What a Saturday!

Lunch with Garrett at Dublin Square: they have a yummy vegetarian pasta thing that was quite fantastic.
Meeting with Caitlin, the girl I'm mentoring for Church Confirmation, at Shuler's to chat.
Shopping with Kellly: $5 jeans at Meijer's!
Dinner with Ellises and Alec: Yay for Ruby Tuesday's salad bar!
And then I got to come home to web programming for my PA, researching and writing for my PA, and studying for my international relations midterm while watching "An Ideal Husband."
An excellent day, all in all.

Or only 10

I ended up only biking 10 miles yesterday. Walked with a friend from one appointment to another across campus, and then stole a ride part of the way home. I did, though, also dance rave for about 45 minutes (very badly, I will note, but RING threw a Rave and I needed to make an appearance) and then ice skate for an hour and fifteen (open skate at Munn). So I think I managed to fill my quota of physical activity.

13 Miles!

I have mapped it out. I will be biking thirteen miles tonight. Woohoo!

This might be a bit more enjoyable if it weren't snowing. Don't get me wrong. I love the snow. It's gorgeous. But umm...seriously. At least it's decently warm. Yesterday was COLD. And WINDY.

Ah, Tonight

Tonight:
The fundraising spaghetti dinner for my Confirmation mentee's school music program. I am excited about that. I am not excited about biking to it.
A rave for RING. I am not so excited about that. It will be good to see people, but, as we all know, Becca is not exactly a raver.
Iceskating at Munn with Wesley. This will be considerably more fun. Something I actually can kind of do with people I enjoy.

And then back to studying! I've got way too much to do this weekend...perhaps because last weekend all I did was watch "Legend of the Seeker." lol. Oops.

Anthropology Exam

As expected, that was easy and I did not need to study. Which is good. Cause I didn't, really. I did, though, make a total fail and say that Gramsci developed the notion of the panoptic gaze...it was totally Foucault. But the question before that was also Foucault. Teach me to try and assume she won't use the same theorist twice in a row. Sorry, Andrea. Becca=fail.

Preaching

Usually, I find it much more difficult to preach to people I know. Holt was no problem. Wesley, though, I thought was going to induce a little bit of nerves. But nope...nothing. Just lots of fun. (I preached at the regular Wednesday night service at Wesley last night.)
I didn't go to the Chautauqua due to snow - it was down Michigan Ave. at Gone Wired and I had class on-campus till 5:30 and then would have to leave at least an hour early to get to choir on time, and I just didn't think it was reasonable given the snow and how much it would have slowed me up. Then choir was canceled. So I had an incredibly relaxed evening...which was kinda nice.

Academic Program

I know I keep changing, and Mum asked the other day. So here's the list

BA, Interdisciplinary Humanities
Concentrations in Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Women's Studies
Specializations in Bioethics, Humanities, and Society and Peace and Justice Studies

BA, International Relations
Specialization in Asian Studies, Jewish Studies, Muslim Studies, and Political Economy

BS, International Development
Specializations in African Studies and Gender and Global Change

BS, Anthropology
Minor in Economics

Asian Studies?

I apparently am also earning a specialization in Asian studies. Not doing anything special for it; they just are incredibly flexible. Huh. Go figure. One more to add to the list!

More Snow!

Alright. I love snow, don't get me wrong. But this is becoming a WEE bit absurd. Just a wee bit.

Well, this is a problem

I found "Legend of the Seeker" on Netflix, a series based on the "Sword of Truth" books I enjoyed. Netflix shows two seasons. Last I heard, they were making a mini-series, and that was a while ago. So I thought they made two and then canceled, and I'd be safe to watch. Not so! They're actually in the middle of season two and actually plan to do all of the books. So now I'm trapped in a TV show...this hasn't happened since "West Wing." Oh dear. The good news is that the episodes are all streamed at the series' website - so I don't have a specific time I have to watch anything. Hopefully I'll be able to put it off until the season is finished or something rather than desperately waiting each week...
This is not good.

Good Grief

The world is suddenly overrun with noble knights in pick-up trucks. I didn't even make it on to Forest Rd. before a young gentlemen stopped and asked if I wanted a ride. I should ride with a sign: "Thank you for your concern. I LOVE biking. So continue on your merry way and I shall do the same. God loves you and so do I!"

Sorry, Fred

Professor Gifford called us out today for improper grammar in our response papers. We have to share what we think is the most important question from the previous class was. As he points out, "I think the most important unresolved question from Monday's class is what..." is not all that readable. Well, fine then. I'll actually bother to write decently. It's only a 400-level philosophy class; what's the problem? lol.

Epidemiology

Class today:
The sad news: We have a guest lecturer. This means Michael is not going to be speaking to me for fifty minutes in his fantastic South African accent.
The good news: Our guest lecturer works in Ghana and specializes in family planning.
Ya win some and ya lose some.

And furthermore, we're currently doing anthropology. Love it.

Though sadly (though not shockingly), material is being presented a bit ethnocentrically.

Biking!

