Sunday, November 30

dessert, state-lines, and snow

well well well. i must say--i had a fantastic thanksgiving. i have never eaten so much dessert in my life. pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin roll... it was all amazing.
the jetter fam adopted me for the weekend, allowing me to join them for thanksgiving and some other fun stuff--cutting down a christmas tree, for example.
my roomie and i left calvin wednesday afternoon and got to ohio later that day, stayed around for a bit, and then jumped in a different car with the rest of the fam (including their two dogs, molly (bigger dog) and mia (littler dog).) that night we made it to west virginia. i have never been to west virginia before... so another state marked off for me. i didn't get a picture of the "welcome to west virginia" sign though, so i'll just have to go back sometime. but i like the state-line between ohio and west virginia... it's over the river, and it's a sweet bridge. cool stuff.
after two nights in west virginia, we made our way back to ohio on black friday. did any of y'all go shopping? i didn't... i slept... maybe the fact that my roommate and i stayed up 'til 4am had something to do with the lack of desire for an early morning shopping spree.... maybe.
saturday was christmas tree day... and i was excited. you see, in california, we go to ralphs or something and "get a christmas tree." in ohio with the jetter fam, we went "hunting for a christmas tree." we basically walked through a farm of christmas trees, found "the one", grabbed a saw, and cut it down. soooooo cool. and this tree was massive. i got to take a few tries at the saw, but i tired quickly.
then, after my roommate and i made our traditional trip to wal*mart, i made pasta for dinner. i made the family sauce recipe... it was the least i could do for their generosity in having me over.
sunday--today--woke up early for church, packed up, and went to birt's... a general store that sells candy in bulk. this place is sweet (no pun intended). you walk in, grab a few white paper bags, a metal scooper, and start scooping up the candy you want. good times. this is also a tradition for them, so i was glad to be able to get to do that.
we were finally on our way back up to calvin... where there was a ton of snow going on. there was so much snow on the road!!! but it was so BEAUTIFUL. the trees, covered in snow... the snow had the same effect on trees as white chocolate does on those prezels we got at birt's. down-right amazing scenary.
we had driven lindsey's car, so when we got back, i saw my car all by its lonesome self, covered in and surrounded by snow... lots of snow. it was snowing so hard tonight that flights in and out of grand rapids were cancelled... hard core. i will put some more snow pics up soon.
















Wednesday, November 26

music playlist

i am so stoked...
you know how i am always trying to get y'all to listen to some music that i just can't get enought of? well, now you can listen to it here!
i made a playlist on this site (showed to me by my mother) and i have got my current favorites on the playlist right now...
so, go ahead, listen to some music... you can even make a pop-out player so that you don't actually have to be on my site to listen to all this super awesome music.
enjoy!!!!!!!

Monday, November 24

housing update

we have a house!
http://grandrapids.craigslist.org/apa/929981542.html
this house is on lake drive, right where the lake drive entrance to calvin is (for those of you who know GR)... we could literally throw a rock from the front yard to calvin's property.
it is a duplex... 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, a family room, and 1.5 bath on each side. with 8 girl total, that means each side will have 4 girls... 2 with their own room and a pair sharing a room (my roommate and i being one of the pairs).
we went and visited the house tonight, and tomorrow morning we are sealing the deal. we will have the place starting on june 1, meaning i have a place to stay this summer! there are a few of us that will be staying here in GR for the summer.
things are finally falling in to place. now that we have all this housing stuff figured out, we don't have to worry about it for the rest of the year. now that's a good feeling.
two more days of class and then it is off to ohio/west virginia with my roommate for thanksgiving.
so you know how i mentioned last night that it hasn't snowed/stuck?
well, i woke up this morning to 5 inches of snow.
it is so pretty! plus, i spent about 75% of my day in johnny's doing homework, so it is easier to enjoy the snow when you don't have to be outside in it for an extended period of time.
i will put some pics up of the house in the next day or so, and a couple of random pics from the past couple of weeks.
i hope all is well wherever you may be.
speaking of that...
i have this thing called google analytics, and one of the things it keeps stats on is where i get viewers from...
i currently have 9 countries: the US, Canada, Honduras, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, United Kingdom, and Turkey. and in the US, i have 20 states... with California and Michigan coming in my top two states with the most readers.
it's so much fun to see this stuff.
and i get quite a number of hits from people who search stuff on google and then get directed to my site... and i even get to see what they searched in order to get to my site.
i also see who's sites give me the best references... for instance, both jillian and the fieldhouses are responsible for each referring 4% of my viewers from a link on their site.
isn't crazy how i can find out all this stuff!?!
so i guess working on circulation of my blog is something i have become more fascinated with.
if you feel the need to pass my site link along, by all means, go for it... i feel as if i am collecting states and countries :)
i need to get back to some homework.
tootles.

