Hello again! I'm curled up in a warm corner in one of the villas, laptop in hand, listening to my roommate strum the guitar as I write. Anna and Laura huddle under a blanket on the couch, fending off sickness and working on a project for Mrs. Bortins, Samuel fills out a self-assessment form in the rocking chair, and Gracsyn cooks in the corner. We create a warm bubble of fellowship and light in contrast to the driving wind and icy snow outside. It's been a good week.
Last Wednesday's discussion of the film Gravity went very well. We spent about an hour learning about earth's satellites and talking about the things we noticed in the movie. It had plenty of symbolism and theology which prompted plenty of conversation. Mrs. Bortins told us what we were supposed to do the next day and we left for the villas.
We met at villas the next morning, consolidated into a few cars, and drove an hour and a half to the Moorhead Planetarium at Chapel Hill. We had a little time to kill before our first show at eleven o'clock, so we spread out over the city a little bit. A few of us tried to get into the local catholic church, but the doors were locked. We returned, dejected, and explored the museum with the rest of the fellows. After looking at all of the exhibits and reading about the exploits of the astronauts who actually trained at the planetarium, we were really excited to visit the dome itself. We lined up outside the door and other school groups started crowding around. The doors opened and a charismatic man welcomed us all inside. We had a great time. Our tour guide cracked horribly cheesy jokes and told stories, keeping everyone engaged and in good spirits. He showed us all what the sky would look like if we didn't have light pollution. I turned to my fellows and saw them looking back at me. We knew the sky at two in the morning was just as beautiful. Then again, the spinning stars, illuminated constellations, and soaring music made it a wonderful new experience.
After the first show, we went back into town for an hour. I love college towns. They're beautiful, at least all the ones I've been to. I chased squirrels, climbed walls, gallivanted through fallen leaves, and spoke to passing students. After a half hour, I found myself leaning on a street light listening to an animated old man playing a unique guitar by the roadside. He told me it was a 1961 resonating guitar. It had an odd metal construction and didn't look like anything I'd seen before. In the end, what mattered wasn't what he was playing but how well he was playing it. I stayed for a few more songs, and loved every one. Eventually, I shook his hand, exchanged names, and reluctantly left, my heart and pockets lighter. I won't forget Papa D any time soon. His clothes pointed out that he didn't need to play for money, and he told me that he just wanted to spread the joy. He had a great feel for the blues, and I watched a half dozen people tip him before I finally had to move on.
We hung around the Planetarium after lunch until the whole group arrived. We were ushered into the dome again and found good seats. In fact, because we'd heard the instructions once before, we were allowed in early and enjoyed having the place to ourselves. This next presentation was on the mysteries of black holes. Most of us had heard enough about them before, but the visuals were incredible, especially the optical illusion which turned the small dome into a much larger cube. We had a great time and finally left, reluctantly, when it was all over. Our day wasn't completely finished, however, because Caleb had a rehearsal for us. We got in place and ran through our pieces, once again. We'll definitely know the concert by next week.
Well, the rest of the day was free. A lot of us went outside to be as active as we could be, and still more of us went to Mrs. Bortins' for a private lesson on the English language. Some of the fellows are planning to take the SAT again, looking for better scores.
Friday let us sleep in an extra hour, but most of us left earlier than we had to. When we got to the house, Mr. John Yopp (our guest speaker) and his family were waiting for us. We flooded him with introductions and helped make him feel welcome. Pastor Skogen's wife came to lead us in devotions that morning and the next. She wanted to talk to us about the biblical view of love and marriage. I don't think I've ever heard anyone talk about it quite so authoritatively before. It was quite refreshing, actually. We all benefited from hearing it.
Friday and Saturday were the best part of the week. Mr. Yopp shared so much with us, teaching us about acoustics, electronics, and the inner workings of guitars. He showed us a bunch of unfinished pieces from his workshop, from a body that he had already played on, (which simply needed replacement electronics and a good polish) to the rough wood which he made everything out of. He showed us videos of the original Gibson plant and compared his work with both it and the modern plants. On Saturday, he let us lacquer and buff a few guitar bodies. We loved being able to get our hands dirty and work on something so physical, especially as it contrasted with the very mental exercise of our last guest.
Mr. Yopp shared his life-story and his ambitions, his ideas and his accomplishments. He played the guitar for us and listened to us rehearse. On our last rehearsal, we clamored and shouted and managed to get him on stage, taking Austin's place on the guitar. It sounded amazing. We were reluctant to let him go and took him up on his offer to examine all of our instruments. We pressed guitar after guitar into his hands and sat at his feet, listening to his stories, his technical expertise, and his absent-minded plucking. It was great. He finally left, and we returned to our lives.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday have been packed with activity. We're doing a full rehearsal a day and spending the mornings in physics. All of our remaining time has been taken up by a series of projects which Mrs. Bortins assigned to us. We're working on N2K, advertising it and finding sponsors. Besides that, we have college applications and the extensive self-assessment to work on. It's all due tomorrow, and we're all going back to the classroom tonight to test the math competition. So with that in mind, I have to put my laptop to rest and get ready for tomorrow.
Until next week,
Barnabas Holleran
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
An Update
Hello all, and welcome back to this week's journal! We just got out of music practice with Caleb. Our concert is coming up in just two weeks, and we're all really excited about it. That being said, we have a lot we have to do to prepare for it. We know all our songs, and now it's time to play them to perfection. We started practicing with amplification this week for our first time on Monday, and it was pretty horrible. It took some getting used to, but by today we had something worth listening to. We ran through almost all of our songs today. A few small groups or individual fellows are playing their own pieces, and each of them was absolutely delightful to hear. When Austin played his classical guitar, we were all held spellbound. He thought it was terrible, but we all loved it.
