The calm before the coming week

Hello!

It is evening now, a peaceful Sunday evening, but it is only the calm before the storm. My week is more full than usual, including two midterms and several written assignments. I also will be leading one of the children's pieces tomorrow in choir - which is a first. All this means that there a number of things I should prepare for/ stress out about.

Yesterday I was studious all day. And it was a long day, in fact, since I decided to get up at 6:30 to begin work on my phil. And then Sarah and I didn't get to bed until 1:15 (that's later than normal). But I got a lot accomplished (I think). And that way I could mostly justify doing no homework today.

Today I started reading Abolition of Man for fun. It is so good (well-written, logical, cool, etc.), and also deals with a lot of issues that I'm trying to think through! Primarily, I am trying to determine if there are objective values (mostly in the area of music), and that is what Lewis is discussing! So it is perfect timing. However, the issue is far from settled, and I'd love to hear from or discuss with any of you about the subject.

Adelle

Several 'First's

Hello! I can always tell when it's been a while since I wrote when I have to think back through the entire week to tell you how I am.

This week has been monumental because several different 'first's. And here they are:

First Haircut: A while back, I had (somewhat jokingly) volunteered to cut Sarah's hair if she so desired. Then, Tuesday night, as we were brushing our teeth together preparing for bed, she mumbles through her toothpaste "Ab-dehle, wew ou at ma air?" which turned out to be a request for a fulfilment of said promise. So right then and there, already close to midnight, we gathered all the necessary equipment and I dove in. It wasn't a complete cut; Sarah's hair was layered but she wasn't pleased with the large difference between the top and bottom layer, so my job was to shorten the bottom layer. I fully expected it to be a disaster, but it actually turned out well. It was interesting experience, especially since everyone who came into the bathroom during the cutting had their own comments and bits of advice. Hair cutting: the newest exciting Willington 2 floor-bonding event!

First Warm-up: Yesterday was the first time that I was up in front of the GECC (Glen Ellyn CC) and totally in charge! I had previously been in front to help lead the one half of the choir in a complicated rhythmic pattern while Dottie led the other half in a conflicting pattern. But other than that, I had only been sitting on the sidelines. So Wednesday I emailed Dottie and said how I wanted to make sure I was using my time effectively, and, in essence, could I get some stage time? She emailed back, saying "why don't you lead warm-ups tomorrow?" I was a little unnerved at the short notice, but was able to pull together something. I thought it went rather well, especially considering I wasn't sure if I'd freeze up and not be able to demonstate vocally at all! (This fear is not totally unbased on reality, since for the last five years or so, whenever I have tried out for solos I have suddenly not been able to produce much sound.) But that didn't happen, and I felt pretty comfortable in front of the kids. The only negative feedback I got from Dotties was that at the end of the warmup, the kids' voices were too tense. (This was because she had told me to do something related to a certain piece, and since it contained lots of dissonces, I was making the kids form and resolve them. So they were thinking about holding their part, rather than producing pure sound.) Still, she thought it went well overall, and told me to plan something for Monday, too.

First Snowfall: We had our first snowfall of the year yesterday! True, it was only for 45 minutes, and none of it lasted, but they were good-sized and very white snowflakes. It has definately been cold enough to warrant a winter coat - the wind is amazing!

First 'End of Quad': Hurrah! Today was the last day of A Quad, and now we're on Fall Break! I have chosen just to stay on campus, since it's not really a huge amount of time (a four-day weekend) and it's sometimes less stressful not to be guest. My plans include practicing, possible some getting-ahead work, hanging out at the Wade Center, and making chocolate truffles at the home of a recent Wheaton grad who goes to my church. Today I had my World Music final, which went moderately well. I'll have two midterms when I get back, so I guess I'll do studying for them, too. Anyway, I'm going to try to balance fun stuff and work. Most of my friends are gone, which makes it less motivating to play: Sarah A is gone to Texas to visit a friend, Sarah D is home in Washington, Liz is home with the mumps, Beckee ditto, Brynna went home, Dan went home, which leaves.. Brett, almost no one! But I don't really mind solitude, mostly.

Adelle

Flood, famine, and pestulance

Oct 6, 2006
Well, it has been quite a week for Wheaton campus!

The very first night I got back from Joel's wedding in Seattle, only two hours after I reached campus, the skies opened up and poured! It was the most incredible storm! The power went out pretty early on, and I went out from my safe, dry room to the wet outdoors (just for fun). I was drenched almost instantly - the rain was coming with such a force that I could hardly see. The sidewalks were like rivers, and out in the Quad a lake was formed over a foot deep! The lightening was at a strobe-light frequency, and as I walked east, I saw a blinding streak tear from the top of the heavens all the way to right behind Mac-Evans, one of our central dorms. The intensity of that lightening and the resulting thunder I have never seen the like, and I wonder if I ever will. It turns out that it struck and split on of the trees behind the building. Before that, people were playing in Lake Quad and elsewhere, but after that, everyone yelled to one another "Get out of the water before the lightening strikes again!"

I went walking at the height of the storm, but that 'height' lasted for a good 45 minutes, and the total storm (none too shabby at its low points) lasted over three hours. Our newspaper reported 5 inches in three hours, if that's any indication. Our lower-level floor in Mac-Evans flooded, displacing 30 guys, the Beamer Center (Stupe, Kitchen, CPO, study areas) flooded up to 18 inches in places, a parking lot flooded (totalling my friend Becki's car, among others), and today I learned the Co-op flooded. I included 'famine' in the list of our calamities because the Beamer Center's flooding has affected the food life on campus. The morning after, the food was a bit questionable, and the Stupe's being closed has affected us all - "Hey, let's go get ice cre.., oh never mind" or "We'll meet at the Stupe to study, and .. oh, scratch that." To top it off, this weekend is Homecoming, so there's extra pressure to look beautiful.

So that was Monday. My life in other respects was moving along normally. But today comes another bombshell. The mumps statistics have continued to rise - as of the newspaper this morning, we have 71 confirmed cases. I know for a fact that that number is now outdated, however, for my dear friend Liz has been diagnosised and put in 'the slammer' (that is, isolation in the apartments) this afternoon! It actually should have been done sooner, but the Health Center was being stupid. Wednesday she went in because she was feeling awful and she had all the symptoms but one. But the nurse sent her away, saying the one missing symptom was the critical one. Liz continued to encounter problems, such as abnormal sleeping needs and tiredness, and went in a second time yesterday. Apparently the nurse was short with her, and so Liz had to go about life. She was still in World Music today, sitting next to me, and I can tell you that things were not as they should be. This afternoon, with encouragment from friends and family, she returned to the Health Center and finally has been diaganoised.

So perhaps I'm up next, seeing as I'm best of pals with Liz. Also Beckee, Liz's and my friend, had similar health (and Health Center) problems as Liz. I still haven't heard if she got in isolation this afternoon, but I wouldn't be surprised. And I sit in class, eat with, etc. Beckee. But I really do feel fine right now. I guess we'll just wait and see.

That's the news from Lake Wheat-be-gone, where all the men are flooded, the women are Stupe-less, and all the children have the mumps.

Adelle