Final Papers and Mini-Floods

All the pressure from the past week? It’s practically gone. This week will still be busy, but I can see how I possibly can get everything I need to done. And starting Tuesday night?

It’ll be a week long party.

I just hope I’ll have enough energy by then!

This weekend was incredible. I can only thank God that I got everything done that I did, because I have never written papers in so little time before.
Friday I went grocery shopping, went clothes shopping (needed some essentials for graduation), went Christmas shopping, wrote my last 2 Sunday school lessons (it was my internship this semester for class) as well as a couple of pages for my smaller paper while I was babysitting.

Saturday I finished my smaller paper, went a baby shower, re-wired the dryer, did 3 loads of laundry, cleaned my room, wrote several pages on my long paper, cleaned up a mini-flood, and rooted for my national-championship-bound Sooners.

Sunday I attended church, finished memorizing Titus 2:1-3:11, wrote on my paper, cleaned up a minier-flood, went back to church, and came home and finished that paper. Yesterday afternoon I actually wrote 5 pages of one of my papers in an hour. I’ve never written a paper that fast. I’m more in the 1-page an hour with a break, 2-page an hour without a break type of gal.

You’ve been keeping count with me, that’s my last paper of the semester, of the year, of my masters, and of my entire career as a student. I almost teared up when I put the finishing touches, and then I thought better of it.

Hmm, seems like I had something else to say. You may have a question in your head if you’ve actually read the whole post semi-carefully: “cleaned up a mini-flood,” “cleaned up a minier-flood,” what is that all about?

Yes, I had to clean up a couple of small floods this weekend. We’ve been without a washer and dryer in our apartment since August when our old roommate came back from visiting her parents for the summer and needed her washer and dryer for her new place. We’ve made due by visiting friends with baskets of laundry in our hands and making a few costly trips to the laundromat (why in the world should it cost $4 to wash and dry a load of clothes?). But this week we finally have a washer and dryer to call our own. Okay, to call my roommate’s own. She paid for them.

For whatever reason, the washer is really shaky, so shaky that it knocked the water return hose loose while I was doing a load yesterday. Water flooded the entire laundry closet about half an inch deep. It made me vaguely reminiscent to when our entire apartment had at least that much water in it last year. After getting the water to stop pouring out, I was able to mop up most of the water with about 6 towels or so. The rest of it dryed up pretty quickly as it was warm in their and it’s winter, so our apartment is pretty dry. I put those back in place as far as it would go, and thought we’d be good.

Not so. The same exact thing happened yesterday afternoon, ironically while I washing the towels I used to mop up the first accident. There is a learning curve to such things, though, and I was much quicker to respond and clean up. It only took 3 towels this time around. From now on, it looks like we’re going to have to make sure to push down the hose with each load, or we’re going to have more floods.

Anyway, I’m entirely sorry that this post is rather rambly. Maybe those papers took all my writing skills. Regardless, I’m going to refrain from posting until I am completely done with my school work tomorrow night. The last thing I have is a final at 6:30 tomorrow night, so by 8:00, I’ll be a free woman! Don’t expect a post right then, though, because I might just have to out and celebrate. =)

This Title Isn’t Living up to Its Potential

Just a few odds and ends for your Friday amusement:

1. Last night I had a great time with my roommate and her family. We got along splendidly in spite of being offered tomato soup or a tomato sandwich for dinner (among other things). I’m pretty open to trying new things, but tomatoes are one thing I know that I don’t like. I did try the soup, something I’ve always wanted to like because it smells good, and I liked it. It was organic: go figure.

2. I’m back where I belong now. At work really, but looking forward to a weekend mostly at home. I still have some school work to catch up on, but I think my favorite day of the week is Saturday when I sit on the couch, write Sunday school curriculum, and watch football.

3. The training I attended was held in a federal government office. At the front of the room there were two flags: the American flag and the department’s flag (I think that we might have a bit of a problem when the departments of the federal government have their own flags, but that’s another topic for another day). The department’s flag was actually taller than the American flag. Hmm…

4. Due to some maneuvering of a final that I’m most grateful for and the second part of this training that I’ll be attending in the first week of December, my last days of class ever will be before Thanksgiving. I have only 4 weeks of class left! That’s both exciting and stressing.