There have been a few hiccups with the concert, but we've managed to get them sorted out. The biggest one happened about a week ago when the Sunrise Theater called us to let us know that we were double booked and that we'd lost our time to perform. We looked at several other venues around the area and finally settled on the steadfast Sandhills Presbyterian Church. We changed the fliers to reflect the new information and spread them around the area. That's what we were doing last afternoon, after music. Three cars left for three different locations: one to Carthage, one to Aberdeen, and I'm not sure where the third went, only that we ran into them at the end of the day. Anyway, I had a great time in Carthage with Chris, Austin, and Jake. Most everyone we talked to was only too happy to hang the fliers in their shops. We covered everything from the local barber's shop to a photographer's studio and even to a sketchy pawn shop at the edge of town. I hope people come from everywhere we advertised, if only because the final audience would be so diverse.
One of our final stops was the Carthage Shooting Sports gun store. The man behind the counter had a lot of questions to ask about the concert, unlike most of the others who hung it up almost immediately. However, his questions were good, and we have a few ideas for our next one because of it. After five minutes of discussing Bob Dylan, guns, Presbyterianism, his singing voice, and modern music, he shook hands with us and agreed to put it up. If he's the only person who comes to the concert, I won't be disappointed.
A few other noteworthy things happened this week. First, Laura finished recording The Core, Leigh's new audiobook. It'll take a few months for the recording to be fully finished, but the rough base is done. We're all pretty excited. Next is our math game. We settled on a final name for it: N2K or more correctly, N²K: the National Number Knockout. The business plan is done, and Leigh and some of the others have been testing it on the local community. Finally, when we were in physics on Monday, David came running into the room and in his no-nonsense manner yelled, "THERE IS A DOG CHASING A DEER IN THE LAKE." Mrs. Bortins was the first one out the door, and we all followed right behind. We ended up taking the boat out to herd it towards land. It escaped the dog and we all cheered; it was quite a nice break from the usual class period. Mrs. Bortins is going to test us on what we've learned next Monday. It'll be good to see whether the last few weeks have been productive.
All in all, while lots is happening, we're taking it in stride as the usual for a week here. I think Mandala is starting to wear most of us down. Everyone is really looking forward to the respite afforded by Thanksgiving break. I hope the excitement for the concert will carry us through until we go home. In any case, we'll push through and go home in just a little while.
Last week, Mrs. Bortins told us to go watch Gravity for our astronomy class. We're going back to discuss it this evening. I have a feeling this is going to be a good class.
Until next week,
Barnabas Holleran
There have been a few hiccups with the concert, but we've managed to get them sorted out. The biggest one happened about a week ago when the Sunrise Theater called us to let us know that we were double booked and that we'd lost our time to perform. We looked at several other venues around the area and finally settled on the steadfast Sandhills Presbyterian Church. We changed the fliers to reflect the new information and spread them around the area. That's what we were doing last afternoon, after music. Three cars left for three different locations: one to Carthage, one to Aberdeen, and I'm not sure where the third went, only that we ran into them at the end of the day. Anyway, I had a great time in Carthage with Chris, Austin, and Jake. Most everyone we talked to was only too happy to hang the fliers in their shops. We covered everything from the local barber's shop to a photographer's studio and even to a sketchy pawn shop at the edge of town. I hope people come from everywhere we advertised, if only because the final audience would be so diverse.
One of our final stops was the Carthage Shooting Sports gun store. The man behind the counter had a lot of questions to ask about the concert, unlike most of the others who hung it up almost immediately. However, his questions were good, and we have a few ideas for our next one because of it. After five minutes of discussing Bob Dylan, guns, Presbyterianism, his singing voice, and modern music, he shook hands with us and agreed to put it up. If he's the only person who comes to the concert, I won't be disappointed.
A few other noteworthy things happened this week. First, Laura finished recording The Core, Leigh's new audiobook. It'll take a few months for the recording to be fully finished, but the rough base is done. We're all pretty excited. Next is our math game. We settled on a final name for it: N2K or more correctly, N²K: the National Number Knockout. The business plan is done, and Leigh and some of the others have been testing it on the local community. Finally, when we were in physics on Monday, David came running into the room and in his no-nonsense manner yelled, "THERE IS A DOG CHASING A DEER IN THE LAKE." Mrs. Bortins was the first one out the door, and we all followed right behind. We ended up taking the boat out to herd it towards land. It escaped the dog and we all cheered; it was quite a nice break from the usual class period. Mrs. Bortins is going to test us on what we've learned next Monday. It'll be good to see whether the last few weeks have been productive.
All in all, while lots is happening, we're taking it in stride as the usual for a week here. I think Mandala is starting to wear most of us down. Everyone is really looking forward to the respite afforded by Thanksgiving break. I hope the excitement for the concert will carry us through until we go home. In any case, we'll push through and go home in just a little while.
Last week, Mrs. Bortins told us to go watch Gravity for our astronomy class. We're going back to discuss it this evening. I have a feeling this is going to be a good class.
Until next week,
Barnabas Holleran
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
A Well-Deserved Break
Hello and welcome again! I have to apologize for the late post again. This time, I don't have an excuse. So the story leaves off a week ago, on Wednesday. It was yet another productive day of music. Leigh was in DC, so Caleb took the whole morning to work on our performance. We had a full morning, so Caleb let us go at lunch, reminding us of the voluntary music lesson the next day. That was the last day of classes for the rest of the week. We embraced our freedom with varying levels of maturity. A few of us found our way to the front drive, where we started throwing around a football. The practice turned intense, and Alec ended up breaking something in his hand. With all the injuries we've been taking, I'm surprised I haven't broken anything yet. So we put the ball away and Wednesday came to an end. Some of the villas were dark early, and some were lit up and alive until the wee hours of the morning. Either way, almost all of us showed up at music the next day.
Now, we knew that Thursday held more than just music: it was also the day when our SAT scores would be released. The class started at ten, so most of us came early and congregated in the dining room, sharing our scores. Just like before, the consensus was universal: we had done worse than we expected. We're still not sure why the test felt so easy or why we got such low scores, but most of us were disappointed. After the initial surprise wore off, we did realize that they were decent scores, and most importantly, that everyone had improved since their last test. We had to put our concerns aside for a while once Caleb arrived and got started on our music. We ran through our more vocal songs, namely the "Hallelujah" chorus and Blue Moon. It went really well, and we were all glad we came and a little resentful of those who stayed behind.
