Tuesday night I whiled away the darkening hours in the confines of the architecture building, getting a model ready for review by:
my structures professor
a UW grad student
AND a professional architect!
I've heard rumors along the lines of the "judges" making cruel, snide remarks, and attempting to make students cry, but those rumors aren't true at all. They shoot first and ask questions later. Just kidding!:) They were seriously kind compared to my four studio professors. I respond better to encouragement and suggestions for improvement than stark crititism, so I really enjoyed the experience. The only bad part was that I was so tired that I kept nearly falling off the stool I was sitting on during class. I sometimes enjoy staying up all night, but the repercussions can be less than desirable.

Tomorrow is Halloween! I'm going to wear my costume all day.

Superb new recipe

Someone emailed me this recipe. I think that it might be from the guy who sits across from me in Astronomy. But if I used a blowgun with juice from the poison dart from at the zoo, then I might be able to catch a crow and try to make:

Crow Pie

1 crow
stuffing of your choice
salt and pepper
shortening
flour
2 Pie crust mixes
2-3 hard-boiled eggs

Stuff the crow. Loosen joints with a knife but do not cut through.
Simmer the crow in a stew-pan, with enough water to cover, until
nearly tender, then season with salt and pepper. Remove meat from
bones and set aside.

Prepare pie crusts as directed. (Do not bake)

Make a medium thick gravy with flour, shortening, and juices in
which the crow has cooked and let cool.

Line a pie plate with pie crust and line with slices of hard-boiled
egg. Place crow meat on top. Layer gravy over the crow. Place
second pie dough crust over top.

Bake at 450 degrees for 1/2 hour.

Yeah! Another arch undergrad, Ann Sager, started a blog for everyone in our class to post on. Who knows how that will go... but it could be a happening place! Or fairly dead. But I'll probably post, since I'm already a "blogger"...

BTW, the address is here: http://uwarch03.blogspot.com/

So this morning I was feeling good. Running on 8 hours of sleep, the promise of future coffee, and provoked by God's holiness, I walked in the most lovely chill to class. I had just made Megan Kurtz laugh, with me, not at me. That was a twist! On the way out of the house I murmured to Holly Hicks "Pigs have flown..." and she agreed. Also I made Alli, our cook, coffee, which was cool because I never talk to her, and I think she appreciated it.

I wanted to share this moment with someone. Not just in words, but the entire essence of the moment. I mean, what good are moments like that if you experience them alone? We can try and try to communicate, but the true meaning gets lost somewhere between the mouth and the ear. Writing about it does very little to tell what I felt.

Then I realized something else. Moments like that are not experienced alone. They are God's gift to us, a private smile from him to us, a shared memory or inside joke that gives us a personal fellowship that cheesily enough, we need: a demonstration that I alone am special; each person alone is special to him. We can share the joy these moments give us, contributing to other people's moments, but we experience them directly from God. This thought made me almost giddy. When a long truck blocked the crosswalk, I turned to the tall asian guy standing by me and laughed. He looked confused, a bit, but that just amused me more. I just love epiphanies!

Check out the picture of Ben and I on his site: www.tibennet.net/BP

Come again?

Today in class I heard the some guy sitting behind me uttering something under his breath, in the same tone of voice which one might say "I am He-man..." or "Trogodor...". I listened, trying to figure out what he was saying, then realized it was "Thunder...". That's the professor's name:)

At UCU we have an fellowship activity each week that Pete and I lead. It's called Bring It!, based on everybody contributing and bringing something to the group. Two weeks ago, Emily's friend Sun visited, and they both came. Well, Emily had left her umbrella at Sun's house awhile ago, so last week Sun visited again to give Emily back the umbrella. Once she got inside, Emily asked her, "Did you come to Bring It! ?" And Sun said, "Yes," thinking Emily was talking about the umbrella. So Emily took her to the room where we were meeting. We couldn't understand why Sun looked so confused for the next hour! At the end Sun told me she hadn't planned on staying, she just wanted to drop off the umbrella:)

He he he...

I just took my construction materials midterm, and, contrary to my normal habit, was one of the first to leave the room. Partly because... well... I looked at my friend's test from last quarter, thinking it would help me to review and study. However, some of the questions were the same! I'm trying to figure out what to do. I mean, I was not accessing restricted information-- the professor must know that anyone could see a test from last quarter! And quite a few people did. So there's a bit of a moral dilemma here.

