You've got to get yourself together...

I really like the song "Stuck in a Moment" by U2. I think that's what its called. I'm at Common Grounds right now studio italiano, and the aforementioned song is playing (i love using that word! aforementioned. mi piace.) I just wanted to express that I liked it, and I'm by myself, so I thought I'd tell you.

Ho l'esame di italiano domani. Mamma mia!

A footnote!

I love living here with these girls. We all* just got home from church, changed into our sweats, made coffee, and are now studying. It's beautiful.

*By "we all" I mean three of the six of us. It just sounds better to say "we all." This is the first time I've used a footnote here. It's pretty fun. I feel like David Crowder. In his books he has lots of footnotes, sometimes with just random commentary. It's fun. I've just starting reading him and Mike Hogan's new book actually (I don't know that that's proper grammar. His and Mike Hogan's new book? Yeah, I think that's better), Everybody Wants to go to Heaven but Nobody wants to Die. So I'm reading that and The Great Divorce. Preoccupation with death, do I have? And it's especially ironic that I started reading the former book last Sunday, because of events that have occurred this week. Death is everywhere really. I know I sound really morbid and Emily Dickens-ish, but it's just something I've noticed recently. We're all just around the corner from it, we've all lost someone(s) because of it (yes, I know "someones" is not a word) or know people who have, but it's not often we talk about it. Not that that's a bad thing, I think it would maybe a little unhealthy if death occupied the majority of our conversations. I don't know where I'm going with this. I'm just kind of talking. Not even talking really, typing. Really, I'm just not studying. That's what this is: me not studying. I'll do that now. Studying, I mean.

It's interesting how my footnote is longer than my actual entry.

Sono eccitata

So apparently Baylor has only sent one student to Sicily. Ever. That pretty much makes me want to go even more.

I've started doing yoga via Bearobics. I love it. Just thought you should know.

Sicilia

I can't sleep because my mind is doing somersaults. All I can think about it how much I want to study in Sicily next fall. Just yesterday I wanted to study in Florence, but now I'm sold on Sicily. Next fall, it's you and me Sicily. It's on the Mediterranean and it's so beautiful and smaller than Florence, more friendly and cozy and warm. I could go snorkeling! And visit Mt. Etna, an active volcano. The art is more Greco-Roman as opposed to the Renaissance art of Florence. The fact that the community is smaller really appeals to me. There are some cons too, but I feel like just focusing on the pros right now. The beautiful beaches! For one. Oh, and I'd be forced to use my Italiano more in Sicily than in Florence, I would learn it better. That appeals to me. I love Italian. I thought the more I learned it the more I would grow tired of it, but the opposite is true.

I just wish I could sleep.

Poor Miles

Hey, Baylor got mentioned in news slice at RelevantMagazine.com today: "According to a new study from Baylor University, religion is not on the decline in the United States. Researchers say that, contrary to some pundits' opinion, most Americans do not believe God favors one political party over another, though about one-fifth believe God favors the United States in world affairs..." We're a pretty big deal.

So it actually rained yesterday, that'd good news. Except for the fact that it was right when I had to ride my bike across campus, from Italian to Art. Once I got past caring about getting wet, it was actually kind of fun. That is, until I encountered a really deep puddle in front of Moody Library. The depth caused me not to perceive a curb, and so my bike hit the curb and I fell over, into said puddle. It really wasn't that bad, because I was going really slow. But then once I got to my destination and parked my bike, I realized my U-lock was no longer resting on my handlebars, where I put it. It must have slid of when I toppled over. So after class I went back to the scene of my fall, but I couldn't find my U-lock. I went there again today, but it wasn't there. Maybe the water carried it away. That's kind of a bummer though. So my bike, Miles is his name, is right now sitting next to me in my room (Well, if a bike can sit. More like, it's leaning.) to keep him safe from bike-stealing hooligans. I missed him today though. Walking everywhere is so lame, I envied everyone who rode past me on a bike.

I'm meeting with a guy on Thursday to talk about studying in Florence next year, either Spring or Fall. Pretty exciting.

I'm now off to procure a new U-lock

Poo

I think I'm getting sick. Everyone else is too. It's the cool thing to do, really. Like having little dogs. There's this girl at LL Sams that has this really adorable pug puppy.

But yeah, I'm all stuffy right now. Poo!

Derek Webb

I recently procured Derek Webb's album, Mockingbird, and have been listening to it pretty constantly these last few days. His lyrics are so challenging and in your face, I love it. Like in the song A King and a Kingdom: "My first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man. My first allegiance is not to democracy or blood, it's to a king & a kingdom. There are two great lies that I'’ve heard: 'the day you eat of the fruit of that tree, you will not surely die' and that Jesus Christ was a white, middle-class republican and if you wanna be saved you have to learn to be like Him." Zing. And I like in Rich Young Ruler: "Poverty is so hard to see when it'’s only on your tv and twenty miles across town. Where we're all living so good that we moved out of Jesus' neighborhood where he's hungry and not feeling so good from going through our trash. He says, more than just your cash and coin I want your time, I want your voice I want the things you just can'’t give me."

Good stuff. And he's giving away this CD for free at freederekwebb.com. That's how I got it.

Oh yes, and happy Labor Day. Not classes were had today by me. Holla. And it rained! That's exciting. We grilled out. Here is photographic evidence of that.