I suppose that’s all for today. I need to get working on the controversial Point/Counterpoint that I’ve almost forgotten about. I hope to start posting it on Monday.

Have a wonderful weekend!

When Sinterklaas Came to Town

During a special time of year, a girl was excited for the hopes of what she would soon find. On that night, little Ronnica put her shoes outside her door in hopes that Sinterklaas would soon be here.

As hoped, soon after placing her shoes out, little Ronnica found a couple little treats. “Look, someone’s been here!”

Upon further inspection, little Ronnica’s smile turned into a frown. “What exactly did Sinterklaas leave me?” she whispered, as she took a closer look.

“Is that pitted dates?” she inquired with disgust. “And…and…ORGANIC half and half? Blech! I vow to be a better girl next year!”

Apologies to the Dutch and their traditions. I have nothing but respect for them. Thanks to my roomie for helping me put this together. You didn’t REALLY think that I had dates and organic products on hand, did you?
The real story: I put my shoes outside my room in case my roommate wanted to wear them in the morning before I was awake.

School Day Memory: Why Procrastination Might Not Be My Thing

A college friend is in town visiting me this weekend, so I thought today’s School Day Memory would be from college. My last semester of college, in fact. College isn’t particularly ripe with school memories, as most memories occured then outside the class setting. But there are two major memories of my last semester at OU that are definitely worth sharing.

I’m not a procrastinator. I panic if I have only a few days left to do a paper. I’m much more calm if I simply stretch out the work over a longer period of time, allowing myself to get things done at least a day ahead of the deadline.

My roommate in college wasn’t like that (though she has since reformed her ways). Neither was my other good friend, Mindy, who was like a roommate to us. They each would tend to write papers the night before they were due.

Towards the end of my college career, I realized I had never pulled an all-nighter. Not for a test, not for a paper. I simply wouldn’t do it; it’s not my style. But I realized that this was a part of the college experience, so I chose a minor paper in an easy class that was due the same day as one of Mindy’s papers and saved it until the night before (See, I didn’t even act like a procrastinator about it…I planned to write it that last night!).

Mindy and I went to the computer lab around 10 or 11 to start our paper. Even now those are very productive hours for me. I sat down and started sorting through the research I had for the short paper (I think it was 2 or 3 pages). After about 15 minutes I realized that pulling an all-nighter isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. Thankfully, I finished writing sometime around 1 or 2 and called it a night. I can promise you that I’ll never be doing that again! I turned what would usually be a mildly unpleasant experience into several hours of agony and torture.

The second memory from that last semester of college happened the night before my very last final. The final was in a freshman-level European history class. If you’re keeping score, you’ll realize that this is a subject I’m familiar with as I was a history major. Here I was in my last year, taking a general overview of European history something I had studied much more specifically in a couple other classes. Should be a piece of cake.

I was told beforehand not to take the professor. It was his last semester teaching and his method was simply to lecture. That’s not unusual for a college class, but there were no papers and no assigned reading (though we did have textbooks). He would simply expect us to process what we got from his lecture and be able to show our understanding (not just recall) of the material on the three essay tests.

I’ve never been much of an essay tester. Give me multiple-choice any day. After 2 or 3 hours of studying, I got a B on the first test. No problem, I’ll do better on the next one. After about the same amount of studying on the second test (after all, this go around we were studying the Protestant Reformation…that’s easy!), I got a C. Uh oh. That’s no good, but that doesn’t matter. The professor grades progressively, so if I show improvement on the final, I’ll easily get a B or even an A.

The night before the final, I was rather snippy with my roommate. She noticed that I wasn’t myself and asked me what was wrong. I hadn’t realized how I had been bottling up my feelings inside of me about moving out, moving away from my best friends, and finishing college (wow, this seems to be a theme on my blog!), and they exploded right there in our dorm room. The night I had planned on studying got derailed by out-of-control emotions. Instead of trying to learn all the important facts about the French Revolution, I simply watched Moulin Rouge and downed Mr. Pibb (a very poor substitute for Dr. Pepper, but sadly that was the closest I could get on OU’s campus) and chocolate. I think I was able to study a little by the time the night was through, but needless to say, I didn’t put in the effort needed to swing anything but a C in the class.

