Thank You, Intro to Cross-Cultural Communication!

Sometimes a class that is easy to take for granted will prove itself worthwhile. Such is the case with my Intro to Cross-Cultural Communication class with Mr. Killebrew. I took it because it is a general education requirement, and it had potential to enrich my interest in world cultures. Indeed it did.

The mid-term assignment was to engage in a cross-cultural activity and write about it. For my cross-cultural activity, I went with my "cross-cultural buddy," Eden, who is from China, to St. Louis Chinese Lutheran Church. I was already interested in Chinese culture, but this experience made me want to go to China and immerse myself in its culture more than ever. Chinese people are beautiful and precious. I appreciate Eden and her willingness to let me tag along with her, her friends, and family for the celebration of the Chinese moon cake festival on Saturday and the church service on Sunday.

While I was working on my mid-term paper I thought of the idea of having Eden teach me Chinese. I postponed my work to send her an email about it. Shortly after, she wrote back saying she'd like to. I was so excited! I want to be able to read and write in Chinese, and God has given me the opportunity through Eden to do them. I believe I will go to China someday, and learning the language could be preparation for my trip.

MBU is offering a Chinese class some time. Because I am taking baby Greek (Elementary Koine I), I do not think it would be wise for me to take the course. If you would like to learn the Chinese language, however, contact Dr. Han, Humanities chair and English professor, for more information.

I am so thankful for the experience and the encouragement to learn more about heritage and cultures from Intro to Cross-Cultural Communication. I think it is Mr. Ray Killebrew's best class. I can honestly say that learning about a particular culture is best done by experiencing the culture yourself.

What Has Happened?!

I have not blogged for over a month! My apologies to my devoted blog fans. I have become busy, but that is no excuse. Has busyness ever stopped me before? No! I have been quite tired many times that I've thought about posting, but that again is no excuse. Have I been tired before before writing? Yes! I pledge this day that neither tiredness nor busyness shall hinder me from my grand, privileged duty to serve my beloved audience and to make my opnions and experiences known!

Anyway, now that I've got 100 percent lameness out of me, allow me to attempt to fill you in on what's happened since September 1st and fail.

...

Well, it seems much has happened. Next week is mid-term--man, has the time flown by! School is school; I don't have much to say about it except that I am taking baby Greek, a class I've wanted to take since about my junior year of high school.

...

Yeah, academics definitely isn't at the top of my priority list anymore. I like the new freedom I have from feeling "enslaved" by my studies. It is an answer to a prayer. Hmm, what are some more important things?...

My Relationship with God

I'll be late for class almost anytime on account of Chapel. (This semester, it is World Literary Types I'd be late for. Sorry, Dr. Han!) I count any spiritual thing that could happen in Chapel more important than school, so if I have the opportunity to continue praising God after students are dismissed, I will most likely take it. Another example of my relationship with God being more important than academics is that I give my religion classes priority over my other classes.

My Relationship with John

Yep, I esteem John over academics. That's a no-brainer, right? Usually, if you find John, you will find me.


My Relationships with Other People

I have come to learn that people are very important. In fact, they are most important after God. People are interesting, diverse, enjoyable, sometimes captivating, and loved by God. They should be loved by people too. ;)

Sleep

Yes, unfortunately, sleep sometimes takes priority over academics. Most of time, it takes it accidentally.

...

What has happened over the past month? I continue to grow in Christ and grow closer to John. Both of these actions have manifested themselves in different ways. John adds more and more pictures to our photo album on Facebook as evidence.


This is so bad. The only thing I can think of in particular is my birthday. The Wednesday before my birthday on September 22, John surprised me with a trip to the Laumeier Sculpture Park, a picnic at the park with food from The Perk, and a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, my favorite novel. My favorite part of the park was the Nature Walk. Though it was a hot day, it was still beautiful, and I thoroughly enjoyed the time we got to spend together. On my birthday, my parents took me to the Olive Garden in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where my sister surprised me with a visit. I also received my gifts there. After eating, we all went shopping. It was inside Target that I listened to a voicemail from John in which he, Katie (my roommate), Clayton, and maybe others sung "Happy Birthday" to me. I loved it. The last segment of my birthday occurred Sunday evening when I arrived at my dorm room. Katie told me "happy birthday" when I entered and had balloons tied to the end of my bed and a chocolate cake and a card sitting on my bed. Mmm! The cake was delicious, and the card was cute! Katie is a wonderful roommate, by the way.

