Heemstra Hall and the Lost Memories

The Northwestern College Alumni magazine was delivered to my apartment today and I found that Heemstra Hall was honored through an article that made an interesting discovery.  Apparently, as the NWC maintenance department was working through the demolition stages of the condemned dormitory, a time capsule was discovered amongst the rubble.  Only problem was, most of it's contents were destroyed.  The building was so old that it could no longer sustain much of the water damage due to the extensive amounts of snow and water Heemstra Hall had to endure for over half a century.  The capsule was unable to shield itself enough from water leakage and most of the documents suffered from sticky pages and smudged ink.

the contents of the capsule, for the most part, were luckily archived in the library's files as well so not much loss was taken.  But one document was a letter from former President Jacob Heemstra (who the dorm was named after) did not have a clone waiting in the library.  Sad to know we'll never know what he said exactly, but it is cool to hear a letter from Mr. Heemstra himself was waiting to be found by a future generation.

One book however, A Guide For Conduct, was found reminding everyone of the dorm's femininity.  Yes, for those who don't know, Heemstra Hall used to be a female dormitory, and the Guide for Conduct illustrates just what type of restrictions and freedoms the women of NWC had in the early to mid 1900's...

"In the Guide for Conduct, one learns women were required to be in their dorm by 7:30 on weeknights. They had to sign in and out, giving their destination and name of escort, and when leaving town, were given a card to return with the signature of their host or parent. Rooms were to be clean and ready for inspection anytime after 8 a.m."

I think any who lived in Heemstra Hall in it's last decade will never deny that the Dorm was to meet it's end at some point, what with the lack of fire escapes and it's rinkity building structure, but I don't think anyone could have prepared for the impact it had when the announcement was made that Heemstra Hall was condemned.  It truly was home for us who embraced the lifestyle and become apart of it's many oddities and unique features that made it stick out like a sore thumb.  When the image of it's first demolition stages finally hit Facebook, comments  were thrown out a dime a dozen....


"Hey look, there's still dishes and trash in the 3rd floor prayer room! :)"
"Was this before or after they demoed it? Seems about how I remember it."
"You can see the pee stains on the walls from when I was too lazy to walk to the bathroom."
"Oh the plethora of memories of D's and P's flocking around the halls."
"No more Nasketball! I'm sad and happy about this at the same time."

OK, ok, these comments seem to be on the satirical side, but make no mistake, the dorm's destruction came as a drastic blow to the junk for all who lived there.

Out of all the memories lingering up in this old noggin' of mine, Heemstra Hall will be one of the fondest memories of my lifetime.  "Nudity builds community" is the motto I can always live my life by.  I know what you're probably thinking, but don't take it the wrong way...at least for the most part.  Sure, we had our many, MANY de-clothed activities, such as the Freshman Shared Experience, Nasketball, community showers, Soapman, and Hi-Dic, (Yes, I broke the first rule, sorry guys) but the motto extends further than just the physical act of being naked.  It represents coming into the real world as yourself, not holding back because society dictates it or peer pressure demands it, just coming as yourself and allowing your imagination and diligence flow out to nourish the world.  To not leave this institute of education with a mere academic knowledge geared to get you a job, but to have obtained an education to better yourself and the world around you.  Thanks Heemstra, you guys made my educational experience that much better.

In honor of the now deceased Dorm, here is a picture parade for you're enjoyment.  Don't get TOO weirded out, ok?

The Sunday De-Press #1

Click on this link to listen to the broadcast ---> Godless America

My wife and I were cleaning up the apartment the other day in preparation for friends to come over.  I went out to grab some drinks (mostly for myself) and I when I came home, she had this broadcast playing on her Computer.  It's nothing more than an audio interview which causes us to ask questions about our "love" for Jesus and how we blindly adhere to a love for the Bible without truly understanding it's message. 

This is not a broadcast to make you feel good inside or to feel inspired to continue on with your Christian values; rather this piece of audio journalism will either cause you to question you own religious upbringing, or piss you off because you don't agree with it.  But for anyone who has never fully understood their own beliefs, and/or questioned the fact that most Christians truly don't understand what the Bible is talking about, this broadcast will hit right at home.

Click on this link to listen to the broadcast ---> Godless America

For me, it's a perfect representation of my brain's thought process when it comes to this matter.  I've always wondered about the writers of the Bible and many of the claims made within.  Were these people actually prophets?  Was Jesus the real son of God or was he just a crazy person who yelled and screamed at people?  Why is the passage of Sodom and Gomorrah used as evidence that homosexuality is wrong and NOT used to show how sexual child abuse is an evil thing? 

It asks a lot of good questions.  You may or may not agree with a lot of what is said in this broadcast, but it certainly makes you think about how you've utilized the Bible most of your life.

