FREEDOM!

IT'S OVER!!!! Woohoo! *dances*

It's That Time of Year...

When world just won't stop
Every prof you hear, seems to say
"Here's a 10-page final
I hope you make it through..."

Ah yes, finals week. I'm actually half done. It's been crazy but Writing for Mass Media, German, Computer Sci, and Ear Training are all over with. I just need to get through two piano juries and my gargantuan music theory final tomorrow and I'm home free. Ah piano juries. Last year I played "How High the Moon." Since I just was listening to some Ella Fitzgerald I thought I'd let you listen to it. Somewhere there's music...

This one was my favorite

When did you last set aside time to pray? Sure, small groups and Bible studies abound on the X campus, but many still find that making time for their faith is difficult.

“The minute I sit down to spend some time [with God] the distractions keep coming,” said Courtney X, a theology major in her senior year. She mentioned classes and lack of sleep as the main obstacles in setting aside time for her faith. Courtney said making time for prayer is something she’s been more successful at this semester than in any other semester in her college career, but noted that she’s still busy. She’s simply made it a priority. “If I find myself really getting distracted, I’ll do something else for a while so I can focus later,” she said, adding that sometimes physical activity helps keep her alert.

Keith X, professor of theology, advised looking to Jesus as the model of how to properly spend time with God. “He did it by himself and pulled his disciples away for it as well. We are made to have a break from constant activity.”

Chaplain Terry X agrees. “Sabbath is really important,” he said, defining “sabbath” not as Sunday, but as an extended block of time used to break the rhythm of life for rest and worship. Terry believes that our fast-paced culture does nothing to encourage sabbath and commented that he hasn’t found many students at X who practice taking a regular time of rest.

However, both Terry and Keith were quick to note that “quiet time” is by no means the only way to connect with God. “For centuries it was the practice of Christians to gather regularly morning and evening to pray together.” That’s been lost, Terry said, partly because our society is so focused on the individual.

“The totality of one’s life is devotion to God,” said Keith, explaining how people can miss the point when it comes to “devotions.” “I don’t think prayer and scripture are the only avenues of worship. The effort you put into your coursework is worshipping God.” Keith stressed that being a good steward is part of worship.

But what should a student do when in need of a Sabbath? How can someone make time for a break when busy being a good steward in academics?

“It’s a time-management issue,” said Keith, who recommends keeping a log of how you spend your time. “I think people would find it very interesting,” he said, noting that many of us waste time on pointless activities.

For those who have trouble finding a place to get away to, some imagination may be needed. Courtney cites the dorm basement and laundry room as good places to go when it’s too cold to venture into the Back 40. X has no full-time prayer chapel, largely due to space limitations. However, there are now prayer meetings at noon in the Chapel on Wednesdays. People can come with prayer requests, or pray for requests that have been submitted via the college’s website.

Another unique option is a visit to the Open Door theme house located at X. The residents of the Open Door have created an off campus prayer chapel. Mary Trotter, one of the Open Door’s residents, said she felt a place for prayer was needed through her experience with dorm life as an underclassman.

“Personal and soul health is as important as your grades,” Trotter said.

Website article

Here's article number 2. This was more of the rough draft.

It’s not an evaluation any college professor would welcome: “Houston, we have a problem. Space cadet of a teacher isn't quite attached to earth.” So claims one user of the website www.ratemyprofessors.com.

Advertised as a resource for choosing professors, the website has also developed a reputation as a haven for angry college students.

“Some of [the reviews] are just brutal,” said Forrest X, professor of philosophy. Forrest has been at X College for 28 years and has been reviewed 30 times on the website. While most of his reviews are positive, he’s right in saying that other professors haven’t been so lucky. “Not only is the book a better teacher, it also has a better personality,” quips one reviewer.

Diana X, chair of the Faculty Promotion and Tenure committee, believes that it’s unnecessary professors to visit the site at all. Diana thinks the site has value as an outlet for frustrated students, but she doesn’t feel a need to concern herself with it.

RateMyProfessors.com hosts anonymous reviews of professors at various colleges. It is currently open to more than 6,000 colleges and universities and lists more than 770,000 professors.