when footy pajamas aren't sufficient.

not only is it getting really cold outside, but it is freezing in our room as well.
for some reason, our heater is currently on the fritz... we walk around our room with layers and blankets on in order to stay warm. and mornings are the worst... the cold wakes me up. i even tried to wear my fleece footy pajamas last night, but i still managed to get cold!
my roommate has flannel sheets--something i ditched when my mother sent out a new set of sheets for me at the beginning of the year. let me just say that i am going to dig those flannel sheets up and get me some warmth!
even worse than having a cold room is having a cold room after getting out of the shower. the first 2 minutes after getting out of the shower are the most miserable two minutes of my day. but then everything is generally fine after that.
the cold outside is not a problem at all... as long as i've got a couple of layers, my scarf, and mittens, i am fine. i also have a pair of warm and fuzzy moccasins... these things are amazing! they were originally just slippers, but they are totally made for the outside too, so i have been wearing them to class lately. i highly recommend these--they are at target and are cheaper than buying a couple of boxes of hot cocoa, marshmallows, and a cute mug to contain it all. really. it is.
with the temperatures floating around the 20s and 30s, no snow has really come down and stuck lately. but there is definitely snow in the forecast leading up to thanksgiving.
speaking of thanksgiving... it's a three day week due to having thursday and friday off.
i am even more fortunate than that both of my monday professors are out of town tomorrow... meaning, no class!!! i know, pretty sweet. i get a three day weekend, and i don't have to deal with a case of the mondays.
nevertheless, i will still be doing large amounts of homework.
something i should do a little bit of now as well.

tootles

Thursday, November 20

one more plug

since i listed a couple of really cool and ridiculously old (relatively speaking) writers, i want to also put a plug for a couple of singers/bands that i've been enjoying lately.
coconut records (amazing! my favorite)
jason mraz
eric hutchinson
matt costa

check 'em out online or something... pandora is always good too.
enjoy.

it's official

i'm a nerd.

maybe that's not news to you, but i can't fight it any longer.

what lead to this realization?
british literature is my favorite class right now (although, i am loving all my classes... and interestingly enough, the one i was most excited about, journalism, has been the biggest let down. i don't feel like there is any room for creativity in news journalism... we are required to use a news voice... and, well, if we all use news voice, then there is no uniqueness whatsoever)
anyway. let me emphasize that. british. literature. english. poetry.
John Donne, William Shakespeare, Philip Sidney, George Herbert, Robert Herrick, Andrew Marvell... and so on.

what in the world? i, the one who dry heaved at the thought of reading Grapes of Wrath and the Great Gatsby am now enthralled by sonnets and metaphysical conceits... stuff written 500 years ago is making sense to me, capturing my attention, and making me think.
I've been finding that the poetry section we are in appeals to me a lot because i am a sucker for clever, thoughtful, profound, persuasive, and relevant prose--me, a rhetoric major? nah, really? i know. shocking.
similarly, i am particularly fond of certain songs these days. you know how much i like lyrics; i often post lyrics to songs that have really caught my eye.
i guess poetry of the 1500s is the equivalent to those songs i love.

and this is even nerdier... because it is that time of year (thought i disagree... it is way too soon to be that time of year), people are curious as to what you fancy in regards to a certain holiday and the tradition of wrapped up items under trees. when all i've managed to even consider suggesting so far is purely books, mainly of the fine literature and poetry variety, i've pounded the gavel, case closed--sentenced to a life sentence, guilty of being a nerd.
that's okay. i've come to accept it.

