Well, Happy Halloween everyone! I finally decided to spice up my post with orange text just for the occasion! Anyway, there's a reason I am typing this post, I have some news. I think that this definitely qualifies as something only Sarah would do and will definitely entertain all of you. So here it is: I was suppose to go trick or treating for cash tonight to fundraise some money for Habitat for Humanity. I was suppose to meet them at the South Union doors at 6 PM. So I leave my English class 7 minutes early to ensure that I am not late. I first encounter two girls who are in costume and ask them what group they are from. They were from one of the sororities. I moved on. The only other group I saw consisted of about 4 people. No one was dressed-up, but they were going trick-or-treating. I recognized one of they guys and thought one of the girls looked familiar. So off we went. We took Dante's car (the guy I recognized) and arrived at where we decided to go trick-or-treating. The plastic bags were handed out and we were deciding what we were going to say when the residents realized that we were not kids, but big scary college students. It is at this point that reality hit me. I was not with the Habitat for Humanity group, but with the Mortarboard Senior Honors Society who were trick-or-treating for children's books! The reason why I recognized the guy, Dante is because he is the student government president and was at orientation! Naturally, at this point I am too embarrassed to say anything and I pretend that I belong so that they don't have to turn around and drive me all the way back to campus! Basically though it when ok and I got some candy and a lot of children's books were donated. It really is too bad that I am not a senior or a member of the honors society (at least I don't think I am...just the honors program) because now I can't count that time as volunteer hours. Oh well. So there you go...I have been incredibly goofy once again. Hope you all enjoyed the tale of my misfortune.
Happy Halloween! In honor of the holiday I love so much, I have posted a compilation of scenes from my choice of cotume. If I could have found someone to go as the Phantom, I would have been Christine. Enjoy! Muahahaha!!
Nobody minds having what is too good for them. Source
- My college app essay is finished and will be posted below so you can tell me how hideous it is. Trust me, it is. Really, really bad. - If I will ever manage to finish better than second at any Debate tournament. - What it means when the test you took this morning was longer than the time you slept the night before (which is fully my fault). - If swearing at Student Congress would be worth it in the end. Factors to consider: Kubas, Krinta and Deebs. - The insanity of two more college essays to write. - The Debate case I need to write tomorrow. Pros and cons of searching for evidence tonight. - Whether or not I need to ask about hotel discounts. - The Chemistry, Spanish, Lang and European History homework I still have to do. - What clothes to wear for my senior pictures. - The general insanity of Blong. - Why I am stalling at posting my essay.
For three weeks, several of my friends, all members of the school’s Debate team, pestered me, convincing me to join them for their biannual Student Congress event. The things I knew about Student Congress were minimal: they wanted me to have opinions about things, political things, and they wanted me to speak in front of people, two areas I never claimed expertise. The experience, they swore, would convert me into a Debate member, eager to learn about everything and unafraid to stand up for my beliefs.
I went, albeit grudgingly, determined at the very least to work on my public speaking skills. The Suburban ride to the event, squished between a coach I hardly knew and a friend I now classified as insane, only heightened my anxiety surrounding the occasion. The terms, for example "parliamentary procedure," "affirmative speech," and "Super Congress," flying around the van convinced me that my ignorance would be severely detrimental to my performance.
Paralyzed by my growing feeling of inadequacy, I vowed to watch the first day and only speak on pain of death. Separated into a house without anyone I knew, I made good on my vow and did not speak once. I watched the proceedings take place before my eyes and I was both comforted and disturbed by the outlandish speeches made by many of the participants.
Dinner that night took place at a local restaurant with the rest of the team, and in between the laughs, vague threats of walking home in the twenty below weather and food, I felt, for the first time in years, like I belonged. Overnight an acquaintance became a close friend by offering advice on how to succeed the next day and sharing stories of her first trip with Debate, stories reflecting an anxiety similar to my own.
The second day of my first Student Congress experience differed drastically from the first. Invigorated by the advice from the previous night, I gave four speeches, ousting my innate wallflower tendencies. Although the event certainly did not entirely disintegrate my fear of public speaking, I realized they had converted me. I wanted to speak, to voice my opinions, and I wanted for those opinions to be respectable.
