February 02, 2003 Quick update: Hopefully you've heard by now, but if not, Jeremiah and I are engaged. Yay, bliss! :: sigh :: This happened October 04, 2002, on the Feast of St. Francis. If you'd like to know the whole sappy story (Jeremiah is a chronic romantic) you may write me and beg me to post it here. Until then, we'll have to see if I get the energy. As of now, I'm reporting live from Rome, Italy. I just spent January in Ukraine and I'll be here in Rome until June. If you weren't one of the lucky ducks on my email list, then I shall post the emails I write back to my groupies in the states here for all to read. I hope you find them slightly entertaining, if not educational. Ciao for now, tutti! April 29, 2003
Ciao-dy y�all! I write this letter during my two-day pause at �home base,� which is what Rome has become in these last 2 weeks of �vacanza di Pasqua� (Easter break). Hope you all enjoyed the holiday! :-) I must warn you that this letter is particularly long, so you may need to read it in installments. I apologize because I understand we all have busy lives so I won�t be offended if you put this email off to the side to read when you�re procrastinating.
So what do you think Easter Triduum with the Pope, the Statue of David, the leaning tower of Pisa, crystal clear water of the Mediterranean, hot molten lava, a naked man lounging out in public, small towns hanging off cliffs, molto vino, a motorino, Italian large smart car, quick hospital visit, and a cheesy Italian-style wedding have in common? The last two weeks of my life!
Now don�t freak out here, the hospital visit was mine but the wedding wasn�t! Still don�t freak out because I�m totally okay, even under the care of shady doctors on a tiny Island on the fringe of the Third World. Okay lemme explain, but I must start at the beginning.
A small group of us took a day trip up to Florence and Pisa, which is where we saw the leaning tower of Pisa and a replica of the statue of David because we were too cheap to pay 10 bucks to get into the museum. Florence is a nice town, fun to walk around in, but I�m glad that I am staying in Rome for the semester instead of Florence because Rome is so much more of a spiritual haven. Most of the churches charge admission to get into (under the excuse that they are �museums� � BAH!) and there just isn�t anything even comparable to St. Peter�s. While I appreciated the rustic feel and more relaxed atmosphere of Florence, it made me appreciate Rome for what it is, although sometimes the pollution and traffic and crowds can get to you. I actually had the most fun in Pisa, it was just so neat to see that tower leaning and try to get pictures where it looks like you�re holding it up. All in all, a fun day trip.
Now onto Holy Week... MOMMA MIA IT WAS AWESOME! I went to Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter�s square, and I must say that it was the best Papal event I have been to so far, and probably ever. You know how in church in the U.S. they hand you a dinky palm frond that if you�re really talented you can fold it into a cross and it looks cute and you put it over your door or something? Well the way they do it at St. Peter�s is everybody just rips a huge branch off their tree in the yard (or somebody else�s yard) and they wave those suckers around. If the palms are all picked over then you can wave a fistful of olive branches (which is what we did). We�re talking 5, 6 feet high palms and 20,000 people all going crazy in St. Peter�s square with a procession that takes 20 minutes to come in. We waved at several priests and deacons who we knew in the procession from the crowd. So after the procession, it just keeps getting cooler. They sing the Passion and these priests are just totally into it. It was just chilling. So they go on with the Mass and JPII actually presided over the entire thing, which was awesome because he didn�t do that at other Masses I�ve been to with him. On the TV screen we actually saw a girl from one of our classes at the Angelicum present the gifts to JPII. When they started distributing communion I saw a little girl in a white communion dress processing up the aisle to JPII to receive her first communion, the first person to receive at the Mass. Amazing. It gets even better because after the Mass, they had a little thing for World Youth Day where the Canadians handed the cross over to the Germans for WYD 2005. The Canadians were bawling and the Germans were singing and dancing and waving flags and there was just emotion all over the place.
:: sigh :: Okay now onto the Triduum!
On Holy Thursday, Jeremiah and I camped out at St. Peter�s at 1 p.m. for the 5 p.m. Mass. As soon as they put up the gate to form the line, we ran up and were the first ones there (narrowly escaping the thundering herd of nuns who were quick to gather behind us). Now I don�t want to knock nuns here, but I must say that I have been thoroughly disappointed with the behavior of quite a few of our religious sisters at Papal events, and especially this one because we were right up front. It�s common knowledge that they won�t let people into St. Peter�s until an hour and a half before the Mass, but for 2 and a half hours I was pushed up against the front gate by a couple particularly exuberant nuns, who I guess thought that would get them inside faster. Anyway. So at 3:30 the guard comes up and takes a look at all of us chomping at the bit to get in and kinda grimaces as he pulls open the gate. Talk about a stampede. As a flow of people suddenly push past me and start running full boar for the Basilica, I just try to stay on my feet and join in the people yelling �NON SPINGE!!!� (don�t push). Well I decide that I didn�t stand in line forever to get a bad seat, so I bust out in a sprint. I felt a little better about having been pushed by the nuns because I could run faster and passed about 50 of �em. I get inside, flashing my green paper ticket to a zillion guards, and end up with a front row seat near the aisle. You�ll never guess who I was surrounded by. Yup. One of them actually began climbing over the seats pretending she didn�t hear the guard who was yelling at her to get back in line. I barely managed to save a seat for Jeremiah who was lagging behind because he had to go check the backpack.
Okay I need to throw in a disclaimer here, because everybody knows that in general nuns are awesome people. And hey, they were just really excited about seeing the Pope, which makes sense because if anybody sees the Pope it should probably be them. So nuns, we love you (especially you Sr. Pat!). Anyway.
The Mass itself was great of course. JPII signed his new Encyclical on the Eucharist after the homily, and the procession to the altar of repose afterward was pretty neat. They had a whole crowd of Swiss Guards with spears and stuff in the aisle. Maybe they should have them outside to maintain order when people are standing in line for the Mass. I bet that would calm things down.
Okay so onto Good Friday. The service at St. Peter�s was intense, mainly because of standing through the Passion being sung in Latin for 45 minutes. They sure know how to make you feel like you were really there. No no I�m just kidding, it was awesome and I wouldn�t trade it for anything but PHEW. After that we headed right over to the Coliseum where we joined the Pope for the stations of the cross in the dark with the Coliseum illuminated behind us. I really liked this service. There�s just something about night and the Coliseum and candles and the Pope that�s very exciting.
And now for the Easter Vigil. We were pretty lucky to get tickets, because only 10 people in our house were able to. We got there only 2 hours early (which is almost late) but it actually worked out really well because they filled up the front sections first, and we got rockin� seats on the side of the altar. Of course the Easter Vigil was amazing, as well. The best part was when JPII baptized, confirmed, and gave Eucharist to 7 catechumens. Incredible!
