Day-Maker #10

The speed limit on I-295 around Richmond is now 70mph. I can go fast.

Day-Maker #9

The Hospitality (read: large meals and parties) Board Member and I went to Trader Joe's to pick out pumpkins for the Halloween party. Picture two small girls moving digging around in large boxes of pumpkins, searching for 8 of the perfect shape and size. We found them.

Day-Maker #8

Sitting at the coffee shop on campus with two men in Roman collars.

Brick Fail

Getting Mondays off is conducive to cleaning house and running errands; not so much to a social life. Except that Percy teaches night classes, so having Mondays off is conducive to late morning and early afternoon adventures with him.

Earlier in the year, we discovered that the brickyard in CW has helpers : tourists who decide that a part of their ideal vacation includes stomping around in mud. I'm not sure that would be part of my ideal vacation, but it certainly makes the 'burg a cooler place to live. Percy and I decided to spend a Monday churning clay into mud with our bare feet for the purpose of creating bricks.

On our first foray into brickland, the nice lady in the hoop skirt and bonnet told us that they had just fired up the kiln, and it was too hot for anyone to go near the brickyard. She advised us to come back after September 20th. (I have discovered that the nice people who work there are very good at telling people to come back for things.) So this past Monday, Percy and I came back.

When we walked into the brickyard, I saw the two pits that were obviously used for mud stomping. And these two pits were obviously dry. As the friendly brickmaker told the crowd (which consisted of two families with small children, plus the pair of us) they were done with the brickmaking until the summer. Now they just had a stack of bricks waiting to fire.

So Percy and I learned about bricks and brickmaking and the bricks that the friendly brickmaker is making for Mr. Jefferson's school up the road. And planned our next trip to the brickmakers -- next summer. Unless I decide to go back for the firing of the kiln on December 8.

Alma Mater Hail

When Julia, Wendy, and I were freshmen, we took the bus to Target on homecoming weekend. As we came back, we saw the crowds of alumni of various ages spreading from the Alumni House and stadium into the wider world of campus. Ever since that day, I have looked forward to the day when Wendy and Julia and I would reunite at Homecoming.

I never expected that, for my first Homecoming, both Julia and I would be living here. Unfortunately, Wendy could not make it down, so I have to wait at least another year for visions to come true.

Homecoming #1 went down with no Wendy, but I did manage to have an amazing time. I had Benjamin and Annie (no, loyal readers, you have not met her yet; but she will reappear) under my roof, so I had no lack of good friends... not even counting the people, such as one of my favorite apartmentmates, with whom I spent several wonderful hours on Saturday.

Friday night I devoted to friends from freshmen year; Saturday I spent more with CCM alumni. I think that since I live here, I had a different experience of Homecoming. Lots of awesome people were coming home to me, but I wasn't going anywhere. My normal social lines were suddenly redrawn and my spheres redivided.

And then Sunday, the people whom I knew and loved and wanted more time with started to trickle out, until dark and early Monday morning, I drove Benjamin to the airport and my normal life began again.

These Things Will Change

One common question I've received about my volunteer year is: "How have you changed?"

Because I process things slowly, and self-change is often difficult to measure, most of the time I stumble and bumble my way around that question. The other day, however, I discovered one answer : I look over my shoulder more often.

Ours is a safe campus, and, during my time here, I didn't hesitate to walk across campus at 9 or 10 at night. Once the clock hit 11 or 12 or later, I would hesitate, but I would also walk a mile from CCM to my apartment before calling Campus Escort. Not the wisest choice, and certainly not what they tell you during Freshmen Orientation, but the only 2 times I've felt uncomfortable by random people on campus at night, I've been in a group.

From safe campus to St. Louis I go, where I hesitated to walk out to my car late at night. (That was probably just paranoia. Our neighborhood was generally safe.) Some neighborhoods were off limits at night; some streets were off limits during the day. I became much more aware of the people on the streets around me. At sundown, I felt unsafe standing outside our school.

Back on campus, I found myself with half an hour to kill before an event that started at 8pm. During my time as a student, I would not have considered it late. It would not have occurred to me to be vigilant during my walk. It wasn't even eight at night! Yet I found myself wondering if I should be walking alone, if this was safe.

When I became aware of these thoughts, I had two reactions : 1) Beth, you are being ridiculous! and 2) But it's true! This person walking towards you could be anyone!

I processed the second reaction. Yes, she could be anyone. However, I would assume that she was a part of the College community, which makes her part of "us" rather than "them." Especially if I am a student, she is "us," not "them." And being part of one community means that we are, to some extent or another, invested in each other. Which mean that, unlike on the streets of St. Louis, on the paths of the College, I don't encounter just anyone. And they (for many reasons) are safer.

Please note : I am well aware that the College is no magical place where bad things don't happen. I am well aware that anyone can walk on the campus, not just members of the College community, and that not all members are committed to the common good, or others' individual goods. Still, I am also aware that the campus is much safer than where I was last year.