In two short days, my outlook on my senior year of high school changed. A year I dreaded due to the chaos and loneliness I knew to be inherent now possessed at least one bright spot. Debate, with its familiar faces and omniscient presence of the former members, guaranteed one haven from the turmoil and frustration connected with the senior year of high school.
When I recall that cold February morning, one image comes to mind: Two Suburbans billowing smoke and packed to the brim with students and expectations just itching to depart for their next destination. A destination promising new experiences and people and the chance to dispel that exhaust that clouded the way. And when the Suburbans left the parking lot that morning, they did clear away all the exhaust and found the desired objective.
Admittedly, that is the cheesiest ending in the history of the world. I admit it, you admit it; I need to change it. Can someone help me with that please? Any other suggestions, awkward sentences, etc would be appreciated. Thanks!
This is a sad day indeed. Last night, while talking to James, I accidently called Love Fern....LAVERNE!!!!! What has become of me? I figured since he knew, I'd openly admit my defeat before James beats me to it.
*pause for moment of silence*
Ok...now onto more past news. We'll start with my Bio TA first. He is basically very very well built. He calls himself a "strong man" and not a weightlifter. So anyway, he told our lab that he could do all kinds of cool stuff like rip phonebooks, two decks of cards into quarters, license plates, and bend super huge bolts and nails. He actually demonstrated for our class and it was pretty amazing I must admit (usually this type of stuff does not impress me that much...but he was pretty good). So I will include pictures of this. I am now part of the facebook group My TA Can Kick Your TA's Ass. Anyway, this is all leading to a further point. There is a guy here at NDSU that reminds me of James. I guess his name is Robert Henson or something like that, but basically I wanted to know if I'm crazy or if he does look like James (of course they don't look that much alike, but enough so to mention). So here are the promised pictures:
This is "professor" Mike ripping a Fargo phonebook.
Mike ripping the phonebook again.
This is yet another picture of Mike tearing stuff. This time it happens to be a license plate. He wears the gloves because one time he cut his hand up when he didn't. The other picture is of some boys from my bio lab. Can you tell which one I think looks like James?
Ok well if you need a closer picture of the guy who looks like James, I'll post a better picture. I just want initial reactions.
Well Max, it seems that even if I warn you, you read anyway, so you may as well, but consider this a warning. This post will be very girly with the exception of the toothbrush part...
I had a really great day at work yesterday. Overall, I made $1,000 for Hamline, over 6 pledges. 4 of those were on a credit card, which is really good. 4 were increased pledges, so I made an $8 bonus last night, before matching gifts came in. I realize this is probably confusing, so just nod and smile while simultaneously pretending to know that this is a good thing. While this should put me in an extraordinary mood, it doesn't. I've been in an off mood all week. I wouldn't really call it angry or depressed, nor would I necessarily categorize it as all bad. It's had to explain, so I'll just say that my mood has been weird. Now before you all start calling mental health institutions to get me evaluated, let me explain. there have been very high points this week. Monday was good, Tuesday I made a great presentation, and both work and Marian the Librarian cheered me up on Wednesday. I think most of my problem is that all week I have been dwelling on past regrets, which accumulated until I got to work last night. I got a list of people that are repeat givers. These people are usually the ones who love Hamline, and a good majority of them met their spouses at Hamline. This means I listen to countless stories about how people found their happily ever after at Hamline. As sweet as it is, after a few I begin to get sick of it. Happy couples bother me. By my own definition, this means that Sarah and Crystal should bother me, but you don't. Mix all of this together, and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, and you get the ultimate weird mood cookie. A state of perpetual reflection, regret, and confusion, with chunks of happiness and increased feminism (don't ask). I've been listening to Michelle Branch all week. I think I know what needs to happen to clear said mood, it's just something I don't like doing. I hate those types of solutions.
