise, Matthew came up again this weekend. Friday night was mostly dinner and conversation, though we did catch the end of Finding Nemo in the Munsell TV lounge. Saturday, we decided to walk to the airport and made it most of the way there, then walked back and took the car to the mall where we purchased much needed beverages. While we ate dinner, I received a text inviting me to an open mic night to see someone from Intervarsity sing. They heavily encouraged people in the audience participating, and though I had not planned on reading, I incidentally had two short stories with me, albeit rough draft, and I decided to just pick one and give it a shot. It was one of those impulsive decisions I don't necessarily regret, but am unsure was really for me. They're watching Dead Poets Society next week, and since I haven't seen it, I'll probably go with Sarah.
So, because I read it at open mic, I am attaching "Jazz Revival" to this update for those receiving by email. This is not necessarily a final draft, and I'm looking for feedback from those who haven't given it already. (Meaning Dad, Ms. Yaremko, and Emily do not need to feel obligated to respond to it.) The feedback I've already gotten has not gone into the editing process yet, so for those reading a second time, not much has changed. I'm still a bit unsure how I want to revise it.
Otherwise, I have information for those thinking about visiting. It is possible to get into Saga and eat with me despite the fact that you won't have student ID's. As long as you have money, they'll let you in. (I think all meals but brunch are $5.15, because brunch is about $8.) Discovered this with Matthew's visit, so people may want to keep that in mind.
Other than that, I found another Beatles fan! She lives right across the hall from me, and I discovered it when she plugged in her iPod to take a shower and she had a Beatles playlist going. I told her it made my day, we discussed a mutual love for the mop tops, and then later this week, I burned her the Love album. Yesterday, she told me how much she loved it, and how she had fun identifying which parts of songs were from where and such. Beatles fans make me smile.
Looking forward to receiving email, comments, and letters from everyone. I'm thinking about you all, and miss you very much!
Until next weekend,
Janna
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Castlewellan
I just got back from a beautiful conference center called Castlewellan just outside the town of New Castle where we spent a couple days of our orientation. I enjoyed getting to know more people and going for a nice hike around the property. Check out the pictures here. There are about 175 full time students here from over 30 countries. (my previous guess was low)
Monday we start classes and we’re allowed to sit in as many classes as we want the first week so we can see what classes we like. I’m going to go to quite a few and then decide what to take. I’ve added some pictures of the campus for you to see here, it’s very small but I like it.
Dave
Monday we start classes and we’re allowed to sit in as many classes as we want the first week so we can see what classes we like. I’m going to go to quite a few and then decide what to take. I’ve added some pictures of the campus for you to see here, it’s very small but I like it.
Dave
Update from the Hinterlands
Sorry everyone. I’m not as disciplined as Janna, so I won’t be writing as regularly or as often. I’m going to try and post something about my daily happenings at least once a month, but no promises. So here it goes.
In the past month or so since everyone’s gone away I’ve:
Spent $5,232 on tuition, $622 on a laptop, and $165 on gas, nearly finished “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis, written letters to Janna and my Nana II, become a fan of the band Nightwish, stopped drinking pop (mostly), reread some old favorites from my bookshelf, started watching “Memoirs of a Geisha” twice (it’s one of my favorite movies) and haven’t made it to the end yet, made apple crisp from the tree in our backyard, and walked out of a church service.
In all this time Tommy and I have only seen each other once, at Aboveground. We’re both too lazy to walk across the street. The Koch’s have repainted their house since we’re all not there to destroy the walls anymore. One kitchen wall is red.
Stephanie and I are both looking for service work to do in Dekalb. We haven’t found anything yet that works for us. There isn’t much for the homeless in Dekalb, though they are there. They have to walk to Elgin or Rockford to get help most of the time. Working with the homeless has always been my calling before. Maybe I just like to feed people. I think I’m going to look into working with the food pantry at my church.
Speaking of church…yes…I walked out of a church service. The high school youth were talking about their summer mission trip, or they were supposed to be. I don’t count mouthing chants and words that people have told you to say. Not when I can see they don’t really believe what they’re saying. Not when I can see the boredom in their eyes. For them it was all about their experience, how they felt, and what they got out of it. True, the missionaries tend to learn more and be helped more than those they are helping, but that shouldn’t be why one serves. Our youth got caught up in the Mountain Top High. They forgot why they were serving, and few of them were serving because of love. James says “faith without works is dead,” but it works the other way around too. If one serves without love then what is the point of serving? The actions become meaningless. It’s been a long time since I’ve been that angry about something, disappointed too. I thought it was better to leave.
I
’ve been thinking a lot about what I can do to change my church recently because of the above. I realized that, maybe, the reason I’m seeing the changes that need to be made is because I’m seeing my church from the outside. I’m not there very often because I work on Sundays most of the time. I think I need to get involved before I blame anyone. Change works better if it occurs from the inside anyway. It’s one of the reasons I want to get involved in the food pantry. In the meantime I’ll be going to Aboveground as much as I can. Please pray for me.
Classes are going well. We just read a book in history about an 1818 trial on whether or not a whale is a fish. I’m not kidding. It actually happened. We’re a week behind in Literature already because our discussions are so in-depth. I’m really enjoying it. Public Relations Writing is my current favorite, because we always get out early. I’ve discovered the pool and the Rec. Center on campus and am trying to work out at least once a week.
And that’s my life. I miss you all like crazy.
In Christ, with Love,
Jessica
In the past month or so since everyone’s gone away I’ve:
Spent $5,232 on tuition, $622 on a laptop, and $165 on gas, nearly finished “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis, written letters to Janna and my Nana II, become a fan of the band Nightwish, stopped drinking pop (mostly), reread some old favorites from my bookshelf, started watching “Memoirs of a Geisha” twice (it’s one of my favorite movies) and haven’t made it to the end yet, made apple crisp from the tree in our backyard, and walked out of a church service.
In all this time Tommy and I have only seen each other once, at Aboveground. We’re both too lazy to walk across the street. The Koch’s have repainted their house since we’re all not there to destroy the walls anymore. One kitchen wall is red.
Stephanie and I are both looking for service work to do in Dekalb. We haven’t found anything yet that works for us. There isn’t much for the homeless in Dekalb, though they are there. They have to walk to Elgin or Rockford to get help most of the time. Working with the homeless has always been my calling before. Maybe I just like to feed people. I think I’m going to look into working with the food pantry at my church.
Speaking of church…yes…I walked out of a church service. The high school youth were talking about their summer mission trip, or they were supposed to be. I don’t count mouthing chants and words that people have told you to say. Not when I can see they don’t really believe what they’re saying. Not when I can see the boredom in their eyes. For them it was all about their experience, how they felt, and what they got out of it. True, the missionaries tend to learn more and be helped more than those they are helping, but that shouldn’t be why one serves. Our youth got caught up in the Mountain Top High. They forgot why they were serving, and few of them were serving because of love. James says “faith without works is dead,” but it works the other way around too. If one serves without love then what is the point of serving? The actions become meaningless. It’s been a long time since I’ve been that angry about something, disappointed too. I thought it was better to leave.
I
’ve been thinking a lot about what I can do to change my church recently because of the above. I realized that, maybe, the reason I’m seeing the changes that need to be made is because I’m seeing my church from the outside. I’m not there very often because I work on Sundays most of the time. I think I need to get involved before I blame anyone. Change works better if it occurs from the inside anyway. It’s one of the reasons I want to get involved in the food pantry. In the meantime I’ll be going to Aboveground as much as I can. Please pray for me.
Classes are going well. We just read a book in history about an 1818 trial on whether or not a whale is a fish. I’m not kidding. It actually happened. We’re a week behind in Literature already because our discussions are so in-depth. I’m really enjoying it. Public Relations Writing is my current favorite, because we always get out early. I’ve discovered the pool and the Rec. Center on campus and am trying to work out at least once a week.
