I've been having these really weird dreams of late. Last night I dreamt that it was Sunday and I was going to service at Trinity as usual. Instead of going alone, I had two friends with me this time (although I can't remember who those two people were). We also went to the 11am service instead of the 9am, which was a little weird, but not too much because I can understand people wanting to sleep in. The weird thing was that service wasn't at the church, but in someone's house... but I didn't realize this until communion, because I couldn't find the altar.
In the next part of my dream I was taking the bus back home, I think my aim at the time was just to take the bus to Park St. so I could get on the red line. I wasn't paying attention, so I missed my stop. After chatting with the bus driver about the best way to get home, I got off in Chinatown. I then decided to go to an asian grocery market to see if they have sio pao (they're these baked bread buns filled with roast pork and what not, really really yum). At the market (which was huge and sort of reminicent of a department store), I found denise (from Tufts) selling chicharon on the lower floor.
Around this point, Julie woke me up because it was already 9:30, the time that we were supposed to leave to go to REI.... whoops. I still can't decide if I slept through my alarm or if I just fell back asleep after shutting it off... I think it's the latter.
My highlight of the day is that I got my first pair of climbing shoes! They are La Sportiva Mythos (Lady) shoes. The little sheet about climbing shoes at REI didn't check them for some different categories, but all of the reviews that I've read online gave them high ratings, so I'm really excited. The best part was definitely the price though. Mythos are usually $120, which is way too expensive, but REI is having this huge July 4th sale, so the shoes only cost me $75! Still expensive for shoes (at least for me) but: (a) They're good quality, and (b) they will last me a really long time because I don't climb too too often and my feet are definitely not going to grow. A good investment if I do say so myself. Aren't they pretty?

In other exciting news, I finally got the William Barclay book that I ordered form bn. William Barclay is this Scottish theologian who wrote a lot (and I mean a lot) of Bible commentary books. The book that I bought is commentary on the Letters of James and Peter, so I'm really excited to start going through it. I've decided that I have to finish reading the Screwtape Letters first before I start this one. Or maybe I could do it concurrently. Whatever floats my boat, right?


"Do not be afraid to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal any unforgiveness or bitterness. The longer you hide it, the stronger it will become and the harder your heart will grow. Stay tenderhearted."
~John Bevere

It's been a while, huh? Well, ya'll know my deal... always busy. But (and its a big but), my A&P class is over on thursday night! Which means I'll have a bunch more time, which I am really looking forward to. It's so weird to think that I only have two more classes before my final. I've only been in class for 3 weeks after all. I also just learned that this class probably won't count for grad school. Apparently most classes have to be 8 or so credit hours to be considered a full course. This class at NU is only 4 credit hours. To get the full number of credit hours, I would have to take the next semester of A&P at NU, which I am definitely not doing. I figure I'll just take A&P sometime during my next four semesters at Tufts instead of paying extra money. At least Tufts is accepting the class as a natural science credit... even though I don't really need a nat. science credit. Oh well.

Work has been the same. I love that the music library is so laid back, and that I can come in to work whenever I want to. Catering is still going well, Julie and I worked together yesterday for the first time since we started working. It was an even at MIT... not bad. They had this roasted duck hors'devour that looked really good, but they all gone. (Ah, I also passed hors'devours for the first time... it makes your wrist hurt after a while). The food was pretty good too. We started off with a chilled asparagus soup (which I didn't try), followed by some seabass (which was really yum) and three different types of creme brulees for desert (didn't try it either, but heard was really good). Jules and I then helped out this guy Alex with his side work, setting up a room that he was in charge of. We all had a nice chat about music and art and what not (he's a student at the Cleaveland School of Art). Catering is great for two things mainly: (1) The food, (2) the people you get to meet. I think I would continue catering soley for those two things. Oh, and you also get to go to some pretty cool places sometimes, not too bad.

