When schoolwork crosses with dessert...

For those of you who were previously unaware of the fact, ice cream is a continuous substance, while M&M's are discrete ones.

And that is your Aristotelian thought for the day.

So...

In the face of all things going on right now, I have developed a romantic attraction to someone. I've had itty bitty attractions here and there over the past 4 years, but none quite this large since then. Do I like it? In a way. What girl doesn't? Yet at the same time I strongly dislike it. I'm usually very outgoing and friendly with guys, but I don't even dare let this particular person catch me looking at him. I blush and quickly avert my eyes. What?! This is NOT the regular Brittany. Also, having his face pop up in my mind while I'm working on a science test is not the best thing. Not to mention that my prayers become interrupted with random thoughts of...*gulp*...him. This is rather normal, isn't it? Well, yes it is, but it's fair to say that I enjoyed life much more when I wasn't attracted to anyone. Jesus was my only Prince for a very long time, and I want to keep it that way. Oh, He still is, but He now shares a space in my thoughts with someone else. I do think that this is an excellent opportunity for me to really, I mean REALLY, cling to Jesus. If I don't, I'm very sure I'll slip and fall down the steep, arduous mountain that I've been trying to climb up this past year. I think it's very odd how I suddenly developed an attraction just as I'm about to head off to a vocation retreat. Or maybe I'm just analzying things too deeply. Le sigh.

Oh, and tomorrow I'm watching the Exorcist with a huge bag of chocolate by my side. Chocolate is very near and dear to me. It has always been there to see me through life's hardest situations. I expect that it will comfort me as I watched a demon possessed girl crawling backwards down the stairs--upside down. Oh dear.

Craziest Day of My Life!

And that's saying something!

So, this morning I was doing my physics like the industrious student that I am,

*looks angelic*

when my mother came down and handed me the phone. It was the stage manager for Alice in Wonderland. She told me: "So...[the girl who plays the Caterpillar/Alice's Sister (who I'm understudying)] isn't feeling well today. They're going to try to get her better before tonight's show, but I just wanted to make sure you were prepared to go on." I was pretty much in a state of shock at that point, so I murmured my "Okays" "Mhhhmmms" and "Of courses" without thinking. As soon as I hung up, I recalled that this was the one night that I had a conflict with the show!!! I had to go to work!

*smacks head*

So, I called the SM back immediately, and told her I had to work(I'd told them about the conflict when I agreed to understudy, so that was all good). But, I promised I would contact work and see if there was any way possible to get my shift covered. I was pretty darn sure the answer would be no. They had told us at a meeting that we wouldn't be able to find subs for the Halloween event-they were short-staffed as it was.

Soooooo....yeah....

I finally got a hold of work, and instead of saying: "Sorry, NO." like I expected her to, my boss said: "Welllllll, I'll see what we can do..." We tried to work stuff out, but we couldn't find anyone who wasn't working that night who could cover for me. Eventually, I said: " You know what? It's okay. I'll just come on in to work as normal." So, I called the stage manager-she was completely understanding, but I could tell she was very, ridiculously, horribly stressed. I felt terrible, but I went off to work.

In the car, my cell phone rang-it was my work. They had decided to let me off, so I'd be able to do the show! So, I went in for the first hour and a half of my shift, then rushed off to do Alice. I've never heard anyone sound as relieved as that stage manager did when I called her to tell her the news!

So, then there was the small task of memorizing lines. Eep. The thing is, I only learned about a week ago that I was understudying this show. And the first and only time I've seen the show was on Tuesday. So, in the car, in between driving and practicing my lines, I was praying my head off. Today was one of those days that I totally felt that God had to be in control. Because I for sure wasn't.

Somehow, thanks to the wonderful, amazing cast, I made it through the show. I'm sure my guardian angel was having the time of his life helping me out! It was just crazy. There was this moment during the preshow when I was sitting on the stage reading a book, and I realized-this was it. This wasn't just pretend. I couldn't put the show on time-out, and run check my script really quick. This was the real deal, and I somehow had to get through the whole thing, no matter how badly I goofed things up. Thankfully, I didn't goof things up too horribly. It was crazy, wild and insane, but somehow God just guided me through it.

