Thursday, March 20, 2008

Spring, etc.

Happy first day of spring! I think. At least, Rick told me today is the first day of spring, and as we both hate winter I'm willing to believe him. And the weather channel website had changed the banner to a more spring-like flower, so sure. Happy first day of spring. Too bad it looks nothing like spring outside! It's cloudy, windy, and about 40 degrees right now. It could be worse, but it could most definitely be better. I've noticed buds on trees earlier this year than last year, which is a good sign. March in New England is a hard month for me, but hopefully the blooming will happen at a more normal time! (although I recently read an article about how spring has been coming earlier and earlier due to global warming). My allergies have switched into spring mode, but the weather hasn't. Oh well.

My ankle is still swollen and sore, both on the inside and the outside. Luckily biking shouldn't be a problem (I tested myself on the exercise bike and I was fine). It's just walking and therefore running that are problematic, which is a bummer because I was hoping to get back on a running schedule now that spring is here. Hopefully within a couple of weeks I'll be good to go. I think I'm going to get ankle braces for both ankles, however, as I sprained the left a few years ago and the right is now turn-prone as well. Just for a precautionary measure, but still.

I still haven't heard back from the Food Project. I don't know if they've called anyone or if I just didn't get an interview. I did however find another job I might apply for...it's basically being the camp director for this 8 week music camp in Waltham. shouldn't be too bad, from the looks of it, and it's a daytime thing. I'll just have to find time to fit in studying for the GRE (which I HAVE to do this summer). Speaking of grad school, I spoke with an old prof of mine from HDS and she seemed pretty excited about the possibility of me applying to the ThD there in history of Christianity. That's exciting, too, because I'm really trying to create relationships with potential PhD advisors and everything. I'm going to start emailing people this spring, and then hopefully meet with them in the fall right before I send in my applications.

On another note, today is Maundy Thursday. I am perpetually asked what "maundy" means, so I looked it up in the OED, and there are several definitions: One is the ritual of footwashing, originally where royalty would wash the feet of the poor to commemorate Jesus washing the feet of the apostles. This is the meaning we have now. Almsgiving is an obsolete definition of the word. It can also refer to the money that the monarch would distribute at the Maundy Thursday ceremony. There are also several more obsolete definitions: to take part in the Last Supper, the Lord's Supper or Eucharist, and also to feast or take part in a feast. There are also several compounds, but I thought my loyal readers would be interested in the general meanings of the term.

I'll be going to Maundy Thursday services at St. Luke's tonight. The past couple of years I've gone to Trinity, but now that I've found a new church home I'll be going there. Rick doesn't get home until about the time the service starts, so he's not coming. Oh well. It's funny--I was telling him about the first Maundy Thursday service I remember and he drove home to me how much of a church nerd I am. I was probably 7 or 8...old enough to remember the service even now but young enough that I didn't remember the service from the year before. Anyway, when it came time for the altar to be stripped, everyone was kneeling and reading Psalm 22 while church members stripped the altar. I had no idea what was going on, and was getting really upset because I thought they were closing my church and I had no idea why and no one had warned me about it! I don't remember being visibly upset, but I do remember this inner anguish at the prospect of St. Peter's closing, and I thought the stripping of the altar was some sort of liturgical way of doing this (yes, I am a nerd). Well, when you leave the service you're not supposed to talk so I had to wait until we got in the car to figure out what was going on. Rick's reaction to this story: How old were you? You were really that upset?

Yes, I am a church nerd. Go figure.

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