some good things

happy anniversary april and carl!

systematic theology I is officially over. the test wasn't too bad. it feels good to have one out of the way. kinda gives me hope that i can make it through the rest.

i have a new proof for the providence of God. i accidentally fell asleep while studying and i set my alarm wrong (you say how could you accidentally fall asleep if you were setting your alarm, well, i didn't want to fall asleep but knew that it could legitimately happen.) amazingly, i woke up two minutes after the alarm was supposed to go off. thank you God! i'm glad the divine purpose involves me taking my final for systematic!

i currently see several shades of green: on the trees, in the grass, on my arm (bruise from giving blood!)

i think it's kinda weird that i think bruises are cool. i mean, i think they look gross on other people but it think it's kinda cool when i have them. i just like colors i think...

my bit of joy for the week is coming soon!! can't tell you though ... top secret!

all that needs to be said

it's true.

new law of the universe

my neighbor will be silent all morning but once i decide to turn on my music at a reasonable level, she will start blasting classical music so that i can no longer hear mine.

who hates their computer right now?

me.
i want to have an 'office space' moment with it.

FINALLY! blogger's scheduled maintenance lasted a million hours longer than they said!

i wrote this around 7:00ish and have been waiting for stupid blogger to let me post again. still in a fun mood though!

okay, fair warning: i think this might be a long post but believe me it’s worth it. umm, worth it not because it’s thoughtful but because i’m in a funny mood and i think it’s going to be funny. you all might miss the comedy of it but you know … it’s my blog!

first, i want to say that i absolutely loved my speech class this year. i’m sad that today was our last class ever. there were such great and talented people in this class. a comraderie kind of developed. i don’t think anyone else’s speech class had these elements of mutual respect and fun. i really do feel like i was very lucky to be in this class with these people and this teacher. at semester, we even had some folks leave and new additions and to be honest, we were a little concerned that it would affect the dynamics. but it really did turn out marvelously. so a big shout out and thank you to: professor brower, carmen, 1 samuel, 2 samuel, mark, ann, krista, adam, kathryn, and eileen. oh, and i have to say that i have remembered what my favorite moment in the class was: professor brower showing us how he used to play with his pretend pistols and gallop around on his imaginary pony. nothing beats an 80 year old man, who is really a child at heart, galloping around the room playing cowboys and indians!

well, today in speech class, we got to read anything we wanted. and i took in two poems that i really love. no regrets. but i have just found probably my favorite poem ever and i wish i had read it to them. so now, i’m just going to have to post it on my blog. this is the first and only poem that a boy ever gave to me. he presented it like he had written it, but i’m sure he had heard it somewhere before. i must say that, of course, i developed a bit of a crush on him because of it!

when i wake up
i cannot eat
‘cause i have to think about you

when it’s time for lunch
i cannot eat
‘cause i have to think about you

when it’s time for dinner
i cannot eat
‘cause i have to think about you

when i’m lying in my bed
i cannot sleep
‘cause i’m hungry

oh gosh! crack me up! that’s the best poem ever! i mean it’s sweet and it’s hilarious! (i prolly just think it’s the best poem ever because a cute boy gave it to me but hey, whatever!)

okay, now a little confession time. i had my own private 70’s dance party in my room today. it was fun! you should have been there! i really don’t know where i got all this energy or why i’m feeling so fun and fancy free but i really should be doing homework.

so now, i would like to end with a prayer:
God, please help me to have the motivation to do systematic theology. amen.

ahhh, silly princeton seminary people...

so, at some point today the internet here went on the fritz. i just checked my email account and there was an email saying: "The internet connection is presently not available. We are looking into the issue and expect the connection to be up shortly. We will send word when the connection is repaired."

like we can check our email when the internet isn't working...

oo-de-lally

it's getting to be that time of year when blog posts are few and far between. and not just for me. many of the blogs i read are updating less than usual. and i'm here to say: that's okay. for those in school, it's starting to be that stressful time. really, i probably will only update now when i'm procrastinating. yes, this is a case in point :)

first thing i need to say is:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LARISSA!!! TWO DOZEN! WOOT!!

