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I'm hoping this next week won't be as insane as the past one has been! =D But I'm done with everything I had to do today; I didn't do well on my psychology test yesterday, but it wasn't bad either...the teacher will let us do the final open book because the class average (whatever it was) was horrible yesterday. So since I already have an A in the class, I don't think an open book test is going to cause me to lose it! If she counts extra credit stuff as bonus points (AND I do it), then I'll be in REALLY good shape. So no sweat...which is fortunate, since I found it impossible to stay up all night studying. My body just won't let me do insane things anymore. I don't know how other people can manage the all-nighters they pull on a regular basis, but I just don't have the stamina for it. Maybe I don't get enough exercise or something...I don't know.
Anyway, now's the time for me to work on that research paper. I really should start it tonight, but I am really not interested in studying! I wish I had had more success in finding what I've been seeking. I just wanted to talk about sociological ramifications of having a large family, but the studies out there just aren't numerous and our sources cannot be personal (experience, interviews, etc.), but must instead must be documented research that is available through Ebsco or similar sources. My mom suggested stuff like No Greater Joy and Rick and Jan Hess's "A Full Quiver," but I told her those probably wouldn't qualify as research data. So...too bad for that. I think I could get away with that in an English paper (my home birth paper from my first semester of school was mostly non-reputable sources, by my standards...even though I did use Ebsco--many of the "sources" I used were non-medical professionals), but not in a class that purports to be "scientific" in its analysis of things. Of course, all that is fine with me...but finding studies on large families has been next to impossible. If any of you could point me in the right direction, I'd be very grateful. The paper (with an oral presentation, complete with visual aids) is due on Friday evening.=D Nothing like last minute work...considering that the class is only eight weeks long, though, I think I'm doing pretty well.
Oh, so music today was...interesting. I was shaking so badly in the morning that I had a tough time playing for the youth choir. When we practiced (in front of almost everybody), I was better...but I pretty much lost it for the actual presentation. People said they didn't notice, but...ha! That's impossible! Unless, of course, they weren't really paying attention...which would be fine. Thankfully, the stuff with the children's choir tonight went much better. Practicing with them for an hour this afternoon and having had some sleep probably contributed a lot to my confidence this evening, so I was very grateful...and much more open to compliments.;-) Still, I feel a profound sense of relief that those two presentations are over. From here on out, everything else should be easier, I think. Nothing else is going to be quite as intense, and the choir director is expecting a baby in March, so I'm thinking that things will change quite a bit at that point (if not before then).
But other music today...I started out (besides by practicing in general at home) with playing the guitar for the first through fourth graders at church at the beginning of Sunday school. Because I needed to be in the sanctuary in about forty minutes, I considered skipping my Sunday school class, but then I realized how ridiculous that would be...from an eternal perspective, I think going to class is overall more important than being precisely on time for things. The Lord is really teaching me a lot about that...since I tend to value punctuality over relationships. I was at church for fellowship, though, not to be a perfect model of promptness. So I went to Sunday school...and was late for choir practice. Even the adult choir (whose practice I skipped) had started already when I got out of Sunday school. Everything worked out fine, though. The youth choir was all lined up in the sanctuary when I finally got there and they were ready to start, with another pianist ready to take my place for the practice if I didn't get there soon.
The youth choir sang, two sisters (closer to my parents' ages) played the piano and violin--a beautiful duet, and then the adult choir sang. That was my music for the morning. Then I was back at church at four (after leaving at about noon) for practice with the children's choir for about an hour. I left for youth choir practice at five, and got to play the guitar (for carols) as well as the piano there. We'll be caroling, and I guess I'll be playing the guitar. I wish we could find a guy to do it; I remember nearly freezing my fingers off when we did it a few years ago! That was horrible! But I guess wanting someone else's fingers to freeze isn't very charitable.;-) I know, too, that it's easier for me to find the chords I need for it and to figure out what is desired than it often is for other people who need to have the chords right in front of them, etc. So I guess we'll keep it simple unless someone else offers to help, and then we will see. I was going to try to get my dad to do the songs, but I'll probably be the most available for practice, too, so I guess I'm stuck. So then I hurried back to the church at 5:45 and got there in time to play for the AWANA kids (both groups--younger and older) before I left a little before 6:30 to pick up my brother from youth group (which is after youth choir at the same place). Since I ended up about fifteen minutes early, I had time to complete my BSF study for the day and then to just sit and think while I waited for him. And then, of course, we went back to church and had the program for the kids.
