Happy Feast of St. Jerome! (a poem)

This is best when read aloud. My vote? Superb! and hilarious :) St. Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, which automatically ranks him in the "Awesome" category. The Vulgate was the standard edition used until Vatican II, which is pretty impressive considering he died in 420 A.D. and Vatican II happened in the 1960s. He was also quite a character (as the poem shows), which is always good for people to know, I think, because it helps us remember that the saints were all regular people too who overcame the temptations and trials of the world to better serve God. Every age has their own set of problems to rise above and knowing about the lives of saints only serves to help bolster our own boldness in the faith. The Catholic Church believes all people are called to be saints, which is a beautiful image to think that all people in the world are called to be holy and followers of Christ. Whether they choose to answer this call is another story, obviously, and another reason why evangelizing through the actions of one's life is so important for Christians, to help witness and therefore plant seeds in people's hearts, in which may grow a brush the Lord can light on fire in the soul.

Bets made me laugh this morning when she mentioned that the Church has a lot of feast days--and why not? It's always fun to celebrate God's holy people and His goodness in our lives!

Elie Wiesel was also born today, which I think is worth noting.

Poem of the day: "The Pity of the Leaves" by E.A. Robinson (Fall is coming, so I think it's appropriate, even if I should perhaps save it for November).

I'm going to prayer in the Fishbowl soon, which is nice because it's like I get a double-dose of Christ in my day, which helps keep me more centered. Prayer in the Fishbowl is open to the campus, but it's mainly Christians of various Protestant denomenations who like to pray out loud (they praying "free form"--I can't think of another way to put it--instead of saying established prayers we've memorized; the rosary is said out loud, for example, and we all know I'm not opposed to speaking out loud).

When I came to college, I felt very uncomfortable praying out-loud like that, but Heather my roommate (who is Catholic as well) was very used to praying like that, most likely because she is Charismatic Catholic. She's definitely helped me with that. I love and find comfort in the repetitious nature of the rosary, which helps one focus their attention on praying to Christ, rather than the words one it saying (the words given by Christ, which makes it extra-great). I've gotten progressively more comfortable with it (outside my family setting, I mean), which I think has helped deepen my relationship with Him since praying aloud without knowing what words will come forth is a major discomfort zone for me.

Then lunch, reading, class, reading, trying to round people up to play soccer tomorrow evening, writing/ finishing my articles, dinner, running, more studying, Hillsdale Forum meeting, rosary, studying and bed time! What a day!

Quick fun story: I read and reviewed a book this summer and a friend of mine, who is quite literary, is reading it right now and recommended it to me. I smiled and said I actually read it this summer. It's always fun being on the early edition side of the book recieving line. It's funny, though, because she loves the book and I was not a very big fan of it. We'll have to talk about it when she's done reading.

AND it's the middle-of-the week! We've made it! How lovely. Also, enjoy this video. I found it on the American Papist blog yesterday and it is SO GOOD:

I miss CN people

One of the Hillsdale Forum's staff members who I really, really wanted to go to the conference this year talked his teacher into letting him take his midterm at another time!! Weight off my shoulders, to say the least. Besides the girl we're also sending, there was no one else I wanted to send, especially since the two of them are going to be running the paper next year I hope he loves it as much as I always did; I see so much potential in him, I can hardly hold in my excitement.

I'm bummed I can't go to the CN conference this year. I always meet awesome people there (Oh, hey Haynes!), but then again I think the only reason I would really want to go this year is so that I could see and have a rollicking good time with Schubes, Hunter, Will and Amanda again. Also, it's in San Antonio, Texas and I've never been there before. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind so much. We have initiation that weekend, so I absolutely cannot miss that, for obvious reasons.

I lost the poem I wrote for the TWT people I worked for this summer, so I'm looking for that before getting back into my required reading. I'll have to post it on here whenever I find it. I'll also have to post pick-up pictures so that y'all can see my little and me!! (Rach, if you're coming back for Homecoming, you MUST meet her!! She is so sweet.)

I'd rather be sleeping right now, but I think I'm going to just work through the day. Thanks, coffee'd-milk! Have a great day, friends.

Who lives in a Pineapple under the Sea?

The library is empty except for this one kid I see EVERYWHERE. I wish we were on speaking terms; I would feel a lot less awkward, I think. I might need to fix that. I did that to a junior at a party last weekend; I walked up to him and introduced myself because we saw each other everywhere. He didn't even act awkward, he just smiled and laughed a little and introduced himself as well because he recognized me as well. Now when I see him, I wave my hello. He smiles and lets me know he appreciates it.

I just love people. Talking to them, getting to know them and really seeking God's face in each and every one, especially the ones it would be easier to push aside and forget about. Today at noon prayer, someone prayed for all the Christians on campus, which I think is very important, but isn't it just as important to pray for the people who perhaps know of Him but do not seek a relationship? They stand in a cultural crack and we should be fighting just as hard for their souls as modernity is, if not harder.

It is also amazing to me how treating people like the decent human beings that they are makes such a profound effect on people. In Kappa, for instance, talking and teasing my housemom is easy and it always makes her smile. I love seeing her smile widen when I come by to say hello or make a funny face when she's talking to Sally, one of our advisors. It sounds like an elementry lesson ("love your neighbor as yourself" and so on), but I am continually reminded of people's smallness, whether I'm jolting myself out of it or seeing it in others. When I leave Hillsdale, the one question I will leave still answering if what it means to be human. I think society has turned away from the importance and dignity of the human person, which is why we're in so many of predicaments that we're in right now. I want to stand against that tide of impersonality, help people remember their life is worth living because one person all ready sacrificed His life for theirs; His blood redeemed their unworthiness. I think it's important to make that tangible in people's lives.

Take today, for me. I definitely was falling into the "life stinks" mode of thinking which the Devil entices us into so that we can't see the bigger, more glorious picture. I got back to Kappa after Birzer's Founding of the American Republic feeling slightly crabby (sleep depravity also brings on crabbiness) because it was a long day in the library and then it started raining on me, so by the time I reached Kappa, I was tired and wet and cold and feeling sorry for myself like a sad puppy. I saw Ashlee running towards the house with her hood thrown over head, and even though I didn't really feel like staying exposed to the weather, I waited to let her in because I love her and it's the small kindnesses that make a difference. I couldn't help but smile at how silly she looked. A smile led to a hug, which led to another hug since Anna was walking by and wanted in on the action.

