I don't feel like anything exciting has happened in the last few weeks. Maybe it's because life was so spontaneous and carefree in the DR .... I've been filling my time with classes, work and rehearsals. The spring musical, Jane Eyre, is in a few weeks. The music isn't very hard, but it's really pretty. I haven't been able to go to very many rehearsals yet because of my skiing class (same night/time as one of the rehearsals). This week was my last time skiing. The class isn't actually over until next week, but our first dress rehearsal for the musical is next week, so I won't be able to go. I ended up really enjoying skiing. The first week wasn't so much fun because I really wasn't getting the hang of it. However, the next week Peter became my personal coach and got me onto all but the black diamond hill. I have to say that the ski lift is probably the scariest part.

This week, the first Beacon issue of the semester came out. I had to relearn all of the software, but luckily, it didn't take too long for me to remember how to use everything. This semester, along with the paper copy, we're putting the newspaper online. Unfortunately, it's only accessible using a Bethel account on a computer that is hooked up to the Bethel network. We're still trying to figure out exactly how to use the site and make it do what we want. Our most current issue is being able to list the correct author of the article. Right now, the website automatically lists the author as the person who uploaded the article, which ninety percent of the time isn't correct. This has caused some frustration with the correct authors who aren't getting the credit they deserve for their story. I spent quite a while this morning sending out emails, assuring writers that we weren't trying to plagiarize their stories, we're just trying to work out glitches. It isn't the most fun position to be in as an editor, but I suppose it is a learning process.

On Wednesday, I took my student teaching interview. I didn't feel extremely prepared for it, 1) because I wasn't able to go to the interview prep session they offered and 2) because I've been away from education classes for so long and have somewhat lost the lingo. However, through finishing my education portfolio and talking through interview questions with some of my friends who were also being interviewed, I was able to review enough that I felt fairly comfortable going into the interview. I knew both of the interviewers, which also helped quite a bit. I have no idea when I'll find out if I've been accepted.

Slowly but surely Dori and I have been decorating our room. It is turning into quite the ethnically diverse room. A couple of weeks ago, we went to Goodwill and bought a bunch of nice frames; later, I printed several black & white photos from the DR and hung them above my desk with the Goodwill frames. Dori has several wall hangings from other countries as well as a few artifacts her parents are letting us borrow. Last night, we decided we wanted to make a world map out of fabric to go on the blank wall beside my bed. This morning we got up early to go to Goodwill in search of sheets that would be appropriate for the project. It was 5 degrees when we left! When we got to the store, we realized it didn't open until 9. I wasn't really awake, so I went back to bed for a little while before my alarm clock threw me into the world of the conscious.