2nd Semester Junior Year

Yep, it's finally here. Back when we were all freshmen, it seemed like an eternity away (at least for me it did). But, as they say, time flies when you're having fun. So I've already done a load of things since I've been back here (other than studying and going to class, which take up most of my time). The biggest event so far has been the Walk for Life in San Francisco. There was a mass exit from campus on Friday the 23rd, as the walk was taking place on the following Saturday. As usual, the TAC contingent stayed the night in the gymnasium of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in SF. The car I was in arrived at the church somewhere in the vicinity of 11:30 p.m. (it's about a 7 hour drive from TAC). The next morning we went to the pro-life Mass at the hideous chunk of concrete otherwise known as the cathedral, and then spent an interesting half-hour locating a place to have some quick breakfast. Eventually we found a quaint little cafe down by the waterfront, fed our life-savings worth of pocket change into the meter to earn a precious half-hour, and had Danish pastries. We then spent another interesting half-hour finding a place to park the car while we went on the Walk. Eventually we found a parking garage which, at the end of the day, cost us $24 to park in. Yikes. Said parking garage was in the vicinity of Fisherman's Wharf, which meant that we still had to walk for quite a bit before we got the Embarcadero, where the Walk was starting. But we finally made it, heard some great speeches, and then set out down the street! There were some counter protesters there, few in numbers but nevertheless very loud in profanity and disapprobation. Oh, and then of course there were also a bunch of gay men throwing condoms at us from the sidewalk. Fun... But we soon passed them all and continued in peace through the city to the Marina Green. It took about 45 minutes for the entire column to actually arrive at the Green after the front had reached it. It was really quite amazing. I heard later that there were an estimated 35,000 people on the Walk. Quite impressive. So then after we all arrived there, and the people in my vehicle located each other, we walked back to the parking garage, got the car, and proceeded to do very touristy things for the rest of the day. First we took a rather unforgettable trip down Lombard Street, and then drove to the top of Telegraph Hill to see the Coit Tower and take pictures of the Bay and the city. After that we drove clear across town to see Golden Gate Park, and then came back to the church, parked the car, and walked down to Fisherman's Wharf and the waterfront, where we walked, talked, window shopped, actually shopped, got pennies flattened into scenes of SF in those little crank machines, took pictures, ate a ridiculously overpriced dinner at the Rainforest Cafe, and just generally had a grand old time. Oh. We also got gelato. It was dee-licious. So then we went back the church and crashed. Went to Mass early the next morning, and took the long drive home again. It was a wonderful weekend. :)

Last Friday some friends and I went to a production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" down in Pasadena, which was directed by a TAC graduate. It was a lot of fun, despite the fact that it was raining waterfalls the entire way there (with the unfortunate result of colossal amounts of traffic and accidents), and that we managed to get lost in Pasadena. Oh well. We made it with a whopping 10 minutes to spare before it started. It was really quite entertaining. I especially liked the costumes. So ornate and medieval! :)

The juniors are putting on the Mardi Gras dance, which is a week from Saturday. Our theme is going to be Arabian Nights, and we are very hopeful that it will turn out well. Let's see, what else is new? Valentine's Day is on Saturday. I'm not doing anything that I know of. Again. *sigh* Maybe one of these years... We also get Monday off from school because of Presidents Day. I am elated because it means I get a whole week to read seminar! Um...the choir is putting on Princess Ida this year, which is another Gilbert and Sullivan musical. I am thinking of perhaps auditioning for a part this time around.

Well, there's not much else in the way of news. The studies are getting quite interesting. We're currently reading David Hume in seminar, who says, among other things, that humans don't and can't know the law of cause and effect in nature, and that miracles and the Real Presence are a bunch of boloney. Oh boy, am I looking forward to seminar tonight. In lab we're doing Newton's Principia, in which we just discovered that, ultimately, circles, parabolas, hyperbolas, and ellipses are the same curve. Dun, dun, dun... Of course, a proper explanation of this fact would necessitate one's knowing what Newton means by "ultimately," which would take pages in and of itself. *sigh* Complication. I am especially liking theology this year. We are reading some of the Summa, and it is absolutely amazing. All I have to say is, the Popes were right when they said that Thomas is the most outstanding theologian and intellect in the Church's history. He argues to so many truths about God just from natural reason, and answers the most formidable objections against his positions. Not to mention, from the extensive quotations he makes use of, it would appear that he had read all the other philosophers and theologians of any importance as well as writing his own works. It's really neat.

Anyway, I have to go finish seminar. Yay for three day weekends on the near horizon! :)