second thing i need to say is that i discovered the meaning of 'chill' today. oh man, i was so relaxed. it was glorious. umm, but that means i haven't cleaned my room yet or started my homework. have no fear! it doesn't mean i'm not going to do them. in fact, i will do it all right now!

here i go . . .

i have finally figured something out

this is my revelation of the day. i really should have taken a year off between college and seminary. i needed one. and in essence, i almost actually did take this year off from serious study. if you are a regular reader, you have probably picked up on the strand that i really haven't done my homework this year. i haven't done quality work here at seminary and at times i often wondered why i was here and how i actually got in. many times i have felt inadequate. i'm beginning to postulate that a significant number of people here feel inadequate so maybe that's just a sign of the kind of intellectuals that are here. it might stem from the whole notion from socrates that a wise man knows he knows nothing. does anyone ever really feel they are smart enough? i tend to think those that are honest with themselves probably don't ever have significant confidence in that area. please feel free to disagree...

i would like to say that in my disgrace of seminary/academic study, i have encountered much grace. just one example from today: there is a preceptor i have that i really didn't like at the beginning of this semester. i pretty much thought he hated me and thought i was an idiot. (note: this is the preceptor of the class of the paper fiasco last night). today, he made it a point to tell me that everyone makes mistakes and this is why it's great that we participate in a faith of grace. he wanted to make sure i didn't feel unworthy. amazing. how easy i forget that everyone here loves the same God i do and are also seeking to faithfully serve God. it's so easy to get lost in the academic rigamarol.

so, in regard to my revelation of needing a year off, there is hope. i guess i got all my slacking off out of the way and am ready for serious intellectual inquiry. this is evidenced in the fact that i successfully read (and understood!) all of the readings for systematic theology this week. yes, this may seem a minor accomplishment to those who have faithfully done their homework all along but it really was an important step for me. not only did i read these assignments, i was compelled to read them. i wanted to do my homework. i don't think i took a single nap this week. instead i found the time to do what i came to seminary to do. i am sad to say that my homework accomplishment did not manifest itself in my precept. as per usual, i was silent in class. i think this is mostly because i didn't do a lot of the readings before so i couldn't build off of what was already learned by my classmates. i was, however, very glad that i could at least follow the conversation this time. i really love that precept and am thankful for all in it. i'm sorry to them that i haven't honestly pursued the integrity of academic study this semester. i have learned my lesson well. and, most importantly, i am hopeful. i have hope that i am ready for this pursuit of seminary education. i have hope that next year, my fellow classmates will encounter an entirely new kind of kyle. i have gratitude for the patience and grace i have been shown in this time off that i have had. grace and peace.

i really shouldn't be at princeton

this is probably the worst thing i have ever done academically. i actually forgot that i had to write a precept paper for new testament this week. i didn't remember until maybe 8:10 tonight and it's due at the very latest at 9:00. so, i wrote something really fast and sent it off. the worst paper ever. i wouldn't even say it's a high school level, let alone graduate school. i feel completely humiliated, dishonest, and unintellectual. i feel like i've cheated the people who really do a lot of work for their papers. the biggest thing that gets me is that i was really wanting to do my very best on this paper and i really wanted to write about revelation.

*intermission*

thank God for good friends. i was a mess when i started this entry. krista came to my room in the middle of it and then ann came shortly thereafter. i was really miserable and they stayed with me until they had completely made me feel better. i really don't think i could make it through seminary if it weren't for good friends i've made in just the short time i've been here.

and now, i see it fitting to end with scripture. this is part of a passage i read today for my speech class.