Woohoo! It is quite a glorious day to bike. Glad I left early, but I got into campus perfectly safe. A really sweet guy asked to give me a ride on south Harrison - he had a pick-up truck and said we could throw my bike in the back. I turned him down; I really do enjoy biking (crazy chick, I know). Hope he wasn't too offended; I'm sure he was just trying to be nice.

Today

Today, I have accomplished:
1. Running.
2. Showering.
3. Watching a few episodes of a TV show.
4. Preaching two services at Holt UMC.
5. Driving to Kalamazoo and back with my mother, belting out Broadway the entire time.
6. Seeing my baby cousin play in a Junior Symphony Concert.
7. Seeing my best friend Eric for the first time in months.
8. Dropping in on a meeting.
9. Doing an LBGT panel for the West Circle Residence Life Staff.
10. Reading some material for classes.

And...yay! Good day. : )
Love you all!

Orchestra Concert

I went to Chris' (not my cousin - that's this Sunday!) orchestra concert. They did Hovhaness' "And God Created Great Whales." OH MY WORD. I don't think I have ever loved an orchestra piece so much. Granna would absolutely adore it.

Love it

We were talking in anthropology about how social roles can slowly drift and change. Example from professor: What was ideal father in 1950s? The disciplinarian, brought home the bacon, "didn't think his wife had orgasms..."

Case Competition

The results are in! My team, with William Wilberforce, took third. Steven Biko took first and was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Thurgood Marshall took second. The teams were really good. Everyone was a bit more dramatic than they were last year...and we were a bit more lecture-y!
The other weird thing is that half of the teams started and ended their presentations by singing. We have no idea what caused them to do this, and had know idea they were going to. We were "Sing for Justice," and a huge part of our presentation was the fact that songs played a huge role in the civil rights movement. So that was a bit ridiculous. Other than that, though, the night was very fun. Sadly, Sarah and Bailey's team didn't place. But they did a really great job and made me cry. : )

Happy Lent!

Happy Ash Wednesday, my loves. Hope Lent treats you well. Running this morning was quite glorious.

Personal Statement

So, the Honors College has gathered all of the ADS/UDS (merit scholarships) Scholars together. They're doing Personal Statement Workshops with us. These are fun and good - practice early on, easier to apply for scholarships and grad school, etc.
But I have a problem. I can't write it. I've tried. I just...can't. I think the issue lies in the nature of the statement. Chris' statement says he has a passion for teaching and wants to be a linguistics professor. Kyle's is passionate about the law's effects on social justice - he wants to be a lawyer. Alec's give a fun anecdote about engineering a prank and solving practical problems via engineering - he wants to be an engineer.
And me? I want to love people. How in the heck do I make that into a personal statement? I'd like to be a professional lover. And that's what I'm going to do. I'm just not sure exactly what that's going to look like. I do know, though, that the term "professional lover" ain't gonna get me anyplace in a personal statement.

Pick-Up Line!

Great moment today. I'm at Woody's on Harrison and Trowbridge meeting a friend for lunch. Standing near the drink counter, I am checking my email on my phone. Businessman in mid-thirties: "Am I in your way?"
Me: "No, sorry." (Tries to move to the side, out of his way.)
Businessman: "I could be, if you wanted me to."

What, dude? Like, seriously. Huh what?
I would just like to mention that I was in men's jeans and a hoodie. Not my sexy business-lady self or anything. I suppose he was just joking. I have no idea what was going through his head.

Grade Clarification

The 43/50 on the epidemiology wasn't as great as I was hoping. But apparently 45 was the highest mark and I'm still high in the 4.0-range. So no worries there.

Grade Report

Anthropology Exam: 23/25.
Epidemiology Exam: 43/50.
Philosophy Paper: 3.75.

Sexuality and Spirituality

Did a really great event at RING tonight, the LBGT caucus I work with. We brought in a bunch of panelists and had a really good discussion about sexuality and spirituality - issues of compatibility, where churches stand, theology, etc. It was a ton of fun.

I love those moments

Those moments of getting something accomplished you weren't expecting to get done? Great feeling. Truly great feeling.

Happy Late Valentine's Day!

Since I didn't mention this yesterday...happy Valentine's Day, my darlings. Love you all very, very much. : )

Case Competition

My team is officially a finalist for the Case Competition, showcasing multicultural heroes. We're presenting on William Wilberforce. I'm competing against Sarah and Bailey, which is kinda hard...don't know who I really want to win!

"Blind Dating"

Watched a really sweet movie last night about a blind guy and his struggles in dating women. Starring...Chris Pine!

Terminology

Here's a question for you:
What is the appropriate term of leadership when an individual got a group started that did not previously exist BUT for which there was an institutional mandate. (The Interfaith Council was technically created by the MSU Student Government and "existed" according to their by-laws, but absolutely nothing was done and Nada and I got it going from nothing other than that - we created Constitution, meetings, constituency, etc.)
Am I co-founder? Just co-chair? Something else?

