Homicide! Homicide!

It is entirely possible that I have not given the jocks their due amount of merit. If I haven't, I do beg their forgiveness. I was actually quite impressed by some jocks today (albeit they were female, which could explain it, but they were jocks none the less) and as they gave me a good laugh, I feel like I have to give credit where credit is due. As Marilyn Monroe said, "I'm a slave to anyone that makes me laugh." No slavery from my end, of course, but you get the gist.

First off all, I had my second test today in Effie's World. Let me tell you all that I have been to every single, mindnumbing chaotic experience that excuses itself for a class. I have taken no less than a dozen pages of handwritten notes through speedwriting (I'm considering taking a course in shorthand), not counting the four pages of answers I did for the study sheet that Effie gave us. This morning I got up an extra hour early, during which time I went over the study sheet three times, my class notes twice, and then spent some time in prayer. I came to school feeling prepared and confident.

Ah, but God loves it when we feel that way.

Rachel and Lyndsey, my comrades-in-arms, were reviewing their notes too, seeing that Effie hadn't arrived yet. As we started checking our answers together, we discovered a few problems, namely, that the questions on the study guide had NO grammatical structure whatsoever. For example, there was this gem: "What was the most impressive civilization in South America--coast or mountain?"

Okay, Houston, we've got a problem. When I was studying, I thought she wanted a specific civilization, so I put down Teotihuan. I know that it's not South America, but it was listed as the most impressive settlement, and it's certainly not beyond the realm of possibility for Effie to put down the wrong thing. Rachel and Lyndsey, however, thought that she wanted the answer of the Andes Mountains, because it was in the Andes where there was the most urban growth. After careful examination of the question, I finally realized that Effie just wanted the vague area--namely, mountain or coast. If that was what she wanted, the question could have been better formatted as: "Was urban growth in South America greater in the mountains or on the coast?" Simple, effective, logical. Done. Why is this difficult?

But I digress. The minutes ticked by, and finally Lisa Settle (who I positively adore) walked into the class and informed us that Effie was running late and instructed us not to leave. Notwithstanding the universally recognized rule of professor tardiness (If the teacher holds a bachelor's degree, you can leave after five minutes. It's ten for a master's, and fifteen for a doctorate. Believe you me, college students are INFINITELY aware of this, even though we cut the professors that we like a break.) TWENTY-TWO minutes after class was due to begin, Effie waltzed in. Grrr.

But before she could begin her sanctimonious prayer time, one of the softball players raised her hand. Forgive me if I don't recount this verbatim--I was slightly occupied with my unholy laughter.

Effie: Yes?
Softball player: Okay, on the study sheet, you asked us to name the city-states of Sumer that were mentioned in class. But how are we supposed to know the city-states if you flip so fast through the slides that we don't have time to write them down?
Katie: *shakes with laughter....snorts emitting despite horrendous, perhaps even legendary, efforts to prevent this from happening*
Effie: Well, you're kinda supposed to just listen in class. I talk about it in my lectures. The slides are just there as emphasis. You need to pay attention to what I say, and I'll kinda let you know what you're supposed to know. *smiles angelically*
(Yes, like we're going to remember names like Nippur, Lagash, Kish, Ur, Uruk, and Umma when you say them in a soft, monotone voice for two seconds in a boredom-ridden class. Absolutely.)
Softball player: *mumbles murderously*
Lyndsey: *to me* Try to contain yourself. You're snorting.
Katie: *to herself* Okay, no laughing....drowning puppies....dying flowers....think on these things....

You know it's bad when the jocks start raging against the machine.

Anyway, Effie had just called on a boy to pray when a lovely song started to wend it's way through the air....I recognized the tune, actually, it was music from "Howl's Moving Castle," my favorite film....and...

HOLY CRAP, THAT'S MY PHONE!

I then proceed to dive quite elegantly (note my sarcasm), rummage through my phone, and hang up on Alyce. The class is all laughing, and Lyndsey and Rachel are both grinning. Lyndsey said, "Now my whole day is better! I don't even care about the test anymore! I have heard Howl." Glad to help you out there, love.

We pray, Effie hands out the tests, and we begin. The class was still noisy for a minute is they get themselves settled, during which time the three of us spot the first question--and it is one of the ambiguous ones. There is a collective curse. Then we start.

All in all, the test wasn't bad. I was prepared. There were a few of those pesky questions that I didn't know which answer to give, but I gave the best one, hoped for the best, and geared myself up for an argument if I get a bad grade. This would take a lot from me--it is NOT in my nature to question a professor about a grade, no matter what I think of their...value. However, I will argue this one if it becomes necessary.

For a world made by an intelligent designer, it is clearly apparent that there are some people that make one question the meaning of the universe.