a vestige of thought...
Sunday, September 17, 2006
T is for Team Spirit
This afternoon I sat in my room watching the Bengals game (with a Browns fan and a Broncos fan whose dad doesn't like the Bengals) feeling very alone in my fandom, and thought about my family at the game and periodically moaned 'woe is me, how I wish I could be there too.' So, to console myself, I ordered a bright orange 'who dey' hoodie from Amazon.com for quite a bargain. When I was at home everyone cheered for the Bengals, but now that I'm in the middle of Kentucky where there is no football team and everyone has a different favorite, I feel a need to make my loyalties known. Hooray for Cincinnati! If I'm lucky, it will get here in time for next week's game. We shall see.
TV Announcer: It's Oktoberfest here in Cincinnati...
Sam (a few minutes later): But it's September...
TV Announcer: It's Oktoberfest here in Cincinnati...
Sam (a few minutes later): But it's September...
Saturday, September 16, 2006
S is for Soccer
So... college keeps a person pretty busy. Please accept my deepest apologies for not posting more often. :P
The first week of school I had a conversation that went something like this:
Me: Someone at home asked me how I could stand to go to a school without a football team.
Other person: Did you tell them that you do, it's just the football that's recognized by the rest of the world?
I really should have said that.
The World Cup this past summer started me on the road to soccer fandom and attending Asbury has increased it. It's a rather enthralling sport to watch. The fact that I know people on both the girls' and guys' teams also makes watching fun. Go Eagles!
Apparently the Eagle mascot lives on my hall, but I don't know who it is.
How was that for an absolutely fascinating blog entry?! I've gotten out of the habit of writing and don't really know what to say. So tell me, what would you like to know?
I have learned that Friday and Saturday nights are the best times to make friends. If you hang around public places long enough at those times, you are sure to run across someone that you don't know, or only sort of know, or knows someone you know, who is looking for something to do or someone to hang out with. This is generally followed by extremely exciting things like playing cards or walking around campus or, of you're lucky and have connections with a car, going to town to do something. Then, once you know the people you've been hanging out with, you realize that they are in this that or the other class of yours and end up talking to them throughout the week. I love the fact that hanging out with random people can be so much fun. Hooray. :)
The first week of school I had a conversation that went something like this:
Me: Someone at home asked me how I could stand to go to a school without a football team.
Other person: Did you tell them that you do, it's just the football that's recognized by the rest of the world?
I really should have said that.
The World Cup this past summer started me on the road to soccer fandom and attending Asbury has increased it. It's a rather enthralling sport to watch. The fact that I know people on both the girls' and guys' teams also makes watching fun. Go Eagles!
Apparently the Eagle mascot lives on my hall, but I don't know who it is.
How was that for an absolutely fascinating blog entry?! I've gotten out of the habit of writing and don't really know what to say. So tell me, what would you like to know?
I have learned that Friday and Saturday nights are the best times to make friends. If you hang around public places long enough at those times, you are sure to run across someone that you don't know, or only sort of know, or knows someone you know, who is looking for something to do or someone to hang out with. This is generally followed by extremely exciting things like playing cards or walking around campus or, of you're lucky and have connections with a car, going to town to do something. Then, once you know the people you've been hanging out with, you realize that they are in this that or the other class of yours and end up talking to them throughout the week. I love the fact that hanging out with random people can be so much fun. Hooray. :)
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
R is for R.I.P Steve Irwin and Reasons Why Asbury Rocks
Yesterday morning in the hall, a sign announcing the death of the Crocodile Hunter replaced the one informing us that Pluto is no longer a planet. Since then Glidians everywhere have periodically stopped to shake their head and declare, 'I can't believe Steve Irwin is dead.' Everyone sort of had this impression that he was immortal, having encountered so many deadly things and escaped unharmed. I guess he's not.
For a somewhat dramatic change of subject, here are 10 reasons why Asbury rocks:
1. Chapel, and all other spiritual aspects. I love taking a break (or three) out of my week to worship together with my classmates and not have the feeling that I could be somewhere doing homework or something. I also love the Wednesday night worship/class prayer time. Usually by Wednesday night I've started freaking out about something, and the hour or so of focusing on God really puts things into perspective. And my Understanding the New Testament class is very cool. I would not have taken that class, had I gone to a different school. Overall, I am very glad that I ended up at a school that is Christian in name and in practice.
2. Dorm life. Asbury, by far, has the nicest dorms of any of the schools I visited. That, and the amazing girls on my hall, have made this a great place to live. My hall, 1st Glide, is different from most others in Glide-Crawford because, instead of being connedted to Crawford by a 'front' hallway, it is separated from all the other halls. This, so I'm told, makes our hall especially close. Plus, we have hall 'moms' who live in Wilmore and invited us over to their houses yesterday for brunch, which was absolutely amazing. Yum. I also like that we do not have freshman halls or entire dorms. My hall is made up of mostly freshman and juniors with a few sophomores and seniors as well, and no one looks down on anyone else. It makes for a very supportive place to live.
3. The Collegian. It's only the third week of school and I, as a freshman, have already been able to write an article for the school newspaper. One of the major benefits of a small school is that if you're interested in something, most often you are able to just jump right in.
4. The professors. When you come to visit, the Ambassadors and whoever else you talk to always talks about how supportive the professors are and how they're always there for you and so on and so forth. They are telling the truth! My English professor has a standing invitation for anyone to come to her house on Friday nights to hang out, my Latin professor is also my class advisor (that is, the advisor for the entire Unashamed Class of 2010, not to be confused with my academic advisor), and it's great how each professor really wants to get to know each student.
