Why, hello!
I write to you now at the conclusion of what was probably my busiest week for schoolwork... ever. Well, actually, I've had equally crammed weeks in the past and I'm sure to have more, but it was just a little overwhelming, especially this close to the end of the semester. Oh yeah! That's right, this was the last week of classes!
That said, I apologize for the lack of adventure and intrigue in this week's entry, (I sure make a lot of apologies in these things...) but if you're still interested, read on...
Disclaimer: this entire paragraph is completely sarcastic...
So once again I refrained from interfering with weekend fun last weekend. There will be plenty of week days in my life, I figure, so I might as well make the most of my exciting weekends. Abstaining from productive activities on weekends has afforded me many wonderful opportunities since entering college. Save homework for Monday, that's my motto. And remember kids, abstinence is key.
Just joshing...
Ha, but even though I did, in fact, do work on the weekend, I still had a lot to do on Monday. And so it began.
Due for Tuesday, I had a self-evaluation report based on my speeches throughout the semester (that was fun to write...) and the final draft for that last Amish paper. So that occupied a lot of Monday. And I have a confession to make. Normally I am really diligent with editing my papers before I hand them in, but I did all of my editing on the computer this time, printed it off, stapled it, and handed it in without a thought. Well, as it turns out, somewhere along the way page 4 slipped out of the pile, causing me to unknowingly hand in 4 pages of a 5-page paper. Suffice it to say I was shocked, nervous, and a tad embarrassed when my professor told me. Thankfully, however, this story of a dumb mistake does have a happy ending. "I can still tell this is 'A' writing. Good work," was the comment next to the grade. There are good people in the world, after all...
Speaking of the Amish, we spent our last two weeks in classes discussing the Amish school shooting in Nickel Mines, Lancaster County, PA back in 2006. You might have heard about the tragedy on the news, and if you'd like to hear more from an expert... ahem.. just send me an email. Ha, but really, if you want a really interesting read about the tragedy and the ensuing (and immediate) forgiveness offered by the Amish, pick up Amish Grace. Good book, very fascinating subject, co-written by my very own professor, Dr. David Weaver-Zercher.
Well, how about I move on recounting the excitement. Wednesday morning consisted of a Spanish presentation and an Intro to Wellness final exam. Neither were really that hard, but both required a frustrating about of preparation. Lame. But they went well.
Wednesday night was a diamond in the rough. I worked for a while in the library on a project due for Friday (more on that later) and my Thursday morning Communications test, and then went to a concert committee meeting. We discussed upcoming shows, and there was even a little heated discussion concerning the pros and cons of bringing a worship concert to Messiah. Some people want to do it, other people think that is the responsibility of Student Ministries, other people think Concert Committee has a lot better resources to get a good worship concert, other people think we should use those resources to get a good artist into the school that could give the school an even better name in the community, and so on. Personally, I'd love to see a worship concert at Messiah. But we'll see.
I left the meeting early, got some work done in the Union (sort of) and then got ready for Wednesday night's B-sides. If I haven't mentioned this before, every Wednesday there is a free concert in the Student Union featuring some smaller local band on tour through the area. Sometimes the acts are nothing extraordinary, sometimes they are a little too extraordinary, and sometimes the artists are amazing! This week featured one of the latter. The band is called Farewell Flight; they're just a local band from the area, but they are actually doing really well for themselves. They've been featured in a bunch of music magazines and have a full-length album out already (which I hastily obtained). A friend of mine from the area (that I met through another friend here) came to the show with a bunch of his friends too, so I got to enjoy an awesome concert and make some new chums along the way!
Now, I bet you're on the edge of your seat dying to hear about Thursday. What will become of the ever-increasing workload? Will it culminate to such a great height, threatening to engulf poor Joshua in the rising tides of unrelenting pressure? Will he survive the crashing waves of academia as they pound upon his fragile mind? I'm sure you are begging for answers to all these questions and more, so read on, my faithful followers... 'followers' in a virtual sense, that is.
Thursday was primarily spent working on the biggest project in the history of projects. Yes, that's right, completing the task required loftier ambitions than those required for petty tasks like the Great Wall of China or the Pyramids. Basically, it was a 6-part portfolio for my Intro to Communications Seminar class. It was one of things that we (theoretically) work on throughout the semester, but ... well, some of the terribly irresponsible students in the class procrastinated to the last two days. Tsk, tsk.
I conducted two interviews, created a fully updated resume, did several self-assessment quizzes online, collected 'artifacts' from the last couple years to include, wrote conclusion and introduction sections, and, of course, wrote dozens of 1-2 page reflection papers. Ha, I'm starting to get pretty good at throwing down random 2-page personal reactions in 10 minutes flat.
I'm getting sick of talking about all this homework, but I will say that I also wrote my written COMM final on Thursday and realized during the exam that I had over-studied. What a beautiful realization.
I dropped off that portfolio on Friday afternoon and felt an immediate bounce in my step. With my renewed vigour, I walked back to my room only to be evacuated immediately due to some smoking light bulb in the basement. Oh well. It happens. Then, like a true American, I joined a game of football on a nearby field with some friends.. and a bunch of older (bigger) guys. It was really fun, but let's just say that tackle football really stresses your body in ways that swimming laps does not. I'm still sore...
A quick shower and some dinner later, we were ready for Christmas Tradition. What is this Christmas Tradition, you ask? Well, it is quite simply the big Christmas Formal dance, held at the Hershey Lodge. Yeah, it's a big deal. It was a fun night, lots of pictures and laughter and dancing and smiles and pictures and dancing and fun. Had I not been aching from head-to-toe already, I might have lasted a little longer on the dance floor...
After the dance, we did what all hungry people do at 1 AM: we went to a diner. There's nothing like breakfast in the morning -- very early morning. Saturday, for me, was spent sleeping and enjoying some well-deserved relaxation. I also dragged my worn and weary body to the arts building and ended up playing around on a piano for two hours. So that was fun.. and a very satisfying release.
I had a rockin' good time at the Swim Team Christmas party last night. After the gift exchange, I ended up with a new drag suit for practice (aka. a pair of women's underwear... hardy har har..). This morning I went to CLA with my friend Dave. He's got a car and a nice hat. What else can I say? Ha, he's a really great guy.. and I've eaten breakfast almost every day this semester. Church was pretty good. The children's choir was singing (all 300 of them), so that was a delightfully joyful little Christmas treat!
Now I'm going to study a little Spanish for my final on Wednesday. Whoever said I don't work ahead was .. wrong. I don't have any exams tomorrow (thank goodness!), but I have Psych on Tuesday and Spanish on Wednesday. Then I leave Thursday morning for the Great White North. I know it's only been three weeks since I was at home, but I just can't wait to be back and see friends I haven't seen since the summer. And then it's Christmas!
Speaking of Christmas, I don't know when I'll update this again. If it's not before Christmas, Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a Good Night!
Oodles of Toodles!
Josh
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