Monday, March 29, 2004

Another service announcement. I found out yesterday that I'm accepted to my program in Australia!!! YAY!!!!

Saturday, March 27, 2004

Just a service announcement before I do some homework. If you don't have it already, you need to run to the store and buy sara groves' new cd "the other side of something." soooooooore good. i got it last week, but i'm finally at the point where i've listened to it enough that i'm listening to the words and the music as a whole and it's just amazing. i'm sure you thought sara groves couldn't get any more honest but she has. a-maz-ing. making me want to write.
It's been a crazy week, and it totally flew by which I'm so thankful for because it puts me another week closer to spring break! My trip to San Diego was ok...not as restful as I wish it could have been. I had a lot on my mind, so I didn't really sleep while I was there. On top of that, I woke up Sunday morning feeling absolutely horrible. I made the two hour drive home anyway because I had a mandatory concert I had to go to at 2. That lasted from 2 to 9. Yes friends, seven hours. It was totally miserable, and I didn't even sing half the time because I felt so bad.

Once that was over, I had a massive test to tackle on Monday. I think it went pretty well, we'll see on Monday when I get it back with a grade on it. But since Monday it's been pretty smooth sailing and things have gone fast. The highlight of the week was definitely last night. We took my roommate out for her birthday and had a really good time. The best part was seeing her so excited over her present. This will take a little explaining. My roommate and her family don't really have a lot of money right now, so for the past year+ my roommate has been taking tons of pictures but hasn't had the money to develop them. One roll isn't so bad, but when you have ten sitting around you can't just go get them all developed because it's going to be way expensive. So a few days ago we stole all her film out of her room and took it to Costco to get it developed. She was so happy she started to cry. It was great.

After dinner (Cheesecake factory, yum!) we went to see opening night of Jersey Girl. It was pretty cute. Basically we all agreed that there was one scene that we really didn't like, but the rest of it was good. It wasn't really what I expected, which was actually really nice. Not very much of it was about romance at all, it was more about the father-daughter relationship. So, if you don't feel like spending the money to go see it I'd say don't, but it could be a good one to rent if you're not going to mind one ridiculous scene where they talk about sex and hearing the word "shit" a bunch of times. The little girl is adorable and definitely the best part and Ben Affleck does a good job as well. Definitely had some tears going on during some father-daughter moments.

Time for the most obnoxious part of the week. These kids at the movie theater last night were seriously out of control. They would like run out of the theater. Run! Then there was another group of kids in the back that just talked the. whole. time. Finally about 2/3 of the way through someone finally went to the theator admin. and brought someone in to have them stop, but my gosh it was so bad. I seriously felt like I was trying to watch a movie at a party.

One final note, my friend Margo and I made a whipped cream pact that we're going to go to Europe after we graduate. It's official, we have the pictures to prove it.

Friday, March 19, 2004

Well it's Friday and I'm about to leave for San Diego for the weekend. I'm super stoked. I have some studying to do down there, but that's about it. I just want to relax and get away. So until Monday I'm pretty much out.

Wednesday, March 17, 2004

It's not Tuesday, it's Wednesday and currently I am ditching my philosophy class. I figure I've never ditched it before, I'm tired and I have a sinus headache. So I didn't go, and I'm fine with that. It's interesting though how I've only been back for half an hour and already I'm itching for something to do. Something in me keeps saying "Do homework, do some homework" and I have to keep telling myself it's alright to relax, the chaos is over and I just need a break. I'm not sure I remember what a break is. Maybe watching a movie will help.

My roommate had to wash a whole chicken today. It was really funny to watch. Whole chickens are gross. I'm glad it was her and not me.

I still haven't got through the first chapter of that book. Well I've read it, but I haven't let myself move on because I haven't done the whole study. I did memorize a suggested verse though, and it's been a stronghold over the last two days.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matt. 11:28-30

That's all for now. I'm going to go try to relax.

Sunday, March 14, 2004

So it's Sunday night and the weekend's almost over but for the first time in a long time I'm actually glad. I really just want to get this week over and done with. Not this whole week, moreso the next couple of days. There is going to be great rejoicing Tuesday afternoon, let me tell you. Friday I'm going to head down to San Diego to see some friends who are going to school down there and then go to my aunt and uncle's place. I cannot wait to just RELAX and not do school work. I will have to study a bit while I'm down there since I have a midterm that Monday, but that's going to be inconsequential in comparison to how much work I've been doing recently.