*interlude*
As I'm writing this I'm watching this special on MSNBC about soilders comming back from Iraq who have sustained serious injuries. One of the guys is a double amputee (right arm and leg). Some of their stories are heartbreaking. As I watch the show and their trips through rehab, and keep thinking how much I would love to do that. No, not go through rehab, work with injured soilders being their OT (occupational therapist). The work would be heart wrenching at times, but I think taht it would also be extremely fulfilling. Ah, now they're talking about the psychological effects of war. All of this seems so far removed from my life right now. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be some of these soilders. Some of them seem to old to be going back in to battle... and some of them seem way too young. So sad...
*end*

Anyway, I'm heading back to Jersey for a few days after my final is over on thursday night... I'll probably leave really early on friday morning and then come back to boston on tuesday or wednesday. Not really sure about my return date yet. It'll be good to be back home again though. NJ, here I come :)

Well, it's friday, and another week has gone by. This week has been slightly more exciting than usual. On monday I drove back from NJ and then went to class. On tuesday I wokeup at 5am to be at Harvard at 6am for a cater job, which I have to admit was pretty painful. It's amazing how much you can get accompished by starting your day so early though. I mean, by 2:30pm, I had already worked for 5 hours and done a bunch of stuff for FOCUS... all before my class at 5:30, which I incidentally ended up being late for.
On my way to class, I decided that I had enough time to stop by the caterstaff office to pick up my pay check (which I did), but when I got back on the T, I mistakenly got on the B line instead of the E line (stupid signs look too similar). And I only figured it out when I got to the BU stop, so I had to switch back to the inbound side (and pay), and get out at copley station and switch to the outbound side (and pay again), before I finally made it to Northeastern. Ah well, it could have been worse, I was only 15 minutes late.
Wenesday I spent entirely in the music library pretty much. I really love working there by the way. The people are awsome and we don't do much half of the time. Oh! Tom, Cara, Mark and I all took a Wendy's run after work on Wednesday also. Haha, it was bunches of fun, not to mention that Wendy's is so yummy. :)
Thursday I worked at the music library for a bit, met with a woman from UCCPS about FOCUS, and then had my midterm for A&P, which went pretty well I think. I know I didn't get full marks, but I don't think I bombed it either.
That brings us to today... Woke up a little late (a little late being 8:45), went running with jules (perfect running weather btw), and went into the music library until closing. I also had a yum lunch with Kerry at Panera, which was nice to see her again. After dinner Jules and I went to Barnes & Noble... she read for one of her classes and I read "The Magician's Nephew" by C.S. Lewis, and part of this other book called "The Third Secret." But oh man, talk about Christian symbolism in "The Magician's Nephew." It is C.S. Lewis after all, but it was a good book :)

I don't really know why I'm detailing my entire week right now. I have a bunch of stuff running through my head right now, and I guess this is one of the ways I'm trying to get rid of some of the energy, which is weird, because I'm really sleepy. There can only be one solution to this... g'night.

I am currently (taking a break from) studying for my A&P midterm tomorrow. Tomorrow will be my 6th class. That strikes me as a little weird. Hopefully I'll do okay. I feel like some people in the class have been studying a ridiculous amount... or maybe I will just be sorry tomorrow... We'll see.

I've become Jars obsessed since seeing them in concert again. In some news about them, they will be part of a free concert on June 25th (Saturday) at 6pm in Flushing Meadows (it's in Queens for all of you non-NY area peoples). They will be performing as part of the Billy Graham Crusade along with Tree63 and Nichole C. Mullen. Yes, I know, It's Billy Graham, who's name might scare some of you. I've never really listened to any of his stuff though, so who knows? It could be an experience. And bottom line, it's a free Jars' concert. Who's coming with?

I LOVE Jars of Clay. Tonight was the fifth time that I've seen them in concert, and oh man, they get better every time I see them. Tonight they performed at the BB King's Bar and Grill in NYC. I thought it was a great venue for them, at least size wise. I would say that I was standing about 10 to 15 feet away from the stage. Anyway, they did some awsome songs from their new CD of hymns, along with some of their classics like "Faith Like A Child" and "Flood." They also fused some of their old songs with their new ones, like tacking part of "Worlds Apart" onto the end of a song off of their Redemption CD. (Which I totally have to buy now.) The guys (read: Dan and Steve) were hilarious as usual. At one point they talked about how a lot of hymns used to be sung to the tunes of old drinking songs and what not... so Dan concluded, "If you're going to raise a pint, you might as well do it in praise." Haha, that got an Amen out of a lot of people. :)

The guy that opened for Jars was also really great. His name Christopher Williams, and from what I gathered, he's pretty new to the scene. He really gave an awsome set though. He accompanied himself for all songs either on drum (the bongo type, which he played sometime with a dishwashing brush... it was awsome) or guitar... and at one point, harmonica. He also did a few songs with Steve, which was really great. I'm definitely going to have to check out his songs and website. I such a sucker for acoustic guitar, what can I say?

