A Thin Fog

I went out to go to dinner this evening and I noticed that the whole campus is covered with a thin layer of fog. This isn't the sort of fog that gives even the most mundane setting an aura of mystery, makes every step and adventure and could be described with adjectives like 'billowing' or 'dense'. Instead, it's the kind that makes everything damp, cold, and fuzzy. It's thin and hides only the sky, mountains, and slightly clouds the city lights. A thin city fog also makes one painfully aware of air pollution--it's dirty and distinctly unmysterious and unromantic.

There's something about the fog tonight that has actually made me realize something about myself. For the past while I have been seeing things through a thin, dirty fog--only this fog built up so gradually that I didn't realize it was there. When general authorities speak of "the world", they're referring to this fog. When the bible mentions "Babylon", that's also the fog. This fog, though thankfully still thin, will probably be really tough to dispell. It will take a lot of light and warmth to rid myself of it's clouding influence. Through it, dirty things seem less dirty--more acceptable. Since I came to the University of Utah, for instance, I have become more exposed to the world and this exposure has desensitized me to certain things. For instance, lots of things that I would have found offensive and distasteful three semesters ago hardly fazed me this semester. The most frightening thing about a thin fog is that it's so hard to see.

A Poem
To Always Remember

When my heart is filled with woe
To Thee I eas’ly go;
A soul of sorrow, needing peace,
From Thee I seek release

When for joy and love I yearn
I know to whom I turn
A mind with worry filled
Finds in Thee a Shield

But when all troubles fade away
No trials left to face each day
A child blessed unceasingly,
Do I turn away from Thee?

If so, dear Father, do not fail,
When your child’s prayers grow pale,
To bring her back by sending pain
In hope that she finds Thee again.

I was just browsing my blogger account, and I discovered that I can actually have ads put on my blog.

First reaction: Why would I want to do that? *is astonished*

Second reaction: Wait, they would pay me to do that? *contemplates*

Third reaction: Why would I want to do that? *pictures obnoxious ads from all other websites in existence*

Housemates

I live with some interesting people. Very interesting, actually. Two of the most intriguing are Tim and Yang. They are roommates and WoW fans (along with some other computer games I am equally unfamiliar with). Yang is a philosophy major and Tim is a physics major who likes to argue (sometimes for both points of an issue). When you get the two of them together, it makes for interesting conversation.

For example, this morning as I was frying an egg, Tim was cooking rice in the microwave and Yang was putting off going to class, they began to discuss breakfast. When I say this, I do not mean that they talked about what they liked to eat for breakfast, how often they skipped breakfast, &c. Rather, they began to question the origins of breakfast. By the time Yang brought up the point that hunters probably ate something before heading out to kill gazelle with their atlatls, that something probably qualifying as breakfast and Tim started to question the definition of "breakfast", I had given up on the conversation, deciding it was a typical "Tim-Yang" dialogue and, thus, didn't require my attention.

Since these two are in my think tank, their particular styles of thought make for very interesting debates on the walk back to our house after class. These debates please our professors, who catch only bits of our discussion as we leave, because they love to see us discuss. Since it is impossible (or nigh unto) to come to any sort of conclusion with Tim and Yang, however, I believe George and Sally are only pleased because they do only catch bits of what we say. Well, at least I get some debate practice whenever I run into them.

So it begins . . .

I have just started my fourth semester of college and (aside from the small books problem, stupid internet issue, and slight cold) everything seems to be going well. In other words, I woke up on time, ate a good breakfast and did not die or humiliate myself in Hebrew this morning. Yes, I only have one class on Monday. Isn't that exciting? ^_^ I am currently working on financial aid and scholarship things and it is, thus far, much more difficult to get letters of rec. than in my past experience. Also, I have to figure out how to separate my English department GPA from my cumulative GPA. hmmm . . .

Anyway, wish me luck! (I get the feeling I'll need it.)