You’re probably thinking, “A C? So what?” And you’re right. It mattered nothing. I put maybe 7 hours of work into the class all semester which is the least of any class I’ve ever taken. The C didn’t change my GPA or keep me from graduating, but that was my first (and hopefully only!) C. The fact that it was in a freshman-level course in my major when I was a senior just makes it embarrassing.

I Love Books

My roommate just got back from a 10-day trip to the left coast. While she was there she picked me up a few things: 3 classics! This might not be that exciting for you, but she knows I love them and worked with the bookstore employee to pick out a few good ones I didn’t have. She got me:

Voltaire’s Candide (though it wasn’t on my list, I’ve wanted to read this since taking philosophy),

Honore de Balzac’s Old Goriot (which I’ve never heard of, but it came strongly recommended from the bookstore lady, along with The Idiot, and if anyone recommends Dostoevsky, they’re okay in my book!),

and Charlotte Bronte’s Villette (I’ve wanted to get back into reading the Bronte sisters).

Basically, she was showing me love by getting me this awesome present.

I’ve been helping out another friend by finding quotes for her to use in her classroom. I’ve been stuck on finding quotes from books, because I love them so much.

As exhibit C in my love for books, I was walking out of the library yesterday, book in hand, and realized I had no idea when I’d find time to read it. I love books, but sometimes my schedule doesn’t allow for reading as much as I would like.

Anyway, I’ll wrap up this purposeless gushing. If you love books as much as I do, feel free to check out the Book Nook Club. We’re always looking for new reviewers, and our monthly discussions are a lot of fun!

Dear Dori

Dear Dori,

I’m so glad that you are my roommate, and that we’ll remain roommates for at least another year barring a ridiculously fast dating/engagement/wedding process for either one of us. (Don’t hate me because I put that up for the world to see; I’m talking as much about me as I am about you.)

One of my favorite things about you is that you make me laugh. Some of my favorite stress-relieving times have been with you. You bring out the silly side of me like few others, and I enjoy being silly (others might call it stupid, but I work with children and try not to use that word). Like just the other day, you called and asked ME for fashion advice. Seriously? I’ve been known to read a fashion magazine or two and I like to shop occasionally, but I’m no fashion guru. I do appreciate that you thought of me when you thought about fashion! Or tonight when you texted me that you had a date with our favorite Baptist history textbook. Only you called him by name, “Torbit.” Love it (the funniness of it all, not the Baptist history textbook).

Not only do you make me laugh, you are a very passionate person. You humbly stand up for what you believe in, and there is much to be admired in that. Your love for our Savior isn’t merely academic either, it spills out into every area of your life. You are willing to drop everything for someone who is in need, which is a type of flexibility I need to work on. You don’t just say you love someone, you show it. I wish I was more like you.

As I finish up this all-too-short letter, know that I’m to the point of tears because of my love for you, my sister in Christ! Here’s to being roommates until we’re old, married, or old and married!

Your Now and Future Roommate,

Ronnica

Refreshing Weekend

Whew, I’m tired. I had a great, restful trip, but getting up at 3:30 this morning to leave for the airport is starting to weigh on me. I’ll be writing more about what went on (I took good notes) to give you an insightful account, but I’ll wait until I’m my usual 90% sane (I’m at about 32% right now) so that I can wow you with my witty insight. Or not.

I hope that you enjoyed the posts by my roommates April (the Longfellow quoting girl) and Dori (the North Carolina girl) the last two days. You should leave them a comment so that they’ll feel loved (and maybe even consider getting a blog of their own!). I love that my roommates were willing to venture out into the blogosphere on my behalf and didn’t post what they had threatened. That said, I should probably only say nice things about them (which is easy), since they now know how to post on my blog!

Here’s an overview of what happened (based on the list of what I said would happen):

1. We ate Mexican food (and BBQ!).

2. I drank 2 vanilla Diet Dr. Peppers from Sonic. Heaven in a straw.

3. We laughed a lot. At ourselves and others.

4. Dana did several things that made me think that she’s crazy. I’m sure she came to that same realization about me, too. That’s just part of why I love her.

