Welcome to I-Week!

My apologies for being super-lax on the postings (Rachel, I'm sure you're the only one who's noticed, so that is for you), but I had three midterms last Friday and this past week--which I thought was going to be laid back, was a big game of catch-up. My major week accomplishments were writing an article on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and same-sex marriage for the November issue of the Forum and a presentation on Robert Frost presentation on Friday. The article turned out well (I'll post it when we go to press next week) and presentation was hilarious. I'll start at the beginning:

It all started when one group took four people when the groups were only supposed to have three. Then Dr. S said "no rules" so Heather and I simply did the logical thing--we e-mailed his wife and asked her if she would come to class and be in our presentation. She was sworn to secrecy and, as she was out of town and did not get back into town until Thursday, it made the surprise so much the better. She had a few minor lines, but it was enough to include her while Heather and I ran the show, which was hilarious and very well-received. The presentation was on Robert Frost's time in England, which we paralleled with Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court."

Here's the opening Heather wrote. Yes, it is based off Puck's opening in a "Midsummer's Night Dream":

If this project has offended,
Think but this, a notion splendid,
That you have but slumber’d here,
As you usually do, my dear.
And if you would attempt to glean
What Julie’s doing in your dream,
Feel no need to comprehend,
In 15 minutes it will end.
But in that while, let us truck
To England, where, with some luck,
We’ll bring a bit of Twain along
And approach Frost’s trip from a different prong.
Though with this Prologue we may stall,
And really start to bore you all,
We’ll attempt to win back friends
And have Sundahl’s own Ellen to make amends!

We had to resist making a snide comment during our presentation to a certain member of our class regarding high maintenance because that would be uncouth. During her presentation, she had to hold a fishing pole and was holding it backwards. Dr. S of course called her high maintenance and she retorted by saying, "I'm not high maintenance. I'm not a sorority girl." Heather and I are sitting in the front row, to which I exclaim "Hey now!" and Heather says, "Have you met Julie?" at the same time. Not to mention two of the girls in her group were in sororities, as well as two additional members of the class. I found it very un-called for, but she was wearing socks with her sperrys, so that is Heather and mine criteria for whether or not a person is high maintenance: the wearing of socks with one's sperrys. :)

I was also on a panel on Thursday for Fairfield Society regarding "The Future of the Republican Party," which went really well. I got a couple raps on the table from my fellow panelists during my opening remarks and sizeable clapping afterwards, as if that means anything. It was a lot of fun to publicly talk and debate on said subjects, especially since there were a few hard-core Republicans on the panel, something I am certainly not. That type of oration begs preparation and helps one center what one really believes. I e-mailed Rach my opening remarks for her enjoyment, so if anyone else is interested, I'd be happy to pass them along.

Anyways, as the title of this blog post suggests, it is the start of Inspiration Week, so I shall be busy doing things for my Little, Danielle. She is to my left in the picture, in the black jacket. My Big, April, is in the red toggle coat. The picture was taken at Homecoming and is one of my favoritest pictures now. I love my Kappa family (and if you're reading this, you too G., my beloved Grand Big)! I had to make Danielle a poster and used many mediums, including crayons. Being me, I broke one. Also being me, I wrote a haiku in its honor:

"Ode to the crayon I broke whilst coloring a sign for my Little"
a haiku by Julie Robison

my poor crayon hast broke;
cracked in the line of duty
lavender--I salute!

I'll also be writing papers. I think I have 5 or 6, but I'll be focusing on 3: James Otis (Founding of the American Republic), Alistair Cooke (Major Figures in Journalism) and Flanney O'Connor (The Lost Art of Epistolary Communication). Oh, and my thesis. I just love it all so much. Even the thought of everything I'm going to be reading excites me. I was reading Otis and his take on the English common law last night and wishing everyone in America could learn about this as well. It is so fascinating.

My favorite verse of the week: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

Happy Monday, friends!