M.A. in History

This is the daily life of a history graduate student, sort of. These are just some of the things that consume my mind.

the rattling of radiators

What if we attempt this again? After a near four year hiatus I feel as though it deserves another try; if only for the fact that we are now college graduates who reside on different continents and are still looking for distractions, just ones of different sorts.
I propose that we give this another go. I propose that even if it is just the two of us it will be worth it; even if I end up talking about all the books I'm reading and reading and reading in grad. school and you talk about the recipes you're trying out and observations you've made about the UK compared to the US. I understand that while you have another blog with your husband, I ask you to consider this project. Let's make this fun because we both deserve that. We can post photos of our surroundings and lives and food and books. We can post articles that make us think, cartoons and videos that make us laugh, stories that make us cry, and songs that inspire us.

As I listen to the rattling of the radiator beside my bed this evening, I am thankful. Thankful that I have heat. Thankful that I have a place to sleep and food to fill my stomach. I am thankful that I am able to do what makes me happy, even if I sometimes forget that what I'm doing does make me happy (school is often confusing like that).
I'm thankful that I have you as such a dear friend.

my grandpa and narratives

I've decided blogging will have to take place while I'm busy or not at all! It's funny how I let myself do things like that. Drats.
I've recently found out that my grandpa is having trouble remembering things. One of those things you don't really want to hear ever - especially when you're far away. It made me think, though, about (among other things) the odds of my being here and being who I am and other philosophical drivel. My grandpa, when he was in the war, was a medic. The group of men he was stationed with was going to fight, but he couldn't go because he caught the measles! This story was told to me, mind you, as a young child, so the details are fuzzy. Most, if not all, the men who fought that day were killed. Measles saved my grandpa's life! Weird. Something as small and commonly inconvenient as the measles kept me from nonexistence. That's, without a doubt, a weird, melodramatic kind of story, but it's part of the narrative I think of when I think of my grandpa. I wonder, too, how often things like that happen of which I'm unaware. All these things that are really quite essential to not just my being here but also to my family's story that sometimes get passed over. So basically, all of this to say I wonder if we should put more emphasis on family narratives. Maybe we should put more emphasis on narratives in general. We remember where we came from so it shapes where we're going. Our country? Friendships? The catholic (small c) church? Other things? Sheesh. I'm fairly certain we could stop and think calmly (as a professor of mine would say) about endless narratives which we're a part of and are still affecting. I kind of like that idea. I kind of don't like that idea, too. Almost makes me want to be a historian... Just wondering if other people thought about this sort of thing as well. Maybe we could start a club and even have dps devise a slogan for t-shirts. : )

it's the beginning again

I pull in on Broadway and make my way to 9th street. Common buildings, but less familiar people (except for my one friend who happens to run across the street in front of me). I try to give my friend directions from 474 to 74, surprised I can even figure it out. Thank goodness for maps and cellphones. As I get out of my car a rush of comfort fills my heart. I find myself back at my home away from home. Ready, a tad unsteady, quite hungry, and eager to unload my car, I make my way to retrieve my hall keys. I reach door 208 and find myself relieved that all the furniture is there. No strange smell is evident. The bed looks clean. The floors recently waxed. I decide where on earth in this room I am going to put everything I have stuffed into my four door car, plus a few more objects my parents are bringing up tomorrow. I work up a sweat halling things up 28 stairs, down a hallway, past a full length mirror and bathroom door, to the open door under the third light fixture. The other RAs in my building travel across the terrace to the cafeteria and are releaved to find air conditioning. I walk in a find my heart content once again that the faces of people I haven't seen in 3 months. Faces with so many more experiences than I. Faces with so many more troubles. Faces with so much more faith. Yet, I strive for that joy. I greet almost everyone I see, asking the traditional back to school questions, inquiring about the time off, and their jobs. Everyone appears happy to be back, happy to see one another. A traditional "icebreaker" is used to start off our first session for Residence Life training. Most of the times I find these really annoying and tedious, perhaps because every group I've taken part in uses these. Yet, with this group, I didn't find it annoying. It's a new group of people working with here. After our session I eagerly return to my room to make it my room. I put my curtain up, set up my light, and begin to unpack. It has me written all over it. With "Singin' in the Rain," "The Beatles," and Jim Edmonds watching over me, I log on to my computer. My favorite pictures of some of my favorite people adorn my shelf, as well as the books I hope to read for leisure. I venture down to the hall kitchen and pop my favorite popcorn and return to my room to put my most recent purchase in my television. What could be better than talking with two good friends, eating great popcorn, and Pride and Prejudice playing? No much, I would say. Pretty good way to start off the year. Granted, I won't be able to relax as much, butI've made myself comfortable here. It's just part of it. It gets easier. Not saying that it will be easy all the time, but I understand what must be done. I'm blessed to be able to be here, and I should take advantage of that. I'm pretty sure that I will, too. I can only home and pray that the rest of you have luck and are blessed. I'll be out there praying for y'all. Take care folks.