You can imagine that by Easter Sunday we were pretty tired of pushing over people to get to Papal events, and it was raining, so Jeremiah and I watched the Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter�s on TV in our pajamas. We probably couldn�t have gone anyway, though, because we had a time crunch to catch our train to Naples that day. Why Naples you ask? To catch the boat to Sicily, of course!
Now we begin the traveling part of Easter break. From Naples Jeremiah and I took an overnight ferry to Palermo, the big city on Sicily. I highly recommend overnight ferries � very clean, fun, and you get to shower! From Palermo we took a train along the northern coast of Sicily (beauuuuuuutiful ride) to Milazzo, where we caught ANOTHER ferry to the Lipari Islands, which are really a group of volcanoes that popped up off the NE coast of Sicily, just off the toe of the boot.
We stayed on Lipari, the biggest island with the least active volcano. They put concrete over its crater for some reason. I don�t think that will keep it from erupting again. Anyway. As soon as we dumped off our stuff we caught yet another ferry to take us out on a night tour of Stromboli, a tiny island with frequent volcanic eruptions and a constant glow of molten lava seeping from its pores on the east side. There are 400 crazy people who live on this thing. The island�s black sand beaches were the first of many that we saw, and so of course I had to bring myself home a bagful.
The next day was the *really* exciting one. The best way to see the island of Lipari is to drive around it, so Jeremiah and I rented a motorino (little motorcycle) and prepared to act as cool as possible trying to figure out how to work the thing. I must give Jeremiah credit � he was the first to try and he did a great job. For some reason, however, we decided that a good place for me to try driving was making a right turn up a steep road along a cliff with a lot of traffic. So I hop on, planning to zip up the hill and turn around and come back for Jeremiah. About 20 seconds later I run into the wall. I swear those motorinos are really badly designed. I mean, if you�re careening out of control, you�re gonna grip the handlebar, right? Well if you have to twist the handle to make it go, then how the heck are you supposed to let off the throttle and grab the brake? Am I the first one to realize there is a problem here? So anyway I�m glad I hit the wall because I had to stop myself and the only other options were off the cliff or under the oncoming truck. So traffic comes to a halt, and the next thing I know I�m in a car with some strange woman and she�s taking me to the �ospedale� (hospital). We pull up to this dinky building with Italian doctors sitting around smoking outside in their white coats. I really wasn�t hurt too bad, just all scraped up.
* WARNING * Don�t read this next part if you�re Grandma or easily queasy. * WARNING *
So they lay me down on this bed and begin literally scraping out my wounds with cotton gauze and I�m doing my best not to scream. Then this guy takes this can of white stuff and sprays it on me, not really caring if he gets it on my clothes or sandals or engagement ring. He wraps them all up in a bunch of tape and gauze (well the ones that were visible, at least) and asks me if I hurt anywhere else. I say no and so he tells me to get up and then I was done. So much for socialist medical care.
* END OF WARNING AREA *
Meanwhile, Jeremiah was left on the road with the motorino. He picked up the mirror that was broken off, popped the front back on, and rode it down the hill back to the hotel (luckily we were on a hill because it wouldn�t start). He told the hotel receptionist what happened, and suddenly he found himself hanging on for dear life to the back of another motorino driven by one of the employees of the hotel. They got to the hospital just after I had left, and he had to endure yet another death defying ride.
Well all this happened by 11 a.m., and we didn�t want to waste our day in Lipari, so after a brief nap at the hotel and 1000 mg of Ibuprofen, I was ready to hit the road again. We rented a car, figuring Jeremiah could drive and I would relax and soak in the scenery. Well they didn�t have one with automatic transmission so guess who wound up in the driver�s seat? Yup. It actually was kinda nice, because driving distracted me from the pain.
We drove up and down and around along cliffs and beaches and mountains and got some incredible pictures (which hopefully will get up on my site before too long!), and returned the car 6 hours later without incident.
The next day we were traveling again, taking the ferry to Milazzo, the train back to Palermo, and another overnight ferry waaaaaay up to northern Italy to Genoa, where we took a train down to La Spezia, near the Cinque Terre (five small towns built on cliffs on the coast of the Mediterranean). Absolutely gorgeous, once again. We spent two days hiking the short trails along the cliffs between the towns which were so incredibly CUTE. One town had these flower boxes blocking the street so the traffic couldn�t get through, so when service vehicles came through they would slide out of the way automatically.
We swam in the pristine Mediterranean, with water so clear you could see the rocks underneath the waves as they unfurled on the pebbly shore. We tanned in the sun and ate cheap fat pizza dripping with pesto and olive oil and thick cheese mmmmmmmm. We went to one beach in the evening, which is where we ran into the naked Italian guy, who apparently was too cheap to pay the 5 euro for the nude beach just down the road.
Sunday was our last day in La Spezia. We asked the hotel guy where the nearest Mass was, and it turns out there was a nice church close to our hotel. So we show up for 11:30 Mass and the place is all set up for a wedding. We thought it was a little weird but we didn�t see any other signs of a wedding happening so we just sat down. But when the Mass began the priest just walked in from the side and sat down up front, and all of a sudden the organ began playing cheesy wedding music. The families and the groom walked in, followed by the bride wearing a gold-colored satin two-piece outfit with a fake diamond chain around her belly. The people there for the wedding kinda filed in afterwards and sat in all the front rows or stood on the side. It was really weird because I think half the people there were just going to Mass. So we attended a reeeeeally cheesy Italian wedding. It had all the stuff that you hear about happening or see on TV, but you never see anybody actually do at their wedding. There were several occasions when I had to try hard not to laugh. It was cute enough, though.
After that we caught the train south back down to Rome. We had two days here, and tomorrow morning we are leaving for England for 5 days. This email is already long enough, so I�d better cut it off now!
I only have a few weeks left here in Rome and I�m realizing that I really haven�t been writing as many postcards as I planned to send to you all! So I hope to tackle those soon and send them off. If you have any souvenir requests, let me know and I�ll see what I can do!
Enjoy this awesome spring weather, good luck on your Finals, weddings, new jobs, graduations, and everything else I hear that�s been happening to you. God bless you and take care!
April 07, 2003
No, that's actually not Italian, but a Latin greeting. It's hard not to get into the spirit of the Roman Empire when you're walking by ruins of it every day!
I hope you all are doing awesome and that spring has actually arrived. The weather has been fantabulous here, although the last few days have been rainy and two nights ago we had such a huge thunderstorm that I woke up at 5 a.m. thinking that the city was being bombed, and I wasn't the only one.
Speaking of bombs, some of you have expressed concern about being abroad during the war. To tell you the truth, I haven't felt that it is any more unsafe here than it was when I first came. The sentiment is really pro-peace, not anti-American. None of us studying here have cancelled any travel plans over spring break or experienced any real harassment since the war started. So I encourage you not to worry too much about us in Italy.
