hospitals

So, if the title didn't give it away, I am currently writing from the ER here in Ithaca, where I have spent the last three hours approximately. I almost passed out in class today, and the only ways to get checked out were either to walk across to the other side of campus to the health services office (but I was shaky and dizzy and could hardly stand), or to be taken via ambulance to the local ER. Thus, here I am, IV attached, blood tests run, EKG and Xrays taken.
I have never been admitted into a hospital, and its a bit weird. My room is in the middle of the ER, and the curtain/door to my room is constantly left open, so I see everyone coming and going, nurses, doctors, patients, emt's, etc. I wouldn't recommend being admitted to the ER, but so far it hasn't been too bad. And, I had to post, because they have free wireless, I am really bored (but not awake enough to attempt to do my homework), and they don't allow access to facebook, so no playing scrabulous.
It's been pretty cool to see how our friends are willing to help us out though. Cody is home sick and unable to drive, so they picked him up to come check on me, and drove him home a little bit ago so he could take a nap. I will be here for probably another hour, and then hopefully able to go home. Just thought I would update the blog, and be a little lame and do it from the hospital, just for kicks.
--brianna

Fat Tuesday/Ash Wednesday

This is one of the only years in my life where I have been conscious of the coming of Ash Wednesday. Most years I would realize on the day of when I saw friends with ash on their foreheads, or I wouldn't realize it until a week or two after it had occurred. The truly unfortunate aspect of this realization is that the only services that I have been able to find here in Ithaca are tomorrow night, and I, of course, work from 4 PM till midnight tomorrow.

I have never actually attended an Ash Wednesday service, but it has been a concept that has greatly intrigued me over the last few years. Most of my interest sprang from The Mercy Seat's Fat Tuesday/Ash Wednesday concert series that they used to announce the opening of their church 2 years ago. The shows were held at a Northeast bar, and ashes were imposed at the end of Wednesday nights music. It was an experience that I was forced to miss due to my work schedule at Bethel, thus, I have been trying to be more conscious not to miss another opportunity like that one.

To be perfectly honest, the Fat Tuesday concept is pretty lost on me. In the brief amount of research I have done today, I figured out that the concept arose as a final celebration and consumption of meat before the fasting that would occur during lent. As I fully acknowledge that celebratory holidays aren't really my thing, I guess it isn't surprising that I'm not interested in the Mardi Gras idea. The part of me that longs for Good Friday, and the uncertainty and yearning that comes with that day is very intrigued by the Ash Wednesday idea. I will also caveat that there is probably an element of my having grown up in a very conservative Calvinist church that looked at things like Ash Wednesday as a heathen Catholic practice that no good Christian would ever take part in. So there is that whole rebellion element.

I guess the purpose of writing about this is to see if anyone else has any thoughts. Also, I am trying to decide at the last minute if I should give something up for Lent. I have only done that once before, it was my senior year of college and I gave up caffeine. I didn't really have a great reason behind doing it then, but I did sleep really well after the caffeine withdrawal wore off!

It is harder for me to judge how to approach something like this these days. I don't have the opportunity to have thoughtful, in-depth conversations about church/faith/practice like I used to when I was around a whole lot of people who were much more intelligent than I am about these things. I find that most conversations I have about faith these days are the ones at work when people wonder why in the world an intelligent person would be religious and what in the world did I think I would do with a degree in Theology and Biblical Studies. Its a brave new world.
-cody

Transitions

So, life is beginning to take shape in a more formalized way here in Ithaca. My class schedule is now complete: International Trade Policy, Statistics for the Social Sciences, Community Development, and the Comparative History of Women and Work. Cody will start work officially as a shift supervisor this week, which means that we are moving out of the transition phase we had been in for the past several weeks.
One of the exciting aspects of moving out of transition is that we have officially become members of our church. We now have the opportunity to become more actively involved in church, which started today. It was a bit unusual because the church switched over to two services today, which was a bit haphazard, but also created more opportunity for involvement. I spent the morning greeting everyone as they walked into the building for the second service (aka the new service), and Cody served as an usher. The interesting part about being a greeter was that I had the chance to meet a lot of people I hadn't met yet, and was able to have some good (although very short) conversations. I haven't been this involved in a church since I left the church I grew up in, and I realized that I enjoy being able to serve in this capacity. Maybe not all the time, but it allows for new connections and opportunities, which I appreciate.
I am hoping that this church involvement will allow me to do more research for my master's thesis (which isn't formalized in any way yet). But, I am hoping to write my thesis (which isn't due for about 15 months) on the role that religious institutions play in creating community within a neighborhood or city. I realize that for some of you, this may not be very interesting, but I figured it might be for others (if so, and you have any ideas of books or organizations that I should check out, feel free to comment). Our church is intentionally located in the middle of town, and also has offices (the church meets in one of the local schools) in the center of town. It very much seeks to be a part of the community in which it is located, as well as seeking to create community within the church. This is a concept that intrigues me very much, and I think has much value.
On a totally separate note, this has also been a transition for me and my work at the store, as the store has a new manager. So far, this hasn't been going very well as I don't think the manager and I have clicked very well, and it is making work much less enjoyable. Hopefully this is short lived. But, if you feel so inclined, I would appreciate prayer on this, as it could make my already not relaxing weekends much less relaxing.
I hope that all of you are well!
--brianna

