I spent all weekend at a camp with the Presbyterian Statewide Collegiate Connection of Mississippi, so today is my comp day. As such, I am under no obligation to contribute to the blog today-- but I hate to disappoint, so I will. Keep in mind, though, that I feel no urge to be insightful or meaningful, since what is a comp day for but to not think at all?

I had never been to Mississippi before this weekend, and let me say that I was very impressed. People were extremely friendly and kind, even giving me food so I wouldn't have to buy lunch at the airport! We were at a beautiful camp and conference center just outside of Oxford, MS, the home of American literary giant William Faulkner (and yes, as a good English major, I did visit his house while in town). I spoke on three separate occassions about NNPCW, PSST, REYWT, the Young Adult Volunteer Program, and the Young Adult Intern Program.

I also did copious amounts of folk dancing. The leader of the retreat, Jim Kirkpatrick of East Tennessee State University (more about him another day), loves to folk dance. Over two nights, he taught us all sorts of things. Thanks to Jim, I now know Jewish folk dances to thank God for the rain, where to go on a Queen's Highway, and the proper way to do-si-do. I was not among their numbers, but on Saturday night one group stayed up until 1:45 am learning every random folk dance that Jim had picked up in the back hills of Appalachia. That's why I love traveling for the church-- from folk dancing to knitting to "weee ooooh" chants, I learn all sorts of crazy things on the road.

One last note about Mississippi-- they had some of the best radio I've heard in a while. Every song, it seemed, was one of my favorites. There was only one catch: none of the songs had been popular for at least five years anywhere else. I rocked out in rural Mississippi to Robert Palmer, ZZ Top, Tom Petty, and every other great '70s and '80s band. I exclaimed with delight when all my favorite high school hits came on the radio, stuff like "Semi-Charmed Life" by those people I can't even remember the name of anymore (oooh, I think it was Third Eye Blind, wasn't it?). But until I made it back to Memphis, I don't recall hearing any currently popular songs played on the radio. Not that I'm complaining-- just sort of interesting.

And now, a random comp day Bible verse for you all to meditate on...

"Thus all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty-nine years; and he died." --Genesis 5:27

Kelsey