Black Monday

Here at Sterling College there are some dramatic changes going on. So far 7 faculty members have not had their "contracts renewed". These teachers are some of the best at Sterling and have provided excellent teaching as well as leadership to the students. A lot of students have been hit really hard by the news. It's definitely a time of mourning across campus. Many students are wearing black to show mourning (and ideally not protest or anger). The whole school needs a lot of prayer right now.

Weekend festivities

So my friend Ellen and I celebrated our birthdays on Friday. If you know either one of us you'll know that the timing sounds odd (my b-day is Dec 10th, hers is Feb 6th). Anyway... We finally got it together to celebrate.

It was a great birthday! Here are the major highlights:
Ben Folds 'Timpani Song'- neither Ellen or I know the real name of the song
Good conversation
Finding out P.F. Changs is a Chinese bistro (we wanted to eat a another bistro that happened to have gone out of business. Bummer.)
Exchanging presents- Awesome presents! Ellen got me a Fufu berry Jones soda, a Random shirt, and a cool coffee mug (hand-made, my favorite). And don't forget the homemade card that was almost identical to my homemade card, mushy (but true) sentiments and all.
It was great to see Ellen again. We don't talk enough (we're working on that) and it's always great to get together and discover (again) why we are best friends and how crazy it is that we still finish each other's thoughts ever once in awhile.
It is kind of bittersweet since Ellen is moving to Chicago after this semester. For the past few years she's been a block away from me. I'll miss her very much.

To read Ellen's version of the story, which also has a lot more details, follow this link.

Ellen,
Thank you for the wonderful gifts and the wonderful evening! I am also blessed by our friendship and am glad that we have not only made it through a season that usually separates people but have grow closer in spite of it. How lucky are we? Much more than most. Much, much more.

Two Peas in an odd pod

Low-Risers, Cheesecloth, and all sizes fit none (Final Installment)

Well, I guess this is it. Enjoy the final installment of Clothing Conundrum:Low-Risers, Cheesecloth, and all sizes fit none.

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Why finding the right size is harder than winning the lottery.
At the root of all fashion problems lies this fact; even if clothes are “your size” they are likely not to fit. One day you could be a size zero and the next day a size 12. With all the different designers and companies it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a specific size that fits your body type. This difficulty is the result of all companies deciding that if they make clothes with random measurements they are bound to strike “size gold” sooner or later. Consequently, many women are left to try on many different sizes of the same outfit while inadvertently inflicting friends or family members to many grueling hours at the mall following you around, listening to smooth jazz or adult contemporary music, avoiding sales clerks, and holding your purse or jacket. On behalf of all your loved ones, “We forgive you”. We are all guilty of this crime. So is there any way to find that perfect size?

Even a person with an average body type has problems finding clothes that fit. Because I am slightly smaller than the average teenager it would be rational to assume that because of my size it is easy for me to find clothes. This assumption, however, is rarely true. In fact is very hard to find clothes that properly fit my body type. Take for instance a make-believe shopping trip that I have compiled from many separate, yet equally frustrating, shopping trips. I arrive at the store hoping to find a shirt that is long enough to cover my new low-rise jeans and is more durable than tissue paper. I begin searching and find a few shirts that vary in color which may just fit. But wait, I hit a snag. One of the shirts looks a little bit small, so I return to the rack and get the same shirt in a different size. This happens repeatedly with almost every shirt I have previously picked up.

Finally I reach the dressing room weighted down like a pack horse. Trying on my first shirt I realize that it is about the size of a 6 to 9 month old infant’s shirt. So I move on to the next size up. The new shirt is long enough to cover my low-rise jeans; however, it is too baggy on top and could become like a parachute if I ever bend over. This process takes several hours of trying on and hanging up my clothing items. Finally I leave the dressing room 254 shirts, 6 sizes, and 24 colors later with a shirt I randomly picked from the 75% off rack. I hate shopping.

Fascinating as it is to be a part of fashion and watch trends come and go, these current trends must finish their fifteen minutes of fame before anyone is subjected to another viewing of rear end “cleavage” or rips a hole in their new shirt just by putting it on. Despite the attempts of the fashion industry to be “cutting edge”, or even just “edgy”, they repeatedly fall short, causing mass hysteria in shopping malls all throughout America. To all you designers of the low-rise jeans, the cheese cloth shirts, the tube tops, the mini skirt, and yes, the bell bottom, I say, “No, thank you, I would rather be naked!”

