tonight i went to a lecture given by the sub-dean for academic affairs.  he and his wife, also a priest, went to South Africa, specifically Capetown, to meet with Archbishop Desmond Tutu.  the reason for the trip was to scope out/enscribe/describe how the Desmond Tutu Education Center being built on the seminary grounds would interact with the Bishop Tutu Peace Center being constructed in Capetown. 

they brought back 8 hrs of video, and it is being distilled into 1-1/2 hour presentations.... what a beautiful country South Africa is... and the progress that has been made towards reconciliation is astounding.  although i have no clear idea of what i would do there, i would love to visit the Peace Center - i believe it is currently operating on university grounds.  it would be excellent to visit South Africa even as a tourist, it is so lovely.  plus the music is awesome...

i was so excited tonight - i found someone who speaks french!!!  omg, this man is amazing.  he's from the nederlands, is already ordained and is doing his doctorate here in theology.  not only does he speak dutch, but his english is almost flawless, and he is able to do theological discourse in English, not even his native tongue.  so we were telling how impressed we were with that, especially since he has to write a 40 page paper for this one class, and he said, "well, it is double-spaced" (he was serious too)... i remarked that i didn't think i could write a theological paper in french, which is the only other language in which i even approach fluency, and Pb immediately switches to speak in french!! so we had a pretty decent conversation in french, talking about how we learned it and how hard it might or might not be to discuss theology in that language, until the other students we were with started making fun of us...

but it was still nice.  i like Pb; he has a dry sense of humor, and has a different world view than most of the other seminarians here. 

on days like today i almost feel like i might fit in.  eventually.

there is a very weird feeling to being in a place, recognized as a married person, but not have your spouse with you.  you are married, and therefore not free to form attachments, but you are oddly single, since you are alone.  many others here, both gay and straight, have their spartners (spouse/partner) living with them, and many others here are single.  we who are both married and single make up the minority, and are also not quite residents, since we go home as often as we can....

one more instance of not being quite anything.  add to that my position as a transfer student.  the seminary was great, accepting all my credits, and counting the bulk of them towards core courses.  however.  (yes, there is always a "however")  this means that i have taken a all but one of the first year courses, a good deal of the second year courses, and even a portion of the final year courses.  the effect has been to only be in some of the classes with my graduation class....  i am a puzzle piece that doesn't quite fit....

my surgery on 9/11.... prophetic day, eh?  dj's most recent quotable quote, before i forget, "i know you might have cancer and all that, but my broken elbow hurts and i have a headache. so i need sympathy, too"  ... so i go in at 6:00 AM to the same day surgery unit, and after all the prep work, i meet with the anethsteziologist, and she asks me if this is what i really weigh.  i told her that they had weighed me, so she tells me she is going to give me a small amount of liquid valium in my IV to relax me.  now, i have been looking forward to that valium for weeks, since it is the greatest feeling.  well, apparently they took my weight wrong, because instead of making me float and feel wonderful, it knocked me flat on my ass... didn't remember anything until the recovery room   

so i go back to school that same day, but i am soooooo tired from the drugs that i can't stay awake.  even the next day in classes i keep nodding off.  but i finally got the results .... everything 100% benign....all normal... never have to see that doctor again!   so, for that

So..................

on August 10 i received a letter admitting me to General Theological Seminary, and telling me to report for orientation on 8/28.  on 8/21 i had 11 tissue samples taken from two different masses in my left breast, and then on 8/27 i packed two large rolling duffels with coffee maker, desk lamps, toiletries, sheets, pillow, willoughby-the-bear-that-goes-everywhere, towels, books, laptop, printer, and some clothes.  dj and i climbed on the train in the rain, rode to NYC, where we met up with my cousin who helped with the slogging of personal effects, clambered on the subway, and emerged into the rain at 8th and 23rd for the 3 block trek to seminary. 

the city blocks are loooooooooong.  dj doesn't walk, and bb, my cousin, is not so physically fit.  we made a very very bedraggled site as we arrived.  my rooms are on the top of a building that dates to 190?, so, you guessed it > no elevator/lift.  not even a dumb waiter.  4 flights up to the rooms. 5 flights down to the showers (in the basement).  a water closet smaller (yes, smaller) than an airplane toilet is on the 3rd floor at least.  otherwise i might have invested in a chamber pot.  it took 3 tries to get keys that worked in all the doors, but finally that happened.  we ate about 9:00 that night.

orientation was more DISorienting than anything.  chapel at 8AM then stuff until chapel at 12, followed by lunch, followed by stuff, followed by chapel at 5:30.  dinner is always on your own.  i was in tears by thursday - just too much and i was too tired.

classes started on 9/4, and i am taking Liturgics (the study of theology as revealed in the practice of the rituals of the Episcopal church), Preaching 1 with lab (they VIDEO TAPE you ...ugh!), Church Music 1, Schola (audition & performance choir), and History of the Episcopal Church in the United States (actually a neat course). 

on 9/5 i find out that all my biopsies came back negative.  i am fine for those two lumps.  but have surgery on 9/11 for the remaining one.....

more to follow.