And that’s my life. I miss you all like crazy.
In Christ, with Love,
Jessica
Saturday, September 19, 2009
London and the BBC
I made it to Belfast and had a great experience in London on the way. I flew to London very early Saturday morning and explored the city for about 7 hours before taking a bus to Belfast where the Bible college that I am attending is located. I did not have high expectations for London but it’s now my favorite city. I thought that it was very hip and classy. It was clean and the layout and the people seemed to be very professional plus the architecture is beautiful. I never wanted to live in a city before but I think that I would actually enjoy living in London. Check out a few of my pictures here
I just finished my first day of orientation at the college here and so far I love it and am very excited to start classes. There are people here from probably around 20 different countries and it’s great to meet so many new people from different cultures. I am very excited to learn from both the lectures and the people. Everything here is very relaxed and the professors are very accessible. The professors and staff join us for tea everyday and welcome our company. I don’t have much time now but I will write more about the college soon. You can see a few pictures of my room here.
I’m very excited to be here!
Dave (other posts to be found on his blog. Check the link).
I just finished my first day of orientation at the college here and so far I love it and am very excited to start classes. There are people here from probably around 20 different countries and it’s great to meet so many new people from different cultures. I am very excited to learn from both the lectures and the people. Everything here is very relaxed and the professors are very accessible. The professors and staff join us for tea everyday and welcome our company. I don’t have much time now but I will write more about the college soon. You can see a few pictures of my room here.
I’m very excited to be here!
Dave (other posts to be found on his blog. Check the link).
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Web Wall Journal #4
Much love goes out to all of you on this warm September Sunday. While you were all (actually, while you were some) in church this morning, I was sleeping and eating. But never fear, I will be attending church tonight, so my soul isn't entirely in jeopardy.
I also want you all to know, I have been thinking a lot about all of you, and everyone I've spoken to this week, for whatever reason, I've been praying for you. Naturally, this means more to some people than others, but regardless, I want you all to know that I am actively loving you, and just because I'm far away doesn't mean I have better things to do.
I also want to thank those of you who have supplied me with food recently. Randel, I hope you're reading this one, because all the banana bread is gone (my roommate and small group enjoyed it) and I thank you for giving me alternative breakfast for this week. Mom, the cookies disappeared because everyone loves them. Especially me. With that being said, if anyone is in the midst of making a care package or anything like it, PLEASE DON'T SEND ME ANY BREAKFAST FOOD! I had no room for all my goodies when I got back last weekend. Eating became a chore. I will let you know when I begin to starve.
Otherwise, this week has been good. Started it out on Monday afternoon, where I returned from Hampshire, organized my laundry for the next two weeks, then Sarah and I chose to do some slight rearranging. All we did was move my bookcase from my dresser to below the window, but the place looks so much more comfortable and I officially love being in here. In place of the bookcase we rehung Picasso and now the dresser is a space for me to place food I wish to share. (Currently, it is lemon poppy-seed scones, though last week it was cookies followed by banana bread.) The djembe is back on display, because Sarah loves it, and now all my books are at arm's reach from my sleeping place. I can't wait until people come to visit, it's quite lovely here.
The loveliness is also aided by the addition of two newcomers to the room. My RA has a little forest in her room or spider plants, and one very prolific one (named Harry) had grown many little babies, so on Thursday our floor had a potting party and Sarah and I brought home baby spider plants. My spider plant actually resembles Dad's hair when he's due for a cut, so I felt it appropriate to give him a name that was loosely connected to Dad, and started mentally rifling through music Dad has provided me with in the past (thank you, Daddy) and David Bowie popped into my head. So, my plant is now named Ziggy Stardust. And he sits right beside my John Lennon glasses.
Speaking of John Lennon and music Dad provides me with (ahem) I'm hoping that everyone celebrated 09/09/09! Beatles Rock Band came out as well as DIGITALLY RE-MASTERED BEATLES MUSIC ON CD! I was giddy all day.
Other than the Beatles, though, this has been an excellent week. Very, very active. The good news is that I finally can say I love being here, and returning from Hampshire was not as sad as I thought it was going to be. In fact, I was quite excited to be back and get the week started. And, while I've been awake, life has been quite enjoyable. Oddly enough, sleeping hasn't been so great. Don't get me wrong, I've been sleeping a lot lately, but there have been more than a few nights this week that have been plagued with nightmares. What's funny is that while I'm consciously having the time of my life, unconsciously I'm taking all the worst times of my life and combining them into these horrible scenarios I have to live out until I wake myself up. It's a bit confusing, considering things here have progressed exceptionally well for the most part. Usually nightmares have stimuli, but I haven't figured it out yet.
As far as classes go, I can tell I'm getting complacent because if I have an hour between classes, I may or may not do my homework. I'm most likely reading Newsweek. College life, I suppose. I did do some significant preliminary research for my chem term paper, and I know I want to do this topic, (media and propoganda influence on the environment) but I'm going to have to consult once more with my professor to see if I can do it. Depends on what we cover in class, to be honest.
Poetry has just gotten more fun because it involves essays and peer editing. Woot!
But the real story of the week stems from Philosophy. (Anybody surprised?) Believe it or not, I did forget something in the last update regarding this class. The text brought up the Euthyphro question: Is good good because God says it's good? Or does God say it's good because it's good? The truth is, I'd never wondered that before. I paused while reading and began thinking about the text in the Bible, specifically at the beginning of Genesis: "And God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:25 b.) This phrasing implies to me that "good" was around prior to the creation of the earth. And then there is the idea that I've heard enforced often in religious teachings, that God is incapable of doing evil. These thoughts led me to thinking the latter. Additionally, something just seemed too arbitrary about God on whim selecting what was good and what was evil. (Don't slap me for blasphemy, anyone, finish reading first.)
Then I thought of the phrase "God is good" and had an epiphany. Generally we think of that phrase in these grammatical terms: Noun, verb, adjective. But what if we heard it a bit differently, not as "God is good (adjective)" but as "God is good (noun)"? What if God is goodness itself? That would explain the impossibility of doing evil, because if he did evil, he wouldn't be good. And he is goodness itself. Personally, I believe God encompasses so much, and that the idea of him as an abstract concept such as goodness doesn't bother me. It seems fitting.
So, that was a thought I had last week, and to my parents and Emily, I expressed this thought. This week, though, it actually had some applicable significance. When we finally got around to talking about the Euthyphro question in class, a lot of my more theistic friends got upset, because option a (God setting the rules) sounded prosaic but option b (God enforcing goodness) sounded blasphemous. As it came up at the end of class on Tuesday, my professor decided to postpone discussion on it until Thursday. When Thursday came around, I could see some still unhappy people and decided to vocalize this thought written in detail above. It is a discussion based class encouraging stretching the mind, right?
So I thought. I said my part and half of the class straightened in their seats and hands shot into the air. What excited me most wasn't that people were agreeing with this idea, but that they were building off of it, and making connections I wouldn't have thought of on my own. For once, we weren't just going over what we'd read, we were experimenting with possibilities and ideas. However, my professor hushed everyone, gave me a strange look with a "I don't understand what you're trying to say" and immediately dismissed us with a "We'll come back to that." She never did, and went right back into review of the text. She shouldn't have been surprised when she asked a question and nobody wanted to volunteer an answer. Students around me assured me they understood exactly what I said and agreed with the idea, so I know I wasn't being inarticulate. I didn't speak for the remainder of class, annoyed that her "thinking outside the box" concept didn't include anything outside of her box. Near the end when she started tossing out correlation study statistics, and implied that correlation studies show causation, (which anyone whose taken any kind of psych or statistics class will know that is twisting evidence and that correlation does NOT equal causation) I finally just got royally pissed. Thank goodness the class was getting let out, so my exit was at an acceptable time. Even if we hadn't been, I might have left anyway.