I think these are the days that I live for. This is why I love theatre-it's messy and imperfect and ridiculous, but somehow it all works out, and something beautiful is created. It's kind of like life-somehow God makes a work of art out of our confusing, lovely, and often crazy lives. We just have to trust Him and be not afraid.

Another modest clothing website(Yah!)

Hello Ladies,

It seems to me that the following website offers well prices and "trendy" modest skirts. This is really the first website I have found that has lots of skirts that I like(most of them look like they are made for younger people). If you have extra time, which I know all of you have in abundance, just google "modest clothes" to get some good laughs. Most of the websites, and unbelievably the most popular ones, advertise new and fashionable modest clothes. Unfortunately, most of their items have not been "in" since the 1800's to early 1950's. However, the Jewish website below has some really cute skirts:

http://www.clothesandstuff.com/home.php

For Juliet

I don't know if you're much of a football fan, but I thought you'd appreciate this:

The Pious Sodality of Church Ladies: Onward to victory!

This is a little late, but.....

...as of Saturday evening, TAC has a new president, Dr. Michael McLean. Although I never knew Dr. Dillon, his reputation is formidable, and Dr. McLean has large shoes to fill. Although I'm sure he'll do just fine :).

There is a nice, albeit brief, piece in a local paper.

Happy Birthday from heaven

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Desdemona, Happy Birthday to you!

If Music Be the Food of Love...

...then by all means, stop the music, burn the pianos, and shoot the composer.

We all have those moments.

When we just feel like breaking down...

When we just want to cry our hearts out...

When love (ha! Love. PUh-LEEZE.) is not helping. It's just. not. helping. It's just tearing your heart to shreds and making your eyes red with tears.

When those times hit, these are what I listen to:

NB: You may notice many of these songs are in the form of Pride and Prejudice fan videos. You will remember my previous comments about my *ahem* extensive researching...

S Club 7! British pop group...I love this song so dearly.


I first heard this when I was performing in PostSecret at Stages. I absolutely loved this song-it played at the dramatic climax of the play, and it fit so well. Ingrid Michaelson is an awesome singer/songwriter-I'm officially a fan.


This song makes me cry with joy. Some music has the power to reduce you to tears-and this is totally one of them!


I do dearly love Leona Lewis-these are my two favorites of her songs:



Hooray for North and South! I will admit that I love this more for the video than the music sometimes. XD

Ummm...what more can I say? This is the ultimate heartbreak song. Again, I listened to this a TON during PostSecret, since the director mentioned to me that this was one of the songs that reminded her of my character.

(P.S. I very, very much enjoy the Disney video that goes along with this song. :D)

A Few of My Favorite Things

When people ask me for my favorite song, I usually get stumped. There are so many songs-how do you ever narrow it down!?!?
These are a few songs, however, that never fail to excite me when I hear them play. They are all definitely on the "Constantly Singing Them All the Time Until They Annoy People and They Get Them Stuck in Their Heads" playlist. I'm thinking that most of you won't be surprised by what's on here-I'm pretty vocal about my love for them!

So, to begin:

I first heard this while riding in a friend's car, and I've loved it ever since. It' from the '70's, I think. It's an oldie. :)


I can't help but admit I love this song. The first time I heard it, I was in Claire's (I'm making myself sound like a stereotypical teenage girl here...) and I stopped dead in my tracks and started tearing up. True story.



This song makes me smile. Most of these songs have a story behind them, but I honestly cannot remember when I first heard this song. But it's one of my long-time favorites!



I love this one! So sweet. I found this one while doing Pride & Prejudice research during the spring. A ton of my character research took the form of watching Youtube fan videos. That's what we theatre professionals call method acting, my friends. It's how the greats operate. How do you think Meryl Streep wins all those Oscars, people? She ain't no improv artist. It's Research. Extensive Research.


I love this song. Like many good songs, it was introduced to me by my sister. I sang this constantly over the summer, after she first played it for me when we picked her up from ND.


You gotta love the Backstreet Boys! This song makes my heart melt.



There's really nothing to say, except that this is one of the most amazing songs ever! When I feel particularly joyful, I start singing it to God-it's a good song to start singing during adoration. Try it sometime. :)



P.S. I love Jason Mraz!-he's super funny, and he's got such a unique voice. I heart him muchly.

