October 15-16

       While working at Starbucks and going to school, I used to say that weekends had lost their childhood allure for me because they no longer meant a time to relax. The whole TGIF sigh of relief was lost on me because there was always work to do on the weekends. Now, I'm having the opposite problem. Since I'm not working, and my class schedule is really spread out, I have a lot of free/flexible time during the week and the weekends are even more empty. It's a weird phenomenon. From one extreme to the other.
       Just so you all don't think I'm a complete couch potato now, I will tell you that I have been doing some productive things. Yesterday, I had Composition and Musicianship in the morning which is going to be really good. My professor is very exuberant and knowledgable. The class is pretty dense though. But I'm talking good dense, like fudge brownie dense. I'm so excited to finally be studying music at university! Still, I've got a lot of work ahead of me.
      Yesterday afternoon, I spent some solid time in the library and checked out a few books. I had to read a play from the 1500s called "The Spanish Tragedy" for my Shakespeare class, so I buckled down and finished it last night. The irony is that the play isn't by Shakespeare. (I told you these people were crazy). Shakespeare comes later in the course. After I finished my reading, I shopped online for my textbooks and went to bed. I had a hard time falling asleep for some reason (a rare problem for me), and I had weird dreams again. I dreamed (" a dream in time gone by, when hope was high and life worth living...") that my friend Laura was getting married tomorrow and I was going to be late! I had even painted my fingernails (which I never do) and put on my Silpada for the occasion. I woke up confused, and had to facebook Laura just to make sure the situation was truly a dream.  
       This morning, I slept in and kind of kept sleeping on and off until about 2. After I woke up the first time, I went to check out the gym on campus which is more like a high school weight room than a true gym. It was being renovated, so I skipped the exercise and went back to my room where I did some reading in between spells of sleeping. The sunshine was playing hide and seek today ("Hide and seek, trains and sewing machines..."), and I witnessed the game through my window (and sometimes through my eyelids, subconsciously). I finally got up and went grocery shopping for the rest of the ingredients I needed to make cookies! Of course the shuttle bus had to be on its break both times I went to catch it, so I did some hefty waiting and walking, but the cookies will be worth it!
       After I got back, I rested a bit more, cooked a pre-made pizza, and watched 4 episodes of 30 Rock with Marta, my Portuguese friend. Can I just say, I think Tina Fey is a genius. Yep, she is. This evening, I also made some hot chocolate using Lindt chocolate, and it was delicious! Marta and I spent the next hour or so perusing airline and hostel websites for good deals. Things are looking good, and I'm excited!
       Breakthrough of the day: Skype's "To Go Number." In a nutshell, it's audio Skype from your cell phone for really cheap. I spent about 45 minutes talking to my family for about $1. LOVE IT!
       Altogether, I would consider today to be a pretty lazy day, but I am so thankful for it. It is truly a blessing to be able to sleep peacefully without responsibilities pulling on me right and left. Silence is good, and so is sleep. Don't worry. I don't intend on becoming a lazy recluse. There are so many things I want and plan to do, but I am so glad that I also have time to relax. It's another instance of God's grace, I think.

Prayer  Praise Request of the Day: That the Lord brings rest to the weary (even if it is a long time in coming)