Ok, so I'm having serious Cassie withdraw right now. There are just too many Homestar quotes and too many other random moments running through my head that I cannot share with my favorite mayo-consuming friend. Someone needs to mail her down here so she can see me. C'mon guys, a little help? Some lunchables? A juice box?

Because you all demanded a post:

Nothing exciting has happened to me
But everyone insists I update quickly.
So here I am with nothing to write,
But I will try with all my might
To create an interesting post for you
To read instead of the work you should do.

It rained last night, it rained today.
Instead of grass, we have manure and hay.
Emily is crazy; we all have a cold.
The cafeteria food is getting old.

IV is great; we worship our Lord.
With those fun friends I’m never bored!
Small group is cool; we study the word.
And learn things we haven't yet heard.

I love my friends here; they’re the best!
(Even if it means living in the Amish Midwest).
I miss Jay and all of my friends from home.
Thank goodness for IM, email, and a cell not on roam!

My friend Elizabeth wants me to compose
A paper for a class in poetry not prose!
I don’t know what my professors would do
So instead I wrote a post in poetry for you.
The poetry’s not great, I’ll admit to that one
But hopefully this study break has been fun.

I was very excited to discover a cute little package in my mailbox today. And it was from my dad--how sweet, right? For those of you who find me a bit...odd...this is where I get it from.

The contents of the package included:
*A copy of a sermon tape I had requested (normal enough)
*A newspaper article about the French castle in the "Monty Python" video. (ok, kind of cool)
*4 rolls of Neco wafers with a "fun facts" paper off the internet included.

Why on earth my dad would send me Neco wafers (much less 4 rolls of them) is beyond me! I just tried one in case maybe my memory had been a little foggy...nope, still the same chalky Tums taste/consistency. According to this nifty facts sheet, over 4 billion are sold each year, which amounts to 120 wafers being eaten every second. Admiral Byrd brought 2 1/2 tons of them to the South Pole for his 2 year stay. He must've been doubly crazy to want to spend 2 years with penguins and some chalk candy! I also learned that Necco comes in 8 delicious flavors: lemon, orange, lime, chocolate, licorice, wintergreen, cinnamon, and clove. What is clove and why would people want to eat candy that tastes like it?!

So if you actually like Necco wafers or ran out of sidewalk chalk to snack on, let me know!

Erin Kinnen shared this delightful poem with me today, and although I'm sure you non-Englishy types won't find it very exciting, I just had to post it anyways.

Marginalia
Billy Collins

Sometimes the notes are ferocious,
skirmishes against the author
raging along the borders of every page
in tiny black script.
If I could just get my hands on you,
Kierkegaard, or Conor Cruise O'Brien,
they seem to say,
I would bolt the door and beat some logic into your head.

Other comments are more offhand, dismissive -
"Nonsense." "Please!" "HA!!" -
that kind of thing.
I remember once looking up from my reading,
my thumb as a bookmark,
trying to imagine what the person must look like
why wrote "Don't be a ninny"
alongside a paragraph in The Life of Emily Dickinson.

Students are more modest
needing to leave only their splayed footprints
along the shore of the page.
One scrawls "Metaphor" next to a stanza of Eliot's.
Another notes the presence of "Irony"
fifty times outside the paragraphs of A Modest Proposal.

Or they are fans who cheer from the empty bleachers,
Hands cupped around their mouths.
"Absolutely," they shout
to Duns Scotus and James Baldwin.
"Yes." "Bull's-eye." My man!"
Check marks, asterisks, and exclamation points
rain down along the sidelines.

And if you have manage to graduate from college
without ever having written "Man vs. Nature"
in a margin, perhaps now
is the time to take one step forward.

We have all seized the white perimeter as our own
and reached for a pen if only to show
we did not just laze in an armchair turning pages;
we pressed a thought into the wayside,
planted an impression along the verge.

Even Irish monks in their cold scriptoria
jotted along the borders of the Gospels
brief asides about the pains of copying,
a bird signing near their window,
or the sunlight that illuminated their page-
anonymous men catching a ride into the future
on a vessel more lasting than themselves.

And you have not read Joshua Reynolds,
they say, until you have read him
enwreathed with Blake's furious scribbling.

