My Darling Readers

I miss you, how are you doing? How is your break?

Today was loverly. I met up with Tyler in B&N and we walked around aimlessly throwing ideas off each other and bragging about our respective universities. Afterward, we went for coffee at this cute place in the middle of Zona Rosa and admitted to each other that we used to have intellect wars, a sign of our immaturity. As is said in Emma: "Misdirected cleverness leads to all forms of mischief." --or something like that?-- Anyway, we established that neither of us were second generation Sophists and resolved to respect the others opinion or argument, as opposed to attacking it with a hammer. (Nietzsche: Philosophy with a Hammer/Tyler and Lauren: Discussion with a Pic Ax" Well, no more. We've both grown up a lot and it was wonderful to sit and chat with an old friend/rival and hash out important issues without ego or pretense. I hope that those days are behind me. It's rather embarrassing to think of.

Rosie also came and joined us after awhile and the three of us chatted away till Tyler had to leave, queuing Rosie and myself to leave for Bolings (DELICIOUS!) We ladies chatted about more girly topics like boyfriends and skimmed over old memories. Sometimes I feel like I'm to young to be nostalgic, but I can't help it!

It's 1:00 in the morning. I should probably leave it at that. I have a big day with the Berger's tomorrow.

All my love!

Feel the Burn

This semester, I stopped all forms of exercise. (I always forget that there is not a z in exercise and thus always spell it wrong!) Anyway, over break I returned to Pilates and it is KILLING me. However, after only a few days I'm starting to feel like I'm getting back in my summer shape. And yes, I am definitely blogging to brag. Haha. Not in a "look at my hot body" (I don't kid myself) sort of way... no.. more like, I am finally the type of person that sets goals and sticks to them. I never used to be like that. Other goals I am working towards over break include: finishing my Appold paper, organizing a PSP KC get-together, practicing French every day, and not be on the STUPID INTERNET ALL THE TIME. I fail miserably at the last one.

I finished Emma, such a good book. My next goal: move away from 19th Century British Literature. I think Annotated Alice will be a nice start or Kurt V. Any recommendations? Shoot, Carol wrote in the 1800's! Well, it's a different genre.

Belle

I saw my cat Belle sleeping on my parents bed today and thought it would be fun to grab my book and join her. That was noon, it's 5:00.

I definitely have had a cat day: i.e. not productive at all... although I did bite off a good portion of my book and also avoided the internet (my addiction) for five hours.

five hours of sleep, four hours of essays, three hours of driving and now...

I'm home!

I feel like my title should end with... "and a partridge in a pear tree!"

Five things from each class I learned this semester that you may want to know as well:

Calculus
1. Pierre De Fermat allegedly proved the Pythagorean triple, but the margin of the book in which he was writing was to small to contain it.
2. Newton's "On the shoulders of giants" quote was a direct stab at Robert Hooke,president of the British Royal Society, an uncommonly short man.
3. If you'd like to know the slope of the tangent line f(x)=3x+sin(x) take the derivative! f'(x) =3+cos(x)
4. To solve undefined integrals, you must always end with: +c
5. Tangent Approximation may be solved by the following formula: f(x) (is approximately) f(a)+f'(a)(x-a)

Chamber Choir
1. Nix on the vibrato in a choir setting - straight tone sounds best
2. RIGHT OR WRONG SING IT STRONG! (in reference to site reading, not performances)
3. Sulfage is not the worst thing in the world.
4. Lower ribcage should expand if one is singing properly
5. The value of listening... its wonderful to sing with such a talented group!

Francais Credit: Emily Fassi et M. Farley!
1. Je comprend francais un peu! J'aime le langue, c'est vraiment jolie!
2. Le passe compose est tres difficile! Avoir? Etre? Je ne comprend pas!!!!
3. Emily Fassi est superb! Elle est moi faison du piano ensemble souvent.
4. How to speak in the future with aller. Je vais au restaurant avec mes parents!
5. Le saison: l'ete, l'hiver, le printemps, et l'automne

Historiography
1. The definition of historiography: compare the writings of hisotirans
2. History is not a circle, rather a spiral
3. History is a conversation amongst historians
4. Stalin and Hitler were filthy bâtards (je m'excuse mon francais!) -- even more then I thought!
5. How to write in Turabian. Kate Turabian, you make my life difficult.