Besides all of the great music, I also ran into some people that I knew at the concert, which really made my night. The first person was this guy named Peter that I sat next to my senior year of all-state. It's quite funny actually, because I ran into him last summer at a SonicFlood concert that I went to. I was supposed to IM him after that concert last summer, but I didn't have his screename when I thought that I did, so that idea went out the window. But it looks like we were destined to meet again, so we exchanged screenames again. Haha, we said that we'll go to another Jars concert together or something.

I also ran into a few people from Tufts, (Matt Dysart, Jack Grimes and Erica Cruz to be exact) which was really strange. Matt and Jack graduated last year (2004), so it was pretty strange to see them. It was funny actually, I definitely recognized them, since they were senior leaders for TCF and all, and aparently they recognized me too. My mom said that she heard them say something about that girl (me) going to Tufts. I guess I did spend a good amount of time in James' suite prepping for skitzos when they were seniors. It's always fun to be recognized. :)

Soooo, next Jars of Clay concert, August 8th in New Hampshire... who's up for it!?!?

Give to the wind your fear
Hope and be undismayed
God hears your sighs and counts your tears
God will lift up, God will lift up, lift up your head

God will lift up your head...

Don't you love being in a good mood for no apparent reason? I do! My day wasn't even that eventful. I worked at the music library for a bit, FOCUSed for a bit, rested a bit at 'home,' and then had my first class. I'm a bit too hyper to write very well tonight so I think I'll just free write a few snippets about each thing.

I love working at the music library. Five of us were there today, including me, not including abby and michael, and everyone is just so much fun and lovely. Haha, Jamie doing an Anna's run for us tomorrow around lunch, so it'll be a paaarrrttaayyyy.

I also love my two fellow FOCUS coordinators. Dana and Garen are just too funny sometimes. Oh! And our brochures were definitely sent out (we were worried that they weren't), and we got our first ap by mail today! Very exciting if I must say so myself.

My first A&P class was fine. Everything was sorted out, I got my book, and my class is literally 100 meters away from the Ruggles T stop. Very dandy. My teacher seems really nice, and also seems to really know his stuff. He's not a boring lecturer either, which is always good. He also said that lab will probably only run till about 9:30 or so, which is very nice, since it says 10pm on the schedule. I have a lot of studying to do for the next month though... I think it'll be worth it.

Whatelse... I'm loving my Creative Zen Micro so far! Yay for new toys and early birthday presents! ... I had the pleasure of hearing Rev. Fleming Rutlage (isn't that an awsome name?) preach on Sunday at Trinity, long sermon, but really really good... I'm going home for this weekend to have a belated b-day dinner for my dad, and hopefully to see Jars of Clay perform in NYC (who wants do go? You know you do! Especially you Stace!!!) ... It was chilly today, although its supposed to by 90 tomorrow, crazy weather.... Time to study some A&P, night all!!!

My summer plans are finally falling into place. After much suspense and delay, I recieved not one, but two, calls from Northeastern today confirming my registration and my admittance into my A&P (Anatomy & Physiology) class that I wanted to take. So every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday this next month from 5:30-10pm, I will be studying my butt off down at NU. My day was really made when I was looking at the dates in my planner for the next month. The last day of classes is listed as July 2nd, which bummed me out because I wanted to go see DMB in Saratoga again this summer, and his concerts are on the 1st and 2nd of July. As I looked at my planner, I realized that the 2nd is a Saturday, which means that my last day of classes is the Thursday before that, which is the 30th... which means I can go see Dave! I was very, very happy when I figured this out. Lets hope that I can work out details for the concerts and spending time at Lake George and such.

I also finally got my first assignment for CaterStaff today. Tomorrow I'm working an event at the MIT faculty club. I hope everything goes alright and that I don't make any major mistakes. I'm sure it really won't be that bad... I have heard that MIT has a reputation for not treating its workers that kindly. I hope that particular rumor will turn out to be false.

Things are still going well in Arlington. I feel like I've been here for more than five days though. And strangely enough, I think I am homesick for the first time in my life. During all of my times away at soccer camps and school, I never really got homesick. I think living with a different family (that I'm not related to), makes me realize how much I love my own family and how much I miss them. I also miss driving around, and really knowing where I am going, but that's a very minute detail. I'll be home soon enough...