Of Jabberwocks and Fortnights

What a marvelous weekend!! On Friday evening, my house mates and I created a Fort in our living room out of blankets and furniture, and had a slumber party in the fort.  It was loads of fun, and a great fortnight. Then on Saturday we woke up and had the best pancakes I have ever had, and watched Loony Toons and Carmen Santiago. We rented them from our school library.  I felt like I was ten years old, and I discovered why Elmer Fudd hates Bugs Bunny so, because I watched the very first episode of Bugs Bunny.  Apparently Elmer Fudd was trying to take wildlife pictures of Bugs Bunny, and he wouldn't let Elmer take pictures of him, so Elmer went absolutely CRAZY and has been chasing him ever since.

After the Saturday morning cartoons, I basked in the beautiful sunshine outside and tried to accomplish some homework, which didn't work very well.  Instead I settled for a nap in the garage with the door open, because although the night before was a fortnight, I didn't get as much sleep as you would think.  After my lovely nap, I made dinner, hung out in the fort, and talked to friends.  Then May and I went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D.  It was very good, and quite possibly my favorite Tim Burton Movie.  It was very cool to see a movie in 3D, and makes me want to see Avatar in 3D.   Anyway, in the movie, Alice goes back to Wonderland as an adult and had many adventures, including something to do with a Jabberwock.  May told me about this poem, and a lot of the movie is loosely based on it. We also discovered that the poem was written by the same person who wrote Alice and wonderland, and that it was even contained in the sequals, Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There. I thought I would share it because it is very fun. Now I have added the Alice in Wonderland Series to the list of books I want to read after I graduate from College and can read whatever I want. YAY.  Anyway, I had a glorious weekend so far, and it seems so long, perhaps it has something to do with the fortnight we crammed in there.  Ok, I'll stop with the fortnight jokes. I kinda thought it was funny though.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
  The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
  The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
  Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
  And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
  The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
  And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
  The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
  He went galumphing back.

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
  Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
  He chortled in his joy.

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;

All mimsy were the borogoves,

  And the mome raths outgrabe.

Life and Death, among other things

This Saturday, one of my house mates suggested that we go on a day trip to the nearby Mt. Angel Abby.  I quickly agreed to come along because it was better than the homework I had planned for the day.  It was very interesting, and beautiful.  Their library is well known for it's architectural beauty.  I really enjoyed this part, and soon found the psychology section, and buried my nose in some Erik Erikson! lol. That evening, I played Settler's of Catan with some friends. I came in second.  It was enjoyable, but I felt limited because of the different rules they played by, or should I say the different rules I play by that they had never heard of. 

On Sunday, I attended the early service of Church, because I had to leave at 11 to help with the Pro-Life rally in Portland that Oregon Right to Life organized.  After a brief confusion with the bus that came to Corban to pick up the volunteers, we were on our way.  I was a "street captain" and was in charge of a group of volunteers who passed out flyers.  6,000 people attended the rally, even in the drizzly weather.  The speakers were very good, and the rally lasted from around 2:00 to 3:30ish.  

Over the weekend, my roommate Heidi's Tarantula died.  (by no cause of me).  She handled it well, but we all gathered on Monday evening for a Funeral at dusk.  Heidi's boyfriend is in seminary, and he graciously agreed to hold the service.  After the brief service, everyone went out and attended the burial in our back yard under the fig tree.  Several of our friends came and joined us for the funeral.  Although it was quite elaborate, the ridiculousness of it got the better of us and we all muffled chuckles at some of the more ridiculous parts.  Like I said Heidi was not super torn up over the loss of her tarantula. I was quite impressed by the extent that our friends went to in order to support our friend and her loss.  You know you are loved when your friends sit through a tarantula memorial service for you! One offered to dig the hole and was very careful to make it just the right depth and width.  He even made a headstone for the grave! Others traveled over an hour to be able to attend the funeral.  Obviously these actions were not done for the spider as much as for our dear friend Heidi. It also shows that College students will go to extreme acts for an excuse to get together with friends!   

Classes have been going well.  I was worried that I would be lost in Biology, but it is surprising how much I remember from 10th grade high school biology! I am doing pretty well.  I am really enjoying my History of Judaism and Christianity. The book offers a unique perspective on the familiar Old Testament History. Other than that it's life as normal down here in Salem. I am looking forward to coming up this weekend for the quilting day.  

New Title

For a while now, the title of this blog has bothered me because I wanted it to be something clever and something that expresses who I am.  A friend of mine last year who bore the same last name as me told me that Ferguson means sweeter after difficulties.  I thought that was so fitting of my life so far.  It's really what I strive to be every day, sweeter, not despite of, but because of everything that I have gone through both good and bad in my life.  I figured it was a pretty fitting title for this blog. 
Merry Christmas everyone!

On Saturday, we woke up really early (6:30) to have breakfast together with all of our roomates because Kristine works graveyard on teh weekends and comes home around 6:30. After we ate breakfast, we went to get a Christmas tree around 9:00. May had to go to work and Kristine went to bed, so it was just Mindy, Heidi, Ellissa and me. We found a Christmas tree lot on Lancaster that had really nice trees. Later in the morning, Laura and Kristen came down and we had a lot of fun hanging out.

These are the snow flakes May, Ellissa and me made. We hung them in the doorway.

These are my roommates at the Christmas lot. I told them to "act happy" and this is what they did. lol. They are so cute.