I really love my Tuesday nights at Jeremiah's house. Each Tuesday at nine, nine of us get together to go over the praise music for our small group chapel (Come As You Are) on Thursdays. There's Jeremiah, who runs the rehearsals with a mix of efficiency and comedy; Bonnie, whose sightreading ability and rich alto voice wow me every week (they say she'll be the world's first female Church of Christ worship minister); Brett, a quiet tenor with a surprising sense of humor; and Charity, a vivacious soprano who is one of my favourite people in the world. Add Nate and Jake, two goofy brothers who sing bass and tenor, respectively; Abi, a sweet soprano who is Nate's new fiancee, and me (the other alto) - put us in a room together (with acoustically helpful wood floors) - and you've got a recipe for a good time.

But last night was even more fun than usual: After everyone left, Jeremiah and I started reading (aloud!) The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, in preparation for the movie version on Dec. 9. I read it once years ago, and he's never read it at all, so we're discovering the story together. I love reading aloud, especially with expression - it makes me feel like a teacher (when I'm doing the reading) and like a little kid (when I'm doing the listening). If I close my eyes when someone's reading to me, suddenly I'm back in Miss Worley's fourth-grade class, clustered on the floor with twenty or so other kids, brushing Heather's hair or feeling Kendra's fingers braiding mine, listening to my pretty teacher read Roald Dahl's The BFG or Paula Danziger's Earth to Matthew or Louis Sachar's There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom.

After reading the cast of characters and the first two chapters, we joined Billy and Nathan (two of the roommates, and two wonderful guys) in Billy's room for a round of sarcastic, all-in-good-fun teasing, during a portion of the longest World Series game EVER. Billy kept saying, "I wish they'd just bean somebody in the head!" He got his wish sometime in the 11th inning when a pitch glanced off the batter's helmet.

I'm three years out of high school, but I still miss the group of six guys I used to hang out with, and the spice they added to my life. I was often the only girl and I loved every minute of it - whether I was the center of attention because of that fact, or whether they forgot I was a girl for a few minutes and just relaxed. Both atmospheres have their pleasures, but there really is a certain kind of fun that's only found in hanging out with "the guys."

Because of my attempts at wit last night, my new nickname (though probably undeserved) is the Voice of Truth, and Jeremiah is the Voice of Reason (or Logic - which fits both of us, because truth and logic are both valuable. But truth is not always logical, and logic is not always true). Interesting. And watching baseball until all hours, while talking about everything from business classes to racial politics to European travel, means I get to be present for quotes like this one:

Billy: "Do you think God's gonna have a Chinese buffet in heaven?"
Nathan: "I don't know. If He is, we're gonna have to eat you."

(It's funnier if you know that Billy is part Asian, but it's hilarious anyway.) And classic. I love me some worship music, some Narnia, some baseball - and some good guy time.