Happy Birthday, Lily!

Where there are no florists ...



(from the Cape York Photo Exhibition of Kerry Trapnell)

Thanksgiving adventures

So, we went to Seattle. Kate and Dave flew us up to stay with them until Sunday morning, when they returned us to the airport. We enjoyed that time very much. I was a bit burned out from 2 exams last week, anticipating much work over the next few weeks. It was nice to be with people who allowed me to mentally shut down for a few days. Kate took good care of me.

When I got back, I had a report to prepare for presentation today on an article on Bantu object relations. I had planned on taking the article with me to go over on the plane but it was already checked out when I went to the library on Wednesday. Someone else, reporting on a different article in the same book, had already gotten to it. Sigh. So, I had to haul it together in one day, yesterday. I plugged away at it all day, giving up at about 11:30PM last night. The presentation this morning didn't go as well as I would have liked. I had a bit of a headache and my left heel hurts when I'm standing so focusing was tricky for me. I found myself losing place in my presentation, despite my lovely typed notes and example chart. Oh well. I handed in my notes so, hopefully, Les Bruce will see that I wasn't just rambling because of lack of effort on my part.

I've agreed to work for someone tonight; they'll return the favor for me next week. Double work this work, nothing next week. Hopefully the switch will free me up on a week when my head is working better.

Gotta come up with a topic for my Biblical Backgrounds chapel talk, happening the end of next week. I keep thinking I'll do something on Mosaic Law, maybe in relation to the code of Hammurapi. Maybe I'll do something on Jesus as Shima, look at his rabbinical method of teaching. Maybe I'll dig around on the shelves at the library, see what triggers for me.

Happy Birthday, Dan!

Don't fear the squirrels, man.

Weekend

We had a pretty full weekend. Saturday, we spent all day (except for 3 hours from 2-5PM) at the SDA church. They had a guest speaker for a relationship seminar. It was amazing! We heard things we'd never heard before about relationships, stuff we could identify with, stuff that explained things that had been puzzling to us about our relationship and other relationships. It was well worth the time.

I spent Sunday studying with Lauren for our take-home Biblical Backgrounds midterm. I went from 1PM to 7:30PM, with a dinner break, and finally hit threshold study capability. She went home, I took the exam. I think it went well. I find that it's really hard to tell how well I'm doing on things here until the final grades come out. When I did the Anthro exam a week or so ago, I counted about 65% definite "corrects" on the test. I actually got a 96%. So, I counted 7 (of 15) definite "corrects" on my BB last night, 6 "halfsies" and 2 "no ideas". I'm kinda curious to see how same-day studying works out: I rarely look at material the day of the exam. Somewhere along the way, I got the idea that sleeping on studied material makes it stick better. Any scientific basis for that, anyone?

Today I have to finish my kinship chart for Anthro. Spent over an hour on the phone with Mom & Dad trying to get the names of their aunts and uncles and their children. I only have to score 5 generations and I have 2 second cousins who have children so I technically only need to go back as far as my grandparents. Which is a good thing. The chart I was making based on the info I got from the parents on Friday spanned about 8 pieces of 8.5X11 paper taped end-to-end. Messy.

Wednesday is my midterm for Semantics. Got the study guide on Friday. Haven't had time to look at it. That should be my main task on Tuesday.

Happy Birthday!

It's Hannah's birthday ... yippee! I will melt some cheese and chocolate (separately, of course)and think of you.

On a break

Working at the library tonight. Yesterday was quite the busy day. I did finally complete the semantics project and was only up until 11:30PM. So, I woke up tired but not as tired as I had expected.

I went to the Boutique this afternoon for the Christmas "sale". The Boutique is the Wycliffe second-hand store on campus. I use the term store loosely: everything is free. And throughout the year, they save the most special items (especially jewelry and stuffed toys) for the Christmas sale. Again, everything free. Wild, eh?

Tomorrow night, Rob and I will be doing more participant observation at the SDA church; they're having a relationship seminar. We're kinda stoked. From the pastor's description, it sounds like the topics will be geared to that congregation's expressed needs so we should really gain insight into the nature of relationships of that community.

But the real biggies for this weekend are the studying for midterms in 2 classes and preparing a genealogy that goes back 5 generations for my cultural anthropology class. Pacing myself may be key in keeping my brain functioning at optimal capacity. Lavender oil will also play a role, I'm sure. Kalamata olives may also be featured.

Hormone Hostage

This was sent to me today by Connie, an aunt of mine on Rob's side. Too funny. Had to share.

The Hormone Hostage
The Hormone Hostage knows that there are days in the month
when all a man has to do is open his mouth and he takes his very life
into his own hands. This is a handy guide that should be as common as a
driver's license in the wallet of every husband, boyfriend, or
significant other.

DANGEROUS: What's for dinner?
SAFER: Can I help you with dinner?
SAFEST: Where would you like to go for dinner?
ULTRASAFE: Here, have some chocolate.

