I live in a castle. Where do you live?

This is the decided upon "punchy phrase" for our Williston (my dorm) t-shirts this year. It's mostly becuase everyone calls us the Nunnery and makes fun of us becuase we're the only all girls building on campus and mostly contain quiet upperclasswomen (except transfers!) so they're being a little "fiesty". They call our building the "Red Castle" or at least I think they used to in like the 20's (it's the second oldest building on campus).

But remember when we lived in a castle for REAL?

I do. That was fun.

Some poor girl in one of my classes yesterday was being nice and asking me about what I'd done before coming to Wheaton (I think it throws people off sometimes that I didn't just come straight here from high school. you mean... there's other things you can do after high school?! but this wasn't the case this time. this was just a really nice girl) and she got me talking about Capernwray, asked a couple leading questions about it - poor thing... I was trying so hard not to gush... but how can you not?! I mean I LOVE it here at Wheaton. I really do. I love Portland and it was great to live with Aly. I had an AMAZING time in Ecuador this summer. But seriously? A whole year at bible school and travelling around Europe with your brand-new closest friends you've ever had? Can't really beat it, can you?

That's all. I know we've all moved on. But I figure we all need to continue those shout-out to '04-'05 posts every so often.

Things I AM a fan of:

-Good music

-Fair trade coffee (or any coffee for that matter if I'm honest...)

-Care packages from home (yes, I'm 21 and my mummy sent me a care package. and I liked it).

-Good classroom discussion

-Making new friends and keeping the old. (one is silver and the other is... an equal but different natural recource).

-WILLISTON 2 SWIM NIGHT.

The Solid Rock.

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Refrain: On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

Things.

I am increasingly disgusted by our (my included) infatuation with THINGS. Why this need to constantly aquire? I am also increasingly attracted to simplicity and anti-materialism (and consequently increasingly to boys who live accordingly). At the same time, I really enjoy getting things. Not all things. And not so much when money is involved, but in all truth I honestly feel happy at the aquisition of a new cd - the Ben Kweller cd I bought yesterday has put me in a good mood for the last 24 hours. And I honestly get excited about certain purchases - for example, I just purchased high-heels for the first time in my life. Given, my excitement about this aquisition is greatly increased by the fact that they cost me only $6 on sale at Target, but the point still stands.

Actually, I don't really have a point. More of an observation, and a bit of a wonder. I wonder where these conflicting values will lead me? Will I continue to learn the value of simplicity and live the latter part of my life in humble setting without many things around me as I would honestly hope to... or will I be seduced away by the euphoria of a well chosen purchase and by the increased spending power which the post-college years generally offer?
I don't honestly know. But I think I'll start to pray about it.

In other news: Jimmy has a girlfriend. Her name is Melody. She's pretty much a babe. And she's a year or more older than him. Just thought you'd like to know.

Things I'm not a fan of:

War

Packing

The IMF (international monetary fund)

Three and a Half Hour long classes

Awkward Moments (and people who say they enjoy awkward moments. they're liars I tell you. LIARS).

You know how I feel about this...

Today I was talking to a lady at church about joining her women's bible study (I love my church, but they always want to hook me into a college group or singles ministry... I don't need any more fellowship with people my age, I need real people! but that's a rant for another day) she was quite nice and after I wrote my name on her sign up sheet for information about the bible study she read it and asked if I prefer Pamela or Pam. I told her I prefer Pamela. I realized that since I do prefer Pamela it is silly to tell people I don't care... not that I care a lot... just a preference. So anyway, she acknowledges this. A minute later she calls a friend over to meet me and she says, "Hey I want you to meet Pam, she's interested in joining our bible study." Really? I mean I just told you. You ASKED. Really? Pam?
Also when I told her I was an anthropology major she said, "Oh! then you'll really like this study that we're doing studying the Patriarchs, it's all about ancient history." "Umm, well I don't really study ancient history so much as current cutlures, but yeah, that does sound interesting." "ooohhh, so that's different than archeology then?" Hehe. I really can't blame them though. This is a very typical response. Why would you know what anthropology is if you never took an intro class or had a friend in the major? You probably wouldn't. Is it snobby to have a major that normal people don't know what it is?
And then I got lost when I was trying to leave the church building. which is actually a high school. so... who's the dumb one now?
Those are my stories for today. I'm going to take a nap now. It's going to be glorious.

It has begun.

I knew this would happen. I am taking two anthro classes and two sociology classes this term. The mumbo-jumbo has started falling from my mouth at an increasingly rapid pace. I can't watch a movie without analyzing it's cultural statements and symbolic meaning (which is kind of reduntant). I must confess... I don't even mind. I'm just afraid I'm going to get real annoying real quick.This morning at breakfast I said in passing "Man... I really feel like reading Harry Potter today... but I have to read Karl Marx instead." Yep. Spring Semester 2007 is here with a vengance, even if Spring is still a long way off. I love my friends here though. They are so good at keeping me sane. I learned to play poker last night. Watched the last hour of Jet Li's "Fearless", which was actually really really good. I laughed uproariously on several occassions. And I ate the best chocolate chip cookie I've ever eaten in my life. Hands down. No contest. THE BEST. (Sorry for the horrible punctuation in that paragraph. I'm embracing all chances I can take at being non-academic at the moment).
Unfortunately I don't want to annoy you all with a bunch of anthropological mumblings, and that's the main subject of my life at present so I don't have much else to say in a public manner. Praise the Lord for no school on monday which means I can sit here and look at blogs and listen to delightfully strange foreign music I'm borrowing from Gisela and not feel guilty.

Oh, and for those of you praying for my sister. Thank you so much! Keep it up! Still no baby yet! God is very good to us.

So I'm getting dinner at the cafeteria yesterday evening, just minding my own business... when I see Justin walking toward me. Well... being that we both just returned from break, I go over and give him a hug. "Do you see who Jimmy's with over there?" he asks me. "His girlfriend?" I playfully respond. "No look!" he insists. So I look, and who do I see sweet talking Cecilia the card swiper lady but Mr. Ben Clark-Mitchell himself! That's right. In the flesh. For real. Not even kidding.

In other news. I'm really sick. Bleeeehhhh.

Obla-dee Obla-da

I found myself in an odd place of limbo this Christmas break (in general the break has been been decent, not great, but not bad either). I spent time with my Grandparents who could pretty much pass away any time now (they're not doing well healthwise), with my sister who could give birth at any time, and attended a wedding. I've talked with one friend about her difficult break up, and with another about an exciting new prospect. I've had some great days talking to the Lord, and some where I barely acknowledged his existance. I've read a couple masterpieces of modern literature (albiet short ones - Slaughterhouse 5 by Vonnegut, and The Man Who Was Thursday by Chesterton) and I've spent some days doing nothing but watch tv. So when people ask me how my break was I say, oh you know, it was decent, not great, but not bad either. So it goes.

And now I return to school. To the land of 10 degrees F with a windchill factor of -2, of studying endlessly breaking only for meals, of never watching movies but always reading textbooks... yet somehow i'm looking forward to it. What can I say? I'm a nerd? Maybe. Or maybe I'm just attending a great school with some great people and I like it. Is that so wrong?

Oh, and my New Year's resolution is: to be perfect. (I figure if I set one that I will break right away it saves me the trouble of being disapointed with myself 2 months from now).