So, I chose not to leave her box for the take home exam due on Thursday. Tonight I'll double check to make sure I don't break off onto any enlightening tangents.
Though I know it has deviated a bit, while we are on the topic of God, I promise I have been working on the modern-day Christ story. The whole point of sending writing with emails is so that everyone back home can read any new things written. Unfortunately, this story is a beast, so I'm still not finished. But I'm definitely working toward the end now. In the meantime, this week's featured story is going to be "Self-Reliant," since I've been using Ninja's whiny "mow" lately. Some habits die hard.
Other than that irritant on Thursday, (and the towels that still give off fuzzies when I try to dry off after a shower!) things have gone quite well around here. I've hung out with Mark three times this week (Janna busy? Ha.) and had dinner last night with Matthew's cousin Gretchen, who is a sophomore here. Last night there was an 80's party at Sigma Pi that I did not go to. Momentarily, I felt like a loser when I saw all the girls getting ready while I adorned myself in PJ's, but I don't dance. So, instead Sarah and myself, along with a friend from Munsell, hung out in our room and watched YouTube videos all night with popcorn. This morning after brunch, we had even more company. Though I thought my first weekend actually here on campus without distractions was going to be boring, I have been consistently occupied. Right now, actually, I should be watching the English softball game, (Literature vs. Writing) but couldn't find the softball field and decided I didn't want to bask in the humidity anyway.
As far as events on campus go, Wednesday, Greg Mortenson came to speak. For those of you who don't know, incoming freshman read Three Cups of Tea over the summer. Basically, it's about Greg Mortenson and how he ended up building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan for children and women. The story is fascinating, and even if you don't read the book, at least look up a summary online, because what he's doing is so valuable and it was a privilege to hear him speak on Wednesday.
Friday, instead of doing my essay test for philosophy, I went over to the student center with Sarah and the twins from my poetry class (they identify me as the "hand-talker" and inform people that's how one can see I'm Greek) and we saw Roy Wood Jr., a stand-up comedian. Very, very smart planning on the part of IWU, as I was exhausted and stressed from a week's worth of classes and was overdue for a good laugh. Came back to the dorm afterward feeling quite refreshed, as he was very funny. Makes me excited for next weekend, hopefully they'll have more stuff going on. The only thing I know of coming up isn't even directly affiliated with the school, but Donald Miller, who wrote Blue Like Jazz is coming to a local church on Thursday, October 29th. I absolutely have to get myself there.
That is the news from Bloomington for this week. I have also made the executive decision that if my towels are still making me fuzzy after another laundry cycle, I'll be recruiting Mom to bring me not-so-crappy ones.
Also, for those of you who enjoy lyrics, look up the song of the month.
Song of the Month: "Economy of Mercy" by Switchfoot
Song of the Day: "Just Like You" by 3 Days Grace
Until next week!
Janna
I also want you all to know, I have been thinking a lot about all of you, and everyone I've spoken to this week, for whatever reason, I've been praying for you. Naturally, this means more to some people than others, but regardless, I want you all to know that I am actively loving you, and just because I'm far away doesn't mean I have better things to do.
I also want to thank those of you who have supplied me with food recently. Randel, I hope you're reading this one, because all the banana bread is gone (my roommate and small group enjoyed it) and I thank you for giving me alternative breakfast for this week. Mom, the cookies disappeared because everyone loves them. Especially me. With that being said, if anyone is in the midst of making a care package or anything like it, PLEASE DON'T SEND ME ANY BREAKFAST FOOD! I had no room for all my goodies when I got back last weekend. Eating became a chore. I will let you know when I begin to starve.
Otherwise, this week has been good. Started it out on Monday afternoon, where I returned from Hampshire, organized my laundry for the next two weeks, then Sarah and I chose to do some slight rearranging. All we did was move my bookcase from my dresser to below the window, but the place looks so much more comfortable and I officially love being in here. In place of the bookcase we rehung Picasso and now the dresser is a space for me to place food I wish to share. (Currently, it is lemon poppy-seed scones, though last week it was cookies followed by banana bread.) The djembe is back on display, because Sarah loves it, and now all my books are at arm's reach from my sleeping place. I can't wait until people come to visit, it's quite lovely here.
The loveliness is also aided by the addition of two newcomers to the room. My RA has a little forest in her room or spider plants, and one very prolific one (named Harry) had grown many little babies, so on Thursday our floor had a potting party and Sarah and I brought home baby spider plants. My spider plant actually resembles Dad's hair when he's due for a cut, so I felt it appropriate to give him a name that was loosely connected to Dad, and started mentally rifling through music Dad has provided me with in the past (thank you, Daddy) and David Bowie popped into my head. So, my plant is now named Ziggy Stardust. And he sits right beside my John Lennon glasses.
Speaking of John Lennon and music Dad provides me with (ahem) I'm hoping that everyone celebrated 09/09/09! Beatles Rock Band came out as well as DIGITALLY RE-MASTERED BEATLES MUSIC ON CD! I was giddy all day.
Other than the Beatles, though, this has been an excellent week. Very, very active. The good news is that I finally can say I love being here, and returning from Hampshire was not as sad as I thought it was going to be. In fact, I was quite excited to be back and get the week started. And, while I've been awake, life has been quite enjoyable. Oddly enough, sleeping hasn't been so great. Don't get me wrong, I've been sleeping a lot lately, but there have been more than a few nights this week that have been plagued with nightmares. What's funny is that while I'm consciously having the time of my life, unconsciously I'm taking all the worst times of my life and combining them into these horrible scenarios I have to live out until I wake myself up. It's a bit confusing, considering things here have progressed exceptionally well for the most part. Usually nightmares have stimuli, but I haven't figured it out yet.
As far as classes go, I can tell I'm getting complacent because if I have an hour between classes, I may or may not do my homework. I'm most likely reading Newsweek. College life, I suppose. I did do some significant preliminary research for my chem term paper, and I know I want to do this topic, (media and propoganda influence on the environment) but I'm going to have to consult once more with my professor to see if I can do it. Depends on what we cover in class, to be honest.
Poetry has just gotten more fun because it involves essays and peer editing. Woot!
But the real story of the week stems from Philosophy. (Anybody surprised?) Believe it or not, I did forget something in the last update regarding this class. The text brought up the Euthyphro question: Is good good because God says it's good? Or does God say it's good because it's good? The truth is, I'd never wondered that before. I paused while reading and began thinking about the text in the Bible, specifically at the beginning of Genesis: "And God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:25 b.) This phrasing implies to me that "good" was around prior to the creation of the earth. And then there is the idea that I've heard enforced often in religious teachings, that God is incapable of doing evil. These thoughts led me to thinking the latter. Additionally, something just seemed too arbitrary about God on whim selecting what was good and what was evil. (Don't slap me for blasphemy, anyone, finish reading first.)
Then I thought of the phrase "God is good" and had an epiphany. Generally we think of that phrase in these grammatical terms: Noun, verb, adjective. But what if we heard it a bit differently, not as "God is good (adjective)" but as "God is good (noun)"? What if God is goodness itself? That would explain the impossibility of doing evil, because if he did evil, he wouldn't be good. And he is goodness itself. Personally, I believe God encompasses so much, and that the idea of him as an abstract concept such as goodness doesn't bother me. It seems fitting.
So, that was a thought I had last week, and to my parents and Emily, I expressed this thought. This week, though, it actually had some applicable significance. When we finally got around to talking about the Euthyphro question in class, a lot of my more theistic friends got upset, because option a (God setting the rules) sounded prosaic but option b (God enforcing goodness) sounded blasphemous. As it came up at the end of class on Tuesday, my professor decided to postpone discussion on it until Thursday. When Thursday came around, I could see some still unhappy people and decided to vocalize this thought written in detail above. It is a discussion based class encouraging stretching the mind, right?