Click on this link to listen to the broadcast ---> Godless America
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And finally...boy, I sure hope to hire this guy to get me through my emotional trauma!  I understand what he might be getting at, that he isn't the ultimate solution and in the end it's up to you to fix your own problems, but it's still a funny way of wording your advertisement; almost sounds as if he doesn't have confidence in himself to do his job.  And the ad is actually pretty cheaply made, wouldn't you agree?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, it's been a year since my "Remember, Remember the month of November" posting and I've been doing a really bad job at consistently updating this blog.  But here I am, and it's Thanksgiving...what could be better.

I love Thanksgiving because it marks the beginning of the Christmas season...or at least it feels like it does.  Once November hits, I began feeling Christmasie more and more as the days fumble through.  But now is the time for thanks. What am I thankful for?

I am thankful for...
* Having a great job that is really helping Clarissa and myself get caught up on our debts and payments.
* Having a family that always seems to be ready for us to come and visit them
* Being able to maintain friendships despite not keeping contact with them as well as I would like too
* Being able to read.  My books and comic books keep my imagination flowing into a world that only the mind's eye can see.
* having the ability to go to the movie theater.  It's one of my passions and I'm thankful we have talent in the world that can produce films.
* Singing with a world renowned chorus that sings exceptionally well and being an internationally champion thanks to the 52Eighty.
* And My wife, who supports me and loves me despite my flaws and inability to remember things.  She is the greatest part of my life and I am blessed to have her in it.

I think Clarissa and I are finally in a place where we can start looking towards the future and doing things that will help us to maintain sanity.  With my new job, we can get my car paid off much quicker and put a serious dent in our student loans.  But once my car is paid off, month by month we can save more for opportunities that may arise in the future.

I want to be able to contribute money to NPR, we listen to it all the time, might as well support them.  I want to go on another overseas trip with Clarissa, to Budapest and show her where I used to live and rediscover the amazing places that I have forgotten about.  I want to do things with her as a couple again, like finding a church choir that we both are apart of.  I feel that with this job, we are both able to put ourselves in a good place financially so we can make use of our time together and not always have to worry about every single bill that comes along and worry if we will be forced to skip out on a bill due to an empty bank account.  I'm thankful for Clarissa moving me out to Colorado where so many opportunities arose for the both of us.

And as a way of making this an even happier day, here is the latest edition to the Trapp family household.  say hello to our humidifier, Mr. Elephant.....

My Next CD Project Is Now Underway!

Yes, my third CD is finally in the works.  You have some time to wait, however, as no recording has taken place yet, but soon...probably this weekend or the next the will Trapp track Recording Studio open back up for business.

This Cd will consist of a much more mature selection of music that brings together a wide variety of Acapella arrangements; ranging from good old barbershop, Jazz, Blues, to some up beat songs with a lot of snap to them.

Three of the songs on the album will feature some guest artists.  Clarissa and I will be swinging out to "Java Jive" that was made famous by the Manhattan Transfer.  The song I'll be tackling first in the recording studio will actually be with the exceptionally talented Wendy Jans on the song "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square."  And the third gust appearance song will be one of my own arrangements, "Tis Midnight and on Olives Brow," with Eric Dalbey (Lead of the 2006 International barbershop quartet champions) singing the top two parts.

Here's a sample list of some of the songs you'll hear on the album...

You Don't, You Won't
Moondance
Goodbye World Goodbye
Aquarius

Plus!  as a special treat, I will be including performance recordings from when both of the choruses I sing with competed on the international stage.

That's all.  It's still going to be a while but I did want to announce the news to all who are interested.  Let me know if you want a copy.

Oh, and I'm throwing away the "Jimmy Trapp Quartet" name and call my one man quartet something else.  I need help with a name though, got any ideas?

Weekend With The In-Laws

Yes, after a long hiatus from not seeing my in-laws, they decided to make the 12 hour trek across the boring state of Nebraska to see what life is like in the foothills of Colorado.  And while we do live right next door to Estes Park, and only a hop, skip, and jump further away from the Rocky Mountain National Park, the trip into the mountains itself is no mere stroll in the park; you have to drive around numerous curvy roads that, if you don;t watch it, will burn up your brakes, as well as take time to make lots of stops to observe the gorgeous views that the mountains provides for you.

I had to work on the first two days they were here, which meant I missed out on some fun outings in the beginning.  But we did end up going to a town festival of sorts that resembled the Des Moines Arts Festival; the street was packed with stands where people were selling art, foods, and showing off their musical talent.  I discovered a local art agency that goes out and searches for local artists to display their works for all to see.  It might be something I'll look into next year.

I have to admit, having Isaac around is a blast; he is so overly opinionated that it's funny!  He becomes so argumentative that sometimes it seems he's just establishing his ground for the mere sake of doing so.  We got into a very lengthy debate about what makes a film a "guy" movie verses a "girl" movie.  There was never any clear definition on his part of what defines the girl and guy films, but Clarissa and I both came to the conclusion that we will never actually know what type of movie he likes.

All in all, the weekend was fun.  How many people out there can say they REALLY enjoy having their in laws around?  I'd say not too many.  I feel very lucky to have a family I married into with whom I can laugh and have fun with.

And for your amusement, here's a few photos from our trip to the Rocky Mountains....