Short

It may come as a surprise to some of you that I am capable of writing a short blog post. Here’s a quick update, like I promised. If you want to take a look at some videos from President Ryken’s inauguration, here’s a link www.wheaton.edu/wetn then click on inauguration. There are two videos that have the whole ceremony. The music starts about 20 minutes into the first video. I hope you enjoy it.

It’s been a bit of a crazy day. Physics lab was a little long and the power went out this morning. Just a weird day in general. Chill day is tomorrow which means everyone from my floor hangs out on the lawn and just has fun all day. And I need to go to my small group meeting.

Backup

The inauguration of Wheaton’s 8th president, Dr. Philip Ryken was Friday. It was a great ceremony, not to mention historical. Dr. Litfin gave Dr. Ryken a medallion, that the president wears and a baton. There are a lot  of visitors on campus this week and Billy Graham wrote a letter saying that he wished he could come, but he couldn’t. I got the opportunity to sing at the event with Glee Club, Women’s Chorale, and the Concert Choir.

Tuesday night I walked into my room and realized that my backpack was not there. After pausing for just a few moments to search my room (there were not that many places to look), I rushed back to the cafeteria because I realized that I must have set it down to eat, and then left without it. The maintenance men who were there said they hadn’t seen it and when I checked the lost and found, the office was closed and the only person in the office couldn’t open it for me. After that I really felt like I had failed. I had no idea  what I was going to do without my backpack. At first I just hoped that it would turn up at the lost and found early the next morning and that I would be just fine. Then I realized that that was a small chance and that the office opened at 8:30 and my Physics class was at 8:00. I really did not know what I could do. I felt helpless. There was nothing I could do to get my backpack back. If you have read my second blog post, you know that the one thing I consistently worry about is being unprepared, usually because I forgot or lost something, so realizing that I actually was unprepared and there was nothing I could do about it made me feel very vulnerable. It is hard to really remember my emotions vividly in retrospect. I know that I was really struggling to get a good perspective. I was trying to really think about what the consequences were to losing all my homework, notes, textbooks and even my “clicker” a device that Wheaton uses in its science classes for practice questions and to track attendance. I had other notebooks that I could take notes with, and I could borrow someone else’s textbook for the readings so short term I could make things work except for the clicker. I needed that in order to get points for attendance. Then I started thinking along the same lines as when I wrote that earlier post (Goodbye, Aug. 9), “I need to rely on God. I’m supposed to be able to trust God especially when I can’t rely on my own resources.” All these verses came into my head like Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord… and lean not on your own understanding.” or Romans 8:28. I was trying to see how God might be using the situation to be teaching me a lesson, that I needed to depend on him rather than the things I do and own. I tried to think through the worst case scenario of what would happen if I did have to learn this lesson the hard way. If I worked really hard, or spent a lot of money replacing everything, I could get through the semester. If not, I could end up just failing all my classes. I really did feel like I had just made an unfixable error. There didn’t seem to be many good options. The best one seemed to be leaving school and going home. I thought through every option I could, but the only one that seemed appealing was someone coming to me in the next few hours and saying, “Hey I found your name in this backpack. Is it yours?” Anything short of that would have been a big annoyance at the least, and probably somewhat embarrassing.

When I got back to my room, I found my other backpack, which I brought with me so I didn’t ruin my new backpack at camp. Soon, I realized that I also had my Physics notebook and textbook because I had been working on some homework problems earlier. That was a big relief because I had spent at least an hour on that homework already and I only had one or two questions left. My TI-84 Plus graphing calculator was in my backpack, but fortunately, my TI-36X solar scientific calculator was still in my desk drawer. My new, convenient, thinline ESV which was a recent gift from my parents was in my backpack, but I still had my 15 lb. hardcover MacArthur NASB study Bible. I think you can see where this is going. I felt like the astronauts on Apollo 13 returning to earth after all their primary systems had failed them, but it looked like I just might survive. In fact, the only things I could not find replacements for were my syllabi, my “clicker” and my notebook with all my past notes in it. I later remembered that I had taken my textbooks out so that my backpack would be lighter for Glee Club, which I hardly ever do.

