Homecoming Slideshow

http://www.simpson.edu/slideshows/homecoming09/

I particularly am amused by the upset faces at the end (Yes, we lost to Central, we got SMOKED.)

Fall break!

Fall break starts tomorrow and I am extremely excited because it is the first time since I came to college that I get to go home and see my family and friends and my bf.

Dance class continues to be fun. I convinced one of my friends to join me and I did the guy part while she did the girl part. We'll switch it up more as we do it longer.

I have surprisingly little homework over break. I'm happy about that.

I'm going to do laundry at home over break too! This is a good thing as I have not done laundry for a week...

Happy Diwali!

Diwali is a Hindu festival and it appears to be something like Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July combined. We went to the Iowa Cultural Center and Temple, and the building is rather striking. It is all white, with many statues and elaborate carvings on it. Inside we had to take our shoes off to enter the sanctuary area. In this area, there were several deities. Some were white colored, like large porcelain dolls, and some were black colored. There were alcoves, some with one deity, some with multiple. Each had faucets, and a drain, for some reason. Each alcove had a place where only the priest could go, and each also had a kind of offering jar.

The ceremonies we were a part of were called poonja, or blessing. There was a HUUUGE altar in the front-middle part of the room, covered with many many bowls of food and drinks and all kinds of offerings. The priest would sing and the people would sing and clap, all while seated cross-legged on the floor. It was interesting- they'd be chanting and clapping, kind of in an excited, festival way, and then they'd suddenly go very serious. There was a guy who would walk around with a small mustard oil lamp, waving it in front of each alcove, while constantly ringing a bell. The priest (who was half robed) had a plate of these lamps and waved them around too. He also threw some flowers onto the altar. It was confusing because nothing was in English. I looked at the Hindi people around the altar who were singing and clapping. They had such pretty fabrics and jewelry on.

After the ceremonies we went outside (we put our shoes back on) for supper. They had many dishes, but the only one I really liked was the flat fry-bread like food. There was this rice that was an odd color, and I found out why when I took a bite- the spices were very strong. There were no meats. Some of the food had unusual flavors but I can't really describe them. One thing had saffron, possibly. I'm not really sure.

After eating we went inside to look around the sanctuary room more closely. It was pretty interesting. After all that, we went back to our van, drove out of the parking lot, and parked by the side of the road for the fireworks show. The fireworks were very nicely done. They shot very high and they even had smiley face fireworks! Cool.

We returned to Simpson and now I'm writing this post. I have a pancake breakfast in the morning to help with, so I'd better go to bed soon. Goodnight.

Smile.

This song has been on repeat all day. Thanks to the person who sent it to me! :)

Salsa!

Dance, dance!

Tonight I learned basic salsa, merengue, and reggaeton dance steps. Awkwardness ensued because I had to dance with this guy who was about my height and he kept trying to spin me. Humorous. Don't worry, he kept his hands in the proper place and didn't try to get in my space too much. I had fun dancing, but I wished it was my bf and not some random guy whose name I still don't know...

Only a few more days till fall break! I am excited.

Wednesday Wackiness...

Procrastination for the win.


This video is very cute, and the title lyric keeps playing in my head.




I did four homework assignments yesterday,and I did one and started another today. I think I'm allowed a tiny break today.

I've been pretty busy since the weekend. I've got 2 papers due Friday (one's done, the other's started) and a major reading assignment due Friday as well. Next Monday-Wednesday is midterm time, but I think none of my classes have midterms.

Monday was a good day, just learning things about other people who I never took the time to get to know in high school. I am learning some valuable lessons. 1- if you were a jerk to someone, even if only in your head, apologizing is pretty much awesome, and makes things better. 2- the person you talk to is actually pretty interesting, and you should kick yourself for not having been nicer to said person. 3- Don't judge people by their actions. Maybe they don't know they're being rude. It was a good conversation, and I also REALLY learned these things, not just thought them.

Also on Monday, my girlfriend who was in swim team finally quit. We have been waiting for that! My CA actually said "Congratulations!" when she said she was quitting! She has been doing too much, and she seems happier and healthier now that she has had a chance to recover a bit. However, she wanted to keep working out, so we started working out today.

