Theology today proved itself different from any class Franciscan will ever offer - we meditated with a Tibetian chime bowl bringing us to a deeper sense of understanding... gag. I had to bite my lip from laughing... it was just so strange. Think of all the little Franciscans running around with chime bowls ...

I haven't seen or talked to Tom since... Monday. Today I've seen him three times... but he's in a good mood (don't know where that came from.) He told me he's going to call - so perhaps I'll add the new experience of college party to my list.

Skittles just walked by, his roommate Brian (Country is his nickname) visited last night. Wearing a cowboy hat and pair of jeans... sans shirt. You can feel the drool on the floor still... what is it with guys named Brian/Bryan knowing their hot? Big egos all of them.

That's about all going on in my world. I'm off to practice Spanish (I'm loving it, yay. Not the bruja I thought it would be.)

My roommate and I went to screaming at Madonna's and Brit's lesbian kiss to crying over Kenny G's music from Miracle on 34th Street. The TV needs to go off.

Quote of last night: "MaryBeth: I'm friendly!" Denise repeated that over and over again after I tried explaining my meeting so many people with the "friendly" line.

I guess my name and "friendly" don't often coincide.

So anywho, it's almost midnight and I came online just to talk with everyone, and no one is online. Boo hiss.

The girls have been giggling at me today, I have had my headphones on and practicing my greetings and farewells in Spanish. My class scares the... scares me, so I'm going to work Extra hard to pronounce everything and memorize everything.

=p

I forgot to mention church. Scuba called it uber-liberal. Think Sound of Music choir of about ten people with a conductor (who had his own cordless headset mike thingie,) trumpet, sax, drums, piano... the works. Life Teen on steroids.

So that freaks me out, besides the fact that normal parts of mass that are spoken were sung, (I've sang the Our Father but not 2/3 of the mass,) in a chanty, nsync (both meanings, the band and the term,) way.

Then it came to the mass itself. The priest gave a fifteen minute introduction to the readings, which I think we began doing at Life Teen for a bit and never continued, but it was nice that he explained the reading's context and such before hearing them. The lectors themselves were a bit too dramatic, and the second reading was from Ephesians5:21-32. It's the reading about the haustafel, or responsibilities btw partners, man and wife. Line 22 says "Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord." The woman reading the passage begins shaking her head in dismay, and the whole church laughs, in the middle of the reading at her action. It was ... it was so annoying! Besides, if she listened to the priest earlier, she would have known that Paul in the end of his letter changes his thoughts about the whole submission, and the passage means to show husbands and wives to have the same respectful, intimate love for each other as Christ has for his Church.

Off the lecture notes, the mass continues and the priest gives his homily and all of a sudden is talking about gay rights and the gay people wanting to be respected, and the priest states that he's not going to give his views, or give any answers. I was shocked, he's speaking for the Church, and the Church has a clear view on the subject and from what I was hearing, it was NOT the one the priest was giving. The priest was almost saying that gay marriage is in the future for America. What?? Sure, but he shouldn't be agreeing. GRR.

Then of course comes communion where the host is pieces of wheat bread. Like a loaf.

As Denise says, "Life is interesting." I don't think I've been living until now.

Just in case you worried:

I met friends, Melissa my suitemate, and Heather who lives across the hall. We also brought Kristen along for dinner, she lives a few doors down. I'm independent, don't get shy about introducing myself, talking with guys, whatever.

I was going to say something, but decided against it.

Baby's first outing:

The Cafe.

(Brian this will make you laugh even louder.)

If you've ever seen my fave Disney show Lizzy McGuire, you will know of the little cartoon blurbs they have of Lizzie. Yeah, think that, plus me slipping and falling on a puddle of water in the cafe and flying to the floor. My plate goes one way, my ass another, and my cup up in the air. My whole body is a bruise. Luckally I'm used to being embarrased in cafeterias (read the apple story on daisysmba,) so I stood up, laughed and limped away.

I'll tell you how big the bruise is another night. As for now, I'm dreading my seven o'clock appointment with the cafe floors.

Oww.

Today - hiding in my room.

I have to go get off my butt and figure out when mass on campus is. Yesterday my roommate overheard my parents and I talking about mass and asked what it was..... did I mention she is very very very religious? I just don't know what religion... I think she just says she's non-denominational. It makes me excited for my Foundations class because I have no idea what to say sometimes to her strange comments about the Bible or her religion. Again, here I am Ms. IGNORANT, and get all shy and confused when she goes off about people going to hell (it seems everyone is,) Revelations, and such. She told me she loves watching the Christian channels on TV (those scary preachers who jump around and yell,) and decorates with Bible quotes. I have naked Picasso women on my walls. Oh well. So yeah, she's different. Knows the Bible better than I do, even though I studied if for a semester with the impossible prof at FUS, but I guess people say that the Baptists (her father is a Baptist preacher, she wants to be a preacher too, one day,) know their Bible very very well.

I tried explaining to her yesterday about the Eucharist and how we believe it really IS the Body and Blood, and she just wanted to know if it was real wine.

We also got into a disagreement about the entertainment last night, mentalist Craig something-or-another. He was an ENTERTAINER, who did tricks such as reading people's mind, seeing with a blindfold on, raising tables, and so on. He was really really cool, and after some of his more amazing performances, the crowd gave him a standing ovation. My small group was front and center - first row, so when the rest of the row stood, I admit, I followed the crowd, (didn't want to stand out or be rude,) and stood as well. Truly, he deserved it, he was very very good at entertaining. That's the thing though, I was applauding his entertainment skills. It wasn't like I believed he could actually read my mind, or raise tables, he was entertaining. Last year I asked a very esteemed theology professor about the guy on TV who talks with people's dead relatives. That "Crossing Over" show? My prof said that it was either a mind trick, or he really was contacting the dead but it was through the devil. He said it could be God's will, but most likely in that sense, it was just entertainment (the purpose of TV,) and not real. So I had the same belief about this mentalist. Whatever right? He's just entertaining me. My roommate was upset that people stood, because this guy was taking all the credit (she actually said that he should give someone credit - even if it is the devil - what?!) and soon people will be calling him some type of god. Oh and she threw in some stuff about Revelations and how he's going to hell. (Cause remember, everyone is going to hell.) I don't know, I understand her point, and I understand that it is true, this guy could be doing something with the dark side, sure.