...

Well, that is my terrible attempt to recapitulate what has happened in the past month. I may throw in more details in future posts.

A Summary (or perhaps, A Conclusion of "Change")

I am two weeks into the fall-'07 semester and could not feel further from myself. Never have I gone through several changes at once like I have this August. Somewhere in the midst of these changes I have lost my familiar self.

My sister, as you probably know, moved to Indiana August 9. That was an emotional time for me and many others. I am experiencing life without my sister for the first time in a long while. I am adjusting.

The first day of classes here at MBU was August 20. Coming to terms with the reality of summer break at its close is a big enough switch... but it gets bigger. I worked with my new boss for the first time August 20 as well. She's pretty cool. I knew her as a friend, through my sister, before she became my boss. We are getting along great!

Since the 20th, I have lived in the North Hall dorms on campus. My roommate, Katie, is awesome, and we have much in common. My suitemates are from the Bahamas. That's pretty cool. The food in the cafeteria is surprisingly tasty. (Don't pay attention to the negative reports that commonly go out about MBU's cafe food.) I get my wanted and needed walks in from walking to and from the main part of campus almost every day. I usually enjoy the walks because Dink Marler's pretty, especially with *NICE* weather. Also from living on campus, my social life has increased, making it difficult to leave the cafe at suppertime to work on homework or clean. I enjoy my circle of friends.

The most drastic affect of moving to the dorms (hence the separate paragraph) is the increase of quality time I have with a particular gentleman--I am sure if you are one of my on-campus readers you know who it is. News of our relationship status is spreading like wildfire, so my reserve in mentioning it via my blog has declined. This major change possesses so many sub-changes and details that I could write a post devoted wholly to it.

The last major change is in church service. My previous posts called "Change," parts 1-3, explain the events surrounding this one.

The past few weeks have been an emotional roller-coaster, full of good and painful experiences. Throughout most of it, I feel as though I am, to some extent, going through the motions of living. I do not recognize myself inside. I have lost some confidence; I am a little unsure. I truly believe that this semester will bring more new things--good things. I am not going to be the same, maybe never again.

I hope the MBU students, new and returning, are having a great semester so far! Keep it up! I remember you in my prayers to God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Change, Part 3

The situation, like I said in "Change, Part 2," is not all bad. Saturday night was the first example.

Example #2:
James 1:2-4 says, "[2]Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, [3]because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. [4]Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (NIV).

Example #3:
Moving to the dorms is exciting because I will meet my roommate, decorate/arrange a room again, and only have about a ten-minute walk to the main part of campus.

Example #4:
My dad and I may have a much better relationship when this season is over.

Example #5:
The rest of my family and my friends are supportive and caring.

Example #6:
This situation has got me thinking about changing my focus from only serving with my church family to serving in all of life with my life intentionally.

See, it's not all bad. I am not drowning; my head is still well above water. I am the sort of person who writes through the trials. It is how I release, I guess you could say. Yes, it is personal, but that is why it is perfect to blog about. If I just wrote about it and kept it to myself, no one could benefit from it except myself. By posting it on this blog, YOU can read it, identify with it, and know you're not alone. I am not quite as audacious as you might think. When I write for this blog, I do not consider what my audience is going to think--or perhaps more accurately, I have nothing to hide only words to write. I figure since I write honestly, why not post it? When you read my posts, I guess you see my heart.

A Devotional

I received this devotional from Prime Time With God via email and found it helpful:

Reflecting His Glory
TGIF Today God Is First, by Os Hillman

They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of Your might, so that all men may know of Your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom. - Psalm 145:11-12

How do you measure your effectiveness in God, or should you even be thinking like this? The early Church turned the world upside down in that first century. What made them so effective? Was it their theology? Was it great preaching? Was it due to one man's influence apart from Jesus?

The Scriptures are clear as to what made the early Church effective. It is at the core of God's heart, and it is quite simple. God desires to reflect His nature and power through every individual. When this happens, the world is automatically changed because those who reflect His glory affect the world.

We serve a jealous God. He is a God who will not share His glory with anyone. God sets up situations in order to demonstrate His power through them. He has done this since the day He created man. His desire is to reflect His glory through you and me, so that all men may know of His mighty acts and the glorious splendor of His Kingdom (emphasis added).