Tuesday I started my ballroom dance class! I was super-excited before and I still am after. I was a tiny bit late, maybe 3 minutes, because it was dark and I had to drive in the rain (a friend let me borrow her car, her mom said it was okay- the friend was sick, sadface). However, I was one of 3 single ladies, and we all danced the guy part and the girl part with each other. I tended to dance the guy part and they'd do the girl part (it was easier for me to learn the steps), and then the lady instructor would dance the guy part with me, and I'd dance the girl part. We learned 2 steps for Foxtrot, and will continue next week with a turning move for Foxtrot and starting the Waltz. It should be pretty fun. :D

Also Tuesday, I missed out on the seasonal (Not H1N1)flu shot clinic because by the time I got there, they were out. They are offering the H1N1 shot/mist at the Administration Building for free, but I hesitate to use an untested vaccination.

Today my girlfriend who quit swim team and I worked out in the weight room. It totally kicked my butt, because it was the first time I REALLY worked out in quite a while (read: since Spring), but "it hurts so good" as she said. We did squats, lat pulls, a few arm curls, and 20 minutes of cardio on the elliptical machines, after that she did crunches and I kind of just laid on the floor, feebly doing about 40 crunches total. We are going to work out together for an hour every day except weekends (Sat&Sun). Neither of us can do a workout on our own and stick with it, but together we can do it!

Tonight's campus worship was good. There's a song called The Stand that is very emotional, strong, etc. I like it. Also, I've found out that my LAS professor is not actually a flaming atheist. That is a comfort.

Shout-out to my family- I love you all! :)
Shout-out to the W. family, you know who you are. I love you guys. All of you. :)

Simpson Homecoming Weekend

This week has been homecoming week here at Simpson, and the festivities have been great. Not only is there a mental health screening, there are jokes about the Ugly Central Girls...

But anyway, I digress.

Wednesday night. Campus Worship. The pep band *that I was not in* played songs and the RLC folks made up new lyrics. I thought it was funny but vaguely blasphemous, particularly when they made "Stacy's Mom" into "Jesus' Mom"... Yikes. There was no sermon, either. But we sang the school song! And had lots of Bible verses!

Thursday night. Float, Sink, or Swim. This was pretty awesome. Two person boats, made of cardboard and duct tape, must make it across the swimming pool and back. Some of them sank pretty badly- a sorority didn't duct tape their whole boat, and it went down... It was fun to watch.

Friday night. Yell Like Hell. This is a pep rally, but it wasn't really that peppy to me. The pep band played *I was there this time* and there were a lot of groups that did stomping routines. Broke Phi Broke was probably the best- 7 guys and some pretty awesome stunts. There was SAE, who had a guy who did back handsprings and back flips. Also, they crowned the homecoming king and queen. The guy who did the tricks was king and I don't know who the queen was.

This morning. I woke up to find that it was snowing! There was supposed to be pep band at the football game today, but our director called it off. Phew. I was worried that I would have to freeze at the game. Our stadium is outdoors, not in... Brrr!! Anywho, I am not going to the game at all. I'll look at the score online or something.

October 10th and there's snow?

January Schofield

This is January "Jani" Schofield, who is six years old. Isn't she adorable? But she has a hidden disease: schizophrenia. Her father, Michael Schofield, blogs about his daily life with her at www.januaryfirst.org. I just have to share this section from a post titled "Move One Muscle" with you. I find it beautiful.

On U2’s previous album, “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” (I get the title now. Everyday we try to dismantle the atomic bomb within Jani) there is a song called “Miracle Drug.”


Bono has said that this song is about how God works through medicine, which I believe. However, the idea for the song came from the band’s relationship with Christopher Nolan (not the actor). There had been complications when Christopher was born in 1965; he had been deprived of oxygen for two hours and was born with cerebral palsy, leaving him unable to move anything but his eyes. He could not speak.


During his life, Christopher was a writer, a poet. And in order to help him write, he needed a pointer that attached to the middle of his forehead, which he used to pick out letters on the keyboard.


But even that was not enough.


The world would never have known the beauty inside Christopher’s head without his mother, Bernadette.


Because Bernadette would stand behind him for hours on end, holding his head in her hands, which allowed him to pick out the letters on the keyboard.


I think that may be the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. Bernadette Nolan could have left her son to suffer in silence. Instead, she literally held his life in his hands, standing, ignoring her own discomfort, so her son could share himself with the world.


