Another update

Hello Friends!
Well, it's Easter, and I'm full of good thoughts and feelings, so I thought I should write about them. First, there's news - I have a cat. She's adorable, sweet, sitting on my lap and purring, and her name is Calliope (I think that's right - it's the Muse of Epic Poetry, and means 'beautiful voice', which is a bit of a joke because when she got home she wouldn't SHUT UP!!) So, she's sweet and adorable, and a little high-maintenance, but I think totally worth it. Is that how you spell maintenance?
Second, I've got senioritis! But Jerome, you say, how is this possible, as you are only in the first year of your program? Being a little premature, aren't we? Not at all, I answer. You'll remember, I graduated a year early, which means my senioritis is right on time. For the uninitiated, senioritis is the condition of not caring at all about school and all-around being done with it. I'm right there. (I read from my great friend Kathryn's blog that she's in the same position - I feel ya Kathryn!!) So, I've been ignoring my papers and watching movies and trying to get a hold on myself again, cause I don't have a break coming up anytime soon here. It remains to be seen whether I'll make it. One possibility is that I get my Masters degree by the end of next year and then take some time off - I'm toying with going to Africa to teach at the MK school there for a while. I'll let you know what I decide. The downside of that is that I don't think I can come back and get my PhD here if I do that, so I may give up my free PhD by quitting.
In other news, it's Easter and the Lord Jesus Christ is alive! I've tried to spend some time really contemplating Easter this year, and I've found it to be a really beautiful, fruitful thing to do. I tried to imagine myself meeting Jesus, and I realized that I literally would not be able to stand up in His presence, knowing who He is. If only the disciples could have seen who He really was while He was here. But really, I felt my spirit prostrate itself before my Lord in my mind's eye, and I felt so at peace. It was the only thing I could do when I saw Him. To me, that means that there's a part of me that's gone right, amongst all my failings. I have really begun to honor Christ as my Lord, and what a good Lord he is. What a loving Father and gentle Comforter, and beautiful Savior. If you want to hear an amazing sermon on Christ as your bridegroom, go to Grace Evangelical Free's website, and click on 'The Bride of Christ' by Erik Thoeness. For those who don't know the man, he's an inspiration. Maybe the only pastor I've met who can balance a knowledge and deep teaching of the scripture with real love and passion for Christ and his church and real commitment to teaching Christians how to live, not in a lame and obvious way, but with wisdom and great clarity. I found myself truly saddened to be missing his spiritual leadership now that I've left his church. Nothing here holds a candle.
Ok, that's enough for now. I have two dear friends from undergrad coming to visit me this week, and I'm thrilled. I know I promised pictures of a bunch of stuff, but I'm just to dang lazy. Sorry.
With love,
Jerome