Okay so if you look in the Catechism in the section on the commandments, the first commandment specifically prohibits having any other gods besides the one true God. Section 2116 talks about magic and divination and that it should be rejected. Things such as this guy last night was doing. So okay, I understand that he's sinning by practicing this magic, but is it a sin for me to enjoy him as an entertainer?

I may not be non-denominational and jump around and preach, but my roommate made me open up my Catechism. Go her.

I've got a migrane and a bad cold. So that's why nothing made sense.

Okay so I feel like I'm sneaking a cookie, but here I am online, on a Saturday nite, hoping my roommate doesn't find me in here. I also think someone keeps knocking at the door, but if they can't lift their hand to actually knock, I'm not getting off my ass to answer it. Here is the ten minute:

Caught.

No online. That's the ten minute. Our jack is broken, for the network thingie, yeah so I have to use the phone line. Ah. Yes.

So it's all cool. Oh my language.

I know I shouldn't be, but it's one of those things, they are, so you are. I'm white, they're "brown." I feel soo left out.


If you know my number, please call me. I'm homesick, I'm too pale. I'm bored.

Random thoughts:

- I hate packing.

- Friendship is seen in how someone rearranges their schedule so they can say goodbye to you (in person) before you leave.

- I suppose friendship also is understanding when they can't be there to say goodbye.

- Scott B. is leaving for Baghdad, Iraq. Please remember him in your prayers.

- Does Norah Jones sing "Don't know why I didn't come" or "call?"

At Columbus on Monday we ate at Le Petit Bistro. Even though I didn't enjoy the food, I did enjoy the name.

So I'm leaving Friday. I can't believe it's here. Then I can, because it really is past time to go.

I should be packing.

Which reminds me of when I say I should be sleeping. So here's a story for the road. (And for SB.)

Once upon a time, a princess was trapped in a high tower in a land far far away. Knights in their glistening armor rode from countries far to try to rescue the fair maiden from her tower of doom, but met disaster. For the pretty princess had dreams of a perfect knight (with armor brighter than the sun and a heart of gold,) and turned away the knights in less perfect armor that tried to rescue her from her prison.

One gloomy day, the knight worthy of the princess came over the long bridge to her tower high. He fought bravely the princess' dragon, (the one she hired to burn the knights unworthy,) and survived. Mounting his horse, he noticed that his armor was not as shiny as the sun, but his heart was hopeful as he rode up to the tower gates.

As he climbed the stairs he called out the princess' name in hope she would hear his voice and know it was him.

As he reached the top, she was waiting for him in her best dress and crown of diamonds.

But alas - she didn't recognize his voice and chopped his head off, splattering blood of gold on her beautiful clothes and tarnishing her crown forever with the heart of her true love.

The end.

I almost feel bad about never posting, but then I read my shoutbox, realize no one feels bad about never shouting.

So. My life.

I'm not going on vacation anymore. I still will have off work, tommorow's my last day, but as for going somewhere, we aren't. I can't be more thrilled.

A Lutheran church on York has a peculiar sign in their yard, "God needs no money."

I understand the point, we shouldn't be greedy, we should depend less on material goods, yada yada, but really. Of course God needs no money. If the sign's point though is to compel us to give up all our money, it's wrong. First, we're not God, as much as some of us believe we are. Second, we need money. That's just dumb. (Not to ruin my wonderful point by using the word dumb, but really, it is.) I think their sign needs to be edited to read "We as God's children don't need excessive money." I suppose though, most people just understood the point of the sign and didn't think into it so much.


I recieved a few goodbyes today from women that weren't going to be at work tommorow. They all said they would miss me. I wonder if it's me or the doughnuts that I bring in occasionally.

It's a Friday and I'm sitting home alone and no one is calling. I wonder if people just assume I'm busy on Friday. I'm not.

I suppose this post will suffice for a few more weeks of not posting. Ciao.

Crystal, the head teller from work, (not to be confused with any other women by the same name, such as the girl from training,) brought her baby daughter Quinn (again, baby, not to be confused,) into work today. The smelly people took a break around three, and I had the chance to hold Quinn for a few moments while Crystal was socializing. Loren, my trainer, came into the room and said I was going to make a wonderful mother one day....

This evening I had a ... glimpse... into the future of being a mother. Perhaps a pregnant one. For some reason, after finishing the second to last book in my series (oh, around ten thirty) I decided to go eat. Around eleven I had one gourmet salad prepared for lunch tommorow.

I don't even eat half the things I put in it. I have a feeling this is an outlook of me every midnight for nine months one day in the future. Scary thought, all those leftovers.

The customers at the bank smell. I was very close to throwing up my breakfast on this woman's passbook because she smelled so very bad. It's the smell of old people and bad breath that stays at the back of your throat and makes you gag at odd hours of the evening when you are far away from their rotted teeth and dirty money.

I was getting upset that my roommate wasn't emailing me when I realized she doesn't have my email. I suppose I should email her.

I have two weeks left. I'm not sure if anyone cares. I'm just mentioning it.


So I emailed the roommate. It was a dumb email. She probably already hates me. Sheesh.