It's been awhile since I've written, but I know you all can understand being busy! My time here is halfway over, and I can say that it has certainly been jam-packed. Hopefully my head will stop spinning long enough to recap it all to you!
I can now say that I feel fully confident finding my way around the city of Rome, which really isn't that big of a place. Jeremiah's sister and friend were just here visiting for a week, which helped both of us fit in the touristy places around here. We toured the Colesium, Vatican museums, a couple castles, old churches with relics in them, and the basic Roman works. We sorta accidently stumbled upon a monastery just outside of Rome and found the place where St. Paul was executed and imprisoned.
There are all kinds of crazy relics around this place. A lot of times I just have to shake my head, laugh, and say that Catholics can be really weird. Everywhere you go there's a dead body on display or random body parts or a church with some wild story attached to it. As a deacon was telling us on our way to Assisi, there are two types of stories about Rome: those that are true, and those that ought to be. So while some stories I hear about what I'm seeing sound kinda fishy or weird, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt and at least understand the meaning it carries. I can't count all the relics I've seen or been to visit, but some of the wilder ones are the finger of doubting Thomas, a nail and wood from the cross, thorns from Christ's crown, the boiling blood of St. Janarius, and the heads of Peter, Paul, and Catherine of Sienna.
I've had the honor of attending several more Papal Audiences and a beatification Mass since I last wrote. I never get sick of seeing JPII. OOH! And last week at the Papal Audience, I got this great seat right in the front row of the second section and they drove him by in this golf cart thingee (btw, not the Pope-mobile, which I have yet to see). I jumped up and down and yelled "PAPA!" and he looked right at me! Did you know the Pope has bright blue eyes? I do because he looked at me!! I like to say that he waved at me too but the people next to me argue that he was only reaching up to adjust his skullcap, which he DID, but I definitely see the possibility that there could have been a little wave in there, too. Jeremiah says he actually covered his eyes but we all know that he's just making that up. It was very exciting. :-D
You know St. Peter's (which Molly pointed out to me that although we call it a square, it's actually round) and the Vatican are so impressive and beautiful it's hard to soak it all in, even though I've been there several times a week. The place is totally rolling in dough, too. At the Papal Beatification Mass, they brought the Pope in in a black Mercedes convertible, like a parade queen (apparently it was a gift). The Vatican also has it's own train station (for exclusive Papal use only), helicopter landing pad, airline service, several law enforcement agencies, and castle to hide out in in case of Barbarian attacks. Just yesterday our group got a special tour in Vatican city where we went to the place where world-class artists make mosaics out of stone, glass, or clay. A small mosaic of St. Peter's Basilica (about 18 x 12 in.) goes for $22,000. Holy cannoli, that's all I have to say.
We have taken some excursions to other parts of Italy. We spent a weekend in Ravenna, which is on the east coast of Italy and Dante's final resting place. Jeremiah and I are currently reading through his Divine Comedy so we of course had to pose there for a few pictures.
We have taken 2 day trips to Assisi, which I must say is one of my absolutely most favorite places ever to go (I know you friars out there are cheerin')! Talk about a peaceful place. Holy cow. It's like the best retreat you've ever been on to just go and soak the place in. Assisi is the home of St. Francis, who was all about peace and charity and loving others. It's a town built completely out of stone up in the hills and is totally your classic Italy. AHHH YEAH. Rome is a wonderful place, but sometimes it's so great to get out of the hustle and bustle of a busy and dirty city to the Italy you always imagine in your romantic daydreams (okay, well at least in my romantic daydreams).
Our group went on a weekend retreat at a 16th-century Monastery in a small town called Viterbo. It was like a mini-Assisi, with extensive grounds covered by vineyards and woods with random chapels all over the place. So quiet, so peaceful, so AHHHHHHHHHHHH!
A small group of us spent a weekend down in Naples and had a total blast. The place is known for it's "fat pizza" and "fizzy wine" (pizza with a soft bunch of crust on the end and carbonated wine). Naples lies at the foot of Mt. Vesuvius, that infamous volcano that erupts every few thousand years and covers everything around it in molten lava. We climbed to the top and walked around the rim of its crater, holding onto the chain around the edge and only half-joking about being thrown off by the high-speed, numbingly cold blast of wind that whips around such altitudes. The next day we visited Pompei, that ancient city instantly covered by its largest known eruption in 79 A.D. where lava burst forth from this sucker at a whopping 400,000 meters per second and extended the nearby coastline for 3 kilometers. You probably have seen the casts that have been discovered of the people of Pompei on the Learning Channel or something. It was astounding.
And just yesterday we took a pilgrimage to Sienna, known for St. Catherine and the Dominican order. The coolest part was a Eucharistic miracle with 223 consecracted hosts from 1720something that had been stolen and recovered and to this day show no signs of deterioration. We took some time for adoration before those and this really cute old Franciscan priest told us the story and led us in prayer -- totally awesome!
Anyway, I know this letter was extremely long-winded and there's just so much more to say! I continue to update my pictures page regularly and I encourage you to check it out: http://www.geocities.com/sinister_maiden/rome.html
February 25, 2003
Buon giorno tutti!
I salute you all once again from the skinny peninsula in the middle of the
Mediterraean Sea! Sorry it's been awhile, but life here in Rome keeps me
plenty busy.
Ahhhh, ROME. I have mucho to say and I hope I remember to say it all, so
here we go.
This is one heck of a town. If any of you have ever been to Washington,
D.C. I can honestly say that it reminds me a lot of that place. It's busy
and kinda dirty and hectic and you just walk around past important people
(here they are important dead people) and cool stuff all the time with
hardly even noticing.
I have pretty much abandoned my winter coat, although at night when the wind
picks up it can get a bit nippy here. Most often though in late morning and
afternoon you can lounge out in the courtyard under the bright blue sky on
the grass in a T-shirt and pick lemons and oranges off the trees whenever
your little heart desires. MMMM.
Speaking of MMMM, as for Italian food, it is certainly way better than
Ukrainian food, but I gotta say, some of it can be pretty weird. I think
the greatest disappointment I've had has been with Italian pizza. They do
it all with seriously thin hard crust, just a little sauce and cheese, and
then they put the weirdest stuff imaginable on top. You think anchovies are
weird? Try zucchini, french fries, squid, shrimp, broccoli, mussels, or
anything in-between. Man I could really go for a Pizza Hut stuffed-crust
deep dish with the works right now.
You've got to be careful when going to restaurants. There is a place right
down the road from the residence where we live called Ulysses that we like
to frequent. It's pretty good, but can be questionable at times. Once, we
had 3 people who wanted fish for dinner, and it just so happened that they
only had 3 fish left. So our waiter just brings out the 3 fish (looking
like they had just yanked them from the Tiber River) on a platter and asks
each of them to pick out the one they want. Ten minutes later he came back
with them all fixed up and ready to eat. Another time these same 3 people
all ordered lamb, and each of them got a different part of the animal. One
of them lucked out and got a leg. The other got some sort of rump or
something like that. And the last guy got ribs with internal organs. I'm
so not kidding. Witnessing that made me decide to never order lamb in
Italy!