I got this great book at Family Christian the other day, along with tree 63's new cd and delirious king of fools. the book is called Having a Mary Heart in a Martha world. I'm stoked to read it. I read the first chapter last night, but didn't have time to do the study that goes with it (isn't that ironic) so i'm going to read it again when i can do the study. It's weird though, I want to read this book but at the same time it becomes another "thing to do" which just contributes to my whole Martha mentality. I'm hoping that admist the "doing" of the reading that i'll learn to slow down and focus on what's important - namely anything and everything but school. Ok, that was a slight exaggeration.

Lately i've been writing chord progressions with ease. It's freaking me out a bit. And I've been a bit inspired (though I don't know from what) to take a stab at writing some words. So perhaps once school has calmed down (later this week) there could be some songs. Who knows. I've felt really encouraged in my music by other people lately. I think that's really helped. That's all for now. The next entry will probably be great rejoicing on tuesday.

Thursday, March 11, 2004

Please keep this girl in your prayers. Though I don't know her, I've been reading her journal for over a year now and we've exchanged a couple guestbook entries. Her father passed away suddenly last night. I can't even imagine.

Tuesday, March 09, 2004

I think I'm approaching the top of the hill. The pinnacle is in sight. This is a good thing and a bad thing. It's bad because I still have the last push to the top that's the steepest. But it's great because I'm almost over the top and on the downward slope. One week until freedom. Well, not freedom but freedom in comparison to the last 2+ weeks. I have two major assignments down, two midterms and one group presentation to go. The following week I have another midterm but I'm just not going to count that because I want "this" bundle of stress to be over.

Now that I've sufficiently talked about school. This Saturday a freshman girl from my school got killed in a car accident. Another car was driving the wrong way on the freeway I believe (or on an inerchange or something) and hit her head on. She was killed instantly, and the two passengers in her car suffered a lot of external (but no internal) injuries. Today they had a service for her on campus. Yesterday in chapel our campus pastor urged us to go even if we didn't know her to show her family support. As he talked a bit about this girl I knew I should go. I had this huge lump in my throat and I was welling with tears, and I never even met this girl. Funny how someone you've never met can teach you so much. In an hour and fifteen minutes today I got a glimpse of who this girl was, and she sounded amazing. Her passion was definitely to serve other people. There was story after story about how she cared for people. And she didn't just do it generally, she was a detail type of person. She would find out what someone liked or what their needs were and would do something especially for them. She always put others first. At the beginning of the service our campus pastor talked a bit, and he mentioned the passage about the woman who annointed Jesus with perfume. He was saying how a lot of people might say, "this is such a waste" but they said the same thing about the woman. Just like she poured out the expensive perfume, this girl poured out her life to other people. And what she did will not be forgotten.

Wednesday, March 03, 2004

Last night I had a dream that an airplane crashed into my house. I watched it from our living room and thought, "that airplane is a bit closer than it should be" seconds before it made contact. I exchanged a look with either my mom or my dad as to say "oh shoot" and "goodbye" at the same time. Surprisingly (or not suprisingly since it was a dream), we managed to come out unharmed. Not even a bruise. How's that for realistic? The whole house should have really blown up. So for the rest of my dream, we had half an airplane sticking into one side of our house. How's that for random. And it was a Southwest plane, just in case you were wondering.

I'm super confused about what day it is. My school keeps giving us these random days off, which I really don't mind but it really messes me up in terms of keeping track of the week. We had last Tuesday off for a "School specific activity day." The School of Music did nothing, neither did the School of Theology or the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences (the schools of my roommates and myself). I'd like to think it was School specific sleeping day. And today is Common Day of Learning, better known as "common day of sleeping," "common day of going to the beach" or my personal favorite "common day of loafing" (notice it's still CDL). So I'm sitting around doing homework today. Such has been my life lately, and it will be for the next two weeks still. After March 16th I'll be pretty much free for a few weeks, or things will have settled down at least. Right now the level of homework has reached an all-time high. While I'm on top of things, the pile still looks daunting.

Let me ask you a question. What kind of professor makes 2/3 of your 8-10 page paper worth 20 points? Is that much work really worth it for a measly 20? I don't think I'm going to stress over this assignment. It's not worth it. (Note: chances are I probably will anyway).

So currently I'm sitting here typing this because I'm really tired of doing homework, namely an assignment for my conduction class which I've already put 20+ hours into this semester. I'm seriously going to cry with joy when it's over. Dear Jesus, let that day be soon. Or come back between now and then.