The apostle Paul understood this principle: "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power" (1 Cor. 2:4-5).

If you do not see His glory being reflected through your life, then you need to ask why. He has promised to do so if we will walk in obedience to His commands (emphasis added).

Change, Part 2

My response to my dad's command would have been different if he had spoken from a selfless motive. However, his reasons for my quitting the team revolved around himself. He did not express that he was speaking on behalf of my well-being, and he did not inquire about how much I enjoyed sound or how important it was to me. He was not concerned with Meadow Heights losing a tech team member, thinking someone else could simply replace me. His motives did not communicate value just as not listening or trying to change my personality.

Maybe I am taking the whole thing too personally because I just painted a pretty bad picture of him. There you have it though. To me, a loving Christian parent would think of what is best for his child in this situation and would want his child to serve in church. I think he does have good intentions, but I misinterpret them because of his doctrinal differences with the church. Hmm... I'm not sure.

I knew I was not being patient with him Friday night, and I remembered that the upcoming message was "Love is Patient." Perfect! Believe me, it was perfect. I listened to the message about three times. (We have five gatherings a weekend.) I listenend and prayed about becoming slow to anger. I was in such a good mood on the way home Saturday night. I meditated on the sermon notes/Scriptures and put what I had learned into practice once I arrived home. My interaction with Dad has not been the same since; it has been far better.

However, the pain is still here.

I have not shared every detail. I have left some out on purpose. Details that intensify the situation but would shed bad light are more advantageous to exclude.

Part 3 of "Change" will tell you the high moments--yes, this is not without pleasant details. It is not all bad.

Change, Part 1

I have a very sober post to write.

Tonight I was talking on the phone with my sister as well as writing on Facebook when a strong gust of wind beat against my bedroom window. The meteorologist from KSDK News Channel 5 said the wind was a gust front caused by the storm behind it. Gusts reached 62 mph in St. Charles. It is believed that some building damage occurred along I-70 and Highway 40. It hailed in O'Fallon, and trees fell, causing powerlines to also go down. Right now, I am sitting on my bed listening to the thunderstorm--the perfect mood for this post.

With the stage set, allow me to get to the heart of the matter. Many changes have happened, are happening, and will happen in my life. Both internal and external circumstances characterize these changes. My sister and best friend, Rachel, moved to Indiana last Thursday. She will start seminary Tuesday. Friends of mine have also already left MBU. Currently, I am in the process of moving to the dorms. I will check-in and officially move in Welcome Weekend (this weekend, August 17). I will meet my roommate, go to my first dorm meeting, and I will begin my first class of the fall semester the following Monday. Also the following Monday, I will begin working with a new boss. Undergoing these changes isn't easy. I am trying to take it one day at a time and trust God for everything to work out okay, for strength, for the ability to adjust, for a positive attitude... for the future.

On top of this, I just experienced a severely trying and emotional weekend. Its effects will most likely linger into the weekends ahead. One of my parents is giving me worse trouble than usual, specifically regarding my service in church. I have been training for three months to run sound with an awesome girl named Krys. I very much enjoy running sound. I think it is the closest I have gotten to serving in a ministry area that fits/uses my S.H.A.P.E. (spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences). I have learned so much since I started and was able this weekend to mix successfully almost by myself.

I quit the team.

My dad commanded that I not serve on Saturdays anymore. He has said such things before, but this time he said it as a command and with authority. This time I was worn down past the point of fighting back. This time, I listened.

Whoa.

It is not every day I don't go down without a fight. I want the constant battle on the weekends to stop so badly. I am tired of going rounds with him. Amidst all the changes, I only felt able to obey. I felt as though I had nothing else left in me. I would love to enjoy my dad and for him to enjoy me, but that is not the way it is.

After I wrote that I quit the team, I stared at the sentence for a little while. It was hard for me to continue typing after that. Did I really quit the team? Something I've discovered I am passionate about doing, something I've trained for and was becoming good at, and something in which I truly felt like I was contributing to the Kingdom and to the mission of Meadow Heights Church has ceased.

I will discuss my dad's motive, the turn-around Saturday night, and evens that followed my quitting, Lord willing, sometime soon. It is still thundering....

