Summer hasn't even started and the pool is closed

Well, if rumours are true, the Hebrew papers have been returned and so the deadline for the Finals Pool has passed.

However, for those who were planning to wade into the pool but just hadn't gotten around to it yet, feel free to post your best return date guesses for the remaining three finals. I'm sure we can come up with a suitable no-prize for the pick-three in addition to the grand prize for the full pool of four.

Fantasy Finals Pool

Now that deadlines are past and papers are turned in and tests have been taken, I got to wondering...when might I actually see the results of my 'final' herculean attempts to conform to the expectations of the academic establishment (formerly known as 'the man', though more recently as 'the person').

So I figure what better way to indulge in some useless speculation than to start a pool! Now, while everyone didn't take the same classes I did, it IS my pool, so it will be based on the finals for the four classes I took (i.e. Andy's Exegesis paper; Jennifer's Preaching Paper; Cindy's Written Final Exam; and Monya's Final Written Exam).

The rules are simple: post the professor's name and the date on which you think his or her exam/paper will be returned. Do this for each of the four exam/papers. For any given exam/paper you may not pick a date which someone else has already selected.

Points will be awarded based on the number of days between your guesses and the actual return dates. Fewest number of points once all are returned is the winner. In the event of a tie, the person with the most number of exact dates guessed will be declared the winner.

Prizes include an all expense paid trip from APTS campus to the Crown & Anchor where the lucky winner will be treated to a frosty beverage (retail value up to $5!!!)

Here is my entry to use as a model:

Andy : 6/1/2006
Cindy : 6/19/2006
Jennifer : 6/23/2006
Monya : 7/3/2006

A Smashing Good Time

In honor of reading week, I offer you the Hulk Smash Up game.

So, when you get tired of reading and studying, let off some steam by engaging in some mindless destruction for points and glory!

And, if you do especially well and want to brag a bit, feel free to post your high scores.

Blessings to you all in your preparations for finals.

Exams, Exams, Exams

As my way of rebelling against preparing for the upcoming onslaught of finals and papers, I have instead been spending my evenings attending prep sessions for..... ordination exams!

Since I'm not actually taking the ords for another year, one might surmise that this is indicative of some type of masochistic sickness on my part. Fortunately, I have the results of my psych exam to rebut this contention. :-)

In reality, I just thought it might be a good idea to find out what to expect from the ords further in advance, with an eye toward slanting some of my regular studies in that direction. The information provided has been quite interesting so far, and will hopefully give me a head start in preparation.

For any who might be interested, the sessions are being taped, and so should be available in the library for perusal. I don't know if the handouts will also be available in the library, but I'm sure copies can also be found for those who want them.

The quick and dirty summary goes like this:

Both the Theology and the Worship ords make use of the Book of Confessions. Even though a portion of both of these tests are open book, to be successful, you must be familiar with the confessions, the theology contained within them, how they link to the the Book of Order, and how to go about using the reference materials found within.

You need to be familiar with the Book of Order, especially with regards to Worship and Polity. Memorization is not required in most cases, but the tests will ask for answers to be supported by the Book of Order, so familiarity with the rules and guidelines therein are needed. Again, linking theology and the Confessions to the Book of Order is most beneficial.

So, in the next year or so, make sure that both the Book of Confessions and the Book of Order are on your regular study and reading lists. I will probably try to start regularly referencing them for papers when feasible in an effort to get to know them and practice using them better.

Also, in the category of avoidable errors, by far the number one error on exams is not following the directions properly. The classes emphasize this over and over. It seems so simple to do, and yet time and again, people mess it up.

So..there it is. Now I guess I should go and try to pass my classes THIS semester!