Pretty Pink Tractor - Tim Hawkins

Yes. I went there.

A parody of a country song is as close as I'm willing to get to "country".

You'll find out why if you keep reading.

This week was crazy. Fun, but crazy.

We spent most of the week fixing up a facility that will be used for radio transmission to the Pacific.

We were working on top of a mountain and the wind was wonderful. Not as strong as in Hawaii, but just as refreshing (and the wind/sun comb was not as deceptive). We started working at 7:30 every morning, had an hour lunch break at noon, and continued working until sundown (about 5:15-5:30). We usually had a devotional after dinner as well.

The people we were working with recently built a new building for the radio facility so it had to be insulated and a bunch of other stuff. We took down a steel fence (i.e. tying wood for stability, cutting it apart, and moving it with a tractor). 

Pretty Pink Tractor was stuck in my head the whole time I drove the tractor. By the end of the week, I was known as the city girl turned country. Believe me, I still much rather prefer to do mental labor inside four walls than physical labor in the wide open. But if the opportunity to drive a tractor comes up again... I'm probably going to jump at it. 

By the way, Tim Hawkins is a comedian who also does pretty good song parodies. I saw him live in September. It was awesome. ^_^

We painted some of the studio rooms too. We didn’t get to much of the actual radio work, but we did a lot of the prep work involved in such a project. The closest we got to the radio stuff was on the last day when we recorded a few radio tags (i.e. “You’re listening to Pacific Broadcast Network…”).

The week I learned a bunch of stuff:

- How to insulate a building (with evil false cotton candy of death)

- How to cut through rusted chicken wire (gloves are optional, so is pain)

- How to lash wooden planks to steel poles (with rusted chicken wire)

- How to drive a tractor (Favorite part of the week ^_^ )

- Tubular steel fences are heavy (and hard to pull up from the ground, even with a tractor)

- Solid steel bars are heavy (especially when attached to a steel fence)

- Physical labor means moving stuff from over here to over there (wood, rocks, fences) 

- Meeting new people can be fun (Missionaries are awesome)

- Physical work makes you too exhausted for any mental work (or any mental function in general)

- Recording tags for a radio station is pretty cool (just don’t think about all the people listening)

- Poking people is entertaining (especially when everyone is tired)

- A "landing" actually refers to a place for boats, not planes (who knew?)

- Good friends are a gift (James 1:17)

- There is always hope (always)

Here’s a cool quote from an 8-year-old girl (taken entirely out of context).

“I need to learn how to use these wings before they go to waste.”

It’s always kind of amusing when I get back early and campus is still empty. I came back and I didn’t see a single soul in my whole dorm until a few hours after I arrived. 

Here's what went on in my mind when I got back:

5:30 - Oh, doesn’t look like anyone’s here yet. I should start unpacking

6:00 - Done. Wait, no one’s here… I can turn up the music and sing. ^_^

6:30 - Wow, I’m actually alone. I can sing as loud and as long as I want! :D

7:00 - *goes downstairs to do laundry* You know, this would be an excellent location for a zombie apocalypse. (OO) *hurries back to room*

7:30 - *turns down music, locks doors, and contemplates how long I can survive in my room with my current provisions*

8:00 - *hears shuffling and doors being opened/closed. Carefully peeks into the hall. Realizes that it’s a person and not a zombie. Closes door, locks it, and resumes normal function*

8:30 - *creeps downstairs to change out laundry* *Mentally prepares self in case a zombie suddenly emerging from the shadows… squeaks in terror at a roach*

Hehe... *ahem* Moving on.

This song came on the radio as we were driving back to TN and I thought it was fitting. This week was a good way to get away from school. I was stressed out right before the trip, down to the night before we left. Now that all that is out of the way and I’ve had a week off (without any chance to think about school and the stresses thereof), I’m ready for these last few weeks. 

I’m ready to go home, but I’m also ready to finish out this semester first.

~ Never Alone ~

Chopin - Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor

I guess people are kind of wondering what happened to me. Or probably forgot about this blog altogether.

It’s been pretty busy. I always use that excuse because it’s true. Some times, things you like to do get put off so you can do more important things. Like school.

