Strange faces, spitting teachers, insanely simple assignments that take three hours to complete, due dates, note-copying classmates, frightened faces, Asian invasion.
Once again I face all these things on a daily basis, for Rachel is back in College. I have moved up a step in the academic world: I am now attending a university. One of four model schools in the teaching field, listed on that one place's list of America's top 100 colleges, this university is complete with difficult classes, exciting sports (like soccer!), outrageous entertainment options (fencing? who does that?), and a large and diverse student population.
Yes, I suppose my first impressions of this city and this college haven't all been pleasent. Any adjustment is difficult. I can see many little things that, though they are small and overpowered by the negatives now, have the potential to blossom into some unforgettable awesome experiences.
Like the overabundance of runners. Morning, noon, night, anytime, anywhere, there's always joggers or runners or waddlers out in sweats and headbands. Running is so much more fun when I know I'm not being watched. While I can't ever be certain, it is pleasant to know there's a million other joggers for people to watch. Sometimes its nice to be part of the crowd.
And like all the rain. Living in a desert makes you appreciate water.
That brings us to the next plus. There's a little river barely fifteen minutes from my front porch. Incredible? I think it is.
It rained at the football game this Saturday. This is the very first time in my life I've been in a school that had a football team.
There's a lot of intelligent people in my classes. Sometimes the discussion goes way over my head. Never been there before this. Its a pretty pleasant place.
My teachers are full of character and amusing.
To top it all off, I'm seeing famous people. A visiting writer came to one of my classes today.
Yes, its not the funnest thing now, but check back in about a month when I've got some friends and you'll find a party that should have never started.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Done
I finished out my last semester at the community college about two weeks ago. I'm proud to say I finished strong, though for a little while in there I wasn't entirely sure I was going to finish alive. I made it through finals, packed up my stuff, and headed home.
I've been doing absolutely nothing inbetween then and now.
However, tomorrow morning vacation will be over. More on that later.
For now, I just thought my reading world should know I'd survived.
I've been doing absolutely nothing inbetween then and now.
However, tomorrow morning vacation will be over. More on that later.
For now, I just thought my reading world should know I'd survived.
To Write Love on Her Arm
So it was some stupid facebook event thing that happened today. I think it was about saving the sucidial teenagers. I'm sure you'll get plenty of info if you Google this post's title. Me, I never pass up a chance to draw on myself. After I finished it, it was pointed out to me that its kinda symbolic of Christ's love for us. The saving blood is the connecting factor, I think. I like that thought. Think we'll stick with it for now. Maybe I'll add a crown of thorns or a cross or something if I'm feeling artistic tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Return of the Hermit Crab
I recently discovered my responsibility level has decreased significantly since high school. What prompted this discovery?
Ahm.
Er.
You remember that hermit crab I was quite proud of acquiring? Yes. His food rotted. I put him in the back room and successfully forgot about him for about three weeks. No food. No water. No attention (not that hermits like attention, but still a sign of neglect). I assumed he was dead, and was pretty ashamed of my irresponsibility when I rediscovered his terrarium. For about a week I was too embarrassed to dig through the sand in the bottom and resurrect his dead body.
On Monday I was sitting on my bed doing homework and he crawled across the floor in front of me.
Fully alive, fully mobile, as nonchalant as a hermit crab can be, he sauntered in front of me.
I'm glad he's back, glad I didn't kill him, and glad for a second chance at being a good hermit crab owner.
It makes a pretty funny story to tell, too.
Ahm.
Er.
You remember that hermit crab I was quite proud of acquiring? Yes. His food rotted. I put him in the back room and successfully forgot about him for about three weeks. No food. No water. No attention (not that hermits like attention, but still a sign of neglect). I assumed he was dead, and was pretty ashamed of my irresponsibility when I rediscovered his terrarium. For about a week I was too embarrassed to dig through the sand in the bottom and resurrect his dead body.
On Monday I was sitting on my bed doing homework and he crawled across the floor in front of me.
