Maiden Voyage

Tomorrow I am taking Miss Gulch out on her first trip. We're going to go to Bipartisan Cafe and having coffee with Karissa. I hope Almira makes it, because it would be rather unfortunate if something happened and I had to miss class because of said unfortunate incident.

In other news, in the last two days I've had an exam or a test or a quiz in all my classes. And I have an exam in Bibliology/Theology Proper on Friday that I know I'm not prepared for. I'm also way behind in my reading for History/Poetry, so I really need to get caught up in those classes. Fortunately my boss is really flexible with my schedule, so if I need to come in at a different time than what is on the schedule I gave him, he's fine with it.

Another thing that is a source of stress is the Do You See Orange? campaign that our Acting on AIDS group is doing this week. We're a bit behind, and still need to get the t-shirts sold! But, praise be to God, we had a really productive meeting on Saturday and were able to assign leadership roles (yes!), set some goals, and fill out our paperwork for STUGO, so we'll be chartered as an official student organization... as soon as I turn in the paperwork. Dot, dot, dot, sigh. But I am excited to get up at 5 in the morning tomorrow to put up the fliers! I get a kick out of those kind of things, and the morning is so beautiful. There's a simple form of perfection found in the morning stillness that can chase away any woe.

I think I'm going to start running again. I haven't really done it much since I ran on the cross-country team in high school, and I really miss it. And I spent a ton of money on new running shoes earlier this year, to train for a half-marathon I'm not going to run, so I may as well get some use out of them!

Friday night is an art auction that will raise funds for the ministry I'm involved in. I've been looking forward to this for weeks, and I feel it's important for me to go so I can finally start taking an ownership of the ministry I do. Unfortunately, my good friend, an old friend, a kindred soul, a brother of mine, Ben Dial, is having his first show that night in Salem. Ugh! Ben's first show! Do you know how badly I want to be there? I want to be there a lot. So much of me wants to forsake the art auction and go down to Salem. But I can't do that. It wouldn't be right. My ministry is a commitment I've made, and commitments are meant to be held, even when it doesn't seem convenient. I'd love more than anything to go to Ben's show, but I guess I'll see his next one.

Saturday I plan to go to the Portland Art Museum. They have student pass that I will buy and I'm really excited for it. I pay only $10 and I get in for a year! Special exhibitions are excluded, but that's okay: I can go to the PAM whenever I want! I may go on Saturday with Margaux, which will be nice because we don't live together anymore and I hardly ever see her.

I've started reading a new book. Being White: Finding our Place in a Multiethnic World, by Paula Harris and Doug Schaupp. It's really good and I've enjoyed reading the first few chapters. I'm trying to break my habit of starting books and never finishing them. I have a lot of good books that I've never read, mainly because I'm scared of never finishing them once starting. But I'd like to read the books I have, so I've got to start. The only way to get my books read is to start reading them. And not just start reading them: I've got to keep reading them.

Well, it is late and I must get up in six hours so I can put fliers up around campus. I'll let you know how Miss Gulch does!