So now the music is over for the day...and guess what I did after I got home?! I played the piano...as you might imagine.=D But now I've been typing all of this boring stuff just for you to skim and wonder why it's so important to me to let you know exactly how I spent my day and exactly what I did. LOL! I think I'm trying to convince myself that I'm productive rather than insane, but I'm not sure how well I'm succeeding. Right now, I'm quite tempted just to go to bed for the night rather than to do the homework that I know I should do. Tough decision!=D
My brother has written...he hurt his lower back in pugle stick fighting and is hoping that recovery won't take long. Since he wrote the letter a while ago and we haven't heard anything, we're assuming he's still with his platoon, though, so I guess everything is all right. The mail turnaround time is pretty ridiculous, though. I don't understand why, since he says they're not doing much in the way of security. I especially don't understand why it takes his letters so long to get to us. But of course that is all because I expect letters to take only three days to get from anywhere in the U.S. to somewhere else in the U.S. despite the knowledge that someone from here mailed me something once (here in town, from here in town) that took so long to get to me that the invitation was outdated by the time I received it. That was insane! So I guess I don't really know exactly where the time problem is...it could be in our own post office, I suppose. That's a scary thought, though not necessarily surprising! Otherwise, my brother seems pretty upbeat, with his sense of humor still intact. Apparently, he's with a bunch of stupid guys who aren't highly motivated...I know I would find that depressing! But even though he's not enjoying it, he's surviving. He said that one of the guys in his platoon tried to commit suicide! However, my brother says that--for him--the only things that will be changed when he comes back will be his haircut and his voice (hoarse from all the yelling they have to do...which I find hilarious; I hope it will make him quieter)...that, he said, and getting to be a person again.;-) He has asked his fiancee to find him encouraging Bible verses and to send him lots of letters; he's going to chapel regularly...so I really think he is doing well, and I'm very grateful to hear that. I think that Basic Training is bringing out his better qualities.
Anyway, now's the time for me to work on that research paper. I really should start it tonight, but I am really not interested in studying! I wish I had had more success in finding what I've been seeking. I just wanted to talk about sociological ramifications of having a large family, but the studies out there just aren't numerous and our sources cannot be personal (experience, interviews, etc.), but must instead must be documented research that is available through Ebsco or similar sources. My mom suggested stuff like No Greater Joy and Rick and Jan Hess's "A Full Quiver," but I told her those probably wouldn't qualify as research data. So...too bad for that. I think I could get away with that in an English paper (my home birth paper from my first semester of school was mostly non-reputable sources, by my standards...even though I did use Ebsco--many of the "sources" I used were non-medical professionals), but not in a class that purports to be "scientific" in its analysis of things. Of course, all that is fine with me...but finding studies on large families has been next to impossible. If any of you could point me in the right direction, I'd be very grateful. The paper (with an oral presentation, complete with visual aids) is due on Friday evening.=D Nothing like last minute work...considering that the class is only eight weeks long, though, I think I'm doing pretty well.
Oh, so music today was...interesting. I was shaking so badly in the morning that I had a tough time playing for the youth choir. When we practiced (in front of almost everybody), I was better...but I pretty much lost it for the actual presentation. People said they didn't notice, but...ha! That's impossible! Unless, of course, they weren't really paying attention...which would be fine. Thankfully, the stuff with the children's choir tonight went much better. Practicing with them for an hour this afternoon and having had some sleep probably contributed a lot to my confidence this evening, so I was very grateful...and much more open to compliments.;-) Still, I feel a profound sense of relief that those two presentations are over. From here on out, everything else should be easier, I think. Nothing else is going to be quite as intense, and the choir director is expecting a baby in March, so I'm thinking that things will change quite a bit at that point (if not before then).