Yet the one I think of most often,
the one that dangles from me like a locket,
was written in the copy of Catcher in the Rye
I borrowed from the local library
one slow, hot summer.
I was just beginning high school then,
reading books on a davenport in my parents' living room,
and I cannot tell you
how vastly my loneliness was deepened,
how poignant and amplified the world before me seemed,
when I found on one page

A few greasy looking smears
and next to them, written in soft pencil-
by a beautiful girl, I could tell,
whom I would never meet-
"Pardon the egg salad stains, but I'm in love."

Comments are back! Now you can say all those witty things you've been holding in for days and days. (and there was much rejoiceing...yay)

Dear Lord, it does not take much for me to forget you. The world, my world, has so many ways of demanding my attention that I quickly allow myself to be turned away from you. You are present in this world, in my life, in all that happens. But your presence is quiet, gentle, and unspectacular. Silence, solitude, quiet prayer, a peaceful conversation, and reflective reading help me recognize that you are with me, that you call me, that you challenge me and, most of all, that you invite me into your house of peace and joy. Yet the loud voices of the world, the endless variety of "musts" and "oughts" and the illusion that everything has the quality of an emergency, all these things pull me away from the place where you dwell and make me live as if I and not you have to save the world.

It is so easy to empathize with Henri Nouwen's prayer here at Grove City. My week is filled with classes to attend, books to read, IV events to go to, meals to schedule with friends, and a plethora of other "musts" and "oughts" that consume my calendar. If I'm not careful, I know at any moment my stress level will brim over and come pouring out in one big gooey mess. Maybe that's why I am especially grateful of Sundays here. It gives me the chance to breathe and enjoy life for a few brief hours before the tumult of the upcoming week begins pounding on my door. I had forgotten how much I missed the sharing time I have with my school friends on the way to church. Usually someone will read a favorite scripture passage aloud to whoever happens to be crammed into my tiny car on that particular week. Julie’s favorite question to ask is, “what has God been teaching you this week?” Many Sundays I’ll end up watching an hour pass by before I reluctantly leave lunch and an exciting discussion on missions, service, or some other topic. It always seems far more important than my waiting homework. Sundays are a good reminder of where our priorities should lie: “so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever” (1 Peter 4:11b). It is so easy to let what is more important eternally, but less obvious to our immediate perception, become neglected in the rush of life. I think life would be much more pleasant if we had more “Sundays” in our week to sit back and reflect.

You, O Lord, will give me all the attention I need if I would simply stop talking and start listening to you. I know that in the silence of my heart you will speak to me and show me your love.

Word on our bubble wrap room is spreading. We now have people bringing their roommates to check it out. If it gets popular enough, Emily and I may start giving tours and charging admission.

Posting is still down. The site said it was supposed to be fixed yesterday. Now they're saying not till next Monday night. Slackers.

Not much else exciting has happened lately. It rains almost as much as I read, which is basically nonstop.

Ya, that's about it. I'll write more when Emily forgets to take her ritalin or decides to take more crack and I end up with more snack food in my hair.

Procrastinating homework and joining yet another bandwagon of those long, repetitive self surveys...

FIRST OF ALL:
NAME: Erin
DO YOU LIKE IT?: Ya, I used to be the only Erin I knew…but everyone at school is either Erin or Emily or Meghan.
NICKNAMES: Rin, Sissy (by Renee only), Sassy (most popular), Skippy (roomie’s nickname), Sass-my-ville, Momma Erin (Jamie’s),
SCREEN NAME: SassyE14
BIRTHDAY: April 29, 1982
SIGN: Taurus
LOCATION: Bedford, NH or Grove City, PA
SCHOOL: Grove City College (aka “the bubble”)
NATURAL HAIR COLOR: light brown/dirty blond (depending on the season)
CURRENT HAIR COLOR: dirty blond with blond highlights
EYE COLOR: chocolate brown
HEIGHT: 5’4”
BIRTHPLACE: Concord Hospital
SHOE SIZE: 10