I think I’ve already mentioned this, but I’m taking New Testament Greek I this semester. That is a world of adventure. It’s a lot of work only because you go over a lot of language material and memorization in a short amount of time. I really enjoy the class though. We’re parsing and translating sentences from the Bible. You have to understand the specifics in your own language before you can understand the specifics in another language. It’s very interesting. As long as I stay on top of the workload, it isn’t that bad. Several of my classmates complain about the difficulty level. Probably because they’re all guys and the majority try to put homework off until the night before.

It’s funny connecting Russian to Greek. I pronounce Greek words as though they are Russian, but the words have different meanings. One Greek word sounds like the Russian word for shoes, but in Greek it means blind. It is most intriguing.

Ah well. My other favorite class is Music Appreciation. It exciting to see the influence music has on society and vice versa. I knew that I liked two Beethoven melodies before the class. Now I realize I enjoy listening to Beethoven, Chopin, and Bach. It’s interesting to study the lives of various composers. Most didn’t have happy lives, but it is fascinating to note how music helped them through difficult times, especially Beethoven.

Speaking of languages and music, I had this song stuck in my head today. I could only remember the first line in English and the chorus in Russian. My mind was trying to mesh the two into one incomprehensible composition. It didn’t work. I looked in the worship songbooks, but I could not find it at all. I’m assuming it is an older tune and was not included in the newer printing of the songbook I searched in. After I got back to my room, I dug out my Russian/English songbook we use back home and found the song without a problem.

Here are the Russian lyrics:

Знаешь ли ручей, что бежит

Со креста, где умер Христос?

Знаешь ли Того, Кто дарит

Выкуп  от страданий и слез?

If Google translate failed you, here is the English version of the same verse:

Have you seen the stream as it flows

From the cross where Jesus has died?

Do you know the Savior Who bled

For our many sins, crucified?

It’s a beautiful melody, which fits well with the words.

Now back to the subject of time-draining activities. Aside from school, I also helped build and take down the set of the theater’s most recent production. I believe I have helped in some manner with most of the plays preformed. However, since my timesheet is listed under “sound technician” and I only come in to help when I have time, they usually don’t put my name in with those who helped with set production. Ah well, I still enjoy doing it. I’m normally exhausted, sore, and covered in sawdust/paint/dirt when I get out of scene shop, but it feels worth it. It feels like I’ve actually done something productive because I can see the results. Such is not always distinctly visible with mental labor.

Next week will be busy. Along with regular homework, I have 6 summaries to turn in, two tests on Friday, clean sweep (a seemingly governmental procedure which demands a dustless environment), and I need to pack for Thanksgiving break. Yay for Thanksgiving break. Sometimes I think the week before Thanksgiving break tests students by say, “Hey, if you can finish your projects, ace your tests, pack for the week, and have your room utterly spotless then you can take on anything.” Which may or may not be the case. As you can imagine, it easily gives one easy access to undue stress.

Back to music for a second, this particular verse of the song “Higher Ground” really hit home today.

My heart has no desire to stay

Where doubts arise and fears dismay

Tho’ some may dwell where these abound

My prayer, my aim is higher ground.

Lately, I’ve found myself focusing on things that irritate me and bring me down rather than looking to positive things. The being around stressed out people for too long while burdened with your own fears and doubts doesn’t really help much. People complaining about the election didn’t help either.

Quoting part of a devo I heard last week, “Bad things are coming. Good things are too.” Sometimes, I think we focus on the bad things more than the good things.

Ironic how easy it is to forget what you once treasured. No?

Back to a more cheerful topic, I shall be spending this Thanksgiving break at the Gather Mountain International Shortwave Station in Harrison, Arkansas. It’s a really long name. Put simply, it’s a missions related trip. A group of students are going and we will be setting up radio towers, installing broadcasting equipment, installing sound equipment, doing some website construction, and so on and so forth. Basically, doing a bunch of prep work so others can record sermons and send them to the Pacific islands via radio.

It’s an interesting mix of both my majors. CS side: website and sound equipment. Bible side: preparing the way for others to teach the Gospel.

Ok, so it mostly involves the tech side, but it’s still pretty cool in my mind.

Lastly, this is also November, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). While I haven’t been able to participate the last two years because of school, I still try to get some writing done when I can. I’m working on yet another new short story. I want this one to actually focus on some issues that bother me rather than just write it because it sounds cool. I haven’t gotten much written at all, but the idea is still there.

Well, I better get back to my homework so I can get it all done and sent in on time before break.

Till we meet again.

~ Always Hope! ~