But other music today...I started out (besides by practicing in general at home) with playing the guitar for the first through fourth graders at church at the beginning of Sunday school. Because I needed to be in the sanctuary in about forty minutes, I considered skipping my Sunday school class, but then I realized how ridiculous that would be...from an eternal perspective, I think going to class is overall more important than being precisely on time for things. The Lord is really teaching me a lot about that...since I tend to value punctuality over relationships. I was at church for fellowship, though, not to be a perfect model of promptness. So I went to Sunday school...and was late for choir practice. Even the adult choir (whose practice I skipped) had started already when I got out of Sunday school. Everything worked out fine, though. The youth choir was all lined up in the sanctuary when I finally got there and they were ready to start, with another pianist ready to take my place for the practice if I didn't get there soon.
The youth choir sang, two sisters (closer to my parents' ages) played the piano and violin--a beautiful duet, and then the adult choir sang. That was my music for the morning. Then I was back at church at four (after leaving at about noon) for practice with the children's choir for about an hour. I left for youth choir practice at five, and got to play the guitar (for carols) as well as the piano there. We'll be caroling, and I guess I'll be playing the guitar. I wish we could find a guy to do it; I remember nearly freezing my fingers off when we did it a few years ago! That was horrible! But I guess wanting someone else's fingers to freeze isn't very charitable.;-) I know, too, that it's easier for me to find the chords I need for it and to figure out what is desired than it often is for other people who need to have the chords right in front of them, etc. So I guess we'll keep it simple unless someone else offers to help, and then we will see. I was going to try to get my dad to do the songs, but I'll probably be the most available for practice, too, so I guess I'm stuck. So then I hurried back to the church at 5:45 and got there in time to play for the AWANA kids (both groups--younger and older) before I left a little before 6:30 to pick up my brother from youth group (which is after youth choir at the same place). Since I ended up about fifteen minutes early, I had time to complete my BSF study for the day and then to just sit and think while I waited for him. And then, of course, we went back to church and had the program for the kids.
So now the music is over for the day...and guess what I did after I got home?! I played the piano...as you might imagine.=D But now I've been typing all of this boring stuff just for you to skim and wonder why it's so important to me to let you know exactly how I spent my day and exactly what I did. LOL! I think I'm trying to convince myself that I'm productive rather than insane, but I'm not sure how well I'm succeeding. Right now, I'm quite tempted just to go to bed for the night rather than to do the homework that I know I should do. Tough decision!=D
My brother has written...he hurt his lower back in pugle stick fighting and is hoping that recovery won't take long. Since he wrote the letter a while ago and we haven't heard anything, we're assuming he's still with his platoon, though, so I guess everything is all right. The mail turnaround time is pretty ridiculous, though. I don't understand why, since he says they're not doing much in the way of security. I especially don't understand why it takes his letters so long to get to us. But of course that is all because I expect letters to take only three days to get from anywhere in the U.S. to somewhere else in the U.S. despite the knowledge that someone from here mailed me something once (here in town, from here in town) that took so long to get to me that the invitation was outdated by the time I received it. That was insane! So I guess I don't really know exactly where the time problem is...it could be in our own post office, I suppose. That's a scary thought, though not necessarily surprising! Otherwise, my brother seems pretty upbeat, with his sense of humor still intact. Apparently, he's with a bunch of stupid guys who aren't highly motivated...I know I would find that depressing! But even though he's not enjoying it, he's surviving. He said that one of the guys in his platoon tried to commit suicide! However, my brother says that--for him--the only things that will be changed when he comes back will be his haircut and his voice (hoarse from all the yelling they have to do...which I find hilarious; I hope it will make him quieter)...that, he said, and getting to be a person again.;-) He has asked his fiancee to find him encouraging Bible verses and to send him lots of letters; he's going to chapel regularly...so I really think he is doing well, and I'm very grateful to hear that. I think that Basic Training is bringing out his better qualities.