About a half-hour later, I was in the kitchen helping Laura, our cook; I asked her about her weekend and shared mine as well (hers sounded much more fun: paper dolls with the granddaughter!). I usually work with Jayme, but Vivian was subbing for her, which was fabulous. The two hours we spent working in the kitchen were therapeutic. Helping Laura with dinner, preparing the dining room for my sisters to enjoy their meal, talking to Vivy about her day, cleaning and washing dishes--except for eating, none of it was about me. It was wonderful. I cracked jokes to the new members, hugged my Betsy, exchanged smiles and words with my sisters and sang along to the radio with the much-more musically talented Vivy as we scrubbed dishes and cleaned up the kitchen.

I've come to the opinion that serving Kappa in this way is another way for me to serve God. It's another opportunity God presents me for putting myself last, putting my self-pity into a tiny jar and keeping a smile on my face and a laugh ready. I've had to deal with people taking themselves too seriously of late and I think life is just too short to be so serious. Not that serious is bad; I take my education and faith very seriously, for example. But in the every day? Not being able to laugh at life when it goes astray because it's following God's way and not yours? It helps me keep perspective. I won't always be serving Kappa, and Kappa is certainly not the only way to serve, but it's what I'm working with right now. The future will hold more, I am sure.

The gang is supposed to play soccer tomorrow, but weather.com predicts showers all day. Disappointed, but rain is God's way of renewing the Earth. I just wish it didn't make me so cold and sniffly. Tomorrow should be a balmy 56 degrees, so I wouldn't be surprised if the wellies or sperrys were worn.

Good Night, Moon

Well, I did get a "warrant" for my arrest on Thursday, but if the real po-po haven't caught up with me yet, I certainly was not about to give up my freedom easily to fraternity men on campus. Besides, I was babysitting/ putting my adviser's kids to bed. Babysitting them is always wonderful in the sense that they are like a second family to me. I love them dearly and I know they love me too, but it can also be difficult because, as I have to do with my own siblings occasionally, I have to deal with the hated activity of bed time.

I can sympathize with the little ones because I, too, hated bed time as a child--and now, for that matter, as a 21 year old. My parents call me a "night owl" since I love being up late. It's my favorite time of the day. I remember lying in bed at my childhood home, staring out my window, watching the moon and making up stories about what I'd do if I ever went there. Since high school, however, I can physically no longer fall asleep before midnight. My parents thought it was because of my lacrosse schedule (something about my body's clock in relation to practice and eating and homework), but in college it persisted as well, much to my sleep schedule's chagrin. College is all ready a different schedule and having to balance sleeping and everything else has proved a challenge.

I love sleep. I really do, despite my lack of getting it. I love getting up early and having an overly-productive day. Sleeping in is also a favorite activity, but not a frequent one. The only stable is that I stay up late, studying when no one else is awake, feeling like I'm capturing stolen time while reading or writing away. My dad always teases me that I can fit more social activities into one day than most can in a week, but I think that's why I like the night so much--people go away, and I find myself reveling in a content solitude gives one that can't quite be matched. That being said, I still prefer studying in silence with another person, but I do not think that completely negates my preference for solitude argument.

That being said, it should be a surprise to hear that I was in bed before midnight last night. This week was that exhausting. The American Studies BBQ went really well (I shared Kilmer's poem "Trees" ), Mock Rock was fabulous (more on that later) and I got to hang out with Vivy until I decided to not side-step three parties and opt for my bed instead. That will definitely not be happening again tonight.

I talked to my cousin for a while this morning and she told me how she recorded her voice for her nephew-to-be, reading lots of children's books to him, like Martha and George, Harold and the Purple Crayon and Good Night, Moon. Afterwards, I packed up to go up the hill, walked a bit at Relay for Life with Brynna and am about to leave the library with my books and papers to write two papers (4-5 pages and 3 pages, respectively), which I plan on starting AND finishing today. Later I'll have to find someone to take me to the store to buy a few things for my Little. I would ride my bike, but I think it's a little far for that. It sounds busy, but I think I can do it all. Wish me luck!

Also, the greatest book to read when one can't sleep is "We Can't Sleep" by James Stevenson. I need to invest in another copy or go home and re-claim it.

Happy Sir Arthur Guinness Day!

Tonight at 10 I shall be drinking Guinness with friends. It sounds like such a deliciously good time that I can hardly keep from smiling. I'll be in the library all day, finishing up my Birzer precis and annotated bibliography. (Ahh! It will be done!!) Dr. Somerville is giving a talk at 4 in Mossey on Flannery O'Connor (!), Walker Percy, Richard Ford and Don Delillo, which should be excellent. Kappa's scholarship formal dinner is tonight at 6, babysitting the Siegels at 7:30 and then over to my friends's house to drink Guinness and enjoy life for an hour before academics coerce me back up the hill.

Tonight is also Sigma Chi's Jail 'n Bail for Derby Days. I have not been issued a "warrent" yet, so I'm probably in the clear. I remember I was supposed to meet my Big last year and I ended up getting jailed and having to call her not only to let her know I would be late but, oh, would you mind popping by the union and paying for my release? I think it was a big step in our relationship. I'm really hoping I don't get jailed, although it would not be the end of the world if I did. More of an inconvience or a hilarious misunderstanding than anything else.

I read 2 Timothy this morning in the blue room. It's short, but it's one of my favorite books in the Bible. Favorite verses include:
--"He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began." (1:9)
--"You have followed my teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, and sufferings...Yet from all these things the Lord delivered me. In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted....But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known [the] sacred scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." (3:10-12, 14-15)
--"I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith." (4:7)

Yesterday, many good things happened and a few bad things, too, but c'est la vie! It keeps life in perspective. It's important to see all as necessary for growth as a person and growth in Jesus Christ, even when you make mistakes. I'm becoming more and more convicted that there are few regrets that I have that are actually regrettable; most are just embaressments to my pride which have helped me come out on top in other situations. Do you agree? Do you too think everything happens for a reason? Is not only important to see life as wonderful but to recognize what Eliot too saw--the boredom, the horror, and the glory--wholly encompassed in one great and divine at the core, if not lost and misunderstood at the top?

Happy day, friends! Be sure to drink a Guinness or two for good measure. I recommend from the tap, if you can.

"I was older then,/ I'm younger than that now" --Bob Dylan, from "My Back Pages"

My dad and I had a great chat today before dinner, my favorite part being the stories he told me about my brother Michael. I always love home stories.