We've been going to classes at this small university called the Angelicum,
named after St. Thomas Aquinas who was known as the Angelic Doctor of the
Church. It's this building that was put together piece by piece as it
changed hands and served as a church, a convent, and a bunch of other stuff.
It sits nice and snug amidst one of the hotter spots in town, right up near
the Colesium, the ancient Roman Forum and Senate area, Basilica of St. Mary
Major, etc. I'm taking one class that is only taught in Italian and I
really stick out. I'm not the most fluent Italian speaker of all time, but
I can get by and understand about 70% of the information the prof throws at
me, so it's not so bad. Since we are the only group of American undergrads
going to this school with a bunch of nuns, priests, religious brothers, and
deacons, I feel out of place being one of the few not wearing a funny black
dress (that one was for you, Br. Tom!). It's really amazing, though, just
the atmosphere there. It's so intellectual and multi-cultural and there's
so much to learn I wish so much that I could soak all of it in. John Paul
II got his doctoral degree there back in the day, and it's pretty honoring
to study in the same classrooms where he once was a student.
Oh, and speaking of JPII, I did have the honor of getting to that Papal Mass
I was talking about. Okay, talk about wow. It was absolutely incredible.
I like to brag that I was 4 feet from the Pope twice (when he walked up the
isle and when he walked down). I didn't think that I was the type to be
emotional over something like that, but when they brought him out on his
little chariot deal and I saw that cute little wave I must admit that I got
a tad misty-eyed.
I had another chance to rub elbows (almost) with the top dog at a Papal
Audience, which was another exciting experience. Papal audiences are unlike
anything I have ever seen. Basically they start off with a scripture
reading and a psalm, and then they bring Papa out and he reads like 2
paragraphs in about 8 different languages. Then a bishop will get up and
start telling the Pope in one of those languages about what groups are in
the audience. These are people with some sort of connection who get a
special welcome from the JPII. When the bishop reads the name of the group,
they all stand up and scream or shout or dance or clap or sing or play
instruments or chant or do some little diddy and then sit down. This
process takes like an hour, but it's so fun to see everybody so excited and
there are people from all over the world and wow. That's all I can really
say. Wow. So anyway some time later the Pope gives a special blessing to
the newlyweds who have come dressed up in their wedding dresses and tuxedos
and they go up and kneel in front of them, couple by couple, to get blessed.
Then they start bringing out little kids in wheelchairs and old people and
pilgrims and they are getting pictures and handshakes and it's just a happy
exciting time. I didn't get a picture or a handshake but chances are
looking like I may just get one before the semester is over so we'll see!
We took a tour of the Vatican excavations, which is basically digging under
the Vatican for all the precious ancient ruins that at some point were
covered up and built on top of. We learned about how they discovered the
bones of Peter and walked through the process under the Vatican, coming up
into the underground where a zillion Popes are buried and other fascinating
items are kept. We haven't gone to the Vatican museums yet, but we will!
Well it's time for me to run to class (about a 40 minute walk). I miss you
guys a bunch!!! Hope to hear back from each of you soon! Oh yes and I am
slowly but surely getting pictures up on the Internet. To see what I have
so far, check out http://www.geocities.com/sinister_maiden/rome.html . It
still needs improvement and more pics, but it's a start.
God bless you all!
Susan Michelle
January 29, 2003
Alright, sorry I've been neglecting you all in the past few weeks, but
things have gotten a tad hectic. Now that I have a little more time,
let me try to sum it up.
The last few weeks in Kiev were pretty much the same deal, although we
did get to see a few more cool sights. We saw Swan Lake and went to a
piano concert.
Jan. 13 was Old New Year's Eve (New Year's Eve on the old calendar), so
of course we joined the Ukrainians in celebration. Down in Independence
Square they put up these big tents that serve cheep beer. They only
serve one kind, and it's really cold out in the tents, but it only costs
about a quarter and being outside helps keep the beer cold. So at
midnight we joined the crowd with singing and dancing and laughed at the
fireworks erratically exploding in random places.
We spent a weekend in the city of Lviv, which is near the border of
Poland. It was crazy just how different it was a few hours away. The
people spoke a different language, everything was flatter
(landscape-wise) and cheaper than in Kiev, and the people were generally
friendlier. Our prof said it's because Lviv is more like western
Europe.
We stayed at this 19th century hotel that had really really big
everything. I felt like a little kid opening up doors with the knob up
by my shoulder.
We visited a Greek Catholic cathedral and saw the tomb of an important
bishop whou died in 1984. This little nun came up and asked if we would
like to see his remains because he hasn't decayed. Then she pulls the
cover off the tomb and there's this bishop, looking pretty fresh. The
nun was cheerfully encouraging us to take pictures and get a close look.
Then we covered him back up and she wanted a group photo with the rest
of us. It was a tad awkward, but still pretty cool.
We were in Lviv on the Vigil of the feast of the Epiphany. It's a
pretty big deal in the Eastern Church, and part of it is blessing Holy
Water. Everywhere we went we saw big crowds of people lining up with
empty bottles to fill and take home. Speaking of Holy Water, it's
pretty hard to cross yourself when you walk into a church because the
water in the little holders by the door is always frozen. It was also a
day of fasting, which is supposed to be broken with a 12 course meal.
No Masses could be held until the next day, either, only vesper
services. So we went to this one Byzantine Rite Catholic church where
they chanted scripture and prayers, had a sermon (all in Ukrainian of
course) and then gave a blessing with oil. You would proceed up to the
priest in a line, kiss an icon up in the front of the church, and then
turn to the priest who would dip a little brush in the oil and make a
cross on your forehead.
When we got back to Kiev we visited the WWII museum and the Chernobyl
museum. Both were pretty graphic. It still amazes me to see how much
Ukrainians have been through in the last century, yet they're still
recovering. There really is no middle class, most people are very poor
while there are some who are really rich (although from what I've been
told that can all be attributed to ties with the mafia). Most people
live outside the city in I guess what you would call the suburbs. It's
just endless rows of high-rise apartment buildings. Usually when you
see the skyscrapers you think it's the hot spot of a city, but in
Ukraine that just means it's where the most people are shoved into one
spot.
We took a day trip to the city of Chernigiv, which is near the Russian
border. The point of it was to see the big difference between it and
Lviv. It was a pretty decrepit town, with supposedly 300,000 people but
it looked like a small place. Again, it's amazing what a difference a
few hours away can mean.