FAVORITES:
NUMBER: 21
COLOR: purple
DAY: Sundays are so relaxing and yet so hyper here
MONTH: October in NH
SONG: how can you ask me to pick?! Currently I’m in an Incubus mood, so any one of their songs
MOVIES: Monty Python, 10 Things
FOOD: Chinese food
BAND: FIF
SEASON: Fall in NH, Spring anywhere else
SPORT: Volleyball or ultimate Frisbee (official IV sport)
CLASS: Educational Psychology has been my favorite so far
TEACHER: tie between Dr. Mackey and Dr. Genereo
DRINK: Mnt. Dew
TV SHOW: Family Guy, Simpsons, Gilmore Girls, CSI
STORE: Barnes & Noble cause I’m such a nerd
WORD: pumpernickel…it’s an obscure FIF reference; I really hate the bread
ANIMAL: surprisingly, not ducks…I’d prolly have to say dogs

LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS:
DO YOU HAVE A BF/GF?: yes =)
HOW LONG WAS YOUR LONGEST RELATIONSHIP?: 20 months
HOW LONG WAS YOUR SHORTEST RELATIONSHIP?: almost 7 months
WHO WAS YOUR FIRST LOVE?: second bf
WHAT DO YOU MISS ABOUT THEM?: I think all my relationships have helped me understand myself better and I miss the friendship aspect of our relationships, cause you can’t really get that back in the same way

THE PAST:
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU WOULD CHANGE ABOUT YOUR PAST?: I made a lot of stupid choices in hs cause I was sick of doing the right thing…I learned from them, but wish I had just done things the easier (right) way
LAST THING YOU SAW: Umm, my answer to the last question?
LAST THING YOU SAID: "Ya, we can leave in 15 minutes."
WHO IS THE LAST PERSON YOU SAW? My super-cool roomie Skippy
WHO IS THE LAST PERSON YOU KISSED?: Jay…unless you count Cosette our pet hamster (don’t tell anyone…she’s illegal)
WHO IS THE LAST PERSON YOU HUGGED?: hmm…I’ve hugged a lot of people so far today
WHO IS THE LAST PERSON YOU FOUGHT WITH?: Emily put pretzel rods in my hair last night…I told her we were fighting
WHO IS THE LAST PERSON YOU WERE ON THE PHONE WITH?: Malinda
WHAT IS THE LAST TV SHOW YOU SAW?: Without a Trace. Don’t watch it…depressing show!
WHAT IS THE LAST SONG YOU HEARD?: “Ocean” by Ten Shekel Shirt

THE PRESENT:
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?: pjs!
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?: this insanely long survey…cause it’s more fun than homework
WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?: Cassie
WHAT SONG ARE YOU LISTENING TO?: surprisingly, none
WHERE ARE YOU?: in my super-cool room that’s covered in bubble wrap
ARE YOU ONLINE?: am I ever not online?
HOW ARE YOU FEELING?: hyper as usual
ARE YOU IN A CHATROOM?: nope

FUTURE:
WHAT DAY IS IT TOMORROW?: a 6 ½ hours of class day =P
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO AFTER THIS?: lots and lots of reading
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO TALK TO?: Emily and anyone else online when I need a study break
HOW OLD WILL YOU BE WHEN YOU GRADUATE?: *sigh* 23
WHAT DO YOU WANNA BE?: jr/sr high English teacher, missionary, wife (in any particular order)
WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR DREAMS?: to teach overseas
WHERE WILL YOU BE IN 25 YEARS?: good question. hopefully some cool country =)

HAVE YOU EVER:
DRANK?: yup
SMOKED?: ick! no
STOLEN?: nope
DONE ANYTHING ILLEGAL?: hmm…no comment on that one
WANTED TO DIE?: be invisible…many times; die…no
HIT SOMEONE?: I hit my roommate, but she hits more. And when I worked at the toll booth, I got hit on by nasty old trucker guys all the time =P

OTHER:
DO YOU WRITE IN CURSIVE OR PRINT?: I can’t handle writing in cursive for some weird reason. I only do it for checks
ARE YOU A LEFTY OR A RIGHTY?: righty
ANY TATTOOS?: nope, though I do have my belly button pierced
DO YOU DRIVE?: I spend most of my life in my car
DO YOU HAVE GLASSES OR BRACES?: glasses cause I’m blind as a bat
DID YOU LIKE THIS SURVEY?: only for procrastinatory purposes
WHAT DO YOU MOST LIKE ABOUT YOUR BODY?: my eyes
HOW MANY FILLINGS DO YOU HAVE?: 3 I think
DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOOD LOOKING?: not really
DO OTHER PEOPLE OFTEN TELL YOU THAT YOU'RE GOOD LOOKING?: if they do, chances are I don’t believe them
DO YOU LOOK LIKE ANY CELEBRITIES?: not that I know of

