Christmas Greeting 2010

Medical checkup

Just finished our furlough medical checkup. Well, almost; have to go back next Tuesday for our tuberculosis test. Rob got a prescription for the nasty sinus thing he's had going on for the last few weeks. Ironically, I got a scrip for the same antibiotic when I went to urgent care for my spider bite yesterday… so we're getting the same treatment for 2 different things. We were in with the doctor for almost 3 hours! She said that she's never ordered so much bloodwork before. She was very thorough. We get the results next week.

Rob is at his mbira lesson now, in downtown Seattle. I'm catching up on paperwork.

Speaking

We had a great weekend in Potlatch, ID: sermon, dinner, classes at a local elementary school, youth group… 9 events attended in all! Now, we're getting ready for our upcoming weekend in Renton, as well as catching up on emails and preparing for our health checkup at the doctor's this afternoon. This is our official furlough medical, where we get a sense of where we stand physically after this last term.

Music of Botswana to preview

One of the artists that Rob produced this past term in Botswana is available to preview online; click the play button (boxed triangle) below to hear William Sechele (a.k.a. Kenny Williams) performing one of his pieces "On My Own". That's me singing backup, BTW. He has successfully replaced me for the live performances he's doing now.

Zimfest 2010

Zimfest was this last weekend, in Corvallis, OR. What a great time! I learned a few new songs on marimba as well as some children's songs and games from Zimbabwe. Rob took mbira classes. We both did a new instrument, chipendani. It's a kind of split bow that is played with plucking and resonating in the mouth. Yes, just as tricky as it sounds.




In related big news: I bought a marimba, from MarimbaWorks! Just a little soprano one, without legs. But it fits nicely in the car and I can practice on it, for when I go back to Botswana. So excited!

We're also having a great time staying with our friend Johanna, from college. Next weekend, we're off to Redding for a speaking thing at Trinity Lutheran Church and to visit with Johanna's folks there as well.

I'm feeling much better these days; still have some head congestion but my lungs are clear and I'm not as fatigued as I was. Yay!

In recovery

I'm still not feeling too well but I saw the doctor this morning and my lungs are clear: yay! I'm keeping it low key here at Kate and Dave's place. They're gone camping this week so we're housesitting and taking care of the pets. Rob is currently at a speaking thing at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church in Bellevue. I'm not with him because the doctor said to not be around kids if I could help it. Boy, I hope I'm well in time for our next speaking thing on Tuesday. It's a singing thing, actually, so I really need my voice and breathing back.

Sick days

Today and yesterday are official sick days. Yesteday, I couldn't get out of bed, period, too weak to do so. Today, I can sit up, propped, but I'm still taking it easy (in bed) because I get dizzy sometimes when I stand. Breathing stuff. Oy. But I can still use my computer today so I'm working on a printable schedule of our speaking this fall.

East side

We're getting ready today for our trip to Halifax tomorrow. We'll be there until Sunday, when we drive back here to Fredericton. Mom and Dad will be flying in that day as well so we'll get to be in the same house for a week during their vacation. We've arranged for a special evening presentation at St. Matthew's here in town for while they're here, open to the public. Rob's been working on a flyer for the event today.

Far Trekkin' - July 2010

Oh Canada

We're on our way to the east coast now, flying out of Abbotsford tomorrow morning. Had a wonderful few days in WA; fun with Kate and Heidi in Redmond, visit to Cross of Christ in Bellevue on Sunday, dinner with the Swigarts in Bellingham. First speaking thing in New Denmark on Saturday night.

Last day of class

Just finished my last class and am getting ready for our last chapel. Rob should be here with his guitar any moment now. Shopping and celebration with Mom, Hope and Rob this afternoon and commencement tomorrow. It's going to be an action-packed few days.

Comp success

Oh; I forgot to mention that I passed comps. So, when courses are done, I graduate on Saturday. Yay! Mom and Hope are coming down from Canada for commencement.

Projects on the go

Just finished one of my two remaining major papers before my coursework for the MA Applied Linguistics is done. I hope to finish the second paper today. Then, I'll just have one presentation (which I've already prepped) and a tiny paper (which I haven't) before all is complete. I'm hoping to have all finished by the time of my birthday dinner tomorrow night.

Grades acomin'

We get our comps grades tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.

Comp complete

It's done! What a relief! Now, I can return to focusing on coursework. Have to prepare testing question for the comic book translation Rob and I are doing for my translation methods class. Catching up on my Shiyeyi grammar file for my field methods class. Two big papers, a handful of little papers, a bunch of readings and one final exam to go. Three weeks left before graduation.