"i remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. i well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. yet this i call to mind and therefore i have hope: because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail." lamentations 3:19-22

i should blog i should blog i should blog

i don't have anything to say!!

haha! i bet i'm the only one who thinks this post is funny!

it's the second to last week of classes and i finally have something to say about my homework

as i read cone, i thought that i was recognizing something in his emphasis of Christology's source, i.e. scripture, tradition, and social existence. then it hits me (as it would hit any good methodist!) that he's following the wesleyan quadrilateral. the wesleyan quadrilateral is a paradigm regarding authority in theology. the elements of the quadrilateral are scripture, tradition, experience, and reason. ahhh, now you're seeing where these line up with cone. three are explicitly expressed in his arguments and the fourth, the unmentioned reason, is obviously what the task is. cone is reasoning through theology on the basis of scripture, tradition, and experience. oh man, if i had known that cone was a wesleyan, maybe i would have read him sooner! it's my own fault obviously ... i mean there is no reason i shouldn't have noticed sooner, especially when he consistently makes reference to an a.m.e. church.

maybe this is a good time for a confession. i haven't really wanted to read cone (or ruether for that matter) this semester. it's not that i don't want to consider liberation (or feminist) theology. quite the contrary, i want voices that haven't been heard to be heard. in fact, i love gutierrez. so, why then did i have an aversion to cone? well, i based it off some excerpts i read at the very beginning. i thought that all the book was really about was bashing white people and showing how all white people are jerks and have messed up christianity. and it is about that at times, but not entirely. i didn't want to read someone who was attacking a group of people because they were attacking a group of people. it seemed highly hypocritical and unintellectual to me. but yesterday and today, as i did my first complete reading of cone, i realized that once i got past that, there were definitely things i could learn. for example, a part of the assigned reading was titled "Jesus is black". that was the part i really didn't want to read at all. i just knew i would hate it. au contraire ... it was my favorite part. i'm not going to presently disclose why i liked it so well in the hopes that maybe i will have something to talk about in precept this week. hopefully i still remember by friday! as for ruether and why i didn't want to read feminist theology, it is the same kind of reason that i didn't want to read cone paired with the (unreasonable) stereotype i associate with feminism. but today is ruether tuesday so maybe i'll have some more insights to write about later this evening.

question:

is new jersey the garden state because it has the highest pollen content?
cause i don't see any gardens...

how much fun did we have bowling?!

this much!!!!!


ahhh, such a fun night! nicole, ann, larissa, dan and i went up to new brunswick to have hot dogs. after the first bite of my chili dog, i knew this was going to be a glorious night! after doggin it, we headed to the bowling alley where we met up with one jenny smith. thence, bowling commenced. oh how it was a glorious time! i could give you all the details but short posts are really better. so, i will relish the memories of this night and go to sleep while you sit and wonder about how much fun it would have been to hang out with these folks and have some good, clean, bowlin' fun.

seriously having a hard time comprehending this

it's saturday morning. i work all day on saturdays. in fact, i'm supposed to be at one of my jobs at 8:30. not the job i walk to but the one that i have to drive ten to fifteen minutes to get to. that means i am supposed to leave here at 8:15. ahhh, now you are checking to see what time i posted this to see why i'm telling you that. as i'm walking to my car, i see men in the trees chopping/chainsawing the branches off. and i think to myself that i'm not a big fan of the destroying nature business but i'm sure there must be some kind of good reason. on to my car. don't worry, this post is not about how a big tree limb fell on my car. that would be a travesty. this post is more about an inconvenience and an irritation. so, the guys who chop off branches drive really big orange trucks. where would they park these big orange trucks on a campus that is already limited in parking? well, you see, they park them right behind my car so that i can't get out. not just my car, four or five other people are not going to be able to drive this morning either. now, i'm not usually one to interfere with people working or try to get my way but i had to get to work. so i go up to one of the workers and asked if there was someone who could move the truck so i could get out and go to work.