Shortly after class, Chris and Seth left, driving to Chris's house for the rest of the week. The villas were desolate. I swear we saw a tumbleweed. Michael and I usually don't spend much time together, but the silence forced us to either collaborate or listen. We chose the first, exploring the surrounding woods, looking for something fun to do. We found some junked cars from the 1950s and salvaged their logos, then explored the woods for a while. It was surprisingly uneventful. When we got back to the villas, we discovered that the girls were holed up in their house, plotting some sort of secret.
Michael is probably the most responsible guy at Mandala. Two of the indications of this are the prowess and frequency of his cooking. So when he proposed that we cook something up, I knew it would be good. He called it the "monster cookie", and we wrote up a list to get at the store. We soon had a mound of supplies and the largest bowl we could find in front of us. The next twenty minutes were a bit of a blur. I can remember a lot of oats, some comically oversized lumps of peanut butter, and the feeling that my hands would never be clean again. Anyway, twenty minutes later, we slid two trays of goulash into the oven and started counting the calories that went into it. We estimated that they held about twelve thousand in total. It was a good decision.
The next day, we met again for breakfast. He made dutch babies and helped me make pancakes. I broke out my Vermont maple syrup, Alec contributed some smoothies to the table, and we all enjoyed a relaxed morning. I had just turned nineteen, and Anna and Elizabeth surprised me with a birthday cake. I spent the rest of the day doing this and that, exploring with the guys, visiting antique shops with the girls, and generally feeling very loved. We finished off the night with movies and college applications.
Saturday was my chance to sleep in, and I took full advantage of it. We all worked on our list of things for college, and then had a relaxed night. Anna Harvey's sister celebrated her birthday that day, and a few of the fellows joined her party. By all accounts, it was a great time.
People started to come back from their trips on Sunday. About half of us went to Tobin's house and came back just in time to greet Seth and Chris. Our fellows trickled in over the rest of the evening, and a sense of life returned to the villas. It was a good evening. I'm really not going to cope well with the end of this program. We settled back to our houses, talked about the SAT with those who had just come back, and got ready for class the next day.
These last few days have been a hectic mix of physics, writing, and music, as a bunch of deadlines get nearer. We're performing in about three weeks, and the performance still has potential to go very poorly. We had to change the venue this week; we lost our time at the Sunrise Theater, and so we've fallen back to the church. Everyone practiced hard this afternoon. I'm pretty hopeful! I know we can make it shine, and we all want it to.
Until next week,
Barnabas Holleran
Now, we knew that Thursday held more than just music: it was also the day when our SAT scores would be released. The class started at ten, so most of us came early and congregated in the dining room, sharing our scores. Just like before, the consensus was universal: we had done worse than we expected. We're still not sure why the test felt so easy or why we got such low scores, but most of us were disappointed. After the initial surprise wore off, we did realize that they were decent scores, and most importantly, that everyone had improved since their last test. We had to put our concerns aside for a while once Caleb arrived and got started on our music. We ran through our more vocal songs, namely the "Hallelujah" chorus and Blue Moon. It went really well, and we were all glad we came and a little resentful of those who stayed behind.
Shortly after class, Chris and Seth left, driving to Chris's house for the rest of the week. The villas were desolate. I swear we saw a tumbleweed. Michael and I usually don't spend much time together, but the silence forced us to either collaborate or listen. We chose the first, exploring the surrounding woods, looking for something fun to do. We found some junked cars from the 1950s and salvaged their logos, then explored the woods for a while. It was surprisingly uneventful. When we got back to the villas, we discovered that the girls were holed up in their house, plotting some sort of secret.
Michael is probably the most responsible guy at Mandala. Two of the indications of this are the prowess and frequency of his cooking. So when he proposed that we cook something up, I knew it would be good. He called it the "monster cookie", and we wrote up a list to get at the store. We soon had a mound of supplies and the largest bowl we could find in front of us. The next twenty minutes were a bit of a blur. I can remember a lot of oats, some comically oversized lumps of peanut butter, and the feeling that my hands would never be clean again. Anyway, twenty minutes later, we slid two trays of goulash into the oven and started counting the calories that went into it. We estimated that they held about twelve thousand in total. It was a good decision.
The next day, we met again for breakfast. He made dutch babies and helped me make pancakes. I broke out my Vermont maple syrup, Alec contributed some smoothies to the table, and we all enjoyed a relaxed morning. I had just turned nineteen, and Anna and Elizabeth surprised me with a birthday cake. I spent the rest of the day doing this and that, exploring with the guys, visiting antique shops with the girls, and generally feeling very loved. We finished off the night with movies and college applications.
Saturday was my chance to sleep in, and I took full advantage of it. We all worked on our list of things for college, and then had a relaxed night. Anna Harvey's sister celebrated her birthday that day, and a few of the fellows joined her party. By all accounts, it was a great time.
People started to come back from their trips on Sunday. About half of us went to Tobin's house and came back just in time to greet Seth and Chris. Our fellows trickled in over the rest of the evening, and a sense of life returned to the villas. It was a good evening. I'm really not going to cope well with the end of this program. We settled back to our houses, talked about the SAT with those who had just come back, and got ready for class the next day.
These last few days have been a hectic mix of physics, writing, and music, as a bunch of deadlines get nearer. We're performing in about three weeks, and the performance still has potential to go very poorly. We had to change the venue this week; we lost our time at the Sunrise Theater, and so we've fallen back to the church. Everyone practiced hard this afternoon. I'm pretty hopeful! I know we can make it shine, and we all want it to.
Until next week,
Barnabas Holleran
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Limping and Excitement
Hello once and again! I'm writing from the top of Ian's car, where I am enjoying the beautiful fall weather. It's just beginning to get a little chilly, and the air is starting to develop an edge. It's been perfect weather to be outside. We've been balancing study with sport, trying to keep up with our school while we still take time to enjoy God's green earth. We get most of our math done in class, to the point where study outside isn't entirely crucial, but music is another matter. Music theory requires constant attention and application or we forget it by the next week.