One more day to go

Just 24 hours from now, I'll be getting ready to go for the comps. I'll be drinking a cup of tea, possibly making a second cup in a travel cup to take with me. I'll be packing up my "quiet foods" for snacking during the exam; a banana and a Bolthouse protein drink (hazelnut latte flavor).

It's wild how I vacillate between feeling ready and not feeling ready.

Chapel this morning; Rob and I are on the Friday chapel worship team.

Just 24 hours.

Monotastic

Rob feels a little left out with my studying. When he asks how my day went, it's hard to answer without using large technical terms; "Today I learned how to identify synecdoche from among other forms of metonymy!" His response? Make up his own technical terms. Yesterday's term was 'monotastic'. That's when something is largely mundane but also a little but fantastic. I like it. I hope he has a monotastic day today, while my nose remains on the academic grindstone.

Exam week

My focus this week is on getting my head and body in good shape for Saturday's exam. Eating regular meals plus snacks, taking all my vitamins, drinking plenty if water. Sleeping at least 8 hours a night in the days leading up to it. Completing the homework for my regular classes rapidly, then going back to study but not studying to the point of head-spinning. Having energizing interactions with friends in the hallway as they arise. My current policy is to not cut conversations short because of having to study; if I live my life as if I'm under great pressure, I will truly be under great pressure. So, I'm just trying to be balanced about things, not frenetic.

Blogging from my iPod?

I think I just figured out a way. May increase my regularity; I am a self-confessed sucker for novelty.

At any rate, if you can see this, you may be seeing more here soon.

Comprehensive exam coming up

It's Saturday; 6 hours of testing madness. This school session has been crazy. Gotta keep head above water. Pray for me.

Hebrew Helps

Well, they've helped me, anyhow. I think intentionally composing songs with the paradigms helped me think about them enough that they stuck. However, if you want to get the most out of these, here are some composition tips to keep in mind:

- Pitch relates to stress. So, stressed syllables (including one where the meteg serves to keep qamets stressed on a first syllable) have higher pitch than others.
- Pitch can also signify shewa; the pitch is a bit lower for shewa syllables because I think of them as being extra-unstressed.
- Paqad: word order is all single forms, 3-2-1 person, in the first verse, all plural forms in the second
- Who Hem Hemaw: each person gets a verse, starting with 3-2-1, though both 3M and 3F get a verse (M at a lower general pitch than F)

You can reach the folder where I will post any helps I come up with by clicking here or by following this link:



http://cid-ee19c22943b900ed.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Public/Hebrew%20Helps?uc=1

For pride's sake, I should add that I threw these together with Garageband, using only loops on hand, so these are demo quality. Maybe when I get free time again (i.e. post-grad school) I'll release a final master. :)

The folder today contains the 2 songs and a little video I did for Ross Ch 11 vocab, using material from the following free podcast of all of Ross vocab spoken:

http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/biblical-hebrew-vocab-pronunciations/id214899491

Also, any iFlash (Mac software only, sorry) users out there? Because I'm building as I go an iFlash flashcard set of Ross vocab, the current iteration of which (up to Ross Ch 12) is also in this folder.

Far Trekkin' - March 2010

Time marches on

I think that my top takeaway from grad school will be that things just take longer than you think they will. I think, "Oh, I'll just whip through that reading," when, in reality, it takes me a full minute to read each page. Therefore, a 60 page reading takes a full hour. And that doesn't count annotation time. Sigh. Please God, help me make it all fit, clockwise.

Short and sweet

Arrived in Dallas; bags arrived a day later. Settled into our new place, got a lift to San Antonio to get the new-to-us car. Got a mild case of shingles. Recovered. Started classes today. Hoping to get back in the blogging swing of things soon, once things mellow out a bit here.

Packing like there's no tomorrow

Well, for me, for packing, there isn't. Co-worker Michael is picking me up at lunch-time and taking me to a week-long workshop in Shakawe. Therefore, I have to have packed all that I'm planning on taking with me to Dallas before I go. The movers are coming to take whatever's left on January 16, which is also the day that I'm due to return from my workshop. From there, we move into a local chalet for 3 nights while we do the final house cleaning and get an inspection done. Then, we start the drive cross-country to where we're flying out. Spending a night in Kang on the way, with Rich & Maya Rudowske and family. The Rudowskes are car-sitting for us while we're away.

The last few things to pack are always the hardest, especially when you're trying to decide what stays and what goes. One of my suitcases is fully packed, not to be added to (it's the perfect flight-weight). The other I hope to finish in the next few hours, just after lunch. Then, once it's weighed, I'll remove some things to put in yet another small suitcase for next week's workshop. Hopefully, I'll return from the workshop fast enough to retransfer things to the real suitcase and give the movers the small one to pack with everything else. Ah, the mayhem.

Images for emailing