extra little miscellaneous tidbits and snippets

This has been a very busy week. During Academic Advising, I spent extensive time at the library, doing homework in general, and at the end of it, Meredith and I rearranged our room. We went from thisto this (and no matter what I do, I can't get this picture to flip on blogspot).So far, we are quite happy with the setup. Eventually, we'd like to get a futon, but every futon store we visited had gone out of business. Really, though, why does Michigan's economy have to suck right now?

Friday night, I went to the Forest of Fear (it's like an outdoor haunted house) with my dorm. It was very fun, and not too scary, so I enjoyed it. I jumped several times, but it wasn't too bad. I was actually in the front of the group, and I thought that the front would be the worst place to be, but actually, the actors always targeted the people in the middle of the group. I'm sure you can imagine my relief. Once we got back, we went to the masquerade ball, which was also quite fun. I went as Mrs. Hamburglar. The good thing about going as something unusual is that no one else as the same concept. There were quite a few pirates, fairies, cowgirls, and Jack Sparrows. And I didn't have to buy anything for my costume, I found the whole thing in my closet. That's the way to do halloween.

On another note, I can't wait till I can reduce my meal plan to just 10 meals a week in the dining hall. I like to go there for dinner, but I always seem to forget to go at other times. Besides, I much prefer to just eat in the coffee kitchen or my room. And I always feel guilty for wasting meals on my plan.

advising break

Well, it's Academic Advising week, and everyone has Tuesday and Wednesday off. Initially, I thought this meant an extra weekend. I was wrong. I have so much homework to do these next two days. But at least it will give me a chance to catch up. I have been trying to figure out classes for next semester, and it's complicated. Plus, I'm one of the last groups of people to register. Someone decided that the A-D people are always first, so this year we are last. Oh well.

Here's a change of topic: my new favorite things are my wellies. I picked up a pair of rainboots last week. They are black with white polka dots, and they are so comfortable. Plus, they keep my feet (and pants!) cozy and dry. I'm even tempted to wear them indoors, they are so comfy and fun. Besides, they are a much better alternative to something along the lines of Uggs.

a surprise & a lament

It seems that I've been doing a great many things I never would have pegged myself doing these days. Last weekend I went hiking. This weekend, we had our dorm retreat and I slept under the stars on a boat dock with one blanket in 35 degree weather. Voluntarily. Am I going crazy? Maybe. All I can say is that I am constantly surprising myself. Who knows? I'll probably end up buying a tarantula next week.

On a quieter note, I went to the Apple Store on Friday, and my ipod is broken for sure. I had that ipod for over four years. It was a very good friend of mine. And it will be missed. When I was at the Apple Store, all the guys at the Genius Bar crowded around and peered at my ipod in awe of its excellent condition. They had a hard time believing that an ipod could look that great after four years. The upside is that I get 10 percent off a new ipod if I recycle my old one. Birthday present, anyone?

something inspiring from spanish class

Here's a video my professor showed my class to inspire us and give us new ideas for how to use Spanish in the real world. It's pretty much hilarious.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngRq82c8Baw

no autumn for teresa

So apparently, Grand Rapids has no autumn season. As of Monday, the temperatures were around 89-92 degrees with full humidity. This morning, however, the temperature was right around 41, with a high of about 47. I've never experienced such a dramatic drop in temperature, from it being too hot to see straight, to bundling up and regretting wearing flip-flops outside. Pretty soon, it'll be snowing. I can't wait, but I almost miss not having fall. The trees are losing their leaves like crazy, but the temperature swing has been too dramatic, so most leaves haven't changed color much. It's sad, but anything is better than that disgusting summer weather we were having.

sand dunes and steeples

Yesterday, I did something that I thought I would never do. I went hiking. In the sand dunes. For 8 miles. It was not fun. Well, it was so miserable that it was actually fun when the hike was over. I went with my geology class for extra-credit, and I am never doing that again. I had never realized how depressing sand is. Once you get into the middle of sand dunes, you can't tell how far they stretch on, and it all seems hopeless. And the Silver Lake sand dunes are the largest freshwater sand dunes in the world, so they did stretch on quite a ways. Also, hiking in sand is very unrewarding. You take one step, and you only end up half as far as you stepped, because the sand slides so much. Quite a few of the dunes were already at their angle of repose, and thus, as soon as we stepped on the sand, it began to avalanche. But I survived. And learned to never do that again.

And on an unrelated topic, so far, church-hunting has been quite disappointing. Westminster Presbyterian was terrible, Creston CRC was too small, and Mars Hill was wildly over-rated. On the plus side, I went to Ada Bible this morning and really liked it. I'm not sure if I want to go there permanently, but it's definitely the best I've seen so far.