Friday night was probably the most random night of my life. And I've had random nights.

Holly (not me dumb-butt) brought some friends home from school for the weekend. When I got home I went to the Chocolate Cafe to meet them. We were just sitting there on the couch which happens to face the large window (basically two whole walls of the corner store are window) and so we're watching this group of high schoolers. They're just sitting there being high schoolers and suddenly a guy our age goes wheeling buy on a unicycle.

Not only that, while riding said unicycle he is playing a didgeridoo.

Now that's not something you see everyday. So then a while later he comes into the store - he left a book at the table we were sitting at. We find out his name is John and then he offers to teach Holly's friend how to ride the unicycle.

So now we're downtown St. Joe (for those unfamiliar this is not a big place nor a place where strange things happen typically) and Holly and John are helping Danielle ride a unicycle. Then Holly has a turn. Keep in mind it's about 30 degrees outside and we're just hanging out. Then we just start talking and we take turns playing the didgeridoo - which when WE play sounds like a "dying elephant farting" according to John. It's supposed to play a low E - and that's all.

So after getting weird looks from people passing by you'd think the night would end.

Oh but no!

John asks "hey have you ever had your leg put through the floor?"

What?

So Danielle and I both did it. You lie down on the ground (on your back) - and then he lifts up a leg as far as you can stand and holds it for about a minute. Then he pushes it up a little bit more and holds it longer. Then he slowly lowers your leg and it feels like your legs are even but really they're not so then it feels like one leg is going lower than the ground. It's weird.

Then I have to go to the bathroom. The only place in St. Joe open past 11 are bars... even though it's a Friday night. So John and I are the only ones over 21 but we all run into a bar anyway so I can go. Then we leave and we're hanging out outside the bar. We decide to turn Holly's car on and have a sing along to "Come Thou Fount"

Next thing I know John's teaching us all to waltz.

Then we see a very, very, very, very low shooting star.

Huh. Yeah I think that's about it.

I wish there were words.

Words to describe the memories and feelings and emotions. I've been so caught up in being done with school - forever - without realizing that it means I'll be done with school - forever. No more classes and no more papers and no more quizes or exams or presentations, no more grades, no more GPA. Those are all freeing for me.

But this community. And I don't mean specifically AU or even Anderson, IN or even The Mercy House. Those things are just the settings for what has been these four years. All the friends I've made... there are so many kinds of friends. The kind you just talk to in class or when passing, "facebook friends", the people you set up times to meet because your lives are so busy. The friends that you just talk to on AIM or through xanga. The friends you live with or wish you lived with or might as well be living with.

Stacy and I have talked about this a lot - how here at school our friendships are almost predetermined. By our majors. By what dorm or apartment we live in. Now - there are connections. I might be friends with someone whom I never lived near or had any classes with - but only because we have a mutual friend. Like... someone on my floor had a class with so and so and now we're friends sort of thing.

And Tri-S. Meeting people on your way to a foreign country is great.

But what about after graduation?

Your apartment.

Your job.

Is that all?

Everything I could possibly need (not necessarily want) is within 5 minutes walking distance. A pool. A gym. A coffee shop. A cafeteria. A post office. A bank. My job. My classes. My apartment. My friends..... my friends.

This is a long rant but... as sick of school as I am.... these four years... the hundreds of people I've met.

I know this is a typical senior post - everyone goes through the stage of "I'm going to miss my friends from school" and they all move on and keep up with the good relationships and make more friends wherever they end up. But this is my time. My time for the realization to hit me.

It's inevitable.

So here I am back in 30-degree weather. As much as I enjoyed hanging out with my roommate and the warm sunny Florida days there's something good about being back. I haven't seen any of my friends yet and I've had one class. There's a lot of stress class-wise that I have to deal with in the next couple days - and I may have to take one or two summer classes (which would mean not exactly graduating in May). But none of that is bothering me right now.

It's funny the way I work - As soon as I got back from Italy I had Florida to look forward to.

And now I'm counting down - seven weeks until I leave for Japan!