Desiring God Coverage of the Bridge Disaster

On the Don't Waste Your Life Facebook group, the Director of Resource Strategies from Desiring God posted a link to their compilation of video from the disaster scene set to one of John Piper's sermons. It is around six minutes long. You should check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wG0dhA_RT8

You can also find it on the Don't Waste Your Life web site. Actually, I encourage you to check out the web site anyway. It's great.

Even More

This is overwhelming! I like Hillsong, and they're Australian! If you're not familiar with Hillsong, just listen to the second and/or eighth song on my playlist at the bottom of the page.

More Australian Evidence

My sister pointed out to me another way in which I am Australian. I not only like Keith Urban, use Aussie shampoo and conditioner, and eat Wallaby yogurt, but I also like the new GTO's that were originally built from an Australian platform.

The Final "Squirrel Saga" Post?

Tragic news. PETA is going to be all over this.

I have not said much about the squirrels in a while because I think my dad finally won. I've said this before, but this time I am very confident. After he moved the hummingbird feeder, he has not had any trouble with them--even the smart one.

However, it looks as though my dad may not have triumphed on his own. It seems a certain neighbor of ours, Bill, is also having a squirrel problem. (It's like an epidemic!) The little creatures have not only been getting plump from birdseed--if that's possible--but they have been dipping into Bill's corn as well. His garden is a vast feeding ground for them.

To solve his problem and, by the transitive property, solve our problem and to prevent them from spoiling all his cantaloupe along with corn, he began to shoot in their direction. He was only trying to scare them off. It did not work, so he hung up some dead squirrels. Unfortunately, they are too tame. He then shot them, one by one. He only has about six more to go, I believe, out of the original twenty--no lie.

This is tragic because though the squirrels are pesty little animals, I have grown attached to their being around or at least the amusement they bring. They are cute and furry and smart--sort of. If they were truly smart they would have ran and not returned after the first one was shot. Anyway, I feel compassion for them, but it is too late for any intervention from me.

How sad that Man vs. Squirrel must end on such a bittersweet note!... at least for now. "It's not over 'til it's over," Yogi says. Six of them are still alive. Can they pull themselves together for a comeback? We can only wait and see.

PC--Never Mind--Faith

My dad bought a used computer from a man who lives near Manchester (St. Louis, MO). It is a 2002 Dell Optiplex GX240. I have been setting it up for my parents after Dad and I plugged everything up and got all the parts situated.

Oh! Sudden change of writing plans...

My dad was just talking about my mom's possible test of faith. My parents and my sister returned from Jeffersonville, IN, yesterday. They were moving Rachel's furniture to her new apartment. My sister's going to seminary, but that's a whole other blog.

Before they left on Monday, my mom's foot was hurting severely. (If you are unfamiliar with my mom's foot problems, check out my past posts labeled "Prayer Requests and Praise Reports." Her foot is healing now, praise the Lord.) She went on the trip anyway, and has not had any severe pain, to my knowledge, since that morning. My dad and I think that it may have been a test of faith from God for my mom. She still went, even though she was in pain. It was like a step of faith. It is also possible that the devil may have been rearing his head. She very much wanted to go on the trip, for she had not seen the apartment or the seminary campus before the trip.

I promise that was way better than what I originally was going to write about.

Everything from the Word "Hiatus" to Greek

Apologies upon apologies to all my fans (just kidding) for seemingly abandoning the blogosphere. Some definite blog-worthy happenings have transpired, but because they are so much in the past, I cannot recall them.

From what I can salvage, allow me to fill you in on what you have missed.