the particular group of poets we are studying right now (metaphysical and cavalier) are from a time period that really emphasized carpe diem. yes, anyone who has seen Dead Poet's Society (which, i currently really really want to see) knows that the Latin translates into "seize the day." i always thought it was cliche, but reading the works of poets like Herbert and Donne and Herrick bring the concept into a whole new light.

i read this particular poem last night, and i am going to post it.
and i have a feeling there will be quite a bit more. but i promise i will post them fairly spread out--i don't want this blog to turn into english homework... i just want to put up some stuff i've grown to appreciate.

so, my first selection comes from Robert Herrick.
(and keep in mind, "virgins" is translated in that time as "unmarried women")
To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time
Gather ye Rose-buds while ye may,
Old Time is still a flying:
And this same flower that smiles to day,
Tomorrow will be dying.

The glorious lamp of heaven, the Sun,
The higher he’s a getting;
The sooner will his Race be run,
And nearer he’s to Setting.

That age is best, which is the first,
When Youth and Blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.

Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry:
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.
Well, whaddya think?

oh. and an explanation of last night's title: I shall smell of the lamp.
"To smell of the lamp" is a proverbial expression for a laborious literary production. it can be good and bad... i'm not so sure where i was going with it, but i felt like it worked.

well, tis all for now.
go read some poetry or something.

i shall smell of the lamp

disclaimer: it's very long. i mean it. but, please, don't let that deter you. and a second part to the disclaimer. i'm giving you yet another look at the work in progress i am. i'm telling ya, even when i'm not too happy about it, i'm learning what this thing called life is all about. and i'm going to be honest. so with that in mind...


Crazy how taking a drive, walking through a foot of snow to the edge of Lake Michigan, and freeing your mouth and lungs from the restraints of common decency can really be a sort of therapy.

Although it wasn't humorous to me at the time, I can't help but shake my head and smirk as I picture what the lone seagull 50 yards away witnessed on the snow covered shore of Lake Michigan monday afternoon.

Really quick. There is this thing here called "lake effect." The lake effect leaves the lakeshore cities with significantly more snow than GR. When I left, GR had no snow on the ground nor in the air. But on my drive down to Holland, the amount of snow in both spheres gradually increased until I was in a foot of snow and the snow flakes fell thickly... looking more like a block of styrofoam was sent through that thing in the fridge that changes your cubed ice to crushed.

The very sight of me should have sent the seagull off to round up his buddies for a quality comedy hour.
Only my eyes were visible, for my head was hidden beneath two hoods cinched tightly. My gloveless hands wouldn't dare leave my coat pockets and face the icy wind any more than a child would dare to leave his room and face his mom after breaking the neighbor's window. The pant legs of my jeans were bunched up to the middle of my shins. And those Napolean Dynamite-esque boots I intended to part with and donate to the salvation army came in handy one last time. I threw them on in haste and out of fear of frozen toes.
I didn't even bother to tuck my jeans into my boots. I had an appointment with God, and I wasn't about to fuss over proper looking pant legs.

The seagull likely saw the lone set of footprints in the snow originating from the single car in the parking lot, traversing through the wooden fences, and ending at the feet of the individual standing at the lake's edge.
I had trudged through the deep snow with eyes fixed on the lake. God knew I was coming, He knew I was angry.

You know how, on TV, one of the characters gets really angry and storms into the office where the unsuspecting soon-to-be-accused individual is sitting, reading the newspaper? And the cinematography of the scene works in a very specific way:
The camera tracks the anger-driven approach of the accuser and then cuts away to the defendant looking up from the day's headlines with a look of "what the hell is going on/I don't know what happened, but she is convinced I did it."

And of course, not a word is spoken until the fuming accuser arrives at the desk of the clueless individual who is bracing himself for something major.

That's when the accuser throws a file on the desk and the audience gasps because they know the secret is out. The defendant looks at the file and then up at the scowling woman, who at that point has tears pushing the maximum holding capacity of her eyes. He is speechless because he can't figure out how in the world she managed to get her hands on the file that exposed his true identity as an alien-born professional ice cream man involved in a major drug scandal.

This is where we cut away to a commercial break... naturally.

And when we return, they are still staring at each other in silence, and before he can utter the words, "I can explain," she bursts into undecipherable yells and threats, thinking their relationship could never recover from such a breach of trust...
...even though she is prego with his brother's child. gasp!