In general things worked out, but it was a rough week. I had some extra events in my schedule due to the inauguration and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert on campus, especially since I helped direct traffic for the CSO concert and had to practice singing for the inauguration. I also had a high school student who is considering attending Wheaton staying in my room Thursday night.  However, we had an unusual collaboration day in Physics on Wednesday, so I didn’t need my notes or clicker, and a good friend on my floor let me study for a wellness test on Thursday from his notes. I was really worried about Friday. I kept telling myself, as long as I have my backpack back by Friday, I’ll be fine. But it didn’t turn up. By the way, for you fans of “La Robe” it is still alive and well on the Wheaton campus. The picture is of Andrew’s birthday last Saturday, and it also turned up on Thursday, to the awkward surprise of the highschool student who was visiting. By the way, thank you for all your birthday wishes. You have no idea how great it was to hear from all of you during a time that was really rough for multiple reasons. I know the picture is terrible. If you really want a good picture, I’m sure you can find one on Facebook, this one is from my phone. Actually, while I’m at it, the picture at the top really has nothing to do with this post, it’s from when I went downtown with Andrew’s friends for the Jazz fest, but it’s a good picture.

So, back to the backpack. Friday morning, I still did not have my backpack. I had to tell Dr. Craig that I lost my clicker (again, I lost it after the first class as well. That time it was hiding behind my textbooks) Right before class, I was still frustrated. During class I could barely focus and stop thinking about whether it would be better to have to explain why I was missing my clicker again or whether I should just lose my points for being absent. I was disappointed, but after I checked the lost and found again, I had pretty much given it up for lost. I should mention that there was a full backpack there, and I was jealous of the person who had probably made the same mistake I had made, but their backpack ended up in the lost and found. After that passed, I had gotten to the point where I realized I could live without it. I was disappointed, and I really wished I could do something to get it back, but I didn’t see anything I could do. So I just decided that I needed to do whatever I could without my backpack, thank God that I had not lost more and do my best with what I still had. Afterwards I went to microeconomics class, and borrowed a syllabus from a friend, then I ate and changed clothes and went to the inauguration. After the inauguration I actually had my first opportunity to rest since Tuesday. I finally felt somewhat peaceful, like I didn’t have to worry about it, and that I might have to work harder, but everything would work out. After dinner, I left the cafeteria with a friend, then remembered that earlier someone had told me that sometimes when people find things in the cafeteria, they put them on the coat rack. So I stopped, and went back in, thinking that after all the places I checked, that was the least likely. I glanced at the rack, and there was a backpack. After a sort of double take I realized that it was a backpack that looked just like mine. It really was a fantastic surprise. I picked it up and spun around to tell my friend who was behind me. After a moment I realized I should look inside to make sure it was actually my backpack and it was. I have to say, I don’t think I really understood the parable of the woman with the lost coins before. Now I do. I really did feel like throwing a party.

One more thing, Wednesday is Bilbo and Frodo Baggins’ birthday. If you get a chance, wish your friends’ toe hair long life.