Mikey is 17 and is one of those wild spirits you couldn't possibly try to box. To best sum up my brother, I'll refer to his two favorite movies: 'Boondock Saints' and 'Fight Club.' He has a deep pride in our Irish-German heritage and is willing to fight--literally, as well as with words--for what he believes in, which is a strength as well as a weakness. He's extremely strong-willed, opinionated, hilarious and athletic. All to often, however, he'll take things too far, as his guidance counselor had to tell some people who recently heard a few of his more outrageous stories ("Michael likes attention.").

I've been praying for him this week because he is on KAIROS right now, which is a spiritual retreat offered to high school and college kids. We talked about Mike as a member of the family and Mike as a senior in high school and Mike and his vocation: he'll most likely be joining the military. He's loyal and duty-bound, deeply religious, but yet is still lacking--he has a lot to learn in his road towards becoming a man. I don't think it's easy becoming a man in this society; everything pushes against it.

Last night (this morning?), upon getting kicked out of the library at 1 a.m., I went back to KKG, dropped off my books and walked down to Pi Phi, where I roused one of my best friends, Julia S., from her bed (not her slumber, as she is now claiming) to say a rosary for her 22nd year, that it may be blessed and God-focused. She said it was the best birthday present; she had never been prayed for like that on her birthday before this. That made me happy.

The rosary (since with the exception of Haynes, most of my readers are not Catholic, so please bear with me or skip down three paragraphs) is said in veneration of Mary. We do not pray to Mary because we worship her (only God is worthy of our adoration), but rather as an interceder to her son. She interceded many times during their time on earth (i.e. Jesus' first miracle; Mary approached her son and asked for his assistance) and we believe that one can better know Jesus through Mary. It's like here in the world: one feels like they know their friends better upon meeting their family. Same with Jesus. We ask Mary to pray for us like we would ask our own mother to pray for us. It's like when we ask Saint So-and-So to pray for us--in the living body of Christ, we ask them to pray for us in Heaven like we ask our friends and family to pray for us on earth.

The rosary is 5 decades. It starts off with a sign of the cross and a recitation of the Apostles' Creed. Then an 'Our Father,' three 'Hail Mary's then a 'Glory Be' and 'O My Jesus' before the repetitious 'Our Father,' ten 'Hail Mary's, 'Glory Be' and 'O My Jesus.' At the end we say a 'Hail Holy Queen' (one of my favoritest prayers, it is so beautiful), an offertory prayer which starts "O God, Whose Only Begotten Son" and a Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel against "the wickedness and snares of the Devil."

One thing I always like to read is leaders of the Reformation's thoughts on Mary. Martin Luther, for example, gave devotion to Mary. Also, if any readers are interested, Catholic Society sponsers rosary every night in the chapel by the EAR at 10 p.m. Catholics and non-Catholics join us; sometimes we have so many people we have to go to the Knorr room! It really is a beautiful fellowship. (see Fifteen Promises of Mary to Christians who recite the Rosary)

Anyways, after I took a walk up around the quad clearing my head. I ran into my friend James, who was finishing up his security shift. He's been a good friend since freshman year. He's taking the LSAT on Saturday. I kept thinking, this time next year, I won't be running into him and talking as much any more, if at all. I'm not being pessimistic; it's just different with males and I understand that. I wonder how it will be to live somewhere completely new and not have that solid base of friends to lean on or at least have nearby if I need to sit in my own silence with someone.

I was feeling upset about something (hence my walking around on the quad at 2 a.m.) and he noticed. I'm glad he noticed. I think it's the mark of true friend when they know you're out of sorts. I didn't tell him about it (it's not a fixable problem, more of a soul suffer everyone needs now and again, that dark road you must walk down to see the light), but just knowing I could have seemed to be enough to make me smile and carry on in typical-Julie fashion, that is, talking and laughing through it. True friends make life's loads a little easier and I pray I'm able to be that person for other people too.

It has been a blessing to go to Hillsdale. Dad told me today that this was by war the best school for me, hands down. And yet I almost didn't come. What would have happened if I had decided to take one of my academic and athletic scholarships at colleges in Ohio and played lacrosse in college instead? I wouldn't be writing, that's for sure, and I'd be running more! (Which really is something I've slacked on, much to my body's chagrin. I'm aching that type of movement.)

Hillsdale has not always been easy and there's been plenty of heartache to match the good friends I've made and moved on from, the late night coffee and silliness, the opportunities to light my intellectual fire-not just fill my education pail-as well as grow in my Faith and become the person God wishes me to become so that I may fulfill my life's vocation. What is that? Well, I have an idea, but then again I may never know my true purpose in life. Yet I carry on, trusting in His grace, satisfied that I am doing my little perfectly.

My sister told me I think too much. Can you tell, my dear readers? Well perhaps I do, perhaps I do; but I shan't be stopping any time soon, nor shall I cease my writing. It does my heart good to share a piece of my life with you few who read. I hope you enjoy reading it as much I take pleasure in writing it.

William Henry Channing's "This is My Symphony" is the poem of the day, followed by an honorable mention to Robert Frost's "Death of the Hired Man."

The Hillsdale Forum meeting tonight as well as finishing my precis and annotated bibliography for my Founding of the American Republic class (I hope!). I had a great meeting with my thesis director yesterday and I am so incredibly STOKED I can hardly resist from writing about it. Alas, I shall resist. Must move on. I also found out who my future Little is going to be so I'll have to upload pictures from pick-up after Sunday. She's adorable, sarcastic, Catholic and oh so sweet!

Kickin' it off with a stryofoam cup of wake-me-up

Here is my book review that appeared in last week's Collegian: The protest singer: changing the politics of art - Arts I read "The Protest Singer: Pete Seeger, an intimate portrait" by Alec Wilkinson.

Today is typical Michigan weather: rainy and dismal. The Longfellow poem keeps running through my head ("the day is cold and dark and dreary"), but I suppose it is time. Hillsdale has been having the most beeeautiful end of summer weather: warm and balmy, with that nice northern breeze. While talking to my sister Marianne on Sunday, she told me home had "Michigan weather" and then, upon hearing how nice Hillsdale was, accused me of "stealing Cincinnati weather." I plead the Fifth.

I slept from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. and am currently running on many, many cups of coffee. I had my first art history test today and, due to my busy schedule, was not adequately prepared come Sunday. I pulled my first (almost) all-nighter of the school year and studied my notecards. I felt really prepared come this morning at 9 a.m., my only weakness being dates, but even if I miss a few of those, it's only a half point. I definitely got everything else and am feeling quite pleased.