So I thought. I said my part and half of the class straightened in their seats and hands shot into the air. What excited me most wasn't that people were agreeing with this idea, but that they were building off of it, and making connections I wouldn't have thought of on my own. For once, we weren't just going over what we'd read, we were experimenting with possibilities and ideas. However, my professor hushed everyone, gave me a strange look with a "I don't understand what you're trying to say" and immediately dismissed us with a "We'll come back to that." She never did, and went right back into review of the text. She shouldn't have been surprised when she asked a question and nobody wanted to volunteer an answer. Students around me assured me they understood exactly what I said and agreed with the idea, so I know I wasn't being inarticulate. I didn't speak for the remainder of class, annoyed that her "thinking outside the box" concept didn't include anything outside of her box. Near the end when she started tossing out correlation study statistics, and implied that correlation studies show causation, (which anyone whose taken any kind of psych or statistics class will know that is twisting evidence and that correlation does NOT equal causation) I finally just got royally pissed. Thank goodness the class was getting let out, so my exit was at an acceptable time. Even if we hadn't been, I might have left anyway.
So, I chose not to leave her box for the take home exam due on Thursday. Tonight I'll double check to make sure I don't break off onto any enlightening tangents.
Though I know it has deviated a bit, while we are on the topic of God, I promise I have been working on the modern-day Christ story. The whole point of sending writing with emails is so that everyone back home can read any new things written. Unfortunately, this story is a beast, so I'm still not finished. But I'm definitely working toward the end now. In the meantime, this week's featured story is going to be "Self-Reliant," since I've been using Ninja's whiny "mow" lately. Some habits die hard.
Other than that irritant on Thursday, (and the towels that still give off fuzzies when I try to dry off after a shower!) things have gone quite well around here. I've hung out with Mark three times this week (Janna busy? Ha.) and had dinner last night with Matthew's cousin Gretchen, who is a sophomore here. Last night there was an 80's party at Sigma Pi that I did not go to. Momentarily, I felt like a loser when I saw all the girls getting ready while I adorned myself in PJ's, but I don't dance. So, instead Sarah and myself, along with a friend from Munsell, hung out in our room and watched YouTube videos all night with popcorn. This morning after brunch, we had even more company. Though I thought my first weekend actually here on campus without distractions was going to be boring, I have been consistently occupied. Right now, actually, I should be watching the English softball game, (Literature vs. Writing) but couldn't find the softball field and decided I didn't want to bask in the humidity anyway.
As far as events on campus go, Wednesday, Greg Mortenson came to speak. For those of you who don't know, incoming freshman read Three Cups of Tea over the summer. Basically, it's about Greg Mortenson and how he ended up building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan for children and women. The story is fascinating, and even if you don't read the book, at least look up a summary online, because what he's doing is so valuable and it was a privilege to hear him speak on Wednesday.
Friday, instead of doing my essay test for philosophy, I went over to the student center with Sarah and the twins from my poetry class (they identify me as the "hand-talker" and inform people that's how one can see I'm Greek) and we saw Roy Wood Jr., a stand-up comedian. Very, very smart planning on the part of IWU, as I was exhausted and stressed from a week's worth of classes and was overdue for a good laugh. Came back to the dorm afterward feeling quite refreshed, as he was very funny. Makes me excited for next weekend, hopefully they'll have more stuff going on. The only thing I know of coming up isn't even directly affiliated with the school, but Donald Miller, who wrote Blue Like Jazz is coming to a local church on Thursday, October 29th. I absolutely have to get myself there.
That is the news from Bloomington for this week. I have also made the executive decision that if my towels are still making me fuzzy after another laundry cycle, I'll be recruiting Mom to bring me not-so-crappy ones.
Also, for those of you who enjoy lyrics, look up the song of the month.
Song of the Month: "Economy of Mercy" by Switchfoot
Song of the Day: "Just Like You" by 3 Days Grace
Until next week!
Janna
Monday, September 7, 2009
Raining
Sept. 6, 2009
It’s raining here in Halkida and I’m told that it hasn’t rained in four months. It has been sunny everyday that I have been here and there has only been clouds a few days; normally it’s been a completely blue sky. It usually only rains in the winter here and if it rains two days in a row people get really depressed.
Since it rarely rains everything is able to be kept open which I really love. In my hometown patios are my favorite room and here you can get the same feel anywhere. (My favorite room is my friend Bailey’s patio) All of the restaurants have outdoor seating and we keep the doors and windows at the flat open all day and night. The only side effect is a lot of mosquito bites but it’s worth it. (luckily the number of mosquitoes here isn’t even comparable to the number in Chicago)
Personally I find the rain refreshing. I enjoy rain and lucky for me I’ll be in Ireland next week where it never stops raining. (That will be interesting) I leave on Saturday and start school the following Monday and I’m very excited. I’ve been waiting a year to go to Bible college and I’m finally on my way.
Dave
It’s raining here in Halkida and I’m told that it hasn’t rained in four months. It has been sunny everyday that I have been here and there has only been clouds a few days; normally it’s been a completely blue sky. It usually only rains in the winter here and if it rains two days in a row people get really depressed.
Since it rarely rains everything is able to be kept open which I really love. In my hometown patios are my favorite room and here you can get the same feel anywhere. (My favorite room is my friend Bailey’s patio) All of the restaurants have outdoor seating and we keep the doors and windows at the flat open all day and night. The only side effect is a lot of mosquito bites but it’s worth it. (luckily the number of mosquitoes here isn’t even comparable to the number in Chicago)
Personally I find the rain refreshing. I enjoy rain and lucky for me I’ll be in Ireland next week where it never stops raining. (That will be interesting) I leave on Saturday and start school the following Monday and I’m very excited. I’ve been waiting a year to go to Bible college and I’m finally on my way.
Dave
Expedition to Istanbul
I am my way back from a journey to Istanbul. I traveled from Halkida, Greece to Thessaloniki, Greece by train and then I took an overnight bus to Istanbul, Turkey. I traveled alone for my first time and it was quite an experience - I’m exhausted...
There were several times when I got nervous that I would miss something or not get somewhere on time but things always worked out; God was good to me. On my way to Thessaloniki I met a nice Christian Nigerian guy named Michael who helped me out and made me dinner before taking me to the bus station. He was quite a blessing to calm my nerves.
Once I left Thessaloniki I was on my own again, but The Lord was still good to me. We crossed the Turkish border in a surprisingly nice bus at 3am and I was surprised at how relaxed the border was considering the two countries hate each other. There was no security, all we had to do was wait in line to get our passports stamped and I had to get a visa since I’m from the U.S. We made it to Istanbul around 8am and I spent the day walking around, exploring the city until about 5pm when I had seen all that I wanted to. I was tired and ready to go back but I had bought my ticket to leave the next day at 10pm thinking that I would want two days to explore the city. I went to the bus company and they switched the day for me so now I’m sitting in their waiting room until we leave in about an hour. They even have an internet connection but I can’t seem to get it to work so I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to post this.
The city was very spectacular, I was very impressed by the beautiful mosques that are abundant throughout the city. (pictures here) I even got to witness a call to prayer which I have a short video of here. The only thing that I hold against this beautiful city is their practice of charging to use the bathroom. I refused to pay and managed to make it through the day by sneaking in a couple times.
The people here seem to have a hard life, especially the people that sell to tourists. It’s very frustrated and exhausting to have people trying to sell you crap all day and it must be even worse for them. They have to constantly put themselves out there in hopes of making a buck. (or a lira for the matter)
Check out all the pictures and enjoy the view. I’m getting ready to leave.
