Other stuff and stuff

Clearly I am in a catching up, chatty Kathy mood, because this is my third post in a row. The problem is that I think posts should be about something specific and so I need to separate them in my mind. I may be too anal for blogging.

In keeping with a blessing my brother gave me before I left for school (Thanks D!), I have been trying to be social and not hide away in my apartment. I have been trying especially hard to participate in things at church. This is not that easy for me because as you may know, I am not a "joiner". However, I have been going to a weekly volleyball game for the sisters and young women in the stake, and I have been volunteering for things to do with music. The stake is having a musical...sharing time? in conjunction with the RS broadcast in September and like a good citizen I offered to be part of it. But then I was handed a song. No, I'm sorry, that should really be in capital letters. I was handed A SONG. The song was written in 1978 (a banner year in many other respects) and is called...wait for it...I'm a Woman (hear me roar). Ok, the parentheses are not included as that would be an entirely different song that would actually be hilarious to sing at an RS function. No, this one is just "I'm a Woman". Sample lyrics include:

I'm a woman, yes, a woman, fair of face and soft of touch...

To my husband, my companion, I'll bring tenderness and cheer

For a woman bears a softness, be she young, or pioneer

There is also something about forging the destinies of the youth with our influence. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy*. I am pretty sure I can't get through that song without laughing my head off. So I offered a song called Be Believing that my sister and I wrote earlier this year. I'm not all eager to show off my songwriting technique, it's just that I couldn't stand the thought of getting up there and singing about my fair face.

I am a teaching assistant for American Government and Politics this semester. It's a pretty good gig, and the professor is great. Before the class started he offered to let me do a lecture if I wanted to. Well of course I want to, I think it will be a great experience that will be really helpful in getting the professor's feedback. So today I told him which lecture I wanted to take based on my knowledge and "expertise" and he said that was great, but he was actually going to be out of town for the lecture before that so if I could take that one instead it would be great. Of course I said yes because that's what you do when someone who has your future funding in his hands asks, but now not only do I have to prepare a lecture on something I know less about, he won't actually be there to critique me when I do. Argh. However, Purdue has this weird (big brotherish?) thing where they can and do record any lecture so I will be able to listen to myself and even watch myself if I want to and then critique that. Yes, that's much better. Or not.


*Not a part of the lyrics, though it might actually make the song better