On an entirely non-related note, I've decided that there is a conspiracy in the toothbrush industry. I love the toothbrushes the dentist gives me. The problem is, it wimps out before the next appointment. When I go to the store to buy a new toothbrush, they never have the same kind the dentist gives you. So I pick out a different one. That one lasts me to the next dentist appointment where they give me a new toothbrush. The store brush is not yet ready to be thrown, however. There's not enough room for both in the toothbrush holder, so one has to go. Since I love the dentist brush, it's the store brush, which seems unfair because it still has a couple good brushes in it. Now, if they sold the same toothbrush at the store that they give you in the dentist's office I wouldn't have this problem, but they don't, so I do. I also hate that they're not recyclable. That's a lot of waste for good dental hygiene...
So I have to make this fairly short because I have class in 15 minutes or so. Anyway, I realized that I was going to put a picture on the blog, but I had completely forgotten to. So here it is:
So I realize this is a somewhat dorky picture of me. This was not the point of posting. Very few of you may notice the difference, but I actually got my hair layered (as in my bangs are now not the same length as the rest of my hair). Basically no one noticed and the people who did did not really comment on it. Rianna showed you all her cute haircut and so I thought I should as well. Not as cute...but oh well.
Other than that, I really don't have too much to say. Except that I am planning on going to The Prestige this weekend since it got so many "rave reviews" from fairly critical movie reviewers (Sara and Wanninger). It was either that or Saw III or The Guardian. Hmmmm. I think I've made a good decision.
This, however is my favorite ever Matthew Broderick movie, and my favorite song in the movie. I laugh really hard everytime he pulls out that blankie...lol. Of course, it is not my favorite Nathan Lane movie. That would have to be The Birdcage. I could watch that movie back to back for hours on end. It's just so funny! So yeah. It's about 2 in the afternoon, and I am still in my pajamas. I woke up earlier, but since I didn't have class, decided to stay in my pajamas. I think perhaps I will go get dressed now. OH! but if you have approximately six minutes, go here: http://riannarambles.blogspot.com I started posting there so my family could read, but I posted "Cooking with Feminists" from the Colbert Report over there, and it's frickin hilarious. If you have time, that is.
Okay, Sara has sensed a general dark cloud settling over the lives of her fellow bloggers and has decided to post something lighthearted and sweet to cheer them up. It's cute, it's fun, it's musical, AND she kicks him out at the end. I know this isn't the original, but it's the only clip I could find, so it will have to do.
They remind me of my old pet crickets, chasing each other around their box while he sings. The only main difference is that humans don't lay eggs in dirt mounds. Yet.
Much love. Happy daisy petals and all that. Feel better!
Human nature is so well disposed towards those who are in interesting situations, that a young person, who either marries or dies, is sure of being kindly spoken of. Source
Hey look, it's one year old! Wow, one year, here is not where I thought I'd be, ignoring my homework, wishing the world didn't just hate me and being thrilled I spent last night with Rianna and Crystal, because well, Crystal and I were probably already the best of friends but Rianna and I were just acquaintances really. Although, I do remember the awesome time I had with you and Sarah on the Knowledge Bowl team in tenth grade; Rianna was spokesperson.
And because I think everyone needs something to make you feel better about life: Click here!
See, don't you feel better? I feel better. Oh, and I'm going to Eagan and I'm getting back around one-ish the night before the ACT. I haven't told my parents yet, but I have decided I don't care. I'll do as well as I do; I talked to Pritschet, I'm not going to school on Friday. Horrible, probably. I so don't care. In fact, I've come to such an apathetic standpoint about everything it's kind of scary.
And Peterson can receive e-mails from hotmail, apparently the one teacher in the school who can, and so I totally blew up on that essay. It's nice to know my second one would have been a 90/95. Euro test was ehh... Some of it was okay; other parts weren't. My official goal from now is not to have a life of any kind and just do homework and sleep. Not that that is much different from now, but that's the plan. Lang is okay, thank God; same with Spanish, just a few tests to make up and Chem is all right. Not brilliant but all right. I'm going to talk to Lundgrin tomorrow before we head off to Alexandria about anything I don't get.
