A Day of Hope

Woke up early this morning, excited to start this historic day. Went out, ate breakfast in the cafeteria, and settled into a seat at the Burrow at 10:00. I was ready. The Satellite feed was already on, and as it got closer to 10:30, the Burrow began to fill up around me 'till it was packed. As the pomp and circumstance filled the air, I noted the interesting fact about the inauguration. We, as Americans, have very few formal traditions. Yes, holidays are, to a point formalized, but we really have very few national ceremonies. And here was one of them. Every four years, we celebrate the peaceful passage of power (or retainment of it), through this ceremony. However, this one was particularly significant. I shy from using terms based on the color of his skin, because I do not think that the color of a man's skin defines him. However, there's no denying that for the first time, a black man was elected president. This is huge. Just 40 years ago, it would have been nearly inconceivable that any man with a black father would be sworn into the Oval Office. And, when I saw Obama emerge from the White House, I felt tears in my eyes. This is what many people in America had suffered for. As they said in the Inaugural Address, finally, "the words spoken on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial have reached the White House". Amazing.

The entire procedure was inspiring for me. I felt that John William's composition for the Inauguration, as performed by Yo-Yo Ma and Itzak Perlman, was absolutely beautiful. And Obama's speech was inspiring. It offered a frank look at the dire situation of our country, but offered us hope and reminded us that through unity as a nation, we can survive the current struggles. It offered a gesture of peace to the Islamic world which has long been overdue, without giving disrespect to those who have fought for our country. And of course, it recognized those individuals who fought for full recognition of their freedom those years ago in our own country. As I saw the older people in the crowd, I wondered at what an amazing thing it must be to them to see this happening. I came from the Address, feeling revitalized, inspired, and hopeful.

The rest of the day was, naturally, fantastic. I called my mom and she had been able to watch the Inaugural Address at her school, though, of course, the atmosphere was not entirely as joyful as that here at Hendrix. She marvelled and spoke with me about how unreal it still seemed. For someone who lived through the 60s, saw the protests, the struggle for civil rights, it's astounding for her to see Obama in the presidency. Today, I have a special prayer. I pray for Obama -- that he would be a wise, godly leader. I pray for America, that we would be united and work together for what's right. I pray that the still lingering resentment in some communities towards Obama would fade away and be replaced by respect. I pray that we would be a godly, loving nation. And I pray that God would bless America -- not because we deserve it, but because He is merciful. May we turn back to Him, and be good representatives of Him.

--Amen--

Played a chess game with Sarah (my college friend, not my sister, though she is my sister in Christ) last night. I was doing so well and dominated almost the entire game! ...And then I let a pawn slip by and lost. A rematch is definitely in order.

Today's Martin Luther King Day, so there's no classes. And tomorrow's Inauguration Day!! Am really excited and hope that good change will happen through Obama's presidency.

One last application to put in (Oxford). Hopefully will get it done today.

-- Amy

"Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto -- duh duh duh duh duh duuuuuuuh". I have had that song stuck in my head for three days now. I really have no clue why.

Yesterday I went to my etymology class where we covered the history of the English language as well as its hypothetical prehistoric history. I loved it! It's so nice to be in classes where I get to talk about this stuff again! (By the way, our class is doing an online word blog, where we have to make submissions for assignments. It's at http://www.wordblog2009.blogspot.com/ . This past week we had to choose a word which we like and explain why we like it. I chose "kookaburra"). After class, I came back to my room and had a rather long and dream-filled nap. I woke up with a general sense of well-being and contentment, which was nice. Beth, Sam, and I went out to Domoyaki for Supper, and I had my 'usual' (avocado rolls and grilled veggies -- soooo good!). Came back and watched the new episode of Monk (not as good as I expected) before going on duty. There was a party going in the suite across the way from mine, so I spent most of the night trying to keep a general eye on what was going on so that noone hurt themselves or died of alcohol poisoning. Also, last night was the first time that I have ever walked in on people making out on a common room couch. It was awkward, and I don't think they were even my residents, but they slept there all night (I didn't particularly care to look long enough to scrutinize and figure out whether they were or not). Also, last night I had a really strange experience. After coming back from a round, I put in my earphones and as I slipped off my pea coat, ZAP! I got a small electric shock in my ear from the earphones! It didn't really hurt, but I thought "Whoa!... That's the first time anything like that has ever happened to me in my life!". I mean, I understand the logic behind it, but I just hadn't ever thought about the possibility of getting a static electric shock through your ear! Bizarre, isn't it?
Today I slept in late, on account of having to stay up 'till 2 a.m. (kind of strange to think that some of my friends in england were probably just waking up at that point). I think watched a couple youtube vids of mr. bean before going to lunch with Sarah, Sam, and Beth. After lunch, I came back here and chatted on skype with Rachel (it was so good to hear from her!) for a bit. The rest of the afternoon was general relaxing with a little bit of knitting. Went out at around 6:30 with Sam and Beth to Walgreens (for a prescription for Beth) and Kroger (for assorted groceries and dinner). Beth and I bought a frozen spinach and mushroom pizza which was delicious and we ate it while watching an episode of John and Kate Plus Eight. Came back and had a surprising e-mail from Keon. The title said "Shocking News!", but it still wasn't the kind of 'shocking news' that I had expected. Was rather surprised, but did watch his youtube videos on the logic behind his current beliefs, which I thought were really well put together, though I may not personally share his convictions. I'll have to collect my thoughts a bit more before writing anything more about that. Was called out by a resident to listen to a washing machine (the concern was legitimate and not as silly as it sounds), but luckily nothing ended up being wrong with the unit. Got on duty and chatted with Emma for a bit. And that's all for now! Hopefully no funny business will be going on in the Houses tonight.

