I'm exhausted. I've crammed as much Christmas-break, catch-'em-before-they're-gone, power-socializing in as possible. So many good friends came home and I desperately want to see them all before they go back to their respective schools, jobs, countries, etc. I have not succeeded entirely. There just wasn't enough time, and I leave tomorrow morning to go to Avon to visit my grandparents and 166 cousins, so there were a few people that I missed. Ah. Such is life.

It's been a good couple of days though. Yesterday AJ, Steph and I climbed Harney Peak. It was just magnificent. The weather was chilly and perfect and cloudless. It had been far too long since I'd been in the hills, and even longer since I'd hiked, (as I am reminded by my sore calves today,) so I was a very very happy girl to be out in the woods again. Following that I went to see King Kong with Nick and his family. Great movie. Monkies are just soooo cute! (Kidding! I'm kidding!!!!) I'd give it three thumbs up, if I had three thumbs. Thank goodness I don't, because that wouldn't be very attractive. Today I was supposed to have breakfast with a friend (whose name will go unmentioned, to protect the oversleepers.) She was unable to attend, so I unded up having coffee and bagels with Walt Whitman. Always a delight. Melissa and I had lunch at the Mediterranean restaraunt, (Mmmmm. Falafels.) and Nick and I had dinner at La Costa, so I've been eating multi-culturally. It's cheaper than a world tour.

Well, like I said, I'll be back on my grandparent's farm for a few days - eating, sleeping, eating, reading, eating, bungee jumping, eating, crocodile hunting, eating, gold mining, eating....

Until then, take care and stay out of trouble.

Our glorious tree, before we removed it from it's natural habitat.

...and to all, a good night.

You know life is good when your biggest dilemma is no milk for your Cap'n Crunch. No worries. I've got egg nog. Merry Christmas.

156 hours later...

A week ago I said I was starting that 20 page term paper and not quitting until I was finished. Well, now it's 2:24am, Friday of finals week, and I'm still not finished. I have to admit that I did take a few breaks, to sleep, and work, and drink some coffee, and sing, and hang out with Nick (just a few). But other than that, I've been working hard on school stuff for a week straight. Thank God, it will all be over, for better or worse, in just over 12 hours. I'll sleep then. Anyway, this entry brought to you by the NCSCSPAFPWTPW (National Counsel for the Sanity of College Seniors Pulling All-nighters to Finish Papers Which They Procrastinated Writing). Commercial break over. I'm back to work.

A little bit bittersweet.

Besides a short recording session this Tuesday afternoon, I am done with concert choir and MC for this semester. This is a relief, because in just the last week alone, I've put an estimated 27 hours into it. My voice is just shot. But it's also a little sad, because I'm one of those dumb sentimental people that cares that this is my last concert in the cathedral. While this probably means nothing to most of the people reading this, a few of you have had the opportunity of singing in a candlelight service in that huge, green marble nave, so you might know why I get a little choked up. It really is a very cool experience. There's no good way to try and describe it. Just one of those things you have to be there for. Don't worry. The choir will be there next year, and the year after that, and that year after that, so those of you that have never gotten in on the fun, fear not...you'll get another chance. Just put it on your list of things to do you before you die: candlelight Christmas carol service at the cathedral. Believe it or not, I'm still not done with all my semester projects. So I'm going to go to sleep now, and get up early and work on them. Or so the story goes. Night.

P.S. Natalie...this is Idaho Jon. Jon, this is Nat, whom I've spoken of before. There. Now you can be friends. :)

Let the good times roll!

Four pages on housing development policy. 20 pages on Canadian Judicial system. I'm starting now, and besides going to class here and driving back to Rapid and going to class there, I'm not stopping until I'm done. Anyone else who wants to participate in this paper-writing marathon shin-dig is welcome to contact me, and we can move the party to Perkins for the whole night. Bye.

RE: Today's Blizzard

I would like to offer a formal apology to anyone endangered, inconvenienced, or otherwise negatively affected by the angry snowstorm that blew through the area today, causing a large number of cancellations, closings, etc. (that would include nearly everyone in the state of South Dakota, and eastern Wyoming)

It was all my fault.

I confess that I did, in fact, at approximately 2 am this morning, petition God - in his great mercy - to use whatever means he felt necessary to delay my Program Planning & Eval semester presentation until next Monday, when I can be more prepared. I may have mentioned hazardous weather conditions in that prayer.