Ratings are based on a five-point scale, evaluating clarity, helpfulness, easiness, and overall quality – the average of the clarity and helpfulness scores. If a professor scores well, a yellow smiley face is displayed beside his or her name. If scores are mediocre, the face is green and unsmiling. If scores are poor, the professor receives a blue frowning face. There’s even a little chili-pepper icon displayed if a professor is considered “hot.”

Despite its attempts at providing an objective rating system, ratemyprofessor.com has a few pitfalls.

“It’s completely unscientific,” said Forrest, noting that part of the problem is that there’s no way to tell who wrote a review. Someone could easily review the same professor multiple times or never have taken the class or even not go to the school. Even the website’s owners admit that the ratings aren’t “statistically accurate” but are quick to add, “we often receive emails stating that the ratings are uncannily accurate, especially for schools with over 1,000 ratings.”

Kristin X, a freshman, said that even if not used as a resource, the site has entertainment value. Kristin hasn’t noticed many vicious reviews. “People are generally pretty nice,” she said.

Student Trevor X says he’s used the website “pretty extensively” to research professors. “Taken with a grain of salt, you can get a good feel for what to expect.” Trevor said he would recommend the site as a student resource, but cautioned that he is careful to take reviews on a case-by-case basis and that he wouldn’t swear by it. “It’s a way for students to have a voice. Like any tool, it can be misused.”

Squirrel Article

So I've decided to post the articles I wrote for my Writing for Mass Media class this semester. Just because I need a break. My college will be replaced with an X of course, because I'm paranoid. I didn't have enough space for this one and it could onl

They may be cute, but X’s squirrels also have a dark side.

“I have found them to be somewhat messy little beasts,” arborist William X said. “When you see clumps of pine needles laying on the grounds, the squirrels are usually the culprits. They also like to raid the trashcans for food and fun. William has even had sinister encounters with the little “varmints” as he calls them. “I have had squirrels try to attack me.”

Squirrels can even cause costly damage. “In Ballard on the third floor a squirrel managed to eat through the window frame. This squirrel cost about $500 in damage,” said Dick X, supervisor of Maintenance and Repairs.

Squirrel-related incidents are nothing new at X. An event with sinister connotations is recorded in the Newspaper’s 1999 October issue. “Did you know about the squirrel who chewed through The phone line? We think it was the first step in their evil plot for a hostile takeover.”

This squirrel paranoia continues today, with even a Facebook group devoted to the subject. Rebecca X created the group “Evil Satan Possessed Squirrel Who Thinks He Owns the World” in response to a territorial squirrel that lived on her balcony last year.

“This squirrel would hiss at us when we went out on the balcony,” said Rebecca. “He would also go to this tree right off the balcony and hide there until we were close enough; then he would scare us.”The room’s residents were so unnerved they became uncomfortable doing homework because the squirrel was watching them. “Really we have no idea what was wrong with this creature.:

A couple things

I messed up while putting in that Caedmon's Call song, so that's why the title's weird. I've also changed my settings so that anyone can comment. I didn't realize I had "only members of this blog" selected. So now you can post Karen!

I've Got to Get Out of Here

So it's the week before finals. Traditionally this would be called "dead week" but my college has no such thing. I don't mind that so much. I think I can make it, but then, I'm not a physics major. But I am going crazy.

I've been chafing to go home for a while now, and it gets worse every day. It really started to get bad when I took Katie to Rite Aid the other day so she could get her perscription. I decided I hate Rite Aid, and it was an all-too oppressive reminder of the quagmire of commercialism that is the city. Don't get me wrong, cities are great and I love college. But when you've been raised in the country, or even if you haven't I think, your soul (I'll be romantic here) wants out so to speak. You want the wild, and space to breathe, and natural God-created beauty not confined by works of man. That's close to impossible to find these days, and I often wonder what the stretches of farmland I'm so used to looked like as recently as 150 years ago. It was vastly different.

But the fields are still nature, even if they are harnessed by man. And the space and majesty of those rolling hills still exist and are green in the spring, golden in summer, and white with snow in winter. But all around me is grey, and people (EVERYWHERE PEOPLE) and the snow has by now been trampled by the hundreds of passers-by into a brown tarnish. And so I lay in my room staring at my homework while wanting to drive out of this small city and see the stars clearly again. I can't focus. I think of the long walks I used to take with my dog at my heels and nobody in sight and no sounds from the nearby highway. They were lonely walks, it is true. There was seldom anyone to share them with. But I figured being alone isn't always a bad thing and it's wasn't something I would always have, and I was right. Now there are people (friends, strangers, acquaintences) everywhere I turn.