FASHION:
DO YOU WEAR A WATCH?: ya
HOW MANY COATS AND JACKETS DO YOU OWN?: hmm…2?
FAVORITE PANTS COLOR?: jeans
MOST EXPENSIVE ITEM OF CLOTHING?: ummm…prolly shoes
MOST TREASURED?: my blue AE long sleeve t-shirt w/ the snowboarder on it
WHAT KINDS OF SHOES DO YOU WEAR?: flip flops unless there’s substantial amounts of snow on the ground

RANDOM:
WOULD YOU EVER DATE SOMEONE YOUNGER THEN YOU?: *see below*
SOMEONE OLDER?: done both…it all depends on maturity level, not age for me
HAVE YOU EVER SMOKED WEED?: no way
EVER BEEN DRUNK?: nope
BEEN IN LOVE?: yes
LOVED SOMEONE WHO YOU KNEW YOU COULDN'T HAVE?: crushes, but not love
GOTTEN IN A CAR ACCIDENT?: ya, some jerk killed my first car :(
BROKEN A BONE?: no
HAD YOUR HEART BROKEN?: ya…it sucks
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?: hmm...I think I’ve cried in the past month
LAST TIME YOU SAID I LOVE YOU TO SOMEONE: I emailed my sister today and told her I love her
LAST TIME YOU LAUGHED: lots of times today…laughed really hard last night when Emily put the pretzels in my hair
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS?: These questions are getting repetitive.
WHAT AGE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF MARRIED AT? *shrug* I’m really not in a rush to get married…I suppose it’d be nice to be married by 30 maybe
DESCRIBE YOU DREAM WEDDING: outside, not big, lots of lilacs
DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?: yes: his name is Lord Lester. I also sleep with my “boyfriend pillow”: his name is Eduardo
IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ONE COLOR WHAT WOULD IT BE: I really like my hair the way it is
DO YOU EAT CHICKEDN WITH YOUR FINGERS OR WITH A FORK?: fingers
WOULD YOU RATHER GIVE OR RECEIVE?: I think it’s much more fun to give
HOW MANY HOMES HAVE YOU LIVED IN TOTAL?: 2 + college
DO YOU GET ALONG WITH YOUR PARENTS?: for the most part…much better when I’m not living at home
WHATS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?: purple…didn’t I already say that?
DO YOU WORK?: school consumes my life
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WENT ON A DATE?: like 10 days ago
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN SERIOUS TROUBLE?: once or twice
WHEN YOU MEET A PERSON OF YOUR PREFERRED SEX. YOU FIRST NOTICE THEIR: hair and eyes
ARE YOU THE ROMANTIC TYPE?: I think it’s a prerequisite that English majors are hopeless romantics

IN THE LAST 48 HOURS HAVE YOU:
CRIED: no
BOUGHT SOMETHING: ya, drugs…I mean meds
GOTTEN SICK: no
SANG: definitely
EATEN: who would say no?
BEEN KISSED: no :(
FELT STUPID: I feel stupid a lot at this school
WANTED TO TELL SOMEONE YOU LOVED THEM, BUT DIDN'T: …not that I remember
MOVED ON?: I listened to the song “Pressing On” by Relient K, does that count?
TALKED TO AN EX: no
MISSED AN EX: no
HAD A SERIOUS TALK: I talked with some friends at lunch yesterday for like an hour about summer ministries and ways to get involved in serving the community here. It was really awesome
HUGGED SOMEONE: I think I hug like 20 people a day at least…I couldn’t handle going through life w/o hugs!
FOUGHT WITH YOUR PARENTS: …I haven’t even talked to my parents
DREAMED ABOUT SOMEONE YOU CAN'T BE WITH: ya

