Finals week here at the JC...

This list is courtesy of Lisa Foote's blog... This is just to give you an idea of what's going on in the JC right now...

There are people bartering study guides based on how long it took them to make it, with vows to not share it with anyone. (I was actually given a study guide who's origins were a little sketch and if anyone asked where I got it I was told to respond "I don't know where it came from")
There are people singing hymns at the top of their lungs in the study rooms, and people outside of the study rooms getting angry.
There are people crying like I've never seen before.
There has been a lot of hyperventilating.
Everyone is gaining weight because the intake of pita and peanut butter has at least doubled.
Some girls made a music video in the midst of all the studiers.
A list of countries bordering the Red Sea, Dead Sea, and Persian Gulf was erased from the board when we walked in with the explanation "I'm not allowed to share that with anyone; I got it from someone else and she'll kill me if I share it."
At the Old Testament review the tear filled question was asked "IS IT ACTUALLY POSSIBLE TO SUCCEED?"
Russell turned 25 today and is begging everyone to go get gelato with him, but no one will.
Ilike2learn.com is the most visited website of the week as everyone tries to learn the countries and capitals of the Middle East by playing matching games.
The dinner conversation is: "Tell me the 2 mountain ranges in Iran." "No. I'm not talking about that right now." "Okay, then let me tell you a joke... What's the capital of Lebanon?" "That's not a joke Brent!"
The tension in the building is escalating by the minute. Anyone who is not stressed out is shunned and yelled at for being happy. Jokes have to be used very sparingly and only with other non-stressed individuals when not in the presence of the temporary psycho-paths.
(Thanks Lisa, I think you got it pretty right on...)

Living so close to all of these people during finals, you see a WHOLE different side to them. For example, I never thought I would see Big Rig (Amy) do ballet in the hallway as she answered questions from the Old Testament study guide. Also studying the exact same thing so close to all these people you hear a lot of creative techniques for remembering things (UN Resolution 242, Give back land you!)...

For better or for worse I haven't felt too stressed. Judaism final went ok... Islam is a shot in the dark and today I'm taking Old Testament... we'll see how that goes. My preferred method of study is to set up a huge pile of beanbags in the hall and shout out answers from the study guide as you jump into it, run into it, or, for the more talented people, do flips, spins and such into the stack. It helps you stay awake when you are trying to get in the last few hours of study late at night. Hope y'all are enjoying your summer! I am now going to share with you the random bits of information stuck in my head...

Who Ahimelech, Abimelech and Alimelech are (not to be confused with Abihu, Abiram, Abiathar and Abishai...)
Eglon was really fat and Ehud got his sword stuck in his belly. Happy Humphrey somehow relates to this story
The order of the first rulers of Iran... Reza Khan, Muhammed Reza Khan, Muhammed Mosaddeq, Muhammed Reza Khan, and then comes the "Ayatollahs in Iran..." (Billy Joel "We didn't start the fire" always goes off in my head about this time)
How to get from Somalia to the Black Sea by boat... (Go through the Red Sea, Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea, go through the Aegean Sea, right through the Dardanelles, Marmara Sea, the Bosporus Straits and then you're there!)
The Jews almost established a homeland in Uganda... imagine the Middle East today if that idea would have gone through
The difference in Kibbutz and Moshavs... (one has really good icecream)
The difference in Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews
"The nature of the Palestinian discourse!"
Resolutions 181, 194, 242, 338, 1397, 1515...
Barak helps Deborah free Israel
Hussayn was the Hashemite prince who made a deal with the British
Osama bin Laden is the money and Zawahiri is the brains of al-Qa'eda
Joab kills Abner, Absalom, Amasa, Amnon...
Absalom is a very attractive man with thick locks of hair that he has to thin out once a year. Once it got caught in a tree and Joab shot a javelin through his heart.
Saul is really bad with the javelin
Context of the film Bashu
Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines...
etc...
etc...
etc...

I'm just looking forward to Sunday when we're heading down to Elat to go snorkeling in the Red Sea. Then all this craziness will be over... for at least another month and a half...