And last, but most certainly never least!
Again, you can blame my dear sister for my obsession with this one. I drove my family absolutely bonkers by singing it constantly this past spring. Literally, if I woke up in the morning and I sang just one line from the song, it would be stuck in my head the whole day. I literally could not stop singing it. Not even during rehearsals, as Celia and Portia can attest to!


And, if you want to hear the bestest song ever, click here. Unfortunately, youtube won't let me embed the video... siiiiighhh...

So there you have it! My go-to songs that never fail to make me happy. I love music. It's fantastic stuff.

Coming soon...my Lovesick playlist!

Jesus still suffers more

30 minutes ago my guardians informed me that this week is the week that I will go to trial against my oldest brother. I've been anxiously dreading yet hoping for this week for 2 years. Less than a month ago the district attorney informed us that my brother's attorney had to put off the case because he needed to go to California for another trial. That California trial settled this past week, and my case will continue as planned. At the moment, I feel like screaming, sobbing, and breaking things, but I can't. I've remained this strong for a very long time, and will continue to do so until it's all over and I can allow myself to feel free to be vulnerable to pain. I can't express how scared I am to face my brother. I wish he would come with a bag over his head so I didn't have to see his face. I don't hate him, but I feel repulsed by him. I had hoped God would spare me this, but sometimes what we want isn't what God wants. Who knows what will come out of this. Maybe God will help me look at my brother in a different light. Maybe this is the best time to truly begin to face forgiveness, even though I have no idea how to go about it. How do you forgive something so terrible that it makes your body cringe in disgust? I don't know. I don't think I can ever know until I let go and let God show me. I think I'm frightened to start the process of forgiving my brother because it means I will have to face everything. I will have to come to terms with what happened. I will have to accept it. I will have to, for a while at least, look at myself and stop pretending that I'm normal, that I haven't been hurt, that I'm perfectly fine.

The funny thing is--I am happy. I happy because I am held by Jesus. I'm happy because Jesus is in love with me, and I'm in love with Him. I'm happy because no matter how much I suffer, He suffers along too. I'm not alone, even though I may feel alone. How can one stay miserable and depressed when their best friend, their lover, their life-long companion is always by their side? Jesus is so good. There have been so many times when I've hurt Him, but He's never let me go. I would be dead if He ever let me go.

This week I will have to watch my mother stick by my brother's side. I will have to actually watch my entire biological family stick by my brother's side. I left my family. I told their secrets. I am in their eyes a traitor. I'm not sure how deep the wound will go this time. I've laughed it off so many times before, perhaps I will do it again.

I need prayers. Even just a few Our Father's or Hail Mary's. I need all of heaven holding me right now, otherwise I fear I might break. Isn't it strange how strong humans are, yet in an instant they can become as frail as a delicate piece of china glass? I'm glad that even if we do break, Jesus already knows how to put the pieces back together.

IS THE CROSS YOU WEAR TOO HEAVY TO BEAR?
>
> Complainingly I told myself,
> "this cross is too heavy to wear"
> And I wondered discontentedly
> why God gave it to me to bear.
> And I looked with envy at others
> whose crosses seemed lighter than mine
> And wished that I could change my cross
> for one of a lighter design -
> And then, in a dream, I beheld the cross
> I impulsively wanted to wear,
> It was fashioned of pearls and diamonds
> and gems that were precious and rare.
> And when I hung it around my neck
> the weight of the jewels and the gold
> Was much too heavy and cumbersome
> for my small, slender neck to hold -
> So I tossed it aside and before my eyes
> was a cross of rose-red flowers
> And I said with delight as I put it on,
> "this cross I can wear for hours" -
> For it was so dainty and fragile,
> so lovely and light and thin,
> But I had forgotten about the thorns
> that started to pierce my skin -
> And then in my dream I saw "my cross,"
> rugged and old and plain,
> That clumsy old cross I had looked upon
> with discontented disdain -
> And at last I knew that God had made
> this "special cross for me,"
> For God in His great wisdom knew
> what I before could not see,
> That often the loveliest crosses
> are the heaviest crosses to bear,
> For only God is wise enough
> to choose the cross we can wear -
> So never complain about YOUR CROSS,
> for your cross has been blessed,
> God made it JUST FOR YOU to wear
> and remember, GOD KNOWS BEST!
>

Enjoy Saturday, college applications, college, and whatever else today holds for ya'll.