So that about sums up my journey to Ukraine. I left on Monday for Rome,
which is where I am now. The part I like the most about it so far is
that there is no snow! Woohoo! It's 50 degrees and I feel like running
around in a T-shirt. The Italians think it's cold, they are all bundled
up in coats and hats and scarves but don't let them fool you. It's
gorgeous here.
I flew in late on Monday night, spying St. Peter's square and the
Collesium from the plane. I came straight to the residence which will
be my home until June, which is a really nice place with marble and
leather furniture all over the place.
The next day I walked over to the Angelicum, where I'll be taking
classes. It's pretty much an international university where English and
Italian are the common languages. We walked through the Piazza del
Populo, saw the Trevi fountain, St. Peter's and the Colesium from a
distance, and a whole bunch of other cool Roman sites. Today I went to
a museum full of statues from a thousand years ago, including a bunch
that I have only seen in books or on TV.
I haven't been around much of Rome yet, because I have to write a big
paper for my January class and still take the final exam for it. Plus,
the residence is filled with students from last semester who are leaving
on Friday. My group doesn't arrive until Tuesday, Feb. 4, and then
things will start to happen. Until then I'll just slave away at my
finals and sneak out for a few hours each day to get a feel for this
great city.
I can tell that I'm going to love it here, I already do. Tonight I'm
meeting up with a girl who actually is from Ukraine (surprise surprise)
who has been studying here for a year. It'll give me a chance to
practice my Italian, which is in pretty bad shape, unfortunately, seeing
as how in less than 2 weeks I'll be taking a theology course taught in
that language.
On Saturday I hope to go to my first Papal Mass (YAY!), but if it
doesn't work out, I'll have a few more opportunities to go in the
future. Rome is especially great for Catholics because it's just like
Catholic Disneyland (even more than Notre Dame, as some people would
claim *cough* Fr. Tim *cough*). It's so great that Catholics have a
place like Rome, kinda like Muslims have Mecca. EVERYBODY should come
here someday, but especially if you're Catholic.
Anyway, that's enough of a commercial. I'll keep you updated on my
adventures here, and please keep me updated on yours, as well! You're
on my email list for a reason, and I only get to hear back from a few of
you! So please let me know how you're doing, even if you don't have
much to say. Take care, and stay warm -- those of you in New York and
Minnesota especially!
January 15, 2003
Greetings again from the southern tundra of Eastern Europe! And Happy
Old New Year! That's right, Old New Year, meaning the old calendar with
Julius Caesar and all that. We just celebrated it 2 nights ago down in
central Kiev (think Times Square, Dec 31, with about 13 less million
people). It was quite a party! They set up these tents where you get
beer on tap for about 25 cents a glass, and everybody runs around
singing songs and taking pictures and playing instruments and throwing
lit fireworks at each other and having a great celebration. Ukrainians
know how to have a good time.
Well of course in the last week and a half I've learned a ton, and I'll
try to recapitulate a bit of it here for your general information and
reading pleasure.
Life here has gotten a bit easier and we grow more comfortable and
familiar in the city. Now we can venture out and buy things, get food,
and all that, even though we don't know smack of Ukrainian or Russian,
both of which are spoken here. It's actually quite political which one
you speak. In eastern Ukraine they speak Russian, in the west they
speak Ukrainian, and Kiev is right in the middle. The few words we know
how to say (yes, no, please, thank you) are similar in both languages,
so we know them in both. We've been warned to be careful where we let a
Russian word slip, since Ukrainian nationalists tend to be a bit...
enthusiastic, let's say, about preserving the national identity.
It's still tough to order food at restaurants, since the menus are
filled with a bunch of Cyrillic jibberish and the waiters don't know
English. We usually just point to something and hope to get lucky,
which isn't that often, unfortunately. I think people here like their
food really different than we do, because they serve all the food cold
and the drinks warm. :: shrug :: Hand signals and pictures work great,
though. When we need to buy medicine, we just act out the symptoms and
they get it for us right away.
I saw the most absurd thing the other day. You may have seen or heard
about public bathrooms in Europe, which might be just a hole in the
ground. And that's fine, you know, I can handle primitive conditions or
whatever. But the other day I saw one of these holes that FLUSHED. Now
what is the point of that? It was all fancy with a place to put your
feet and everything. Strange, I tell ya.
We have been going around to several churches in the area, all of which
have been around from anywhere between 1,000 to just 1 year. Most of
them were destroyed at least in part by the Soviets, and they have been
pretty quick about restoring/rebuilding them. We visited the Lavra
(monastery) of the Caves, which is about 1,000 years old, and the oldest
monastery in Kiev. They had a ton of impressive chapels, museums, and
relics, including a cool "Museum of Miniature Things." The most
impressive thing we saw, however, was the catacombs. It's a complex
artificial cave structure where the monks used to live and now they bury
those who they believe to be saints there. They aren't really buried,
actually, they are wrapped in coverings and laid in glass coffins and
set out in plain view. Because it's a place of worship, the guys had to
uncover their heads and the gals had to cover theirs before going in.
We were each given a long candle and had to be silent as we walked
through part of the catacombs. We saw several saint's bodies who died
1,000 years ago, but never decayed away. They sort of mummified, but
there's no natural explanation for it. A few of them had a hand
revealed so we could see. Pretty wild, man, pretty wild.
That same day we saw a monstrous statue overlooking the Denipr River
called "Water Lady." Our prof, who is an Greek Orthodox deacon,
referred to it as "Water Bitch," because he really hates that statue,
along with almost all other Ukrainians. People want to get rid of it
but apparently it's too expensive. It's a lady who is standing with her
arms stretched out in front of her and over her head, with a huge sword
in one hand and a shield in the other. Apparently the Soviets put up
the statue after the "Great Patriotic War" (WWII) to "protect the
motherland."
On another note, a few days ago we went down to a pub to watch the NFL
playoff games. The first one started at 11:30 p.m. (live, of course)
and didn't get over until 3:30 a.m. Most of us left after that, but a
few die-hards stayed to watch the other one until 8 a.m.
Last night we went and saw Swan Lake at the local opera house. It was
pretty cool, and very cheap!
Oh and here's a tidbit of trivia for you: Kiev is home to the deepest
subway system in the world. You have to take this FAT escaltor down to
the train at the central stop, and it's soooooooooooo long! You can't
even see the bottom of this sucker when you get on and you ride it for
well over a minute. It clips along, too, you've got to be careful when
you get on!
Oh and this is kinda funny, our hotel is on a really steep hill in
historical Kiev, and no driving is allowed on our street, and that rule
is of course completely ignored. So all these guys are driving around
and nobody can get up the hill (or they go careening down it). It's
quite a mess, sometimes, to see a zillion cars out there, going nowhere.
We're getting pretty used to the sound of tires whirring over the ice
and snow as they sit there, stuck.
They don't really plow the snow here, I guess they figure it's not worth
it.
