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
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