I'm really tired, but one of my favorite tricks to hide that is that I always dress up. I find that if you look good, you feel even better! Coffee helps too, of course. I've got leagues of research ahead of me today, as well as dinner crew and chapter.

Meeting my friend Ben for lunch, so ta-ta for now!

"Prayer is the oxygen of the soul." -St. Padre Pio

"Oh, how precious time is! Blessed are those who know how to make good use of it. Oh, if only all could understand how precious time is, undoubtedly everyone would do his best to spend it in a praiseworthy manner!"
--St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (say that ten times fast! ha!)

Today at mass, Heather reached for my hand and held it for a bit. It was a nice gesture on her part; she's not very touchy-feely. When we started rooming, I'm sure I slightly overwhelmed her whenever I gave her frequent hugs. She doesn't even like holding hands during the 'Our Father' at church, which is one thing I love (especially with my whole family, as we span across nearly the entire pew, with half of us trying to squeeze each other's hand harder than the other). Anyways, I had just been praying silently to myself about things to be and things to come and trusting wholly in His plan when she reached over and held my hand. I find strength in my Savior, but I think there is another type of comfort attained in the hand of a friend. When I asked her later how she knew to hold my hand (something she has never done before, at least in mass), she said she felt like it. Oh, how great it is to have grace shining down on us from above!

This week shall be busy, but I do not know if that even needs to be said. I have an art history test on Monday, meeting with my thesis director on Tuesday and my annotated bibliography is due for Birzer on Friday. This week is also Sigma Chi's Derby Days, various events (i.e. Sommerville talking on Flannery O'Connor, etc. on Thursday at 4 in Mossey; KKG scholarship dinner and dessert; Sir Arthur Guinness day party on Thursday; Kevin McCormick, classicist guitarist and award-winning poet, as well as Dr. Birzer's friend, will talk and play on Tuesday) and the last full week in September. I can't believe how it's flown by! Time really is to be cherished, especially with friends and family.

I felt that this weekend. That warm, fuzzy, "I love and appreciate my friends" feeling. Friday was enjoyable, semi-starting with a great Frost class in which I presented my analyzation of "Wild Grapes" and then getting feedback from everyone else. Some people agreed with me, others didn't, but the best part was the discussion. We spent the whole class dicussing my poem selection (and Dr. Sundahl said I did a great job!). So often people think everyone has to agree with everyone else--but what is the fun in that?! Conversations would be boring if everyone saw everything from the same point of view. I think people need a strive to understand another point of view or opinion perhaps, but ia an agreement necessary? Not always.

After Founding, Delta Pi Nu (the American Studies honorary) had our meeting of the semester (voting to make changes in the constitution, plan events, etc.). Afterwards, Matt, Dakota, Emily and I went up to the Hunt Club for beer(s). It was great fun. We were all in DC this summer too, so I always feel an extra special bond when I am with those fellow AS majors and friends of mine. I rushed back to Kappa because Betsy invited friends over for dinner and I was to make the salad. I got there with enough time to cut up the tomatoes and throw the ingrediants together. I doubt anyone noticed the haste in which salad is so often made.

Most of us went to hear a "gypsy jazz" band, The Hot Club of San Francisco, who were quite talented and entertaining. Fortunately or unfortunately, we left at intermission because we had been there since 7:30 and it was by then 9. From there I went back to Kappa, to my friend Sarah's for a pre-Garden Party party, then to the Garden Party (the fall all-school dance; very fun) before heading up-town to The Wake (Elizabeth H's birthday party) and then back to campus for Jon G's suprise birthday party. The night was an absolute blast.

Saturday I had to get up earlier than I would have liked to get ready to leave Hillsdale and drive to Carleton, MI, where a good friend and fellow Kappa was getting married. The wedding mass was at 2, the reception started at 5, so we (Heather, Kate and I) killed a little time at Panera doing homework. The reception was an absolute blast: the food was delectable, the Kappas were a-plenty, the dancing was energizing and the bar was open(!!). My favorite part was obviously when we sang "Sweetheart" to Mathew and then got Laurel in the middle to sing "Like a Prayer" (our chapter's song we sing together at our social functions), but a close second was the photobooth they had available. You got in took, it took four shots and printed two copies--one for you, one for the scrapbook. Heather, Kate and I may or may not have done it four times. It was incredibly amusing and though I was sad to leave the celebration, I was happy to roll into my bed come 1 a.m.

Art History test tomorrow. Nervous, but at least my notecards look good! Ha! Should head back to Kappa soon, so I think I'm going to go find Anna in the Heritage Room. Happy Sunday, mon amis!

in addendum: for all you Cincinnatians out there, today is Skyline Chili's 60th birthday! Huzzah Huzzah!

Library Laughs

I'm sitting here, reading and re-reading "Wild Grapes" as I write up an analysis on it because Dr. Sundahl kept raising his eyebrows and staring at me while suggesting that we [the class] do because we might get called on to share on Friday.

This is not me being paranoid either; Heather even asked me about it later.
H: "Does Dr. Sundahl want you to type up an analysis? Was he raising his eyebrows at you? It looked like it was at you, but maybe it was to the person behind you."
J: "No, he read today, remember? Then Sundahl told him to pick someone else to read. I specifically was not turning around so that he would not call me out to read."
H: (laughs, loudly) "Ha! Me too! Well, good luck with that."

Thanks, roomie.

Also, one of my favorite new members just came up to me and asked me if this was "my" spot in the library. I don't think I was in this specific seat, but I was most likely in the same area. I can certainly be a creature of habit for someone who likes to try out new study spots. Maybe I need to get out, but it's getting close to dinner so I'll probably work through since there are less people and therefore less distraction. I studied with my friend Jared earlier until he had to go do his laundry.

Happy Constitution Day! and other happenings of today

(Krudy and I over the summer in D.C. I'm pretty sure we're at a bar, because that would seem right.)

Imagine walking into a building and seeing one of your favoritest people who you thought you wouldn't see again for years and years standing there! Today I walked into the student union only to see John Krudy down the hall, standing and talking to Mike Mayday. Krudy, as a few of you may remember from my summer posts, is a good friend of mine who graduated from Hillsdale in May and worked with me at the Times this summer.

