Happy Birthday...

...to you, too!

See you in a couple of days!

Two weeks...

...from today, I get to see a living member of my own beloved family once more! Yay!

Shane! Come Back!

I can't believe I never saw Shane before. It has to be the greatest Western I've ever seen. It has great fistfights and gunfights, but it's different from most Westerns in that it has a plot (and a good one at that), character development (even for the bad guy), and emotion. If you haven't seen it, all I can say is that you ought to. Shane is my new hero.

It also has some good quotes. Exemplia gratia:

Joe: "One thing a married man has gotta get used to is waitin' for women."
Joey: "Hurry up, ma!"
Joe: "Sometimes the waitin' is worth it. You take care, Shane, you get a woman that's worth waitin' for."

Shane: "Set 'em up, bartender. Two whiskeys. [to Chris] You bought me a drink the last time I was in here. Now I wanna buy you one."
Chris: "You ain't gonna drink that in here."
Shane: "You guessed it." [he throws one on Chris's shirt, the other in his face, and sends him reeling with a punch]

And of course:
Joey: "Shane! Come back!"

Memories of an Eventful Night

A PHC Security incident report has been recently disinterred from the mists of time by historians. Names have been hidden to protect the innocent, the guilty, and the just plain stupid.

Incident Report
Officer [JC]

Type: Medical Incident
Location: Town Hall, Dorm 1 Basement
Date: Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Time: 2150 hours

Incident:
A called was received on the security line stating that someone had been stabbed during Eden Troupe play practice. Upon arriving at the scene I found [Macduff] lying on the ground with a bandage on his right thigh surrounded by about ten people. [Young Siward] had bandaged him up. Mr. [Macduff] was accidentally stabbed by [Macbeth] with what appeared to be an ornamental, 10-inch dagger. I called Mr. [H] who directed me to remove the bandage and survey the wound. Mr. [Macduff] removed the bandage and the wound looked to be about an inch deep (judging by the length the blood had traveled on the tip of the dagger), an inch in length, and a quarter to a third of an inch across. There was no visible external bleeding although I worried about internal bleeding. I directed freshman [Angus], who is a volunteer firefighter and has completed the EMS course First Responders, to re-bandage Mr. [Macduff] while I called Mr. [H] back. He directed me to call [DA] and arrange transport for Mr. [Macduff] to Cornwall Hospital. [DA] arrived and went to Dean [W]'s office with S/O [G], relieving officer. I was unable to call [CT], RA on duty for Dorm 5, so [the priest] agreed to go to the hospital with [Ross] (driver), [Macduff], [Mabel Chiltern], and [the priest]. The dagger with blood on the tip of it, Mr. [Macduff]'s bloody jeans, and the other exposed bandages and
gloves were put in bags and taken to the hospital with Mr. [Macduff]. There was no blood on the ground or chairs.

Who am I?

I've decided on a course of action. I'm going to quit PHC, go to acting school, take voice lessons, and become a stage actor. One day I'll star in Les Miserables as Marius...or Javert...or one then the other. Oh, and of course I'd have to do Curly in Oklahoma. And Perchik in Fiddler on the Roof. Any more?

One problem with my plan...okay, two. Okay, more than that. First, I'd have to leave PHC, which would mean leaving a lot of really good friends. Besides, I love the journalism major--especially since we have Dr. Sillars. And I'm kind of naturally inclined toward finding things out (as Nick R. has discovered). And now the journalism major sounds better than ever: we have the option of taking upper level CLA courses rather than upper level government courses. Besides a history class, a lit class, and a writing class, that would mean taking a political theory class--more Dr. Mitchell! Of course, the biggest reason I can't leave (for now) is that I'm still convinced this is where I'm supposed to be. Until I'm convinced that God wants me somehwere else, I'm better off sticking it out here, even when I'm tired, frustrated, and I can't go on any more--In short, on Fridays.

I guess for now I just have to stick with listening to musicals on iTunes. Maybe eventually I'll even get to go see one.

Who am I?

Can I conceal myself for evermore?

Pretend I'm not the man I was before?

And must my name until I die

Be no more than an alibi?

Must I lie?

How can I ever face my fellow men?

How can I ever face myself again?