Dave
There were several times when I got nervous that I would miss something or not get somewhere on time but things always worked out; God was good to me. On my way to Thessaloniki I met a nice Christian Nigerian guy named Michael who helped me out and made me dinner before taking me to the bus station. He was quite a blessing to calm my nerves.
Once I left Thessaloniki I was on my own again, but The Lord was still good to me. We crossed the Turkish border in a surprisingly nice bus at 3am and I was surprised at how relaxed the border was considering the two countries hate each other. There was no security, all we had to do was wait in line to get our passports stamped and I had to get a visa since I’m from the U.S. We made it to Istanbul around 8am and I spent the day walking around, exploring the city until about 5pm when I had seen all that I wanted to. I was tired and ready to go back but I had bought my ticket to leave the next day at 10pm thinking that I would want two days to explore the city. I went to the bus company and they switched the day for me so now I’m sitting in their waiting room until we leave in about an hour. They even have an internet connection but I can’t seem to get it to work so I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to post this.
The city was very spectacular, I was very impressed by the beautiful mosques that are abundant throughout the city. (pictures here) I even got to witness a call to prayer which I have a short video of here. The only thing that I hold against this beautiful city is their practice of charging to use the bathroom. I refused to pay and managed to make it through the day by sneaking in a couple times.
The people here seem to have a hard life, especially the people that sell to tourists. It’s very frustrated and exhausting to have people trying to sell you crap all day and it must be even worse for them. They have to constantly put themselves out there in hopes of making a buck. (or a lira for the matter)
Check out all the pictures and enjoy the view. I’m getting ready to leave.
Dave
Web Wall Journal: Update #3
For all those reading this via email, I need to address something entirely unrelated to you for a paragraph. To those reading these updates over facebook, I must confess I am impressed that you managed to write more commentary than I wrote of update last week. I am not so impressed by the majority of its contents. I'm not directly offended by anything written, and I realize everyone is entitled to their opinions, but I have to admit I'm surprised that some of the said opinions are ones that anyone would want to be entitled to. Again, that really isn't my business, and the fact that the comments following the update became an excuse for people to fire insults back and forth at one another doesn't offend me that much, since I realize this sort of thing would happen regardless of my updates. What does offend me is the contribution by so many people to this antagonism fest who would not read my update because of its length, but would spend hours of their day reading and contributing to the contents of a flame war. You know who you are: you're the people who are only reading this to find out how I reacted to this situation. That being said, I only hope this doesn't happen again. But if it does, I won't dedicate another paragraph to address it: it is a waste of space.
For the rest of you...
Grandma, thanks for the tea. I'm thrilled to try it out. I've been deprived of this heavenly substance for too long! For the rest of you who sent me letters, you will be receiving more than just this update: I love writing letters, so I will be replying to them with a quill and nice parchment.
I also wish Randel to know that the hair products purchased work wonders. Frizz is a thing of the past (or a symptom of an extremely humid day) and the body in my hair is no longer intimidating. Also, (this is for Mom too) the cardigan sweaters purchased at Kohl's are ridiculously comfortable, not to mention attractive. I fear, however, that Randel may not be checking the email I am sending this too, so I am counting on Ethan or Emily to either pass along this information, or pester her into checking her email.
This week has, without question, been the best so far here at IWU. Monday was crazy busy, but I felt oddly euphoric anyhow. Probably a high from a weekend with Matthew, update composing, and letter writing. Probably also a relief about having a new roommate (and, therefore, no tense feelings upon entering my room) and now having a routine. Monday I started work as well, and it is definitely not a difficult job. They started me with a very sweet woman named Cathy who, unfortunately did not have enough for me to do, so they transfered me on Thursday to a woman named Kim, who is a very interesting woman to talk to and, ironically, probably has less for me to do. Today and yesterday, she had me study for an hour while she figured out what I could do. I'm not complaining. And when I do work, it's nothing harder than dusting, window cleaning, or vacuuming. (And, yes Mom, I am wearing gloves.) It's especially hilarious to hang out in the break room in the morning, as I discovered today. Some of the guys can't survive the day without an argument, so I sit off to the side with this guy Jason and we chuckle at the heated debates conducted by "pissed-off, middle-aged, white men." (This was a self-description by one of the guys.)
Otherwise, the roommate situation is quite nice. Sarah and I have worked out a system mostly based on honest communication and civility, so that we can both conduct routines without interfering in one another's lives while still being able to enjoy the company of the other. Monday night, Sarah and I had a conversation I've had with Stephanie more than once before: about how there is nothing more disheartening than the idea of getting an education, getting a job, living comfortably....and that being it. Sarah is a Biology/International Studies major (at least she hopes; she, like me, cannot be here more than 4 years, so bio is her priority) and she would like to eventually work with Doctors Without Borders, though her parents are pushing her toward a medical career that makes more money. She was talking about how maybe she'll do a money earning career for a while and volunteer with Habitat for Humanity or something until she can securely work for Doctors Without Borders. I love her work ethic and her desire for something more than complacency.
My social life hasn't ended there either, but for this story, I have to backtrack a bit. Remember when I had to register for classes and ran to the Center of Natural Science when the server crashed and grabbed the only one of two computers available? (See Update 1 if you must, but if you simply take my word for it, you'll be just fine.) Well, the other computer was being used by another freshman named Mark. (I know, that name hasn't bode so well in the past, but we all have to push aside our prejudices.) He commutes, but while we were simultaneously struggling with the server, we had a very nice conversation, and he helped me register that day. He was the first person on campus I really connected well with, but I didn't mention it in Update 1 because we never got to say good-bye properly that day, and I figured with him commuting (plus, he had no classes with me) that I wouldn't likely ever see him again. I left him a note, thanking him for his help, but I figured that it was one of those chance happenings that wasn't meant to go anywhere.
Not so much, as it turns out. Last Friday after German, I caught him as I was leaving class and he remembered me, (and thanked me for my note) though we didn't really talk because he had a paper to do. On Tuesday after chemistry, I was sitting in the lobby of the Center for Natural Science (CNS) with my chemistry homework, thinking I had two hours and could get it done. Well, guess who sat next to me and struck up another conversation. (CNS is really a place for conversation, I guess.) I didn't even start on my chemistry homework, because for two hours I was engaged in the first captivating conversation I've had with someone since I've been here. I've only seen him since during U. choir rehearsal, so not much room for enlightening conversation there, but we're hanging out for lunch next Wednesday (yes, he knows about my relationship—he's part of a commitment too) and we never really finished our conversation on Tuesday before I had to go to class, so I plan on probing his mind a bit more Wednesday.
Now's the part where I tell my first "What Really Happens in College" story. On Monday, I started noticing signs all over Ferguson Hall advertising "Oral Sex" with slogans beneath saying "CUM, it's that exciting!" As you can imagine, I was a bit puzzled, especially when the signs with a place and time showed up (Ferguson Basement, 8 pm on Tuesday) taped everywhere, including the front desk. I started asking around the floor if any of the girls knew what it was (one who had no clue only relayed a traumatic experience of a poster in the elevator with graphic drawings) and it wasn't until the day of that I discovered it's something that happens once a year, where both guys and girl meet up to talk about sex. (Hence, the "oral.") I was at Bible Study while it was going on, one floor up, (anybody else find that a bit ironic?) but some of the girls on my floor went and came back with some very discouraging stories. According to the RA, in past years, this has been a relatively intelligent discussion, but this year, it was simply guys asking obscene questions, and the only girls who answered were three promiscuous ones in the front of the group. Very glad I didn't attend, in that case. Intelligent discussion is one thing; scouting out potential one-night-stands is another. Can't help but be concerned that these people are legal adults.
