brief news releases

I had my interview with Bertha and it did indeed rock. However mainly the last half, because during the first half the light switch that controlled the outlet my tape recorder was was off and therefore my tape recorder as well. But it was great connecting with Bertha and we chatted for around half an hour after the interview. She of course wanted to know what was going on in my life and everything like that. In other news Jonathan drove me up to South Bend for my pre-op Lasik exam. I took all sorts of weird little eye tests including one with circles of weird pink light, a tunnel of red lights which I was supposed to look through and not at (very hard to do), and one with a little road and a hot air balloon at the end that kept going in and out of focus. Then I got dilated, which is always a pleasure considering how unbelievably sexy I look in plastic sunglasses stand-ins that slide behind my glasses. But hey if this fixes my vision it will all be worth it. Oh and you know that big E at the top of the eye chart, yeah I can't see it without my glasses. If I had been born in a different part of the world, or a few hundred years ago, my life would have been a dismal squinting mess. Last weekend I went to Central District Conference at Maplewood Mennonite (the home church of the amazing Rebekah Schmell). It was a learning and listening experience for me, but one of the coolest parts was that I got to go with my Mom. It was kinda of like a take your daughter to work day. Anyways, I never quite realized how much of a bureaucracy the church is, but then I also realized that even bureaucracy can do some good in this world. The Theisens are arriving tonight in Goshen. Vic is the director of the London Mennonite Center, so I met their family when I was there last summer for two weeks. The two girls Janelle and Katrina are always fun. It should be a good time. Oh and it is also looking like our family will be going to London for Christmas! Oh happiness!

yes I booked it

first interview: Monday June 27th 12pm who is gonna rock it: Abby and Bertha Beachy who is gonna do such an awesome research job that grad schools beg for her to come: Abby

dilatation and other joyful occurrences

Do you ever get in one of those phases where it feels like you can't do anything right? Today is sort of one of those, from the mild scolding from my maple scholars advisor about getting 40 hours in every week, to the difficulty scheduling eye check-ups, to the everything else. I just feel like everyone sees me as this slacker who floats through life without working hard. While I do have lazy tendencies, I try really really hard to fight them and I would like to put in 40 hours a week with Maple Scholars, however I have 12 hours a week of babysitting, and various other commitments that I also have to take care of. Including housesiting for the Holsopples, taking care of their dog, getting my room in order for guests, attending Central District conference, small group (which I am going to miss again this week!), and everything else in life. Gosh darn it, I don't like feeling like I am not doing enough for Maple Scholars, I put in 37 hours last week and I know that is more than others put in and yet I feel so guilty about it. Probably because I care so much about what Jan thinks about me and my research and it is hard when I feel like she is disappointed in me. Ugggghhhhhhhhh. Good news is though, that I might get to talk to Becca on the phone tonight!!!! Which I would love to do, cause I miss her. Well I should get back to Maple Scholar's work, considering I will be missing some time for a conference this week. But because I got my eyes dilated I can barely even see what I am typing and I am already leaning back in this chair.

warning chick flick warning

I watched the Notebook with Tara tonight, which was a blast. In fact the whole evening was, we went to Steak N Shake and got to see Mel, we fed the chickens Tara is babysitting, we went to Krogers, etc. Just hung out in general, which we hadn't done in quite some time. But I have to admit the evening was a little of a struggle, Tara was feeling gushy because of a very sweet letter she got from her boyfriend on SST, last night I spent with Jesse and Steph, and the very romantically inclined movie I watched all sort of compiled. I mean how hard is it to not want a boyfriend? I mean I would be lying if I said I didn't, and I don't feel I need to be in denial of it. I guess I wish contentment was easier to find. I guess some days it is. In reading all this stuff about amazing single Mennonite women I am somewhat inspired and awed by. I think I could do that, find a place or cause that I could dedicate my life to and remain single. But at the same time, I don't' want that path. I guess what I really want to be asking these women that I am going to be interviewing, is how did you do it? How did you find fulfillment in a life without someone to share it with? I mean I guess I sort of know the answer, I mean I have been living it for 21 years, and there are definitely times when I have felt very fulfilled. So at least I know I don't need a relationship, but how does one deal with the want? Maybe they just didn't watch chick flicks.

as I was driving back from Jesse's

where I had watched Electra with Steph and Jesse I was pondering to myself, as one tends to do in the car. Humans are such creatures of the present. While we have memories, they pale in comparison to the sensory details the we receive while we are conscious. I can look back on my life and remember events, people, and places, yet they are all blurred. Yet we also base much of our decisions on these fragments of the past, in fact if we didn't have memory we would not be as advanced a species as we are. However so much of our present lives, the now, the instant we are actually living in, passes by without much thought. While I am not advocating forgetting the past or the future, it is interesting to think how much of the present we waste. Considering the average American watches 2 hours of television daily, what kind of memories does the produce for our future. Is the benefit of convenience worth the price of detachment from the sensory details found in the long details of preparing a meal from scratch? Just a few meandering thoughts (not to be taken with any less than 7 grains of salt and maybe a nice soft pretzel)

researchin and reading (the two r's)