This week started off pretty slowly except for the frisbee on Monday. The next day, we were back in class for music with Caleb. He's pushing us a little harder now that we have a concert coming up, and we're also getting into some more difficult music theory. Mrs. Bortin's housekeeper, April, has been joining us for music on Tuesdays. We really enjoy having her in class; her input is always helpful, and when we play instruments or sing, she's strong in her part.
In and out of class, she's become an honorary member of our fellowship, so when she told us that she was playing in an orchestra on Thursday night, we told her we'd be there. In the two days between, we had an assignment to finish: our business plan. By the time Thursday afternoon brought our deadline, we had a decent stack of papers to turn in. Mrs. Bortins went over it with us and helped us make it excellent. A burden lifted, we celebrated with music at the community college where the Moore County Philharmonic Orchestra was playing, with April as first violin.
About half of us showed up to the concert, and we were glad we did. April was fantastic, and after she finished, William suggested we get frozen yogurt. Ten minutes later, we were adding toppings to delicious cups of chilled goodness in downtown Aberdeen. Our taste buds tickled and the night still young, someone suggested we take our gathering to the park, which we gladly did. We were standing around, talking, after ditching our shoes to run in the grass, when a police officer showed up and informed us that the park is closed after dark. He had a lot of questions to ask about our bare feet, but he eventually let us leave, waiting until the last of us had pulled out of the driveway before he followed and went his own way. That concluded the festivities of the night, but was only a start to a few days of madness.
We had a guest the next day, a man by the name of James Nickel, a respected mathematician and author. Before he talked, however, Pastor Skogen led devotions for a solid hour, and Caleb and Mrs. Bortins split the morning between them. The pastor joined us again for lunch, when we had rotating discussion questions and pizza. When we finished, Mr. Nickel finally took over. He had a lot to tell us, and it was a bit overwhelming at first. Eventually we got comfortable asking clarifying questions, and we were able to keep up. Still, by the time he ended, we were mentally exhausted, and needed something to pick us up.
We didn't have anything going on that afternoon, so nearly all of the fellowship gathered at a local field and played another game of frisbee, this time in daylight and without the hinderance of pavement. We played hard for two and a half hours, barely pausing to rest. A few of us are still limping. It was a good afternoon. Caleb's wife and daughter watched the whole thing, along with Mrs. Bortins and our guest. We cleaned up and went back to the main house to hang out with Mr. Nickel. Afterwards, we had dinner and a fire, and almost everyone watched movies, either at the Bortins' or the villas.
Before we went to bed, David organized another game of ultimate. Because we had an extra hour and a half before class on Saturday, he proposed we get up and play an intense game for our morning exercise. With a great deal of persuasion, he managed to get a commitment from fourteen people. The next morning, twelve showed up, and it was on. We played for an intense hour and quickly cleaned up before devotions with Pastor Skogen, arriving awake, excited, and very satisfied.
Mr. Nickel had a lot to talk about. He was an interesting man, obviously well read and passionate about mathematics. His passion was different from Mrs. Bortins, who takes absolute delight in the numbers and structure of math. Mr. Nickel showed us a much wider view, looking into the philosophy and history behind mathematics and mathematicians. He showed us where a lot of modern mathematics came from and why. Digging deeper, he uncovered aspects of God's character in algebra and calculus. It was another exhausting day, but we learned a lot of things which we'd never heard before.
He took a few hours after lunch, and a final hour of questions just before dinner. Some of us stayed behind to continue talking with him, and others wished him farewell and went home. He hails from Washington state, but rather than flying back, he decided to ride the train up to New York and over the top of our country. This route allows him to see another corner of the world and to spend some time with people he otherwise wouldn't meet. It must have been a good trip.
So we took ourselves to bed that night and got ready for church the next morning. We made our way from the villas at one time or another, all but a few who felt like their Saturday morning respite had been interrupted by an early class. The church choir was meeting its new director that morning, so a few of us left much earlier to get to choir. Pastor Skogen was in fine form, preaching the end of Ecclesiastes and trying to instill the fear of God in us. After church concluded, and we'd had a healthy dose of socializing, we returned to the villas, where most of us worked on papers due to Caleb on Tuesday. Midway through the afternoon, Alec crashed through my front door, held up two pairs of boxing gloves, and announced that he'd finally brought them home. Without a second thought, a few of us gathered behind the houses and enjoyed a rigorous bout of boxing. We explored unknown talent and unexpected skill for a half hour and returned to our studies, breaking again to practice frisbee for the next big game we play. It's so hard to focus when we have this beautiful weather. One by one, we leave our papers, either done or merely waiting for completion on Monday.
The beginnings of our weeks are hardly ever worth mention. The next day, we dragged ourselves to class and pursued physics for a few hours. We've made it through sixteen pages of exercises since we started, two weeks ago, and Mrs. Bortins wanted to show us what we've accomplished. She quizzed us on what we knew, and we all surprised ourselves. Finally, before lunch, she told us the final plans for the week. She's traveling to speak in Washington D.C., so we're having an extra few music sessions while she's gone. A few fellows went with her to stay, some to the airport and from there, elsewhere, and plenty of fellows are using this time to visit their families. They left after music on Tuesday. A faithful remnant remain.
So we retire to bed and look forward to Wednesday. We've been learning the Hallelujah chorus, an acapella doo-wop, and a few songs to play as a group. We'll be practicing these tomorrow, and I'm sure it will be a good morning, and a good week.
Until next time, your servant,
Barnabas Holleran
This week started off pretty slowly except for the frisbee on Monday. The next day, we were back in class for music with Caleb. He's pushing us a little harder now that we have a concert coming up, and we're also getting into some more difficult music theory. Mrs. Bortin's housekeeper, April, has been joining us for music on Tuesdays. We really enjoy having her in class; her input is always helpful, and when we play instruments or sing, she's strong in her part.