In the news...

Here are some stories that caught my eye and I view as important not only because of their current impact but what could happen. Though I am not a current events guru I still think its good to try and stay in the know.

First up: Supreme court to hear Abortion case-I said interesting things were going to happen and now they are.
Justices to revisit late-Term Abortion Ban
Here's an interesting quote from the story, judge for yourselves-

"Congress had voted in 2003 to prohibit the type of abortion, generally carried out in the second or third trimester, in which a fetus is partially removed from the womb and its skull punctured or crushed."

Next the ongoing struggle with the Hamas party. This controversial (because of their vows to destroy Israel) party came into power in January and has been getting political panties in a bunch ever since. Many allied nations have said they will not recognize nor support the Hamas party until they renounce their vow to destroy Israel, which they've been acting out by organizing large amounts of suicide bombings.

Here are several stories surrounding these issues:

Hamas PM Won't Respond to Deal Demand

Hamas to form cabinet

And now something to cleanse the palette: Odd news!

Dart injuries rise as beginners get the point

This song has been stuck in my head

If you've ever heard it you know why. Here are the lyrics to Don't stop me now by Queen:

Tonight I'm gonna have myself a real good time
I feel alive and the world I'll turn it inside out - yeah
And floating around in ecstasy
So don't stop me now don't stop me
'Cause I'm having a good time having a good time
I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky
Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity
I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva
I'm gonna go go go
There's no stopping me
I'm burnin' through the sky yeah
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm trav'ling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you
Don't stop me now I'm having such a good time
I'm having a ball
Don't stop me now
If you wanna have a good time just give me a call
Don't stop me now ('Cause I'm having a good time)
Don't stop me now (Yes I'm havin' a good time)
I don't want to stop at all
Yeah, I'm a rocket ship on my way to Mars
On a collision course
I am a satellite I'm out of control
I am a sex machine ready to reload
Like an atom bomb about to
Oh oh oh oh oh explode
I'm burnin' through the sky yeah
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm trav'ling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic woman of you
Don't stop me don't stop me
Don't stop me hey hey hey
Don't stop me don't stop me
Ooh ooh ooh, I like it
Don't stop me don't stop me
Have a good time good time
Don't stop me don't stop me ah
Oh yeah
Alright
Oh, I'm burnin' through the sky yeah
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm trav'ling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you
Don't stop me now I'm having such a good time
I'm having a ball
Don't stop me now
If you wanna have a good time (wooh)
Just give me a call (alright)
Don't stop me now ('cause I'm having a good time - yeah yeah)
Don't stop me now (yes I'm havin' a good time)
I don't want to stop at all
La da da da daah
Da da da haa
Ha da da ha ha haaa
Ha da daa ha da da aaa
Ooh ooh ooh

Do it for Nancy!...and other themes of my Saturday

Yesterday was just a plain awesome day!
I basically hung out with my good friend Nate Prior all day.
Last night was the freshman sponsored Valentines banquet in which there was a swing dancing competition. Seeing as we both knew the same basic steps and had danced together before, Nate and I decided to be partners. We made up almost the whole 1 minute routine yesterday after noon and polished it. After that Nate decided that he was going to need some new black and white Chucks (Chuck Taylor's) to go with his tuxedo, combined to make an dazzling Chuck-xedo, since his other chucks were old. So we drove to Hutch and ended up going to Wal-Mart, the mall, Goodwill, and The Metro coffee house. After that we came back and practiced the routine a bit before the dinner. I had such a great day! I haven't laughed that hard (or continuously) in forever. I missed laughing so hard that my cheeks and stomach hurt.

The swing dance competition was so fun! There was more competition than we expected. The first time we danced we messed up a little and kept going, but thought that we wouldn't win. We were satisfied with our own dancing abilities so didn't really care either way. We went downstairs to get a drink of water and as we were heading back upstairs we heard an announcement that there was going to be a dance off. We ran up to the front just in time to hear our names called as one of the final couples. Everyone had only prepared a one minute routine and were surprised to hear the music go to the end. Nate and I did our routine twice and then improvised until the end. We felt pretty good about our performance but mostly were just having fun. The crazy thing is that we, the awkward and kind of lanky kids, ended up winning!Yay for us!