Well so far Maple Scholars is going well. My topic interests me and such, however I still have a lot of ambiguity regarding what I am actually trying to do. And it is looking like 40 weeks are not gonna happen, considering that I already have 12 hour weekly babysitting commitments. But I figure I'll aim for 30 and just try to get lots done. I love my room here in kulp, I sleep under the window every night and with the nice drop in temperatures, I don't even have my fan running. Game nights have sort of become my substitute for a social life, but they have been fun. Lots of TiChu and TransAmerica. I guess TiChu has turned out to be quite a good investment. I am gonna go take a shower now and then do a bit more with the research.

maple scholars and other tidbits

Music: Another One Bites the Dust by Queen Yesterday I packed up my items and with the help of my parents moved into Kulp 111. For the next 2 months this will be my home while I participate in Maple Scholars. I realized how much fun it can be to move in and rearrange your own little dorm room. I have never lived by myself on GC campus before and it is fun to have complete control over how my room looks. Plus I had never realized how much a nice rug and some plants can make your whole room look so nicely decorated. Plus I have a south facing window that is edged in vines and a comfy red leather chair and reading lamp. So overall I am quite happy with the arrangement. Today I met with my advisor Jan for the first time and I am really beginning to get excited about my research this summer and getting to really flex my mental muscle per say. I also have really been enjoying being able to use my own computer with a T1 internet connection. Yah for being online again! It really is amazing, once I get a good internet, my spider solitaire addiction seems to just fix itself. :) As for the rest of my life, I am reaching a ever wavering but growing sense of contentment. I think a large part of that is due to my increasing tendency to see God as a larger part of my thought process and also by allowing myself to have greater levels of hope in things to come in my life. And since I never did get around to blogging about my road trip to Laurel. I will tell the brief story of our Arby's Quest. Around noon on our first day (Goshen to Hesston, Kansas) we decided that we should probably stop in the near future for some kind of meal and narrowed our choices down to Subways, Arby's and a possible Wendy's. We continued our drive, but eventually decided around 2, just as we were passing west of St. Louis that Arby's was where we really wanted to stop. About this same time, Arby's disappeared off the face of the earth! As we drove past exit after exit with only lowly McDonald's, Burger Kings and Subways, we grew more adamant in our desire for Arby's. We would not give in to the wily ways of Kansas, we were determined. The afternoon slowly slipped by and soon we saw 6pm drawing near and still no Arby's! Finally at a exit, there it was! The beloved large red hat that bears the noble name of Arby's. Ecstatic we pulled off and followed the arrow, delighted to finally fulfill our quest. But alas, we were too eager, for the sign lied to us. Raised our hopes then crushed them to the lowest, low. The promised Arby's was not there! We searched so hard that we actually ended up at the next on-ramp for I-70. Sighing, we decided that Arby's was not in our destiny for that day, so we consoled ourselves with a third place Wendy's, but not before vowing that we would continue our search on the third leg of trip.* *dear reader, you will be glad to know that on the third day of our road trip we did indeed find and dine at a lovely Arby's just outside of Flagstaff Arizona.

list of things I have actually managed to do

-went swimming with Tara at 8am this morning (okay we didn't exactly push ourselves super hard, but it was a good time) -finished the long and dull typing project for the history department -played 7 games of spider solitare -picked up my package from the post office that required me to pay them 23 cents. It was a piece of mail forwarded from Peace House. -deposited my check -walked 3,581 steps so far today -blogged on Ketchup -did my laundry today and hung it outside -finally ate my leftover burrito from lunch with Laurel and her Mom in Arizona on Monday -looked at my room and thought about how I should clean it -went to the library last night and checked out Xenocide and Children of the Mind which are both written by Orson Scott Card and complete the saga of Ender, boy genius. I highly recomend them.

things I should/have/might do today

-pick up a package from the post office that I owe .23 cents for -type manuscript for the history folks -clean my room -organize my room -do laundry -deposit my check -go to the library -go to small group -go for a bike ride -twiddle my thumbs -read -blog about my roadtrip to Arizona with Laurel and how much fun it was Things I actually feel like doing -hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Isn't summer crazy?

well the summer keeps on drifting

Over all mood is up, although I haven't been blogging as much these days. I guess the dial-up is a pretty big deterrent. I haven't been doing a whole lot, but my days still manage to feel fairly full. This past weekend it was really great to have Laura and her boyfriend Jed here for a while. They were attending/playing in a wedding in Shipshi so needed a place to stay. It was great I got caught up on Laura's life for the past 6 months or so and got to know Jed a little bit more too. Last night Steph, Becca and I went to Red Lobster to celebrate Becca's last evening here. She leaves to be Wilderness Wind's summer cook today. I'll miss her, but she is gonna have such an amazing time. I guess most of what I've been doing is just cleaning the room, sorting things, hanging out with the family, playing so much TiChu and babysitting. Over all not a too bad way to spend 2 weeks. Tomorrow I am off to Arizona with Laurel with a pit stop in Palmer Lake to see the Meryl. So that should be loads of fun! Road Trip!!!!