To be frank, I did not think much about doing an actual PhD program. A PhD program has always been for me that “pie in the sky” dream that you never really think you’ll achieve. Now I know that some of you will protest that clearly I am a born student and of course I was going to get into a PhD program, but if that is your position, suspend that for a minute because that was not my mindset.

I am aware that I possess a decent amount of intelligence, and I know that I am a very good student, but I am by no means the smartest person I know – there are always those people who around me who just seem like they are so smart, not necessarily good students, just smart. In point of fact, I think these people are always philosophy majors since anyone who knows philosophy registers as brilliant in my mind as I find it completely baffling. But I digress. Oh yes, smarter people, and PhD programs are hard to get into, especially if you don’t want to shell out a lot of money. So when I started applying last year I didn’t really think I’d get in anywhere – I know plenty of equally smart or smarter people who haven’t gotten in yet and I know that on top of not being the smartest person I know the whole application process is a big crap shoot. All of this to say that I didn’t really expect to get in anywhere.

So there I was sitting in PhD orientation and having these moments of stunning realization that this is what I’ve really wanted, this is what I’ve worked really hard to achieve, this is what all of those sacrifices were for – it was a great feeling, kind of like being on the top of a roller coaster right before you go down.

And then. And then I realized that not only have I achieved my one really big dream, I now must follow through with it. This may sound a bit obvious, but as classes got started all of the sudden realized that I hadn’t thought much about actually getting a degree, just getting into a program. So, as I sit here doing my massive amounts of reading, I’m having to readjust and rework what’s next because I kind of feel like I’ve achieved it all and am a little baffled that I still have work to do.

Having said all of that, I will say that it has been a hectic summer, which we are thankful to have survived in one piece and that the fall looks even more hectic and we’re a little scared. Adam started his new job as a youth pastor today and I, as has been mentioned multiple times now, start classes. Unfortunately, Adam’s new job is in Livermore, which is about 30 miles southeast of here so he has the car all day almost every day, which means that in order for me to get to class I have to walk a mile to the subway, take the subway two stops and then walk another mile to class, and then do the whole thing in reverse to get home. AND, while it is downright chilly here in the summer, it is in the 80s now so it is a little toasty for walking long distances with a bag full of books. Not that I’m complaining, I’m just saying …

So, until the next time Adam threatens to delete my blog, I wish you all the best and if you’re bored and like to read some books for me and take notes, let me know, I have a plethora …

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are LOTS of things to be done. We are moving in a month after all; and all of these things sounded very appealing yesterday when I had to write my paper (I mean, who wouldn’t rather run errands, buy rubbermaid storage containers, or clean out their clothes when the alternative is struggling through a paper?). But this afternoon, with a free and clear evening in front of me, none of those things sound the least bit appealing. They all take quite a bit of effort when you really think about it.

Yet, neither do I want to watch TV, which is a very bizarre anomaly that has been worrying about my health and sanity. I watched the episode of House from last night and we finished The Fugitive over lunch and nothing else on the TiVo really grabs my attention. Whereas yesterday, yesterday it all sounded so delightful. This sounds rather whiny, but to be honest, I’m not really complaining, I’m just wondering about this annoying phenomenon. It’s not entirely like the grass is greener on the other side (I definitely do not wish I was still writing a long, boring paper), but it’s kind of close. Maybe the things I can’t have just are so much more appealing for being unattainable …

Anyway, back to my couch sitting.

On tap are the whole of the Institutes by Calvin, a philosophy class on theology (what makes a theology good, etc), Practicing the Presence of God (and learning about the history of spirituality), and a thesis on something to do with theology of the Spirit and spirituality (right now I’m reading Spirituality and History by Philip Sheldrake).

Meanwhile I’m still working at the seminary doing filing and other such exciting things, and teaching Adult Sunday School at a local church, which seems like a good way to stay a little grounded.

So, there you have it. The first half week is done only 11 and a half weeks to go before the next semester starts …

In the meantime, in case you need a study or work break and you’re waiting on someone to make their move in Scrabulous (the most fabulous new facebook game that lets you play scrabble with your friends online and makes having facebook TOTALLY worth it now), you can watch these videos in honor of Rosh Hashanah, which has effectively passed by now (if my Jewish cultural heritage memory serves me correctly). [Do you sometimes wonder if I could possibly squeeze more words into a sentence just to make them a teeny tiny bit longer than the monstrosities that they already are?]