-- Amy

A rather good (albeit cold) day. Got up late and enjoyed having a teacup sized serving of applesauce for breakfast. Had a lovely face time with God, lounged around, and knitted a bit before going to meet up with Beth and Sam for lunch. I had completely forgotten about Sundae Thursdays and was very happy to make myself a nice sundae for desert. Went back to my room and tried to finish up on some reading before heading to class at 1:00. After class, I came back to my room and watched an episode of Psych before going to supper with Beth and Sam again. Afterwards, did some more knitting (I know, I'm just a knitting fiend today!) and watched a new episode of The Office (a duel between Dwight and Andy? Brilliant!) before going to the meeting for The Profile. Got my article assignment for this month and I'm thinking it should be really easy, which I like. Have read a bit more for my homework and am planning on going to bed sometime soon. It really was so cold today! The ground was pretty much covered in Hoarfrost and we're supposed to have a low of 7 degrees Fahrenheit. Brr!

Today's Quote: "English is a beast." -- Dr. Resinski

Today has been fantastic. I went to my first Etymology and Philology class, which I'm very excited about. Also finished reading "That Hideous Strength" by C.S. Lewis, and have therefore finished reading the Space Trilogy. Excellent. Also finally opened up that jar of applesauce. I also finally received my long lost birthday card from my 20th birthday.

~*Story Time*~

In 2007, I came down for my birthday, since I was going to be studying in England that year. My friends here at Hendrix showed me an excellent time and I don't think I've ever had a better birthday party or have been more touched. At the birthday party, they presented me with a construction paper birthday card, which they had all signed. I loved it. The next day, I took a couple trips to get everything into my car and drove off. It was hot that day, so I had both windows rolled down a bit in hopes of cooling off. On interstate 412 (a toll road), some papers blew around in the back seat suddenly, and I thought that my birthday card flew out of the window. I pulled over at the next stop and cried, lamenting my loss. I really liked that card because it had all the well-wishes from my friends. However, it was getting late, and I still had a couple more hours to go, so with a heavy heart, I continued on my way. A month or so later, Lacey informed me that one of her residents had found it on top of her car and had given it to Lacey. Apparently, when I was putting things into my car, I had set it ontop of the car next to mine and had forgotten about it being up there. Having thought that my card was forever lost on the side of the road, I was so happy to hear that news. When I came back to Hendrix before Christmas, Brigid and Grace were supposed to give it to me, but they had lost it in their room. So, finally, the card was put back in my posession. It's just so cool when God restores something to you, which you thought was lost.

And that's pretty much it for today.

So, two days ago, I bought a jar of applesauce. I figured that it would be nice to have for breakfast and was really looking forward to opening it yesterday. So, yesterday morning, I set up some water for boiling and proceded to try to open the applesauce jar. It wouldn't open! I tried at various times for two hours to no avail. This morning is now the second morning of my disappointment. Either I'm really weak, or my hands are not coarse enough to adequately grip the lid. Just a random story.

In other news, I have recently discovered that I might actually prefer reading to watching television! This is a revelation. The reason why I say this is that I am a tv-freak. Seriously, I get sucked into television. WhenI was little, my mom would find me glued to the tv (don't worry, I got tons of playing time in as well. I just love the stories and plots, etc. Even now, when a telivision is on, no matter what is on it, I tend to zone in on it and get a sort of dazed look. Frightening, isn't it? So recently, I've been trying to cut back on my television watching. Instead, I've been reading books, such as C.S. Lewis' That Hideous Strength. And I find that I love it! I actually don't feel as much need to watch stuff throughout the day and feel more accomplished afterwards! It's a lovely feeling. Now if I can just stay that way.

And now I'm back at School!


Looks as though I have an interesting semester ahead of me. I'm taking Etymology and Philology, Roman Civilization, Human Impact on Ancient Environments, and an independent study on the History of the English Language. It all sounds as though it's going to be brilliant, and I'm sure it will be -- as long as I can stay ahead of the game (which I plan to).


Christmas break has left me revitalized and ready to tackle what comes my way. While at home, I was able to get a good majority of my grad school apps finished (just two left to go!) and enjoyed being able to kick back and relax in general. Granted, it wasn't always fun (I did get a bit cross at times), but I loved being back with my family. We're such a crazy bunch and even though we can drive each other a little nuts, it's nice to be back with people who don't mind if you're act a little crazy. It is really weird how things have changed since we've grown up. And yet, they haven't. This Christmas time was particularly awkward because of the recurring discussions about marriage and boys. When you live in a family of four women and only one man (my father), the subject's bound to come up. But this Christmas it seemed to be more of a discussion than usual. And yet not much has changed. Angela's still the ridiculously outgoing one (she went down to Tennessee on New Year's Eve and had a date the next day.. the next day! How does she get guys to ask her out like that? I just don't know) while Sarah and I remain the dateless. Angela's always been the only one to have dated and had boyfriends. She's just more outgoing, I suppose. I'm more wary, personally (I think that I have too much time to think it through and analyze what could happen). But like I said, it's a bit strange that the subject came up so much. I guess it's just showing that we're all growing up (creepy!).

Alright. Onto other subject matter. Today was a good day and I got alot accomplished. I've been having a few problems with dry eyes recently. Today, I went outside and the cold dry wind kept blowing into my eyes and making them water. During class, my eyes actually started to hurt from being dry. Maybe I need to look into getting some eyedrops or something. Anyways, I attended my first day of classes today and it all looks very promising. The strange thing about my classes this semester is that they are all in the afternoons. I've never had them in the afternoons before, so it will be interesting to see how I handle the difference in scheduling my time. That's pretty much it for now. I might write more tomorrow. Hope all goes well for all of you 'til then!





-- Amy