5. Friends. I love all the people I'm meeting here. Sam (my roommate), Heather and I are having a blast, and it's great to get to know the girls on my hall, people in my TAG group, in my classes, and at other random places and events.
6. The bells. As in the bell tower that chimes every hour and half hour. I just like that for some reason.
7. The diversity. Asbury is not diverse in the same way that some other schools are diverse; most people here have the same basic beliefs and lifestyles. But the freshman class came from 39 different states and 5 foreign countries, which is not at all bad for a class of 365 students at a tiny school in the middle of Kentucky. I had a fantastic conversation last week some time with a bunch of people from very different parts of the country.
8. The size. In my eyes, there are a whole lot of benefits to small schools. It takes about three minutes, if that, to get from my room to my classes. The classes are not taught by TAs, but by professors who are here because they wanted to teach at this type of small, Christian school and not just because they needed a job. Students are also here because they want to be at this kind of school, which makes for a great learning environment. There are more that I have thought of, but I can't remember any more at the moment. :P
9. Leadership opportunities. Leadership is really big here. They say that pretty much everyone who goes here will end up holding one leadership position or another. You can be a leader of pretty much anything; all you have to do is pick your interest and run with it. Asbury also has a great leadership training program called Lead On I am currently becoming more familiar with. It looks great.
10. Class identity. I know lots of people I have talked to think Asbury's class identity is cheesy or stupid, but I don't care. I love it. People are so loyal to their class (and the school as a whole) long after they graduate. I am a member of the Unashamed Class of 2010. Our class colors are black and hot pink, our class verse is 1 John 2:28, and we shall soon have a class hymn, once it is decided on. This year we also have the Consecrated class (2009), Empowered class (2008), and Transforming class (2007).
For a somewhat dramatic change of subject, here are 10 reasons why Asbury rocks:
1. Chapel, and all other spiritual aspects. I love taking a break (or three) out of my week to worship together with my classmates and not have the feeling that I could be somewhere doing homework or something. I also love the Wednesday night worship/class prayer time. Usually by Wednesday night I've started freaking out about something, and the hour or so of focusing on God really puts things into perspective. And my Understanding the New Testament class is very cool. I would not have taken that class, had I gone to a different school. Overall, I am very glad that I ended up at a school that is Christian in name and in practice.
2. Dorm life. Asbury, by far, has the nicest dorms of any of the schools I visited. That, and the amazing girls on my hall, have made this a great place to live. My hall, 1st Glide, is different from most others in Glide-Crawford because, instead of being connedted to Crawford by a 'front' hallway, it is separated from all the other halls. This, so I'm told, makes our hall especially close. Plus, we have hall 'moms' who live in Wilmore and invited us over to their houses yesterday for brunch, which was absolutely amazing. Yum. I also like that we do not have freshman halls or entire dorms. My hall is made up of mostly freshman and juniors with a few sophomores and seniors as well, and no one looks down on anyone else. It makes for a very supportive place to live.
3. The Collegian. It's only the third week of school and I, as a freshman, have already been able to write an article for the school newspaper. One of the major benefits of a small school is that if you're interested in something, most often you are able to just jump right in.
4. The professors. When you come to visit, the Ambassadors and whoever else you talk to always talks about how supportive the professors are and how they're always there for you and so on and so forth. They are telling the truth! My English professor has a standing invitation for anyone to come to her house on Friday nights to hang out, my Latin professor is also my class advisor (that is, the advisor for the entire Unashamed Class of 2010, not to be confused with my academic advisor), and it's great how each professor really wants to get to know each student.
5. Friends. I love all the people I'm meeting here. Sam (my roommate), Heather and I are having a blast, and it's great to get to know the girls on my hall, people in my TAG group, in my classes, and at other random places and events.
6. The bells. As in the bell tower that chimes every hour and half hour. I just like that for some reason.
7. The diversity. Asbury is not diverse in the same way that some other schools are diverse; most people here have the same basic beliefs and lifestyles. But the freshman class came from 39 different states and 5 foreign countries, which is not at all bad for a class of 365 students at a tiny school in the middle of Kentucky. I had a fantastic conversation last week some time with a bunch of people from very different parts of the country.
8. The size. In my eyes, there are a whole lot of benefits to small schools. It takes about three minutes, if that, to get from my room to my classes. The classes are not taught by TAs, but by professors who are here because they wanted to teach at this type of small, Christian school and not just because they needed a job. Students are also here because they want to be at this kind of school, which makes for a great learning environment. There are more that I have thought of, but I can't remember any more at the moment. :P
9. Leadership opportunities. Leadership is really big here. They say that pretty much everyone who goes here will end up holding one leadership position or another. You can be a leader of pretty much anything; all you have to do is pick your interest and run with it. Asbury also has a great leadership training program called Lead On I am currently becoming more familiar with. It looks great.
10. Class identity. I know lots of people I have talked to think Asbury's class identity is cheesy or stupid, but I don't care. I love it. People are so loyal to their class (and the school as a whole) long after they graduate. I am a member of the Unashamed Class of 2010. Our class colors are black and hot pink, our class verse is 1 John 2:28, and we shall soon have a class hymn, once it is decided on. This year we also have the Consecrated class (2009), Empowered class (2008), and Transforming class (2007).