Final thoughts... I just don't care about really anything, which is either good or bad. As someone once said, "Life's a bitch, then you die."
I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal. Source
If this post seems bitter; it's not meant that way, honestly. I'm not (too) bitter about what happened today. It's just kind of frustrating.
Today we came home from Florida, which is great. There's only so many days you can lie out on the beach before it becomes very boring, and I had gotten to the point where I had too much free time that I was thinking too much, so I was looking forward to it.
Our plane was to leave Pensacola at 11:20, and we arrived at the Pensacola airport a little before ten. We stood around waiting for my aunt and dad to get back from dropping off the rental cars and then we stood in line getting our tickets from the Delta counter, the carrier we were taking to Atlanta and then we were to move to Northwest in Atlanta and be home around four.
As you can probably tell from my conditional tense use, this was all our theory. In actuality, this is not what happened. Between the twenty minutes it took to check our bags and the fifty minutes it took to get through security in the tiny Pensacola airport my mother, father, sister, brother and I all managed to miss our flight from Pensacola to Atlanta. But wait? Did I not mention my aunt? Yes, in fact, my aunt and grandmother made the flight because my grandmother was traveling in a wheelchair, but unlike every other airport in the world, we could not go through security with my grandmother and were forced to the back of the line where we stood with a very nice couple heading to Philadelphia.
So, my mother is exceptionally angry after this episode, I mean, we watched the plane taxi away from the gate five minutes after we showed up at there. We then had to contact Delta and Northwest to see when we could get into Minneapolis since the first flight out of Pensacola to Atlanta wasn't until 12:50. Well, we set everything up with Delta and we'd be arriving in Minneapolis around 7:30. When we arrived in Atlanta, our original flight had been delayed out of Atlanta so it was still sitting at the gate. We hurried over there hoping they might have kept our seats on the flight, but they hadn't, but we did get my grandmother her carry on which we had been in possession of until that point.
We left Atlanta at 5:55 and had lunch/dinner there, which was very good since I was starving by this point, and arrived in Minneapolis twenty minutes ahead of schedule, but we still had to pick up my grandmother from my aunt's house and then head home, so instead of arriving home around seven like we planned we pulled into my drive at 11:05 and I still have Psychology, Spanish and English to do. It's not that horrible, but I do wish we had arrived earlier so I may have felt some ambition to do my English since I will be heading over to Crystal's some time tomorrow to spend the night there before getting to school early enough to make up the two Psych quizzes I missed and use my pretty SENIOR LOT PARKING PASS!! Yay! Congrats to Kubas, who is also in possession of one. It pretty much makes your week.
So, Wednesday, I went to the Chilli Cookoff at my church, joined the religious equivalent of the "Signaway Club", checked my watch, realized that the night was still young, and drove on over to Lord of Life. They happened to be having a lock in, complete with a pretty nifty Christian Hip-Hop Rapper from Texas, so I spent three hours renewing contacts with a few of my pals from my Lutheran-Youth-Group days. Good times, good times. I then headed home to hide from the five 14-year-old boys who had turned our basement into a Nintendo-shrine. Apparently they had an "Airplane" Marathon, too: four hours of non-stop cracker-jack humor complete with inflatable men and Richard Nixon masks.
Thursday: Three cheers for Girls' Soccer! They completely dominated Elk River (at least, I'm pretty sure it was Elk River) in a 2-1 win for Section Champs. They're going to State! Yay!
Shelty and I camped out at my house among the shriveled ruins of unplugged game-cube cords and a false beard or two. Don't ask; I didn't. Manda hung out with us for awhile and we did pop-bottle experiments in my backyard. Hours of entertainment, right there. When Manda left, Shelty and I recycled the projector the boys had set up and watched Mona Lisa Smile on my living room wall. Good movie. I still don't think Julia Roberts was the person to play the part of Ms. Watson, but it was still a good film. We even watched some of the extras. Question for fellow bloggers out there: compare, contrast; 1953 vs. 2006, how have men and women's roles in society changed? Which society was healthier? Consider physical and social ideals.