• I am pretty convinced by now that I am Australian at heart. By reflection I have come up with these three facts to back up my claim: (1) I use Australian shampoo, Aussie; (2) I eat Australian-style yogurt, Wallaby (Jeremy, if you should happen to run across this post, know that it is organic.); and (3) I like Keith Urban, who is Australian.
• I recently delved into a friend's New Testament Greek textbook. I have had it since school let out, but I had only opened the book sparingly before last week. I am on the exercises portion of Unit 2. I enjoy learning Greek. To me, it is an exciting language to learn. The whole Greek culture fascinates me. The main cause of my interest, however, is in my desire to get to the raw text of the Bible. To read New Testament Scripture in Its original language would be like embracing Truth in a hug--enveloping It in order to comprehend Its worth and understand Its exact meanings (not the "big picture" meaning but meanings of individual points). I know that I cannot possibly do either of these things, but that is the measure of significance I place on proficiently knowing New Testament Greek. It seems as though it would open a whole new, for lack of a better word, facet of the Bible to me...
• June 23rd my cousin married at Stonegate Glass Chapel just north of Branson, MO. My sister and I headed down to Harrison, AR, (where he lives) the Thursday before. We viewed his brother's house and met his brother's roommate, ate my aunt's DELICIOUS food, and enjoyed making comparisons of my aunt and uncle to our parents--at least I did. Besides the rehearsal dinner, wedding, and reception, we did not have anything on our agenda before we went down there. It was truly a vacation. Before the rehearsal dinner I chilled in the living room for a few hours doing absolutely nothing but observing my surroundings and napping a bit. After the rehearsal dinner, my uncle took us all (my aunt, my aunt's sister and niece, and us) to Branson Landing. That place is NICE. The street lamps change colors, the walkway is brick, music plays outside constantly, and the Landing has good stores. It's right by the lake too. I very much appreciated my famly throughout the vacation. I think much of the time I take them for granted, but not that time. They are a great group of people! Oh, by the way, the wedding and all its appending activities were very enjoyable as well.

Writing of vacations, I am currently on hiatus from work for some R&R in the country. I took off with the aims of soaking up amazing scenery, wide open spaces, and birds' songs instead of endless buildings, small spaces, and traffic noise; and--this is my primary aim--of digging into the Word and reading my current books in peace and quiet with focused attention. I have done hardly any of the two and hope to achieve better tomorrow.

Sweet Treat

I'm in church again down in All Stars. Something great happened last Wednesday. Rachel and I had become accustomed to dessert the weekend before while we were in Harrison, AR, and, therefore, were craving something sweet. We went to Applebee's for a chocolate meltdown (yum!).

Not long after we were digging into our scrumptious, devilish delight, without my knowing, a man--who heretofore shall be dubbed Charlie--tapped on the window (the one separating Drury Inn from the restaurant) and asked Rachel if our food was good. At the time I was looking down at my food (one track mind) and didn't notice anything was going on until I looked up at Rachel, who was gazing over to her left with a grin on her face. She said, "That man is talking to me." In a quandry, I slowly peered over to my right with an apprehensive expression, and when my eyes landed on Charlie, I immediately, in conjunction with my sister, busted up into laughter. Charlie came around to our table and asked, "So am I going to get a bite of that?" We were both thinking, "Sure, go ahead." He laughed and said, "I'm going to pay for your dessert." "No need for that," I replied.

When we finished our dessert, we gave the waitress our payment with the ticket and figured, Well, I guess Charlie isn't coming by. A couple minutes later, the waitress returned with the ten I had given her and said, "That man over there said he'd pay for your dessert." Well, okay! Before we left, we thanked him. He said he figured since he had joked around with us that he'd pay the ticket. How nice of him! God used him to be a financial blessing in both of our lives, so praise God.

Man vs. Squirrel Update... Again

I'm in church right now with some downtime. During the service, All Stars registration agents don't have much to do; most of our work is before and after the services, making sure all the kids are counted for attendance and secure. MH has definitely stepped up to the plate in the safety department, and our new kiosk system has been working great!

Anyway, the purpose of this post has been a long-time coming. A couple weeks ago, I guess, more developments ensued over the pesty squirrels in the backyard. Since they've pretty much given up on the birdfeeder, they have decided to go for the hummingbird feeders. My dad caught one of them in the act of hanging upside-down on the feeder by the tree. Ah, geez! Those varments are definitely determined and smart! In efforts to prevent such a thing from happening again, my dad relocated the hummingbird feeder to hang right in front of our sliding glass doors. My mom, however, liked one of our other birdfeeders there better, so with protest my dad moved the hummingbird feeder to the clothes line with its sister feeder. Maybe now my parents can have some peace. While the hummingbird feeder was hanging by the sliding glass doors, the squirrels kept trying to jump from the steps' railing to the feeder or from the doors' partition, causing a racket against the glass.

Our neighbor has a rather large garden that he claims squirrels keep getting into. He says he's going to start shooting, which should help my dad pull off a victory in Man vs. Squirrel; however, these squirrels sure have been entertaining, and I'll miss them if they become extinct in the area! (Now my true feelings about them come out.)