Fully alive, fully mobile, as nonchalant as a hermit crab can be, he sauntered in front of me.
I'm glad he's back, glad I didn't kill him, and glad for a second chance at being a good hermit crab owner.
It makes a pretty funny story to tell, too.
Monday, May 5, 2008
The Green Mile--plus a few rabbit chases
.....Yes, another movie. Again, over three hours long. Very deep. And yes, I had homework to do that night. But it was worth it. Every moment I spend with my buddies here is worth it. I won't be here much longer (graduation: yay!).
....This movie was very intense. Ask my skittles. I got up and ran out of the room more than once. Yeah, well, I'm kinda a baby when it comes to scary movies. Its not so much the prevalence of death. Its the drama associated with it, the way they emphasized it and made me think about it. Troy was the first R rated movie I'd ever finished (I started to watch "the Reaping" with my skittles last fall, but I fell asleep after about the first ten minutes. Mostly all I remember about it is this image of a girl in the dark and screaming), and this was the second. It probably wasn't the best initiation into the world of graphic violence. I don't like electrocution.
.....But I loved the story. It was refreshing to see something obviously fantastical handled in such a serious manner. I love fantasy, magic, "miracle" stories. I think they can answer real life's problems a whole lot better than anything factual ever can. There wasn't one moment of doubt from any of the actors in this movie. No slightly shamed grins, no hidden mocking faces. All the characters in this film completely believed John Coffey, and none of them asked for an explanation. That's an important step for an audience to make if they're ever to enjoy a story: belief without explanation. Aparently this was a fairly widely viewed movie. Perhaps America is not as dumb as I thought.
....This movie was very intense. Ask my skittles. I got up and ran out of the room more than once. Yeah, well, I'm kinda a baby when it comes to scary movies. Its not so much the prevalence of death. Its the drama associated with it, the way they emphasized it and made me think about it. Troy was the first R rated movie I'd ever finished (I started to watch "the Reaping" with my skittles last fall, but I fell asleep after about the first ten minutes. Mostly all I remember about it is this image of a girl in the dark and screaming), and this was the second. It probably wasn't the best initiation into the world of graphic violence. I don't like electrocution.
.....But I loved the story. It was refreshing to see something obviously fantastical handled in such a serious manner. I love fantasy, magic, "miracle" stories. I think they can answer real life's problems a whole lot better than anything factual ever can. There wasn't one moment of doubt from any of the actors in this movie. No slightly shamed grins, no hidden mocking faces. All the characters in this film completely believed John Coffey, and none of them asked for an explanation. That's an important step for an audience to make if they're ever to enjoy a story: belief without explanation. Aparently this was a fairly widely viewed movie. Perhaps America is not as dumb as I thought.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Close-up: My Life's Blood
Ok, so, maybe coffee isn't exactly necessary for my survival. It's high on the list, however. (you know, like food/water, shelter, coffee, love, knowledge, ect., ect.)
I'm pretty much in love.
Close-up: the List
The list of all the homework I had to do. Seriously, there are no doodles, rhymes, or half stories. Every line at that page is a homework assignment. There's several check marks on there now. Hopefully this list will be history by Friday night.
Close-up: the CC cd
The cd my coach made our team for Cross Country regionals. A continual source of inspiration. Please note my favorite songs thereon: Almost (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYjSn15WLzU) and Rockstar (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76i6aZgo2io).My Life in a 2-foot-square Mess
I couldn't help but notice how this is the mess represents a million different aspects of my life right now. I'll point out a few that my camera couldn't catch a distance in a moment. Notice for now the scattered cds: inspiration for the first poem I've composed in months. When things get sad, I write. My time here is ending, and its a little sad. See the granola bar wrapper poking out from under a few cds and the pant leg of my jeans falling of my bed? I haven't had time to make food or do laundry, thanks to the pile of textbooks in the lower right corner. I cut off the main mass of them. The textbook in the center is actually from last year. Don't ask me why I suddenly decided it was important to review my knowledge of Raphael. I probably won't be able to answer you.