Beyond that, I simply need to get out of my dorm room, to the library or the cafeteria, so I can focus and study. I feel like I'm at the top of a staircase, and I could just walk down it, systematically applying all I've learned to a final burst of studying and effort. However I seem to be waiting for someone to kick me. I don't know why I'm so poetic all of a sudden. It just happens to me sometimes.

College culture is also getting old. There's always controversy and ideas and arguments and discussions, which is great. But it wears on you after a while. I can't keep up with these attacks on the way I think and who I am and these questions that people are always asking. And everyone seems determined to find something wrong with everything and everybody. We're not diverse enough, we're not tolerant enough, we're not happy enough (the college newspaper this week is a good example of this, but maybe that's just the college newspaper being dumb as usual. For example, the editorial was complaining about how students here score low on some critical thinking test. Excuse me? What? Don't even get me started on the homosexuality article...)

*Interruption* my roommate just walked in informing me that, even though she was required to go to the jazz band II/concert band II performance she only stayed for a couple of songs because she can't miss "Gilmore Girls." GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!

I need to go home to my family. Sometimes I think my greatest advantage in life is having a family I know loves me no matter what else gets turned upside down. "Oh ye of little faith," God reminds me. Without God, I have nothing. Without Christ, I am nothing. Without Him I will never be able to face the world. I can't run home every time I feel lost or in over my head as it were. If everyone did that, no one would ever accomplish anything. Rest is good and necessary. Family is good and necessary. But I must face these struggles, all the demands, and all the abrasiveness even a Christian college brings, but not alone. Whatever I face here will only be who knows how much worse when I am propelled into the so called "real" world (as though this one is fake!) with a diploma and good wishes. And Christ. I'm fairly confident those reading this blog will understand. To those that don't, who roll there eyes and chuckle at what they perceive my naivety, I wouldn't know what to say. I wish they did understand.

So I am off I think. First to the cafeteria for some German vocabulary and coffee (I wish it was German coffee), then to the music building to tackle what I can of "Blue Monk" and "A Child is Born." I always seem to end up at the music building. If only I would go there sooner I wouldn't have to spend my evenings alone in a practice room. But sometimes being alone in a practice room is kind of nice.

Lead of Love - Caedmon's Call
Looking back at the road so far
The journey's left its share of scars
Mostly from leaving the narrow and straight

Looking back it is clear to me
That a man is more than the sum of his deeds
And how You've made good of this mess I've made
Is a profound mystery

Looking back You know You had to bring me through
All that I was so afraid of
Though I questioned the sky, now I see why
Had to walk the rocks to see the mountain view
Looking back I see the lead of love

Looking back I can finally see (I'd rather have wisdom)
How failures bring humility (than be)
Brings me to my knees (a comfortable fool)
Helps me see my need for Thee

Dear Manninos

I would write a blog entry about the Manninos. But they're one of the few people who actually read my blog (apparently they haven't read the comments under the title) and it's very rude to talk about someone in the third person when they're listening to you. It's just weird to talk about yourself in the third person. I had a substitute teacher who did that once... That was one of the stranger class days. Ah, highschool. Anyhow, back to the Manninos. Since I can't write a blog about them I'll write them a letter.

Dear Manninos (Mr. and Mrs. Mannino specifically),

Thank you so much for welcoming me into your home (invited or not) and feeding me. It's so nice to get off campus and have something other than cafeteria food. The cafeteria really isn't as bad as it's made out to be but it does kind of get old after a while. So whether you're having sandwiches or spaghettie or garlic sprinkled on a plate I'm happy.

And I really enjoy being around your family with all the noisiness and the commotion. :-) It's nice to be around a family after you've been at college a while. Or even when you haven't. I sincerely enjoy the warmth and all the activity at your house. So thank you Manninos. I enjoy your company and thank you for your hospitality.

With that little note I bid everyone a wonderful advent season and hope you enjoy my new musical selection, "Galician Carol" from "Windham Hill Celtic Christmas." I think. Listen for the sproingy sound at the end. It would ruin an otherwise delightful celtic ditty if it didn't make me laugh so hard.