I declare that every human being needs to read The Imitation of Christ. The thing I love about this book is that there is always something in there to help you with a particular vice/obstacle/frustration. It's so handy to just be able to pick it up and instantly find a way to solve a problem. A big yay for Jesus and Thomas A. Kempis!

I went to Fuddruckers tonight with Jimmy. Did they absolutely have to name it that? No, they didn't, but they did anyway. We have to do a different penance because we ate meat on a Friday, but we've both been terribly sick and haven't had a complete meal for days (at least I haven't). I think that being around Ken and Jim all day is enough penance for a lifetime, however. Hehe, just kidding. Brothers will be brothers. :)

Fashion anyone?















If you could choose one of these outfits, which one would it be?

Guilty Pleasures...

Let's admit it.

We all have out guilty pleasures.

What is a guilty pleasure? Merriam-Webster defines it
Main Entry: guilty pleasure
Function: noun
Date: 1907
: something pleasurable that induces a usually minor feeling of guilt.

No duh.

So, finding that entry unhelpful, I betook myself to that noble lexicon of modern slang:

Urban Dictionary.
This is how Urban Dictionary defines a "guilty pleasure":
1. Something that you shouldn't like, but like anyway.
2. Something that you love to do, but you just cannot admit that you do it.
Guy 1: "DUDE, you still watch Pokemon?"
Guy 2: "WHAT? NO! Ok, I do, its my guilty pleasure.
4. Keeping a secret collection of ABBA and Carpenters and listening to their albums when no one else is around.


So, yeah, I think we all get the general idea. (Here's when you're thinking-"Renee, get to the point already!!")
So, what's my guilty pleasure?

Avatar.
Avatar-The Last Airbender.

Laugh all you want. I see you all rolling your eyes. I can't help myself-I love my Avatar. I discovered this delightfully delightful television series at the beginning of the summer, when I began working at NU. Our first training sessions were "character research days" where we watched the shows of the Nick characters that the park owns.

Did I ever mention what a physically demanding and taxing job I have? Riiiiiiigggghhht.

One of my fellow trainees was flabbergasted when I mentioned that I'd never heard of Avatar before. Honestly, I've never seen someone so disturbed. So, we watched an episode of Avatar. I was seriously unimpressed. However, I fit the Aang costume, and I'd probably have to cohort Aang, so I figured I should probably be somewhat knowledgeable about the series. Thus, in the spirit of being a good, well-informed employee, I reserved the first few episodes from the library. While I watched them in the comfort of my living room, a quiet, sneaky little thought stirred within my mind- "I'm actually kind of enjoying these," it whispered. I laughed superciliously, and quickly quashed that queer qualm.

And then promptly reserved the rest of Season One.




(Or, rather, I should say "Book One." Avatar seasons are called 'books,' and the episodes are called 'chapters.' Random Avatar fact you probably didn't want to know...but now you do!)

Anyhow, over the summer, I've fallen more and more in love with Avatar. It makes me laugh, it makes me cry (no joke. I don't kid about these things! :)), and it's made me practice my earth-bending moves on my long-suffering and ever-patronizing younger brother.

The series main premise is such: it takes place in a fantasy world, where there are four nations, named after the four different elements: air, earth, water, and fire. Certain people can be trained to 'bend' the elements; bending is a martial art-not magic. Nickelodeon's adamant that it's not magic(I learned this by reading the big blue folder at work that is filled with all sorts of inside information about Nick shows-they call it the "Nick Bible.") Anyhow, the basic plot is that Aang (that strange, hyper, bald kid with the random blue arrow on his forehead) has to master all four elements, defeat the power-crazed fire lord, and save the world.

Oh, yeah.

He's twelve.

No sweat, right?

When I was twelve, all that was expected of me was that I make my bed, do my school, and not pick fights with my younger siblings.