By now I'm sure you're wondering what the phrase "Do it for Nancy" means. It's sort of an inside joke but not totally. At lunch yesterday Nate, Justin L.( Nate's roommate and my friend), and I were discussing the competition. Justin suggested that we take a bat to our competitions knee, like Tanya Harding did to Nancy Kerrigan. From that one comment thousands of tiny jokes started. By the end of the day we were using Nancy Kerrigan as nouns,verbs, adjectives, and expletives. Good times. Because of her influence of our day we decided to do our dance for Nancy. We thought it was funny.

(note: the top picture is actually Nate and I. I know. Amazing.)

If you think you're having a bad day...

Check out this headline Girl's prosthetic legs stolen for second time.
It's one thing to lose your leg because you were hit by a careless driver.
It's one thing to get your prosthetic legs stolen.
It's another thing to get you prosthetic legs stolen twice.

I would be mad, but perhaps get in a chuckle at the irony of the whole situation.

Thankfully, this girl seems undeterred by the whole thing. Talk about positive.

It makes me wonder though...do you think the actual thief was missing a leg? That creates a funny mental picture for me. Imagine a one-legged thief carrying a leg out of a bedroom window. At what point would they realize they should just put the leg on to quiet suspicions?

Low-risers, cheesecloth, and all sizes fit none (Pt 2. cont.)

Again, here is the second installment of Low-risers, cheesecloth, and all sizes fit none. Enjoy.

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“Are you wearing cheesecloth?”
When I enter the shopping mall, with or without a shopping agenda, I usually see one of two things right away; strange clothes or people wearing strange clothes. It is not always the style of clothing I notice, but rather the material their clothing is made of. Recently the texture of fabric has become thinner and thinner while the prices are getting higher and higher. It would be logical to conclude that with the common usage of sweat shop and child laborers companies could use more durable fabrics since they do not really feed or pay their workers. Maybe if the companies did treat their workers humanely they might actually make durable clothing.

The main problem with this fragile clothing is their sheer impracticality. These cheesecloth-like materials do not meet the basic definition of clothing. They cannot keep you warm, sheltered, or even remotely covered. It seems as though the fashion industry is playing a trick on consumers much like the king in the story, “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. The only practical use of any of these flimsy clothing items is possibly as a pasta strainer or a door screen. The downfall of using clothing in uncommon ways is the likelihood of such uncomfortable conversations as, “What are you doing with my new Ralph Lauren skirt? …Did you re-cover our lampshade?” or “I do not appreciate you using my $400 shirt as a butterfly net”.

Currently it seems as though this trend of thread-bare, barely there clothing is on the rise. Trends, horrible as they may be, are fine in my opinion, but they are only approved if I am assured that they will fade away and cause mass embarrassment to the trend victims, allowing them to wallow in fashion shame. Only a substantial amount of humiliation inflicted upon the masses will prevent the comeback of horrid trends. There is something about this common trend of virtually nonexistent 'clothing' that troubles me; designers have taken skimpy to the extreme. In fact, it seems that the main demographic of this trend turns out to be young women. This convinces me more and more each day that of all the fashion designers and trend setters in this world, the majority of them are men who went into the fashion designer career so they could further eliminate a difference between fully clothed and nudity.

Clarification

In case you were wondering...
Nerd:
Etymology: perhaps from nerd, a creature in the children's book If I Ran the Zoo (1950) by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel): an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially : one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits

Geek:
Etymology: probably from English dialect geek, geck fool, from Low German geck, from Middle Low German
1 : a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
2 : a person often of an intellectual bent who is disapproved of- geeky /'gE-kE/ adjective


These definitions come from Merriam Webster. The only thing I might add is an additional example for Geek that would go something like this:

1: a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake. (See Ozzy Osborne).

This is a great way to spend Valentines Day

Pillow Fight!

Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day everyone! Part of me hates this holiday. But mostly I like it. There is no one 'special' in my life this Valentines Day and I don't mind. One of my favorite parts of the day is seeing guys try to be romantic. Some are kind of fumbling but others are doing awesome!

I do have a Valentine this year, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit and I are going to go on a date later. The plan is to read some scripture, pray, and then He'll reveal the deep things of God's heart to me (1 Corinthians 2:10).
My nephew, Jackson, is also my valentine. I love that kid like no other.