Hm. I wonder if I could get a job writing AP questions somewhere. Nix that. I think I'd rather write fortune cookies: "You're going to do something next week that you will regret for the rest of your life," "Trade fortunes with the man in booth 4," "Don't quit your day job."
Friday: We slept in, played Stratego, and went to The Prestige. GREAT movie. Highly suggest it. It follows the stories of two Magicians warring to be "the Greatest," and the "sacrifices" they make and the lengths that they go to to be the best. It comes with several great lines about obsession, science, and magic. 11 points each for script, character, plot, and effects. It's the first movie I've seen in a long time that had a respectable amount of intrigue to the plot... AKA, it was more than a conglomerating of hot camera shots and on-screen pyrotechnics. It had an honest-to-god plot, which is rare in holywood these days (mind you, it is based on a novel, which may explain the existance of a plot, but, hey, who's complaining?). Kudos to Hugh Jackman for especially effective acting. Again, highly recommended. I will warn you, though, it is a darker film, so don't walk into the theatre looking for Hogwarts. It deals with obsession, murder, and science. Dangerous stuff, if you don't know what your looking for. Quote of the film: "man's reach exceeds his imagination."
Again, great film. I must admit, I'm a little exausted on movie watching- I try not to make a habit of it, but when I got home from The Prestige, I found my mom on the couch with a popcorn bowl and comforter. Her thumb was on Play for See Jane Date, so, I went from intrigue to chick-lit-turned-chick-flick, which was, well, fairly disappointing. My consolation prizes for surviving film No. 3? Jailbird and Plato's Republic. Thank you, Mrs. Niemi.
Alright, I'd better go now. While I've been living a thousand other lives on screen and in print, I've come to neglect my own life. In short, Reality is feeling cheated, and I've suddenly remembered the stack of unfinished homework and unfolded clothing that now refuse to be ignored. Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend and are enjoy what we have left of October! Much love,
-Sra
P.S. My dog's birthday is on Monday. She'll be 77 in dog years! P.P.S. I forgot the word of the Thursday last week. So...
tchotchke \CHOCH-kuh\, noun: A trinket; a knickknack.
It was Slavic, before we Americanized it. So sayeth the American Dictionary.
P.P.P.S. I'm not going to bother checking this for grammar and spelling. Have fun.
The reflection of your face is like a postage stamp
No deep meanings here. Anyway, to begin with, today I saw a man and he reminded me of Rianna. No offense Rianna. It wasn't his face, it was actually his clothing (once again, no further insults intended). He was wearing a hoodie that is just like the red Aeropostle one that you own. So I saw him and immediately thought of you! I realize that I have not posted for some time so I decided that I would add to the blog. I really don't have too much to say though. This weekend I don't have to work that much, only from 3-9:30 on Sat. and 1-6 on Sun. Tonight I'm volunteering at the Fargo-Moorhead Community Theater garage sale, so that should be my amusement for tonight along with reading How to Kill a Mockingbird. I have not read this book since 8th grade and now must read it for college and write a paper on it. I'm sure it will be better than the first time I read it. I also have a research paper that is due fairly soon that I don't even have a topic for. Anyone willing to give an interesting idea? It has to be about a social conflict that has been resolved. I have to present both sides of the issue and their points of view and then make a decision as to which side I believe is/was the most correct. So yeah...ideas would be appreciated. Swing dancing this week was wonderful! I got to see Crystal for about half an hour. I also am learning how to be swung around. Ok...so this needs some explaining. Basically the guy picks me up in a cradle-position and then swings me around his left side and behind him. I almost got it right. I fell once, but got up so quickly I guess it looked like a dance move. I need to work on letting go once I'm behind the guy though. Dragging him down is not incredibly appealing to him...go figure! I hope all of my lovely high school friends are enjoying their MEA break, I know that we've had lots of tours here at NDSU because of it. For me it means waiting longer to get food because of all the orientation groups...so grrr... Ok well I really don't have too much more to say. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!