Which reminds me, I haven't registered to vote yet. Need to get around to that.
That's pretty much it for major developments. Otherwise, I've been insanely busy, (those two hours spent in conversation killed me on Wednesday when I was bogged down with a ridiculous amount of work, but I think it was worth it) but I see that as a good thing. For one, I sleep like a rock, and when my roommate comes in after I'm asleep, there's no way I'm going to wake up. Two, I know I'm not just sitting here waiting for something to happen.
In U. Choir, we're singing some really cool pieces. And then we're singing one by Randall Thompson. For those in Chamber Choir last year, no, this one isn't any better.
Gospel Choir has performed once now. Turns out, the only room for vocal improvisation will require people to learn solos. And you all know how much I hate solos. (Ha.) Plan to start learning one of them next week.
Just wrote a four-page paper for poetry class. The format is epic, but I don't know if the paper is. We'll be revising on Wednesday
Philosophy has become a bit of a problem. The book is still amazing, but actually attending the class is an hour and fifteen minutes of reviewing what we should already know. At this point, most of the class gets the basic premise of each theory under scrutiny, but they don't really understand the more complex issues of the text. This requires a lot of repetition, so the class is currently dragging, though the homework is still fascinating. (Something wrong with that statement?)
I'm going to need to start researching my term paper for chemistry before I choose my topic. At my professor's advice, the topic I'm contemplating could be interesting, but also could be difficult, depending on the information offered by the sources I find. (Reading the Radioactive Boyscout inspired me, because chapter 2 is all about the radium craze of the 20's. With that fresh in my mind, I thought it could be fun to do something along the lines of media and propaganda influence on the environment.) So, next week, I'm going to start looking into collecting sources and seeing if it looks like I can meet all the requirements of the paper with this topic. I'll be starting on that investigation at latest, a week from today.
Otherwise, becoming very involved with Intervarsity here on campus. (For those of you who don't know what Intervarsity is, it is a nondenominational Christian college organization nationally renowned.) So far, the people in Intervarsity are the friendliest I've met here on campus. Last week they actually took me out to eat for the heck of it. Josh, the leader, reminds me of Tommy and Ethan, but just in the sense that he's a genuinely friendly person who can just enjoy conversing with a person. They've all made me feel very welcome here at IWU.
Otherwise, seriously trying to figure out if I can do study abroad. Need to visit the International Office sometime soon. More on that later.
I may need to start leaving out aspects of my life with these updates. As I become busier, that may either happen naturally, or I'll need to counter it. The problem is, once I get started with an update, I just have so much to say. The truth is, from this week alone, I have so much more to say about the stories I've already told, but 1) might be better in a face-to-face conversation and 2) would simply to elaborate to add into this update. For today, however, Saga closes in 40 minutes, so if I'm going to get dinner, I need to end this thing.
Song of the Month: "Economy of Mercy" by Switchfoot
Song of the Day: "Weight of Glory" by Thrice
Until next week!
Janna
For the rest of you...
Grandma, thanks for the tea. I'm thrilled to try it out. I've been deprived of this heavenly substance for too long! For the rest of you who sent me letters, you will be receiving more than just this update: I love writing letters, so I will be replying to them with a quill and nice parchment.
I also wish Randel to know that the hair products purchased work wonders. Frizz is a thing of the past (or a symptom of an extremely humid day) and the body in my hair is no longer intimidating. Also, (this is for Mom too) the cardigan sweaters purchased at Kohl's are ridiculously comfortable, not to mention attractive. I fear, however, that Randel may not be checking the email I am sending this too, so I am counting on Ethan or Emily to either pass along this information, or pester her into checking her email.
This week has, without question, been the best so far here at IWU. Monday was crazy busy, but I felt oddly euphoric anyhow. Probably a high from a weekend with Matthew, update composing, and letter writing. Probably also a relief about having a new roommate (and, therefore, no tense feelings upon entering my room) and now having a routine. Monday I started work as well, and it is definitely not a difficult job. They started me with a very sweet woman named Cathy who, unfortunately did not have enough for me to do, so they transfered me on Thursday to a woman named Kim, who is a very interesting woman to talk to and, ironically, probably has less for me to do. Today and yesterday, she had me study for an hour while she figured out what I could do. I'm not complaining. And when I do work, it's nothing harder than dusting, window cleaning, or vacuuming. (And, yes Mom, I am wearing gloves.) It's especially hilarious to hang out in the break room in the morning, as I discovered today. Some of the guys can't survive the day without an argument, so I sit off to the side with this guy Jason and we chuckle at the heated debates conducted by "pissed-off, middle-aged, white men." (This was a self-description by one of the guys.)
Otherwise, the roommate situation is quite nice. Sarah and I have worked out a system mostly based on honest communication and civility, so that we can both conduct routines without interfering in one another's lives while still being able to enjoy the company of the other. Monday night, Sarah and I had a conversation I've had with Stephanie more than once before: about how there is nothing more disheartening than the idea of getting an education, getting a job, living comfortably....and that being it. Sarah is a Biology/International Studies major (at least she hopes; she, like me, cannot be here more than 4 years, so bio is her priority) and she would like to eventually work with Doctors Without Borders, though her parents are pushing her toward a medical career that makes more money. She was talking about how maybe she'll do a money earning career for a while and volunteer with Habitat for Humanity or something until she can securely work for Doctors Without Borders. I love her work ethic and her desire for something more than complacency.
My social life hasn't ended there either, but for this story, I have to backtrack a bit. Remember when I had to register for classes and ran to the Center of Natural Science when the server crashed and grabbed the only one of two computers available? (See Update 1 if you must, but if you simply take my word for it, you'll be just fine.) Well, the other computer was being used by another freshman named Mark. (I know, that name hasn't bode so well in the past, but we all have to push aside our prejudices.) He commutes, but while we were simultaneously struggling with the server, we had a very nice conversation, and he helped me register that day. He was the first person on campus I really connected well with, but I didn't mention it in Update 1 because we never got to say good-bye properly that day, and I figured with him commuting (plus, he had no classes with me) that I wouldn't likely ever see him again. I left him a note, thanking him for his help, but I figured that it was one of those chance happenings that wasn't meant to go anywhere.
Not so much, as it turns out. Last Friday after German, I caught him as I was leaving class and he remembered me, (and thanked me for my note) though we didn't really talk because he had a paper to do. On Tuesday after chemistry, I was sitting in the lobby of the Center for Natural Science (CNS) with my chemistry homework, thinking I had two hours and could get it done. Well, guess who sat next to me and struck up another conversation. (CNS is really a place for conversation, I guess.) I didn't even start on my chemistry homework, because for two hours I was engaged in the first captivating conversation I've had with someone since I've been here. I've only seen him since during U. choir rehearsal, so not much room for enlightening conversation there, but we're hanging out for lunch next Wednesday (yes, he knows about my relationship—he's part of a commitment too) and we never really finished our conversation on Tuesday before I had to go to class, so I plan on probing his mind a bit more Wednesday.
Now's the part where I tell my first "What Really Happens in College" story. On Monday, I started noticing signs all over Ferguson Hall advertising "Oral Sex" with slogans beneath saying "CUM, it's that exciting!" As you can imagine, I was a bit puzzled, especially when the signs with a place and time showed up (Ferguson Basement, 8 pm on Tuesday) taped everywhere, including the front desk. I started asking around the floor if any of the girls knew what it was (one who had no clue only relayed a traumatic experience of a poster in the elevator with graphic drawings) and it wasn't until the day of that I discovered it's something that happens once a year, where both guys and girl meet up to talk about sex. (Hence, the "oral.") I was at Bible Study while it was going on, one floor up, (anybody else find that a bit ironic?) but some of the girls on my floor went and came back with some very discouraging stories. According to the RA, in past years, this has been a relatively intelligent discussion, but this year, it was simply guys asking obscene questions, and the only girls who answered were three promiscuous ones in the front of the group. Very glad I didn't attend, in that case. Intelligent discussion is one thing; scouting out potential one-night-stands is another. Can't help but be concerned that these people are legal adults.