Saturdays are Great!

I slept in until 10:50!!! (I needed it, ok!)

Low-risers, cheesecloth, and all sizes fit none

Hey everybody! I decided that since it has been hard to find world events that I find interesting enough to write passionately about I would post part of an essay I wrote for a College Comp. Class. I will post them in 3 sections. So keep checking for the next installment of Low-Risers, Cheesecloth, and all sizes fit none.

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Clothing Conundrum: Low-Rise pants, Cheesecloth, and all-sizes fit none
Throughout history of humankind, fashion trends have come and gone. Civilization has seen the rise and fall of foot binding and the corset, along with the steady ascent of the blue jean. Some fashions have been downright ridiculous, while others have changed the way we look, act, and feel. Despite our triumphs within the fashion industry, we have recently witnessed the launch of the steady decline of fashion. Amidst all the chaos we have to look at ourselves in a full-length mirror and ask one question: “Are clothes even worth it anymore?
Low rise jeans: Low on the waist, Low on options.
One of my biggest personal clothing peeves is the low rise jean. The main reason I feel hatred for this variation of the jean pant is the large monopoly it has placed on the previously stable, classical style of jeans. This monopoly occurred thanks to the clothing designers whom, much like the teens for which they are designing, desperately want to fit in with their peers, thus changing all normal jeans into denim mutants. Five years ago it was easy to find your favorite style of jeans. You could always go into your favorite store, locate your department, maneuver down the same row, and find your favorite style of jeans highlighted by soft, recessed lighting with a smooth jazz version of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus playing in the background. Back in the day jeans used to be dependable. The old philosophy of pant design allowed jeans to stay in style and on the rack; possibly making your pants more faithful, longer lasting, and more durable than a cherished friendship.
The rise of low rise pants has popularized a one night stand jean shopping mentality. Blue jeans used to be classified by simple words like boot cut, flare, or acid washed. It is currently impossible to find a pair or brand of jeans to which you can make a long term commitment due to supposedly helpful, classifying terms such as: low rise, ultra low rise, super low rise, and leg warmers. When I am shopping for jeans I can never remember the long description that matched a prior purchase of pants that I had learned to live with and often find myself asking, Did I get the ultra-low-waist acid-washed double-stitched flare-leg with the cargo-pockets or the low-waist button-fly boot-cut single-stitched classic-fade-wash with hidden-pockets? It is questions like these that keep me in psychological distress, and in the mall, just because I needed a new pair of pants.
Another reason I am disgusted by low-rise pants is due to the fact that unlike many products produced today, they live up, or should I say down, to their name. As I see it, low rise pants are a regressive action of the fashion industry, which, since the dawn of creation, and nakedness, has attempted to cover the oh-so-unattractive human backside. The current designers, though well established in clothing that covers the glutei region, decided that designing the extra inch or two of fabric was too much work, or too traditional. Despite the study of the human figure in art, never before has the butt been so severely emphasized; emphasis which it logically does not deserve. Although the gluteus maximus has a crack, it does not deserve or need to be marveled at or as widely seen as another crack, the Grand Canyon. The image of a plumber's butt has never been positively embraced as an image people would like to have engraved in their brain, and neither should a glimpse of the affectionately named, butt cleavage of any low-rise patron.
Because low- rise jeans have become so popular and simultaneously unavoidable I have been forced to adapt and have created a few tips that make the experience of buying and wearing low-rise pants more enjoyable than amputating your foot. There are several techniques that can help you find that good enough pair of pants. First, after you try on your pants sit down on a bench or on the floor. While in this position assess (no pun intended) the amount of cleavage showing. If you can fit the width of your hand between your backside and your pants do not, by any means, actually purchase these pants, unless you are prepared for your pants to become a basketball goal or trash can for the bored students sitting behind you. The next test you should carry out is the Bend and crouch test. This test mimes the everyday activity of reaching over and picking up something on the floor. Once again, if you can feel a breeze against you backside I encourage you to keep looking. The last test is called the stretch test. To perform this test you can do several things such as: run in place, jump up and down, skip, or bend over to touch your toes. If at any time during this test, your pants split or work their way down to your knees, do not purchase these pants. Also be aware that you might not only leave without any new pants, but it is highly probable that you will leave the store in your underwear without the jeans you were wearing, seeing that all jeans have looks, texture, and title in common. If, by some miracle, you do find a pair of pants that partially passes the test (with a C at least) you will inevitably have to prevent the crisis of plumbers crack. To thwart the chance of exposing yourself you will have to decide on one of the following options: wear no underwear, search for longer t-shirts, which is almost as improbable as finding jeans, but hey, you have made it this far, or the third and certainly most desirable option at this point, to join a nudist colony.