me: "is there anyone that can move the truck because my car is blocked and i need to go to work?"
worker: "no"
me: "there's no way to move the truck so i can get my car out?!"
worker: "no"

what the kind of crap is that?!?! why can't they move their truck? i know they have a job to do but i think that it's not only unfair but also unreasonable to inhibit people from the use of their vehicles. it might have been okay if i had been given some kind of warning not to park there. but, no, i have to find out while i'm on my way to work that i can't actually go to work. plus, it's saturday morning ... most people aren't up for me to ask if i can borrow their cars. and it's not really my favorite thing to do anyway because sometimes people don't want others borrowing their car, which i totally understand. so, i had to call my work and tell them i couldn't come in because the big tree truck was blocking me and they wouldn't move it so i could get out. bet they've never heard that excuse before!

is it time to post again?!

my how the time flies!

so, i really feel as if i should do a serious post. something very intelligent and thought provoking. it's really quite a shame that i feel like neither of those attributes presently!

by the way, i shouldn't be allowed to email people i don't know when i'm in this mood where i think i'm funny. they're probably going to read it and be like: "what the crap does she mean when she asks what kind of famous mouse would i be?! man, i'm working with a freak this summer!"

it was a beautiful and blessed day

yes, to all those wondering, i had a wonderful birthday!

i got up at the proper time so that i could get gussied up for my birthday (instead of sleeping in and showering after greek thereby skipping chapel). oh wait, that wasn't where i should have started the story. at 6:15, i hear a little rustling outside my door...i kinda figured it was people decorating so i thought it would be rude if i got up and scared them! plus, i still had an hour to sleep before the proper getting up time. so, when i do get up and open my door, there are all these beautiful purple, blue, and white streamers and balloons and confetti!! yes! love it!

next point of excitement: an envelope was slipped under my door. inside is a nice card from jenny and a beautiful necklace. jenny got the necklace on her retreat and it's from kenya and the money used to purchase it went to helping build a church in kenya. love it!

when i get to systematic, a bunch of people start singing 'happy birthday' to me! but then they stopped after the first line!! it totally cracked me up! love it!

when i come back, i had a couple messages on my phone. what a glorious thing when people call me and sing me happy birthday!!!! it was very nice to get all the emails, phone calls, and instant messages from all my peeps that aren't in princeton. and, i got cards from my family. love it!

then, krista came to my room to get me for lunch. but she also had a present: a tiara with flashing lights!! how fun is that?! so i wear it to lunch and when i get to the table for lunch there are balloons and a table cloth. it was a really nice setup! then, a bunch of folks that i love came and had lunch with me and/or came to wish me well. and the cake! let me tell you about the cake: so, there is a skate park in philly that i totally want to go to sometime. i'm a little obsessed about it. the cake was a skate ramp!! with skateboards on it!!!! how perfect! while they are singing me 'happy birthday', joanne is throwing her napkin confetti. some of the pieces of napkin landed on the candles and caught fire! i had to blow them out ... kinda messed up my making a wish thing but it was classic!! lunch was so much fun for me! love it!

next thing, tony jones was our teacher in theol. foundations for min. with youth today. and, we got to have class outside for half of it. that was totally great. my thoughts were engaged and i got a little bit more of an understanding about the emerging church. but more about that later. love it!

then, i set out to pick up ann from the airport. i forgot about rush hour. not the highlight of my day but i still found some great music to listen to. so, i get ann at the airport and we head to qdoba. we kinda catch up a bit in the car with interspersed direction giving. we find qdoba and i have my very first qdoba burrito! i had to ask ann how to order because i didn't want to mess up and look a fool! haha, i'm a dork. and then during dinner, ann fills me in on her trip to colorado. i'm glad that it was a good time for her and that she relaxed from her studies for a while. it was fun to catch up! love it!

ice cream time! a bunch of us headed out to halo for some ice cream celebration. i was kinda terribly full still but i managed to eat my ice cream :D oh gosh, can i just tell you that i really do appreciate all the friends i've made here at pts. just some really great, fun, intelligent, wonderful people. love it!