He's been an excellent friend to me, almost a big-brother type, and he always made/makes me smile, even on the rainy DC days. He's joining the Marines in October and I didn't really have the chance to say good-bye to him before I left DC, so when I saw him today, I literally leapt into his arms, my feet off the ground, hugging him. He's here to Saturday; I am so excited.

Today is Constitution Day! So fabulous. This is one of the best days of the year. Too bad more people don't know about it or appreciate it, even though they should. Maybe that's the American Studies major in me talking, though.

Today is also the last day of the Lincoln and Tocqueville CCA. Yesterday had the two best talks, with Dr. Rahe speaking on Tocqueville and Dr. Allen C. Guelzo speaking on Lincoln's Constitutionality. The greatest part of Guelzo lecture, however, came when one of the older donors asked a question about questioning Obama's status as an American, which infuriated me, namely because people on the Right who question Obama's birth certificate are just detrimental to the credibility of the party as the 9/11 Truthers are to the Left. Also, a little more faith in our branches of government that they would allow someone who is not a naturalized citizen in office. Justice Roberts swore him in; I doubt Roberts would allow otherwise.

Anyways, Guelzo said one of the most moving speeches about citizenry and when the CCA transcripts go up, I'm linking to it for y'all. It was even better because A) he did it completely unprepared and B) his voice sounded warm, inviting and deep like Santa's. I wish more of the country had heard it, vs. the 300 or so odd people in Phillips.

The faculty round table was also terrific. We truly have an outstanding faculty. I think I might write an article on how the faculty should do more speeches around campus. We bring in a lot of great minds, but we have beautiful minds on this campus too and we should take advantage of that.

Oh, and the bestest news happened yesterday, when I got a phone call from Miss Lizzy Shell, beloved little sister of my roommate and best friend Heather (whom I call Bear, for future reference): SHE WENT KKG!!! That makes 13 new members :)

The Hillsdale Forum had our first staff meeting last night and it went really well. We're going to have a really great issue come out. I also blogged about Jimmy Carter's "racist" remark about Rep. Wilson yesterday, so if you so desire, you may read it here.

Talked to Daddy this morning; spending the day in the library reading, studying for my Art History test, analyzing a Frost poem in regards to it being a "diminished thing," typing up my next book review (my Pete Seeger one was published in the Collegian today, but the links are not up yet) and reviewing notes. I have a Students for Life meeting later, as I am on the planning committee for the March for Life and then grocery story shopping with Bets since she's having people over to Kappa for dinner tomorrow before the concert and Garden party (the all-school dance in the arboretum: so much fun!) on Friday.

This is for Haynes: Today is the birthday of William Carlos Williams, that wonderful doctor who also wrote and published beautiful poetry, like "The Red Wheelbarrow" and "Asphodel, That Greeney Flower" [excerpt]. I'm sure you'll be a brilliant doctor, but I do enjoy your prose so much that I hope you continue writing. Today is also the birthday of the writer Frank O'Connor, who holds a special place in my heart not only because he's quite good, but he was born in County Cork in Ireland, where the Robisons hail from back in the day before the potato famine forced our migration to America.

I advise you not to mess with anyone who has "the Great" added behind his name

Believe it or not, I'm blogging as a stress reliever. I'm in Lane, studying and reading excerpts from "The World's Greatest Letters" for my seminar class tomorrow. We're focusing on historical letters for tomorrow's class. I've finished the readings for Robert Frost and Journalism. I don't think I'll ever be done with the reading for Founding, but it is certainly something to aspire to. After I type this up, I'll be back to notes and reviewing for classes tomorrow...

My favorite letter exchange is between the then-20ish year old Alexander the Great and his elder King Darius. Alexander is encroaching on Darius's land and so Darius is not too pleased, and thus sends him a letter starting like this:
"From the capital of the kings of the world: As long as the sun shines on the head of Iskander [Alexander] the robber, etc. etc., let him know that the King of Heaven has bestowed on me the dominion of the earth, and that the Almighty has granted to me the surface of the four quarters. Providence has also eminently distinguished me with glory, exaltation, majesty, and with multitudes of devoted champions and confederates."

And ends like this:
"Behold! I send you a coffer full of gold, and an assload of sesame, to give you by these two objects an idea of the extent of my wealth and powers. I also send you a scourage and a ball: the latter, that you may amuse yourself with a diversion suitable to your age; the former, to serve for your chastisement."

You may imagine that Alexander does not take this well. He's going to kill the messengers, but they beg for mercy and he writes a letter in return instead, addressing it "to him who pretends to be king of kings" and then challenges him to battle, saying:
"Lo! I have resolved to meet you in battle, and therefore march towards your realms. I profess myself the weak and humble servant of God, to whom I address my prayers and look for victory and triumph, and whom I adore."

He ends the letter by saying (sorry for the length, but necessary for full effect):
"In return I send you a kaffis of mustard seed, that you may taste and acknowledge the bitterness of my victory. And whereas through presumption you have exalted yourself, and have become proud through the grandeur of your kingdom, and pretend to be a Divinity on earth, and have even raised to the heavens this standard I truly am your supreme lord; and although by the enumerations of your numbers, preparations, and might you have endeavored to alarm me; yet I confidently trust in the interposition of Divine Providence, that it will please the Almighty to make thy boasting attended by the reproach of mankind; and that in the same proportion as you have magnified yourself He may bring on you humiliation and grant me victory over you. My trust and reliance are in the Lord. And so farewell."

Needless to say, Alexander won and thus wrote another letter to Darius later, telling him that "In the meantime, whenever you shall have occasion to write Alexander, remember you write to him not only as a king, but also your king."

The first two words that came to my mind were "oh snap!" I would love to see world leaders have this type of rhetoric and "diplomacy" today haha.

You might think this is a lame way to de-stress, but hopefully I entertained you with these excerpts. I had to get out of my studying room but I'm avoiding people because, if I do not, we will inevitable get into talking for hours and tonight is not the night :)

Also, I like this one a lot too. This quote was not in a letter, but in the historical afterward note concerning the fall of Rome:
"Tell this tale to those that come after, so that they may know that even in the midst of swords and deserts and wild beasts virtue is never made a captive, and that he who has surrendered himself to Christ may be slain but cannot be conquered." -from "The Story of Melchus" by St. Jerome

best parts of today include (and in no particular order)
--talking to my little sister Megan on the phone
--voicemail from my cousin Sarah telling me she was just calling to tell me she loves me
--the hilarious e-mail/ office story from Rach

I'll be writing more letters to people I know soon, so get excited!