My soul belongs to God, I know

I made that bargain long ago

He gave me hope when hope was gone

He gave me strength to journey on

Who am I? Who am I?

I am Jean Valjean!

Letter to His Sister

"But I have one want which I have never yet been able to satisfy; and the absence of the object of which I now feel as a most severe evil. I have no friend, Margaret: when I am glowing with the enthusiasm of success, there will be none to participate in my joy; if I am assailed by disappointment, no one will endeavor to sustain me in my dejection. I shall commit my thoughts to paper, that is true; but that is a poor medium for the communication of feeling. I desire the company of a man who could sympathise with me; whose eyes would reply to mine. You may deem me romantic, my dear sister, but I bitterly feel the want of a friend. I have no one near me, gentle yet courageous, possessed of a cultivated as of a capacious mind, whose tastes are like my own, to approve or amend my plans. How would such a friend repair the faults of your poor brother."

- Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

Miss you.

"Dead, I tell you..."

Ok, so this is a little bit overdue, but my dad had a birthday a couple of days ago (yes, it's just two days if you're in the central time zone). "I was dead! Dead, I tell you, dead, and now I'm alive!" Or not. Anyway, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you once again, dad, for being such a good example of a godly man to me.

He earned his love

Through discipline

A thundering, velvet hand

His gentle means of sculpting souls

Took me years to understand

I thank you for the music

And your stories of the road

I thank you for the freedom

When it came my time to go

I thank you for the kindness

And the times when you got tough

And papa, I don't think

I said "I love you" near enough

Mis Hermanas en Cristo

In the summer of 2004, I went to Ensenada, Mexico with a group of teens from various churches in our conference. The main part of our mission there was to help a local church put on a VBS program. One day, when I had been out playing futbol in the street with some of the boys at the church, one of them, who was probably twelve or thirteen, asked if he could see my Spanish to English dictionary. After flipping through the pages for a few minutes, he asked, "You...love...woman?" I kind of laughed to myself, and replied in my hesitant Spanish, "Only as my sisters in Christ."

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Mat. 6:33-34

God has really used these verses over the past year to help me learn to trust Him regarding my situation at school. But believe it or not, they're also related to the first part of this post.

Sometimes it's tempting to start wondering who I'll end up marrying. I mean, what if the girl I'm supposed to marry gets away because I'm not paying attention now? But of course, if God wants me to get married, the right girl will be waiting, seeing as He's in charge. For now, I'm simply not in a position to even think about getting married, and won't be for quite some time. For one thing, I won't come close to being able to support a family for several years. Beyond that, though, I'm simply far too immature. God has years of work to do on me while He can still have my undivided attention. As Paul said in I Cor. 7:32-33: "But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife."

For these reasons, the issue of who (and if) I will marry falls into the realm of tomorrow. God will take care of everything in His own time. Prov. 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

All this being said, I want to thank all of my hermanas en Cristo for being just that. It's such a blessing to be able to truly be friends with you and love you as my sisters, in all purity.

God bless all of you.

Practical Impracticality

Way too cool. As Ben A. put it, "It's not very versatile, but at least it's practical for what it is (meaning an impractical sports car, but hey)." I think the Tesla Roadster is like me. It can't decide whether it's more important to be practical or cool, so it tries to be both. Let's hope the car has better success than I've had so far.

Life--seriously!

Well, in keeping with the New Posting Policy, I will now attempt to give you some idea of what's going on in my life (in case you happen to have some strange desire to know).

So, camps were incredible. Incredibly exhausting, but nonetheless a wonderful experience. All of them were learning experiences (some more than others), and all of them were a blast.

The other counselors were amazing. I can think of only one other time in my life when I have had the opportunity to become so close to a group of people by working together for a relatively short anount of time. The other counselors hepled me do my job while doing their own, and pushed me in my spiritual growth as well. So Lindsay, Joey, Erin, Angela, Carmen, Dominique, Jessica, Lisa, Megan, Caleb D., Caleb Q., John, Nick, and Tom: thank you. It was a privilege working with all of you.

The first week was debate camp, which meant that I spent two weeks trying to help kids learn about something which they already knew more about than I did. Still, I think it worked out all right, since I was able to give them some sort of common sense advice and refer them to better instructors than I for questions I coudn't answer. Rachel and Rachel, you guys did an amazing job.