Now that I've gotten carried away (and exposed the plot of every single soap opera ever written), I will continue.
That angry girl.. that was me (minus the prego part). I marched up to the edge of the lake, a file of grievances against God in hand, ready to just give it to Him. But I knew that God wasn't unsuspecting of my arrival... after all, I had told him during my first class of the day that I was going to be coming and that I was going to give him a piece of my mind. It wouldn't be fair to just spring something like that on Him.

That brought me to the lake's edge, staring out at the choppy waters. It was the first time I had ever seen waves, actual surfable waves, on Lake Michigan. And I was glad to hear the waves... it was good background noise for what I was about to do.
It also added to the dramatic atmosphere. Essential.

Standing there, just staring, I wondered where to begin. That's when the seagull would have seen the individual in black meijer snowboots begin to pace back and forth in the snow, blazing a 15-foot long of path from the repeated treading on and packing of the fresh snow.

You have to understand something about me. When it comes to confrontation, I'd much rather write out my beefs with people--if I was angry at someone, I'd prefer to write it down, hand it to them, and stand there as they read it rather than just think and talk off the top of my head.
And that is why I wished there was a massive dry-erase board or magna-doodle on the beach that I could write in really large print on (really large print signifying yelling, of course). But my lungs were tired of not being involved in my methods of venting, and so I stopped for a moment and uttered the first word: "Why?"

I know... way to come out swinging, Cristina.
But really.
I was surprised at how good it felt to say it--not think it--say it. So I said it a bit louder... and again, louder, and then again, with my Italian tendency to involve my hands in a dramatic manner. The seagull probably thought I was just a crazy human trying to fly away or something.
As the pacing resumed, eerily and worriedly familiar thought started flowing.
This is a good point to stop and say what exactly spurred the spontaneous trip to Holland.
To be frank and sum it up in a few words: fear, suffering, and frustration.

Fear that some things might never come. Fear of not being accepted, of not being significant. Fear of losing friends, and that my family and friends didn't understand just how much they meant to me, how much I loved them.
Suffering in the form of stress, in the form of heartache. Suffering as the result of empathizing the pains both past and present of those I loved, and feeling like I couldn't help.
And frustration--oh the frustration. Frustrated with my inability to handle all this normally. Frustrated with my insecure and jealous tendencies that lead me to thrive off the equation of attention equaling acceptance... equaling happiness.

Well now.
I seem to have created some awkward tension tantamount to the awkward tension found in an advanced drawing class that is having its first day of nude models as the subject of the assignment. Think about it--for the first time models and the freshman who was only in this class because of a scheduling mis-hap, that's gotta have some awkward tension.

But.
Moving on.

With all that stuff flying through my mind, leading my argument with the word "why" seemed to be just fine.
If it didn't make me sound crazy, I'd tell you that the seagull shouted an "amen" in agreement with and support of the profundity that my thesis provided.
But that would make me sound crazy.

The pacing resumed, as did a stream of words and tears that turned into mini salt-slushies because of the freezing temps. I didn't want to pace anymore--I was tired. The waves captured my attention, and I just stood there. Numb. Both from the extreme cold and from pouring out all that was bottled up. The painful grievances were momentarily laying out in the snow, being caught up in the waves, on God's desk, waiting for an explanation.

God! You know how much my heart aches for this. You know how hard I try to be patient, how hard it is to convince myself that I am not defective. You know how hard it is to not feel left out, to try and trust your "wonderful" plan for me.
You know how much I want to believe that.
But right now... I don't.
Ya, people say you know what you're doing, that you don't want me to get hurt.
Well, hate to break it to ya, but I'm hurting right now. Can you just give me a break here?
I'm begging you. Please.
You know my heart. You know how much the word "hurt" is an understatement. You know how I feel when I am aware of what I lack. You know that I'm not seeing a bright side to all this.
Some of this stuff I'm getting all worked up over--I know, it's petty, it's lame. Other people are angry at you for the loss of a loved one, for the cancer they've been diagnosed with, for shattered dreams. I understand how selflish I probably sound. But. It still hurts.
God. Please. Can't you just help me out here? Am I wrong in all this?