5. Actually, except for last night we got a good amount of sleep. I slept 10 HOURS on Friday night in a comfy bed. Simply wonderful.

6. We did have some good discussions.

7. Characters were met. I felt like I was right at home meeting her friends, since I had heard so much about them. Makes me wonder what they had heard about me before I came…

8. Our friendship was renewed.

It was just the perfect break weekend that helped energize me for the weeks of studying ahead. Thanks, Dana!

Random Reflections from Ronnica’s Roommates

http://www.potw.org/archive/potw232.html
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)
A PSALM OF LIFE
WHAT THE HEART OF THE YOUNG MAN
SAID TO THE PSALMIST
TELL me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream ! —
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real ! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal ;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way ;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world’s broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle !
Be a hero in the strife !
Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant !
Let the dead Past bury its dead !
Act,— act in the living Present !
Heart within, and God o’erhead !
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time ;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate ;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

No, these aren’t the words of the roommates but they are worth contemplating… “things are not what they seem.” My 11th grade English teacher pointed that out.
April

Now these are the thoughts of roommate number 2, the one not sitting sleepily on the bed, watching me type her reflections… these are my thoughts:
I looked up Ronnica’s name. I really like to see what people’s names mean! Ronnica’s name is no different. It means “Victory bringer” and her middle name has the connotation of “life.” I like that! May we all seek to know for ourselves and to lead others to the victory and life found in Yeshua (Jesus) our Lord.
Dori

A Tale of North Carolina Girl

Hello all! This is the Kansas Girl’s roommate. I have the responsibility of blogging while she is gone for the weekend. As I contemplated what in the world to say, I thought of the above title: “A Tale of a North Carolina Girl.”So here it goes…
While I say that I am a “North Carolina Girl,” that is only partially true. I was born in Gainsville FL, moved to Rock Hill SC when I was 5, moved to Reidsville NC when I was 11, moved to Greensboro NC when I was 16, traveled a bit, moved to the Raleigh area when I was 26 and will move to a different part of the Raleigh area when I am 28. You might ask (or you might not) why I’ve moved so much. The short answer is that my dad has been a pastor for most of my life and is currently a Messianic Congregation leader…
Which brings me to why I am here, studying at seminary and rooming with the “Kansas Girl.” I was raised in a traditional Christian family and for the most part, simply accepted the theology and the traditions that went along with it. When God began to work in my dad’s heart, giving him a love for Israel and for the Jewish people, I began to question: What do I believe? Why do I believe what I believe? Are the beliefs and traditions I hold Biblical? Where, God, do you want me? So here I am and it’s a good place to be. I’m grateful… grateful for a patient God, grateful for being single and having the time to study, grateful for my parents who challenge me, grateful for the many people and books God has put in my life, and yes, grateful for my two wonderful roommates! :)
So that, my friends, is where I’ve been and where I am now… thanks for reading! :)
Until tomorrow,
The North Carolina Girl

Friend First, Roommate Second

Today is my roommate‘s birthday. April is now as old as me. (When does it start being rude to say how old someone is? We’re not old. We don’t think we’re old. No one else things we’re old.)

I’d love to post lots of embarrassing pictures of her, but I only have a few. Besides, who wants to see such things posted on the Internet on your birthday?

April and I met the first Sunday after school started our first semester here. She was visiting our Sunday school class (and later joined). I recognized her name from class, and we immediately hit it off. We have lots of interesting (and fun) discussions on a variety of topics, and though our temperaments are different in many ways, they are good differences that I enjoy.

Not only is April an interesting friend, she’s a good friend. She encourages me to follow the Lord and live for Him in everything I do. That’s the best type of friend after all, right?

You might get to “meet” April (and Dori) here in a few weeks while I travel. They are both aware of my blogging (Dori has commented twice, albeit anonymously) and are interested in guest posting for a couple of days. At least they had mischievous looks on their faces when I suggested it. I told them the only ground rules were: don’t give out my last name, address, or phone number. I won’t mention what April suggested they should post as my phone number.

I say all this, but really all I need to say is “Happy Birthday.” April, I hope that today is a day full of blessings!