It is 12:03 AM on October 20, 2006, and I, Rianna Kelash, am now officially allowed to switch over to weekend mode! To everyone I have not responded to in the past couple of days, I apologize. I plan on catching up with everyone after 9:00 tomorrow. The last few days have been insane. Starting with Tuesday. I had class pretty much from 9:40 to 5:40. I had some down time, but not nearly enough. I then proceeded to do English homework. I wrote a four page researched argumentative essay. I took a break to watch Gilmore Girls in the middle of writing it, but it pretty much took me all night. Wednesday, I woke up, started a Gov paper, went to class, met up with Jackie, and then went to watch two hours of community court for a class project. on the way back, we hit road construction and ended up lost in St. Paul for about 20 minutes. Bad. We eventually found our way back to Snelling, and from there, if you miss Hamline you're an idiot. It says HAMLINE UNIVERSITY ESTABLISHED 1854 in huge maroon letters from all sides of the campus. I then went to my dorm, peed, grabbed my stuff for study group, and grabbed dinner in the 15 minutes I had between then and work. I called people until 9 and then went to study group. Study group from 9 to 10:30, back in dorm at 10:45ish, and then continue gov paper until midnight. Sleep. Wake up at 8:40, whisper "shit" to self, as self has just realized she's overslept. Rush to get ready, class from 9:40-5:40, work from 6-9:30, back to dorm. Frantically finish two gov papers, post them to teacher, then log onto blog, and scream YES!!! See my distraction? So, now for important stuff. I think I'm beginning to warm up to the idea of Loralie and Chris being together. It all hinges on future episodes. If she really loves him, then it will be perfect, because he is adorable, loves her, and they have a great personality match. Plus also, this episode they bailed Emily Gilmore out of jail. They now share that bond. I see Rory and Logan drifting apart, however, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Rory is good for him. Keeps him grounded. I'm not sure what he does for her, but he's cute. What more could she ask for? I missed Veronica Mars due to homework obligations. Anyone care to fill me in? SARAH!! My sister said she saw you at Papa Murphey's and you squeezed her so hard she thought she was going to throw up! (That's high praise from her, btw) How was your weekend at home? Speaking of weekends, mine has arrived. My English class is cancelled until after mid term break, so I have Friday and Monday off. Can you say 5 day weekend?!?!?! Laundry's getting done tomorrow!! While that's happenening, I think I'm going to clean up my pigsty of a room. People who drop in think I got a messy roommate... So, the bag of Oreos is gone, in case anybody cares. I majorly stress ate. This weekend is going to be soup and salad. That's it. Other than that, I'm just super pumped that the earliest I have to be anywhere tomorrow is 12:15. YES!
So, I had this entire post ready for everyone and but it's sitting on a different part of the computer which I cannot access from this user, so I'll give you a brief guide as to what's happened over the past few days.
Friday - Oh God, I told Deebs it would probably be funny in a few days and when I'm not blindingly mad at my stupidity, it is. Basically, I forgot my Student Congress bills at home due to a faulty printer and me attempting to attach a document at twelve fifteen at night. Therefore, right after first hour, I realized this and had to run home to get said bills because we were leaving for Duluth at ten thirty. There were a lot of other little things that happened on Friday to just make it awful, but that was by far the worst. Although, since Deebs got me out of second hour and saved my ass, he is my hero. Oh, and I am now a proud owner of a Senior Lot Parking Pass; Shirley also managed to make my day.
Saturday - Pretty uneventful. We left by seven and were in Florida by four, however the forty five minute wait to get cars from the car rental place was relatively annoying, even if that was slightly offset by the cool convertible we got instead of the Taurus because they had run out of them.
Sunday - It was beautiful; I spent the whole day on the beach tanning and then we went out for dinner. So basically did nothing and became tan. Awesome.
Monday - Sat inside and read because it was cloudy and rainy and really, really windy. We also went to Barnes and Noble but they actually expect you to pay for internet access and that so wasn't happening.
Today - The weather is a lot like it was yesterday but it's supposed to clear up later and then be pretty nice for the rest of the week. So yay! I also need to finish my Psychology paper sometime today so I can attempt to send it off to Peterson, but that's okay if it gets there tomorrow or something.
