I'm watching the Goonies. If you haven't seen it, then you need to send me a message and I will make appropriate arrangements, because it is required viewing. Anyway.
Today I got up and did a little work (not much, honestly) and then went over to the Washington College of Law to watch a documentary on disappeared and murdered Mexican girls and women. Many of them worked in the maquiladoras, and their disappearances, murders, and rapes have gone uninvestigated. It caught my attention since it was the subject of a monologue my second year in VM. It wasn't as powerful as I thought it would be, but it was an incredible story. I want you to remember one thing: we are incredibly lucky to live in a place where we don't have to be scared to walk to work, or go out and get a haircut, or to the grocery store. And if we were to disappear in the middle of broad daylight, the police would look for us. We are lucky people.
I did my SPSS homework in the Social Science Lab - love it! All schools should adapt a program where your student ID lets you pay for your printer copies ... life is good.
Lunch, a book chapter, a newspaper section, and some tidying later it was time to get back to school. I went to a seminar on how to get a job in the federal government (led by current employees). It was interesting to hear what they had to say - and I believe that the approaches they recommended were true, but I don't think I could go in and be a typist just to eventually move up. I don't think that is really for me. That isn't the only approach they suggested, but it was the dominant one. Maybe they said more, but I ducked out early.
I left to go to All Saint's Day services at the spiritual life center. Since all the masses at local churches were being held at 7pm and my class started at 8pm and I still needed dinner, I went to the earliest service I could find, an Episcopal prayer reading (it is a holy day of obligation friends). The people were pretty nice and although not an actual service, the evening prayers were alot like what I imagine vespers to be. I copied a prayer out of their prayer book and felt as if I, more or less, fulfilled my obligation. This is probably the first time I have ever gone to church for All Saint's when it wasn't on a Sunday, so maybe this is a good first step. (I've been really into the whole being there for required holidays since France.)
Okay, then I had Chick-fil-a and Research Methods class. Class was SOOOO exciting. We learned about qualitative research including ethnographics (immersion into culture), personal in-depth interviews, and focus groups. The guest professor was really engaging and, since this is her specialty, knew basically everything there was to know. Wow, it was so cool. (And I am such a nerd.)
Caroline H. and I talked in the parking lot afterwards, which was fun and then I came home to tell you all about my day. Don't you feel special? I had to tell someone ... it was so full and fun. Two specialty conferences, prayer services, SPSS, and an awesome class. What a life. I'm so lucky.
Okay, I'm having a snack now and then I'm going to get a bit more homework done before bed. My little insight for the day is that, like in this classic film, life is more about friendship than the "rich stuff." Keep that in mind. And pray for all the saints who have come before us, they made the path that we follow today. See you later. Love always, ~Heather
In case you were wondering about the pictures: The cross is from the top of the hill in Park Guell, Barcelona. (A hill on a hill, which I climbed, and then as usual, needed help getting back down from.) The sunset is on the highway in Belgium or Luxembourg (can't remember) last March when Caroline and I were driving home from Strasbourg.
Today I got up and did a little work (not much, honestly) and then went over to the Washington College of Law to watch a documentary on disappeared and murdered Mexican girls and women. Many of them worked in the maquiladoras, and their disappearances, murders, and rapes have gone uninvestigated. It caught my attention since it was the subject of a monologue my second year in VM. It wasn't as powerful as I thought it would be, but it was an incredible story. I want you to remember one thing: we are incredibly lucky to live in a place where we don't have to be scared to walk to work, or go out and get a haircut, or to the grocery store. And if we were to disappear in the middle of broad daylight, the police would look for us. We are lucky people.
I did my SPSS homework in the Social Science Lab - love it! All schools should adapt a program where your student ID lets you pay for your printer copies ... life is good.
Lunch, a book chapter, a newspaper section, and some tidying later it was time to get back to school. I went to a seminar on how to get a job in the federal government (led by current employees). It was interesting to hear what they had to say - and I believe that the approaches they recommended were true, but I don't think I could go in and be a typist just to eventually move up. I don't think that is really for me. That isn't the only approach they suggested, but it was the dominant one. Maybe they said more, but I ducked out early.
I left to go to All Saint's Day services at the spiritual life center. Since all the masses at local churches were being held at 7pm and my class started at 8pm and I still needed dinner, I went to the earliest service I could find, an Episcopal prayer reading (it is a holy day of obligation friends). The people were pretty nice and although not an actual service, the evening prayers were alot like what I imagine vespers to be. I copied a prayer out of their prayer book and felt as if I, more or less, fulfilled my obligation. This is probably the first time I have ever gone to church for All Saint's when it wasn't on a Sunday, so maybe this is a good first step. (I've been really into the whole being there for required holidays since France.)Okay, then I had Chick-fil-a and Research Methods class. Class was SOOOO exciting. We learned about qualitative research including ethnographics (immersion into culture), personal in-depth interviews, and focus groups. The guest professor was really engaging and, since this is her specialty, knew basically everything there was to know. Wow, it was so cool. (And I am such a nerd.)
Caroline H. and I talked in the parking lot afterwards, which was fun and then I came home to tell you all about my day. Don't you feel special? I had to tell someone ... it was so full and fun. Two specialty conferences, prayer services, SPSS, and an awesome class. What a life. I'm so lucky.
Okay, I'm having a snack now and then I'm going to get a bit more homework done before bed. My little insight for the day is that, like in this classic film, life is more about friendship than the "rich stuff." Keep that in mind. And pray for all the saints who have come before us, they made the path that we follow today. See you later. Love always, ~HeatherIn case you were wondering about the pictures: The cross is from the top of the hill in Park Guell, Barcelona. (A hill on a hill, which I climbed, and then as usual, needed help getting back down from.) The sunset is on the highway in Belgium or Luxembourg (can't remember) last March when Caroline and I were driving home from Strasbourg.
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