I've been relaxing these days. I know I will have a busy, eventful summer at Camp. I look forward to being in this position and having the chance to grow and to encourage growth. I know that I must not rely on my own strength to get through. I know there will be children who cut up and steal and cause general chaos. But I know I can make it. I know I will overcome. Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. Yes, now it's easy to say this, but what about when I'm in battle? That is what discipline is for. I train myself so that in the heat of battle, the right thing comes naturally. It does the soldier no good to learn fighting techniques when faced with an enemy. He cannot say, "Dude, hang on a minute, let me see here... It says in the rule book that you're not supposed to do that!" Mr. Enemy won't listen.

I have been reading Pilgrim's Progress. I finished the first part monday. I don't have too far to go in part two. I like the older English. I enjoy metaphors. I think the part that impressed me most is the metaphor of death being a river that is as deep or shallow as you are ready for. Hopeful waded through in shallow water while Christian feared and almost drowned.

I think I will follow Gabe Lawson's suit and make a summer reading list.

C.S. Lewis: The Problem of Pain (finished), The Screwtape Letters, there's another of his I want to read, but I've forgotten the title.

Edith Wharton: The House of Mirth (Finished)

Paul Bunyan: The Pilgrim's Progress (in progress)

A.W. Tozer: The Persuit of God

Hind's Feet on High Places, I forget the author

Farenheit 451, The Bible (Specifically Ezekiel), numerous other things sitting in my room of which I remember neither the title, or the author.

See now, that was fun. I now have a plan. Happy reading all! Oh, I also plan to work in the garden some, pick fresh strawberries, paint, sculpt, hike, run, and fix my air conditioning in my car (preferably before driving to North Carolina).

[insert australian accent]

Right-o folks, if you watch closely you might be able to see it... do you see it? It is moving, it might even be  breathing! Woah! Did you see that?! It blinked! Maybe if I get up close to it, it might get defensive! Closah... closah... how disappointin' it won't even brush my finger away from it's face... Okay mate, I guess there's no show here, cut the camera...

[end accent]

That's how I feel after the last couple of weeks. I've been in seven-ish states for Choir tour, last week I had about 4 hours of sleep each night. I've finished all my work. Now I have just one quite large research paper looming over my head. I hope to knock it off this weekend. In the meantime, I have been resting with a vengeance. When I haven't been resting, I am in a semi-vegitative state. Sometimes I feel like running, others, I'd rather be a brick.

In other news, it has been wonderful to see the progress on the Student Center (the old library) in my many walks from dorm to music building and vice versa. In Theory we are learning about Interval Classes (IC), Pitch Classes (PC), the retrograde of the Inversion (R of I) and different aspects of Set Theory. It sounds more like high school calc class. Speaking of Calculus, I am currently enrolled in Dr. Couilliette's Calculus class for next semester. I have found a way to write 16 things on the registration paper and still have 18 credits. Granted, three of the things are for 0 credit anyway, one is audited, and I am taking 2 ensembles for half credit (.5). Most of the remaining music classes are 1 and 2 credit courses.

In all of this, I have found moments of peace and quiet. I still find time to do nothing. But I am behind on that necessary activity, so I think I'll go do more nothing.