So what is the “miracle drug?” I wish I could say it was Thorazine or Clozaril. But it isn’t. We need the drugs, yes, because they help. Eventually, a drug was invented that allowed Christopher the ability to move his neck and shoulders before he died.


But the miracle drug was not that drug. The miracle drug is a muscle. Ultimately, it is the only muscle that needs to move.


The miracle drug is the human heart.


The miracle drug is the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and friends who are willing do what it takes. The miracle drug are all of you who have taken it upon yourself to hold another’s life in your hands. The miracle drug is all of you who never give up, even when everybody is telling you you should.


The miracle drug is you.

Tuesday again

I'm procrastinating right now. I should be writing a paper, and I should be doing Spanish vocabulary, and I should be reading chapter 9 of my book for my LAS (I read it last night but I was sleep-deprived to the point of silliness at the time and don't remember what I read) but I need a break and Mom and Dad have been after me to tell them things about how college is going, so here I am, blogging.

Well, I suppose I should talk about my weekend at the Y-camp in Boone. It was relaxing and soothing, for sure. We had a fireplace and a fire, and cushions so we could lay on the floor in front of the fire, feeling it warm us. That in particular was so relaxing. We had LOTS of food. I pigged out a little bit. Sun Chips, fruit snacks... Yum!

We had worship and talk time, a lot of both. We sang Prince of Peace so many times that I think I have it memorized now, both the male and female parts. I enjoyed singing with the people who were there. There were 20 of us, 14 girls and 6 guys. We did a lot of talking about ourselves, and about God, and how things were in our lives. It felt good to talk. We played a game called the Un-Game, which basically was a question and answer game, and it helped us talk about things. I learned that approximately half of the people who were there have divorced parents. That's not something that people just tell you. It was eye-opening and made the statistic that about half of all marriages now end in divorce so much more real. It's just a number until you connect people to it.

It was so wonderful to be in nature, hearing the wind rustle through the trees, seeing the colors of fall, watching the peaceful river rippled by fish, breathing the clean air. Even hearing and seeing a train go by was peaceful in its own way. The experience made me miss Aldersgate... On Saturday morning I discovered a beautiful outdoor chapel, high up the hill, 147 steps up. My legs hurt when I finally made it to the top, but it was beautiful and serene. Buxton Park, here outside my window, is "natural" too, but it's too groomed and doesn't have any water to stare into, so it's not as peaceful.

I learned a lot about the other RLC people this weekend and I liked the chance to get off-campus. I got to watch one of the guys be silly and climb up the fireplace, and I got to watch people make a beat band (they all had their own "instruments" and made a song out of it). We got to play a game where we had to think of and sing as many songs as possible that fit a theme. For example, "sky" yielded "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds", and "Singin' in the Rain". That was pretty fun, especially when the song theme was "Songs that have a dance, and you have to do the dance, too". :D

We ate at Hickory Park in Ames on the way back to campus. Needless to say, the food was delicious BBQ and ice cream (they serve Blue Bunny, woohoo!). Sunday afternoon around 1:30, we were back on campus and I was procrastinating on my paper that is due Wednesday. I spent much of the afternoon "catching up" and hanging out with my girlfriends. Roomie had her boyfriend here (apparently all weekend??) and so I didn't want to be in my room to work on my homework. Not because they were doing anything, it's just that they were distracting.

Monday I was tired, and I went to classes. In LAS we discussed the nature of God because we are starting to get into our large arguments of the semester: "How does the idea of God square with all the evil in the world?" and "Does the existence of the world mean that there is a God?" It's basically a creationism/intelligent design argument. It woke me up to listen and contribute to the argument.

Psych was about learning and conditioning. Thanks Mom for the advice that a child should be in time-out for about a minute for each year of age- it made me sound smart in class! :) The professor showed us videos that I saw in my high school Psych class, but they had cute kitties, so it was okay. Haha. :)

Spanish was fun. We got to teach the TA/Fulbright Scholar from Argentina about America's educational system, and she was surprised by some of it, particularly the length of the school day. Apparently, in Argentina, the students are in school for longer periods of time than American students are.

English was funny because there was a spider on the wall, and I made the 'mistake' of pointing it out to my girlfriend who hates spiders (she was sitting next to me) and the look on her face... Absolutely priceless. She watched that spider all through the lecture and note-taking. I thought it was hilarious, because said spider was about the size of a regular fly and it was on the opposite wall from where we were sitting.

