Since December

I shall have to update on last semester at another time. Right now, I'm just going to let you all know where I am and what I'm doing right now.

Not much, really.

I graduated from College of the Ozarks with a major in International Business and minors in French and Philosophy & Religion. I did actually make Summa Cum Laude, but there were a few moments of stress and doubt. CofO doesn't have a ceremony in December, so mid-term graduates walk with the May graduates. Right now, I plan to head back up to Branson for graduation in May.

Because of my awkward graduation date and my exceptionally heavy class load last semester (22 hrs.), I did not have a job or any other plans lined out for January. I made it through Christmas with little problems and headed back up to Branson for a weekend to turn in applications and look for an apartment. This is what I really wanted to do: get a job, live in Branson, hang out with my friends, audit a few classes at CofO, and wait around until September when I plan to move to France to teach English.

What really happened is that no jobs to my liking have come open in Branson. I headed south to visit my grandmother in Texas. My grandfather passed away two summers ago, and she's been living on her farm alone ever since (with abundant visits from family close enough to do so). I asked her if she would be interested in me moving down to live with her for a few months before I move to France, and she said she'd love to have me if I could do it. I decided to shop around for jobs in Texas and see what came up. I currently have 2-4 leads and have not exhausted the opportunities yet. Though it's not quite what I had in mind after graduating, I'm excited for this opportunity for many reasons.

My grandmother is a very loving, generous, and caring woman. She's also very wise but at the same time "up-to-date" with the real world. Her mind is sharp and she's in great physical condition too (especially considering her age). She just makes life so very comfortable to be around. This makes it sound like I'm letting her wait on me hand and foot, but that really isn't true either. She's more than happy to make me dinner or wash my clothes, but in reality we do a lot of things together, and I do a lot of things for her. That's not because she needs me to but because she's the type of person that makes just being around her relaxing and comfortable. It feels like a holiday even though I'm doing a fair amount of work. For example, getting up and helping her get breakfast ready at 7:00 isn't really as hard as mornings have always been for me (my former roommates and siblings can all acount to the fact that I am NOT a morning person), though I would still rather wait for breakfast until 10:00.... ;)

Last semester, I also got interested in pursuing a Master's Degree in Psychology or Counseling. Right now I'm leaning to Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling/Therapy. I had planned to do this online via Capella University, but the program is significantly more expensive than I originally thought ($40,700) versus much more reasonably priced Christian universities (Liberty University online or Southwest Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth which both cost less than half of Capella's tuition). I wanted to avoid Christian institutions because I want to be able to work in secular counseling situations, but right now I'm starting to think that maybe I should go for it. I have a fairly pushy recruiting agent at Capella who won't like me to withdraw. I'm already accepted and he's been badgering me to start in Februrary, but I've finally told him that I won't start until March at the earliest. Now I'm reconsidering again, but I'll have to decide by the end of February. Hopefully I'll have a job by then.

C.S. Lewis has also been a nice companion since Christmas. Some friends of mine gave me an Amazon.com giftcard, so I used it buy some of his books. So far I'm enjoying them immensely. I've always liked Lewis; he has a brilliant way of outlining Truth in a way that makes it graspable. Certainly he isn't right on everything, but who is? I've been mostly reading his fiction works: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength (The Cosmic/Space Trilogy), and a collection of short and unfinished stories entitled The Dark Tower and Other Stories. Some are strange, but most are excellent. I'll review the Cosmic Trilogy later. Now I'm out of his fiction (I left Till We Have Face at home) so I'm reading The Four Love again (so far my favorite Lewis book) and random essays from God in the Dock and Christian Reflections.

So here I am in Texas, looking for a job, doing research on Master's, enjoying Mr. Lewis's well-written literature, and thinking about what I want to do with my life. Pray for direction for me, if you think about it.

Looking Backward

And now some pictures from some recent events. I've blogged about them in the past, but I just now got around to getting the pictures off of my camera.

The first group of pictures are from winter past. One day we had a lovely ice storm that encrusted everything in about 1/2-3/4 of an inch of ice. It was absolutely breathtaking. Even the blades of grass each took on a bit of individualism in their winter coats. It made me think that surely not even Solomon in all of his splendor could have been arraigned arrayed* like these. So for 2 days, our campus resembled a diamond mine in all its spectacular beauty.

*[edit] Thanks to a sharp-eyed reader who caught my humorous type-o. I suppose when Solomon, if he had been in court, would have been cold and nicely dressed. :)



Really, pictures can't do it justice.

The next group of pictures are from two different outings with friends. The first is at Panera Bread. The second is a late evening at McDonald's after opening night of Beauty and the Beast. We originally planned to go formal, but some people didn't quite make it, and others changed after the play but before McDonald's. Anyway, enjoy.

That's all for now. Pictures are a real pain at times.