I was a bit of a brat on other questions. There was a water:cement ratio solving problem, on which there were 6.5 bags of cement. But it didn't say how big the bags were. So above my equations I wrote in huge letters, "Assuming that a bag of cement is a ton..." Ahem:) Also, I forgot the names of concrete joints in fill-in-the blank. I got "Cold Joint" right, but ended putting "Makeshift Joint" and "Whodunit Joint" for the other two. Hehehe:)

[ Thu Oct 23, 12:49:57 PM | Lisa Massingill | edit ]
Hoorah! I am now a volunteer with the Student Visitation Program at UW. No... this isn't a program for deliquents in juvey; it's an option that prospective students have to check out UW on a more personal level. Basically, I'll meet up with one person who's thinking about going to UW, take them to a couple of classes with me, and answer their questions. The advisor was sooo excited, because no one else in the architecture program is involved with this! So I'll get to hang out with any high schoolers, etc. who think architecture might be their thing. Being the generally outgoing, helpful type that I am, this sounds like a barrel of fun.

In other news, MY PROFESSORS ARE NOT OUT TO GET ME!! Yesterday I found out that this landscape contour model I made was mirror-image backwards, and was commanded to redo it so that I could work on the continuing project with better understanding. I seriously almost cried. Then, a couple hours later I came back to the studio, to find that this same professor had salvaged somebody's old landscape model and was offering to let me use it instead of building a new one! Praise be to God! She even emailed me to let me know... I really didn't expect such compassion. God is totally delivering me, giving me just enough stress to bear. *sigh of relief*

Hoorah! I am now a volunteer with the Student Visitation Program at UW. No... this isn't a program for deliquents in juvey; it's an option that prospective students have to check out UW on a more personal level. Basically, I'll meet up with one person who's thinking about going to UW, take them to a couple of classes with me, and answer their questions. The advisor was sooo excited, because no one else in the architecture program is involved with this! So I'll get to hang out with any high schoolers, etc. who think architecture might be their thing. Being the generally outgoing, helpful type that I am, this sounds like a barrel of fun.

In other news, MY PROFESSORS ARE NOT OUT TO GET ME!! Yesterday I found out that this landscape contour model I made was mirror-image backwards, and was commanded to redo it so that I could work on the continuing project with better understanding. I seriously almost cried. Then, a couple hours later I came back to the studio, to find that this same professor had salvaged somebody's old landscape model and was offering to let me use it instead of building a new one! Praise be to God! She even emailed me to let me know... I really didn't expect such compassion. God is totally delivering me, giving me just enough stress to bear. *sigh of relief*

I've discovered the reason that I enjoy being a student: my interest in a subject is not based upon its relevance, but on my personal taste and curiosity. For instance, everyone says that they don't like calculus because it won't help them later in life. Be that as it may, I like it, just because I do. Ditto with irrelevant things like obscure historical persons and such.

Now I'm actually learning things in school that I will use later in life. Some if it is more interesting (making topographical maps!) and some of it is dull (fixtures that work well in reinforced concrete). Should it be interesting just because it is relevant to me? I try my best to make it so, but it doesn't seem to make much difference. Maybe the reality that I might actually need to know it hasn't sunk in yet (like rain through a 7 wythe, Flemish brick veneer).

The most frustrating, but probably most relevant thing I'm learning is to use Form-Z, a computer program. I'm feeling quite at the end of my rope. Ben very patiently gave me some help last night, but I ended up sending out a desperate cry for help to one of my professors, along the lines of "Where do I turn?!!" And... I just got an email back from him saying "Well... I can meet with you later today." That was easier than I'd thought it'd be, getting help. Praise God for that:)

This from an email Kate sent me:

Only in American English can:
A. your house burn up as it burns down,
B. you fill out a form by filling it in,
C. an alarm go off by going on

Well, my life IS school right now, but I am going to a Halloween party in a week! And this weekend Ben and I are getting dressed up old-skool (aka high school) dance style and going out to eat and stroll leisurely in public places.

Sometimes, the best thing about going out to dinner is that some clever cook puts a mint sprig on your plate, and then you can chew on it the rest of the night, and it looks like you just picked a weed off the sidewalk and stuck it in your mouth, but it tastes better than most gum, plus you can eat it.

