Right now, the thought of ever again typing or saying the phrase "_________ should be evaluated and informed in light of the theological and ethical content of the confessional standards of the church" makes me ill.
that is the basic point of an essay in the PC(USA) Book of Confessions called "The Confessional Nature of the Church" which I have just outlined for my classmates' use in studying for the Reformed Theology midterm. I know more about the confessional nature of the church than i think is really necessary. ugh.

anyway, i know i haven't really been here in a while. I've been studying a lot this week, which is good. Next week is reading week, thank goodness! I am so happy to have a week off classes. I do have to write an Old Testament midterm, and I do have to take an exam on Thursday, but other than that life is good! My birthday is on Monday (just three days away now!), I am going dancing on Thursday (woohoo!), I don't have to go to class....yes, it is good. :-)

So: exciting things I have done this week.
1. Hebrew. Hebrew is lovely, and gets more exciting every time I am able to translate new parts of the Bible.
2. I went to an anti-war protest! this was my first protest and it was very exciting. George W was in town to campaign for the dumber of the two dumb guys running for office down here. There was quite a good turn out of people, all with signs, chants, and whatnot, asking, pleading, demanding, praying that there be no war. It was fabulous! I am planning to go with a bunch of people from school and with Presbyterians from around the country to Washington DC next weekend for the big anti-war rally. That should be fun!
3. Cleaned my room. Especially my desk. I couldn't see the desk just 36 hours ago. Now there is an actual desktop to my right, and a substantially smaller stack of paper to my left. This is good because I discovered that there was nothign crucial hiding in my piles, but there was lots of trash, which I got rid of. yay!

My panic attack of the week:
today when I was typing this outline. I had done five pages but hadn't saved yet...and my computer started to freak out. nothing was happening and I was very afraid. I begged it to work, i tried an emergency save, i tried to shut down what i thought was the offending program (the jukebox), nothing was happening, or at least it wasn't happening very fast...ultimately i had to shut down the computer. Thankfully the emergency save had worked. If it hadn't I would have cried right here in my room. Half an outline on the confessional nature of the church. I was understandably distressed. now, however, i am happy as a clam (well, assuming clams are happy in their somewhat limited sphere of life) and the outline is done. woohoo!

Follow up on the note about the flu shot: my arm hurt for three days. One day my whole body ached. Now, however, I'm pretty good. I tried stretching the muscle but that made it worse. Now it's down to an "if i lift my arm like this...it hurts" to which the standard old joke response is "don't lift your arm then...". So I'm not. I consider this a small price to pay for the illness-free flu season I am about to enjoy. Since I live in a dormitory again (for the first time in four years) a flu shot was a good investment. A friend went with me to hold my hand because I hate needles, and his arm has been hurting too (yes, he got a shot too--the arm pain isn't my fault!) so i at least don't feel like quite as much of a wuss. hehehe.

for those of you following the saga of the grass: it's kind of there. But, as Miranda pointed out, it looks like hair plugs in some places. If you look from afar it looks beautiful...if you get up close it is simply clumps of grass every few inches (interestingly enough, right where those holes from aerating the grass were......). Some places are growing back better than others. Trouble spots are still the mud baths. go figure.

anyway, i think i might relax now. read a book, or something. yeah.....no. maybe run around and play. hehehe!