The Weather!

I forgot to add that the weather today is almost perfect. It's just a bit too cold, and not enough leaves have fallen to make the slight wind completely effective (you know how you get those huge gusts of leaves flying everywhere...), but it's getting there. I am wearing a brown hooded sweatshirt which I affectionately refer to as my "Carmelite sweatshirt", because it is Carmelite brown. I'm suspecting that when I get back to my dorm I could crack the window slightly, put on a cardigan, brew a glass of hot tea (I've only had iced tea so far) and have a hey-day.

Parties

About 3 years ago the use of the word "party" became applicable to a far greater variaty of gatherings. For example, when we changed into our concert dress for highschool band, us 25 boys who were crammed into the small bathroom refered to the gatherings as "changing parties". So too, when a study group is formed, you don't call it a "calculus study group" but always a "calculus party".

Last night I cut my hair with my newly purchased pair of clippers over the bathroom wastebasket. What was a rather humble ordeal quickly became a party, as pictures were taken, onlookers voiced their approval, and some even joined in on the festivities, betraying their curly locks for the regimented buzz cut. It was quite a party.

And again this morning, I stopped into a bathroom to blow my nose, and at least 2 others were there for the same purpose. A nose-blowing party.

Rainy Friday

Today had hopes of being a rainy, dreary Friday, but alas, the sun ruins everything. There is no joy like a rainy day, especially one that is a bit nippy. You can open your window and put on a cardigan and smell and hear the fresh rain, while you contemplatively go about your day. The sun light offers no such joys: its oppressive. You can't open your window, or don any special types of clothing. There are no sounds to be heard, no freshness to be enjoyed. No, give me cold rain before hot sun any day!

I don't have any homework this weekend. I can't understand that for the life of me. I'm going to do two chapters of odd (as opposed to even; odd problems are answered in the back of the book) math problems because they are fun, and I feel like I have to do some school work. Many of the problems I've been doing lately involve finding the volume of jugs like you see women carrying on their heads:
My grandpa recommended I try instant oatmeal to fill me up in the morning (you'll recall my earlier difficulties). I've tried eating cherrios, going to class, and then eating a proper breakfast around 9 o'clock, but then I'm not hungry for lunch, but I know that if I don't eat lunch I'll be starving at 2, not to mention that I'd lose weight like crazy. I have gained 2 pounds since last week, which is reassuring. Yes, so I'm going to go and get some instant oatmeal, perhaps on my way back from mass (though, unfortunately, this is not a blue sock Saturday).

I learned a cool word today: stevedore - one who loads logs onto ships. Perhaps that's not a readily useful term. I also learned that polygyny (a husband having multiple wives) is extremely common in the world, and is in fact more common than monogamy. In many countries women will divorce their husbands if they do not marry another woman and they have the means to do so (the second wife acts as a helper... it actually makes a lot of sense). I don't think I'm ever use that either, at least as long as I'm living in America.

Last night I attended my first Calculus party. One of the party goers was visibly disgruntled, and has been so for the past few days, and I recommend that she sing a hymn, because, no doubt, singing a good hymn will always cheer you up! There is no misery a line of "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent" won't illuminate, or frustration that a strain of "Praise to the Lord!" won't remedy. Unfortunately she didn't know any good hymns, so I printed some of my particular favorites and gave them to her this morning.

Well, other than that little ditty the week as a whole has been quite uneventful. I am 1/60th done with college as of today though. Only 118 weeks. That makes about 1,416 classes, which means something like 1593 hours of class left. Some people have 4 hour long Chemistry labs though! I sat outside a geology lecture today, and I think I'd take even that over a 4 hour lab.

Sing a hymn!

The College Timezone

I've been having a particularily difficult time adjusting to the wildly different timezone college operates in. I get up at 6, eat ready, eat breakfast and go. I'm in that sort of "lets take over the world today" morning mood when I get out the door, in fact the first words I pray every day are "Come, let us rejoice in the Lord!" [Psalm 95], only to find a ghost town. There are bikes and cars everywhere; I have evidence to believe that there are living, breathing humans on the campus, but they are all huddled up behind their closed curtains.