Quote of the week:

In a lively discussion at dinnertime, Holly and Marissa were telling us about their calculus class.

Holly: Math is a torment.
Marissa: Our Professor's just really hard to understand.
Holly: He's a moron.
Marissa: He doesn't teach us anything, because his accent is thick.
Holly: Like bleh, meh, blah blah
Marissa: He's from "Down Under."
Holly: Yeah, like from Hell!

Okay, maybe this was just really funny at the time, but we were all thinking "Oh, Australia, I see," then Holly twisted everything around and we all cracked up.

The Rain's Rein

It is time again to break out the parka, gloves, boots, scarves, and long johns. I'm serious. Two years ago, I started doubling up my jeans because I was cold all the time. My mom graciously pointed out that long johns are a lot softer and fit better. My first pair was her cast-offs; about 20 years old and "nueter" style, if you know what that means. They disturbed some of my friends, so I now have women's long johns.
I've decided that I don't mind the rain. There are only two things about I don't like about it: the way all sunlight is extinct, and the way it makes the cold wetly cling to me. The only time I'm warm, it seems, is when I'm exercising, when I'm drinking something hot, and when I'm in bed. So no, I don't just drink coffee and tea for the caffeine:)

On other subjects, here is a communication from my aunt Becky:

Hi Lisa,
>
> How is my lovely niece doing at school this year? Is it fun
having your sister there? Please tell her hello for me.
>
> I finally have your birthday present done. It is the same
thing your sisters got for their birthdays. My yarn store
closed for 1 month while they were moving and I forgot about
that and didn't get my yarn in time. But it is now ready to
send. I just don't know where to send it -- to you at school
or to your house. Let me know a! nd I will get it off to you
asap!
>
> We are really looking forward to having you here for
Christmas. I wish you were staying longer!
>
> Love,
> Aunt Becky
>


I responded, in and hurry and in jest:

Hey!
My sister is having a wonderful time, and I will say hi to
her for you. Thanks for making me something! (I forget what
my sisters got... a poncho?) My house address is: 4554 16th
Ave. NE Seattle, WA 98105, and I would love to get mail
there. I can't wait to visit you for Christmas too! Say hi to
"the family" for me:)
--Lisa

And she wrote back:

You do remember -- it is a poncho -- a big red and black checked poncho.
I think you'll like it -- I wasn't sure of the size so I made it
extra-large. I think it will look great on you! In fact since your
sisters already have one I think I will make one for your Mom and Dad
also. If I hurry I can get it done in time for you all to have one for
your family Christmas picture this year. I better get going - the yarn
store opens in 20 minutes.
Love,
Aunt Becky

Uh oh. I think she's joking, but tone is so hard to read in emails...

Be not alarmed

I'm sorry if my last post worried anyone. I'm absolutely fine, I don't dream about death often, and the reason I ended it so dramatically was that I had to hurry off to class. I just enjoy relating my dreams.

Announcement: Beth Dammarell said that architect students are "hardcore." Hardcore: This from Beth, prime candidate for Miss 3.9-something that she's earned from long hours of studying when everyone else is goofying around, and always being focused on the goal of learning, come sleet, snow, or hurricane. Therefore, I must be hardcore. Q.E.D.

According to Joel, people read my website to see if they get mentioned. So I proposed having a contest to see who gets mentioned the most. Joel said that Ben would most definitely win, and I said that he probably deserves to, but it would be really funny if the person who sits across from me in astronomy won, especially since I'm not taking astronomy.

Brief thought: For some reason, it vaguely annoys me when men try to write from a female character's perspective. And vice versa. I'm not talking about an author writing third person, "She strolled across the cafe floor, etc." but when an author really tries to get inside a person of the opposite sex's head, and write first person. Now, I realize that I've done this myself, with my drummer boy story, but that was a) experimental and b) necessary (you just can't change the "Drummer Boy" to a "Drummer Girl," way to feministic for my taste) and c) written about a child, not a man.