Which reminds me, I haven't registered to vote yet. Need to get around to that.
That's pretty much it for major developments. Otherwise, I've been insanely busy, (those two hours spent in conversation killed me on Wednesday when I was bogged down with a ridiculous amount of work, but I think it was worth it) but I see that as a good thing. For one, I sleep like a rock, and when my roommate comes in after I'm asleep, there's no way I'm going to wake up. Two, I know I'm not just sitting here waiting for something to happen.
In U. Choir, we're singing some really cool pieces. And then we're singing one by Randall Thompson. For those in Chamber Choir last year, no, this one isn't any better.
Gospel Choir has performed once now. Turns out, the only room for vocal improvisation will require people to learn solos. And you all know how much I hate solos. (Ha.) Plan to start learning one of them next week.
Just wrote a four-page paper for poetry class. The format is epic, but I don't know if the paper is. We'll be revising on Wednesday
Philosophy has become a bit of a problem. The book is still amazing, but actually attending the class is an hour and fifteen minutes of reviewing what we should already know. At this point, most of the class gets the basic premise of each theory under scrutiny, but they don't really understand the more complex issues of the text. This requires a lot of repetition, so the class is currently dragging, though the homework is still fascinating. (Something wrong with that statement?)
I'm going to need to start researching my term paper for chemistry before I choose my topic. At my professor's advice, the topic I'm contemplating could be interesting, but also could be difficult, depending on the information offered by the sources I find. (Reading the Radioactive Boyscout inspired me, because chapter 2 is all about the radium craze of the 20's. With that fresh in my mind, I thought it could be fun to do something along the lines of media and propaganda influence on the environment.) So, next week, I'm going to start looking into collecting sources and seeing if it looks like I can meet all the requirements of the paper with this topic. I'll be starting on that investigation at latest, a week from today.
Otherwise, becoming very involved with Intervarsity here on campus. (For those of you who don't know what Intervarsity is, it is a nondenominational Christian college organization nationally renowned.) So far, the people in Intervarsity are the friendliest I've met here on campus. Last week they actually took me out to eat for the heck of it. Josh, the leader, reminds me of Tommy and Ethan, but just in the sense that he's a genuinely friendly person who can just enjoy conversing with a person. They've all made me feel very welcome here at IWU.
Otherwise, seriously trying to figure out if I can do study abroad. Need to visit the International Office sometime soon. More on that later.
I may need to start leaving out aspects of my life with these updates. As I become busier, that may either happen naturally, or I'll need to counter it. The problem is, once I get started with an update, I just have so much to say. The truth is, from this week alone, I have so much more to say about the stories I've already told, but 1) might be better in a face-to-face conversation and 2) would simply to elaborate to add into this update. For today, however, Saga closes in 40 minutes, so if I'm going to get dinner, I need to end this thing.
Song of the Month: "Economy of Mercy" by Switchfoot
Song of the Day: "Weight of Glory" by Thrice
Until next week!
Janna
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Web Wall Journal: Update #2
Greetings again from IWU. I will confess to being a complete newb and not including my mailing address with my first update.
1209 N. Main St.
Bloomington, IL 61701
What's sad, is I had to double check the accuracy of that on a piece of mail sent to me from Emily. (Thanks, Em.)
First week of classes was great. At least the classes were. In truth, the beginning of the week got fairly unbearable because the roommate situation was getting ridiculously frustrating. I did my fair share of venting to various people back home and, because just unlocking the door to my room was a stressful event, (heart pounding as I wondered whether she would be behind the door or not) I have gotten to know Ames library rather well. It's a beautiful, quiet place anyway, and I was able to get all my work done ridiculously efficiently. For those of you who remember me raving about this place before I came, the library was one of the dominant reasons I fell in love with this place. It's still my favorite place, if not more so than before.
As for this upcoming week, the roommate stress should be over. Lauren moved in with a girl down the hall and that girl's roommate moved in with me. The arrangement worked out surprisingly well, since Sarah (my new roommate) is actually one of the girls here on my floor that I've gotten along with best since I got here. Plus, she's content to live without a television and we're both pretty laid back in general. I like her a lot, it helps that I can have a conversation with her, and she's an easily likable person. That transition happened Friday afternoon, and already it makes being here easier.
The classes I have are excellent too. Or, at least they're all good. German is ehh, but there's definitely nothing wrong with it. It's the class I'm in most of the week, but thankfully I have some background in the language, it's making the work much easier. Something interesting I learned in that class: in English, we capitalize the letter I because back before printing, when monks were writing out everything, the small letter "i" was often lost amongst all the other letters. For visibility's sake, they began capitalizing it and we still use this convention today.
My poetry class isn't a problem at all. So far, it has been very casual and relatively informal. Nothing much to report yet. However, my Tuesday/Thursday classes are my exciting ones. Chemistry of the Environment is bringing back a lot of what I loved about chemistry in high school. I've always liked chemistry's way of giving me a mental break from abstract thinking while still being fascinating. (A conversation with a chem major on Friday illuminated the fact that this is only true for basic chem, and that after the early stuff, it gets a little psychotic. I told him that's why I wasn't majoring in it.) This chemistry class is all about practical application too. We've been talking a lot about Air Quality Index (AQI) and pollutants. By accident, while flipping through my book, I discovered that incense gives off carcinogens. Have made the resolution to cut back to one a week whenever I'm at home. (I sound like a nicotine addict.) This class really reinforces the "go green" compulsion this school has. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I'm all for helping the environment, but it's easier to find a recycle bin around here than a garbage can. I spent five minutes looking for a place to dispose of my gum on Friday before a choir rehearsal.
(For those of you wondering, it is entirely coincidence that the school's colors are green and white while being an environmental school.)
The last class is my philosophy class, called Rights and Wrongs. As you can imagine, I love it. I'm not so sure about the professor. She's really young and reminds me of a highschool student a bit too much, (she uses the word "like" at least twice per sentence) but she obviously knows what she's talking about when she starts on philosophy. And the text she has assigned us is fascinating. Right now we're discussing whether there is such a thing as moral right and wrong, and how it is determined. There are a five different theories, which I will outline below, and the reading approaches all of them in great detail.
Moral Objectivism: there is a right and wrong, not dictated by mankind
Moral Subjectivism: morals are determined by the individual, and everyone's individual set of morals are correct
Moral Relativism: morals are determined by a society, and every society's individual morals are correct
NihilismError-theory: morals do not have truth value, and are therefore not applicable
Non-cognitivism: an expression of morals is simply a way to communicate personal preferences, make alliances, and individualize
I firmly adhere to moral objectivism, and the author of the book we're reading is too, which is nice. One thing, of course, that needs to be acknowledged is that moral objectivism does not claim to necessarily know all the exact rights and wrongs. That would be moral absolutism, which isn't directly related. Objectivists do believe there are ways to know what those rights and wrongs are, though. Haven't gotten there in the book yet.
Also, for those of you who are drawn toward Moral Subjectivism and Moral Relativism because of their nice middle ground or seemingly logical appeal, be careful. The arguments against them are strongest.
Can you tell I'm dying to discuss this stuff with people?
Outside of the classroom, I'm not involved with chapel choir (unofficially known as "gospel choir") and university choir. Everyone here, even if they have heard my range, likes me as an alto or mezzo, and I'm totally fine with that. There are plenty of girls dying to be sopranos. Looking forward to that.
