Weekly post

Sept. 26, 2005
Dear friends,
It's really Tuesday, Sept. 27, but the system was down yesterday, and I could not post. So here I am. And, 'tis the season. I had a paper due last Wednesday and a paper due yesterday for New Testament; a paper due this Thursday for History of Christianity; two homework papers and a group presentation this week; and a New Testament midterm on Monday, Oct. 3.
All is going well, however. I am keeping up and am getting good grades, including an A- on one paper.
Now, I must go; more work looms.
Grace and peace,
Beth

Weekly post

Dear friends,
A logistical setback occurred on Thursday. My laptop computer "died." The opening into which one plugs the jack (other end goes into an outlet) to provide electricity was loose, meaning the computer was not receiving the electricity. The batteries are good for only a few hours; it's mainly intended to run on electricity. I have since learned that this is a design flaw in most if not all laptops and happens routinely.
I took the laptop to Best Buy, where I had bought the computer and extended warranty, and encountered the unthinking bureaucracy of the $8 an hour counter help. They calmly informed me that it would have to be sent off for service and that I could expect it to take four weeks.
Somehow I managed not to lose my temper during this whole exchange. Calmly and firmly, however, I pointed out that what I had paid $900+ for was, in effect, access to a working laptop computer, and that since I was now deprived of said access through no fault of my own, I expected them to effect a solution that would not deprive me of access to a working laptop. They offered to let me buy another laptop and then return it, but that would have meant a temporary outlay of at least $700 for their cheapest laptop. They then suggested that I should just wait until I could spare the laptop for three or four weeks. That would be December.
In the end, despite going up the chain of management, I was out my laptop for four weeks. This is a problem primarily for the convenience of taking notes in class and having those notes conveniently accessible, neatly typed up, etc. It also means I will have my notes in flux during midterms. However, there appears to be nothing to be done about it.
I have my data, of course, so that's not a problem. These days a device called a flash card or thumb card stores files.
I received a paper back from my professor who is notorious for being a tough grader and found that I'd earned a B, so I was quite pleased. Classes are going well, some requiring more work than others, of course, but I have just one paper that I anticipate being a real struggle to write. Everything else on my schedule looks manageable.
Grace and peace,
Beth

Weekly post

Sept. 12, 2005

Dear friends,
It is good to be back in my seat in a div school classroom! I left campus Friday after my 9:00 class and went to Charlotte to work selling bread at a home show. I was on my feet selling, cutting samples, and restocking shelves until 9 p.m. that night, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. It took us an hour to break down the exhibit and load the truck afterward. It was very hard work, but fun, and it was good to help the bakery strengthen its growing reputation in the Charlotte area.
I also got to see my sister who lives in Charlotte, along with her two young children. My time after the show was spoken for, so she came by the show, and we had a nice visit. The children are so precious!
It was hard to get homework done at the same time, but I got some progress made, and luckily on Mondays I have a big block of time between classes to stay on top of things.
I got my first paper back on Friday with a grade of B+. I am very pleased with that result and with the professor's comments. Good grades are hard to come by in graduate school, and that B+ felt good. It was the first assignment I've gotten a grade on. That won't last long, though; midterms are in three weeks.
Classes continue to be very interesting!
Grace and peace,
Beth

Weekly post

Sept. 5, 2005
Dear friends,
Although problems with the Web site prevented me from posting my weekly note on Monday, it is now working --finally -- and here I am! It has been an exciting two weeks. The workload is about what I expected, and I am finding it manageable. I think I am earning points with my History of Christianity professor (also the div school dean) -- already I have turned in two papers before their due dates. I am reasonably confident about the quality of the work, although I will know more when I get something back. But he seemed pleased that I was turning them in early.
I will be out of town Friday after class until late Sunday night, working at a show helping sell bread. The business is paying for my hotel stay, and I am bringing my books, although I'm pretty well caught up.
Our Conflict Resolution and Negotiation class, which is a 1-credit course and meets only six times, met for the first time yesterday. It's wonderful. Only four students, a good size for this sort of class, and the leader is a Methodist minister who consults with congregations as a professional conflict negotiator.
The Art of Ministry class requires a term-long big project to be presented, and I have begun to nurse an idea for what I might do that I think is in keeping with the requirements. That is "The formation of ritual." I thought I might look at what ritual is, why we seem to need ritual, and the role ritual might play in worship services. I don't know how to translate that into an art presentation, but the instructor is very good and will surely have some ideas.
Three weeks until midterms.
Grace and peace,
Beth