The bare foot only attests to my poor photography skills.
Dirty Words
Top Ten Reasons I've wanted to Cuss this Week:
1. Lotsa homework, very little time.
2. Unprofessional professionals who deny me the courtesy of telling me they denied my application despite its being the one and only application for the position.
3. Watching my professors stress levels during finals. It never fails to make me wonder: Do I really want this?
4. Filling out paper work and junk.
5. Wondering where I'll be living this summer.
6. Wondering where I'll be working this summer.
7. Lateness. Both at night when I can't sleep and in the morning when I can't get my booty out of bed in time to be on time.
8. The frickin stupid rosebush outside my front door that comes to life at twelve-thirty in the night and scares the bageesus out of me.
9. The fact that I am completely unmotivated to do any of the hoards of homework that's screaming down at me to "DO ME."
10. Stupid movies that make me think too hard about life and love and the everafter.
1. Lotsa homework, very little time.
2. Unprofessional professionals who deny me the courtesy of telling me they denied my application despite its being the one and only application for the position.
3. Watching my professors stress levels during finals. It never fails to make me wonder: Do I really want this?
4. Filling out paper work and junk.
5. Wondering where I'll be living this summer.
6. Wondering where I'll be working this summer.
7. Lateness. Both at night when I can't sleep and in the morning when I can't get my booty out of bed in time to be on time.
8. The frickin stupid rosebush outside my front door that comes to life at twelve-thirty in the night and scares the bageesus out of me.
9. The fact that I am completely unmotivated to do any of the hoards of homework that's screaming down at me to "DO ME."
10. Stupid movies that make me think too hard about life and love and the everafter.
Troy
Me and my skittles watched Troy tonight. I haven't really figured out why this kick with long serious movies has to coincide with the hardest two weeks of my college career. But I'm just thinking to Life, hey, whatever, I'll still get it all done.
I think I really want to watch that movie again. There was a lot there. I still haven't figured out exactly who the protagonist was, but I'm pleased to say I'm fairly certain it fits into the genre of tragedy. Exactly who the hero with the tragic flaw is, I'm not sure. I also couldn't decide which country was the "good guys" and which were the "bad guys." The character that the story seemed to focus on, Achilles, fought for Greece, which would suggest Greece held the good guy status. But then you have to take into consideration Achilles' open despite for their king and his respect for the king of Troy. If we were going to name protagonist by love story, the first instinct would be to say Paris, or, if you will, Troy. But then there is the deeper, more involved relationship between Achilles and Mercedes. Or whatever her name was.
I think that's probably what I liked so well about this movie: its ambiguity is strikingly real to life. Their reasons for war were many and all many layered: their motives mixed and impure. Anger caused one decision, and seconds later respect caused another. Nothing in my life seems clear right now. I don't know anyone who's life seems clear. This movie, like life, was deliciously unclear.
I think I really want to watch that movie again. There was a lot there. I still haven't figured out exactly who the protagonist was, but I'm pleased to say I'm fairly certain it fits into the genre of tragedy. Exactly who the hero with the tragic flaw is, I'm not sure. I also couldn't decide which country was the "good guys" and which were the "bad guys." The character that the story seemed to focus on, Achilles, fought for Greece, which would suggest Greece held the good guy status. But then you have to take into consideration Achilles' open despite for their king and his respect for the king of Troy. If we were going to name protagonist by love story, the first instinct would be to say Paris, or, if you will, Troy. But then there is the deeper, more involved relationship between Achilles and Mercedes. Or whatever her name was.
I think that's probably what I liked so well about this movie: its ambiguity is strikingly real to life. Their reasons for war were many and all many layered: their motives mixed and impure. Anger caused one decision, and seconds later respect caused another. Nothing in my life seems clear right now. I don't know anyone who's life seems clear. This movie, like life, was deliciously unclear.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Titanic
We watched Titanic shortly after Pearl Harbor. I saw a lot of similarities. The love triangle, the danger, the movie length. I think I liked Titanic better. For one thing, it kept my attention throughout. I also liked the addition of an artist as one of the main characters. Art intrigues me. Artists intrigue me, too. They seem to have a truer perspective of the world. I certainly think Jack did.