I should add here that breakfast has also been a difficulty. On days I have class the dining hall opens at 7, yet my first class is at 7, and I have class until 10, so I can't eat breakfast there. And on days I don't have class they open at 10 (ridiculous, huh?), which is awfully late to have breakfast. I normally eat what is really two meals, and don't go back until dinner. I'll tell you, at this very moment I'm waiting until I can eat a proper breakfast. I say a proper breakfast, because I do have food in my room. At first I was eating Cherrios every morning, which, no matter what quantity I eat them in (I could have the whole box, two boxes, three!), only serve to make me wildly hungry in less than two hours. I would be less hungry having half a piece of toast than a box of Cherrios. Luckliy a friend of mine sent me some granola which not only tastes good (I was initially sceptical... both for taste and political reasons, actually), but also does a better job at filling me up. Yet even still, right around 10:30 I get awfully hungry.

I think that the morning is the most grevious loss for college students. It's such a wonderful time of day. The sun is shinning, you are full of energy (provided you go to bed on time...) and you have a full 12 hours ahead of you. The problem is that college students don't go to bed on time. Right around the time that I pray Compline, which is the very last thing I do in the day, everybody else is starting the partying. Thursday, as I prayed "Out of the depths have I cried until thee, O Lord! Lord, hear my voice!" [Psalm 130], there was a salsa dance going on in the basketball court outside my window. When I was praying "Lord, now you let your servant go in peace; Your word has been fulfilled. My eyes have seen the salvation you have prepared in the sight of every people, a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people, Israel," [Luke 2:29-32] everybody was going to the football game (I should point out that for college students, going anywhere is not a passive action simply involving walking or riding, but rather it is a very active action which involves the whole body, particularily the vocal capabilities; in less sperfulous English: college students are LOUD!).

So yes, my day seems to operate in direct opposition of this University.

A Blue Sock Saturday

Saturdays are celebrated as the day of Mary, the mother of Jesus (especially first Saturdays of the month), and today is just such a day. Of course I wanted to join in on the celebration! Blue is also "the color" of Mary, so I decided to wear my blue socks. I have socks for every occasion really. On the feast days of martyrs of the church I wear red argyle socks. On Fridays (in memory of Good Friday) I wear black socks. On feast days of priests I wear black argyle socks. On occassion I'll wear a pair of tan and green argyles just for the heck of it! But today was a blue sock Saturday (you'll have to excuse the poor photo quality; Apologus De Colegio has yet to make any investment in photo technology):

Today I had to bike to a different church than the one I normally go to. I should add that I passed at least 4 churches on my 3 mile excursion! At any rate, I got back at about 9, and the whole University is dead. Roy was still sleeping (so I figured I shouldn't do homework there), I can't go to the dinning hall for another hour and aside from those two activities, I'm wasn't sure what else I could do... so I decided to do a load of laundry. Normally you won't see these double headers, but the laundry room is across from the computer lab, and after visiting the restroom I still had 36 minutes before my washer was done, and I'll still have 40 minutes before the dryer is done after that. That's somethin', huh?

My anthropology professor begins class by telling a joke that the Indian tribe he researches would find funny. The joke yesterday was a practical joke story, in which the practical joker though he killed his friend for a week: I guess they have a different sense of humor? At any rate, here is a short comedic story to end things: the non-alchohol nightclub on campus was throwing it's first monthy "Hook-Up Club" festivity last night. Those attending were supposed to wear green if they were 'avaliable', red if they were 'taken', and yellow if they 'could be persuaded' (go, stop, and slow down... kind of clever huh?). Roy wanted to go to this, but he didn't have a green shirt, so he asked me if I had one. I was wearing a dark green shirt at the time, and the only other green shirt I have is a very light green... neither would do. So I offered Roy a green cardigan of mine, which was actually my first cardigan (I now have 4, to match whichever color I'm wearing), and I affectionatly refer to it as Carlyle (not Carlisle!). Take a good look at that stud:

And I said, "now tell me Roy, you don't think that when the girls see you in this wonderful green cardigan that they aren't going to be all over you?" He disagreed with my assesment of the situation and went off in a neon yellow/green number. Everybody got back around 2am, at which point I had already been asleep for a few hours. I brought a "talking" alarm clock with me, which I won in elementry school for selling wrapping paper, that announces the hour on the hour, and announces the time when you push on the top of it. I turned up the volume all the way and pushed it, and it shouted "two o' three, am", at which point somebody in the hall way said "boy, that's loud", and continued on their rocous ways.

