We Are So Back – Random Ramblings

Greetings, Wintry Wanderers!

Third term is in full swing by now and when I say “swing”, I mean something like “we are constantly doing a whole lot of work but being edified through it”. NSA’s classes all build on themselves and each other, and every term we have more and harder work to get done; but it’s doable, so long as we keep the pace.

So far, the biggest change has been in rhetoric (and, I did indeed make it into tier 1): we are now meeting in small groups (symposiums) outside of class to practice arguing theses. While this caused no small amount of consternation at first, the general consensus seems to be “ah. This isn’t so bad after all”. Classes are now structured more debate-style; we present our theses, alternating between affirmative and negative, and if one of your opponents in speaking before you brings up an antithesis you are expected to adapt your speech on the spot to refute it! This is both harder and easier than it sounds; you already have space in your speech where you’ve rebutted potential objections, but if you fail to come up with a good rebuttal to what has been said…well, you’re up a creek without a paddle.

Honors Latin has been treating me well, but perfect (past) tense is a PAIN. Who knew you’d have to have so many verb stems, instead of just sticking to one?! Latin recitation continues to be my favorite class, and overall I think I’m keeping up pretty well (although, having gone from being the highest of the plebes to the lowest of the bourgeoisie, I doubt I shall ascend further).

Music has vastly improved from last term; gone is the dreaded Foundational Sight Singing which has provoked off-key squalling from many! In its place, we are sight-reading simple hymns; which is far easier (in my humble opinion) and much more useful. The aural skills quizzes remain, but so far I am in A territory.

Although the rest of the entire world has been getting metric buttloads of snow, Moscow remains barren. Supposedly it’s to come our way some time this month. All I have to say is, it’s mighty irreg’lar for Tennessee to be getting snow and not Idaho.

Of course, a new term of school would not be complete without a dance to kick it off. On Friday (Feb. 6) over 100 NSA students flooded into North Campus for a dance put on by SRO, and it was quite fun. The theme was western; as usual there were costume prizes. There were some mighty int’resting getups; the most spectacular being two guys (who shall remain unnamed) who wore boots, SHORTS, and suspenders; the vibe was more “lederhosen” than “yeehaw”, but it was very funny. An upperclassman wore a hat which was roughly 3 feet long in every direction. (He took it off to dance so as to avoid clotheslining anyone.) There was much festivity. Somebody decided that for some of the snacks there would be two giant bowls of saltwater taffy, which was an excellent investment in my opinion. One of my friends cracked me up by smoking a pretzel stick and periodically lapsing into what I must assume is a “Western” accent. All in all, it was quite a wonderful time; the next dance is next Friday, when the guys of the class host the annual Valentine’s Day dinner + dance for all the gals. So far that is shaping up to be a marvelous time as well.

An amusing occurrence: Earlier this week (the exact day flees my memory), my roommates and I came home after school. Upon walking into our kitchen, something seemed not-quite-right; we soon realized that this feeling was coming from the banana on the floor, and the banana peel in our toaster oven. But I’m getting ahead of myself; back up. The banana on the floor. Naturally, we were a little confused about how it had ended up there; and when we picked it up, we were shocked and astonished to find that there was a BITE out of it. Not a bite taken by a normal, well-adjusted, banana-peeling person, mind you–a bite from the SIDE of the banana. Peel and all. As one would consume an apple. Munch. Dental imprint. The bite was small, and we speculated as to the existence of a rat. But it wasn’t a nibbly bite, it was a chomped bite (although there was one very deep and small gouge in the middle of the bite, as if a fang had bitten it). “Aha,” we said amongst ourselves, “It must have been Danny!” (Our host family’s 2-year-old son.) So we traversed to the family’s side of the house and inquired if Danny had been roaming; turns out, he had been, along with a small friend who had been over earlier in the day to play (it might have been his cousin. I do not recall). Fears of rats relieved, we returned to our side and had a hearty laugh at the bitten banana. Unfortunately, we did not take a picture of it, otherwise I would provide one. It was then that one of my roommates found a banana peel inside the toaster oven, further confirming the past presence of toddlers.

And, speaking of toaster ovens: I have learned that it is indeed possible to bake baked oeatmeal in said appliance and have it turn out spiffingly! I empirically learned this two days ago, and am planning to utilize that ability again in the future.

Let’s see. Do I have anything else interesting to say, or am I simply rambling to avoid writing my rhetoric speech? 🤔

Ah, yes, one more item of note: this week’s Disputatio was an absolute gem. Dr. Erb was the speaker, and his topic was Battle Songs. He led us through singing multiple Psalms, some set in canon, and some call and response. It was a wonderful time of singing; I highly recommend that everyone watches the recording! (I shall try to post the link here if I can!) Plus, the bonus is that you get to witness a spectacular Dr. Erb-ism halfway through. A Dr. Erb-ism is when he starts physically illustrating his point; usually this involves what can only be termed “interpretive dancing”. It was truly one of his more spectacular examples.

With that, I must wrap up this immensely untidy post, and continue writing my argument list for my Rhetoric thesis. (What do you think? Should two consenting adults be allowed to duel to the death without legal repercussions? I am arguing the negative, and I think I believe it, too.)

Until next random time

WAIT!

Haha. Just kidding! I forgot that I usually post some song recommendations and/or pictures! No wonder this post felt weirdly empty!

Here is a song I found recently; it’s kind of autumnal, but very nice and nostalgic. And, beautiful cover art, which if I remember correctly is what caught my eye in the first place!

As for pictures; well, there isn’t anything aesthetic going on weather-wise (although I do love that particular shade of blue-gray the sky is on crisp days) so instead I shall put a little gallery of all the things we’ve been up to!

In the middle of a scholarly exposition of Genesis, Augustine decided to take a few sections off and talk about all manner of strange things; not the least of which were the mention of DUFFLEPUDS??!