Shopping (for classes)

So, the process of finding classes has continued. After a week of attending macroeconomics (officially known as Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory), and spending a small fortune on the three textbooks for the class, I dropped the class last night. On Friday I discovered that all of the homework will be calculus based, and me, the good philosophy major that I was at Bethel, took Creative Problem Solving at Bethel. So, after contemplating the prospect of pulling out my hair for several hours in the attempt to teach myself calculus to complete the homework that was due today-- I dropped the class and signed up for International Trade Policy instead. Thus far, that seems like an incredibly wise decision. The class so far is interesting, and the professor is so genuinely excited about the material that I have seen her jump up and down in class.
While I feel somewhat guilty about dropping a class rather than living up to a challenge, it was pointed out to me that really, I am just taking classes that meet my strengths, rather than one's that magnify my weaknesses (like my lack of calculus knowledge). So, I am adjusting to this prospect. Statistics so far is good (which I wasn't expecting), and the Community Development seminar seems cool. We are actually taking a trip to Newark, NJ for Community Development, and it's even over Valentine's Day and the weekend. Woo hoo! Nothing like spending time in Newark for a romantic weekend (particularly because I will be there without Cody).
And, on another note which is somewhat related-- I think I am going to NYC at the end of February-- there may not be as much free time as I am hoping for (it's a trip though my program, which is looked at as a professional development trip), but I am looking forward to it. This whole grad school thing has been an adjustment, but so far this semester is looking to be much more interesting than last semester, which is a good sign.

Worky

I am slowly settling into the routine of having a job. I will admit that it is really hard for me to relax when I am not at work, mainly because I got so used to always having the job search hanging over my head last semester, I don't really know what to do without it. Basically, whenever I sit down at home, I feel like there is something I am supposed to be doing, and that I am probably slacking off. Oh well, if that is the worst I have to deal with, its not so bad.

So far I am enjoying my new co-workers, it was a little odd to run into one at the Laundromat earlier this week, but that is due to the fact that I am not used to knowing people around here. The increase in human interaction has been a definite plus.

Oddly enough, the whole having a job thing has allowed me to evaluate my status here in Ithaca in a new light, and I find myself incredibly homesick. I miss the ability to hang out with friends alot. I am sure I felt this last year after we got here, but most of the time I probably wrote it off as anxiety about the job search. Don't get me wrong, the people I have met here are great, but there is something to be said for friends who have known you for years. I miss the ability to have a truly amazing conversation over a quality pint or a chipotle burrito. Not to mention the ever-present disc golf companions.

That said, I miss you all greatly. It was a true blessing to see so many of you over Christmas and I can only hope that someday I will get the opportunity to live near you again.

A New Semester

So, second semester started today. Cornell's not much on respecting national holidays, which is too bad, because I particularly like Martin Luther King Day. Oh well. Cornell has a policy of much freedom with class registration-- I went to three classes today, and decided to drop two of them. So, it will be interesting to see what tomorrow holds. This semester should hopefully be a good mix of classes I need to take (also known as macroeconomics and statistics) and classes I want to take: Community Development Seminar and Ethnicity and Identity Politics. In spite of the cold weather here (I realize that it isn't as bad as MN, but walking from building to building across a large campus that isn't connected internally, on top of a hill where it is really windy), I did walk out to the Moosewoods restaurant on campus (good vegetarian food for those of you who don't know, and its ideal to go without having to force Cody) for some Moroccan stew, and later over to visit him at Starbucks when I had finished classes for the day. It will be interesting to see what the rest of this weeks classes hold-- to see if my schedule stays as it is, or continues to change. The only downside of the current schedule is that I am taking macroeconomics with almost entirely (in a class of 60) college juniors who either a) don't seem to be very mature, or b) are econ majors who intimidate me and my lack of knowledge when it comes to matters of economics.
On a different note, Starbucks is extending their hours this week, so it will be interesting to see what the semester holds for each of us, as it could be very scattered if we end up on opposite schedules!

3 Days Down

I have now completed 3 days of work at my new job. So far, things have been pretty slow going. I have mostly been training and reading training manuals. The co-workers are cool and my boss seems like a good guy. The location I work at is on the South end of Cornell's campus, so it is really slow right now. Classes don't start for another 10 days, so I am thinking that things will start picking up towards the end of next week.

So, if you find yourself in Ithaca any time soon, come by the store, and I will attempt not to screw up your drink. Oh, and the most complicated one so far was last night. Venti 9 pump Chai, 1 pump Peppermint Soy Chai Latte. I didn't make it, I just had to ring it up. Good times.