Moral of the story is that Avatar=EPIC. (I know you hate that word, Cordelia, but it's the only one that does it justice! :)) I just finished the the series, and I was on the edge of my seat with excitement at the end. My brother rolled his eyes.

But he was watching intently.

Here's betting that he'll be ordering some Avatar episodes from the library soon.

Sickness, attack of the snowflakes, and a newcomer

Dear me, I woke up at 6:00am to shower, finish my homework, get ready, and head off to school. Instead, I went back to bed at 6:45 because I felt really sick. How does motivated energy turn into sickness? Maybe it was because of the brownie and taco I had for breakfast. What? Brownies and tacos are a better combination than you might think--just not for breakfast, apparently. Anyway, I woke up to a winter wonderland. It's not even winter. Does Minnesota and autumn have a bad relationship? They must. Minnesota just decided to skip autumn. I bet autumn is sorely needing the attention of people declaring their love of the beautifully colored trees, the crisp air, the warm apple cider, the freshly picked apples, the pumpkins, etc. Thanks for ruining our beloved season, Minnesota. Now we just have to skip right to sledding, hot cocoa, warm, fuzzy blankets, crackling fires, cozy jackets, and frozen feet (I happen to lack necessary footwear for winter). Lovely.

Oh, I'm a newcomer. Almost all of you already know this. The name is Cordelia. Call me Cord. Or Delia (add an apostrophe and a 's' to it and you have "Delia's", which is a very cute clothing store). Or Cordel. Or Del. Or Lia. Whichever one you prefer. I plan to make your lives happier with my blogs. Aren't I so very generous? I think so. Here's for starters:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkHV6THFoDs

I don't have a quotebook, but...

Although without a quotebook, I do have a blog! So here are some funny things that some people I know said last night:

When you have time to waste, waste it(Nathan Swenson)

The seasons are summer, fall, and Christmas (Alex Fink)

http://issuu.com/inkandfairydust/docs/issue_2/10?mode=a_p

Happy Sunday Girls. Good Sabbath and all that. The above link is to a newspaper made by a Regina Daman fan(you probably have already seen it). On page ten there is information for requesting the Fairty Tale novels to our library system. So, in all your spare time, and if you have not already done it, please request that the Fairy Tale novels come to the Hennepin County Library System. All the numbers and information for all four books are there!

Our Insectoid Friends

*drumroll*

At long last, as promised, the bug project. We began our year by reading excerpts from J. Henri Fabre's insect writings. It was fascinating, not just Fabre's observations of insects, but also his method, his style of writing, and his editorializing of mundane bug facts.

But Thomas Aquinas College is not merely a book-reading school. We also have hands-on learning. Which means that you get to go out and catch bugs. And kill them. And pose them. And classify them. And present them. And then burn them (last step optional).

Step 1: Collect Equipment

We begin our freshman bug project in the lab, equipping our teams with the latest in humane forms of catch-and-kill known to man, namely a mesh net and a kill-jar. "What is a kill jar?" you may ask. I will tell you. A kill-jar is (as the name implies) a jar. A layer of porous something covers the bottom. You then pour acetate onto said porous layer, and -- voila -- you have a kill-jar equipped for the extermination of those nasty bugs via toxic fumes. (Do not stand directly over the kill-jar, and do not sniff it. You WILL end up with an annoying headache which does not help your understanding of theology.)

Step 2: Catch the Bugs

You have many choices in this department. You can use the net, but as you only have access to the lab and specialized equipment at set times during the week, you may want to improvise if you see a glorious swallowtail when you have nothing. This might indeed include cups, tape, tupperware containers, envelopes, and, if you are so unlucky as to encounter a Jerusalem cricket
aka potato bug:



without any container, it might involve the use of your hands.

Step 3: Kill the Bug

Once you have captured the bug, you transfer him very, very, very carefully to the kill-jar and let him asphyxiate. If he's a large bug, it might take awhile. Like two or three days. Or, you can always freeze him. Just make sure you label the container; otherwise, someone might throw out your praying mantis.

Step 4: Pose the Bug

This is fairly simple step, as long as you don't mind touching bugs. You arrange the legs and wings, if any, in a pose that suits your fancy. Don't forget to pierce the thorax with a pin while you're at it. Of course, they're not always dead when you take them out of the kill-jar, just...stunned a little.

