Thrilling

I was complimented on my Lindy tonight.

{grin}

Just thinking

Watching the debate I noticed a key difference between the candidates. I'm not sure how many other people picked it up, but I am sure there is a reason for it (everything is planned out in politics). Did anybody else notice the difference in the water glasses that they used?

Kerry's water glass had a stem and a base, it was almost a goblet. Fancy.

Bush's didn't have a stem, it was tumbler style all the way. Nice and solid, plain with less risk of spillage...

Other than that, I refuse to get sucked in to saying more about the debate. I'm going to hide myself away in something that actually makes sense: my Law of Critical Environmental Areas take-home exam.

Ooo, tonight it's a two-fer.

Maybe it's because it's tired and I'm rambling and I really should get in bed but just don't seem to want to. Maybe this is just a last ditch effort to make it into TSO's weekly pick (I made it twice upon a time). Maybe I'm tired of having all these ideas floating around in my head and need to get them out in some form or another....

I've been thinking a lot recently (there's the problem right there) about how abbreviated my life has become. It seems like there are so many things I have to do that I don't get to really spend as much energy on each thing as I'd like to. I get this list of things and I put forth enough effort into each item to cross it off the list and not much more. This bugs me.

For example, writing. My major doesn't call for much writing and when it does it's all the scientific/technical kind so last week I was actually excited about my History of American Agriculture exam. I was looking forward to it for a couple of reasons. One, it's history (I know, I'm a little off). And, two, it was an essay test (maybe I'm completely daft). I haven't written an essay in a very long time (save, perhaps, posts) and I miss it. I've written papers and reports, but no essays. When the tests were handed out, I could barely contain myself because I knew each question cold. Six essays, seventy-five minutes. Problem is, I could have easily spent over a half hour on each of them, which really bugs me. So I crammed in what information I could and, by the end, it had turned into "Just the facts, ma'am."

I really miss the long version of things. I miss being able to be as creative and rhetorical as I want which is, I think, one of the reasons I started posting in the first place. I need to take fuller advantage of this. Posts have gotten abbreviated, too. I went back and looked at some of my early things ("early," like I've been around all that long) and they were some pretty hefty items.

Conversations have gotten abbreviated. Thoughts. Walking to class--there was a time I would stroll around campus, now I can make it from the Ag quad to Torgeson in 7 minutes flat. I am determined to prevent this from creeping over into my walk. Luckily, I still crave to go deeper.

In a manner of speaking.

I had this book when I was little called God I've gotta Talk to You, it came to mind the other day when I was praying. I don't really remember what the book was about--I think it was a collection of poems and prayers--but the title itself got me to thinking.

First, how great is it to have such a relationship with someone that you don't just want to talk to them, you need to. It's not I want to Talk to You or I'd Like to Talk to You, it's I've Gotta in that there is an intense longing/need/desire. And then, to know that we are able to come before God with our desires, with our fears, with our praise, with anything...that itself is such a gift.

It also got me to thinking of how we express ourselves in prayer. I can ramble on about a lot of things (most of which I know little to nothing about) and I don't really put that much thought into how I am saying what I am saying. When it comes to expressing myself fully and deeply, then eloquence matters to me. It takes me longer to put thoughts together because I want to use just the right word/phrase to capture my full emotion and intent--so sometimes vocalizing my prayer may take a little longer. (On another note, maybe that has something to do with why I don't post very much...it just takes me so long to get my thoughts out to my satisfaction.)

Then I have a couple of friends who are very well-spoken and have (and use) a very impressive vocabulary but hearing them pray is very different from hearing them speak. When they pray their manner of expression is much more simple...

Well, I thought it was interesting at any rate.

Yep, that's my prof:

No need for drugs tonight guys, we've got the section 404 exemption!

And now back to the unbelievable amount of work I have left tonight.