Lamentations 3:22-26

add to the beauty, friends

Loving a person just the way they are, it's no small thing
It takes some time to see things through
Sometimes things change, sometimes we're waiting
We need grace either way

Hold on to me
I'll hold on to you
Let's find out the beauty of seeing things through

There's a lot of pain in reaching out and trying
It's a vulnerable place to be
Love and pride can't occupy the same spaces baby
Only one makes you free

Hold on to me
I'll hold on to you
Let's find out the beauty of seeing things through

If we go looking for offense
We're going to find it
If we go looking for real love
We're going to find it

Loving a person just the way they are, that's no small thing
That's the whole thing
Loving me just the way i am, it's no small thing
It takes some time. It takes some time
- Sara Groves, Loving a Person

It seems a shame to waste Sara's words when no one reads the blog. Everytime I hear it, though, I just feel like letting people know the importance of the concept. If anyone ever reads this and catches me not paying attention... to people and loving them... let me know. Maybe I'll post it in a more trafficked place when the time is more appropriate. Add to the beauty, friends.

in need of a therapist? hmmm

I'm fairly certain no one reads blogs anymore because blogs no longer exist. However, I've been wrong before. So I thought I'd throw this out there because I can, and I could use opinions. I also feel compelled to tell anyone reading this that I'm cheating. A friend of mine from school posted about home and school on our blog (SheepFarm). This was my comment back to her. So if you find yourself with nothing to do, do me a favor and tell me if all this is normal. I've never done this college thing before... : )

I miss you, too! I miss everyone. The thing is, when I'm at school I miss everyone at home. And so, I've decided that college should not end, as I've been telling Nancy, but instead it should simply move to my house. Now that we have all that figured out... I'm glad you posted about this. I've been thinking about it a lot because for me home is just the same. My best friends and I are still best friends and we just fell back into routine like the past nine months were just another year of high school or something. My house is still the same, aside from the move my parents are getting ready for (really sad, by the way). My town is the same. The only thing that's different is that I have really amazing friends and relationships with people eight hundred miles away that none of my friends/family here know.

I was walking with my friend tonight. Walking's always been our out. We've walked off countless frustrations and heartbreaks. We've walked while studying for exams. We've walked miles in our town down the same streets that we walked today. This, though, was our first walk back. There wasn't anything abnormal about it. Going for another walk, just picking up as if things weren't different. At one point, though, I just briefly had a thought about my best friends from school. Then I realized that Paige knows your names. She could probably even pick you out of pictures (because she's good like that), but she doesn't know you. That's weird for a friend as close and great as Paige is to me. For me to have these close relationships with people she's never even talked with. Weird, but not.

So I've decided... : )... going home after a year of school is weird simply because it is not.

I've also decided that my house, since I've never moved, has a ton to do with my home. It's not just because i think the house is cool (which I do) but it's because things happen here. Memories make home, too.

When I first moved to school I was so adamant about it not being my home. It would never replace my home. It didn't. But it definitely became something close to home. A word needs to be added to the English language to describe this.

I propose (not to Marcella) that we come up with a word for this phenomena... ready set go.

A few side notes: I had to sing The Doxology after our services on Sunday. People didn't know what I was doing, but I did it anyway... I miss Minter. : ) Good luck with the Alias, Sarah. And just so you know, you can't kill us. We were trained by Sydney and Jack Bristow... and Chuck Norris. : ) I'm glad we have this blog. Let's keep talking about this some... there's a ton of stuff to consider about home, I think. Maybe we should even talk about community!!! Dun dun DUN!!!

That's the end of the comment. The funny thing is I'd already written a small pamphlet, so I felt like I should stop. I have no such qualms when I'm the one posting, however. What's even funnier is that home hasn't changed but I feel like I have, out of necessity. I view things differently because of things I've learned. People don't think I've changed any, though. This, to me, is weirder still. I've noticed I do or say things and people say, "Laura's back!" like it's some surprise party or something. I'm still trying to figure out if they mean that as a good thing or something like, "Run! Hide! Go, Go, Go!" as if I'm Godzilla attacking New York. I think maybe I need post-college-freshmen-year-syndrome group therapy or something...

Well...la vie boheme

Alright, I'm not dead, just if you were wondering, though I doubt you were. The end of the semester, as always, is quite hectic. As for the title, today on the ABC Countdown is Rent Day (La Vie Boheme Day) here at Monmouth College. My roommate came up with an idea to countdown the end of the school year with days tying with the letter of the alphabet, which she came up with in high school. It's pretty cool so far. We've had Cool Handshake day, Flailing Arms day, Loser day, Overly Expressive day...just to name a few. So, in accordance with today being La Vie Boheme day, our group of friends at supper this evening are performing a large rendition of the song. For those of you who don't know, the song is from the show RENT. It's pretty good, up beat and fun to sing along with, but, being the very liberal show that it is there are some pretty crazy lyrics. All in all though, it will be fun. I'm pretty sure they're singing it when all the football players are at dinner, so it will be funny to see their reactions...punks. I have nothing against them, none whatsoever, but they sure do get away with a lot of stuff at this school. Oh well.
Good news though, April is almost over! I have six days of classes before finals start, so that's pretty exciting. However, I have entirely way too much to complete before the end of next week, as I imagine most of you do too. Well, best wishes on the end of the semester and finals and graduations and trips and everything! You're all in my thoughts and prayers.

xoxoxo

p.s. Already my roommate has listened to the song this morning about 10 times. I think I may go mad before the end of the day......ahhhhh!

dull. apologies.

I know it's getting to the end of the year, so we're both busy. However, it's kind of sad that we both really can be boring at the same time. : )