Otherwise, finally nailed down a work-study job. Actually working custodial, but I've heard it's not as bad as the stigma might imply. Besides, I'm not above working any job. I'm still getting paid. Starts tomorrow, hopefully it goes okay.
This weekend was spent with Matthew, who is currently driving back to Carbondale. It was a very necessary break, as this week's living space was practically nonexistent. We hiked the Constitution Trail, a trail that used to be a railroad back in the day. There were some interesting landmarks about it. We only walked for a few hours because I chose to look nice and wear not walking shoes, (big mistake) but it was enjoyable anyhow. The truth is, there's not much to do here on weekends, but Matthew claims the same for Carbondale. We don't think it has anything to do with the locations or where we are, we think it's simply the college thing. Neither of us have really established ourselves yet, so we don't really have people to hang out with on weekends yet. So far, all there is to do on weekends is frat parties, but I have not been given very good impressions of Greek life here, even from people involved, so I'm kind of avoiding it for now. It's a trust thing, really. I suppose I don't feel like walking into situations I'm not prepared for if I can't trust anyone. I'm confident that eventually, weekends will start to liven a bit as I find a place and things to do, but until then, it's slow here when there are no classes.
One last thought, I have finally met a Luke! (As well as two Marks, but that part of the gospels has been filled for me.) He's in my philosophy class and possibly joining Intervaristy, (a student Bible study I'm getting involved with) so I was excited. And he wasn't too freaked out when I got excited over his name. (I think he and everyone else found it amusing, actually, once I explained that I need an acquaintance for each of the gospels and I'm overloaded with Marks and Johns.)
Song of the day: "Wildflower" by Sheryl Crow
Anyhow, that is all for now. Looking forward to writing letters after this is posted and emailed.
I miss you all so much,
Janna
1209 N. Main St.
Bloomington, IL 61701
What's sad, is I had to double check the accuracy of that on a piece of mail sent to me from Emily. (Thanks, Em.)
First week of classes was great. At least the classes were. In truth, the beginning of the week got fairly unbearable because the roommate situation was getting ridiculously frustrating. I did my fair share of venting to various people back home and, because just unlocking the door to my room was a stressful event, (heart pounding as I wondered whether she would be behind the door or not) I have gotten to know Ames library rather well. It's a beautiful, quiet place anyway, and I was able to get all my work done ridiculously efficiently. For those of you who remember me raving about this place before I came, the library was one of the dominant reasons I fell in love with this place. It's still my favorite place, if not more so than before.
As for this upcoming week, the roommate stress should be over. Lauren moved in with a girl down the hall and that girl's roommate moved in with me. The arrangement worked out surprisingly well, since Sarah (my new roommate) is actually one of the girls here on my floor that I've gotten along with best since I got here. Plus, she's content to live without a television and we're both pretty laid back in general. I like her a lot, it helps that I can have a conversation with her, and she's an easily likable person. That transition happened Friday afternoon, and already it makes being here easier.
The classes I have are excellent too. Or, at least they're all good. German is ehh, but there's definitely nothing wrong with it. It's the class I'm in most of the week, but thankfully I have some background in the language, it's making the work much easier. Something interesting I learned in that class: in English, we capitalize the letter I because back before printing, when monks were writing out everything, the small letter "i" was often lost amongst all the other letters. For visibility's sake, they began capitalizing it and we still use this convention today.
My poetry class isn't a problem at all. So far, it has been very casual and relatively informal. Nothing much to report yet. However, my Tuesday/Thursday classes are my exciting ones. Chemistry of the Environment is bringing back a lot of what I loved about chemistry in high school. I've always liked chemistry's way of giving me a mental break from abstract thinking while still being fascinating. (A conversation with a chem major on Friday illuminated the fact that this is only true for basic chem, and that after the early stuff, it gets a little psychotic. I told him that's why I wasn't majoring in it.) This chemistry class is all about practical application too. We've been talking a lot about Air Quality Index (AQI) and pollutants. By accident, while flipping through my book, I discovered that incense gives off carcinogens. Have made the resolution to cut back to one a week whenever I'm at home. (I sound like a nicotine addict.) This class really reinforces the "go green" compulsion this school has. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I'm all for helping the environment, but it's easier to find a recycle bin around here than a garbage can. I spent five minutes looking for a place to dispose of my gum on Friday before a choir rehearsal.
(For those of you wondering, it is entirely coincidence that the school's colors are green and white while being an environmental school.)
The last class is my philosophy class, called Rights and Wrongs. As you can imagine, I love it. I'm not so sure about the professor. She's really young and reminds me of a highschool student a bit too much, (she uses the word "like" at least twice per sentence) but she obviously knows what she's talking about when she starts on philosophy. And the text she has assigned us is fascinating. Right now we're discussing whether there is such a thing as moral right and wrong, and how it is determined. There are a five different theories, which I will outline below, and the reading approaches all of them in great detail.
Moral Objectivism: there is a right and wrong, not dictated by mankind
Moral Subjectivism: morals are determined by the individual, and everyone's individual set of morals are correct
Moral Relativism: morals are determined by a society, and every society's individual morals are correct
NihilismError-theory: morals do not have truth value, and are therefore not applicable
Non-cognitivism: an expression of morals is simply a way to communicate personal preferences, make alliances, and individualize
I firmly adhere to moral objectivism, and the author of the book we're reading is too, which is nice. One thing, of course, that needs to be acknowledged is that moral objectivism does not claim to necessarily know all the exact rights and wrongs. That would be moral absolutism, which isn't directly related. Objectivists do believe there are ways to know what those rights and wrongs are, though. Haven't gotten there in the book yet.
Also, for those of you who are drawn toward Moral Subjectivism and Moral Relativism because of their nice middle ground or seemingly logical appeal, be careful. The arguments against them are strongest.
Can you tell I'm dying to discuss this stuff with people?
Outside of the classroom, I'm not involved with chapel choir (unofficially known as "gospel choir") and university choir. Everyone here, even if they have heard my range, likes me as an alto or mezzo, and I'm totally fine with that. There are plenty of girls dying to be sopranos. Looking forward to that.
Otherwise, finally nailed down a work-study job. Actually working custodial, but I've heard it's not as bad as the stigma might imply. Besides, I'm not above working any job. I'm still getting paid. Starts tomorrow, hopefully it goes okay.
This weekend was spent with Matthew, who is currently driving back to Carbondale. It was a very necessary break, as this week's living space was practically nonexistent. We hiked the Constitution Trail, a trail that used to be a railroad back in the day. There were some interesting landmarks about it. We only walked for a few hours because I chose to look nice and wear not walking shoes, (big mistake) but it was enjoyable anyhow. The truth is, there's not much to do here on weekends, but Matthew claims the same for Carbondale. We don't think it has anything to do with the locations or where we are, we think it's simply the college thing. Neither of us have really established ourselves yet, so we don't really have people to hang out with on weekends yet. So far, all there is to do on weekends is frat parties, but I have not been given very good impressions of Greek life here, even from people involved, so I'm kind of avoiding it for now. It's a trust thing, really. I suppose I don't feel like walking into situations I'm not prepared for if I can't trust anyone. I'm confident that eventually, weekends will start to liven a bit as I find a place and things to do, but until then, it's slow here when there are no classes.
One last thought, I have finally met a Luke! (As well as two Marks, but that part of the gospels has been filled for me.) He's in my philosophy class and possibly joining Intervaristy, (a student Bible study I'm getting involved with) so I was excited. And he wasn't too freaked out when I got excited over his name. (I think he and everyone else found it amusing, actually, once I explained that I need an acquaintance for each of the gospels and I'm overloaded with Marks and Johns.)
Song of the day: "Wildflower" by Sheryl Crow
Anyhow, that is all for now. Looking forward to writing letters after this is posted and emailed.
I miss you all so much,
Janna
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