Week one, done

I haven't posted a blog for four days, and I can only blame one thing: priorities. Yep, as much as I procrastinate with important stuff, I think I actually did a good job this week. I'm about 98 percent up to date with all my course work, and I'm feeling pretty good going into this weekend. I thought I'd share some highlights of my first real week at seminary. And since last week's bulleted list of free stuff was a pretty big hit (I got two whole compliments on it), I'll do this in bullet form.

• I was wrong in my assumption that Luther would stop giving us free stuff, at least when it comes to the edible variety. We had a free lunch on Wednesday (tasty soup) and root beer floats on Thursday.
  
  
• Last night, I successfully read a gospel straight through (I don't know if I should admit this) for the first time. Granted it was Mark, the shortest gospel. But boy, was that fun … seriously. Hmm — I'm not sure I should have admitted to never reading an entire gospel before. Well, to help you forget that, here's another astounding fact: I've never seen "The Wizard of Oz" … seriously.
  
  
• On the weird-but-cool front, I got assigned to a project team for my "Reading the Audiences" course that consists of all married students. We shared stories about our spouses and how bad we feel when we're studying and they're bored out of their minds.
  
  
• I have gotten to do a couple things with my wife this week, however, such as having dinner with her old friend and her boyfriend (the friend's boyfriend, not my wife's boyfriend) who now live in the Twin Cities. And Thursday, we got to see my cousin play soccer since the game was in St. Paul. He kicked the tying goal. (It ended in that tie, and it was a big come-from-behind tie, so that was exciting.)
  
  
• I have learned the Hebrew alphabet and can read some words. The big test: Yesterday, I was able to sound out a Hebrew word that was tattooed on a fellow seminarian's arm. I made it more than halfway through the word when I realized it was his name.
  
  
• I have now met two other students who, like me, are Green Bay Packers fans (one of them being the guy with the Hebrew tattoo). I learned last week that David, the guy who orders books for the seminary library, is also a Packer-backer. Now I have a support group available on the day after every game this season.
  
  
• Perhaps even more importantly, for the first time since I moved here more than three months ago, I have stumbled across someone who shares my deep appreciation for the ABC show, "Lost." He’s a professor. (Oh, and if you also happen to be a “Lost” fan, you need to see this crazy thing.)
  
  
• In an almost daily struggle to stay awake amid all this studying, I have learned to drink regular coffee. My wife got me to drink cappuccino several years ago, but that stuff is not as cheap or accessible. Actual coffee is gross to me, but if I fill it with enough creamer and sugar, it's tolerable. I never thought it would happen, but here I am, drinking actual coffee. It's amazing what seminary can do. Maybe one day it will somehow even push me into finally watching "The Wizard of Oz."