Here’s another excerpt from my Captain’s Log for December 13. This time it’s again from 1977, so I was toward the end of my first semester as a music major (flute) at Mars Hill College.

Captain’s Log: Stardate 121.377 [December 13, 1977]

I’m at home, in bed, with a cold Mountain Dew. This is the life! I took my theory test today and just come on home. Unless I was carless [sic] in what I was doing, I think I did OK., I can recall only two places where she may count me wrong. Anyway I came home, unloaded the car and went to Joe’s ballgame. They played well and won 80-64, it was great.

I’m really not out of school yet. Thursday [December 13 in 1977 fell on a Tuesday] I’ll have to take some critiques to George, pay a bill at the bookstore, and get the rest of my clothes. We’re going to do our cantata tomorrow night for the Presbyterian Church in Marshall. Lord willing it will bless us and the congregation and lift up the name of God as much as it did last Sunday. Jobie’s gonna come record the ceremony if it’s all right with everyone. Well it’s been a long day . . . . I thank God for every minute of it.

In November 1977, I turned 19 years old, so I was just three weeks or so into that age. I don’t really remember what classes I took, but I’m guessing that the George mentioned was George Peery, iconic political science professor at Mars Hill College for more than 30 years. I remember that some of my dorm mates and I spent many of our lunchtimes watching The Gong Show. I’m sure that I had flute lessons and band and, as suggested above, a music theory class. I think my previous post from that year mentioned a math class. I probably had English as well — freshman composition. I remember having Dr. Pat Verhulst for one of my composition classes. Sometime early in the semester I had her for an instructor, maybe when I turned in my second essay, she took me aside and said, “You don’t have to come back anymore.” That was cool for a young writer like myself.