I ate lunch at the Grill Express, which was pretty decent- tacos. I had a nap, because I was sleep deprived. I tried to work on my brain-breaking paper. And then, I went to Spanish table. Oh was that entertaining! The TA from Argentina is the leader of it. We were talking about how it has gotten cold here, and she said she went to Jordan Creek Mall this weekend for clothes, but the sales weren't for cold-weather clothes yet. She asked "When are the sales?" and we told her about Black Friday. She was appalled and amazed. It was funny. Her: "I don't want to get killed!" Us: "Just don't go at 4 AM when they open, you'll be fine." Her: "Are you sure?" Us: "Yep! You'll be fine."

I came back to my room to work on my brain-breaking paper and ended up having a mini-breakdown. Don't worry, I'm fine. I was just so tired of writing and sleep-deprived I ended up being EXTREMELY silly. I said stupid stuff, like this exchange between me and one of my girlfriends.
Me: "I have two shoes to throw at you. That's a lot."
Her: "Two is not a lot."
Me: "Well, there are four more shoes here. That's... SIX! I can do BASIC MATH!"
Her: "Your basic math skills cannot help you now!"
Me: "Really?"
Her: "Really."
Me: "Aww man... Ooh! I can spell too!"
Her: "Spell... antidisestablishmentarianism."
Me: "a-n-t-i-d-i-s-e-s-t-a-b-l-i... (a pause to think) m-n-o-p! *hysterical laughter*"
Her: *shakes head*

And then I cried because my flash drive appeared to be extremely RUINED because I picked up my computer and accidentally folded the flash drive against me. I realized it looked broken and wham! instant tears. Hysterical laughter to instant tears. I was NOT in a properly rested state despite having had a nap. My girlfriends forced me to go to bed and I feel much better today.


Today I went to the doctor for yet another check-up on my ear, and he said it was much improved" and I am wearing my hearing aid again. Yay for being able to hear again!

I am going to go check out the CASA presentation on Argentina given by the TA and a buddy of hers. Should be interesting and I am looking forward to it- tonight at 6.

I am also going to check out a Hindu temple in a couple weeks with InterFaith. That too should be interesting.

There are a lot of really cool Forum events coming up- more about them later.

As for my brain-breaking paper, I HAVE to finish it tonight or I'm going to be doomed. What would you write when given these questions? "What facts are most certain and why? Is there anything more certain than facts?" OW MY BRAIN HURTS. It doesn't help that I don't see a point to this assignment, either. Facts are facts are facts... Update: Paper is finished, and coherent. Woo!

All in all, a very good weekend, and an odd week so far.

Two things

1. I will be gone til Sunday afternoon. Feel free to leave emails, comments, fb messages, etc.

2. Today is 23 months. Happy 23, my dear. <3

Happy October!

I have been pretty busy with papers, but I've finished now, except for one that is due Wednesday. I've started thinking deeply about it, though.

This week, it has been raining a lot at night, then in the mornings it is still gray, so I have been tricked into carrying my umbrella when it isn't raining. Alas.

This week I have been presented with an interesting question: Is there something more certain than facts?

Mom and Dad and Grandma came to visit on Sunday for Family Weekend and they got to meet most of the RLC people. That was pretty cool. They got me a DQ blizzard- Cookie Jar. It was okay. I prefer just one type of cookie if I'm going to have a cookie blizzard.

My friends are sick, but I am not. That makes me confused. However, one of them is in a lot of stuff and she is going to drop from exhaustion, I just know it. She has 2 choirs, swim practice 2x day, homework, classes, and 5 hours of enforced study in the library each week.

I suppose I ought to say what I am in nowadays. Monday I have class, Spanish table, and Pep Band. Tuesday I have volunteering in the coffeeshop and no other obligations (but I am going to start doing other volunteering). Wednesday I have class, Spanish table (if I want), Revelation Singers, and Campus Worship. Thursday I have one class, Forum Events (if they happen), and Atta Ha-eesh, a new Bible study group. Friday I have class and no other obligations. Saturday, no obligations. Sunday, church and no other obligations. I go to bed around 10:30 each night and get up at 7:00. It's not a bad routine.

I don't know what else to talk about... Life is fine. :)