Random Tidbits of College Life #3

So usually I'm pretty good about not randomly laughing during hall masses. It doesn't actually happen that often, or really one purpose--but sometimes something sets me off. Two of the last four incidences I can think of have been fairly under-control...That is, I managed to get them under control fairly quickly. The other two weren't as much.

Earlier this year Peter did a reading which involved the phrase "gird your loins." Whatever you might say about my maturity, this did indeed set me off--to the point where I felt the need to leave the room for a second and recollect myself. Well, that phrase came up again this last week, in a Gospel reading this time. I managed to contain it as with the more minor incidents and, having survived "gird your loins" thought I might have a chance of making it through the whole mass.

Not so. You see, the presider for this mass was one Father Gordon. Father Gordon is actually one of my favorite presiders, even given that I've only had two masses with him. However something about his voice makes me laugh. And during one of the prayers, there was one word in which his timing was just a tad off from the timing of the congregation. For some reason this was just enough to get me going again. I actually did try to contain it. However my method for doing so was to press my face into my hands and then my face and hands into my lap. While one or two people knew that I was laughing, most of them, when they found out, said they'd had no idea. Reactions included phrases similar to the following:

"Oh, is that what that was?"
"It looked to me like you were having some sort of profound conversion experience."
"It looked like you were crying and I was wondering if you were okay."

(That third one was actually an explanation of why the person saying so had asked me earlier if I was indeed okay.)

So I found this to be quite a humorous event. I think the next time it gets to that point I'm going to step outside, though, as that's a tad easier. What I'm not understanding is why this never happens at the big Chapel of Christ the Teacher masses.

Anticipation

Fall break started today.

It's been a theme in the last couple of days for me to anticipate the next time someone says something about their church being the best, or Protestants being better than Catholics in the arena of truth or anything that even remotely resembles that stuff. And I know if that actually happens I'm going to be calm/collected about it, perhaps a bit peeved, but calm/collected.

I'm such a freakin' Pietist. Like, more than I ever was. And if that sounds funny in context, look up the word. You'll know what I mean.

For some reason I don't get as ticked about it when my Catholic friends do it, though. Also, this post is a bit angry, but I'm listening to angry trance right now. It's quality angry trance, but still. (Hybrid - Falling Down)

I got a crapload of theology reading done today, about 60 pages out of the 303 or so in the book. Heheh, 303. Synth. I'm probably going to go rejoin the Star Wars marathon, but I might skip Empire Strikes Back in order to do some Discrete Math and/or Vector. Why? Not quite sure. Empire's really not the coolest one, though.

If anyone reading could pray for me, because I've been sort of a jerk to people lately.

ADDENDUM:

I sort of wish we Free Methodists had more of a liturgy...

Every Agent Acts Towards An End

Apparently St. Thomas Aquinas believes it is very important for me to realize that every agent acts towards an end. At least, I think so, or else there wouldn't have been five to seven whole paragraphs about it.

So I guess I'll pass along that statement to you: "Every agent acts towards an end."

Random Recap of College Life #1

Music: Sped-up Jars of Clay and and EsDemo1's demo-song-thing

This is different from the random tidbits because those stories are supposed to be funny. This is more of a rambling or recap of the last couple days that will hopefully be found funny by somebody or other, either on purpose or not.

Christie Pub was on Wednesday. It wasn't the most amazing event ever but it definitely had its moments. For instance there's this guy who played violin like crazy; apparently he played the 'fiddle' to be more precise, but I'm not sure quite what the distinction is (I think I heard it, though.) But if someone's got a decent definition of the difference, please tell me. There were many other acts. I also won $5 for being able to fold my ears. How awesome is that? (Also, in your face, whoever thought that was gross back when I started in 3rd grade--I know of at least one person on campus who fits these two criteria:

a) is a girl
b) thought the ear thing was 'awesome', as opposed to the inital reaction being that it was weird)

Told you this was going to be random. Christie Pub had some other good moments too, like the fireman song at the end, or Mike doing a bunch of covers of songs that went over really well. Most especially I enjoyed "Mrs. Robinson" which was one of the songs he did with Luke singing. Also, this band Dispatch (a certain cousin of mine was into them for awhile, at least) got covered twice. The song 'The General" was the one I knew; the other one I had no idea was even them. Oh yeah, as part of the call for random actage, this guy who transferred in this year attempted a cover of Audio Adrenaline's "Houseplant Song" on the spot. For on-the-spot it was pretty good.

I went to see Steel Magnolias on Thursday. I really did enjoy the play. (For those who haven't seen it, it's four scenes from the lives of six women in a southern beauty shop.) The dialogue was good and one character in particular (Oiuser or something was how the first name was spelled, but it was pronounced like "Weezer") was played very well and with the maximum comedic effect. It made me sorry I didn't go to plays on-campus last year; I'm going to be going to the next one, definitely; it's some farce apparently, called Lend me a Tenor.

Academically I did alright this week. Math's a mixed bag, sort of. Theology is going well but I need to study it this weekend. Everything else is good. My first three tests back were an A and two high B's, so I can't complain too much there, although I'll be studying more for at least two of those, and reading my next vector test for stupid mistakes. Also I am going to FILL OUT THAT STUDY ABROAD FORM tomorrow and, in my spare time Monday (and I guarantee you I'll have spare time for this Monday) I will get my last semester Spanish professor a...those form things.)

Jars of Clay sounds...very interesting sped up. Tangent: When I return home for whatever length of time I return home this Fall Break, my parents will have a chance to hear a Jars cover of an old-school hymn. It's not unmodified as far as vocal line, but if you knew the old one its followable/recognizable, and it's done in that style that sounds sort of country-gospel. It's "Nothing but the Blood," and I thouroughly enjoy that rendition. I can't speed it up, though. I'll explain why on demand.

Back to the curve the tangent was spawned from, I'm also enjoying putting things in Discrete Math terms. Like the other day, I was totally in Ethics listening to a thing about abortion and what possible exceptions there were. I totally wrote down in my notebook:

[Backwards capital E sans serif] an abortion x such that x is morally acceptable.

(A backwards capital E sans serif is my way of describing the symbol which in math tends to stand for the term "there exists.")

In English it basically means "There is some act of abortion that's morally acceptable."

It's obvious to me that I'm REALLY off on a tangent now. So I'm going to stop writing. Goodnight / God bless, all.