First Day of Class

I must have been nervous, or just clumsier than usual. I managed to spill the contents of my water bottle down the front of my shirt ten minutes from campus, twenty minutes before the start of my very first class. At least it wasn't coffee.

That first class was English 203, Introduction to Drama. The instructor is challenging, according to students who've had him before, but really good. First assignment, Antigone. You know, one of those Greek tragedies that depicts universal human themes, with mere humans alternating every few minutes between begging the gods and cursing the gods. Perhaps that was their reason for having a mob of Greek gods loitering around Mt. Olympus: beg some, curse some others, and choose which ones serve which purpose whenever you feel like things are getting a little dull. (Note to Professor Mead: yes, I am taking the play seriously. I just find the family lives of the Greek gods amusing.)

English 102 is going to be challenging. I'm still not sure how the editing process for our papers is going to work. I was taught very early in life, by my dear mama, to never question an editor, unless the poor fool was trying to make me write nonsense. I once had a news director who made Jabberwocky sound like Hemingway. Anyway, I'm worried that rather than discuss my writing projects with the other students after they edit them, I'll just say "Editor!" to myself and hide under my desk.

After class, I drove home to find some dry clothes. Study for an hour, clean for an hour, drive back to campus, pray in the Abbey church for the ability to focus, report for my first shift as a monastic assistant. Serving dinner to the monks in the refectory is relatively straightforward, but it involves a lot of details that all must be just so: with so many different monks, there are a lot of different preferences. My trainer and I were able to put all the pieces into place in time for dinner. Cleaning up afterward took longer than I expected, but it was very satisfying to see the room all clean and ready for breakfast by the end of the evening.

I don't know if this will be a typical day, except for the spilled water. I'm working ahead on English homework, because Thursday holds both Math and Ethics -- definitely uncharted territory. Maybe I should spend some more time in the Abbey church.