Friday, January 18, 2008

Ups and downs

I started off the day babysitting for the dear 21 month old son of my Homiletics professor. He was still asleep when I got to the house, which was a good thing, because I suddenly felt pretty awful (sweats, nausea, dizziness). Fortunately, it passed. I am presuming it was from some cough medicine I took before leaving my house. I sure wish this malaise would leave. I have to revisit the hematologist on Tuesday (after the annual mammosquish) and hope the news will be good. Anyway, His Nibs was his usual charming self, with a couple of new words (camel and zebra) to share with me. Sitting for him is a substitute for spending time with my grandbabies who live so far away, and is a pleasure.

Then it was off to lunch at a nice restaurant with a lobbyist friend from my past life. Many restaurants in the area of Your Nation's Capital participate in Restaurant Week, when you can try different venues that have a prix-fixe menu (lunch is three courses for $20.08, dinner is three courses for $30.08). Suffice to say you couldn't normally eat this kind of grub for such a price, and it was a delight being treated by my old friend and having a fun conversation with him about matters political, theological, parental and marital.

I swung by the seminary on my way home to pick up a paper from my Pastoral Care and Counseling course - I knew it had finally been graded and was waiting in my box. The prof had written to me a couple of days ago, asking if she could use a redacted version of it as a sample for future students, a lovely compliment. When I picked it up today, I saw she had written "one of the best papers I've seen in my teaching career in terms of its comprehensibility, writing, solid research and pastoral grasp." Gee whiz! Of course, next week I'll probably get some other papers back in other courses that decry my inability to articulate a theme, my clumsy use of language, my thin research and lack of pastoral understanding, so my head is staying firmly its normal size, and not swelled up. Still it's nice to get an A+ and such kind words.

Tonight PH and I will go to the movies to see "Atonement"- the rest of the weekend will be quite busy with icon-writing on Saturday midday, contemporary service at Saint Middle School Saturday night, regular services at Saint Middle School Sunday Morning, lay committee meeting after church, rehearsal at St P's for our "Sing Me a Love Song concert,"and (I hope) the wrap-up of my paper on Post-Apartheid Reconciliation in the late afternoon and evening. PH has a congregational meeting Sunday evening, so it seems we will be ships passing in the night or something. I may get a silly video for Sunday night, since it seems we don't have any good "Mystery!" stuff on PBS lately. I miss my Inspector Lynley Mysteries, although the new Helen is nowhere near as interesting as old Helen.

So much for a restful week. I babysat 14 hours, had a lunch and a dinner out with friends, and dealt with the aggravation of medical issues.

Next week should start out light, but ends with diocesan council on Friday and Saturday. At least this year it's only 30 miles away from home instead of 100.

I think I'll go have a drink.

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:24 PM

    Hmmm.... sounds like a restful week. {said with tongue firmly in cheek..lol} -- Congrats on the A+ paper. Nice to have those affirmations, since I know I found it difficult to be back in the studying mode at my age.

    I've just returned from my immersion experience (New Mexico). It was a good two weeks although I could have done without all the group stuff.

    Question for you -- do I remember you saying something about a Spanish class you took? I thought it was part of your program there at Big Old Seminary, but I couldn't find it on the website. We don't have one at Not-So-Big Seminary,only Greek and Hebrew, which surely will be useful in dealing with the immigrants in this area. ahem... anyway, I've returned from NM with the awareness that I need to learn Spanish. I can certainly take it at our community college but I thought a class that was specifically Spanish for ministry would be more useful.

    And what classes are you taking this semester? I'm taking Systematics part 2, Reformed Theology, Worship Today, internship colloquy, and singing in the choir (for which I get one arts credit). And working at my internship site. That should keep me busy.

    I hope your health issues are resolving themselves. Lol about the "mammosquish". heehee... my son calls it a "whammogram". ouch..

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  2. The Conversational Spanish class is not an "Official" course. A teacher from Episcopal High School comes over and teaches it. $100 per semester. She's an excellent teacher, very energetic and inteligente. I'm not sure it's open to non-BOS students, but it might be worth inquiring if you're interested. I've been lazy about doing my Spanish over the break, which will cause me some heartache when class starts up again, I'm sure.

    Glad NM was wonderful. I know what you mean about the group stuff. A little goes a long way.

    Classes for this semester are Christian Ethics, Systematics 2, Church History 3, Field Ed Colloquy, Theology of Mission, the Sung Service. Plus the Spanish, if I have the intestinal fortitude to sign up for part 2. It's going to be a killer semester. I'm singing in the choir (and co-leading Evensong on Tuesday nights) but don't get credit for it.

    I'm thinking of taking a summer course over in Not-So-Big over the summer, to complete my Consortium requirement. Perhaps our paths will cross!

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  3. I'll buy another drink for that awesome paper comment!

    hope you are weller soon.

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