Routine Running

Three weeks sounds like a pretty long time to me. You would think that after having the same schedule for three weeks, a person could feel like they were actually starting to get used to a routine. I am feeling a bit more comfortable with my schedule and classes now, but I still have trouble with some really simple things like being on time. I have been on time for work and for all my classes so far, but I have not been quite as punctual for some other things. Over Labor Day weekend, Andrew and I bought weekend train passes and we ended up going downtown three different times. The first time, Andrew and David (who was visiting for the weekend) went downtown and saw the sights, but I had practice that morning with Glee Club and the other choirs (we practiced with Women’s Chorale and the concert Choir) so I went downtown with a friend and met them for dinner. It turned out that the line at Giordano’s was longer than we thought it would be and by the time we finished eating it was only twenty minutes before the time that our train was supposed to leave. We started walking back to the train station, then David suggested running. About one block later my shoe lace snapped. I don’t know how to describe running in practically laceless shoes. The hardest part is keeping your foot flat instead of lifting your heel first. If you have run for a long distance in flip-flops you probably have a pretty good idea of what I’m talking about. I think I just realized why a certain muscle in my right leg was particularly sore when we were walking downtown the next day. In any case, we made it to the station out of breath, and saw the train still in the station, but the guard wouldn’t let us get on because the doors were already closed. So we ended up sitting in the station’s food court working on a crossword puzzle and reading for two hours until the 10:40 train came. Since then, I think I have run to catch three trains at College Ave. I have caught all of them so far, but I’d rather not get into the habit of it, if it isn’t already too late. I think I know what my problem is. The first full day I was here I timed my walk from my room to the cafeteria: six minutes. So ever since, I think I have been subconsciously assuming that it only takes six minutes to walk anywhere on campus, which just is not true. I now know that it takes about six minutes to run to the train station. And about ten minutes to power walk to the conservatory building or the Wade Center. Fortunately, except for Thursdays, when my Physics lab ends at 4:05 (unless my group takes longer, like the last two weeks) to get to Glee Club at 4:15, I’m usually not far from where I need to be. My microeconomics class is right in the middle of campus so it is easy to get to the Wade Center, and my science classes and labs are right next to the student center/cafeteria, so it only takes about three minutes (and two flights of stairs) to get to my Physics class from breakfast.
Last Sunday (the day after the failed train run), Andrew, David, some of Andrew’s friends and I went downtown. We tossed a Frisbee at the park and hung out at the Jazz Fest, then we went to Navy Pier, then the beach (yes there is a beach in downtown Chicago). It’s kind of funny, I remember a certain muscle in my right leg being really sore that day, and I could not understand why. It just occurred to me that it may have had something to do with the awkward way that I ran to the train station the day before. Since then I have been hanging out with a certain group of Andrew’s friends quite a bit and it turns out one of them is in my Physics class and another is the T.A. for that Physics lab and is in Women’s Chorale, and I tend to run into them around campus. It’s a bit confusing when they call Andrew, “Flavin” but to make things easier they call me “little Flavin”, which I think is funny because not very many people call me little anymore. It was really fun hanging out with them. We had a lot of fun.
In my Wellness class, one assignment is to exercise for at least half an hour five days a week. It doesn’t sound very hard, and it really should not be very hard. Nevertheless, it’s been a struggle for me. It has been a little easier since I joined an intermural Ultimate Frisbee team, and there is a swing dancing club that meets on Tuesdays, but the other three days are hard for me. I think it’s mainly because I don’t really know what to do. Half an hour is not really that long, and I do generally enjoy exercise, but the only sport really played at home was racquetball, and they don’t have racquetball courts here. I might take up tennis, but until then, my primary alternatives are running and weight lifting, neither of which are particularly thrilling to me. A few days ago I went running with someone on my floor named Drew. We ran for about fifteen minutes until we got to the Glen Ellyn library, spent a few minutes there and ran back. I enjoyed that, but mainly just because it was something new. Last night, I was starting to get worried because it was late, and I had not gotten my exercise in yet. It was during open floors so a few guys from our floor went to the lobby on our sister floor and started playing spoons with some of the girls there. After we started kept thinking, “I should really get going, I still need to get in my half an hour of exercise.” But then we started playing Ultimate Spoons. In case you haven’t played spoons before, it’s pretty simple, all you need to do is pass cards around in a circle, keeping four cards in your hand at a time, until someone has four of the same number, then they can grab a spoon. There is one less spoon than people playing, so one person ends up without a spoon and that person is out. Ultimate Spoons is more like an extreme Easter egg hunt. Instead of placing the spoons in the middle of the circle, we put the spoons all over our floor and our sister floor. So, as soon as someone got a set of four, everyone bolted for the door and sprinted down the hall. Of course, the lobby door was facing the other direction, so to get out of the lobby we had to turn 180 degrees and sprint the other direction, then we had to turn 90 degrees and sprint past the stairwell and down our floor. Near the end of the game, when there were only a few people left, other people started hiding the spoons all over the place. In one round, I ran from one end of the hall to the other three times, and another time up and down four flights of stairs a few times, once someone gave us a hint about the last two spoons. For the last round, on a hunch I popped a balloon lying on the ground and found the last spoon. Since I lasted all the way to the end, I counted that for my exercise yesterday. I’m not sure what my professor will think when he sees “extreme spoons” on my workout log, but I underlined “extreme” three times, so hopefully he’ll get the idea.
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