On libraries

So I have just come from my college library. Now despite what you might think, this was not a pleasant experience for me. Since my freshman year, I have not enjoyed our library. Despite my fathers constant advice that studying there would be better than in my room, I avoided it. At the time the best excuse I could find for this was that it was a very long way away from my dorm building, not made easier by the winter months, or inclement weather in general. My second complaint was that it didn't contain any FUN books. I continued to do my homework in my room for the most part and life continued on.

So today I once more sojourn to the library, because it was kinda sorta required for a class. I browse for what I was supposed to browse, then wandered around to areas I had not yet investigated. Before long I had settled down in a chair on the third floor and was pulling out my reading for tomorrow. And you know what? I did my homework at the library. It was terrible. I could not get comfortable in the silly chair (and there weren't more comfortable ones) and it was so quiet that when someone started typing nearby it was extremely distracting. I just wanted to get out and go back to my room. But I stuck it out and finished my reading. On my way back to my dorm I ran into a friend who was headed INTO the library. We proceeded to discuss how much we did not enjoy the library, and I realized there were good reasons for my feelings of dislike toward the library.

(This next section might seem a little off topic, but bear with me! It's relevant.) So I have this best friend and we've know each other forever, but we haven't gone to school together for the past six and a half years. We try to stay in touch with skype, but it's not quite the same. So when we do see each other again, you could probably guess that we get pretty excited. :) After the happy enthusiastic greetings, and flurry of hugging usually the next thing we do is grab a couple books (or a really large stack of books) and sit next to each other on the couch/bed/floor and read. It's awesome! We exchange books/recommendations and get to it. The great part of that is when one of us gets to a really funny, or a really epic part we say, "Hey, listen to this!" and proceed to read it out loud. With our school library I just feel like laughing out loud at a book would be frowned upon, let alone then proceeding to read said funny part out loud would be frowned upon.

To sum up why I do not enjoy the Wheaton College library: no fun books, uncomfortable seating, unpleasant lighting, the stifling silence, and feeling that if you were in the library, you should be studying. I always have the vague feeling that I'm doing something I'm not supposed to be doing. And that feeling does not pair well in my mind with books. Books make me feel like I can do anything!



This would be my ideal library. Okay, have you seen Beauty and the Beast? I'm hoping that you have. (If you haven't, go watch it! It's a classic Disney movie, and probably my second favorite Disney Princess.) Picture the library that Beast has in his castle (it's a good general base for my perfect imaginary library.) A huge room with floor to ceiling bookshelves, including those ladders you've always wanted to play on but never had the chance to. Take and entire wall of this room and make it a floor to ceiling window overlooking a gorgeous garden that perhaps has a small brook running through it with orchards in the distance. There would be an elegant door leading out into this garden which in favorable weather could be opened to let in delicious breezes and warmth from the glorious sunlight as well as delightful bird song. A large curtain of deep green could be drawn for atmosphere purposes.

Off to one side would be the reading corner. It would have a lower ceiling that the rest of the library, so as to make the atmosphere much more comfortable. While there would still be a few bookshelves, there would be some wall space for fantastic and beautiful art. There would be serene scenes of nature, majestic images of wild creatures, sculpture: simple and elegant, yet thought-provoking. Next would be the fireplace. It would be simply enormous, always lit, and some nights cozy winter nights s'mores would be made. The chairs would be plentiful and fantastic: no two alike. There would be recliners, and loveseats, and chaise lounges.The carpet would be thick and soft for those would decide to forgo the fantastic seating options. There would also be an inexhaustible supply of soft blankets and fluffy pillows (blanket forts ALWAYS encouraged.) In one corner would be a bubbling fountain that would provide an extremely pleasant and relaxing background sound. Against one wall would be the drink station. There would be endless amounts of tea, divine hot chocolates, and delicious apple cider. Those wishing for something cool and refreshing would also not be disappointed. Iced tea, and lemonade, and possibly even combinations of the two would abound. No hint of coffee would ever enter my divine library. (Sorry guys, this is my imaginary library. You can have coffee in YOUR imaginary library.) The mugs would be created by me, and they would all be unique and beautiful. This area of my library is also where the library dog would also spend most of it's time. (Alright, let's be honest. I would probably have multiple library dogs. Also probably some cats.)
All that doesn't even begin to cover the books. The books! There would be any and all books I could ever want to read! (Again, this is my imaginary library. If you don't like it, go create your own.) There would be fantasy and science fiction that took you to whole new worlds where anything is possible. Biographies of brilliant and interesting people. Historical fiction that carries the events of an age long past back into remembrance. Brilliant theology that illuminated and clarified scripture. There would be be beautiful leather bound tomes, and old paperbacks yellowed with age and knowledge. C. S. Lewis, Patrick Rothfuss, Diana Wynne Jones, Terry Pratchett, Ray Bradbury, J. R. R. Tolkien, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Jane Austen, Brain Jacques, Donald Miller. There would be audiobooks for those who wished to enjoy a story while doing something with their hands. The temperature and humidity would always be perfect for book health, and nothing short of evil magic could harm these books. No pages could be bent, no spines broken, no blemishes made. And this would not be a library of silence! Not a raucous place for mischief, but a place where books could be discussed and passages could be shared. There would be visits from authors, parties where one would dress up as a character from a book, night adventures into the gardens by lantern light. It would be a place of joy and knowledge and serenity.