In a way, yelling at God was one of the most satisfying things, one of the best things to do at that very moment.
Arguing with, yelling at, and questioning God all seem to be taboos. Yes, we are told that it is okay to do those things, but I've rarely heard of someone encouraging it, saying it's healthy, it helps.
It helps, yes... but it doesn't fix.

I was still angry. But I was no longer just angry. It felt like I had actually gotten somewhere, made progress, ready for the next step of sorting out this mess.
And that dang cliche knocked on my heart again:
"It's all a part of God's plan. You can't see it right now, but He knows what He's doing."
I absolutely hate it.... can't stand it... because it's so true... and not only is it true, but it puts me in my place, and then it reminds me of God's place.

Think of when kids get assigned to do a chore... like the dishes. They are not happy about it, and they'll make sure you know it. They'll do the dishes, for you are higher up in household rank. But as they "obey" they clink the dishes super loud, shove the utensils loudly into the dish washer, slam the cupboard, all while wearing an angry look of disgust on their face.
That's like me when I am reminded of my place in life that God has planned. I'll admit that God is indeed in control, but then I'll casually mention to Him that I currently think that this part of the plan sucks and needs revising.

I think God handles bluntness rather well.
And while I hate not knowing "why," I can't help but be reminded that God has the bird's eye view in this whole thing.
And He has proven that to me in the past... many times.

I walked back to the car and looked back at the lake. What was once a single lonely set of footprints as I had stood by the lake shore was now accompanied by the returning set of foot prints.

And of course, another cliche knocked me upside the head: that whole "Footprints in the Sand" poem thing.
I looked up to where the snow was still falling from and immaturely pointed out to God...
"Ok, I get it. But this is different. it's snow... not sand... and I'm still not happy with you."

I got in the car, started the engine, and couldn't help but say one last thing.
"I guess I'm just going to have to trust you on this one.
but remember... I'm still not happy."

What better cliche verse to end a cliche lesson than Prov 3:5?
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding."

I wanted to share this because 1) it means a lot to me 2) i hope some of you can find some sort of comfort in knowing that this happens to more people than just you 3) it really is funny sometimes how we fuss over these things. that's why i try to keep the tone light... life is funny... even in the dark.

Friday, November 14

poet tree

so we are in the poetry unit in my Brit Lit class...
and normally i hate poetry units.
surprisingly enough, i am actually enjoying it. writers like philip sidney and, of course shakespeare. actually, it's shakespeare's sonnets that i really like... i will have to post one or two of my favorites up sometime.
so that's why there is a poem in yesterday's post... i've been coming across poetry as i have been looking at stuff online, and i like that one (particularly because of the heavy sarcasm).

it has been raining so much here, but i have been lovin it. like i said before, anything that makes me have to dress warm and cozy makes me smile.

off i go... two classes and then it is the weekend!

Thursday, November 13

sympathetic hunger

one says to the other:
eaten I've not in days equaling a month and two.

the other says to one:
eaten I've never... I think I might be just as unfortunate as you.

the one complains:
you understand not a bit
for food has already before graced my lips.
I sit in agony
deprived of food at my fingertips.

the other bows down out of reverence untrue:
Do pardon,
I am mistaken.
The torment your fleeting fast inflicts is far more than I could begin to imagine.

Better suited am I to have starved my whole life...
I dare not eat, then live two days and a month drowning in strife.

Foreign is the pain in your gut now hollow;
you pang for delicacies of which you've already swallowed.
you've gone on and on about meals and the bliss that followed.

Indeed, my mouth does not water at details of how you once dined.
At this I will kick up my feet, relax, recline--
for my life of complete starvation surely surpasses the hell that is thine.

-unkown

Wednesday, November 12

days like this

wake up, shower, head to class.
take notes, space out, next class.
take notes, doodle, back to the dorms.
pretty much a typical day for me.
but i particularly loved today because i got to wear mittens and a scarf. i even got to put my hood up on the way back from class... kind of like how convertible drivers love when the day is nice enough to put the roof down, i love days that are perfect for putting my hood up.
things like that put grins on my face.