Hillsdale accepts no federal funds, so I can say things like this

Tuesday means one class and lots of time to catch up. I was really excited last night thinking about how I was going to have so much time when I remembered I still had CCA. Last night, the historian James McPherson spoke on Lincoln and it was really great. I sat with Sarah and Ben, who fortunately saved me a seat because it was absolutely packed and I was working sign-in.

I'm debating between two topics for my Mencken paper: Mencken's view on government or Mencken as a book reviewer. I think the former would be the most interesting to research but I'm leaning towards the latter.

In my journalism class today, the topic of one's "betters" came up and my teacher asked if A) we thought there were people better than us and B) if that was something we felt uncomfortable with, to which people mostly sat there saying nothing as one member of my class said that it tends to sound elitist. My teacher of course expounded on his own view and I did not feel that it was necessary to further bully the point, but it made me think of what my father told me/ all his children. Dad always told us not to compare ourselves to others because we all have our talents and struggles; there will always be people smarter than us and people not as intelligent.

I particularly struggle with this, but I'm sure my siblings do as well; it's a bitter pride pill to swallow. We've been raised to be intelligent, rational creatures. Both my parents are professionals, but their their intellects are very different, with Mom in medicine and Dad in law. Mom can break down some of the hardest and most complex medical whatevers (that's the technical term now haha) and break it down into layman language. She just had another article published in a journal. She is not, however, a big reader or good with languages like Dad, who taught us German and French as kids, cultivated a love of reading in each of us and loves getting us really intellectually engaged and fired up. Fine, so we were a little percocious. But we were also always treated like adults, especially in respect to our minds. We discussed things on an equal playing field, with our ideas taken seriously, and I think that's really shaped me as a person and a student.

My father is a very strong believer is constant education and whatever we did in school was/ is never enough. This means extra reading, summer workbooks, long discussions and debates with Dad constantly challenging us to think for ourselves and a demand for our own excellence. In grade school, we weren't the popular kids, but we were well-liked (which is what kids need anyways, that whole having friends thing) and were known as the smart kids. I started the trend, Katie perpetuated it, Michael beleagured it, Marianne proved it still held true even though she's further down the assembly line and John, who is in the 6th grade this year, is absolutely brillant and I'm sure will cause more waves. Megan's getting high scores on her 5th grade quizzes lately (or so I hear through the grapevine), so I guess the baby is holding up her Robisonness standards too.

I apologize if this comes off as gloating. I don't mean it to. I share this information about my family more as a way of giving insight to how I was raised, a brief look at my education and self-education. My next article for the Forum is going to be on the American education system, particularly the public, so I've been thinking about my own education a lot lately.

When my teacher said are there "betters" today, all I could think about was intellect and jobs and ethics. I would never say that just because someone is not paid as much as another that they are not as intelligent, but if someone is in a more intellectually challenging field, they should not be punished financially for making more money than someone who is not. And what of not only being intelligent, but working hard as a means to achieve an elevated job status? I suppose especially after hearing about my Dad's rise from growing up on a farm, paying and working his way through college, law school and his Master's and now seeing how he left the firms and owns his own successful business, I have a hard time seeing the justification of taxing small businesses exponentially. This shows it's not just intellect--it's work ethic. Dad makes a lot of money because he has a lot of kids; he needs to pay for his own family first, the dues to his government second because Heaven knows they didn't earn it. I see it in my Dad's office, with clients who think Dad should work for free or less than his fee, or a few of his employees who think they should be paid for just being their, irregardless of their effectiveness. I saw it in DC, and working for the Times. Interns would blow off their job or just not do much because, you know, whatever, it's just an internship. No. It's a job and it's experience and, at the very least, it should be character building. Mom and Dad say that when you don't work at work, it's like you're stealing money from your employer. My editor loved how efficient and effective I was, but truthfully, I don't know any other way how to work. My parents gave me that.

Yesterday, my Founding of the American Republic class discussed the res publica, loosely translated as the public good itself or the commonwealth, as well as the difference between the common good and the greater good. The common good, the one the Founders wanted for the country, is the best good. It has an organic interest in the spirit or ethos of the community. The greater good, on the other hand, is more utiliatarian, concerned with the materialistic needs of the community (the greatest good for the greatest number, per se). I think this is one thing the country is struggling with right now. Man has lost the virtue of self-mastery, so he is seeking to control other aspects of man. It was John Locke's belief, however, that whenever a government levers more power to protect one group over another, then the government is corrupt. I think there are clear examples of that today, whether it be in the auto industry or banking.

Real power, thought the Founders, comes from education. This country is about the soul of a people, not necessarily the body. Society betters itself through virtue. Maybe that's what the country is missing too? An emphasis on things like duty, virtue, honor? Where do people get this if not from their parents? Are people relying too heavily on the education system to provide ethics? I watched the townhall with Secretary of the Treasury Geithner and he was saying how the government failed by not protecting the people when the financial sector ripped them off. My immediate response was, that is NOT the job of the government. My second thought is the lack of ethics in the country. They have classes on ethics now; I'm not sure if you can teach ethics. I feel like it's distilled in you at an early age, knowing what is right and what is wrong. I'm not saying one can't grow, but I feel like people's character and personalities are pretty fixed earlier rather than later in life. Madoff, for example, was obviously missing that lesson in his life.

I'm monologing, but if you're still reading, that's always a good sign. I love feedback, so please give it if you have any thoughts or see hole in my argument(s). I need to go now, pursue other intellectual venues and modes of productivity.

Rach--I just got an e-mail from the CN and there's a conference in DC sponsered by the Insititue of Political Journalism for college journalists. I think I'm going to go, so we'll have to meet up for a little bit :) and p.s., the new member update is 12!

Enjoy the September sunshine, my friends!

It's Monday! Hail Kappa!

Another Monday...my to-do list is written, I'm in the library till 3 then Founding with Birzer, CCA afternoon session, dinner, chapter meeting, CCA evening session, more studying till rosary at 10 and then studying till bed time. How well this will work? I can only hope I stay on course.

Last night I left the library around 11:30 p.m. intending to get to bed early, but instead I ran into my friend Doug on the quad and then we ended up talking till about quarter after 1. It's funny how a simple comment ("So what did you do over the summer?") can turn into a hefty conversation ranging from campus politics and social mores to religion to soccer to stories from high school, et al. I think that's when you know you're good friends with someone (or at least very comfortable with them and on friendly terms, to be even looser); you can just talk seemlessly and love every minute.