After debate came the camp that, coincidentally, turned out to be my favorite: journalism. They were learning about things I knew something about, there were fewer of them to watch (only 14 guys in the entire camp!), and they were just all-around great kids. The guys who were in the wing I co-counseled with Caleb D. ended up winning the best newpaper award and the overall point competition. The only bad point about that week was something that would have been very funny if it weren't for the fact that it made a few people temporarily upset with us. Throughout the week, we had newsworthy events taking place for the kids to practice writing articles on. These included a drive-by shooting and a hostage situation. The last scenario was one of the counselors (Nick) falling from the second floor in Founders' and going to the hospital. Of course, we couldn't have him actually fall, so he laid down on the floor while everyone was in the dining hall for supper. They got a makeup artist to put some fake blood behind his head and make his arm look as if it was broken. Well, apparently the makeup artist did a little bit too good of a job. Some of the kids weren't sure whether it was real or not, until the ambulance came, and most of them were convinced he had really fallen. Well, anyway, some of them were pretty traumatized, but I think they all forgave us in the end.

OK, well that's a summary of the first half of the summer; I may write another post on the second half later. For now I'm home, enjoying family, good food, and sleep. We have some friends who are missionaries staying with us for a few days, and it's good to see them again. And I've been doing all sorts of things with my brothers; today they were calling me a "Virginian" because my feet are soft (I couldn't take the black pavement barefooted in the 100+ degree weather). Oh, and did I mention the food? The other day we had some of my dad's ultra-amazing burgers, and Sunday we had his unparalleled bbq pulled pork sandwiches along with roasted corn on the cob, followed by some incredibly delicious fresh watermelon. Anyway, I'm feeling very spoiled, but I'm also starting to get excited about getting back to school. Almost.

Memories

"The years, doubtless, went round then as now, but in my memory it seems to have been all springs and summers. I think the almonds and the cherries blossomed earlier in those years and the blossoms lasted longer; how they hung on in such winds I don't know, for I see the boughs always rocking and dancing against blue-and-white skies..."

--C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces

Route 66

Route 66: Michael Martin Murphey

Post on Cars coming up soon.

Oklahoma City looks oh so pretty

Better late than never...

I must apologize for not writing this post sooner, but I'm afraid I've been somewhat distracted of late. Anyhow, most of you know that my beloved older sister graduated from PHC a month ago (to the day, as a matter of fact). Hannah, thank you for all the help and advice you have given me, especially over the past year. It will be odd, to say the least, not having you around next year. I miss you already.

Those were the days, my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way

The true language of love

Vernon C. Grounds says in today's Daily Bread devotional that men should not be afraid to express their emotions.

Men, more than women, often find it difficult to express deep emotions. They may squelch the impulse to put their tenderest feelings into words.

This Father’s [sic] Day, many men will receive expressions of love, but they may have trouble voicing their love in return. Yet nothing is more masculine than to express love to our loved ones. That’s true not only for fathers but for all of us. We can bestow no gift more precious to those who are wrapped up with us in the bundle of life.

I think he's right, but we also have to be careful not to express our love in a mechanical, ritual way, simply because we feel it is our duty. Sometimes a man's way of expressing his emotions is not to simply say "I love you," but to show it in other ways. My own father is living proof that actions speak louder than words. He tells us that he loves us, but doesn't have to rely on that to make us believe that it's true. We know he loves us because he proves it to us every day. I think that people need to realize that just because someone is not speaking doesn't mean they are not communicating. Certainly, men need to make their love known with their words, but if a man truly loves his family, they should know it without it being said. I thank God for my dad, and pray that I will one day become as filled with God's love and as fluent in the language of actions as he is. Dad, I love you.

"He sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous alike"

or Panem Nostrum Cotidianum

Oklahoma has had one of its worst droughts in a long time over the last several months. We’ve been through burn bans, wildfires, and poor crops, and everyone has seemed glum about the upcoming harvest. Wheat prices have skyrocketed, because most people won’t be getting very much wheat at all off of their fields. Today, we had our wheat cut. Unbelievably, our yield was not nearly as low as we expected, and we ended up with a decent crop from our small three acre field. Then this evening, the rain came. Sheets of rain, buckets of it: whatever clichéd superlatives you want to add, they apply. The dry ground soaked it up like I had guzzled water earlier this afternoon after several hours in the 95 degree heat.