Sara if you see this before you get my message tell Pritsch and Deebs I'll go on Tuesday. I can't wait to get home and see some of you this weekend. Otherwise, have a short week and I'll talk to you all soon!
and I bought two oranges. and now, I have eaten them both. next time, must remember to buy more.
ok. that was my randomness. and this is me putting off my homework. I'm not going to be in bed until like two, and that's perfectly ok right now. it'll suck tomorrow, but that's a long time from now. so yeah. I'm leaving campus at 12:30ish on Thursday (only 60 hours from now! Hee! [and yes, I really am that pitiful]) so I should be home around three. then four days of doing nothing but relaxing. oh yeah, and going to Rent, and going to church on Sunday morning, and spending half of Monday at school... hmm... I need to re-think this "relaxing" thing and what exactly that entails. *shrug* oh well. oh. and the blog will have existed for one year on Monday. :D it started with the rantings of Kara, then I joined, then we got bored and invited the rest of the Criminal Masterminds along, too. (though I'm pretty sure that Kara, Tay and I are the originals... they were later additions. we love you anyways. *hugs*) a year is a long time. at this time last year, I was still confused as hell in AP Lang, still amused by the fact that I spent waaaay too much time in the band room, just getting to know the Squashes, living with my German, and being afraid of the solo I had at the first concert. Now, I'm sitting in my dorm, putting off my unholy amount of homework, confused as hell by my Inquiry Seminar, not getting nearly enough sleep, and impatiently waiting for Thursday to come. I think it's funny how when I was in high school, all I wanted was to get to college, to get on with life. and now, I find myself frequently wishing I could do last year again... like a "senior year part two." hmmm... oddness.
Okay, this isn't the best they've done it, however, it's the best I could find (acutally, this version sucks, but whatever). Just for you, Crystal. This goes after Kara's oh-so-ironic (yet absolutely hilarious) speech. Oh yeah, and this would be 3 posts in 2 days. Count it!
It's time for another edition of Things Rianna Likes/Dislikes. Lets start with things I don't like so we can end on a happy note. Things that irk me: 1. Having to walk down wind from a smoker. No matter where you go, left, right, straight, the smoke is still there! Unless you pass them (And at my current walking ability, I cannot summon the MHP to do so) you must breathe in their second hand smoke until someone turns to walk a different direction. Grrr... 2. Trying to summon group members to discuss a project, then failing. There are only 3 of us in my group for FYSem. It should be easy enough to get us together to put together an outline for our presentation, right? WRONG! I can't get ahold of either, and the outline is due tomorrow. Huh. That could be interesting. 3. Having to put on shoes to use the bathroom. This is just annoying. Walking to the bathroom isn't that bad, it's just annoying trying to find two matching shoes to put on to go there. 4. Virus Protection. What good is virus protection for your e-mail if it quarantines absolutely everything? Even mail from other campus e-mails gets quarantined, and the e-mail that your mail has been quarantined doesn't come until 12 hours after the e-mail has been sent. so why is this effective? I could just as easily not open everything that gets sent to me. It would basically do the same thing. 5. Laundry. Just the fact that it has to be done. It seems lately that everytime I have the time to do my laundry, someone else is using the machines. Unfortunately, if I don't get my laundry done today, or at the very least one load, I'm going to have to buy new underwear. the second option is looking pretty tempting...
