CLASS OF 1969 REDUX - 2a

Silly me. I don't have to be on campus until lunchtime. The morning program deals with secondary school choral music programs, which will be of more interest to others.

Back to yesterday.

Having registered, I just sat on one of the benches and took in the peacefulness of the Quad, which was quickly shattered by the cries of people greeting their classmates. Such a joyful sound.

I wont attempt to name everyone I have met so far, lest I forget someone. Everyone so far has been accepting of my changes...including a few people whom I though might not be...

I took a little time to visit the Green Virgin, as she was called in my day, and did a photo study of the bronze statue, which I will make available after I have got back home.

The only program of the day was a report by Dean Annis to the Alumni on the state of the college. It could be summed up in one word: FANTASTIC...

New admissions are up. Budgets have not been cut. The Annual Fund giving has dropped less than the national averages. Rider University continues to be committed to the Westminster identity.

But what is so very exciting, is that the students themselves are pressing for more emphasis on the history of the college and on the continuance of its traditions.

I then went back to my hotel, had a wonderful supper in the hotel restaurant, and then to bed, I being grreatly fatigued...

I would say there will be more on the morrow, but it IS the morrow...and I must get gone...

-- Olivia

CLASS OF 1969 REDUX - 2

Day Two began auspiciously. I slept in long enough to assuage the feeling of yesterday that I had two reservoir weights strapped to each foot...

After having breakfast, I drove into town, which looked as if nothing had changed since I left it, and drove slowly up the long drive to Williamson Hall. Then, reality intruding as it so often does, I searched for a parking place, finding one at the far end of the campus. So I took advantage of it, and reacquainted myself with the beauty as I walked.

The Quad looks more beautiful than ever. It has been completely resodded and sprinklerized. Nobody walks across it now because they might get their feet wet!

I entered Williamson Hall, and went down to the rotunda to register. Synergy occurred, for as I finished registering, a meeting upstairs ended with the singing of the Lutkin, and tears of joy sprang forth. I was home again.

Reality strikes again... as usual, I am running late this morning (Friday). I will post this, and continue it later...

-- Olivia

CLASS of 1969 REDUX - 1

Here I am back in Princeton, NJ. It has been 40 years since Commencement. I have been back before, but never at so poignant a time in my life.

What draws the Westminster grad back to Princeton?

I dont know, but will be speculating...

But it is late, and not only did I have my flight cancelled out from under me today, but my spacebar broke!

And it is too late to do anything constructuve; so I believe I shall say bonne nuit y'all...

{to be continud tomorrow}

DECISION - AN OPEN LETTER

I have a decision to make, but it is already made: I just have to acknowledge that fact, deal with it, and move on.  It was made, as I sometimes say,.in another time and in a galaxy far away...

I must decide whether to follow my heart or heed the advice of the nay-sayers.  You know them: they are the people who say don't rock the boat...maintain the status quo...be safe not sorry...don't do this...don't do that...don't...don't...don't...

Then along comes a person whom I greatly admire - I shall refer to him as "X" - who says to me apropos another matter "Provoke a crisis.  It lets you know where you stand."

Well, X, I am about to provoke YOU...

I do it because of the great respect I have for you.  I do it because I need to know just where you stand regarding me and what I am about to do.  Unfortunately I cannot know how you will react until I do reveal myself, at which point the cat is out of the proverbial bag...but I seal my fate no matter what I do, so I must follow my heart...

Who is X? 

X is you who are reading this now.  You whom I have told about my decision to transition...

You are my hope and my downfall.  You are my support and my nemesis.  I can do this with you or do this without you, and I would rather do it with you, but by God I am going to do it.

As Martin  Luther said to the Diet of Worms, I say "Here I stand.  I can do no other."  

Having typed the above, I began to feel a twinge of self-doubt despite the fact that I have prayed about this for months (years?).  So I typed in the query on Live Search "Who said here I stand", trusting that I would be guided to the right place.  A page appeared with lots of references to song lyrics and history.  

But one jumped off the screen at me:

**********

PSALM 55

Luther, standing firm in his convictions and knowing that this might cost him his life, said, “ Here I stand ” (by what I have written) I can do no other.

www.calvin.edu/worship/vhabits/vhabit9/sermon/thirdcrc.doc

**********

I followed that link, downloaded, and read a not-too-lengthy sermon which spoke directly to me and said better than I could that which I feel at this time.  (go ahead, go get and read it, I will wait for you...)

Back?  Good.  I hope it spoke to you, too...

I have surely spent time on my knees with God, and it is time for me to rise and stand...also with God...

And also, I hope, with you...

Olivia Margaret

MEMORIES . . .