And so once more it begins....

School starts once more and it has been going so well! For the first time in my entire college career I don't have an eight o clock class (at least for A quad) and  unlike last semester which was four class on Monday, Wednesday, Friday I only have one! My first class was Medieval/Byzantine Art History With our new art historian in the first five minutes of class took a flying leap over a table. He was trying to illustrate how important medieval art history was to our day to day lives. It was definitely a good way to begin the semester. I went and checked my CPO box and found that I had five pac slips (yes, they were for textbooks, but still! I got packages!) retrieved my books and heading out for food. At lunch I ran into every single one of my friends that had been studying abroad or at least studying elsewhere along with a good percentage of my other good friends. It was awesome! It was so good to see people I had missed for a semester, or even people I missed just over break. I went into Saga with nobody to eat with and ended up with three different saga dates.  It made me smile. Really the only low point in my first day was chorale. It was not fun to go back to music I didn't like without my chorale buddy who was a big reason I made it through last semester.
Day two of classes (which almost still counts as day one at college since we rotate which classes we take on MWF and TR) was also a lot of fun. I was a little apprehensive going into my Chicago class (it's what it sounds like: a class about Chicago) as I am not able to fit Wheaton in Chicago into my schedule, but there was a good spread of people there, including several others like me who just like Chicago and want to learn more about it. My teacher had us go around the room and say what year we were and what major we are and we tallied it up on the board. I would say there are about 30 people in the class (and there were several who weren't there the first day) and we had over 20 majors in the class. I was really impressed. It's very cool to be in an environment that is that diverse and varied. Next I had psychology 101. I think this is going to be a really fun class. The prof teaching it is really entertaining and obviously knows what he is doing. Finally I had my first Photo 1 class! This was a class I was a little apprehensive about because I took Digital Photography last semester and I learned a lot, but I felt the relationship between my prof and I had ended a little strangely. The first Photo 1 class was at the same time familiar and different in good ways. My biggest complaint about Digital had been that all that we talked about what the technical aspects of the camera equipment and the computer software we had been using. Already the readings we had for this class have covered content of what you are taking pictures of. I have high hopes for this class. :)
All in all this semester is off to a really good start and I am optimistic for the rest of it.

So last night.....

Yesterday my friends had a first day of the year party. Frankly I love our definition of a party. We watch ridiculous movies/TV shows that we pick mostly because of our ability to make fun of them, we eat entirely too much food (usually pizza), and drink a ton of soda. There are usually video games, and a large variety of other nerdy things. It's amazing. So I was first to show up for this party and my friend Shannon and I immediately go and do what has become a new party tradition for us since we have both gone off to different colleges: hiding from the rest of the party and talking about everything new in each others lives. We also resolved to try and talk DURING the semester a couple times this year.

So after my boyfriend finally found our crafty hiding place we rejoined the rest of the group and watched really old, really terrible cartoons including the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon! Oh my gosh, it was terrible! There was an acrobat class, and the character who was said class had a terrifying weapon: a stick! That was probably my favorite thing to make fun of in it! However while all this was going on, Shannon looks over at me and innocently says, "Hey you should create a character!"

And that's when it all began.

From that point on, I was learning. I'm still a little lost. Ok, really lost. I stared at the page with the different races and I was kind of like O.o. How am I supposed to choose one. Eventually I settled on a halfling. It helped that Shannon was making one too. So I handled the easy things like name, eye color, hair color, and after that I was completely deer in headlights. There were numbers and math. But it was kind of fun. So Shannon and I sloooooowly worked through a profile before our Dungeon Master got frustrated with how slow things were going, took my computer and finished everything for me. Then the real trial began! I was the only newb there and it was painfully obvious, but it was still pretty fun. Our small intrepid group was hoping to earn some money by killing some zombies! ...It didn't go well. But it was fun! I felt so bad for Shannon though! My turn would come around and I could get the dice roll by myself..... and then I'd be going, "Shannon! Shannon! What do I do now?"