...

for the most part, the floor disease has passed. however, we are kind of unsure about how true that is. a few girls have been getting sick again after being well for a day... and after being sick for a few days, last night i finally started feeling better. i am doing my best to ignore the fact that whatever this is may be sneaking up on me again.

...

other exciting news: i made a craigslist purchase the other day... a sweet old schwinn twinn tandem bike. this thing is pretty awesome. i used my newfound negotiation skills to talk him down to a very good price, and i just have to clean this puppy up a bit before it is ready for a ride.
that, and i need a semi-clear day where it isn't rainy.
i know, i couldn't have gotten this at a worse time. but hey, come springtime, this is going to be a blast.

...

this is fun:
these guys on our brother floor started a wednesday night tradition back at the beginning of school. We have a VanderWerp Community Tea Time. Everyone brings a mug and gathers in their room.
Their room: tea-esque music, soft lighting, and a shelf full of a multitude of teas... way more variety than you see at starbucks. it's very similar to the choices we see in the dining halls... but maybe that's because most of the boxes came from the dining halls... but we won't mention that to anyone now, will we? There is usually some delightful conversation as well.
I arrived a bit late today, but I had a great time. It's a perfect time for a study break (8pm on wednesdays). It always surprises me to see how many turn up to steep some tea and chit chat. I'll have to give a little detailed story about it soon, cause some interesting things do come up.

...

i must be off to practice my speech. in my oral rhetoric class tomorrow i am giving an informative speech on unicycles.
fun stuff!

Tuesday, November 11

mere minutes

My attention span sucks.

Take my Brit Lit class for example. Well, I've actually been enjoying Brit Lit a lot more than I expected. It helps that my prof is actually fairly hilarious and interesting. Aside from the occasional spacing out, I find myself actually paying attention and focusing in that class.

At least, I find myself focusing well for 59 seconds at a time. And that is because every 60th second produces a loud click.

Two clicks, actually.

In Brit Lit, the clock is on the wall directly to my left. This clock is prime example of strategic choice and location of time keeping devices in classrooms.

When it comes to classroom clocks, the variety is almost non-existent. I find that the clocks in most of my classrooms lack a second hand.

A wise choice.

Students like me would see the constant movement of the second hand out of the corner of their eye and quickly be pulled into being hypnotized by the monotonous and steady journey the second hand takes around the face of the clock.
It's easier to be distracted by something that moves every second than it is to have your attention held captive by something that moves only once a minute.

Don't believe me?
What is more fascinating... a spider monkey after a venti mocha or a sloth after a swig of nyquil?
That's what I thought.
Once the clock has been picked out with students like me in mind, it is now time to find the best location.

FIRST. Never put the clock on the wall in the front of the class. If you choose to do so, you are asking for an anxious and unresponsive class of students. Instead of focusing intently on the prof and lecture, the students will be riveted by the oh so fascinating passing of time.
Trust me. Profs don't want to feel that a minute hand is more interesting than their lecture that took 8 years of college to be able to do.

The best location for a clock in a classroom is on the back wall. That way, if students try to look at the clock, they have to turn around and check the time. And trust me, there is no discreet way to turn around and check the time.

The very idea of having to turn around in an attention-catching manner discourages many-a-students. They rarely work up the courage to turn around; if and when they do, they know that they are sending a message to the prof that isn't far from the age-old road-trip question, "Are we there yet?"

Even if the clock is out of sight and lacking a second hand, it still can make its presence known.
Well, the one in my Brit Lit class does, and it does so by announcing the passing of each minute. It does so by marking the expiration of each minute not with one click but two.

In fact, I've closely observed the minute hand passing the threshold of each minute.
The minute hand actually falls back ever so slightly and momentarily before jumping forward, all the way to the appropriate minute.
It's almost as if the minute hand itself is tired of the monotonous task it performs day in and day out. It is so tired and unmotivated that it needs to step back and get a running start before leading us into the next minute of our life.

And at 10:58 in every Brit Lit class, the sluggish minute hand gets stuck for two minutes.
10:59 does not exist. It stays at 10:58 and then jumps all the way to 11:00 after a two-minute breather.
Fascinating.

more on this to come.