Yesterday

It was quite the day. We got a late start - and by late I just mean later than we planned - we were still on the road by I think 9 - but we were wanting to leave around 7:30 or 8 - if any of you know Stacy you'll understand We decided it's great that we're both very laid back people, especially when it comes to traveling.

So here we are just outside of Anderson - for those of you familiar with the area we were in Pendleton on SR 9 and we missed a turn and didn't realize it for awhile. But finally we figured it out and turned back around. Then in Greenville - just east of Indy we stopped at a 5/3 so Stacy could deposit a check - that took awhile.

Finally we were on the road for real. It was raining pretty hard most of the way - especially through the first part of Kentucky. So we had the wipers on as high as they could go and then all of a sudden the driver's side wiper blade broke off and went flying down I-75 (Kind of reminds me of Five Iron Frenzy's "Blue Comb"). Stacy had to lean over to my side of the car to see out the window - it was interesting. We got off at the next exit - all that was there was a gas station. They didn't have wiper blades so I asked if I could use the phone to call AAA. The guy said he could just pop it back on for me but then I explained it was gone. So he said that two exits down the road there was a WalMart where I could just get another one.

What he didn't say was that it was 12 miles away. But we made it. And then, even though I know how to put a wiper blade on, I asked if they could do it (hey it was raining! I didn't want to stand out there haha). And the lady said I'd have to wait awhile and I asked how long and she said an hour. So apparently taking time to snap on a windsheild wiper between lube jobs is too hard of a concept. But after I bought it another employee started telling me how to do it (even though I knew - but I still didn't want to) and so I just looked confused and then she was like "hey I'll do it for you." It was funtimes for Stacy and I.

Then we tried to get back on the road but Stacy went the wrong way. So when getting off at the next exit to turn around she accidently got back on the same direction again. We decided she was too tired to continue driving. So we got off at the next exit (which was the same gas station as before) and switched.

So yesterday was my first time to drive in Tennessee and North Carolina and South Carolina. It was fun. And we made it in pretty good time considering everything. We got here around 8:30 I think. We're staying with Stacy's friend for a couple days. And it's nice and warm and sunny. I love it!

She needs to wake up....

Simple Pleasures

So far today:

#1 - On my German test it asked the question (in German) "What was the greatest day of your life?" and I answered (in German) "Today is the greatest day of my life, because we have an exam. I like exams. (Just kidding)."

#2 - Making Sara choose my coffee beverage. First I made her choose a fruit. Then I made her choose vanilla, white chocolate, regular chocolate, or a complementary fruit. The result? Raspberry-Vanilla latte. Quite good.

#3 - Having 15 emails in my inobx. Half of them were from Bound 4 Freedom people, discussing what makes a journal a "manly" journal (because most turn out girly - because most makers are girls). The results? Cardboard and duct tape.



This list made me realize - it's been awhile since I've added a carpe semesto. That's sad. Wait, I have one...

Carpe Semesto #22 - Krista and her fiance, James, randomly came to visit Sunday night and Monday. It resulted in...

Carpe Semesto #23 - You'd have to see it to believe it (meaning when I get home this afternoon I'll post pictures).

Okay so two thoughts on Indiana right now.

#1 - Way to go! Today it's official - a smoking ban. Yay for not having to hack up a lung when I go out to eat. I haven't researched it much so I don't know if it's EVERY where or not but I'm hoping this includes the Jazz Kitchen.

#2 - Some guy who owns an oil company paid over $121 MILLION to advertise and have the naming rights for the new Colts stadium. Now, first of all, there's no good reason why all of the tax dollars should have been spent on the new stadium in the first place. But now this guy spending that much to have it named after his company? And supposedly he grew up poor... you'd think someone who grew up poor would want to help others who are growing up poor - or at least would have a better way of spending that. To quote Brian, "That's 121,905,092 (or whatever the exact number was) people he could of fed for like a month in Africa."

On AU specifically

#3 - Today in the Andersonian (school paper) there was an article on chapel. The campus pastor was quoted saying something along the lines of them trying to get chapel speakers with whom we (the institution) have similar beliefs.

Because how dare our thoughts get challenged.

that's all for today