This is the Rosh Hashanah video, but before you watch it, you should watch this video because it is the inspiration and this video which is an interview with the actress in that video, AND THEN the Rosh Hashanah video will be really funny since it is a response.

We watched An Inconvenient Truth Saturday night when we got home and I now am of the belief that everyone should watch it. I think the work Al Gore has done and continues to do is amazing and incredibly important. (I feel like if I had lost the presidential election to Bush I might still be moping, but this man has definitely done something productive with his time) Not only is it an incredibly relevant (and urgent) topic for our day and age, but the film is really well done and very engaging. Definitely a must see. Definitely.

This is my husband. He looks easy going, but he can be very stubborn. Unfortunately, for him, not as stubborn as his very tenacious wife. Adam almost always goes to bed after I do; so, when we’re sharing a room (like on vacation) it’s Adam’s job to turn off the light before he goes to sleep. Well, one night Adam decided to go to bed when I did, so we had no one to turn off the light. The result was both of us lying in bed waiting for the other person to get up and turn off the light. We both tried to pretend we were sleeping so the other person would have to get up, but inevitably after five or six seconds we’d start giggling. Adam held out almost five minutes, but in the end he decided to take the “high road” and turn off the light. And victory is mine. Thank you.

Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh may not be great literature, but considering I read it all on the plane ride from Rochester to Seattle, I think it’s pretty good. It is an engaging story and definitely worth picking up should you want to escape your own life for a little while, or simply pass time quickly.

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson, on the other hand, might be consider great literature. Or perhaps not, but still a great book and definitely worth reading. The novel blends “case histories” or glimpses of different people’s lives into one story with a murder at the heart of it all.

Caroling. Mmm. Adam’s family is big into caroling. Every year they carol through nursing homes and hospitals and to elderly folks who don’t get out much. It combines both holiday cheer and good outreach. It also goes for four hours. Adam can tell you that I’m not much of a caroler. I once sang in choirs and did all that good stuff, but have since put it behind me. I am, perhaps, the most reluctant of carolers. But, tradition is tradition and so we caroled.

My brother’s girlfriend got Little Miss Sunshine for Christmas and let us borrow it, since neither of had seen it. Probably you’ve already watched it, but if you haven’t, you should. We both laughed, cringed, and stared in abject horror sometimes all at the same time. Good movie.

Well, there was more, but that’s enough for now. Two more days until class starts (Adam, sadly, decided not to take a class this Jan term and will have to stay home while I get up every morning for class; but, it’s okay because he’s going to do all the cooking and cleaning for us – yay!!! (if I write it on a blog that makes it true right??))

The food, which students and their spouses cooked (not us after our cooking fiasco), was amazing.

It was fun to hang out with friends and relax. Jeff was a little reluctant to dance, but he got over it . . .

Now for final papers and projects.

More photos here . . .

We had to write one page on Psalm 23. Simple. Except it’s not really my favorite – never has been – too used, too lovely, who knows, no good reason. So, for one page, I focused on the one part that I do like, the second phrase of the first line – ‘I shall not want.’ Herein lies the problem. I have always thought ‘I shall not want’ refers to the Shepherd, not actually not wanting anything.

As a side note, I’d like to point out that when you do not provide an object, it does not unreasonable to assume the object being referred to is the one in the previous clause. Just saying . . .

So, I wrote a whole paper on how I appreciated the fact that sometimes we don’t want the rest and care offered to us. Apparently there is a comma and apparently the comma is traditionally taken to separate the clauses so that the object of the first clause is not the object of the second clause. Apparently I shall not want actually means I shall not want – like not want anything. Sigh.

I think I’m ready to be done with this semester.

One website is all about outreach opportunities in the area. And, while you might not be able to do these specific things, they might spark some ideas about how to be involved in your own community.

The second website is all about living ecologically friendly lives (living green if you will). While there are some specifics aimed at this community, it has so many links and ideas for how to live more environmentally sound lives that no matter who you are or where you live you find something to help you make the earth last a little longer.

And, even if none of that appeals to you, you should still check it out because I made them and they’re pretty for my first websites with multiple pages.