Another thing I liked about this movie was how the characters grew. All of the characters in Pearl Harbor seemed static. While they were somewhat interesting, static people don't really exist, especially during a war. The characters in Titanic were many-layered, surprising, as real people often are.
Again, the writer could have skipped the steamy car scene. The story would have been just as sweet without it.
However, this one time, I'm going to make a safe call on the scene where he draws her "like one of his French girls." It adds an element of daring to the movie. It shows that Rose is deviating from the life and standards she once held tightly. While this particular deviation was probably not the best choice morally, the deviation on the whole was a step in the right direction. Eventually she rejected her self-centered existence completely. Her escapades with Jack were the first move in this rejection, and therefore understandable, if not excusable. Though it never shows or says it, I expect she picked up a few of her discarded manners when she realized they would not harm her.
Another thing I liked about this movie was how the characters grew. All of the characters in Pearl Harbor seemed static. While they were somewhat interesting, static people don't really exist, especially during a war. The characters in Titanic were many-layered, surprising, as real people often are.
Again, the writer could have skipped the steamy car scene. The story would have been just as sweet without it.
However, this one time, I'm going to make a safe call on the scene where he draws her "like one of his French girls." It adds an element of daring to the movie. It shows that Rose is deviating from the life and standards she once held tightly. While this particular deviation was probably not the best choice morally, the deviation on the whole was a step in the right direction. Eventually she rejected her self-centered existence completely. Her escapades with Jack were the first move in this rejection, and therefore understandable, if not excusable. Though it never shows or says it, I expect she picked up a few of her discarded manners when she realized they would not harm her.
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor: a shocking historical event. Also a very long and ridiculously intriguing movie. Whne it comes to movies that are any deeper than "The Emporer's New Groove," I have the shortest attention on the face of the planet. How well it keeps me focused is my main way to measure a movie's quality. While the story was good, and the action was good, and the dude was hott and the lady was noble, Pearl Harbor did get a little long here and there. I'd give it about a six on the entertainment scale.
The plot itself was pretty sweet. Kinda your classical romance with a war-ish twist on it. I don't think the script-writer would have lost anything story-wise by skipping the parachute hanger scene: slightly intrusive, slightly inappropriate, slightly below my standards. If you have to use sex to tell a love story, its my opinion you're not a very skilled writer. Its too blatant, too physical, and not sincere enough to be completely convincing.
I have to say I liked the end. Wrapped everything up well and yet the story didn't end completely. It was a much better ending then there is in any of the short stories they've been cramming down my throat in my lit classes.
The plot itself was pretty sweet. Kinda your classical romance with a war-ish twist on it. I don't think the script-writer would have lost anything story-wise by skipping the parachute hanger scene: slightly intrusive, slightly inappropriate, slightly below my standards. If you have to use sex to tell a love story, its my opinion you're not a very skilled writer. Its too blatant, too physical, and not sincere enough to be completely convincing.
I have to say I liked the end. Wrapped everything up well and yet the story didn't end completely. It was a much better ending then there is in any of the short stories they've been cramming down my throat in my lit classes.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Batting
One of our boys warming up to bat. I tried to get some pictures of them actually batting, but I couldn't see very well through the umpire.
Random
I've no idea who this is or what they're doing, but I thought it was a pretty good picture for a phone camera. You can even see the ball if you look closely.
Number 13
If I read the stats right (and I would like you to know its very probable I read them wrong), this is our best hitter. This is also at a much more recent game. The most recent one at home, I think.
Warming Up
Butterfinger walking out to catch while the picher warmed up. He didn't play much at first, or at least not when I was watching. Injury or something I think.
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