isn't it strange...

how the spelling of a name makes it seem totally different from another name that sounds just like it?  i'm reading a book in which a character is named janis.  i don't even associate that with "janice" but it sounds just the same.  it's funny to me how much i associate the mental image of the name spelled out with the person.  does everyone do this?

so then i started thinking about how many folks i know have names like that and how i can't imagine if their names were spelled otherwise.  anne is not an ann.  marc is not a mark.  cheryl isn't a sheryl.  ali is not an allie.  christy is not a kristi. and caron is not a karen.  and vice versa.  you get the picture.  anyway.  random thoughts.  they abound.

it's really rainin' out

a storm just arrived and now my windows are open and i'm listening to the rain pour down and the thunder rumble. i love it. especially since today--the first official day of classes--i don't have to be on campus.

it almost always storms on the first day of classes. pathetic fallacy? i think so. usually, i teach on tu/th and don't have to be there, but part of me feels a little sad for the freshmen, many of whom have probably thought long and hard about their "first-day-of-college-classes look" and now have to walk to class through torrential rain, ruining whatever impression it was they wanted to make. poor little rain-soaked freshmen. at least they'll be joined by rain-soaked teachers!

the strength of my convictions...

got me out of bed at my new "new year, new you" time. now i'm sitting in the kitchen, drinking my coffee, reading, and listening to NPR as it plays softly in the background. any wagers on how many mornings will go like this?

a new year

i met my freshman advisees for the first time yesterday, just hours after they moved into the dorms. i made them all write a letter to themselves, reflecting on how they felt on their first day on campus and what they hoped the semester would hold for them. seems like it might be good for me to make myself do the same thing.

the start of a new school year always feels more like a time for resolutions, etc. to me than a new calendar year ever does. it's also a time that i try to remember what i want my life to look like and who i want to be-come. this year, i think my sense of a need for balance and groundedness is stronger than ever. it's my 6th year in my job. it's time to apply for tenure, which involves a lot of looking back and a lot of looking forward. and, in the midst of that, i feel like it's easy to feel off-kilter and a little bit crazy. so. balance. groundedness. these are my goals for this school year. i want to try to include things like hobbies (embroidery, learning to play the guitar, cooking, etc.) and exercise into my schedule on a more regular basis. i want to be in the Bible more consistently and more deeply. i want to remember that, at its core, my job is FUN. i like what i do. i want to give in to my creative side and my wacky side. i want to embrace and express exuberance. (how's that for some fun alliteration?!) sometimes i wonder if that would be easier to do in a place like the cool school/church/house i saw in wisconsin this summer (pictured above). doesn't it just make sense that all of those things could/should be in one place? nice, i think.

we'll see how it all goes. my students get the letters they wrote back at the end of the term. i'll have to come back here, re-read, re-think and reflect on how the semester has gone. hopefully i'll be in a place that feels more grounded and not less. watchword for the term: God is in control. i guess, really, that should always be my watchword. but right now, it feels like i need to be even more mindful of that than usual.

oh. and i want to listen to NPR more. how's that for a resolution?