One of my hats

One of the hats I wear here at Princeton Seminary is that of a sexton. Now, some of you might be thinking of Hamlet when a gravedigger refers to himself as a sexton, but let me assure you that's not what I do. A sexton is a person or team in a church or synagogue in charge of the grounds and buildings which can include a graveyard but not necessarily. At PTS the sextons are students who work for the Chapel Office. Sounds official, right? Anytime there's a special event whether by a campus group or an off-campus group a sexton is assigned to make sure everything is in its right place at the right time and then is put back where it belongs. We make sure the lights are on, the doors unlocked, everyone can find the bathrooms, and the pulpit doesn't move. I've only worked concerts and worship services, but the sextons also work with weddings, lectures, and anything anyone else can use Miller Chapel for.

This afternoon I'm the sexton for the Dryden Ensemble and their "Bach Looking Back" concert that begins at 3pm. If you're in the area, the tickets are very affordable, and judging by their sound check it's going to be awesome.

The Return

Yesterday I traveled back to Princeton. It took longer than I thought it would, but I did get here. I left my parents' house at 6:15am, and my flight to Dallas was uneventful. Then I got to Dallas and found out my plane to Newark was canceled. So I went to Haagan-Daas. (Why not?) Took up a conversation with a nice lady from the Jersey Shore, and it ended up that we were sitting next to each other on the flight to Newark we got rebooked on. I listened to the new Norah Jones on the flight. Got on the train to Princeton and found out I was on the wrong train. Got off the wrong train and had to wait in the freezing cold for the right train. Got to Princeton Junction and went into the little waiting room for the dinky, and my friend Noah was there coming back from his trip to Washington D.C. I grabbed a sandwich from the Wa-Wa for dinner.

Today I went out to lunch with my friends Sara and Sarang (above). I talked on the phone for a couple of hours with a friend from my undergraduate days. I'm getting geared up for my next semester which begins on Monday. :)

Emily's Takeover

I took over my Mom's blog this week! Check it out!
http://moretimeatthetable.blogspot.com/

The Sky is a Hazy Shade of Winter

I flew home last Saturday for some R&R. My fall semester is officially over! My spring semester has not really begun. I have always found it weird that the 'spring' semester begins in the dead of winter. Of course by the time you end it's summer, so I guess spring is in the middle. I found it really interesting to go through an entire three course class in three weeks. Three hours a day. Three weeks. Three credits. Not to mention homework time. The people who found it the hardest were those in languages. I understand that. I did that over the summer. I enjoyed learning Nonviolent Communication. It gave me a great tool for pastoral care and for the Clinical Pastoral Education I'm doing over the summer which both scares me and excites me.

But this week I'm doing my best not to think about any of that. This week I'm hanging out with my family and Colorado friends. And on that note, allow me to introduce the newest member of my family to you: TUCKER! He's our 4th golden retriever, so I guess my family has found a breed that fits us. His older counterpart Gabby doesn't know whether to play with Tucker or to ignore him. He likes to chew on my socks which wouldn't be a big deal except my feet are usually still in them! More later. :)

Proof that God is Awesome

For all my Dora the Explorer loving friends, I met the Map today. His real name is Marc Weiner. (He also voices Swiper the Fox!) In his spare time, Marc has developed a tool for learning Nonviolent Communication known as the Empathy Labyrinth which he brought to Princeton Seminary today. Not only was the labyrinth extremely helpful, Marc is a great guy. I do watch Dora on occasion, but only because I have a nephew, so I was very happy when he told us about his acting experiences.

You meet all kinds of people here at Princeton Seminary.

Saturday Jan 16

Yesterday started out like any normal Saturday. I woke up and ate breakfast. Then I tried to plan my day, and I looked at the movie listings. There was a listing for Carmen live from the Met at 1pm. So I figured why would I go see the opera at the movies when I could easily go to the opera house? I hopped on the train and went to the Met. I was so incredibly excited, and they were sold out. I was incredibly disappointed. I wandered around Central Park and hung out with my cousins in Brooklyn. It was a very spontaneous day.

Short Term

The Fall Short Term [or "J-Term"] is upon us! A full 3 credit class in three weeks! For me, it's very draining to sit in the same class for three hours a day; so it's been interesting. We're almost halfway through. Wow. I didn't realize that until I typed it.
My communication class counts for a Pastoral Care credit and is in the Practical Theology department. This is the first Practical Theology credit I have taken, and I like it. I don't know how I'll fair in the Theology department in which I will be taking Systematic Theology next term [required of all students].

I'm looking for something to get me off campus once or twice a week if anyone has any ideas. I'm trying to get more in touch with the city of Princeton and not just Princeton Seminary.

A Proud Daughter!

My mom made the front page of a well-known blog called Drop in and Decorate for a cookie decorating party she threw!

I'm so proud of my mom! She hasn't been blogging that long, but her blog is really good! And now she's beginning to get recognized by the food blogging community! Awesome!

12th Day of Christmas

Today is the last day of Christmas. Yesterday my friend Sara Jane and I were out running some errands and getting coffee when we saw the picture to the right. The Christmas lights are still up in Princeton. It was nice to remember that Christmas-tide is continuing even though we all are getting back to our normal lives.

PTS started its January term on Monday. For three weeks students will eat, sleep, and breathe one class. I am taking a course entitled Compassionate Communication based on the Nonviolence Communication model complied by Marshall Rosenberg. We have practice groups, journals, lectures, class participation, etc. in order for us to internalize nonviolent communication into our daily lives. I took this class originally with an eye on my chaplaincy internship this summer, but I can see how this type of communication can help in my career field and just in normal every-day relationships.

Also, yesterday I gave myself an end of Christmas present. I upgraded my computer to Windows 7, and it seems to work wonderfully. I really like the new Windows layout, and I appreciate the deal Windows gave me since I'm a student.

Merry end-of-Christmas-tide!