SOCIAL LIFE:
BEST GIRL FRIEND: these kinds of questions are silly. I don’t have a “best friend” per se, and if I try to list a couple people, I’ll inevitably forget someone and then they’ll spaz cause they think I don’t think they’re special enough
BEST GUY FRIEND: “
BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND: Jay (my roomie wants me to call him “Jaybaby”, but she’s on crack)
IF NO, CURRENT DATING PARTNER?: n/a
HOBBIES: reading, reading, IV, missions, reading, goofing off w/ my roomie, blowing bubbles, reading
PAGER: no, cell
ARE YOU CENTER OF ATTENTION OR THE WALLFLOWER: usually a wallflower except around my very close friends
WHAT TYPE OF AUTOMOBILE DO YOU DRIVE: ’96 Toyota Corolla
WHAT TYPE DO YOU WISH YOU DROVE?: I like my car…although my first one was way cooler
WOULD YOU RATHER BE WITH FRIENDS OR ON A DATE: depends…both are great
WHERE IS THE BEST HANGOUT: here…my room; home…the beach or at someone’s house for movies
DO YOU HAVE A JOB: I am a desk hostess. It is cool.
DO YOU ATTEND CHURCH: RCC and FCC
DO YOU LIKE BEING AROUND PEOPLE: I like being around friends. And I need a certain amount of alone time. I don’t like being around lots of people I don’t know. It makes me feel weird and self-conscious.

WHO:
HAVE YOU KNOWN THE LONGEST: Lauren Gagnon
DO YOU ARGUE THE MOST WITH: Nate & I used to get into debates alllll the time. But it was good arguing
DO YOU ALWAYS GET ALONG WITH: Jamie, Cassie, Malinda, & Emily…I don’t think I’ve ever fought w/ any of them
IS THE MOST TRUSTWORTHY: Malinda
MAKE YOU LAUGH THE MOST: Emily!
HAS BEEN THERE THROUGH: I have really been blessed with super-loyal friends.
HAS THE COOLEST SIBLINGS: My sister rocks! She’s so cool…I hope she realizes it
IS THE MOST BLUNT: Emily. You can’t be friends with her if you have a fragile self-esteem.
IS THE SMARTEST: All my GCC friends…they’re wicked smart

PERSONAL:
WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL: my 7th grade English teacher, a couple friends here at school, Jesus, etc.
WHAT IS SOME OF YOUR PET PEEVES: loud gum/food chewers. It’s not that hard to keep your mouth closed while you eat people!
HAVE YOU EVER LIKED SOMEONE YOU HAD NO CHANCE WITH: ya
HAVE YOU EVER CRIED OVER THE OPPOSITE SEX: too much
DO YOU HAVE A "TYPE" OF PERSON YOU ALWAYS GO AFTER: all the guys I’ve dated are very different, so I guess not.
EVER WANTED TO GET REVENGE ON SOMEONE BECAUSE THEY HURT YOU: not seriously
RATHER BE DUMPER OR DUMPED: breaking up sucks, no matter what end you’re on
RATHER HAVE A RELATIONSHIP OR HOOK-UP?: relationship
WANT SOMEONE YOU DON'T HAVE RIGHT NOW?: all set :)
EVER LIKED YOUR BEST FRIEND?: *see above rant on the existence of “best friends”*
DO YOU WANT TO GET MARRIED: yes, eventually
DO YOU WANT KIDS: maybe…depends on when I get married and what country I’m living in at the time
DO YOU BELIEVE IN PSYCHICS: no. But I do believe in Physics
DO YOU BELIEVE YOU KNOW THE PERSON WHOM YOU WILL MARRY AT THIS POINT IN TIME: maybe…I dunno
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST PART OF YOU PHYSICAL APPERANCE: my eyes
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR EMOTIONAL BEING: I think when I’m a good friend with someone I really pour a lot of myself into those friendships. I try to be the kind of friend that is always there to listen or give advice…dependable and caring
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOU: yes, college has really helped me to discover and appreciate who I am
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR LIFE: ditto
IF YOU COULD CHANGE SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE: I don’t think I’d change anything.

Well for some reason my comments have been broken for a while (at least on my end). And I've been so busy moving into school and having my internet not work for extended periods of time that I haven't had time to write a good post. But I'll get to it eventually. One of these days I'll have homework that needs procrastinating...