Sub-step 4b:

If you opted to kill your bug by freezing the poor little sucker to death, it might dry out a bit, making posing nigh on impossible. What you do then is rehydrate the bug. Either pop it in the shower room for a few hours, or boil some water on the hotplate and, uh, steam the bug (it's a praying mantis in case you can't tell):



Step 5: Classify

Another simple step: just arrange your bugs into groups according to some principle. My partner and I chose wing type and how it relates to the type of food they eat. Ours was a fairly boring topic. Some classified their bugs according to vehicles (the cricket is the ice cream truck because you hear it before you see it), others according to temperament. It turns out I'm a butterfly-moth hybrid.

Step 6: Present your Project

The tutor will be taking notes throughout your presentation, the other students in your section will snicker at some of your classifications, and your prize dragonfly's rear end will drop off mid-presentation. Good luck with that.

Step 7: Burn the ---- thing

This is for those of you who did not get 36's on the ACT and who flipped out when the grasshopper started attacking you.

FINIS

Prettiness is only skin deep...

I love going to Plugged in Online. If I want to see a movie, and I want to figure out exactly why it has a PG-13 rating, I can go to Plugged in, and find out every single possible thing in the movie that could ever be declared objectionable. They'll list every swear word that's said, every glass of wine drunk, and every lie told. If I want to know if a certain music album is any good, I'll just head to Plugged in to look at the music reviews. But it's articles like this one that cement my undying love for Plugged in.

Emma On BBC One

"Friendship is constant in all other things, save in the office and affairs of love."

~Claudio, William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

Here is the official promotional trailer for BBC One's new adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma, which premiered last night in the United Kingdom.

College...

College

Give a girl an education and introduce her properly into the world, and ten to one but she has the means of settling well, without further expense to anybody.
Jane Austen
Right now college means one thing to me:

applications

which of course equal:

loads and loads of work.

Writing essays, I'm fine with. What was really starting to get to me was the neverending checking boxes, filling out the SAME information over and over, squeezing words into limited spaces, number crunching, etc., etc., etc. in never ending succession!

*insert plaintive sigh here*

And furthermore, the endless and monolithic process known as "APPLYING TO COLLEGES" takes up lots of TIME.

*insert groan here*

Time that could be spent enjoying oneself, laughing and talking with friends, scrapbooking, journaling, going for a walk, or any other infinitely more enjoyable activity.

So. Those were my feelings up until about 5:00 today.

After having to cancel my second outing with a friend this week, I decided that if I was going to have to stay home and work on these college applications, I jolly well would. And I would finish my calculus homework, even if it killed me, and I would not waste the afternoon on Facebook or the forum; I would sit down and get stuff done. I was not going to sacrifice my time with friends just to waste more time. So help me, I was going to get some actual work done.

So, on the way home from my show this afternoon, I stopped by my church's Eucharistic adoration chapel. It was lovely and peaceful, and I sat in front of Jesus, finishing up my calc homework. I've always found the adoration chapel is the best place to work through my problems. I now know that math problems can be worked out there as well.
Then, I got home, and I sat down at the computer and I got my first college application submitted! One down. Five to go. I can do this.

And, I realized I've been letting my laziness get in my way. There were some points over the past week I was debating whether college was really worth it or not. In reality, though, I was just bogged down in the mire of applications, and also, scared of leaving home, friends, and family. Then, I realized how absolutely stupid I was being. Because, I AM excited for college-I know it'll be awesome. Anything that is awesome won't come without hard work; and I hate to admit it, but hard work is an aquired taste for me. I have to teach myself to enjoy it.

And as for leaving friends, one of my favorite new quotes I discovered is Eleanor Roosevelt's: “Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.” I can leave home and all the people I love and care about won't leave me-their footprints will be in my heart.

*insert violin music here*

Now, I'm feeling ready to tackle these remaining applications with all my heart. Wish me luck! And when I get to the end of this adventure, let's have coffee together. :)

A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever...

The Quintessential Conglomeration of College Quotes

The fool doth think that he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.

~Touchstone, William Shakespeare's As You Like It

Why must Portia and Desi have all the fun of writing down chuckle and giggle inducing quotations? I must have my share in this lingual romp!