Sean > Rush

Today's radio show sealed the deal. Sean Hannity is amazing. I officially prefer him over Rush Limbaugh. Though Rush cracks me up sometimes and is very confident, Sean treats his callers very well, supports the soldiers 100%, and has more class. The show today, the anniversary date of D-Day, featured the recording of President Roosevelt's prayer. Sean's 89-year-old veteran friend was on the air for a while as well. It was very moving. Such radio shows make a person look outside his usual perspective of the United States. We Americans truly are blessed to live in such a country, even when it seems divided by politics. Sean Hannity is where it's happening. Case closed.

"How Marvelous, How [Incredible]!"

I was just thinking about how incredible Passion07 was and how incredible it was that I was a part of it. I am listening to Charlie Hall on the Passion06 CD (Everything Glorious), which sparked my thinking. Imagine with me: 25,000 students gathered together in the name of Jesus to bring glory to the Father and enjoy Him, standing unified with Christ by Christ for the same cause, the same purpose--all together, in one place--the presence of God unmistakable. I do not have to imagine. I only have to remember. That is incredible.

New Developments in the Case Man vs. Squirrel

I thought the squirrel guard put an end to it, but I was wrong. Last weekend, I learned that the squirrels had chewed off part of the funnel's rim, and one of the furry creatures was basking in the sun on the perch of the birdfeeder, according to a first-hand, eye-witness account. My dad resolved to not give up but to "go to the mattresses." He put a shield of some sort over portions of the funnel. (Note that this action is perfectly legal as it was done in self-defense.) I cannot recall the material of this shield, but for now, his efforts have succeeded. The suspect, however, remains unapprehended. This was [supposedly] derived from an old police report:

WANTED

Current alias: Squirrely "The Unstoppable" Varment
Age: Unknown
Height: 7"
Weight: 1.5 lbs.
Description: "Squirrels are generally clever and persistent animals. In residential neighborhoods they are notorious for eating out of bird feeders, digging in potted plants either to bury or recover seeds, and for setting up house in sheltered areas including attics. While many companies sell bird feeders which are supposedly 'squirrel-proof,' very few of them really are" (Wikipedia).

Original photo derived from Digital Photography: http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0Je5qgyt1NG1hEBfkCjzbkF/SIG=12c7iqmps/EXP=1179977906/**http%3A//www.photozo.com/album/showphoto.php%3Fphoto=65859

FRIGID... Part 2

I must follow up on my my last post. I went to class yesterday, and the AC was NOT running in Room 310! I did not take my sock cap, so it's a good thing it was taking a break. Talk about basking in the "WARMTH"* of the room--while still in my hoodie, mind you. I thought to myself as I was basking, My blog post must have done some good; maybe I should blog about stuff like that more often! My idea was crushed when the air came blasting out of the duct toward the end of class.

NOTE: "Toward the end of class" does not indicate 3:25 p.m., the scheduled dismissal time, but rather the point at which we students began our course evaluations--around 1:30. NOTE AGAIN: It is with pleasure I wrote the previous sentence. I am NOT complaining.

*Did you notice how funny warmth looks in ALL CAPS? Did you also notice the word was in quotation marks? It was not WARM in the room; it was CHILLY, a considerable upgrade from FRIGID.

It's time to get serious...

FRIGID.

Today is approaching mid-May, without the rain it'd be around 83 degrees outside, and I'm sitting in the Records Office here at MBU in a hoodie. Does that make sense? Do not misunderstand me, I am not complaining about the AC in the basement of the Field building--I know what it is like to work without it--so just keep reading.

I started taking my hoodie with me to school for my three-week May-term Business Writing class. It's in Field 310, the corner room, and without a hoodie, it is FRIGID. The air blows from the vent straight down to my head. Now don't imagine a line drive of cold air; this blast is more like a radioactive bomb--it has a radius, not just one endpoint. Therefore, I cannot simply move to a nearby seat to avoid it. If I move to the back or across the room, I might escape, but then I would alienate myself from my prof and six peers. I opt for a hoodie and, starting today, a sock cap. That's right. I'm not messing around anymore--a sock cap means business.

It's so cold in Business Writing, I have to "shoo away the penguins" (Ray Romano, Everybody Loves Raymond).