I'm reading a book called "Queen of Camelot," written by Nancy McKenzie about Guenievere. Jaime recommended it to me, and said that she enjoyed it because "it was written with a woman's voice." And I'm realizing as I'm reading it that, aside from its other great qualities, I enjoy it for that-- it sounds like a real woman talking, someone I can somewhat relate to and marvel at.
At a regrettable moment in the past, I read part of a novel by J.A. Jance (aka Nora Roberts, etc.). It was a very unredeeming read, and one of the things I really didn't enjoy was the crude style of writing. I could be wrong, but maybe this was a failed attempt to mock-up a man's voice? It sounded like she was trying to be urban and macho, and just being uninteresting and twisted instead.
On Sunday, I read the first few pages of a fantasy book called "The Eyre Affair" that Ben recommended. And I liked it, mostly; there were a lot of good things about it. Only something about the way the main character spoke made her seem hollow, like the author couldn't quite give her a soul. And... then I saw that it was written by a man.

Now, I realize too that there are many more reasons for poor authorship and portrayal of characters then this, (like not knowing how to write), but I've seriously noticed a pattern. And as far as I'm concerned, I've yet to see a book where a man writes from inside a woman's mind well, and a woman from a man's.

strange food particles?

I had the weirdest dream last night. I dreamed that I was walking south along 148th Ave. in Bellevue, and some guy in a van pulled over and tried to kidnap me, but somehow I talked him out of it. He regretted it later, and started stalking me, and the rest of my life I spent running from these guy and his henchmen.
Forty years later, (only I was cartoon-like and stayed 21) I was walking in a park with a large group of friends. I was always with people, because if I were alone I was afraid I would be caught. Suddenly, through the trees on my left I saw a figure, which look alternatively like a large man, and a pregnant woman, and instantly knew my captors had caught up to me. I cried out and everyone tried to hide me, but then I noticed and woman coming from the other direction (for some reason, these people always wore red). She pushed everyone away, and injected my thigh with a long needle, and for some reason I felt really happy.
It was like, the fear and running from these people was finally over, and even the fear of a painful death was gone. I just was alarmingly numb. I wanted to touch my friends and tell them that I loved them, but they shrank away from me, but somehow I understood that they were scared, and that didn't bother me. So I just looked everyone in the eye, and whispered my affection, and praised God, saying that he was good. Then, I died.

A fiesta and a trip to Hawaii for...

One Tia Ford! Tia McAlister of old (as in, we've known each other for at least 10 years) has changed her name and planned a beautiful wedding in the process. Congratulations, girlfriend! I know you read my blog, but you won't get this for a week because you'll be in Hawaii... getting the tan you've always dreamed of.

It was interesting to see a few gals from high school I used to hang out with at the wedding, my best band friends, and catch up on their lives... and the discuss the lives of all our mutual acquaintances that one or more of us has actually kept in touch with. Some things are totally unexpected (David Saar... has a wife and a son!?) and other things are oh so predictable.

*snarl*-- to Kristin and Lauren:)

On Friday my Profs highly crititized my model. I'm going to go change it.

I was recently told a joke that apparently I once told to someone, but have since forgotten and been told again and enjoyed anew. It goes a little something like this... *

There were two muffins sitting in the oven. One muffin turned to the other and said, "Hey, is it getting hot in here?"
And the other muffin replied,

"Oh MY GOSH!!! A Talking MUFFIN!!!"


*A select few may recognize this phrase from Bob Newhart comedy

By the way, I recommend bicycling from UW to Greenlake, and coffee at the Still Life Cafe on 50th and University Way.

After One Week...

So, just how is my new life? As I like making lists, I'm going to update in that format... though they're not really an approximation of real life, at least they make sense.

Good things:
I'm being trained by a fine institution
I've got my own desk with all the toys I need
Problem solving is so interesting... we're given projects that require creativity, but also include inherent problems which have already been thoroughly explored by the professors; we're supposed to ferret out an answer-- but there isn't just one. I love this style of teaching, it's really feeding my experience and intellect, and even passion
There is potential for community here, being as we the students have our schoolwork in common, and so some common motivation and lifestyle. I'm starting to "meet people" ;)
Having clear direction is so wonderful
And of course, living in Seattle, in reach of my family, my church, my boyfriend, and still at UCU; where there is refreshing rain and crisp leaves and the city life, and so many memories.