I heard a particularly good mini-sermon yesterday evening (I rather enjoy my pastor’s sermons) about the way God provides for us even when we’re sleeping. Lately we’ve encountered a lot of problems at once, and it has seemed as if we simply can’t keep up. My dad, however, knows how to practice what he preaches (for those of you who might not know, he’s my pastor), and he has continued to trust the Heavenly Father through everything. As a matter of fact, because he was off work today, we went and played a round of golf. It was only after we returned that we learned about our good crop of wheat, and then after my family watched a movie together (a rather corny one, but still good to watch with my family) the rain began. God knows what we need, and He will provide for us. He loves us and truly wants what is best for us, whether or not it is what we think is best. Only when we learn to relax, stop trying to earn everything for ourselves, and trust Him can we experience everything that He has for us.

Temporarily in my temporal home

Well, I'm back. But not for long. I'm enjoying the dry heat (it's been in the mid-90s), the company (the wackiest family on planet earth), and the food (real home cooking, including my dad's incomparable hamburgers and bbq pulled pork sandwiches). Soon, though, I'll be back on the cool East Coast, learning possibly more than I did this school year. This summer, I have been entrusted with two important responsibilities. I'll be a counselor for 14-18 year old boys at PHC's Teen Camps, with the responsibility to keep them in line and help them learn and grow. While I'm there, I'll also be teaching the junior high boys' sunday school class at my church. I'm trying to work on the lessons now, so hopefully that won't take up too much more time than Sunday mornings.

Please pray that in these positions of leadership I will be a godly role model for these young men. I don't claim to have any special abilities on my own, but I think that God can use me to help these boys learn something about Him.

Randomness

Well, I'm done with freshman year. Had quite an interesting evening tonight. Went to a chili supper/contra dance in a barn near here, but didn't dance (there were far more guys than girls; must have been the promise of food). Climbed in the rafters a lot, climbed on an old stone wall, and climbed all the way to the top of a silo. Then went to St. Pete's with several friends for a bit of swing dancing and just hanging out, then went to McDonald's and walked up to the drive-thru window. Walked down to Food Lion, talked to the lady who was about to close up, then we all came back to campus. Watched a couple of episodes of Get Smart; it had been way too long since I saw that. Now I think I'm going to drag my tired self into bed for the first meaningful rest in a long time. Look for a thoughful post coming soon.

Free Indeed Concert Coming Up

(L to R: Amy, Hannah, Quinn, Kelly, Tiffany, Me, Michael Z. Not pictured: Michael F.)

We look depressed. Oh well, it's a good poster otherwise. You can click to see it full-size.

Of Espionage and Abductions

The chief problem with writing a history paper on Whittaker Chambers is that his autobiography, Witness, is so interesting that I get caught up reading the whole thing rather than focusing on the really important parts. One of the anecdotes reminded me of Benjamin Gibson. Chambers describes a time when he was in hiding from the Communist party and decided to buy a gun for protection.

As we entered Baltimore, I stopped at Montgomery Ward's and bought a shotgun. It looked big enough to fell an elephant and the clerk warned me that the kick might knock me down. "Just what do you want it for?" he asked me. What I wanted it for was so much in the front of my brain that I felt as if I had been caught with my thoughts down and fumbled "Well, I think there are prowlers around the house and a gun might come in handy." His reaction was completely different from what I expected. He was a Southerner with the fine abandon some Southerners have about firearms and related matters. "Well, sir," he said with immense pleasure, "you've bought the right gun. Just hold it in front of you, squeeze the trigger, and, brother, it will be fay-ya-you-well."

On a slightly related note, clandestine activities took place at PHC over the weekend. Five men abducted an unidentified young man to take him to his surprise 22nd birthday party. The abductors grabbed him from his room, duct taped his hands behind his back, put a pillowcase over his head, and stuffed him in the trunk of a black two door coupe. The driver then proceeded to peel out from the school with another abductor riding shotgun, wearing a ski mask and carrying an airsoft carbine. They took the victim to St. Peter's Episcopal Church where the party was being held, and cameras captured their arrival:

This man is believed to be the no. 1 wheelman of the operation:

No further clues as to the identity of the group have been discovered.