In and out of class, she's become an honorary member of our fellowship, so when she told us that she was playing in an orchestra on Thursday night, we told her we'd be there. In the two days between, we had an assignment to finish: our business plan. By the time Thursday afternoon brought our deadline, we had a decent stack of papers to turn in. Mrs. Bortins went over it with us and helped us make it excellent. A burden lifted, we celebrated with music at the community college where the Moore County Philharmonic Orchestra was playing, with April as first violin.
About half of us showed up to the concert, and we were glad we did. April was fantastic, and after she finished, William suggested we get frozen yogurt. Ten minutes later, we were adding toppings to delicious cups of chilled goodness in downtown Aberdeen. Our taste buds tickled and the night still young, someone suggested we take our gathering to the park, which we gladly did. We were standing around, talking, after ditching our shoes to run in the grass, when a police officer showed up and informed us that the park is closed after dark. He had a lot of questions to ask about our bare feet, but he eventually let us leave, waiting until the last of us had pulled out of the driveway before he followed and went his own way. That concluded the festivities of the night, but was only a start to a few days of madness.
We had a guest the next day, a man by the name of James Nickel, a respected mathematician and author. Before he talked, however, Pastor Skogen led devotions for a solid hour, and Caleb and Mrs. Bortins split the morning between them. The pastor joined us again for lunch, when we had rotating discussion questions and pizza. When we finished, Mr. Nickel finally took over. He had a lot to tell us, and it was a bit overwhelming at first. Eventually we got comfortable asking clarifying questions, and we were able to keep up. Still, by the time he ended, we were mentally exhausted, and needed something to pick us up.
We didn't have anything going on that afternoon, so nearly all of the fellowship gathered at a local field and played another game of frisbee, this time in daylight and without the hinderance of pavement. We played hard for two and a half hours, barely pausing to rest. A few of us are still limping. It was a good afternoon. Caleb's wife and daughter watched the whole thing, along with Mrs. Bortins and our guest. We cleaned up and went back to the main house to hang out with Mr. Nickel. Afterwards, we had dinner and a fire, and almost everyone watched movies, either at the Bortins' or the villas.
Before we went to bed, David organized another game of ultimate. Because we had an extra hour and a half before class on Saturday, he proposed we get up and play an intense game for our morning exercise. With a great deal of persuasion, he managed to get a commitment from fourteen people. The next morning, twelve showed up, and it was on. We played for an intense hour and quickly cleaned up before devotions with Pastor Skogen, arriving awake, excited, and very satisfied.
Mr. Nickel had a lot to talk about. He was an interesting man, obviously well read and passionate about mathematics. His passion was different from Mrs. Bortins, who takes absolute delight in the numbers and structure of math. Mr. Nickel showed us a much wider view, looking into the philosophy and history behind mathematics and mathematicians. He showed us where a lot of modern mathematics came from and why. Digging deeper, he uncovered aspects of God's character in algebra and calculus. It was another exhausting day, but we learned a lot of things which we'd never heard before.
He took a few hours after lunch, and a final hour of questions just before dinner. Some of us stayed behind to continue talking with him, and others wished him farewell and went home. He hails from Washington state, but rather than flying back, he decided to ride the train up to New York and over the top of our country. This route allows him to see another corner of the world and to spend some time with people he otherwise wouldn't meet. It must have been a good trip.
So we took ourselves to bed that night and got ready for church the next morning. We made our way from the villas at one time or another, all but a few who felt like their Saturday morning respite had been interrupted by an early class. The church choir was meeting its new director that morning, so a few of us left much earlier to get to choir. Pastor Skogen was in fine form, preaching the end of Ecclesiastes and trying to instill the fear of God in us. After church concluded, and we'd had a healthy dose of socializing, we returned to the villas, where most of us worked on papers due to Caleb on Tuesday. Midway through the afternoon, Alec crashed through my front door, held up two pairs of boxing gloves, and announced that he'd finally brought them home. Without a second thought, a few of us gathered behind the houses and enjoyed a rigorous bout of boxing. We explored unknown talent and unexpected skill for a half hour and returned to our studies, breaking again to practice frisbee for the next big game we play. It's so hard to focus when we have this beautiful weather. One by one, we leave our papers, either done or merely waiting for completion on Monday.
The beginnings of our weeks are hardly ever worth mention. The next day, we dragged ourselves to class and pursued physics for a few hours. We've made it through sixteen pages of exercises since we started, two weeks ago, and Mrs. Bortins wanted to show us what we've accomplished. She quizzed us on what we knew, and we all surprised ourselves. Finally, before lunch, she told us the final plans for the week. She's traveling to speak in Washington D.C., so we're having an extra few music sessions while she's gone. A few fellows went with her to stay, some to the airport and from there, elsewhere, and plenty of fellows are using this time to visit their families. They left after music on Tuesday. A faithful remnant remain.
So we retire to bed and look forward to Wednesday. We've been learning the Hallelujah chorus, an acapella doo-wop, and a few songs to play as a group. We'll be practicing these tomorrow, and I'm sure it will be a good morning, and a good week.
Until next time, your servant,
Barnabas Holleran
Monday, October 14, 2013
A Spark in the Fellowship
Hello one and all! It's a good night here at Mandala. As I write this, Austin sits across the room from me, plucking out a beautiful melody on his guitar. Considering how well he plays and how infrequently he plays around the villas, I realize how blessed I am to share a room with him.
I just got in from an intense game of ultimate frisbee with most of the other fellows. On the way home from some late-night grocery shopping, a few of us saw the rest of the gang playing in the deserted parking lot, and we joined in. Two hours, several minor falls, and a few nail-biting moments later, we all shook hands and walked off the tar, matched nine to ten— an intense struggle. Seth led our team, with David Bortins as his second in command. Alec, Chris, and Ian were the strong voices in the other team, however, among the three of them, I couldn't see who truly led. All in all, it was a fantastic night, and I wish all of you could have been there to see some of the heroics that my fellows displayed.