Next month I pass yet another one of those talked-about milestones of life...I will attend my college reunion... But not just any one: this is a biggie.

The Big Four-Oh . . .

Now I couldnt possibly be that old. Why, it seems like jsut yesterday that David Whatsis was telling...uhhh... Pigball about something or another...

Really, though, I can remember lots of things like they happened just yesterday. Possibly because they DID happen yesterday. Gotta check that... Other things take some thinking to recall. And some things I know must have happened, but I can't recall them at all.

What is the most interesting thing is that the very good things I recall quite easily, and the not-so-niceties are barely there any more. I think it must be a defence mechanism to protect us from remembering the stupid things we did when we were teens, and the illegal things we did in college, and then dying of terminal embarassment.

Or maybe it is just that those things dont matter any more, so we unconsciously let them slip away to make room for new memories to take with us when we cross the bar...

I dont know what goes on when that happens, so I am taking no chances. I am preparing to generate another forty years of music and of writing and of reading and of having good times with my new friends and my old ones... After all, I dont want to come into the next life with memories of bingo and of shuffleboard and of endless days doing nothing...

Maybe that's why some babies cry so much when they are born...



- - Olivia

THE 'P' WORD

[CAUTION: TRAIN OF THOUGHT COMING THROUGH WITHOUT A CABOOSE...]

Yes, I have Parkinson's Disease, and it is a bloody nuisance. Makes me shake with rage, it does.

For example, the other day I had an improtant meeting. I woke up early enough so as not to be under sress of rushing to put on my makeup or do my hair. Nope. Didnt work. I shook more than my breakfast cereal. You know my brand...

"Chocolate Earthquake Buds - Made with 100% artificial sweetener - you'll never sit still again - no nutritional value, but by gosh your girlfriend wont ever have to buy batteries again...

{HEY WATCH IT - THIS IS A FAMILY BLOG!}

For her flashligh?

{THAT'S BETTER - JUST WATCH IT. . .}

Okay...

I really hate it when God sneaks up on me like that...makes me feel like Bill Cosby... but my ark is worse than my byte...

Anyway, you get the idea. Now, I am not complainging. I tremble at the thought...but I really dont like having this disease. Why me, Lord?

{WHY IS A CROW?}

Oh no. Not that one again...

{CAWS...}

I suppose that is a good enough reason for anything. Especially when you are God...

{IT'S GOOD TO BE GOD}

Right, Mel...

Well the Bible says it is normal (1), so I fear I cant complain, now can I...

Parkinsons may cause me to die some day, but I will NOT let it kill me...


- - Olivia


(1) Philippians 2:12b-13 "...work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure"

IDEAS

Do you know the words, beyond the first line that is, to the old British nusery rhyme?

It goes:

"Oranges and lemons say the bells of St. Clements."

I've known the words for a long time, but never knew the melody. So I, of course, went direct to Wikipedia and found this page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oranges_and_Lemons

And, so you dont have to go to that page, here is the text:

Oranges and lemons,Say the bells of St. Clement's
You owe me five farthings,Say the bells of St. Martin's
When will you pay me?Say the bells of Old Bailey.
When I grow rich, Say the bells of Shoreditch.
When will that be?Say the bells of Stepney
I do not know,Says the great bell of Bow

Here comes a candle to light you to bed
And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!

The song was used in a children's singing game with the same name, in which the players file, in pairs, through an arch made by two of the players (made by having the players face each other, raise their arms over their head, and clasp their partners' hands). The challenge comes during the final lines:

Here comes a candle to light you to bed.
Here comes a chopper to chop off your head.
(Chip chop, chip chop, the last man's dead.)

On the last word, the children forming the arch drop their arms to catch the pair of children currently passing through, who are then "out" and must form another arch next to the existing one. In this way, the series of arches becomes a steadily lengthening tunnel through which each set of two players have to run faster and faster to escape in time.

Alternate versions of the game include: children caught "out" by the last rhyme may stand behind one of the children forming the original arch, instead of forming additional arches; and, children forming "arches" may bring their hands down for each word of the last line, while the children passing through the arches run as fast as they can to avoid being caught on the last word.

If you want to hear the tune and find out more lore about this song, visit here:

http://www.mamalisa.com/midi/crane/oranges_gut.mid


And while doing all this research, have one on me!

A half-and-half mixture of orange juice and bitter-lemon soda water is known as a "St Clements".

Now here's the question you have all been wanting to ask. . .

"Why are we being told all this?"

Because after years of a tune based on these word running through my head, I have finally begun a set of variations for Carillon based on it.

Keep watch here
For the song to appear...

At a party, Isaac Asimov was asked by a fan where he got his story ideas.
Leaning over conspiratorially, he said...
"I just make them up, see...?"

- - Olivia