"Will you take me . . . to the ball?"

Like Barbara Manatee, I find myself wishing I could go to the 1940s Ball on Friday night, but I have neither tickets nor the money to buy any. However, I do get to sing for a lovely First Friday/Immaculate Conception Vigil Mass at my parish, so all is not lost for that evening. I could go home and pray the Rosary. There will be plenty of time for dancing next year, I hope!

Guys, guess what?

I am totally a soprano.  :D  I know this because, reclining here on the couch, I sang along with Renee Fleming singing "He Shall Feed His Flock," and it kind of worked!

Virginia Cold

They said, yes it got cold here, but it's a dry kind of cold so not as bad.  In fact, I experienced this phenomenon visiting here last winter, when the temperatures were certainly low but the dryness and the sun kept you from feeling the full force of it.  I am here to tell you: it is cold and NOT in a dry way right now!  It's full-on Virginia cold, overcast, looking like it will snow any moment (and probably will), and just overall a good day to stay indoors.  That said, tonight is Saturday night and I'm going out!  Cold be darned.

That Song

It's so maddening to have a snatch of a song stuck in your head and not be able to identify it, not just because you don't remember the rest of the song, but also because you probably never knew the title and all the lyrics are probably as vague and incoherent as are the ones of the snatch you CAN remember.  It goes like this: da da DAA da da da, DAAA da da da daaaa.  Or something.  It might be classic rock.

Climbing with a Polish Guy

Before moving squarely back into my information overload and further musings on graduate student life, I must say a few words about the last hurrah of summer I've experienced in the past few days: going rock climbing with a random Polish guy I met on rockclimbing.com.

First of all, it's been darn inconvenient! Initially (meaning, before school started and work happened and I realized there was no way), I had hoped to set aside Thursday through Sunday solely for climbing. However . . . no. I had to renege on my promises, which made me feel guilty of course, but there was no way around it because of my work schedule and commitments. Work is a good thing--and it helps pay for expensive climbing gear!

Second, it's been a blast. I do love climbing: maybe not every day, maybe not every moment, but there's just something about getting out there, pushing your limits, winding up with dirt under your fingernails. It's great.

Third, Amadek (the Polish guy) is interesting. Not to generalize, but I tend to find people from Europe interesting to begin with, simply because they have a way different perspective on the world and its happenings from what we get here in the U.S. So there's that. And he's also a really good climber, unfailingly kind to me (in putting up all the top ropes and cleaning the routes when I can't--basically the boyfriend-climber role, without the benefits), VERY phlegmatic, seems to make himself at home anyplace, and also gives the impression of being at least two or three years younger than he is. I have to admit, too, that I have the typical American girl delight in the cute accent, such as the way he emphatically says "nooo" or "let's go!" or "yes, of course" or "I suppose"--you have to wonder where people pick up these quirks in a second language.

So, even though I climbed only yesterday (Saturday) and part of Thursday afternoon, I think it's been a good and broadening experience to have. A lot of my limits and my comfort zone levels have been pushed, and in ways that I didn't expect. For instance, I didn't realize how much my stress levels were affected by not having a really GOOD idea what I would be doing from one day to the next, or being fully able to drive that scheduling process. I also have a better understanding of how exposure (or lack of exposure) on the rock affects my feelings and mental processes during rock climbing. A lot of good stuff like that. In short, my life is beautiful and amazing and thanks be to God and my good angels for keeping me safe, if not quite sane. :)

TMI

Agh!!!! Too much information . . . this could never be truer than in the first week of classes in a library and information science program. That is all.

IT Person

I'm a bit tired of being pigeonholed as an IT person. Clearly, I don't want to sit at a desk and do software development, because that is precisely what I've left behind. Still, my resume is chock full of the stuff: technologies, IT skills, computer literacy. It's all very good and very "marketable," but not extremely exciting to me. I'd rather get in people's heads (not literally) and figure out what is really best for us to do from the perspective of wisdom. It might very well be less technology rather than more, or the same amount--I don't know yet. I feel it will be very important for me to explore these ideas, however, in the coming days. I need to make a plan.