We haven't been doing as many of the fantastic group things which defined our first month here, and I don't like that. I think we've just settled into comfortable groups of friends now, and we know individually who we want to spend time with. That being said, we are a fellowship, and I'm very glad we all turned out for the game. It rekindled a group spirit within us. We need to do more of this kind of thing. I think it's worth saying that the one who organized, planned, and actually led the start of the game was David. He really makes things happen.
I keep thinking this is still the weekend, when clearly it is not. I'll just pretend it is, and say that it's been a pretty good one. Two weeks ago, a bunch of us went to the beach with Mrs. Bortins. This Friday, the other half had their turn. They left immediately after class, and we didn't see them until Sunday afternoon. Those of us who stayed behind had a good time in the interim. For the first time in weeks, we had a day with nothing going on. Well, almost nothing. Saturday was a great day for relaxing. The late morning found most of us lounging around outside the villas, talking and hanging out, simply enjoying the warm sun, the crisp smells of fall, and the glow of fellowship. Most of us cleaned in the afternoon, or otherwise made things better around the houses. Alec and I bought paintings at the local Goodwill to try to brighten up the rooms. The evening wasn't quite so simple. Anna's brother just made Eagle Scout, and a lot of us went to his celebration. After it was over, a few dedicated crazy people, (Zach, Anna, her two friends, and myself) drove to a swing dance in Winston-Salem. We danced the night away and left in good spirits. As great as it was, we were all tired and glad to get home.
Sunday morning came in a flash. Because so many of our usual drivers were away, the organization of the cars was kind of up in the air, but we got to church, one way or another. Tobin had something planned for us, but in the end, a lot of us had to back out. Zach and I were the only two who decided to stay, which was all the better for us. We really enjoy having him around. He's not one of the official Mandala tutors, but he definitely holds a similar relationship with us. I love being able to confide with him, adventure with him, and discuss great ideas with him. Zach and I did all three and much more as the day wore on. His plans fell through, so we ended up going out to lunch and then back to the villas to watch and dissect Tarantino movies. We finished the night on the golf course, getting lost and talking about the mysteries of life. It was a great time. Life at Mandala never seems to get old.
It's never tedious, but we do repeat ourselves a lot. The week itself was a mix of introductory physics, music theory, and work on the business plan. We're all making progress, whether it's in terms of accurate calculations or clear notes on our instruments. We're all looking forward to more of the same this week, though I hope we can find some more excitement to throw a wrench into the normal routine.
Until next week,
Barnabas Holleran
I just got in from an intense game of ultimate frisbee with most of the other fellows. On the way home from some late-night grocery shopping, a few of us saw the rest of the gang playing in the deserted parking lot, and we joined in. Two hours, several minor falls, and a few nail-biting moments later, we all shook hands and walked off the tar, matched nine to ten— an intense struggle. Seth led our team, with David Bortins as his second in command. Alec, Chris, and Ian were the strong voices in the other team, however, among the three of them, I couldn't see who truly led. All in all, it was a fantastic night, and I wish all of you could have been there to see some of the heroics that my fellows displayed.
We haven't been doing as many of the fantastic group things which defined our first month here, and I don't like that. I think we've just settled into comfortable groups of friends now, and we know individually who we want to spend time with. That being said, we are a fellowship, and I'm very glad we all turned out for the game. It rekindled a group spirit within us. We need to do more of this kind of thing. I think it's worth saying that the one who organized, planned, and actually led the start of the game was David. He really makes things happen.
I keep thinking this is still the weekend, when clearly it is not. I'll just pretend it is, and say that it's been a pretty good one. Two weeks ago, a bunch of us went to the beach with Mrs. Bortins. This Friday, the other half had their turn. They left immediately after class, and we didn't see them until Sunday afternoon. Those of us who stayed behind had a good time in the interim. For the first time in weeks, we had a day with nothing going on. Well, almost nothing. Saturday was a great day for relaxing. The late morning found most of us lounging around outside the villas, talking and hanging out, simply enjoying the warm sun, the crisp smells of fall, and the glow of fellowship. Most of us cleaned in the afternoon, or otherwise made things better around the houses. Alec and I bought paintings at the local Goodwill to try to brighten up the rooms. The evening wasn't quite so simple. Anna's brother just made Eagle Scout, and a lot of us went to his celebration. After it was over, a few dedicated crazy people, (Zach, Anna, her two friends, and myself) drove to a swing dance in Winston-Salem. We danced the night away and left in good spirits. As great as it was, we were all tired and glad to get home.
Sunday morning came in a flash. Because so many of our usual drivers were away, the organization of the cars was kind of up in the air, but we got to church, one way or another. Tobin had something planned for us, but in the end, a lot of us had to back out. Zach and I were the only two who decided to stay, which was all the better for us. We really enjoy having him around. He's not one of the official Mandala tutors, but he definitely holds a similar relationship with us. I love being able to confide with him, adventure with him, and discuss great ideas with him. Zach and I did all three and much more as the day wore on. His plans fell through, so we ended up going out to lunch and then back to the villas to watch and dissect Tarantino movies. We finished the night on the golf course, getting lost and talking about the mysteries of life. It was a great time. Life at Mandala never seems to get old.
It's never tedious, but we do repeat ourselves a lot. The week itself was a mix of introductory physics, music theory, and work on the business plan. We're all making progress, whether it's in terms of accurate calculations or clear notes on our instruments. We're all looking forward to more of the same this week, though I hope we can find some more excitement to throw a wrench into the normal routine.
Until next week,
Barnabas Holleran
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Fruition
Well, we've crossed the line. Passed our first big milestone. Three months of classes all boiled down to five hours this weekend when we took the SAT. We woke before the sun and gathered in the driveway, waiting to make sure everyone was there before we left. At seven, as the first rays of light were first breaking over the surrounding hills, we piled into our cars and left the villas in one long caravan. Nobody was on the road yet, and I enjoyed watching the taillights of the cars ahead of me mingle with the orange sunrise as we made our way to the school. As much as I enjoyed the feeling of fellowship, I couldn't help but feel like a prisoner preparing for a dawn execution. We arrived at the center earlier than anyone else and waited by the doors, mingling with the other teens, waiting patiently. The doors finally opened, and we filed through, signed in, and took our seats in half a dozen rooms through the school.