Spring, Beauty, Sadness, and Summer

Sorry for the long wait since my last post. A lot has been happening here in the beautiful Ozarks as winter slowly gives way to the first whispers of spring. The two seasons have been struggling for the past month; at times it seemed that spring had finally chocked the last winter breath away, but then we would wake up to a winter wonderland of ice and snow. I shall try to post some pictures of some of our winteresque beauty. One day we experienced all four seasons in the full day. We woke up to birds singing and a light spring breeze. By noon the sun was brilliant and summer was in full bloom. Then it turned to an drizzly afternoon of autumn bliss and, finally, it froze before the day had ended.

Two weekends ago our local college theatre department presented "Beauty and the Beast", based on the old original Disney animated film from 1991 but expanded for Broadway in 1996. This play is one of my favorites for several reasons: the animated movie is one of my favorites. The characters are perfect: Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth, Lumiere, Babette, and Mme. de la Grande Bouche are adorable characters. The play is even better because it flushes the characters out and adds spice to the story. The play also has some fond memories for me because two of my best friends and I took a rode trip in the summer of 2003 to go see the traveling Broadway version in Kansas City. It was absolutely crazy because we ended up staying with people I didn't really know and my friends didn't know at all. But I also have some of my favorite memories from that trip. So here's to Joyous and Miss N!

But life can't be all interesting weather and happy memories. Last Wednesday my brother called from Texas to tell me that my grandmother (my mum's mum) had passed away. I left Thursday afternoon to avoid another big snow storm coming through and missed classes on Friday. All in all, it was a strange experience. My grandmother had an unidentified form of dementia, so it was almost as if we had really lost her several years ago. The whole event was somber but not near as sad as my grandfather's funeral (my father's father) last summer. Mum made the comment that she distinctly remembers going through the grieving process several years ago. The whole event was sort of surreal.

Last week was also midterms! I really only had one major test, which I did quite badly on. I've emailed dear Dr. Zakariadze to see if I could possibly try for some extra credit to make up for my poor showing, but he hasn't responded yet. He's probably still translating my email into Russian. Another thing about midterms is that it tells me summer is almost here. And with summer comes Europe. Right now I've been switched (again) to Brussels instead of Paris. Every day I get a little more antsy as I watch the dollar lose value to the euro. Today it is at another all-time high of $1.55. By the time I get over there it could be over $1.75 or (Heaven forbid) over $2.00! At the rate I'm going I'll have to live in a cardboard box and eat out of trashcans just so I can go to work. :)

That's all for now. I hope you all have a faaantastic week!

Busy Week 2

My last post seems to be the most popular so far, so I figured I should go ahead and continue with the rest of my week.

But first some clarifications. Panera Bread was wonderful, as was the tea and company. I tried the black bean soup and a French croissant. Both were amazing. I think my dad would like the black bean soup (so if you're reading, you should try it!). My friends (please note the plural) were also great company, and we enjoyed much interesting converation. To answer one commenter's question: I do occasionally go to restaurants with females. Yes, it's awkward and risky, and sometimes I'm just tempted to drop to one knee right there, but the other people with us normally do their best to keep me accountable. ;) I don't know why I experience such urges... maybe I've been reading/watching too much Jane Austin.

Fortunatly for me, I actually have until December before I finish with school and things get real busy...

On to my busy week:
Wednesday:
Up @ 6:45
Breakfast @ 7:20
Work from 8:00-10:00
French Through Popular Culture class @ 10:00
Study Break @ 11
Lenten Chapel Service (for Christian Worship class ) @ 12:00
Lunch @ 12:30
Study/Thursday Homework 1:00-3:00
Free Time!!!/Catch up on other Projects/etc. 3:00-4:45
Dinner @ 4:45
Work from 6:00-9:00
Finish homework for Thursday @ 9:00
Bed @ 10:30/11:00
Average Amount of Free Time on Wednesdays: 2.5 hrs.
So Wednesdays are my good day. Actually they are normally very relaxing.

Thursday:
Up @ 6:45
Breakfast @ 7:20
Work from 8:00-9:30
French Civilization class @ 9:30
International Economics class @ 11:00
Managment Information Systems @ 1:00
Study/Friday Homework from 2:30-4:45
Dinner @ 4:45
Truth Project (Bible Study) 6:00-8:30ish
Finish homework for Thursday @ 9:00
Bed @ 10:30/11:00
Average Amount of Free Time on Wednesdays: 1.5 hr.

Friday:
Up @ 6:45
Breakfast @ 7:20
Work from 8:00-10:00
French Through Popular Culture class @ 10:00
Lunch @ 11:00
Christian Worship class @ 12:00

And I'm done with the week's scheduled times until Sunday! Happiness and joy and bright sunshine!

Busy Week

I thought I should allow my readers to take a walk with me through my days. My next few posts will follow my steps throughout the normal week. Unless I find that this is too overtly boring, in which case I won't post Wed-Fri.