Monday, November 10

no noro?

hope college is amidst a norovirus breakout.
for those of you who don't know, the norovirus is basically the flu on steroids and lasts for 24-48 hours... and it is extremely contagious.
there was actually a norovirus breakout at snow mountain ranch this summer. it was contained rather well.
but move into the dormitory setting, and you get what hope college is dealing with right now...
over 400 infected students, and classes and all sporting events canceled through at least wednesday.

third noordy (my floor) has been rumored to have the virus. as of yesterday, about 6 or so girls were sick. the panic for most set in and that's where the idea of norovirus came to mind. only the symptoms don't match... not as instantaneous and extreme as norovirus.
speaking as one who got sick this morning, i have theory:
stomach flu, something in the food, and the mentalality all rolled into one creates a psuedonorovirus.
after this morning, i actually started to feel better... in fact, i felt great. as of about a half hour ago, i'm getting that funky feeling again, but i am trying to keep a positive mentality... and wash my hands a lot.

crazy how fast things spread in a dorm.
i guess that's the downside of close-knit communities.
but hey, we can bond in our pathetic puking fests.
sorry. that was gross.

i'll keep y'all updated...
and not in so much detail next time :)

Sunday, November 9

here comes the snow, here goes the sun

it snowed today.
and by that, i mean, IT SNOWED A TON TODAY!
so incredibly awesome.
first snow of the year.
AND it stuck!
craziness.
quick update on the life and times of cristina:
went to downtown chicago for the first time. pretty cool place. our little group of 5 missed the first metra train.
the metra is quite the experience.
as said by the boy sitting two seats away from me: "i LOVE TRAINS! trains are SO COOL!"
i am quite possibly going to be the owner of a tandem bicycle soon. thanks to craigslist and my new found persuasion/negotiating skills, a sweet retro tandem bike will be roaming the streets of GR.
of course, the timing couldn't be any worse, what with it being snow season and all.
nonetheless, i can't wait.
and my first article made it in last week's Chimes. it was pretty exciting. i've started my next article... i hope to submit it in not this week's but next week's paper.

well, 'tis all for now.

Thursday, November 6

A Life of Moments

The concept of life is fascinating.
Nothing is certain until it happens; and even then, we can sometimes find ourselves confused as to what exactly happened.
When life happens, I like to think of why it happens. Why is my life unfolding the way it is? Why do I have this life and not that life?

Then there are the little details of life--the seemingly superficial things that can stir up the deepest and most moving emotions. They are the moments that move you to laugh out loud, bring you to tears, make your heart stop, get your pulse racing. They are even the moments where you feel void of anything at all. Unpleasant and empty, those are the moments that lead us to question our ability to ever feel alive again.
Am I emotionally paralyzed? Or has the weight of the world merely sat on me too long, causing my soul to fall asleep like my butt does during a particularly long lecture?
Just like silence can be deafening, the absence of feeling can be painful.
A loss of feeling leads to a loss of self.
A loss of self leads to a loss of faith.
And a loss of faith ultimately leads to a loss of hope.

I'm not saying that this chain of events is immanent--if you find yourself starting to panic, don't throw your hands up in surrender just yet.
Remember, life is defined by moments, short or long, that we find ourselves in.
And there's no easy way to solve the problems of the tough moments life dishes out. There isn't a one word answer or spark notes on making it through the trying times.
I know. That sucks. And I thought not having sparknotes on The Canterbury Tales was disappointing.
But the best I've got to share isn't exactly something I cam up with. These words come from Brandon Heath:

"There is hope for me yet,
Because God won't forget
All the plans he has for me.
I'll just have to wait and see.
He's not finished with me yet."

I think there is great comfort to be found in knowing that God is going somewhere with my life. These moments aren't random and useless. One moment leads to another.
Yes, there are dark moments, but there are also many beautiful and bright moments...
And the wonderful thing is that both the dark and bright moments are what shape us.
In essence, we are a life of moments.

Monday, November 3

pictures

here are some pics from halloween weekend...
as you can see, a group of us got together and dressed up as mighty morphing power rangers...
only my favoritest show when i was a kid.
we made our costumes with thrifty clothing, felt, and a couple of safety pins. not bad if you ask me.
here are some of the pics, but do go to the gallery to see all of them... the latest albums added are "hayride of death" and "halloween" something or other.
enjoy.