Bless His name. Classes this evening were cancelled. :) Once again, sorry about all that snow.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

It's the time of year when people sing carols and wrap gifts and decorate trees and are generally full of cheer. It's the time of year when I find myself just sitting down at the computer at midnight to work on various projects (that are due tomorrow) and eat microwaved "Michelina's Budget Gourmet Premium Cheese Manicotti with Marinara Sauce" (I've determined that by premium, they mean it has an extra 6 grams 0f saturated fat.) So kids, that what I'll be doing for a good three hours. Wish me luck.

So then SHE said...

I've decided to create the equivalent of a quote wall on my web page. Find it at http://www.tobethere.blogspot.com Contributions welcome from people I know and love. (That's pretty much all of you, I think.)

Live, from Dunn Bro's Coffee

Currently coveting my brothers laptop with wireless capabilities. It opens up a whole new world of coffee-shop-junkyism that didn't exist for me before. Unfortunately, I promised to return it to him tonight. I just spent the last two hours working on my Program Planning and Evaluation semester project. I have to present it on Monday night, and I'm not even close to being ready. I have a huge, expensive, idealistic NPO that I've created and have no idea how to pay for it. And the world of government grants is a scary, confusing one that I don't know how to navigate. This is my future! Whoohoo! Actually, I have no desire to be in a management position for a program like the one I'm creating. I'd rather be the "little guy" at the bottom of the ladder, and not deal with all this stuff. I'd rather deal first-hand with the drug addiction and behavioral problems than through the red-tape and bureaucracy and paperwork from a big desk. Anyway, I'm off to decorate a Christmas tree now. Much more enjoyable than NPO research. Joy.

What little I know...

I just spent two and a half hours writing an opinion paper on my proposals for welfare reform. This of course, is a useless paper because, as anyone who has ever studied social welfare for more than 10 minutes knows, barring a miracle, effective social welfare reform will never happen. Ever. What it boils down to is there are lots of poor people (for various reasons, various places of blame) and just not enough money. Nevermind that Americans spent a collective $8 billion + at retail stores on the day after Thanksgiving. So I take the money comment back. There is actually plenty of money. It's just a matter of what we do with it. The New Testament church had the right idea. They shared everything. People with more gave to the people with less and nobody lacked. Don't confuse this with socialism. In a socialist society, the government takes and distributes the money. In this NT community, the goverment didn't have to take, because people gave of their resources freely. If our entire country followed suit, we could have a utopic society, economically speaking. But is not going to happen, because we are selfish. I am selfish. I spend about $50 a month on coffee; enough to heat an elderly person's house for all of December. No matter how passionately I argue, the fact of the matter is that I don't require coffee for survival. Heat, on the other hand, is fairly important. And there are plenty of people who can't afford any this time of year. Anyhow, I have to get to class. The moral of this story is not to make you feel guilty about spending money on things you don't need (but if you do, that's your own issue, with your own conscience...haha) but just to say that when I'm a sociology professor, I won't force my students to write about "solutions" that they know aren't going to work anyway. I'll let them write about the depressiveness of hopeless situations, if they want. Haha.

Why psychologists are crazy people...

The more you learn about explaining behavior in other people, the more you use your self as your own personal case study, the more you can view your own neurosis objectively, the more you can know what you should do to fix or even just improve the situation, the more chances you have NOT to do what you know you should do, the more self-conflicted you become, the more crazy you get...it's a vicious cycle.

Right on schedule with the procrastination...

This semester is really catching up to me. Not that I didn't expect it to, it's always just a matter of "how close am I going to cut it this time?" Pretty close apparently. I just realized tonight that I haven't written a single paper yet this semester. I've taken a few tests, given one presentation, but not handed in a single paper. That's about to change. I think I have 8 due before finals week, which is quickly approaching. Awww...I'll make it. I always do...

Well, would you look at that. I'm feeling like a genious for figuring out this whole picture posting deal. Yes, I know my 12 year old sister could do it. Quit bursting my bubbles. By the way...from left to right: Myself, my narcoleptic little bro, Jamin, my mom, my other little brother, Aaron, my little sis, Sarah Jill, my big brother Jared, and his beautiful bride, Jess.

The "Marci Chronicles" get a makeover...

It's not that I didn't love my old, sloppy, HTML journal. It's not that it didn't have it's merits, it's own kind of beauty. It's just that...well, people change. People grow. People move on. People want colored text and links (http://www.randomshirts.com) and pictures (okay. still working on that.) And you know, "we can still be friends." I'll still keep all my old entries in the archive in that same, old, trusty format that you faithful readers of 5 years have come to know and love. (Those of you who are newbies will find my homepage and those archives at http://www.geocities.com/marciebens) Oh, don't cry. You'll get used to this shiny new blog. What's that? Okay. Fine. I won't call it a blog. I know, I know...far too trendy. But I do think that you'll learn to like this one just as well. I promise.
~Marci