SLAM!!! Poetry, that is.

Last night was awesome! Alyssa Renfro, Josh Slaughter, Maria Calhoun, Justin Dawson, and I drove to Hesston College to see the Bradley Hathaway. Hatawho? You might be asking. Bradley Hathaway is an amazingly talented Christian slam-poet. Putting Christian and Slam poet together does seem oxymoronic, but Bradley pulls it off no big deal. A lot of his poems start off sounding mean, rude, or crude, but they have a resolution at the end, whether you find out how the character really feels or it is tied back into a question of spiritual identity. I had heard about Bradley Hathaway before and was full of joy at the opportunity to see him live.
Some of my favorite poems are:
The annoying hardcore dude that takes it too far
The hug poem
Silence
Manly Man


The best part of the evening, next to seeing/hearing him live:
Ta Da!

Yah, that's me next to Bradley Hathaway.

The Grammy's

Did anybody know that the Grammy's are going on tonight? No? Didn't think so.

My prediction: An equally big waste of time as the Superbowl...except for people who like music.

Happy Birthday Ellen!

Hey everybody, it's my best friend Ellen's birthday today! She is 19 now. Whoopee!

If you don't know Ellen check out her blog here.

Brief history of our friendship:
4th grade-5th grade: hated eachother
6th grade: start hanging out
By 7th grade: Inseperable
7th-Current: Best buds.
Awww... that's precious.
Congrats Ellen, hope you are having a super rad birthday! I can't wait to celebrate with you!

Super bowl

What a waste of my time.

God is sooooo good!!!

When I typed that it reminded me of the teen girls squad. Anyway. Even though my life is at a crossroads right now God is doing amazing things in my life. Mostly, He is revealing the different ways He provides for me and exactly what makes Him so trustworthy. I'm also spending a good amount of time studying various scriptures and He is revealing a lot to me. God is the most exciting person ever! I'm so glad I met Him!

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on a pilgrimage. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion." Psalm 84:5,7

About yesterday's post...

If you read it you might have been worried about my sanity. Do not worry. It was merely a heightened intensity of my less-subtle worry, which is not continual but not foreign either. I'm doing much better now.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes (it's a song, trust me)

I'm going to assume that you read the title of this post and became intrigued. "What does she mean by ch-ch-ch-changes? Is is just a song that she's writing about (written by David Bowie, by the way) or is she talking about how ice changes to water which changes to ice?", you might ask yourself.

No, you are wrong both times (though I do like the song a lot). I am talking about changes in my life I'm sure that was your next guess. I guess it's not some much that things are changing, like something happening in college or at home, but that my thoughts and feelings about different things are changing. I suppose you could call it a freshman freak-out of sorts.

Last semester I started wondering about what I really wanted to do with my life and how that would effect my education. I am currently an Art education major but am really sure I don't want to do that. Besides being a buttload of hours, most of which aren't even art classes (which makes me really mad. How am I supposed to be a good art teacher if I never got to go above any level 1 art classes because of my Ed. classes? That is not what leads to proficiency in a content area.) I don't know if I would rather do Christian Ministries. That is, in a sense, what I want to do. I know that I would like to keep art as a major. I've reached a point of being frustrated at the education system and society for emphasizing certain systems over others.

I love my school. It is the only college that I would ever go to for undergrad. I love the people, the programs, and the atmosphere.

I am at a crossroads.
I could very easily do something that looks risky or stupid.
However, I know what I am supposed to do, just not when.
The problem is my practicality and my courage or lack-there-of.
Things could get very interesting very soon.
If you don't have any idea about what I'm talking about don't worry, all will be revealed in due time. I'm sure right now you are about as confused as I am. Sorry about that. I needed to vent.

"So do not worry..." Matthew 6:25,31
"But see first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33 (NIV)