"Pray Without Ceasing"

This is a tough post to write. Most of you know the situation that's going on here right now. It seems to get worse every day. Today has got to have been the worst day of it all. The worst moment came this afternoon, but not in one of the announcements or anything like that. One of my professors who is leaving has a running joke in class about how he will pay $100 to the first person from the class to name their child after a certain grammar construction. The subject came up again this afternoon, and the professor glibly said, "Now it could be $500, because you won't know me then." Class went on as normal. But I couldn't help being hit hard by that statement. We won't know him. He's not only leaving, but it seems as if all ties are being severed. How sad.

It seems that through this all, there is almost no desire on the part of many people for reconciliation. I'm not blaming anyone in particular here, but I can't help thinking of what a horrible witness we're being. It's disgusting.

There are too many Christians/Who don't talk to each other/They're not acting like brothers/They're not loving at all/They refuse confrontation/They choose gossip and slander/For solutions meander/Well they're in for a fall

We can't keep going on like this every day/Hear what I say

Let's get together/Let's stop the fighting/Let's start uniting/Whoa, whoa, whoa/Let's get together/Let's stop the fighting/Let's start uniting/Whoa, whoa, whoa

There're too many people/Who don't know the Savior/They see our behavior/is not what it should be/So let's get together/No more fussing and fighting/We need love and uniting/To be one family

We can't keep going on like this every day/Hear what I say

It's time we stop the fighting/And start giving our love to each other/Oh don't you know that they're never gonna/See how we're lovin' our Lord/Unless we're givin' our love to each other

Let's get together/Let's stop the fighting/Let's start uniting/Whoa, whoa whoa/Let's get together/Let's stop the fighting/Let's start uniting/Whoa, whoa, whoa

--"Let's Get Together" by Keith Lancaster, Bill Spencer, and Rodney Britt

I'd like to ask you all to be praying hard. There are many scripture verses I could use right here, but I like the way the song "Let Us Pray" by Steven Curtis Chapman puts it:

Let us pray, let us pray, everywhere in every way/Every moment of the day, it is the right time/Let us pray without end and when we finish start again/Like breathing out and breathing in, let us pray

Flashing Lights in my Rearview Mirror

Well, I can no longer say that I've never been pulled over. Last night on the way back from Dr. Sillars' party, I was driving down a small street that I thought had been 7 East when all of a sudden the road was gone. It took a sharp left corner, and straight ahead was a one way street going the wrong direction. By the time I realized what had happened, I would have had to back up to turn on the street, and there was a lot of traffic behind me. I looked ahead, and there was no one coming, so I decided the safest thing to do was just go on forward and turn around in this little parking lot on the right about 50 ft. ahead. No sooner had I begun to implement my plan, however, than the night sky was lit up by red and blue disco lights. I went ahead and pulled into the parking lot and waited for the cop to get out. He was very nice, just asked for my license and registration and if I was lost. I didn't think I was, but when I told him I was heading for Purcellville and he kinda went, "oh, boy," I realized I must be. While he went back to his cruiser to make sure I wasn't some desperate escaped convict on the lam, I figured out what had happened. I had taken 7 alright, but it was 7 West, not East. Oops. Anyway, he explained to me how to get on 7 East from there, which was relatively easy for this area, and I made it back alright. So I didn't get a ticket or anything, but I can't brag to Hannah anymore about not having been pulled over as much as she has been. Drat.

Frail Children of Dust

O worship the King, all glorious above,
O gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise

O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space,
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm

Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In thee do we trust, nor find thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend

Confessions of a Reluctant Geek; Macbeth Revisited

Yes, I hate to admit it, but I realized tonight that I'm becoming a complete geek. It hit me when I was reading Hugh Blair's critique of the style of Mr. Addison--and I realized that I was enjoying it immensely. Mr. Blair's work, full of praise (yet not without criticism) for Addison, was truly interesting and delighting me. Dude, that was freaky! Perhaps I ought to get a pair of glasses with my current prescription so I can start wearing them all the time. Anyway, besides that, I'm really getting out of shape, and I have been neglecting the athletic pursuits (read: I ain't been working out or playin' ball enough). I have started working out regularly again, however, and today I played pick-up basketball with some guys, which was enough to convince me that I haven't lost my competitive drive, at least.

