The First of Hopefully, Many

Hello All! After much thought and deliberation, I've decided to start a blog. Here is my reasoning: 1. I have felt the need for a while now to take up journaling but do not have the discipline to do it regularly (so I'll start with a weekly-ish blog and build up to journaling) 2. Many people have requested that I keep in touch (And I really love sharing my thoughts and experiences with you). I think that this will be equally as easy as sending mass emails. That is not to say that I won't still you an email or that I don't want to recieve them, because I do! But in the meantime, I'll be here.
In case anyone was wondering- I'm still waiting for a proper name for this blog to come to me. I have settled for the time being on blather because James Lileks, a blogger who I thoroughly enjoy, has a blog called the bleat and blather was a synonym. But it has more of a negative conotation than bleat does so I am open to suggestions.

I'll start right of the bat with my first real post. Here goes!

I have just completed week one of my Senior Year in college. It's really a completely different feel this time around. For one, 90% of the people I've been closest too are gone (some have graduated and gone off, others are studying abroad this semester). This is both good and bad. It's good because I don't have to worry so much about balancing my social life with my job as an RA (which is really more a lifestyle than a job). I'm free to be available around the appartment and don't have to worry about neglecting on campus friends while I'm trying to figure out things here. But at the same time, I really miss my friends. My two room mates, Cassie and Beth are fantastic women though, I have little to complain about. I'm very excited to get to know them in a better way, and to get to know the people in my section. They are all varieties of people, and few that I probably would have crossed paths with if it wasn't my job to know and be available to them. It's a God-given opportunity and I'm really excited to know what He has in store.
Something I've realized over the last year is that the best relationships you can have with people are the ones that you're really dileberate about. My first year in college, it was soooo easy to be friends with so many people because I lived in an open hall on campus and ate every meal in the dining commons with the other 1,000 students doing the same thing. I knew every face and ran into people constantly without meaning too. Then I moved off campus. I see the people who live in the appartment complex coming and going but behind closed doors, we have our own lives, we cook, eat, sleep, watch televsion, and study with the 2 or 3 others sharing the appartment, but you have to knock on someone's door to say hello. Maintaining friendships takes effort and planning. Alot of times, I'll walk in the appartment after 6 hours of class, just sit down on my couch, and get a phone call from a friend on campus who wants to have dinner. Inevitably, I'm tired, I'm finally home for the day, I'm low on gas- bah. But I've come to realize that friendship takes effort from both parties- they made the effort to call, I can at the very least make the effort to be present. And it's always a good time.
Well I'll save some of my other deep thoughts for another day. Here's a few last shallow thoughts to tide you over. These are the classes I'm taking this semester:

Intro to Sociology
Introductory German
Basic Biomechanics (with a Lab)
Principles of Art
Foundations of Residence Life
Career and Life Planning

It looks like alot of classes but the classes are fun and so far, I'm really enjoying them. Ask me midway into the semester when I've got 4 midterms, a painting, and a section to take care of.

Two of the RAs (resident assistants) I trained with are bringing some of the women in their sections over to watch Gone with the Wind. I have to be off because there are couches to move and cookies to make. I lookforward to hearing from all of you!!