Reflecting Jenn... my life at Calvin College

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

strength & honor: academic advising

Wow, so that went quickly! Our two days of advising recess are over?? Did I get anything done?? Not really. I did write a paper (the whole thing!! start to finish, don’t tell anyone!) on Tuesday, so that counts for something. Today I’ve thought about homework… but not much has happened in that area. Hmm. There’s always next weekend…

What was I doing instead of homework (again)? I knew I had some hard-core writing to do on Tuesday, so what else could I do Monday night but catch a movie? (Logical, isn’t it?) Two good friends and I saw Batman Begins at the IMAX... my second IMAX experience. So much fun… no regrets.

Tuesday I woke up motivated, so it was laundry time (ugh) and then an advising appointment. I’m really pumped about my Interim and Spring classes, though some of my friends have assured me that they are classes only an English major could love: Grammar, History of the English Language, Fiction Writing… doesn’t that sound perfect?

And then, yes, I wrote my paper. (It was supposed to be a first draft that I turned in, so not to worry.) Amanda and I worked at the Barnes and Noble Starbucks café for awhile, which was a good change of scenery. And any time my mind went to mush, I paced the aisles for inspiration (or intimidation, depending on how the writing was going). I need to hang out more in the non-fiction section… I tend to go for the novels, but they had some cool biographies. Next time…

So I celebrated a successful paper session by hanging out with the girls I lived with last year. We had a second Gladiator party (oh yes, we definitely had one last year), and I got an email a few hours before I came, telling me to bring a sheet and a safety pin. We dressed up toga-style, and Bec even created cool Roman names for us. (I am Clodius Jenificius Maximus. Nice.) The girls just bought the extended version of Gladiator, and they have surround sound… so it was a fun time.

The ladies in togas (Rachel, Bec, Sandy, Rachel, and me):

I’m being oppressed! Why are they attacking me? Is this because I didn’t do the dishes last year??

Revenge… (Rachel and me)

This morning I started thinking through a possible independent study course for the spring—talked some ideas through with a professor, and I’m so excited about it. It would essentially be a copyediting course, and I would be working with a publishing house, reading about some old-school editors (such as Ursula Nordstrom and Max Perkins), and refining my “talents” as a proofreader/copyeditor. Sweet. Again, not everyone gets excited about correcting capitalization errors, but I’ve wanted to be an editor for over five years. So this is very good. I need to start reviewing my Chicago Manual of Style…

After I came down from cloud nine, my roommates and I went out to Yesterdog and Jersey Junction, two Eastown favorites. I hadn’t been to Yesterdog, but I heard about it when I came to Calvin for Passport—I really needed to go before graduation! It was cheap and good and fun. Followed it up with ice cream: pumpkin ice cream and cinnamon ice cream in a waffle cone… doesn’t that sound perfect for fall? The girls and I launched into an ice cream/frozen custard conversation, comparing favorite places and favorite flavors.

The girls at Yesterdog (Laura, Amanda, and Kim):

So, they let people write on the booths there (I’m assuming…), so as you eat, you’re surrounded by all these names… So and So loves XYZ, that kind of thing. In a rare graffiti impulse, I scratched my name on our booth:

(I know, I know. Real cute.)