DANGEROUS: Are you wearing that?
SAFER: Gee, you look good in brown.
SAFEST: WOW! Look at you!
ULTRASAFE: Here, have some chocolate.

DANGEROUS: What are you so worked up about?
SAFER: Could we be overreacting?
SAFEST: Here's fifty dollars.
ULTRASAFE: Here, have some chocolate.

DANGEROUS: Should you be eating that?
SAFER: You know, there are a lot of apples left.
SAFEST: Can I get you a glass of wine with that?
ULTRASAFE: Here, have some chocolate.

DANGEROUS: What did you do all day?
SAFER: I hope you didn't overdo it today.
SAFEST: I've always loved you in that robe!
ULTRASAFE: Here, have some more chocolate.

LBT is coming to town

Sharon (missionary personnel supervisor for LBT) is here ... woohoo! We met with her for a few hours yesterday, gave her an update on how school is going, went over some logistics stuff. We talked a bit about future assignments as well, bounced around some more ideas for possible locations (all Africa at this point). Afterwards, we went to dinner at Colter's BBQ. I hadn't had Texas BBQ yet and I was curious as to what a Texas BBQ menu would look like. I had BBQed brisket, broccoli-rice casserole and black-eyed peas. I had no room for the pecan pie so I took it home for later.

We're having an LBT get-together at the Cowan apartments tonight. I may have a late one tonight, after the shindig: 2 Semantics projects due tomorrow. It's all about definitions. Funny, you'd think meanings would be evident but when you start really thinking about what words mean (and what they don't necessarily mean), it can make your brain go a little woogy. Spent 2 hours last night trying to decide what praise, commend and credit meant. Now, I need to write formal definitions in NSM metalanguage and give context to prove my inclusion of various definition components.

Went over the maps I've done in Biblical Backgrounds with classmates this afternoon. We've been mapping major O.T. events; drawing arrows to show paths taken by historical folks, highlighting major roads and locales, etc. Also read 1 and 2 Maccabees. Can't wait to see Alexander the Great when it comes out!

Pumpkin Soup

I got a book from the library; the "More-for-less" cookbook, sort of a conservationist approach to cooking. I found in it a recipe for pumkin soup and I remembered fondly the New Year that Abson brought me pumpkin soup from his mother's home, a traditional Haitian dish. I thought I might make it for dinner one evening but, not sure how well Rob would like it, I didn't really feel like going out of my way to procure ingredients. I thought no more on it.

While I was doing laundry last week, I noticed that someone had left a bunch of groceries there (they must have been moving out of the apartment complex). Among the canned goods was a tin of pumpkin. I remembered the soup recipe, which I had forgotten on our most recent trip to the grocery store, and thought I would adopt the lonely can of pumpkin. I returned to the apartment and looked up that soup recipe. Alas, I still had no green pepper, one of the ingredients. I thought I might try to remember to pick up a green pepper the next time we get groceries.

Today, I came in to work at the library. While tidying in the kitchen, I noticed a post-it note on the counter, saying "please, please help yourself". As there was nothing near the note, I figured that whoever had closed up yesterday must have put the item in the fridge, that it must be a perishable. I looked.

You got it ... peppers. 2 green, 2 red.

Godfunny.

Highlights

Some of the "salient moments" of the last week and a half:

We tried to go to the Liberian Lutheran church. But the phone numbers that were on the board when we drove out there were no longer related to the church. The church office number got me a private residence of a lady who knew nothing about the church. The pastor's number got me the residence of the former pastor, who had left for Sierra Leone 6 months ago. Methinks they no longer meet there, if the contact info is so old. We got a location to try from Jack, one of our Cult. Anthro. profs: the SDA church in Arlington. The membership is 80% African immigrant, mostly Kenyan. We have been warmly welcomed there, having been there twice now. The pastor in particular was very pleased to have us visiting and has offered to help us in any way that he can. They meet on Saturdays, being SDA and all, which flip-flops our normal weekend structure. I feel like Saturday is Sunday and Sunday is a random free day. Which day am I resting on? Hard to say. What is rest, anyway?

Our Biblical Backgrounds class met at the Bruce's house for dinner and a movie last Friday. The video was on archaeological evidence locating the Exodus account. The freaky coral formations were the best part. The satellite pics of Nuweiba Beach were pretty compelling too.

Anthro in three, two , ...

I attempted a post sometime last week but the site was down for routine maintenance and my carefully prepared post never got posted. When I went back in my browser, the posting was gone from the frame. Argh! I was so discouraged, I didn't have the heart to come back and post anything. I think I'll return to the way of briefer, more often posts.

And I do have to go to Cultural Anthropology class in 5 minutes.

We found a church to attend for our participant observation: All Nations Seventh-day Adventist in Arlington. They meet from 8:00AM to close to 2:00PM. The last part of the fellowship time takes place en masse, in the parking lot. More on our SDA adventures later.

I think I need to go over the latest posts to see what news is these days. :) I think I'll do that this afternoon.