I think getting to know a person is one of the most important things people can do. It broadens the perspective, encourages dialogue and helps cultivate a better understanding of humanity. And I just love people. The short story writer O. Henry used to go to seedy bars and buy people drinks so that he could hear their stories. I don't know how I feel about working the seedy bar circuit, but I take every chance I can to get to know another person a little bit better. You never know when you can be that person they need to listen to them.

Potential donors are wandering around campus, through the library, peeking into classrooms. I love feeling like a goldfish :)

p.s. Rach and Stacy: Bids went out yesterday!! We now have 9 new Kappa babies--and more to come, I am sure. I'll keep you posted on the final numbers, but we are ROCKING recruitment. Mary Kate P. sent a message to Sarah telling her that her sister and friend said that Kappa had the best open house :) Hail Kappa!!

9/11 is a day to always, always remember

Skipping lunch today, not hungry. I will be in about a half hour, but would rather keep working at this point. We are having blueberry pancakes today, according to Heather. I'm editing my Seeger review again so that I can send it to Casey, the Arts editor ( to be published in next week's paper, stay tuned!). He's really enthusiastic about the section and is letting me have a lot of say, which is really nice. I'm also helping my friend Zach decide what phone to get.

My friend Hunter is E-I-C of another CN paper, The GW Patriot and they have a fairly active blog. His post today was on Michelle Obama wanting the GW seniors to do 100,000 hours of community service and then she'll be their commencement speaker. I posted my comment/ thoughts on the subject, but it certainly is something to think about: is compulsary community service really service to the community?

I'm going to write a brief post on 9/11 for the Forum. I'll always remember I was in my 8th grade English class when my Civics teacher ran in and turned on the t.v. and I saw, for the first time in my life, real evil existed in the world. And it changed my life and perceptions forever. I'll maybe link to it later. I need to read now, which means I'll probably spend half my time scribbling down article ideas.

Also, more proof that my last name will be abused for the rest of my life :) in an endearing way, of course:
Zach: RHYMEALONE!... I think that's your new nickname, since you like English. And it sounds exactly like your last name.
Julie: Except not at all!
Zach: Eggzachly

Busy weekend:
Friday (today) class at 3, then helping serve wine at EX's faculty reception (I was actually really flattered they asked me since I'm friends with a bunch of them, but I'm certainly not a groupie), then KKG's freshmen boys ice cream social from 6-8, 9/11 memorial service on the quad from 8-9 and then a few parties for the rest of the night.
Saturday: the whole chapter is going down to Columbus to the Heritage Museum, KKG's HQ. We're the only fraternity to own the house of a Founder and have our HQ there, so that is very neat. Also, our chapter only goes once every 4 yearss AND my big April works there so I will get to see her!!
Sunday: Open House, start of fall recruitment! Dinner with Kate and Heather, start of CCA I: Lincoln, Toqueville and America.

I know I sound super-fratty, but I really will be getting homework/ reading done this weekend! I have to; I can't afford not to at this point. Too much to do.

On a final note, Dr. Sundahl told me to use my "sweet, Kappa voice" to read poetry aloud in class, which I loved (he's hilarious and one of my favorite professors; very much a character). It was really great and then he asked me to read an epigram which he originally said was Shakespeare, but it's actually Longfellow:

"Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us,
Footprints on the sands of time."

Be well, and have a wonderful, sunshine-filled weekend.

It's like Robinson, only without the 'n' or Robertson, only pronouncing the 'ert' as an 'i'

It was recently brought to my attention that perhaps I should clarify exactly how to pronounce my last name. You see, being a Robison and not a Robinson has had certain disadvantages in my life, namely being that people struggle to properly pronounce my last name. I am here to dispel the myths:

Robison -- ROB-is-sun

*'rob' which rhymes with 'bob' and 'job' and is not pronounced 'robe' or 'row'

Does this help? I hope so. Believe me, it's frustrated me more than it ever will you and you are not the last (sadly) to struggle with its pronunciation. I do think that friends, at the very least, should pronounce each other's names right :)

The day was rainy--my wellies were back on! I'm in my sperrys now. I had my first meeting with my thesis director today and it went relatively well. I'm expecting a package from my mom any day now (things I forgot at home, etc.) and wait for it impatiently. I'm in the middle of writing a letter to my friend Andy, who is stationed over in Afghanistan. He married one of my good friends at school this past summer, but was deployed in August. His wife, my friend Marisa, is still here at school. We've been running a lot together because the Army Wives association has decided they're going to run 175 miles between now and Christmas (when the guys come home for a break) to support them. Let's just say I've been icing my shins more than usually lately.

Talked to the Collegian (official school newspaper) people today about the Book Review section I am starting. I got one e-mail back! One freshman boy is interested! Yeah! By the end of this semester, I am hoping to double that.

Okay, back to the Cato letters and then bed. I really need to be sleeping more. Get excited for 09-09-09!

Happy Labor Day!

I do not measure my days in coffee spoons, but rather how many times I am bouncing my leg up and down because of the coffee I drank this morning (standard 16 oz. styrofoam, non-recyclable cup found in the Kappa kitchen), which was 1/4 to 1/3 coffee and then filled with skim milk, which not only helps dilute the taste, but also cools it down considerably. I'm bouncing because the coffee gives me more "energy" or whatever; I'm sure I'll run it out of my system tonight.

I am happy to report that because I drank the aforementioned coffee, I was completely alert during my Art History class, which is the litmus test for me as Dr. Bushey dims the lights to show us the slides. I find this a very dangerous practice with college students as 9 o'clock in the morning, but it is a risk she must take. We are currently in the Middle East area (which she is calling the 'Ancient Near East,' comprised of Mesopotamia and Egypt, respectively.

My Frost class was good today; we were discussing his literary influences and ancestry (Classical and American), his interactions with Pound in England (who wanted him to try more free verse, which Frost considered akin to playing tennis with the net down) and how he was a more traditional prosodist during the modernist poetry revival. I was also pleased that Dr. Sundahl brought up E.A. Robinson as a comparison to Frost, as well as his poem "Richard Corey," which I was happy to share aloud with the class since I was the only one who had previous experience with it (or, at least, admitted publicly to have read the poem, which really is a intriguingly dark look at people and interesting analysis in their perception of others).