Bad things:
Learning another befuddling computer program lies close on the horizon (aka Form-Z, on a Mac no less...)
There is a sort of prickliness to people. I think after spending a year living at UCU, and hanging around mostly my Christian friends, I'm used to seeing some spark of love and excitement for life in humans. But there are all sorts here, from all different backgrounds, and some people are hard and cold. I know that they have inherent worth, but sometimes it seems hidden, and I see protective reserve, fear, constant anger, and apathy in people. I pray that God will show me their preciousness.
Having to give up things to obtain focus, like not having a job, and skipping teaching the gals at Wednesday night college group, and just not hanging out much with friends

Agh!!! Why can I not stay awake in class!
I really really want to, and I tell my body to comply. I try to pamper it by feeding it tasty caffeine, and telling it that during my break in an hour, I can take a nap.
My class notes are in shambles, because my hand keeps writing nonsense when my mind is asleep. Granted it's warm and dark, but with a healthy six hours of sleep I should be able to exercise some willpower at 8:00am!
I don't do the things that I want to, and I do the things I don't want. Who can rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Okay, maybe dozing isn't sin, so quoting verses on the subject is out of context, but... God is powerful. Hmmm
I just wish that every 15 minutes or so I was allowed to do laps around the room and yell a bit.

OH, and check out this link.

http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/

Whew. The Internet's been down at UCU, due to a virus. We've all been updating windows and installing McAfree's deluxe virus protection with gusto-- and I did it all on my own! Yay-ha! Thus my non-updation. But I think that we're squeaky clean now, or at least the network is up and running fairly fast, making life much more convenient.

I think that the most entertaining thing to post on is last night. Ben, Raeleen, potentially Joel, and I were going to go to a cafe in Everett to hear From Here to There, an excellent folk rockish group that includes our friend Dustin. But the Manna Cafe double-booked, and left Ben and I saying "What do we do now?" Joel didn't say that; he was playing Risk. And Raeleen was unaccounted for.
So Ben borrowed Jaime's guitar (aka her boyfriend) and we jammed together a bit down by the piano. Some of Katie's buddies were around, and we ended up going out to get Bubble Tea on "the Ave" with them. Even though there are probably ten Bubble Tea places on "the Ave," the one we like was crowded to bursting point. Other people like it too, I guess. Well, I got my favorite black milky tea, and Katie got coconut, and Dannie tried a coffee shake with tapioca bubbles in it. Tapioca bubbles are rather disgusting in my opinion-- they've got little flavor and a funky texture. I think Dannie liked them okay, but still a couple got spat at a post on the street through the straw. They rolled down the post very very slowly, and the craziness of the situation amused us probably more than it should have. This raised issues later about public property and consideration of others (brought up by Ben, an eminantly considerate person) which I have yet to resolve to my satisfaction. But the tea was good.

We also attended an impromtu dance party in Kenton's room, complete with disco ball and 70's hits, which was exceedingly fun for the 10 minutes it lasted until the room got overheated. Afterwards, Ben and I got creative. I hollowed out a watermelon, and he a harvest gourd, and we made unconventional jack-o-lanterns. I must say that Ben's looked amazingly cool. So that was my night.

I'll probably spend the rest of the day working on my architecture homework, but the random fun I've had should tide me through the drudgery;)

So I just completed purchasing the list of about 30 or 40 tools I'll need for my studio architecture classes. Among these items were things like, "1000 clearstock vellum," "desk brush," and "french curves." After I told Tara this last item she started giggling uncontrollably (which isn't too unusual for Tara) I also bought a Japanese dovetail saw, which is a nifty, nastily sharp, handheld deal for cutting balsa wood. Carrying it around in my backpack makes me feel like I'm smuggling weapons.
I just need one more thing: a door. I love the idea of toting it around campus-- rather fanciful thoughts about sticking it on solid walls and then walking through it into unknown worlds come to mind. But I don't think I'm going to say what the actual purpose of the door is... I'll just let ya'll wonder for a bit.

Fall quarter architecture so far isn't the consuming beast that I was led to expect. I actually had time for 8 hours of sleep last night, and socialization. Woah.

One of the most challenging things about being Vice President at UCU, for me, is being humble. I itch sometimes to list and display my ideas, the things I've done and ways I plan to serve, partly because I'm excited about them, but also in the hope that I will be admired. I need to find some sort of balance so that I can share this part of my life without bragging in appearance or in spirit.