In other news, I just got some more pictures of Macbeth from Ben Gibson (thanks, Ben!), two of which I shall now post for your amusement and instruction (well, okay, maybe not instruction, but it sounded good).

Macduff and his son (myself and Jim Wilson) prepare to take on the bloody tyrants of the world

Hannah putting makeup on me (notice, if you will, the gleeful grin on her face and the look of frustration on mine)

VA Roads

Part of a recent IM conversation between Hannah and myself:

VaderNater: whoever plans the roads around here should be taken out and shot
VaderNater: and then hanged
Hannah: :-)
Hannah: and quartered
VaderNater: yeah
Hannah: and burned
VaderNater: yeah
Hannah: and decapitated
VaderNater: good idea

I notice no one else seemed quite as excited about my last post as I am. Yes, I realize it's highly unlikely that the Marlins will leave Miami. I also realize that if they do, it doesn't mean they're coming to OKC. Still...oh well, I'm sure most of you just flat out don't care. *sigh*

YES!!!

Lieutenant governor talking to MLB team

The Oklahoman

With the success of the NBA basketball, could Major League Baseball be in Oklahoma's future?
Lieutenant Governor Mary Fallin thinks so. She has been in discussions with officials from the Florida Marlins, who are looking to relocate their team.

Jeff Loria, the owner of the Marlins, is the former owner of the Triple-A Oklahoma City 89ers.
Fallin first wrote to Marlin president David Samson last November and has spoken with Marlins vice chairman Joel Mael.

"It's all very preliminary, but I have received some good feedback from the Marlins," Fallin said.

"The Marlins have asked for some more detailed information and we are working to put that together for them," she said.

"Obviously one strong sales point has been the tremendous success of the NBA Hornets in Oklahoma City this season. We are suddenly on the map for big league sports."

The Marlins are looking for a new stadium deal in Miami and voters may ultimately decide the issue this fall. Until then, the team has been granted permission from Major League Baseball to explore relocation.

"They are looking at several cities, but I think we are in the mix," Fallin said.

"I thought, Why not Oklahoma City? We're filling the Ford Center for the Hornets and we ought to be able to convert that enthusiasm to welcome baseball, too."

The Marlins have already met with officials from San Antonio, Portland, Ore. and Norfolk, Va.
The Marlins' lease agreement to play at Dolphins Stadium expires after the 2010 season.

Oklahoma City is currently home to the Oklahoma RedHawks, the Triple-A team of the Texas Rangers. The team plays at the Bricktown Ballpark, considered one of the best stadiums in the minor leagues. Last year, the stadium hosted a pair of games between the St. Louis Cardinals and Baltimore Orioles.

I need space

I'm sitting here looking at my desktop, and it almost seems as if there can't actually be somewhere on this planet where there is so much beautiful open space and there aren't people around every corner. I like people, but it seems you can never get away from them out here. In the back of my mind, though, I know my backyard still exists. For those of you who haven't seen it (and even for those who have):


Actually, that's not the pic I was trying to upload, but it is beautiful. The other one kept having problems. I'll keep trying.

Just to let you know I haven't dropped off the face of the planet...

For those who wonder:

I am still alive, the grassfires in Oklahoma were nowhere near my house, and the semester is shaping up nicely. In fact, just today, I saw God provide once again. I was only scheduled to work 7.5 hours a week, and that was not going to be enough for me to pay this semester's tuition. However, today I was offered 5 hours a week working in the Tech dept., so I should be able to pay my school bill after all.

Classes are also looking like they're going to be very good this semester. We had a rather amusing incident in rhetoric class today. Dr. Smith didn't show up for a long time, and by a quarter after (when, I believe, students are technically allowed to leave class if the professor is absent) we were all rather curious as to where he could be. So Caleb Jones went down to his office, saw him inside, and knocked on the door. Dr. Smith looked up and said, "Yes, can I help you?" He had apparently been busy with something else and entirely forgotten about class. What made it funnier was that it just didn't seem like a Dr. Smith thing to do. Anyway, I think rhetoric is probably going to be one of my favorite two classes. Unfortunately, it will probably also be one of my most difficult two classes.

Well, it's getting kinda late, I think I'm gonna hit the sack.