"My apple is bipolar." ~ Catherine

"I want to be a cadaver when I grow up." ~ Matt

"Check out my knee!" ~ Meg

"My fish committed suicide" ~ Matt

"What a creepy creeper" ~ Jenna

"What is a cross between an elephant and a rhinoceros?" ~ Michael

"A termite" ~ Katie

"Ooh, a stairwell! We should sing something!" ~ Michael

Quotebook Time!

When Grammer Just Gets You...


Those memorable quotes that result from our inability to correctly use the English language, those fatal slips of the tongue, and other such joys.

"My grammar has taken up permanent residence outside of the window." --Rebecca


"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when guys are grey. You'll never know, ear, how much I love you." ---Sienna, age 3 1/2

"I need toilet paper for my teeth." ---Bekah Mogo

"Sometimes you have to let the germs be free."--Renee

"Rebecca, stand up, I want to see your pants."--Brittany

"Those Latineans."--Lainey
"a.k.a. ROMANS."-- Renee

"That's like a Freudian carcrash." --Mara

The Week in a Nutshell

1) Sunday: Panicked over algebra exam on Monday. Fretted over props. Slogged through Leviticus.

2) Monday: Algebra exam. Only 13 correct answers needed to pass. The quadratic equation is a life-saver. The square root of 7569 is 87.

3) Tuesday: Crammed at the last minute for seminar, which turned out to be a very fruitful class.

4) Wednesday: The sweetest nuns in the world came to the college today: active Norbertine sisters from Slovakia looking to start a house in southern California held a recruiting day.

5) Thursday: Feast-day of St. Therese, patron of my dorm. Sugar + games + giggly girls = fun. Adoration was a blast, too.

6) Friday: Opening concert of the year with some awesome Baroque music. Then, the tutors creamed the students at a game of trivial pursuit.

7) Saturday: Junior-Freshman dance. Semi-formal dance. I have nothing to wear. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah! (And 3 1/2 hours of work-study)

Ponder your own relaxed existence, O Jessica and Desdemona, and REJOICE in the fact that you don't have to be anywhere at 8:30 in the morning.

I Can Do the Quotebook, Too!

Look, Desdemona, I, too, can post random and embarrassing quotations from my fellow humans.

"Ah yes, the egg-circle prop." --My beloved Math tutor, Mr. Lehman.

"Eww, they're just like legs, but arms!" --Bridget

Weekend!

Ah, yes, Thank God It's Friday. And I mean that in the best possible sense. Thank you, God, for creating the Weekend. Because school is stressful, and sometimes I just need...nothing: a day on which I can take a blanket outside (it's southern California; it still gets up to the 80's here in the afternoon), curl up with a book, and fall asleep while I pretend to do homework.

Let's face it; I will probably end up screaming insanely at a pile of books sometime in the next month. Don rags are in two weeks (sort of a "constructive criticism" meeting with all of your tutors), our bug project is due on Monday, there are props to learn, books to read, lines to memorize, our seminar paper gets assigned on Tuesday, and so on and so forth. I'm already looking forward to Thanksgiving break, which will not occur for another month and a half.

On the positive side, I was able to spend some time in Adoration last night/early this morning. The college has a tradition of all night Adoration the night before the first Friday of the month. It was incredibly beautiful. The chapel, which could be considered a small church, was packed full of people -- at midnight. There was complete silence, and the presence of God was tangible in a way that sent goosebumps up and down my arms. The feeling was almost one of being wrapped in an enormous blanket, cocooned away from the world and all of its cares, worries, and responsibilities.

And what better way to read the Bible than in the presence of God? Only with this book can you take it directly to the author and say, "Dear Lord, I'm very confused. What the heck did you mean by this, that, and the other thing?" Jesus also helps tremendously with props, no blackboard required. Sleep, coffee, and brains are all secondary.

Of Homecoming and Haydn

[hearing Balthazar sing] An he had been a dog that should have howled thus, they would have hanged him.

~ Benedick, William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

Here are the two little ditties that I am going to sing with the college chamber choir for the homecoming concert tonight. I hope you enjoy them!

Haydn's Te Deum

Vivaldi's Gloria