first day

As much as I find annoying about the first day back at school (crowded buses, obnoxious freshmen, long lines everywhere . . . ) there are also things that make me happy . . .

• This is one of the shortest class days I'll have all semester.
• Buying school supplies.
• Having been in a department long enough to know 90% of my classmates.
• Catching up with said classmates and the three months worth of (let's be honest here:) gossip we've lived through since we saw each other last.
• This is my last year as an undergrad.
• It's one of the few times of the year that you don't have to pay for a paper, because they beg you to take a "free" one.
  
• Hearing the bus driver announce that "This bus is NOT making any stops at the residence halls, including Russel or Brumby," and laughing along with the other older students and faculty also riding ORBIT . . . priceless.
• Oh, and explaining to the new Art professor how gamedays at home actually work, why it is dangerous to work in the studio on those saturdays, and how many there actually are this year.
  

currents

An influx of people is nothing new around here. It's Athens, people come and go for as many reasons as you could possibly think of and then some. Still, the number that I've come across lately is interesting for a very specific reason - they say it was God telling them to come. Some of these people are still not sure that they even like this place, but they're here anyway. It seems that the prayers prayed years ago are being answered. Not as quickly or in the way that was probably intended, but the currents are moving differently now. A steady force this time. There's a calm within the force of the movement that bears no uncertainty. I think that when what is beginning becomes apparent we will be swept along with it. I heard my father say over and over again that the evidence of a true revival is that it is obviously, unmistakably the work of God. I'm starting to believe that what I saw almost ten years ago happened that very day, and it has taken this long for us to be ready. Some of it has not happened though. In order to live without fear of demon or spirit, we must know who we truly are.

While we hope that peace will come to the land that cradled the people of our faith, such a place receives contempt for that very reason. Still, we owe our brothers and sisters our prayers and support. Whatever the outcome of human action, there was a purpose for every interaction.

it would be so much easier

if I was much less particular about the variations in color tone. I'm serious. I've been trying to decide on a color for my new bedroom for . . . oh . . . weeks now. If one shade is too green, then the other is too grey, or too pastel. And that's before I try the sample in the various lights, which change EVERYTHING. It's fun being an artist. Now granted, I still have to strip the old wallpaper, which can't be done until saturday at least. Why can't I decide on the wall color?

At least, five months after we started demolishing the dining room and kitchen tile, the new wood floors are finally going down. Oh yeah, and I finished redoing the bathroom.

ok, enough venting, so back to obsessing over paint chips . . .

friendships

I love Relevant. This article got me thinking about my own friendships.

At some point you see how really bad some of us are at supporting each other when things get rough. Not that make the friendships (or people) any less, but just because that's how it is. The first time or two it really hurts - BAD. But it's the whole picture you have to look at, and eventually love, because you're just as screwed up in your own endearing way. I have learned that within my circle of friends there are certain people to turn to for comfort, others for advice, and some to give me the kick in the ass that I need from time-to-time. Not that I don't keep them all informed, I just don't take it personally when they don't call back right away, or the day after.

But let me take a moment to point out that there is a difference between a friend and an acquaintance. An acquaintance would be someone you know, as in you recognize them and a couple of facts pertaining to them, but who you don't actually know. There IS a difference. Some of you in certain cities are still just figuring this out.

the places you least expect

Women's fashion magazines generally get a pretty bad rap as far as intelligent content is concerned. They’re plenty entertaining, and I've even watched guys reading them. But you just don't think of them as a place to get serious, relevant information on anything, except maybe fashion fads and makeup.

So here's the deal . . . why is it that these magazines are the ones to tell us the stories that the major news sources don't seem to have the guts to say? This month's GLAMOUR has an interesting little article on a woman who escaped (yes, ESCAPED) the CULT that is the Church of Scientology. She actually had to leave the country for a little while. Nice, isn't it? This is just a recent example though. Years ago, sometime before the whole Y2K, I read an article (in Vogue I think) about the oppression of women in Afghanistan. It explained how these women who had been doctors, professors, and teachers, were stripped of all of their rights, even healthcare, under a new regime. This was years before 9/11 happened and Americans as a whole took any notice. This is only two examples people. There's plenty more.

So what's the deal? Why don't we see more of this? I'm talking depth here, not just a summary. What gives?