Lately we've been hearing a lot about the Russian Mafia and the police.
Apparently anybody here who has money is tied up with the Mafia in one
way or another. The police here are pretty crazy. They do massive foot
patrol all over the city and apparently they look for any reason
whatsoever to harass you, it doesn't matter if you actually are breaking
a law or not. Then they take your wallet, clean it out, and let you go
if you don't give them any trouble. It's happened to 3 guys in our
group so far and the locals are telling us to always take taxis at night
or else the cops are bound to nab us, even if for no reason other than
we're suspicious Americans.
Sometimes I get really frustrated at this country and the people here
because everything seems so backward and weird. But then I remember how
this is a nation of very proud and strong people who have been at the
expense of Stalin, persecution, and war. I'm amazed that they have
handled it as well as they have and lasted, and continue to hold fast to
their faith, living here rebuilding their city. It's a nation in
complete transition, with a long way to go, but their doing it!
I have 2 minutes left here at the cafe so I bid you farewell. God bless
you all!
January 07, 2003
Hello everyone from the Ukraine!
Thaaaaat's right it's now my first full day here in the land just west
of siberia and just south of Chernobyl. The land where alcohol is
cheaper than pop and water. The land so frigid and frozen you can stare
straight at the sun (when you can find it) without even wincing.
This experience has been so far absolutely wild and crazy. Let me go
back a bit...
We were delayed flying from St. Paul to London and so we missed our
flight from London to Ukraine. So, darn the luck, we had to spend a
night running around London. YEAH! So we got put up in a nice hotel
and spent Sunday night going around seeing the sights and mocking those
British accents (our favorite was the airport security officer who said
in reference to half of our group, "Those damn fools are all going up
the bloody stairs!"). We saw Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament,
Westminster Abbey, the hotel where Michael Jackson found media scorn by
dangling his infant out of the window, etc. It was a nice free side
trip, I must say.
The next day we flew to Ukraine and were just blown away. What a
completely different place than any of us had ever known, especially
since our first experience abroad was in a place like London where we
had no problem. The plane ride itself was interesting, with all
announcements given in 6 languages (Ukranian, English, German, French,
Spanish, and Italian) and free booze given with the meal. I had my
first legal alcoholic beverage on the ride there (just a Heineken, I
figured I oughta start slow).
We arrived in Kiev and the place was totally dark (not what you'd expect
when flying into a city of 4 million people). The flight attendant told
us it was -13 degrees outside and we all freaked out until our prof
yelled over the rucus, "That's -13 centigrade! It's really about 10
degrees Fahrenheight!" Boy, that sure made us feel better.
We got off the plane out in the middle of nowhere and there was a bus
waiting to take us over to the airport. Don't ask me WHY, the
Ukrainians aren't the most efficient people, I've been quickly finding
out. The first thing I see is about 4 guys wearing those big fur
bushkin hat thingees standing out in the cold "greeting" the plane.
Anyway so we finally get to our hotel and every single room is
different. The furniture seems to have just been collected over the
years and some of it is better than others. One room had a queen size
bed and another had two couch cushions on the floor. We finally got the
rooms sorted out and the whole group of students (minus our two profs)
went out looking for a pub. We found a place not too far away called
O'Briens and had a good time drinking cheap Ukrainian beer. From what
I've been hearing from the other students, it seems like it will be a
regular hangout.
Today is Christmas Day here in Ukraine (yes, I know it's the 7th of
January). So we've been out dropping into some of the Masses and
looking at the Christmas trees and cruising the town. Going to church
here is really weird. Everybody just kinda stands around in a huge
crowd and gets as close as they can. There are no pews, and people
aren't shy about elbowing each other and kinda pushing to get up front.
High Masses here take from around 2 and a half hours to 7 hours, so
people kinda come and go. There is a lot going on in the church while
Mass is being sung (I don't want to say "the Mass is being said" because
they don't say anything, the entire liturgy is like one massive
elaborate song). People are going to confession, lighting candles,
buying stuff at tables, touring around taking pictures, and milling
around. I'm sure I'll learn a lot more about why and how they do things
so I'll give you a more educated version then.
The food here is, well, kinda nast. Our entire group is really
dehydrated (partly because you can't drink water from the tap and partly
because most of them got really plowed at the pub last night), so we
went down to the only grocery store nearby and bought all the water they
had that didn't have salt, minerals, or carbonation in it. We ended up
getting 10 gallons for 10 US dollars, which was really pretty good.
In general, prices are much cheaper here (US dollar buys about 5
Ukrainian money thingees, I still don't know how to say it).
International phone calls from the hotel however are $5 a minute, so if
some of you are wondering why I haven't called there ya go.
I'm still trying to figure out how to send postcards and I promise I
will do that as soon as I can. Most places are closed with today being
Christmas and all, including the post office.
People here wear tons of fur and nobody speaks English. We get a lot of
stares and people come up to us and ask us questions in Ukrainian all
the time. The first phrase I want to learn to say is "No, get away from
me and leave me alone." The language is soooooooo funky it's so hard to
remember even the most simple words and almost impossible to read
(although I am beginning to pick up a few things). It's nice to have
American students with me because when you're in a place like this,
English is just music to your ears. People were so desperate to hear
English they were cranking the BBC (which is the only English TV channel
available).
My time is running short, so I've gotta close it up. I love you all
bunches, please forward this to anybody I missed. Bye bye I'll write
back as soon as possible!
September 07, 2002 Okay so maybe nobody even reads my news announcements anymore, but I will update anyway! MUAH HAH HAAAAAAAAA! Let's just say college doesn't offer much time to sit and pound out a million html inscriptions to formulate a perfect look on my ametuer webpage. Anyway, let's get down to business, shall we?
I know several of you out there are wondering where the heck I am, well right now I'm sitting in a small house just northwest of downtown St. Paul, Minnesota. And you say, WOAH, WHAT HAPPENED??? Allow me to explain.
During this last year of school a few (good) things happened to me. The first being I fell in love with a Wisconsin boy (I know, I know, midwesterner, I told myself it would never happen but what do I know?). At this time we've been dating for over 10 months and still goin' strong. He now lives in St. Paul... so he is one reason for the move.
Also, I went to Syracuse looking for direction. When I found it, I realized Syracuse couldn't take me where I wanted to go. I have fond memories of my time in the 'cuse, much love to my pals, and it was like cutting my finger off to leave. :: sigh ::
So, you ask, what direction are you going NOW? Weeeeell, this is the gameplan for the time being: I am a Catholic Studies and Philosophy major, with minors in Legal Studies and History. My plan is to hit graduate school in either Theology or Law School. So we'll see that's still a ways off. I AM GOING TO ROME for spring semester, and probably going to UKRAINE for January, all for Catholic studies shtuff.