so now, the sad news of the night. well, first of all, i must say that i had forgotten that american idol was on tonight because i was having such a great birthday. but i remembered when i heard the vcr was on after i got back from picking up ann at the airport. so, when we get back from ice cream, emily and i sit down to watch it. but i can't find where the show started. turns out i'm a dummy and didn't remember to reprogram the vcr for daylight savings time (and the mode where it automatically changes it was off). so, we only got to see the recap. kinda sad about that. it's the first one i missed all season. but you know, i still had a fabulous day and nothing can rain on my parade! love it!

speaking of rain, it didn't at all today. it was such a beautiful day today! birds were singing. sun was shining. windows were down. glorious, just glorious! love it!

thank you to everyone who made this such a wonderful day for me. i am truly honored to have such friends that will call me to sing to me, that will send me e-cards, that will plan such fun things for me, and that will just be with me and have a good time. love you all!

they say it's your birthday ...

i would just like to say "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!" to my friends matt and jeremey!! matt is a friend that i made way back my freshman year of college. he happened to marry one of my bestest friends! he is turning the very exciting age of two dozen today!! jeremey is another friend from college. he happens to be dating one of my other bestest friends! he is turning the big 21 today!!

ladies, like i always say, if you want to find a quality guy, just find one with the same birthday as me :D

i may have made a severe underestimation...

...in how much people here love me! or, at least in how much they want to share in the celebration of my life!

tuesday is my birthday and there have been plans in the works for celebrating it. some of these plans i knew about and was involved in but i just found out that there were surprise plans as well! there was, however, a thwarting of the surprise plans because of the other plans that were already made. alas. but i am thoroughly excited and overjoyed that my friends here were thinking about me and how to celebrate with me. i really am blessed by the people i've met here at pts. and it is quite a joy to know that my appreciation of them is reciprocated!

so, if there is, by some odd chance, anyone else out there planning anything, here are the already set plans: tuesday i will be in the caf. for lunch for a good while (noon to probably 1:30 or later) so that i may enjoy fellowship with friends over lunch; tuesday night after class is out at 5:30, some folks are headed to the airport to pick up ann and then go out to dinner and maybe ice cream; saturday night, a group of us are going to go bowling (these plans aren't set in stone yet!).

so, yeah, dang, i have a lot of celebrations and i am quite honored (and maybe feeling a bit guilty) that i have so many opportunities to spend with friends. and, if you happen to read this blog and are in new jersey, you are of course invited and welcome to any and all of these events!

much love to all my peeps!

daylight savings means

i don't feel bad about going to bed early!

APRIL FOOL'S!!

hahahahahaha! i love this day!!!!! i look forward to it every year. i will have to say that i am a little bit off my game this year. no major pranks. i usually have something thought of months ahead of time but it kind of snuck up on me this year.

i'm pleased with the amount of people who fell for the blog hoax. i didn't miss the test even though i did go without much sleep. i feel pretty okay about the test. i had convinced myself that it was okay if i failed. some folks were a little irritated with that joke though. but really, they should expect something like that from me on this day! one of my favorites of today was when i called my boss at work and said i couldn't come in. she was not happy cause that would have meant she would have to work from 10 in the morning until 8:30 at night. she totally fell for it! it was glorious! she said no one had gotten her for years!

i only fell for one joke. my brother asked me if i was ready to be an aunt. if you know my brother, it is quite possible that he could have gotten someone pregnant. but here's where he messed up: i asked when the baby was due and he said nine months. it's not possible to know nine months ahead. silly brother!

thanks to all who put up with my shenanigans on this my favorite secular holiday!

i can't believe i'm such an idiot

the worst thing imaginable has happened. i slept through my test. i was up all night studying and i must have fallen asleep in the wee hours in the morning. i just woke up. class started at 9:00. i'm pretty sure that my teacher will not let me make this up. my life is over as a greek student.

this may serve as another confirmation that i'm really not made for this lifestyle. i might as well just drop out of seminary.