Letter Two, Heloise to Abelard

"God knows I never sought anything in you except yourself; I wanted simply you, nothing of yours."

Real Life Conversations Strike Again

(Fifteen minutes after Alice and Veronica have sworn off of IM for the evening)

Alice: What are you doing?
Veronica: Conferring with my Italian class bud. What are you???
Alice: I'm telling Tom about my new heresy.

Dan R: Okay, Father Pat... we're going to sing hymn 333 today.
Steph: Oh, the Semichrist.

There is no way to record the long conversation Maggie, Steph, Dan, Fr. Pat, and I had about Legionaries, babies, Italian birth rates, pad thai, Thanksgiving, Jimmy Buffett, blue vestments, and Veggie Tales. I leave it to your imaginations.

I can think of about a million things I would rather be doing than writing this paper.

Unfortunately, studying for tomorrow's Latin quiz is not on the list.

Maggie: I don't know... Italian guys...
Dan: Why do you think these women are becoming nuns?

Maggie: And we like you, because you're useful.
Dan: Thank you J.S. Mill.

I am such an idiot.

My current state is best understood through my ever-present pains of hunger-- made worse by school stress and ingestion of coffee. I've only eaten two real meals since Saturday afternoon-- by the evening I had no appetite (heart-sickness is the best diet drug), and Sunday I was traveling.

I have to translate 35 more lines of Beowulf. Dr. Pick gave me an extension on my research paper.

I'm going to bed at 2:00 am, no matter what.

Featurettes!

I. In which Alice answers your questions.

Q. How was your Thanksgiving?
A. To quote my good old friend and partner in crime, Jessica, "sucky".

Q. Don't you think you'll be lonely, moving to an apartment?
A. Probably-- but most of my social life this year is centered around Calvert House, rather than around the dorm. My good friends (Veronica, Carolyn, Maggie, Eryn) are friends that I will see no matter where I live. But yes, I miss you Shoreland peoples. Even Brian.

Q. What's going on with your love life?
A. I don't want to talk about it. If you think you are confused, then I assure you that I am moreso.

Q. Shouldn't you be working on your research paper, due at 1:30 pm on Monday?
A. Hush, you.

Q. When will you be back in Chicago?
A. My plane gets in at 1:00. I plan to be at the Reg by 2:45.

II. Memes: "I Confess..."

I confess that I have an unhealthy obsession with Abbie The Cat Has A Posse

I confess that I am, in fact, a spoiled only child.

I confess that I don't like most people.

I confess that I am swift to laugh and quick to tears.

I confess that I am an inveterate procrastinator.

I confess that I was wrong.

Time for some breakfast pie.

Then we're moving on to Clement Street for Dim Sum-- all four of us.

From Heloise's Letter to Abelard:

I call God to witness, if Augustus, ruling over the whole world, were to deem me worthy of the honour of marriage, and to confirm the whole world to me, to be ruled by me forever, dearer to me and of greater dignity would it seem to be called your whore than his empress.

For it is not by being richer or more powerful that a man becomes better; one is a matter of fortune, the other of virtue. Nor should she deem herself other than venal who weds a rich man rather than a poor, and desires more things in her husband than himself. Assuredly, whomsoever this concupiscence leads into marriage deserves payment rather than affection; for it is evident that she goes after his wealth and not the man, and is willing to prostitute herself, if she can, to a richer.

Just some food for thought, to ruminate on as you cross the quads.

(Found at Fordham's Medieval Sourcebook)

I don't know what I want. Aside, of course, from pie.

Not Fair!

I've been trying to explain it away, but I really am sick again. Sore throat, snuffly nose, flushed and dizzy. Thermometer says 94.2. I'm too tired to think about that. Slept at the Reg for two hours today. Choir rehearsal for 2.5 hours. Went home from study date when Veronica's hallway didn't seem straight. I'm taking my CD-rom of New Yorker Cartoons and I'm going to bed.

So if I've been spending a lot of time with you recently, please take your vitamins and get your sleep.

Post-Opera Rundown

A: I mean, art has value beyond entertainment, right?
J: Absolutely. Art is the image of the soul. Or something like that.

Feeling very torn between going to dinner and not giving up my kickass library caroll.

(How do you spell it, anyway? Carol? Caroll? Carrol? Carroll?)

How I Have Spent My Afternoon

C: The sky is falling!
A: In the form of little socks!

Grandma made it through her surgery just fine. She'll go home to the Heritage at the end of the week. They were able to get some bloodflow in her upper leg, so they just amputated right above the knee. Thank you for your prayers, and please continue to keep her in your thoughts.

In other news, fireplace or no fireplace, I think I need to move-- so if you have any apartment hints/leads, let me know.

Three Quotes From Today

Maggie: I don't know their names, only Opa and Oma...
Alice: You say Opa and Oma? That's what the Pennsylvania Dutch say.
Maggie: Well, it is Dutch. We were colonized by them, you know.

Jakob: Colonialism was the best thing since Rome.
Alice: Which, you know, was pretty colonial.

Alice: (Reading voter information booklet) This proposition was endorsed by Milton Friedman...
Jakob: Really? I would totally vote for that. (pause.) Milton Friedman for God.

Oma Update

Unless she decides to let it be (which would surprise us all), my Grandma has to have her lower leg amputated, to save her life.

It is scheduled for Monday.

My grandma is in the hospital, with a clogged artery in her leg.

I gave both myself and Jack a pedicure today: Jack recieved one so that he will stop scratching us and our clothing, I did because my feet hurt so much, they deserved a treat.

At the Request of Fr. Rugen

Two Websites About Saints: Catholic Online and Fordham's Medieval Sourcebook

Happy All Saint's Day!