Hebrew Scriptures
(this one will be difficult, I learned so much!)
1. Foreign Conquests against Israel (chronologically): Assyria, Neo-Babylonia, Persia, Alexander the Great
2. D. Hypothesis: J, E, P, and D traditions
3. Isaiah was probably written by three different people
4. TNK: Torah, Nev'him, Kethubim (sp?)
5. The Hebrew Bible was not mean to be a factual account of historical events, rather interpretive history. God works in and among it.

Ancient Greece

1. Dogs would be wiser than people if pistis (realm of sights and sounds) was the highest form of knowledge
2. Smiles are ontologically dependent on mouths
3. Plato is worth the hype... there is a doorprize for all readers
4. I know many second generation Sophists! (Lovers of argument, not wisdom)
5. It is a struggle to go up the cave... but it's absolutely worth it. (Dr. Burton is the perfect guide up the divided line)

Ok... hope that wasn't to obnoxious! My semester was so interesting!!! All my semesters are interesting... COLLEGE is interesting. I am never leaving it, literally. :)

Next Semester:
Hebrew - Appold
French - Seiwert
Age of Jackson 1820-1840 - Hanley
Medieval Philosophy - Burton :)
Logic - Burton
Chamber Choir - Robertson

Ok, that's that. I don't have the energy to proof read, so I apologize for grammar/spelling errors!

Bursting

"Un conseil d'être heureux semble sortir des choses
Et monter vers le coeur troublé." -Bourget

I attempted Claude Debussy at my vocal recital tonight and the feedback has been remarkably positive. The piano, which plays in four, is in sharp contrast to the vocal arrangement, written in three. It's a challenging song for the best of singers and I feel like I did decently well. I definitely wasn't perfect, but I wasn't awful either. I'd say it was one of my best performances ever, actually. Nicole has taught me so much, I hope that she goes far with her vocal career, it is such an honor working with her.

Also, today at church Amy and I sang Silent Night in English and German. After church Dr. and Mrs. Appold took us (including mathew) to lunch at Mainstreet Cafe, my favorite place to eat in NE Missouri. We also took the long way home and stopped at old churches and a school yard. It was a unique Kirksville afternoon and I treasure taking the road not taken with a mentor and friends.

This has been an incredible semester... my life is so full of glorious cliches and I totally do not care.

Welp, must go sleep in order to (hopefully) ace all the finals!

filler

I am eating a delicious turkey sandwich with a tangerine! I put buffalo sauce on it, which sounds gross but it's very yummy. The orange also is aesthetically pleasing with the fresh green and purple lettuce. (It probably upped the caloric value a bit, though!) Oh well, it's culinary genius.

My weekend plans include:
Christmas Party Un - Dr. Haggerty's
Christmas Part Deux - LSF w/ Dr. Appold
Adventure to La Plata to buy honey from the Amish General store (with Amy)
Study group for Philosophy
Duet w/ Amy at Saint Pauls
Vocal Recital w/ Mathew
and STUDYING HARD CORE FOR FRENCH

I'm excited.

Oh and here is a poem I wrote two years ago.

What should a poet think
of a bird who keeps flying into her
window?

My kitchen claims the scene for
this queer flight of failure.
The bird, aiming to reach the room
will fly without inhibition and soon thereafter
meet the icy sting of window
and shortcoming.

Strange bird, it repeats this same method
like a ritual or religion;
over and over without deterrence,
without affect.

Leaning on my palm, I watch
wondering if I should extol this bird
for persistence or
laugh at its stupidity.

Such instances stick in writers thoughts
and philosophers seek for lessons
as poets hunt for metaphor.
Yet, nothing comes.

However, this queer scene
still seems oddly poetic,
regardless of how irrelevant
or small.
And with such a long absence from the pen,
this dryed up writer thanks the bird
for its metaphor:

even if she hasn’t quite figured it out.

I've been blogging habitually, as of late. So I apologize if I don't have much to say.

I'm on my way out the door, but I have ten minutes.

I really love my French class. I'm starting to hear the language better as well as understand much of the required vocabulary. Dr. Farley is an excellent professor and if you ever have the chance to take a French course, I highly recommend him.

Here is my attempt at a blog post in French:

Salut mes amis!

Il y a vraiment froid en plain air alors je dois mets un blouson et un e'sharpe. Ma copine Emily parle Francais tres bien et elle aides moi. Merci, Emily! J'adore Francais parce que il y a belle. Je dois aller du classe et suivre on cours de francais, l'histoire et le calcul. Je ne peut pas aller du classe. Zut!

A bientot!
-Lauren