The feeling of being a prisoner passed as the proctors passed out our tests. I picked up my flimsy booklet and I felt like I was in control again I heard the repetitive instructions for the third time. I launched into my test with a little apprehension and a lot of excitement. My first section after the essay was mathematics, and I charged in, as in practice, quickly answering the easier questions at the beginning to get to the harder ones at the end. At least, that was the idea. I breezed through question after question, and I began to get suspicious. I was reminded of a time when I was playing paintball with my church group. My brother and I breached a door to a fort, only to find the courtyard empty and silent. Silent, that is, until they came from behind and mowed us down. The test felt the same way: far too easy. I slowed down and began to answer cautiously, but I still finished with plenty of time to spare, something I never did in practice. After another test passed the same way, I realized that it was actually easier than what we'd been practicing, whether because it had been dumbed down since the guide was written, or because the book was written to a higher level of preparation. Encouraged, I continued, finishing every section with time to go back and check. I noticed my fellows doing the same thing. I loved the feeling of being trained and prepared: something I'd never experienced on an SAT before.
The test all went by fairly quickly, and we were done practically before we started. Exchanging high-fives all around, we got out of there and regrouped by the door, talking about the test and how we felt. I was relieved to find out that I was not the only one who thought it was easy. In fact, the vote was unanimous. We celebrated with pizza and then went to a park, blowing off the rest of the day in games and then swimming. As much as we look forward to our scores, we're content with what we've accomplished. Three months of hard work has paid off. We are done with the SAT.
If this were a normal story, it would end there, the screen would fade black, and credits would roll but that's just not the way Mrs. Bortins does things. We still have two full semesters, and she's only getting started. She introduced trigonometry to us about a month ago, and she started physics on Monday. So far, we've really been enjoying physics. It hasn't gotten crazy yet, but I'm sure that's coming later. One last thing before I sign off. Caleb has been teaching us a song from the psalter: psalm 119X. We sang it as a prelude to the worship service this Sunday. It was beautiful, and we sang it with all the gusto of a fellowship intent on praising the Lord who brought us together and blessed us so graciously. We truly have been blessed.
Until next time,
Barnabas
The feeling of being a prisoner passed as the proctors passed out our tests. I picked up my flimsy booklet and I felt like I was in control again I heard the repetitive instructions for the third time. I launched into my test with a little apprehension and a lot of excitement. My first section after the essay was mathematics, and I charged in, as in practice, quickly answering the easier questions at the beginning to get to the harder ones at the end. At least, that was the idea. I breezed through question after question, and I began to get suspicious. I was reminded of a time when I was playing paintball with my church group. My brother and I breached a door to a fort, only to find the courtyard empty and silent. Silent, that is, until they came from behind and mowed us down. The test felt the same way: far too easy. I slowed down and began to answer cautiously, but I still finished with plenty of time to spare, something I never did in practice. After another test passed the same way, I realized that it was actually easier than what we'd been practicing, whether because it had been dumbed down since the guide was written, or because the book was written to a higher level of preparation. Encouraged, I continued, finishing every section with time to go back and check. I noticed my fellows doing the same thing. I loved the feeling of being trained and prepared: something I'd never experienced on an SAT before.
The test all went by fairly quickly, and we were done practically before we started. Exchanging high-fives all around, we got out of there and regrouped by the door, talking about the test and how we felt. I was relieved to find out that I was not the only one who thought it was easy. In fact, the vote was unanimous. We celebrated with pizza and then went to a park, blowing off the rest of the day in games and then swimming. As much as we look forward to our scores, we're content with what we've accomplished. Three months of hard work has paid off. We are done with the SAT.
If this were a normal story, it would end there, the screen would fade black, and credits would roll but that's just not the way Mrs. Bortins does things. We still have two full semesters, and she's only getting started. She introduced trigonometry to us about a month ago, and she started physics on Monday. So far, we've really been enjoying physics. It hasn't gotten crazy yet, but I'm sure that's coming later. One last thing before I sign off. Caleb has been teaching us a song from the psalter: psalm 119X. We sang it as a prelude to the worship service this Sunday. It was beautiful, and we sang it with all the gusto of a fellowship intent on praising the Lord who brought us together and blessed us so graciously. We truly have been blessed.
Until next time,
Barnabas
Monday, September 30, 2013
Some Final Rays of Sun
Hello and welcome back! I'm pretty freshly arrived from a wonderful weekend at the beach with Mrs. Bortins. She was pleased with those of us who took initiative and went to the SAT practice last weekend, and so when she went to the beach this weekend, she invited us first. We were all looking forward to it, and nobody more than me, because I hadn't been to the ocean in a few years. The first few days of the week were pretty tame in comparison. We're all looking forward to the SATs on Saturday. Honestly, while I've been nervous in past years, this year, I know I'm prepared to do as well as I can, even if it's not a perfect score.
The week passed quickly and uneventfully, with the exception of one minor car-related accident. We're enjoying the extra hours of freedom during our afternoons. A few of us have taken up art, either exploring or returning to it. We've realized that the lake is going to be too cold to properly enjoy soon. I took one of the kayaks out for a long excursion around it's limits on Tuesday afternoon, and after astronomy on Wednesday, we all went swimming. Once we were in, most of us enjoyed it, but the water was cold. We played games and had a great night, but it wasn't too long before we had to go to bed and rejoin the real world for class the next morning.
Thursday morning was the usual fare of math and geometry, but during the afternoon, Leigh gave us all new assignments for the volunteer work we're doing. We're all taking part in a collaborative effort to build a business plan for one of her ideas, and then implement it by Christmas. We'll spend the rest of the year after that developing our own businesses using hers as a model. We all worked on that for a good portion of the afternoon and spent the evening at the villas.
