Spring Break 2013 - Day 6

Compared to yesterday, today was definitely exciting... after a lazy morning, of course. My SB friend picked me up and dropped me off at Notre Dame campus while she worked on her dissertation. We grabbed a campus map and she showed me some spots to check out. I grabbed some lunch at Retger's (sp?) which is right by residence halls and didn't have a big rush the food places at the student center had.

After lunch, I went outside the library and called up my mother. For those of you familiar with Notre Dame campus and/or the movie "Rudy", there is a giant painting on the library's exterior with many figures. Among them is Jesus holding his arms out and since football is embedded into Notre Dame's culture (and the library is quite close to the stadium considering the size of campus), it became known as Touchdown Jesus. Now, "Rudy" is one of my mom's favorite movies of all time and when she and I visited South Bend a few summers ago, we made sure to hit up some of the Rudy sights, including Touchdown Jesus. I've also gotten into the habit of calling my mom when I'm at some significant landmark. It started when I would end up in the Plaza in Kansas City and I would walk to the fountain nearby the Cheesecake Fountain. The summer before I moved to Missouri, my mom and I had a road trip to the area to bring some stuff down and then stayed a couple of days in Kansas City at a hotel that was just up the hill to that fountain, so we walked by it several times. During Spring Break last year, I also called my mom on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial. That was my first time in DC before, but it was unique enough to warrant an unexpected call and my mom did retell a story of when she was in DC for training with the Census Bureau. What can I say, I love my mom. :-)

After the phone chat, I explored a couple of the buildings on campus. I walked around the music building, which included piano practice rooms (although overall, the building seemed rather small). Then I looked over a variety of presentations where students invented products to overcome household products. (One problem was the hassle of cooking with multiple pots/food allergies/etc, and the invented solution was a nested 2-pot system so you could cook two different things on one burner.) I enjoyed walking in both of those buildings because it felt like I was seeing people in their element forging their craft rather than sticking to tourist sites. I also went to the art museum that had a very impressive collection of paintings, sculptures, crafts, and there was a small sculpture garden. My mom was an art education major in college and growing up, she and I have gone to a few art museums including Chicago and Kansas City. One thing she said that really stuck with me was how intrigue art can be, despite the time it was created. I think she said this about a painting that was finished during the Civil War. Horses were a major part of land transportation and sanitizing against disease was unheard of, but a painting could have so many gold in-laced details that it truly astounds. I had a few moments like that, particularly marble/stone busts since I couldn't imagine the precision needed for all the waves of hair.

I walked to the Grotto, which is a very reflective place, filled with candles and a kneeler for prayer. I lit a candle for my family and friends, including my grandfather who passed away during the summer I worked at a Catholic youth camp. After that, I wandered back to the library to connect back up with my friend. She had set up camp in the library, which apparently has 14 floors, but she was simple to find. After some down time in the library, we walked to the Basilica for Holy Thursday Mass. My friend was originally a sponsor for a RCIA candidate (basically, an adult who wants to become a member of the Catholic church), so she had a reserved seat in the first four rows of the church. Sometime ago, her candidate stopped the process, but my friend has been involved with helping the rest of the group out some. I can't remember the last time I went to a Holy Thursday Mass, but it was a good experience. I enjoyed being in a church filled with hundreds of people, including a college choir singing many songs in Latin. What I didn't particularly enjoy was looking around and feeling like I stuck out in the crowd. Compared to the other people in the front of the church, I felt especially dressed down, donning my Northwest hoodie. I do think that was more me being self-conscious if anything.

After the Mass, my friend, Kyle, and I all went back to my friend's apartment for frozen pizza and Super Mario Wii. I got to meet my friends pets, who both warmed up to me pretty quickly. It was nice to hang out at a different location and it's been a while since I played a Mario game for the Wii. Throughout the day, my friend and I were talking about video games, including Mario Kart, Super Mario 64, and Diddy Kong Racing, so I have this feeling she's a video game fan like I am.

Looking ahead to tomorrow, it is Good Friday, so I do plan to go to Mass on campus again. Before that, I think my friend will pick me up and I'll check out some places I wasn't able to go to today. The night could very well be another night of food and 3-player video games, which is completely fine by me. Good night!