MSUFCU

I just deposited a check at the MSUFCU Union Branch, and she tried to get me to create either a Certificate or an IMMA. I have no idea if those are better for them or she was just being friendly.

Get out of my Dove, Martha!

Dove chocolate used to have adorable, happy, warm fuzzy sayings in them. Now, they have random home improvement tips from Martha Stewart. Even in my Valentine's chocolate! What the heck, Dove? I want my warm fuzzies back! I don't care that Xs and Os make great cookie cutters!

Never mind!

I can't apply for the Udall this year because MSU can only submit six...anyways, maybe next year. Who knows. Back to Tikvah; woohoo! lol.

Udall

I'm such a liar. I'm going to go ahead and apply this year. Chances are I won't get it, and the conflict won't be a problem. If it is, I can either get a $350 Honorable Mention or elect this over Tikvah. (Hmm...fun scholarly Jewish Thought week with $1000 or a few days at Family Camp plus $5000? It'll be a tough decision.)

Facebook

So, my Facebook page is in Arabic. This is really cool, as I knew what and where everything was, so I learned new vocabulary and kept my Arabic up via the language setting. But now they have switched everything around again! Argh. I am now navigating a new page, in a foreign language, and it's FUNKY. lol. But I shall persevere! And it shall remain in Arabic, so help me linguistics!

Butter Side Up

Toast always lands butter-side up. Or, if you're really lucky, jelly side up! On your roommate's blanket. Argh.

And before Papa can make a witty comment: No, I did not clean it up with soy sauce.

Lazy Weekend

Becca has hit her pathetic, couch-lounging lazy teenage boy phase. I was as bum-like as humanly possible this weekend. Seriously. It's embarrassing to think about.

ADS Weekend

Today was the first day of the two ADS weekends! Honors kids from all over the States come in to take the merit-based scholarship test and learn more about MSU. I get to go chat with them at the fancy Banquet and convince them all to join the wonderful world of the Spartans.
And when I'm done, I get to have the Dean of the Honors College instruct me to apply for the Udall Scholarship...

Israel Ticket!

I have purchased my ticket to Israel this summer! $1172. Yeehaw. Only drawback is that I'll be in Poland for twelve hours. That is, though, enough time to do something...so I shall have to figure out how hard a visa is.

He Loves Me!

Aww...

Hi Becca -
I will take care of the letters of recommendation, no worries. I'm writing to invite you to participate in a special student Religious Studies conference we're doing for the first time this April. The "Undergraduate Scholars Conference" will give a small handful of students the chance (or the burden!) to give a 5-10 minute presentation on some work they've done which their professor has deemed "exceptional". I'm organizing the event, and I'd like to invite you to participate because of your overall excellent work last semester in the Judaism class. The best grade you received was on your Dead Sea Scrolls paper, so I'd probably recommend that you think about presenting what you did in that paper. But if you'd rather do something else, I'd be open to other possibilities. The event is scheduled for April 16th, in the morning and through lunchtime. Let me know if you're interested in participating.
Benjamin Pollock

"Australia"

I don't know what people's problem was...I thought it was a fantastic movie. I understand the "it's too long" bit, though I think that's an issue of it feeling like it could totally be over and be a complete story halfway through.
I have, however, spent the last few hours cursing white people from here to...well, there.

Panel at Church Last Night

I'm leading a small group at University UMC on Wednesday nights focused on LBGT issues in the Church. We had a panel come in from the LBGT Resource Center on campus last night. Unfortunately, this week we have a huge crew from church down in New Orleans on a mission trip. And some other folks had to teach other classes. So we had as many panelists as audience members...oops. But it was a really good discussion, and the folks that were there got a lot out of it.

CLEP

So, many years ago, I took a Chemistry CLEP test in an attempt to take Organic Chemistry at CMU during high school. I didn't get a high enough score to get the full prereq. HOWEVER...I did get a good enough score to earn 4 general chemistry credits at MSU when I send in my scores. And those four credits will help me to get a fourth degree in four years since I need a total of 210.
There's a purpose and use for everything...

State Retreat

This past weekend was the Wesley Foundation State Retreat. Drove to Grand Rapids Friday night and stayed at GRASP (Grand Rapids Area Service Project) in their barracks. Saturday we painted at La Nueva Esperanza, the only Spanish-speaking United Methodist church in the West Michigan Conference. It was good to see all my darlings.

"Young Frankenstein"

Mel Brooks' New Musical "Young Frankenstein" is in town! Mom and Dad came with a bunch of friends and we went en mass to view the raunchy hilarity. Mom, Granna, and I saw this in New York Summer 2008. Was fun to see it again. Bailey enjoyed it quite a lot (or at least enjoyed watching my reactions to "Please Don't Touch Me" and "Deep Love").

Hello!

Darlings, I am so sorry to have forgotten you. Well, not you, but communication...
The blog used to be my homepage, reminding me to post often. But my International Relations class requires me to have some idea as to what's going on in the world, so now it's the NY Times frontpage and I'm a freak. Prepare for an absurd number of fresh posts to bring you all up to speed!