stream of consciousness

4:30

I saw a couple trending music videos,

couples coupled

strangers twined

tongues bodies hands

all over each other

----------the internet

all in style

-------our minds

sick.

4:38

I'm glad it rains

and wish it washed

my mind

and not just the ground.

4:42

I'll braid my hair

and run outside

and laugh at work

until I'm unbraided

and upbraided for

putting off a little reading.

Just for a minute

or two.

I just read the [beth]anitely on the header photo of this blog and realized that it's misspelled! True, it's nonsense. But it's misspelled nonsense.

There is a method to the madness, you see:

d-e-f-i-n-i-t-e-l-y

minus the defin

plus the [beth]an

equals b-e-t-h-a-n-i-t-e-l-y.

I feel as though I'm the love-child of ee cummings and capital letters tonight.

Jot

So, at the end of the summer, Michael gave me this delightful moleskine for recipe writing. It's great. It's one of those things that you stare at more than write in because you don't want to ruin it. But I've learned the beauty of those things when put to use, so last night I scribbled in the first recipe: lemon pound cake.

I'm excited to keep this thing up. Tonight, I'll add baked macaroni and cheese if the ex-E3W unit dinner goes deliciously.

You know what that reminds me of?

Harry Potter.

That's the new game. Find stuff that reminds you of Harry Potter. Pretend it probably originated with Harry Potter.

When you see someone cutting in line, you say "That's straight up Slytherin." When you hear people talking about soccer, you say "That's completely from Quidditch."

This game is probably going to get very old, very fast. But Zach Arneson thinks it's ridiculous, and so we shall play. ;)

The thought also brings up an interesting picture with an interesting quote, courtesy of Rachel Sims.

"Didn't see this one coming:"

Pick up spoon. Gag me.

This is a sentence from an article I'm reading:

This article advances a two-part thesis based on Platonic and Augustinian teaching methods: 1) Plato’s method of dialectic was formally homologous to a higher level of material reality in order to unlock the level of discourse generated by his interlocutors to talk about their experiences of the sensory world, and 2) Augustine’s homiletics was homologous to the style of the Biblical authors thereby unlocking scriptural opacities and guiding the audience toward truth.

This is a "discourse" from inside my head:

DUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Discourse On Three Items

On Teaching

I met my cotton-candy-sweet cooperating teacher. I'll be working with her next semester for three hundred and twenty hours. What a relief, then, that she is encouraging, friendly, flexible, and organized!

Someone once told me that I was going to be like Miss Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. I think... they meant it as a compliment. I wonder what Miss Frizzle would have been like as a student teacher?

On Heroes

Wilbur Williams sat down and had an impromptu conversation with me today. He told me to trust God with my future and to pray over my options. I melted into a puddle in the middle of Noggle. They had to get a mop.

There's an individual who walks around campus, and I just realized his "pattern." He always wears superhero paraphernalia. Always. I've seen him with a batman shirt and a superman shirt and superhero pajama pants and a spiderman ski mask... Not all at the same time, though. Goodness, no. I wonder if that's all because of the movie fad or if he's just a hard-core comic book junky? Or! Maybe he just likes bold primary colors, onomatopoeic exclamations, and interesting logos? I'll probably never know.

On Retirement

Maybe I'm over the moon because I've been living in a freshman dorm all these years: I've lived in that particular cave of Plato's and only now have I entered into the light. Or maybe it's completely normal. Either way, I love living in the Lodges. I love being able to cook and decorate and visit and have visitors. I love being able to leave and not feel like a shepherd leaving her flock (which, of course, was a feeling, and not a reality). I love having a bike to use and a suite of busy friends to say hello to... it's all loved. Now, normally, I wouldn't freely condone the use of the word love in such a loose way. But I will clarify and say that in this context, "greatly enjoy" could be substituted for love.

Since I've retired, I only have homework to do. :) But I still have to DO it! So off I go!

Last night, Mike and I

ate stuffed bell peppers,

Zarn made a joke about pastors and light bulbs,

and Mike almost stepped on a toad. We named him Pacho

and set him free by the retention pond.

There were no stars out, but

the little bit of warm rain was sooo pleasant.

That's my free write/free verse for the day.

From here on the Sabbath

Have you ever been to

?

As of yesterday, I have! Mike took me and Andrew took Leanne and we had a good ol' time. Mike and I did pad thai -- I chopsticked, he forked. Andrew and Leanne got far too much food and made a pact to start sharing meals. Don't you wish you had that problem? You'd spend half as much on meals.

The four of us went to IWU's soccer game -- which was pretty intense. There was kicking and falling (#17, anybody?) and pushing and sliding and people crossing their forearms together angrily and cards a-flyin'. It was a [cold] fun game -- and the Ketchems kept everyone properly entertained.