So yes, good things are happening. My life is starting to take a shape other than an ameoba... I think. Hee hee we'll see, shall we? August 07, 2001 I told myself I would never start dating these entries -- but I changed my mind. Hey a little change is okay. I don't think I will ever dump the classic look of What's That Smell??? so don't get too antsy, okay? ; ) I write this sitting in my dorm room in Berkeley, reflecting back on a summer that is soon to become a memory. While I am bubbling with eagerness and anticipation to be spending a few days at home and then getting back to NY in less than two weeks now, my time in Berkeley has been challenging, exhilerating, and of course very educational.
I learned that I SUCK at Stat. I tried hard, I really did -- I just couldn't do it. :_( But that's okay because I reaffirmed that I am in the right majors and going the right direction -- Latin is merely a tedious piece of cake.
This summer has also been the first time I've ever really been a racial minority. Not that there aren't any white people here, but over half the students are Asian and there is huge representation from all types of ethnic groups, especially in the summer. Oftentimes I would realize that I was the only white person in the elevator, at the table at dinner, or in a group of friends. Not that I had a problem with this or anything, but it certainly offered a different perspective for me.
Through some soul searching I learned or began to learn some things about myself. I've been asking myself the same Qs about civil, social, and spiritual justice that I haven't quite found the answers to. Hopefully someday I will.
So while I am grateful and happy for my time here in the Bay Area, I admit I am glad I don't go to school here. I WILL MISS THE FOOD (aren't all good things cheap, fast, and easy? haha -- JK), but other than that I've come to realize just how perfect SU really is for me. What's to say for knowledge gained through experience? There really is no substitute. Yes, plans change. Or rather undergo complete overhaul. Guess that's what happens when you allow other forces to take over the wheel.
Let's start first with the major. I've canned TRF. Hey, I love to mess around with the stuff, but I really can't see myself doing it for the rest of my life. So my majors are *OFFICIALLY NOW* Political Philosophy and Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Yah I know it's a mouthful. It's fun to see people's reactions when I tell them. Basically I'm a Political Science and a History major with a twist. I'm going to Italy for my entire Junior year... rough life, eh?
I've also undergone another change... I joined the Catholic Church on Easter. I must say, God is GOOD. I still feel quite attached to my Presbyterian roots but hey, God called me to be Catholic. Go figure. All I know is that it was a deeply emotional and sometimes stressful decision to make, but I've finally found spiritual rest after a few long months. If you have any questions or comments about this, feel free to ask.
This summer? Woah, man, I gotta get through finals first. Wish me luck!
As the weeks have passed by I've been asked the haunting question, "So what's your major?" endless times. As I could only, stare at them stupidly and reply that I didn't have one, I realized that majors are a topic of primary importance in college. So figuring I'd be comfortable in my familiar seat on the good ol' bandwagon, I HAVE SELECTED MY MAJOR COURSE OF STUDIES.
Actually, it's not official. There are a few things in my way (like being accepted and stuff) but if everything goes according to plan I will major in Television, Radio, and Film in the communications school and Political Philosophy in Arts and Sciences. Yes, I said Political Philosophy. I know, I know, it was a shock to me, too. I can imagine Mr. Hauge hearing the news with tears of pride in his eyes.
But the excitement isn't over! Once again, if everything goes according to plan, then I will spend the first semester of my Junior year in Florence, Italy and the second semester in London, England. Both places have great programs for my majors and it should all work out beautifully (pending a perfect world).
Wish me luck as I work this dream into reality!
After two weeks in a strange land with strange people doing strange things, I have finally began to make contact with the outside world. Just in case you have not picked up on it yet, yes I am still alive.
Life is good here in Syracuse. I was made for college. It's great not to be in class from dawn until dusk. Marching band is awesome! Friends are slowly emerging through my filtering system and I meet more people every day.
It's been quite a push to get here, and I must say it was all well worth it. I'll keep you posted on my university experiences. I miss you all back in C-Town... but don't fret, I'll soon return at Christmas!
I'm sure many of you can imagine the euphoric high I am floating on right now as I have now finally graduated from high school!
I had a ton of fun during the ceremony -- it wasn't too long or too short, I was near my friends, and Mr. Hauge (our keynote speaker) of course riled up the crowd.
I honestly thought he was going to be thrown out as he mocked the balding heads and bulging waistlines, as well as the educational system that he represents. I'm not sure much of the crowd understood Hauge with his perpetual sarcasm and cynical jokes, but it really was a great speech -- it got the crowd going and he said what needed to be said.
I couldn't bring tears of joy to my eyes that night. I was just so relieved about graduating that I couldn't even reminisce the past. But that's okay, because all I wanted to do is what I'm doing now -- get out of high school and start my new life.
A big thank you to my real friends -- I found out who you were in these last few months. Thanks to my awesome grandparents who support me in every way! Thanks to the teachers who really cared -- you have influenced me greatly and I've gained something very positive from you.
Now I'm just gonna enjoy the summer to the best of my ability and prepare myself for SYRACUUUUUUUUSE...
After results came crashing in at once an unexpected few days early, I discovered I had only fooled two institutions of higher learning: Syracuse and Boulder. So after careful scrutinization (which took about five seconds) I decided Syracuse to be the school of my choice. That's right, yours truly is eastern bound! For those of you who don't know, Syracuse University is a private liberal arts school in central New York state. It is highly renowned for it's championship NCAA Division I athletics and for holding the record for being the freaking coldest place in the Universe to attend college. I was particularly attracted by their hot Marching Band and top-notch communications/broadcasting school.
He swears it to be a blatant misquote, even going so far as to write a "frank" e-mail to Idaho Press-Tribune Publisher Jim Barnes. His students and colleagues immediately picked up on inlying humor, however, whether it was intended or not.
Rumor has it that Mr. Hauge really has a very wonderful wife, and the last comment was entirely honest. We all know that Mr. Hauge REALLY COULDN'T DO HARD TIME and be employed as a teacher. It just so happens that the man with a sarcastic remark for everything is finally taking some heat. He better get all he can, with sleeping in the doghouse in February and all.
I have now entered what is to be my FINAL semester of high school, at least, according to plan. I am a bit saddened to see it come so soon, namely because I didn't have enough time to get my grades up! But since I know you all are just dying to know, your hero is almost done with the agonizing college application process and is now awaiting news on whether or not she is "good enough". I would like to state at this point how blasphemous this entire idea of getting into schools is to the self-esteem, you're-good-just-as-you-are campaign. I also wonder how I can balance humility with flaunting every possibly good thing about myself to people I've never met all over the country, because, believe it or not, I do try to keep myself humble. I guess all the building up I am doing in January has great chances of coming crashing down in March and probably will.
