Four Things for a Saturday Morning.

First, I slept in today, about an hour, and it felt great.

Second, I have a Prairie friend visiting for the weekend, and that is great.

Third, I was completely wacky last night at the basketball game.  I think the stress from an emotional week combined with working on languages literally the entire week finally make me crack.  Of course, by completely wacky, I really just mean that I apparently was very chatty, had all sorts of random things to contribute, and forgot to introduce my friend to my other friends until she reminded me, etc.  (OOPS.)  But the guys kept giving me these looks, so I can only assume I actually wasn’t my normal self even though I couldn’t tell.  And one of them said he wanted to know what was going through my mind because what I was saying was funny.  (Well, I was unfortunately saying exactly what I was thinking.)  This morning, I am thinking back and thinking they might have had a point.

In addition, last night I learned that you can’t say “sport game.”  Quite innocently I stated that I’m trying to go to more sport games and two of the guys gave me such looks and immediately informed me that that is not proper lingo.  The one suggested/joked (threatened?) that they next time he tutors me for Hebrew, he is going to include a session on sports.

Fourth, I talked to my Hebrew prof and she was great and encouraging.  Honestly, God must have me taking Hebrew not just for academics, but to grow me and to introduce me to this prof.  She understands me, and she is so awesome.  Besides the encouragement (which was, again, exactly what I needed to hear), she told me (in my response to my lament that I’m an emotional mess) that that is God’s deal, not mine, and He’ll sort it out.  I needed to hear that, also, as it releases me from the pressure of feeling like I have to get myself on an even keel all by myself.

So there you have it. Four things for a Saturday morning.

there is yet balm in Gilead

Last night, I had a real Friday night.  I went with a friend to a movie at the local cheap theatre.  We watched Inception and had a beer (it is one of those lovely theatres that serves food and alcohol).  I don’t often get a Friday night, so it was really nice to go off campus and enjoy myself.

Tonight, we have considered going bouldering.  Might it be that I could have a real weekend in the midst of homework and seminary?  Hope springs eternal.

The semester is more than half over.  Christmas break will be welcome, but I know I’ll be eager to get back to school, back to my friends here, back to the life I have created.  And next semester, praise be, it looks like all of my classes will be in the afternoon, so I will be able to sleep in.  Working so late at night, with morning classes, has not been good for me.  With a lack of sleep, I tend to become the worst version of myself.

In other news, in a little more than a week, I will be in Atlanta for the annual ETS meeting.  I can’t wait.

a little bit of everything

Be proud of me: I actually slept in until 9:30am today.  Moreover, it is 10:45am and I am still in my pajamas.  Will the decadence never end?? ;)

Going back a bit, the puppy will have to be postponed.  There were three puppies in the potential litter I was going to pick from, but two of them died.  So, sad for the owner and the mama dog, but probably better for me.  What with starting school soon, it’s probably not the best timing to have a puppy anyway.

I co-facilitated a training yesterday at work.  First time I’ve done that.  Honestly, it wasn’t all that different from when I would teach a class or do a presentation at college.  Except it was, of course, way more colloquial.  It helps confirm to me how much I really do like teaching.

Here is an interesting statistic: back in 1950, the average 14-year-old had a vocabulary of 25,000 words.  In 2006, the average 14-year-old had a vocabulary of 10,000 words.  Does anyone else think that is a problem?  If you use an average of, I think it is, 4,000 words a day, where are you going to make up for all the rest?  By reading!  It is imperative that we get kids reading and that we read ourselves.  And if you can’t figure out what a word is, use a dictionary.

I’m still on track with LiveStrong.  I really like that I’m learning about portion sizes and good nutrition.  I am also noticing correlations, such as: if I eat enough fiber, I will feel full for fewer calories than if I don’t get enough fiber.  One of my favourite meals is this: two corn tortillas, 1/2 chicken breast (baked & sliced), 1/2 cup black beans, 2 tbsp homemade guacamole.  It’s roughly 350 calories, 10 g fat, 13 g fiber and 23 g protein.  And if you’re supposed to have between 20-25 g fiber a day (depending on caloric intake), then you’ve got a substantial amount right there.  So tasty and always fills me up.

Well, I suppose it is time for me to shower and start my day.  Adieu.