What better to do with ten miscellaneous minutes than post to my blog? I had a lovely Thanksgiving vacation at the house of one of my friends, and I managed not to think about PHC much at all. I slept tremendous amounts, read a few short stories by Edgar Allen Poe (he pioneered the short-story genre, dontcha know?), wrote a nine-page story of my own, read 50 pp of Aquinas for school, and wrote half of one paper. I also read all of the Bible book of Ezekiel and watched four movies (one in the theatre). Last but not least, I spent some quality time by the James River, which was only a ten-minute walk from my friend's house. I wrote the following about the James River in my hard-copy journal. It won't make much sense unless you have read Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse:

"I sat and looked at the river. I closed my eyes and listened. I tried to hear what Siddhartha heard, the voices of everything. Rivers really do have the most indescribable sound that can only be defined by itself. Them, and wind in treetops. If everything, all the world's happenings, rushed by at once, they might just sound like that eternal white noise. Reminds me of Niagara Falls."

And then, on our last trip to the river:

"This is our last hour in Richmond. Deborah and I have packed and loaded the car, and I drove us down to the James River one last time. People who live near rivers or mountains are incredibly blessed. Such peace that comes from admiring God's immense power. I wonder if it frightens atheists, like it does Svidrigailov in Crime and Punishment. Can naturalists gather any of the wonder at all? What sadness that would be!"

What a wonderful break it was! Of course, I came back kicking myself for not having finished more schoolwork, but it wasn't going to happen. I had to sleep. My body periodically declared its inability to remain awake and just keeled over on whatever comfortable surface was nearest. I'm still pretty darn exhausted. At least we only have three weeks more of school. We can last three weeks, God willing.  ¶ 2:46 PM