Oh well... I got to see the steam come off the river at 7am, while they were all soundly asleep.

The First Week: Nothing

I have been at college for 5 days now, and had 3 days of class. I have delayed writing anything about them because, well, there is nothing to write about. I've been utterly bored every day, but that's what I'll write about!

Monday I had orientation, so that kept me occupied until night, at which point I took a long walk. Eau Claire is a city of many churches (watch for an upcoming post... many of them are quite beautiful!), and on my walk I encountered a Lutheran Church that was ringing hymns from their bell tower. That was quite enjoyable.

Tuesday I spent reviewing Calculus. I am in Calculus II right now because I tested out of the first class. But I forgot much of my Calculus over the summer, so I thought it was fitting to review it. It was actually quite fun, doing 6 hours of Calculus problems... I am a math major though.

Wednesday was the first day of classes. One of the things I didn't realize about college is that you only spend 2 hours in class a day (which I did realize), but what I didn't realize is that you then have 6 hours of extra time that you're used to spending in school, not to mention the time you're used to spending on homework! It makes for a lot of spare time. Not to mention that my Anthropology class was only 15 minutes long, being dismissed 35 minutes early.

Thursday was a longer day: 4 hours of classes. Even still, I found time to take a long walk, celebrate the feast day of St. Gregory (from whom we get Gregorian chant from) by chanting two of the hours (that was a slew of linkable words!). That night I was required to attend "Party House" which was something the college put on about drinking. I was given some root beer and shown into a staged "party", complete with inebriated women acting stupidly! I asked how to exit (it wasn't my thing...) and I was told I don't. They didn't even give me that much root beer, and now they lock me in! What kind of life is this partying anyways? Thankfully, by way of shouting "the cops are here!" (I laughed...), I was escorted into another room, where I was given an envelope, which told me the outcome of my night of debauchery. Luckily I "dogged the bullet", and made it back without harm or punishment. A few presentations about drinking later, and I was escorted into a hall to hear a Mr. Green warn us against drinking. All in all it was rather uneventful in my eyes, though I don't plan on drinking... it was something to do I suppose.

Today I had only 2 hours of class again. Right around 1 I decided that it was useless to read my accounting book simply for the sake of reading it, and decided that reading it (with purpose this time!) on Saturday would be a good option, so I read Moby Dick under an excellent shade tree, and then took a long walk around Eau Claire. Then I did a load of laundry, did a few Calculus problems (for fun really, if you can imagine such a situation) and went to dinner with my roommate Roy and some of his friends. (A post about Roy should come soon... to whet your appetite, he likes to listen to the Backstreet boys and sings along!).

Tomorrow I'm going to go to the post office to pick up stamps and envelopes, and read my accounting book. Perhaps I'll go for a swim in the river! Many kids are floating down the river these days. Monday is Sausage Fest at my dorm a most masculine get together over sausages from all nationalities, in celebration of the only all-male dorm on campus! I've grown quite cynical at seeing girls in the dorm hallways: I like thinking of my room as a sanctuary for males, which no female will ever see, but my interest in the opposite sex is decidedly different than the average college male's, and I suppose that changes things quite a bit.

Until next time, perchance you'd be interested in what I learned in calculus today: the wonders of the number e, or perhaps you are understandably frightened when a number is given a letter name... actually, it's the number x at which the integral of (1/t)dt, from 1 to x is equal to 1. That's a full 4 letters, and a wacky squiggle with a number on the bottom and a letter of the top, which somehow equals a measly one! What fun math is when it involves more squiggles and letters than actual numbers! Though I repeat, I am a math major.