This morning began with devotions, shower, and coffee. What a great way to start a Sunday! Anne had a beautiful moment at the service and now she's reading The True Vine. I've got a little bit of work to do, but it's not bad. I'll probs head over to East and read... then sew the couch into completion. I've just got the joy of the Holy Spirit this fine Sunday in me. As well as the sugar of Brittany's brownies and the caffeine of Kayla's coffee. Hold me down!

Drink Me

AH! I really, really want one of these mugs. The one with the "B." Naturally.

Click here for more images. At your leisure. They're just so pretty. Am I wrong? I'm not.

Oh dear. Maybe just read the post below. It's about productive things like the Church.

It may be late, but I've learned to learn early

Three years ago, I had an amazing New Testament professor. She spoke wisdom and inspiration often. But she also spoke wisdom and inspiration at 7:50 in the morning. A difficult time to tune in to words of wisdom and inspiration. The way in which she spoke (her parole, if you will) was beautiful... but unfortunately for freshman-morning-Bethany... it often included a lot of whispering. Her voice would rise with dramatic theological statements! -- and fall into the quiet, convicting murmur of personal application. In short, I have very good, but very vague memories from that class. Additionally, prayer began with several minutes of silence. A good discipline, to be sure! But "Close your eyes and bow your heads" at 7:50 in the morning quickly becomes "Take a quick nap before the lecture."

But no more! I have grown since my freshman year and I finally have room for another Bible class -- Basic Christian Doctrine. Dr. Bounds is another amazing professor and, fortunately, I have fully experienced the first 4 BCD classes with heart open and eyes open. The latter is just as crucial as the former. So! There I sit, a symmetrical 3 times a week, near the front of the room, watching Bounds lecture with near-epileptic excitement. Thank goodness I'm awake.

Last class, I learned something interesting about one of my favorite passages of Scripture.

⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Did you know this is probably a pre-New Testament liturgy? Something quoted by the early churches before Paul's letters were bound or Mark's comic book was published? Oooohhh, let's say this together! The implications of being God and not just melting from indignance while on the cross? How the heck could a community quote this together and not love one another deeply? Oh, it's great! It's just great!

Guess what, guess what, guess what?

You'll never guess. I'll have to just tell you.

Anne Mariah Carey Theodora Tonks Roosevelt Rocky Mountains Johns gave me a sewing machine. The sewing machine's name is Threddy. Threddy and I have been working on making couch covers these past few days. I have a sewing machine named Threddy. That's the first thing you never would've guessed.

Tomorrow, Mike and I will have been dating for four months. Google says that's how long it takes an unmanned spacecraft to go to the moon and back... very special. Another thing that you probably wouldn't have guessed, unless you're Rain Man-with-a-calendar.

Lastly, but not leastly, I have undertaken a task -- something that is very Exodus 12:23 of me, if you know what I mean. Of course you don't. Who memorizes Exodus? Nobody. I'm memorizing 1 Peter. But that'sss... not Exodus. -- The Sabbath! I'm working so that I can keep the Sabbath. To set aside Sundays as a day of rest is to shift a mindset. A very rusty, stubborn mindset that has sat without disturbance for quite a long time. But I won't be alone. Mike, the time management and homework wizard, is definitely going to join me. I think some other friends -- maybe you're one of them -- will as well. Doesn't it sound refreshing? A Sunday celebrated like the first Sunday. A Sunday that's not treated like the day before Monday. After years of weekend procrastination... Sabbathed Sundays. Who would've guessed?

i love lamp

I wasn't, am not, will not be a fan of Anchorman, but of this lamp... I am a fan.

The lovely (and shabby chic) Emilie took me thrifting. It was whilst thrifting that I acquired this ceramic light fixture. I got home and immediately modge-podged the shade and placed it upon the lamp. I then placed the lamp upon the bookshelf, which was a little bit of a bear to assemble. Word to the not-so-wise: if you're going to use an apple peeler as a screwdriver, be careful.

Today's project will include reupholstering couches and making paper flowers.

I'm a hurricane.

Cloud 9

Well, I road rode a bike to class today. Realized how easy my Tuesday/Thursday classes are going to be. Got a package from easy, breezy, beautiful Faust. Hung out with (and will continue to hang out with) Michael Conner. Ate dinner with Kayla, my lovely suitemate (now I'm predicting the future). Played chess with Michael Conner and lost (I have the gift of foresight, you see). Saw a ton of wonderful people -- including Carrie Breum and Hailey Smith and Marge Bush. Put my syllabi on the computer, went to the Lodge meeting, and hung with the suites.

La dee da.