Leigh helped us fill out our common applications on Friday, and we continued working on our high school transcripts and resumes for college applications this fall. She wants us all to achieve, and she's bending over backwards to make it happen. After lunch, we cleaned the house thoroughly and then left for the beach. She took us out to dinner that first night, and we took care of the rest of the meals that week. Dinner was amazing. We went to a local restaurant and had an abundance of seafood. Alec and I ended up sharing a platter of what looked like the dregs from the bottom of a net. Crab legs, clams, shrimp, and much more stood a foot off the table in this monstrosity of a dish. We really enjoyed eating it, and everyone enjoyed watching us. I realized that I love having a bucket for scraps instead of a plate. Afterwards, we went to the grocery store and loaded up on food. Each pair of us had a different meal to take care of, and we all did it very well. It was a great solution to our inconvenient need to eat every day. We had four well-cooked, well thought-out meals without much individual pain.
The next day, while we were exploring an island and slipping on a hazardous causeway in the early morning light, our fellows at home were taking the second practice SAT. Leigh's taking them back in a few weeks. In the afternoon, we got boogie boards and hit the beach again. By the end of the day, we were too sore to do anything but sit on the porch and watch the waves crash on the sand. That was when we found out that Elizabeth's brothers were planning to drop by and surprise her. We kept her in the dark for another hour, and when they finally walked in the door, she was utterly blown away. We all enjoyed watching the reunion.
Sunday was spent in much the same way. We fought the waves until we were utterly exhausted, cleaned the house, and came home to our villas. I really think of this place as home now, which honestly isn't great. I realized when I was at the beach that my habits are so much better when I travel. At home, I seem to stagnate. I'm working on this. Anyway, it was great to see our friends again, even if we had only been away for a few days. I don't know how we'll survive next summer. A few of the fellows were still gone. Christopher was at his home, and Laura had returned to hers. She got back after dark, but we found out that Chris had car problems keeping him an extra day.
Monday came and my roommates and I had to find rides with other people. Elizabeth's older brother John sat in devotions with us. He ships out to Afghanistan soon, and we've been praying for him. It was great to have him with us. With four days of prep left until the SAT, we focused on it all morning, each of us working on his or her own personal weakness. Caleb took over for music in the afternoon. We practiced choir, singing Blue Moon and a song from the Psalter. They're both for the Thanksgiving concert, but we're singing the last one in church next week. It gave me goosebumps. I can't wait.
Well, that's it for this week. Next time, you'll hear about our SAT experience and how we handled the first of the prospective visitors to next year's Fellowship.
Until next week,
Barnabas Holleran
The week passed quickly and uneventfully, with the exception of one minor car-related accident. We're enjoying the extra hours of freedom during our afternoons. A few of us have taken up art, either exploring or returning to it. We've realized that the lake is going to be too cold to properly enjoy soon. I took one of the kayaks out for a long excursion around it's limits on Tuesday afternoon, and after astronomy on Wednesday, we all went swimming. Once we were in, most of us enjoyed it, but the water was cold. We played games and had a great night, but it wasn't too long before we had to go to bed and rejoin the real world for class the next morning.
Thursday morning was the usual fare of math and geometry, but during the afternoon, Leigh gave us all new assignments for the volunteer work we're doing. We're all taking part in a collaborative effort to build a business plan for one of her ideas, and then implement it by Christmas. We'll spend the rest of the year after that developing our own businesses using hers as a model. We all worked on that for a good portion of the afternoon and spent the evening at the villas.
Leigh helped us fill out our common applications on Friday, and we continued working on our high school transcripts and resumes for college applications this fall. She wants us all to achieve, and she's bending over backwards to make it happen. After lunch, we cleaned the house thoroughly and then left for the beach. She took us out to dinner that first night, and we took care of the rest of the meals that week. Dinner was amazing. We went to a local restaurant and had an abundance of seafood. Alec and I ended up sharing a platter of what looked like the dregs from the bottom of a net. Crab legs, clams, shrimp, and much more stood a foot off the table in this monstrosity of a dish. We really enjoyed eating it, and everyone enjoyed watching us. I realized that I love having a bucket for scraps instead of a plate. Afterwards, we went to the grocery store and loaded up on food. Each pair of us had a different meal to take care of, and we all did it very well. It was a great solution to our inconvenient need to eat every day. We had four well-cooked, well thought-out meals without much individual pain.
The next day, while we were exploring an island and slipping on a hazardous causeway in the early morning light, our fellows at home were taking the second practice SAT. Leigh's taking them back in a few weeks. In the afternoon, we got boogie boards and hit the beach again. By the end of the day, we were too sore to do anything but sit on the porch and watch the waves crash on the sand. That was when we found out that Elizabeth's brothers were planning to drop by and surprise her. We kept her in the dark for another hour, and when they finally walked in the door, she was utterly blown away. We all enjoyed watching the reunion.
Sunday was spent in much the same way. We fought the waves until we were utterly exhausted, cleaned the house, and came home to our villas. I really think of this place as home now, which honestly isn't great. I realized when I was at the beach that my habits are so much better when I travel. At home, I seem to stagnate. I'm working on this. Anyway, it was great to see our friends again, even if we had only been away for a few days. I don't know how we'll survive next summer. A few of the fellows were still gone. Christopher was at his home, and Laura had returned to hers. She got back after dark, but we found out that Chris had car problems keeping him an extra day.
Monday came and my roommates and I had to find rides with other people. Elizabeth's older brother John sat in devotions with us. He ships out to Afghanistan soon, and we've been praying for him. It was great to have him with us. With four days of prep left until the SAT, we focused on it all morning, each of us working on his or her own personal weakness. Caleb took over for music in the afternoon. We practiced choir, singing Blue Moon and a song from the Psalter. They're both for the Thanksgiving concert, but we're singing the last one in church next week. It gave me goosebumps. I can't wait.
Well, that's it for this week. Next time, you'll hear about our SAT experience and how we handled the first of the prospective visitors to next year's Fellowship.
Until next week,
Barnabas Holleran
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