Anyway, just so all my wonderful fans are enlightened, I have narrowed down my college search to five wonderful schools: UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles, Georgetown University, Syracuse University, and U of Colorado at Boulder. My chances of getting in are ranked in order from least to greatest, and my preferences are ranked in order from greatest to least, respectively. I know, I know, U of I almost made it on the list, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
I will keep you enlightened as the rejection letters come soaring in and let you know as soon as I join the army.
By now you should know this truth in it's gross entirety: all the good people of the world must wait to be taken up into heaven. It's not all bad, now the others have a little more time. But anyway, I must say honestly part of me believed that these days would never come. Now that I'm living in them, it's a little hard to deny it any further. But now I'll just forget about this last century and look forward to events coming soon, like GRADUATION! Happy New Year and make it a great one! Under an act of unscrupulous reasoning, a drive for adventure, and a burning desire to show off their manhood in front of scores of people, my good buddies Nick and Cameron jumped in the Big Wood River last weekend, thus earning their place in Sun Valley's Polar Bear Club.
You would think a feat like this would be enough, wouldn't you? But no, these two stupidly brave guys searched out yet another body of water to throw themselves into, and then while standing in the snow soaking wet decide to push a car. Too bad all the impressiveness of this feat was a little berated by the two of them whimpering like babies for the next ten minutes.
Nevertheless, I'm proud of them, as you should be too. Next time you see one of our brave guys, giv'em a little hug and a back rub -- for our "Polar Bears." Wax up yer sliding mechanisms, kiddies, it's time to hit the slopes!
After an agonizing slow start, both Bogus Basin and Brundage Mountain are OPEN for business! I'm sure most of you are familiar with this fact, especially by the time you read this, but this posting is of *key* importance (really).
I NEED SKI BUDDIES!!! If you ski or board and wouldn't mind being around me for at least the ride up, let me know! I accept invitations from people of all races, religions, genders, ages, and psychiatric states. Hope to hear from YOU -- don't miss out on this chance to get down with the mighty MYSTIC STALLION (heh heh)!!! It was such a joy to wake up this beautiful Sunday morning to find the lawn dusted with a light, delicate snow (the day afer I put on my snow tires, too!).
Of course, it all melted within a few hours of the sunrise, but we all know what it means when C-Town gets even the smallest bit of snow: BOGUS GOT DUMPED ON!!!
Unfortunately, Bogus will NOT be open for Thanksgiving (despite our pleading and prayers). Many Idaho ski resorts are feeling the ardent pain of La Nina this season, and many skiiers are feeling it as well.
You'll hear from me when they finally open! See you on the mountain! Ah yes, it's true. It's sooo very true. Our C-Town Marching Band wasted the comp at the District III Festival. The most supreme aspect of this victory, however, was not only that we took first place, but that we made losers out of Vallivue!
Now I know it's not very sportsmanlike, but I just can't stand to not rub it in. We have been itching to beat Vallivue ever since the day they joined our district -- we worked our butts off and it finally happened.
I must extend my thanks to Mr. Sam Stone, our wonderful director. He works extremely hard for us and I swear he's going to give himself a heart attack in the process. But we love him dearly, and without his dedication we wouldn't be the winners we are today.
Enough sentimental stuff. WE WON. VALLIVUE LOST. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, it's a beautiful morning indeed... Well folks, it finally happened. I have now received what many folks refer to as a "real job". Instead of relying on the church to support me and my devilish habits, I am now preying on the innocence of Rick Eells and his fast food joint, The Hamburger Connection, located in downtown C-Town (on the corner of 10th and Dearborn).
I have to give much of the credit for this new turn in my life to the wonderful Kristyn Ann Smithers, a former employee of the 'nection herself. If it wasn't for the love and friendship of Kristyn, I wouldn't hold this position today :::wipe tear from eye:::.
I still love the church, however. Boone Memorial Presbyterian Church is the greatest non-profit organization I have ever seen. Not to mention that Boone focuses around worshiping GOD, which is always a plus.
Anyway, you peeps can come down and do business with me on the corner of 10th and Dearborn. I'll always be willing to take your order.
This all happened while I was up in Sun Valley staying at the Elkhorn Lodge for a leadership conference, and Ahnold and Adam West were in the next room for this little dinner or something I don't know I really wasn't paying much attention. And while I'm not one to get all freaky about seeing famous people and all, I have to admit it was a bit cool to look over my shoulder and see Ahnold standing close to me, talking and visiting with people. The best part was when he shook this lady's hand and said (in that oh-so-studly-ever-so-famous-accent) "Congratulations".
Anyway, that was definitely a highlight of the trip. I'm glad to be back, however, because I missed you folks!
Yes folks, it's true! JillandJeff DO NOT exist anymore! The two have sworn off their potential dating relationship and at the present time are resuming their own paths of life.
Mike Oldenkamp was the catalyst of this new event. Upon spying Jeff at the fair with "another woman" (who will remain unamed) he queried Jeff about his interest in Jill, who then responded "I don't like her like that."
Jill was suprisingly thrilled about the news. "I'm just happy that I know and I can get on with my life," she told the press. "It feels so good to just be able to get over it."
Jeff could not be reached for further comment.The Wildest of Them All!
Salvete omnes!
When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like a Great Pizza Pie, That's Amore!
Sono Arrivata a Roma!
Once Again From Kiev
Cheers From a Nuclear Wasteland
So one year later...
What a Summer
So Plans Tend to Change...
And the Future Stands Before Me
Discovering New Life in New York
The Day of Reckoning Is Upon Us
No Lie, Folks -- Your Hero Has a
Destiny
I appreciate the wonderful support of all of you (notably those wonderful people who supplied me with those beautiful letters or recommendation!), and I am greatly looking forward to joining the famous ORANGEMEN! (Notice Otto the Orangeman saying hello...)
Mr. Hauge Reveals Troubled Past
Alleged Effort to Offer Advice to Graduating Class Backfires
We were all rather shocked (but not in the least surprised) to open our papers this Tuesday morning only to find this inside. Apparently, after being asked by a reporter for the Idaho Press-Tribune for a word of wisdom for the graduating class of 2000, this is what Mr. Stephen Hauge (my Political Philosophy teacher) had to say.First Semester Perishes In Bleak Midwinter
Year 2000 Has Arrived!!!!!!!!!!!!!
World Fails to End, Jesus Stands Up Welcome Party
Cameron and Nick Join Sun Valley "Polar Bear" Club
Ski Season is Up and Running!!!
C-Town Rakes In First Winter Flurries
Cougar Marching Band Cleans Up at District III
Your Hero Lands a Real Job
I Took A Bath With "Ahnold" and Adam West!
Well okay, maybe I didn't take a bath with either of them, but I do claim to be a new member of the elite society of people who have actually encompassed the same room, breathed the same air, and witnessed the same events as the ever loved and idolized Arnold Schwarzenegger and Adam West (terminator and batman...don't they make a cute couple?).JillandJeff Go Kaput!