Monday:
Up @ 6:45
Breakfast @ 7:20
Work from 8:00-10:00 (includes tutoring, professor assistance, studying, etc.)
French Through Popular Culture class @ 10:00
Lunch @ 11:00
Christian Worship class @ 12:00
Work from 1:00-4:00
Study/Break @ 4:00
Dinner @ 4:45
French Club or French Bible Study (alternating each week) @ 6:00
Homework for Tuesday classes 8:00-10:00
Bed @ 10:30
Average Amount of Free Time on Mondays: .75 hrs.

Tuesday (This is my exciting day!)
Up @ 6:45
Breakfast @ 7:20
Work from 8:00-9:30
French Civilization class @ 9:30
International Economics class @ 11:00
Break (I don't bother to go to the cafeteria) @ 12:30
Management Information Systems class @ 1:00
Break/Study/Campus Errands 2:30-4:45
Dinner @ 4:45
Free Enterprise Studies class form 6:00-9:00
Finish homework for Wednesday @ 9:00
Bed @ 10:30/11:00
Average Amount of Free Time on Tuesdays: 1 hr.


So my Mondays really aren't that bad, but my Tuesdays are a killer. Fortunately, it is my worst day (could it get much busier?), so everything is downhill from there.

Today we finished filming a class project for Free Enterprise Studies. We did a presentation of "20 Minutes" with Jeter Pennings and Bobby Walker. I was Jeter Pennings. I also played the roles of a trendy English CEO, a computer geek from New York, and an old Southern gentleman. It was all very fun. I never knew I could talk as slow as I did when I was the Southern gentleman. On playback I was listening to myself going "could you just speed up an itsy-witsy?", but the group liked it, so we didn't do another take.

Before that, I helped a friends family move their business from an old warehouse to a new warehouse. It's a manufacturing business where they make... actually I don't know. There were lots of wires and cables and things, and it's called "Positive Connections", so it must be some sort of electrical connection manufacturing business. That was fun. This evening I was supposed to meet a couple of people and go to a Rotary Club chili feed. At the last minute (actually 3 minutes before we were supposed to leave), I got a phone call saying that we weren't going after all because someone had lost our tickets. I don't think any of us were too crushed, but I was sort of looking forward to it. So my evening became suddenly open again...

Except that another friend had already asked me to dinner with a few others, so I called her and told her that I could join them. So I had just enough time to get on the Internet, check the news, read my emails, and write this blog entry. I hope you've enjoyed it. I'm off to Panera Bread for a lovely evening of homemade soups, freshly baked breads, and, of course, tea!

Henry IV and Random Thoughts

We learned about Henry IV of France this morning in French Civilization. Henry was born a Huguenot during the Wars of Religion in France shortly after the beginning of the Reformation. He became leader of the French Protestant movement (the political arm anyway) but converted to Catholicism to marry the princess of France. When the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre occurred, he converted back to Protestantism (possibly out of horror at French Catholics?). In 1589 he was invited to become King of France, but the Parisian area objected since he was not Catholic, so he converted once again back to Catholicism saying "Paris is worth a Mass".

As king, Henry IV issued the Edict of Nantes suspending violence against Protestants and brought relative peace to the country. He was wildly popular with the French people and ushered in a short time of prosperity for the beleaguered country. As popular as he was, he found enemies on both sides of the religious questions: Catholics distrusted him because of his liberal policies toward the Huguenots while the Huguenots distrusted him because he was Catholic. He eventually overcame most of these problems (partly because of the Edict) and presided over several years of peace. He was assassinated in 1610 by a Catholic extremist. His Catholic wife, Marie de Médicis, reigned as regent until his son Louis XIII was old enough to assume control. Marie squandered the wealth and prosperity of her husband and later caused a civil war between her sons.

Henry IV's grandson, the infamous Louis XIV ("Je suis L'État") later over-turned his grandfather's famous Edict and Protestants were once again murdered in the streets of France and successfully driven from any subsequent influence on that country (they currently make up less than 3% of the population).

While Henry IV is generally accepted as one of the best kings in French history, his reign really seemed to have little permanent affect on his country. Worse, he seems to have been a man of little real conviction, only drive for political power. This caused countless deaths on both sides of the religious fight. In my mind, that really makes him a failure.

I couldn't help but compare him to his contemporary, Elizabeth of England, who found herself in many similar situations. She was born Protestant but later found her life being threatened when Catholicism made its brief return to English politics. While Elizabeth made it clear that she was loyal to her Catholic queen, she refused to compromise her beliefs. For years she lived under house arrest in constant danger of being burned as a heretic or traitor. When she came to the throne, she made it clear to her Catholic subjects that she would most certainly not sacrifice her Protestant beliefs just to have a "successful" reign. But she also made it clear that she wanted peace. She, like Henry, brought peace, tranquility, and general prosperity to her country. She survived dozens of assassination attempts by Catholic extremists and credited God with this protection as well as military victories. When she died, the country had permanently adopted her Protestant beliefs. One could argue that Elizabeth I single-handedly laid the foundations of the Victorian British Empire, both politically and religiously.

How sad that Henry IV missed his opportunity to do the same for his own country.