It was most certainly a new experience for me. I think with a little for practice and a little more help from a friend who does know what they are doing (Shannon!!!!) I could really be having fun with this. However, I think after I go back to school I'm not going to have a chance to actually do this, so I'm not sure how committed I want to get with this. Time will tell!!

Also! My father texted me in the middle of the game and asked what I was doing, and I found out HE used to play D&D. He suggested I play a Paladin because they're the best (according to him.) THEN when I got home I found out my MOM had even played once. The new things you find out about your parents are astounding!

Farewell to all my nerdy friends! I love you all!!

New Year's Eve Ramblings and class schedule

So here I sit on New Years Eve at my babysitting job, sitting on the couch with a microwave pizza and a Coke watching one of my favorite chick flicks, Hitch.

Side note: Normally I am not the chick flick kind of girl. I would much rather watch an action movie. Almost always. But this movie makes me laugh. I’ve seen it many times but it still makes me giggle. Plus I guess it's more of a romantic comedy. Is there a difference between a romantic comedy and a chick flick? Eh, if there is one, it's not a big one.

Now normally this is not really how someone might like to spend New Years Eve. I wasn’t really thrilled about it when I heard about it, but I’m actually enjoying it. My friends are having a party tomorrow, which is really our New Years Eve party. Anyways, this quiet evening “out.” (haha) I’m doing something useful with myself and still having fun. I did forgot that not every family has not password protected wireless internet. Opps. THAT is why I am typing this up in a Word document. Also texting friend people that I like which is quite pleasant. I think I’m going to have to entitle this New Years Eve Ramblings.

So as I said, I am really enjoying this evening, however the start of next semester looms in the near distance. I am once again taking eighteen credit hours. I was discussing my schedule with one of my best friends at school and we are BOTH taking eighteen credit hours. Why are we doing this? Because we are crazy. But I’m actually looking forward to this next semester. My last semester was incredibly difficult for me, but I think this coming one is going to be a lot better.

My class schedule is as follows.

Chicago: This is a two credit hour class I’m taking A quad that I’m really excited for. It satisfies a social science credit and a diversity credit. The class is what the title says. Everything about Chicago. Now I’ll admit that I have not been to every big city in the United States. I probably haven’t even been to a lot of them. But Chicago is my favorite out of all of them. It is a beautiful city full of exciting adventures. (Ok, remember when I was resolved to not use thing as much as possible? It’s a lot harder for me than I thought!)

Intro to Psych: There is a long list of majors I think I could have enjoyed: Geology, English Literature, History, Psychology! I really enjoy psychology, much more than sociology (Sorry mom!) and I’m hoping I’ll do well in this class.

Something or other music survey: This class I am NOT looking forward too. I have already wasted more time than I was willing to give in the music conservatory. But my poor confused relationship with the music conservatory and the art department will be a topic for another time. Probably a long one.

Medieval/Byzantine Art: Confession- I haven’t gotten any of my Art History requirements done yet. This one will be my first. Our department just got a new art historian, and this topic is apparently his passion. I have come to the conclusion that if I am going to start Art History this will be a good place to start.

Photo 1: Ok, I’ll admit I’m a little apprehensive about this class. Photo 1 is film photography which I have dabbled in a bit but I could do so much more with it. Hence taking this class. Last semester I took Digital Photography and honestly I think I’m still figuring out the photography professor. I also get the feeling he’s still trying to figure out me. Maybe this class will be better since I kind of know what to expect from Greg. I’m hoping.

Women’s Chorale: All I am going to say about this is that I hope it goes better than last semester. Cabinet is driving me crazy. They treat us neither as adults nor as good musicians. I am both. I’m pretty sure most of the rest of chorale fall into those categories as well. At this point I will settle for one other, but I would LOVE to have both.

Ceramics independent study!: Ok, so I still need to fill out the paperwork for this class, I will admit. But it’s an art class so nobody expects it to get finished on time, right? If we can’t even begin to start an art meeting on time, all the paperwork doesn’t have to be on time right? But I AM EXCITED to be getting my hands dirty. I am also terrified! I have to figure out what I’m doing for my senior show by the end of this semester. I haven’t the slightest clue what that is going to look like. Also terrified that I am not going to be able to come up with anything. But we shall see.

So, there you have it. My informative and interesting class schedule for the coming semester. It should be a party! I hope everyone had a good night and may God bless you in the coming year.