let me tell you about my day...

...it began at midnight, as most days do. However, this morning at 12am I was not asleep, as I had planned, but lying awake as I listened to my roommate frustratedly bustle about the room. I wish I could say that I got out of bed to help her look for her misplaced binder, room key, and college ID. I wish I could say that I had volunteered to help her finish some tasks she had put off until that night. I wish I could say that, but really I can't. I was selfishly curled up with my blankets pulled up to my ears, a pillow clutched desperately over my head lest it should suddenly fling itself across the room at Kristina. Beneath the pillow my tired mind was contemplating whether it would be any quieter to sleep in the hallway, and my heart was crying out to God for patience and the strength to love. After an hour of puttering, Kristina finally shut off the light and, still being loudly upset, left the room. I fell asleep almost immediately. Seven hours later, my cell-phone alarm startled me into a very busy day.

Today I have noticed an almost amusing degree of forgetfulness in my activities. First, there was the incident in which I almost put my wool coat in the washer. Fortunately I vaguely recollected the fact that wool shrinks. A lot. A friend confirmed this notion and wisely suggested that I not try to wash a wool coat. Ugh.

Once I had been delivered from that near-disaster, I devoted my morning to diligent homework-doing.

At lunch I stopped to talk to a professor about a homework assignment I had recently turned in, one in which I was to identify a controversial verse in Matthew, then state a question about that verse. I will be answering this question in a 6-7 page research paper, due next month. It is a good thing I stopped to discuss this assignment, because the question that I turned in had absolutely nothing to do with the verse I cited. Fortunately, though I am forgetful, I am likeable, so it was easy for my professor to laughingly disregard this instance of forgetful mis-citation.

Next item on today's agenda: a research trip to the library. I had carefully planned my trip by noting the bus route numbers, times, and relevant stops. As I boarded the bus, I remember feeling a bit proud of how quickly I had mastered the bus system and how well-planned my excursion was.

On the way to the library, I was happily amused by a large, older German man who mumbled something pleasant as he boarded the bus. All I caught was a "nice day" in the midst of a Germanic clutter of syllables. I also was astounded by all the beautiful houses we passed. I wouldn't mind living in the city if I could own a house like those.

My bus ride went marvelously. That is, until... I got off at the wrong bus stop. After I had walked a couple blocks and seen no library, I decided that there must be two 10th streets. That meant that I had 20 blocks left to travel. Fortunately, though I am forgetful, I have a reasonable sense of direction and knowledge of the city, so I had no trouble figuring out where I was going. Also quite fortunately, I was dressed comfortably with good solid walking shoes on my feet, and was quite in the mood for a relaxing walk. On the way, I was able to cross a beautiful, beautiful river. It was a nice, brisk fall day, and the rain of the morning had cleared to reveal a chill blue sky, full of huge white clouds. The fall colors of the tree-lined street were absolutely striking.

After a slight, confused detour, followed by the realization that there were NW, SW, NE, and SE 10th streets, my purposeful wanderings ended before possibly the most beautiful library I have ever seen in my life. Both the outside and the inside of the library were absolutely amazing. After pleasant conversations with two particularly helpful librarians, I left the library with the closest thing to a 1891 newspaper that I could possibly get.

For an upcoming history project, I chose to find a 19th century newspaper, read it in its entirety, then write a 5-6 page paper about my observations of that time period, based on the newspaper. I picked the date May 19, 1891, and I am so excited about it. I made copies directly from the microfilm, and I could not be looking forward to this project more. Did I tell you that up until this spring I was going to declare a history major?
Well, now you know. History is a pretty good subject, especially when all your teachers are phenomenal (as all of mine have been).

Fortunately, my bus trip back passed entirely without incident. I settled down in the school cafeteria with my computer and a cup of hot chocolate, intending to write this entry. I wasn't disciplined enough to work in a public place today, however. I spent the whole time talking and laughing with people. =P It was supremely enjoyable, but not terribly productive, as far as the blog-posting goes.

Thus concludes my story about my day. And now it is time for dinner before practice. The rush of life begins once more.