Last night, while reading Frost, I stumbled upon one of my favorite lines of Frost, which I had found in an old Latin book of mine: "He studied Latin, like the violin,/ Because he liked it" - which I now know is from Frost's poem "The Death of the Hired Man," which is phenomenal. The dialogue between the husband and wife concerning their hired man and the dignity of life really should touch a nerve, especially concerning today's society that lacks an obligation to others and sees people as disposable.

I am eating lunch up the hill today, which will be my first time at Saga all year. I do not miss it, but I am excited to have lunch with the old gang (Marisa, Melissa, Zach and Mikey, respectively). I shall study in the library till 3, when I have Founding and then back to the house for the majority of the evening! We have our first chapter meeting of the semester tonight; quite excited. Mondays are going to be very Kappa-filled since I work crew for dinner, help set-up for the meeting and then have the meeting. I'm sure I'll squeeze more reading in there if necessary.

It is raining in Hillsdale today, so I am wearing my wellies, which Dr. Sommerville commented that he liked from under his umbrella. Dr. Siegel told me I looked happy today, which was probably due to the grin I wear all the time, but also could be attributed to my cornflower blue v-neck matched with kelly green cardigan--not to mention that my wellies are also kelly green and have navy blue seahorses on them :) My skirt is a dark corduroy brown though, so I do not look like a complete Easter egg today.

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday!

Kicking off first semester of senior year!! ...in the library

Ah, Friday. I just finished listening to "Rebubula" by moe., an awesome jam band who have been around since the early '90s. I went to their concert my senior year of high school. We were easily the youngest people there and came out smelling like weed. It was a great time. Now Led Zeppelin's "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" is now on...

Anyways, yay! I finished my first week of college! Now the fun part is seeing if I can survive my first full week...slightly more challenging. I am not particularly liking the whole getting up in the morning, but I got up way earlier in DC so I think I just need to get my sleep schedule back on track.

Tomorrow is the Catholic Society picnic and it's the first big CS event of the year so I have been super-busy organizing that as I am Social Chair of CS. The Sigma Chis are grilling, lots of people turned in their ID numbers to me; now I need to make sure the food gets delivered on time and everyone has a ride to Baw Beese (that's the lake/ park area in Hillsdale)!! It's slightly hectic getting things organized for such a large group of people and even though I enjoy doing it (and am happy to do it!), I will be relieved when it is over. I'm especially happy so many people signed up, Catholics and non-Catholics--it's a great way to get to know people at the beginning of the school year and reconnect.

Right now I am in the library, which I know sound super-nerdy, but I had to print off all these document I'll be reading for my Founding class, as well as a paper I wrote for my Colonial America class last semester for Raney. I wrote in on religious toleration in the colonies, specifically in Maryland and the precedent it set. I'll be dropping it off at Pi Phi for Julia to look over, because she's thinking about doing something with Catholicism and the Founding, which I think may prove difficult since there was only one Catholic signer (Charles Carroll) and the Founding was very much done in the Protestant tradition.

By the way, I need ideas for my Founding research paper. Seriously, I have absolutely no clue what I want to do. Dr. Birzer says we can do it on any thinker/ person, any idea, any event/ battle/ etc., any school of thought, or a comparison of any of the above regarding the foundations of the American republic, c. 1763-1815. I need ideas to bounce off of so that I can come up with my thesis so that I can get my research started ASAP for my annotated bibliography due in a few weeks. Share any and all ideas, please! I cannot think of anything I would like to write on, which bums me out, since I usually have too many ideas I want to do.

The Sigma Chis are having a huge party tonight, but I have not decided whether I am going to go out or not. If I do, it will not be until later, which is fine, because that's when the fun really starts anyways. I'm terribly concerned because I know a lot of my weekends are all ready filling up and not as productive as they should be-- like next weekend, we're all going down to the Heritage Museum in Columbus (Big is going to be helping with our tour, so I'll get to see her!!) and Sunday is Open House. The following weekend is Laurel's wedding and before you know it, we'll be at Homecoming, Fall Break and Parents' weekend! Oh baby, this is going to be a fun semester, regardless of the workload.

Running is going better and the soreness in my thighs from biking has waned. I've been approached several times by guys I play soccer with on the quad to when we're going to play again and that excites me. Playing soccer on the quad is one of my favoritest fall activities. I say fall because it usually never warms up fast enough in the spring to get many games in and, as we mostly play barefoot, the snow often dampens our enthusiasm for the nightly pick-up game. The games go on from any time between 9:30 and midnight and can last as short as 20 minutes or longer than 2 hours, with people coming and going as they please for a study break. The skill range varies, which is good and bad, but always interesting and enjoyable. It's mostly guys, which I think intimidates some girls out of playing, but it shouldn't. We're running over grass and sidewalk, playing around trees, avoiding the underbrush and having a damn good time while freezing in shorts and an oversized sweatshirt, returning to your studies with a huge grin and a few more bruises, only then realizing once you've stopped running that you are completely out of breath.

I was just found in the library and slightly mocked by their incredulous tone of voice that I would be found here on a Friday. I need to retreat somewhere people aren't going to find me. Maybe the Ludwig von Mises library or the study room in the basement of Kappa. I promise I'll be having plenty of fun tonight, which I know was never a doubt in any of your minds.

Mary sent this in an e-mail to the CS exec board and it made me pause and think: "I know God wouldn't give me anything I can't handle. I just wish he wouldn't trust me so much." --Mother Teresa

Ah, "Baba O'Riley" by The Who just came on. Glorious! Happy Friday, friends!

September 1, 2009

Today is my cousin Tommy's birthday and the day before I start my senior year of college. I moved into the Kappa house on Sunday and am still unpacking due to my socializing around campus. I start school tomorrow and still have much to do, but I wanted to give a little update.

At this point, I am loving being back on campus, loving seeing everyone, loving the beautiful fall weather, loving living in the house. Wait till tomorrow to see how much love is still left in my bones, but I am sure lots will still be there. I need to finish organizing everything before I feel like I can wholly commit myself to the semester. I have SO many books...Heather (my roommate for those unawares) found another two boxes of them. I'll have the final count for y'all soon.

The poem of the day is (obviously) "September 1, 1939" by W.H. Auden. It is darker, but very prevalent. The last line of the second to last stanza was extremely controversial in the day. Auden, later in life, would oftentimes not let the line or the poem be included in anthologies and if it did, the 'or' would be changed to 'and.' You may thank NPR for enlightening me on that subject today! This was also the day Nazi Germany invaded Poland and thus started WWII.