The Feast 4: Thursday Has No Subtitle

(Heh. Well. So much for, "I want to get the next post out faster than the last one.")

Thursday morning I awoke, showered, and did not dry my hair. By the time Paul and Andrew and I had made it down to breakfast, it was dry. This was one of the coolest things about being in the mountains: the un-need for hairdryers. (O how I hate hairdryers.) :-D

After the two B's (breakfast and Bender ;-)) went off without a hitch (okay, so chapel was in there too, but it didn't fit as part of the B's), Paul and Nat and I attended Part 2 of Pastor Preus' Morning In-Depth Sectional. The previous day he had given us slips to fill out, that ran, "If you [wide blank space] and God is pleased, you might have a vocation." He had given us examples the previous day, i.e., "If you take people's possesions and God is pleased, you might have a vocation." (Repo man.)

I rather liked Paul's: "If you regularly shove humiliated cucumbers on shelves, you might have a vocation." (Pickle, ahem, Pickle Shelver.)

Mine was: "If you cut people open and mess with their insides, you might have a vocation." (Surgeon.)

The one that "won" the contest Pastor Preus was judging was very similar: "If you regularly cut people open and fill their body with poisonous fluids, you might have a vocation." (Coroner.)

After that was lunch. I recall much lightsaber stabbing/"fighting" at this particular lunch. Much poking as well.

For breakaway sectional, I went to "Multiculturalism," about the church in other cultures. It was really a great sectional, though kind of hard to sum up in a few sentences.

Then chapel. I beleive this was one of the times I sat alone. Not because I HAD to, but because I kind of liked it (and I was too lazy to track anybody down). It's kind of cool just to sit in church next to random people, and you don't know them, but you're all doing the same thing, saying the same words... It's kind of hard to explain, it's just cool.

After chapel, the next few hours were free. Aaron and Nathan and I "conveniently" wandered down to where the Canadians & company were parked, and they were very nice again and let us ride with them. Rae was along this time, too. We set off for Pike's Peak.

*Skips over certain details that involve Ethan and Rae pinning Aaron down and trying to keep his mouth closed, while Aaron spreads webs of words that invade their heads and threaten to make them act CRAZY.*

No. No, I'm not going to say any more about the ascent up Pike's Peak. Except that the scenery was spectacular, and the certain songs ("Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," "The Wheels on the Bus" (go crash, crash, crash), etc.) will always have... interesting connotations for me.

Rae: Just nod and smile. It's the best way.

Ethan: Yeah. Okay.

Aaron: I wonder how deep that lake is. Maybe we should drive down and find out.

Ethan: But then we'd...

Rae: Nod and smile. Nod and smile.

So we got to the top. Did I mention it was raining and windy? And that air temperature on the Peak is about 20 degrees lower than in Co. Springs, and that wasn't that high to begin with? Yeah.

So I hadn't been feeling too bad while riding up, but when we got to the top and I stood up, I immediately began wobbling. We went into the Cafeteria/gift shop, looked around for a while, were told there was a lightning advisory and it would be best to stay in cars or building. Certain people bought donuts to share (while we were in line Aaron spun a wobbly Rae, but she defeated his heinous plans and remained standing). But Pike's Peak has the BEST DONUTS IN THE WORLD. If you go to Pike's Peak, EAT THEIR DONUTS.

After a while, Heidi's dad came over and said they were fixing to leave. Heidi said something along the lines of, "Gasp! No! Pictures!" Her dad said that (some people, can't remember the names) had been taking pictures the whole time. Thus, Heidi and Aaron and I rushed to the door, took a collective deep breath, and began what I have christened the 200-Foot Genius Sprint, to the edge of the mountain, snapped three or four pictures, and ran back to the vans.

Blue Sparkly Faeries: Welcome to our oxygen-deprived world!

Aaron and Ethan: Thanks, but we've got to go.

Heidi: Come on, guys! There's plenty of the Fey Folk in Co. Springs to talk to!

The descent down the mountain was quite fun, despite the nerve-wrackingly slick roads. The pastor who drove us had learned to drive in New Mexico and Arizona, so the Pike's Peak roads were apparently easy for him, but apparently we made the people in the following cars nervous.

Heidi (Later): Here is a picture of you guys about to drive off the side of the mountain.

When we got back, our groups that we were riding with voted for Italian food, but Aaron and I opted to go to... Gah, I can't remember the name of the place, we need one around here, it's like it's like Subway, only with Mexican food... Really good, anyway. Chipotle (I think?).

We walked back towards CC. Naturally Aaron, being Aaron, had gotten the spiciest salsa available. At one point he stopped, and doubled over, hacking and coughing. Apparently he'd taken a bite that was ALL SALSA. The resulting effects were funny-- later. ;-)

We arrived just in time for Pr. Borghardt's excellent third part of his in-depth sectional. We didn't see Rae though (Rae, if you're reading this, whatever happened to you?).

I got Pastor B to sign my notebook (as Darth Sidious, of course).

That night was kinda weird, just 'cuz we could never seem to get all the MHers in one place. First we were meeting here, then there, then we'd decide to migrate somewhere else, and we'd lose people to that. But oh well. A couple of us stuck together and just kind of wandered around. Eventually Tarja and Nathan and I (Delta may have been there too, I can't remember) found Aaron and Heid in the common room of a dorm. We stalked them outside the window, and then just rushed in on them, like an invasion of Gauls. ;-)

I went back out to get my backpack, which I had dropped in order to better stalk, and took the lightsaber out and was threatening people outside the window. (I was outside the window. Aaron and whoever else cowered from me were inside.) All at once I hear this voice behind me.

"Hey?"

I turned around and there's this girl there with a camera. "Can I get a picture of you with your lightsaber?" she asks.

I say, "Sure... Hang on, follow me, I'll get you some more lightsabers."

So I lead her into the dorm, and she took Aaron and Heidi's and my pictures, with us doing the Three Musketeers thing.

Well, Aaron went to the wrong Compline, AGAIN, and it was time to say goodnight.

10 DBN

That's Ten Days Before Novel, for those of you, as Chris Baty says, Still stuck on the Gregorian Calender.

Yes, in ten days, at midnight, local time, November 1, commences National Novel Writing Month. during this month, thousands of lunatics from around the world will attempt to write 50,000 words of fiction within the month of November. It seems impossible, but it is perfectly doable. I did it last year. In fact, I did 55k.

*stops tooting own horn*

See the website for more: www.nanowrimo.org (Also on my Links bar.)

I would also reccomend, if you can gt your hands on it, the book No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty. It's the NaNo handbook, but it's also good for people who like to write in general. (Available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon and, well, in MY world, every local library.)

I highly recomend trying this, for anyone who can read this. Or read. Period.

Anyway, if you usually hear from me and don't during November, that's where I'll be-- off writing my novel and having no social life. Or, well, even less than usual. I'll be in Marshall for a few days, too. ;-)

I have a feeling my blog will become a sort of diary, with fragmentary posts and fragmentary sentences consisting of updates and overtired ramblings. :-D I will try to put up the rest of my Feast posts before November, I dunno if it will happen or not.

This should be fun.

slainte,
Ethan
(Exit, pursused by Aaron trying to drive him up a wall.)

ACK!

I AM WRITING A BLEEDING COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY!

AckAckAck!

dodododododododododooooooooo!!!!!!!

arglarglarglarglarglargl!!!!!!!!

ehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Deflates like a balloon.*

--
Sorry. I needed to do that. I'm okay now. Really I am.

--

PS, added later: This was just me frazzled and blowing off steam. RachelE has a similar, but good blog entry on her blog. teehee. :-D