I've made a commitment not to study on Sundays, and keep it as a day to rest.

Hey, so if anyone likes folk rock, I'm going to a concert of a local band called From Here to There on Friday (don't tell Dustin!). Their music is pretty amazing, and the concert's at the Manna Cafe, so you can sit in peace and sip coffee whilest listening. If anyone's interested, I'd love for some people to come with me!

The University of Washington is a huge campus, and even though I live only a block north of main campus, sometimes it can take half an hour to walk to class. But my 8:00am is in one of the closest buildings; only about ten minutes away. So my main thought upon walking to class this cloudy morning was a fervent, "Thank God my class is in Kane."

Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and
instruction, and understanding.
--proverbs 23:23

A big thank-you to all who sent me e-cards for my birthday (a couple of weeks ago). It meant a lot that some people remembered and took the time to show that they care:)

A little old-fashioned house-cleaning

Is good for the soul. It can be so satisfying to check tasks off a list, scrub dirt and see a window shine.

Today was UCU cleaning day, which means that everyone is paired up and sent off into different corners of the house to wipe away three months of grime. Well, everyone is paired up, except me! Because of the odd number of people working, I went solo on the living room and foyer, then starting getting competative and racing the dining room folk to see who could be done first. Andrea and Marissa beat me. Actually, just about everyone beat me, but I finished the whole job by myself! Oh yeah!!!

All of the freshman just moved in to our house, and last night we initiated them;) We dressed them up in mis-matched clothes, then walked out at night and interrupted the guy's frisbee game. All of the girls had to get 15 signatures on these bibs we gave them, but before the guy signed the bib, the girl had to say:
I'm new to UCU, and I want to meet you
Sign my bib so I can join this crib!
I think that they were sufficiently embarrassed:) And I think some of the guys enjoyed it waaay too much:)

I already have an assignment for architecture, due on the first day of class! Yikes!

Okay, so because I'm not sure if Ben's going to, I've got to recommend a fabulous restaurant for quality Italian dining. It's in Old Redmond off 161st St., and it's called "Tropea, Ristorante Italiano." The front is covered in foliage, and the back wall is covered in wine. Ben and I found it by randomly driving around:)
The 'Carpaccio' is excellent (an appetizer) and the peach sorbet is one of the most deletable things I've ever eaten. Ben liked the fettacini alfredo. I also made it through one glass of dessert wine:) Definitely an acquired taste, and expensive to boot, but now I can act all knowing when people talk about wine and hold off awhile before drinking it again. After dinner, Ben and I just sat there with smiles on our faces-- it was that good.

The Prelude

So I just attended the architecture Orientation, and was pleasantly surprised! I thought that I was arriving just in time for the proceedings, but instead I found everyone milling around and eating donuts. There was a woman with a clipboard who I spoke to first.
"You look official," said I.
"So do you," she replied, handing me a schedule of activities this week. "What's your name?"
"Lisa."
"Oh, you've changed."
"What?" I was understandably surprised. I'd never met this woman before.
"Massingill, right? Wasn't your hair darker?"
Then it occured to me that I had sent in a picture with my acceptance papers. I was really impressed that the advisors (it turned out that this was Kim Sawada, the Undergraduate Advisor) had taken the time to memorize our names. Really impressed me, since this is UW and it's rare that anyone recognizes me.
"No, not really. I haven't done anything different with my hair."
"You were the one with the fur sweater! We all remember that. Actually, it made a difference in your acceptance."
Wow. Okay, the "fur sweater" was an art project I did last year, and also included in the portfolio I turned in for my architecture application. Actually, it wasn't made of fur... it was made out of human hair. Hair glued to a shirt= a hair shirt. My project was to collect hair clippings, which I received from more than 30 people, and present them in an interesting way. The shirt was very itchy. I included it in my portfolio on a whim, because it's silly and somewhat strange, and not all that related to architecture. But they liked it!
So yeah, I found out that a Julie from my high school was also accepted in, as well Meagan from the art class I took last year, and a guy from my freshman interest group. I think his name is Raff. So I actually know people! And I'm very excited about the next two years.

Here are some interesting stats:

According to most studies, UW ranks in the top 20 architecture schools in the nation.
Also according to most, it ranks in the top 5 in "learning environment"
about 150 people a year apply to the undergrad program; 50 are accepted:) (a little bragging there)
99% of the people in the program graduate!

Well, I'm going to go *move in* to my new room, and maybe meet up with my lovely roommate, Andrea Sooter!

This is actually my second webpage ever. But please don't look for my first one; it's rather embarrassing. I created it myself. That should say enough:)

Tomorrow I'm going to a couple of orientation activities for the Architecture program. So I'll meet some of the people I'm going to spend the next two years with! And maybe if I'm lucky I can find a punch bowl, too;)

There was a young man from New York
Who at dinner once caused lots of talk
By juggling three peas
And speaking Chinese
While eating his soup with his fork

Ben says that this site needs a new name 'cause he created the first one, as a temporary name. I don't know... I kinda like this one! And I was glad to be relieved of the hulking responsibility of the naming, to be quite honest. But maybe if I'm hit with a germ of inspiration sometime the name will change. We shall see.

Yeah! I have reached new heights and soaring planes in my computer experience! (okay, maybe stumbled onto the heights... as in coming out of a dense forest and bursting in to fresh air, just in time to realize that I'm at the edge of a cliff... then seeing that the alleged cliff really isn't that high, but for a valley-technology-dweller like me, it's dizzying...)

So, hopefully I'll let ya'll know soon that I'm starting in on this website.. I'm not sure who will read it (that should be interesting) but I estimate that if nothing else, my grandparents and some of my computerish friends. Also random people who know Benjamin and are trying to figure out who I am. So, greetings and felicitations!

Today, I danced with Declan, my temporary sweet baby boy charge, and will pack for college and sew a bodice.

this is interesting

FYI, i didn't post the first post... that was Mr. Ben. And I'm slightly confused because I don't know where the links on the second post came from. Let's see if it does it again.