Things I love: 1. Teachers who think I'm brilliant. Lets face it, I suck at writing. I'm no where near the level of the people I was in class with in High School, and when I think I'm on to something, I'm not. My English teacher here, however, seems to think I'm brilliant. We're writing papers, and my outline was due today. I had a structure question, and so I showed her my outline to see what she thought. She thought it was amazing, and after I got the answer to my question, told me, "After your last paper, I can't wait to read this one!" I'm pretty good at this BS stuff. 2. Ghost Whisperer, which starts at 7:00 on Fridays. So I'm watching it this Friday, and by 7:05, I think to myself, this ghost has issues. Mental issues. By 7:10, I say to myself, "This guy has Autism, and I'm willing to bet he's non verbal." At 7:30, Jennifer Love-Hewitt finally figures this out. I felt like a frickin genius. I called my mom, I was so proud. She was in a car and unable to watch the show, but she humored me and said, "Alright!" when I told her my moment of realization. 3. Three places to eat on campus. I needed to go to the post office today. I'm thinking, "I really don't want to walk all the way to Sorin, then back to my dorm after I go to the past office." Solution? Pick up something to eat at the snack bar right next to the post office. A ceasar salad and a Diet Coke will do nicely for lunch (I know, weird combo, but I REALLY was craving a Coke, and Diet Coke doesn't have corn syrup). 4. Oreos. Too much, in fact. I just bought them, and they are almost a quarter gone already. BAD! That may not seem like a lot, because I bought them Saturday, but keep in mind that I added peanut butter to almost all of them. That's a lot of food. 5. My neighbors. While there may be the occasional creepy habit or annoying sound, my neighbors are great. My RA lives on one side of my, two nice guys on the other, and Mike and Adam live accross the hall. The rest of the floor drops by just to say hi all the time, and going to the bathroom takes at least 10 min. because I'm never alone in there, and the other person always has a question for me. I feel so popular! (let me go with this one, it doesn't happen very often!)
So that's my likes/dislikes list for now. I could have easily made this a top 10 list for both sides, but I don't have the time. Yay for 2 post in 2 days!
thus I'm going to post. Hi guys! how are you? I'm good. still alive. we had our first band concert of the year yesterday. overall, I think it went well. we were a little shaky on Sparkle, but that was to be expected... that song is a lot more difficult than it seems. then this morning we had worship at 10:30 so I didn't get any sleep last night and right now is me putting off my homework.
oh! I bought a coat. like, a real coat. like a $130 coat. it looks very pretty. and it's even fitted. oooooooooooooooooo. and it has those big buttons. they're spiffy. it's amazing. and 100% wool, so it's very warm. I now own two pieces of clothing that cost more than $100. the other? my Christmas ball/prom dress. so I have one practical piece of clothing that costs more than $100. Kara would be so proud. but she's in Florida... she promises to be online Tuesday-ish.
so yeah. mom and dad were up, we went shopping (I bought gloves too, so I can be on the phone outside now. :D) then we went bowling and I got a 517 series. I was proud. :D and I beat my mother for all four games, which was a first for me. :D I win. but I'm gonna go, I have a ton of homework to do. so yes, all, I am still alive. :p
I know a joke isn't funny if you have to explain it, but I refuse to let that one die. Go to Logan's blog and read the comments on his "I'm back...again...for the third time..." post.
Well, let's see. I haven't been doing a whole lot of interesting things lately, to tell you the truth. Thursday was my day of all crappy days. I was sick. I think I may be still getting over the ear infection I had that day. I had a Gov test, which was easy, but still a test. I was stressing over my participatory analysis paper (due thursday) that I still had not attended an event for. I had not known about the reading for my FYSEM, and had to fake about knowing what the two chapters were about. Fortunately, it doesn't take a genious to know poverty is bad. I had and hour and a half for a nap, but unfortunately, I was woken up by a way too cheerful Mike who wanted to introduce me to his new roomate. Great. Let me greet new roomate by looking like crap and breathing my sick germs in his face. Welcome to the neighborhood! I then went to my legal systems class, which was fine, but got out late. That means no time for dinner before I rushed to work Thursday at 6:00. To top it all off, the people I talked to were crabby. 4 hung up on me, I got a grand total of 4 pledges, (I usually get at the very least 5) and talked to two rather unhappy wives of Alumni. What a great way to end my night. I walked back to my dorm, freezing my butt off, and very crabby. As soon as I got back to my dorm, my mom called, and poor her, because I unloaded my entire day on her. Fortunately, after I talked to her, I felt much better, and wasn't as crabby. John Stewart and Stephen Colbert also helped tremendously, so I must give credit where it is due.
But Rianna, you say. That was Thursday. This is Sunday. What happened in between then and now? Well, let me recap my days. Friday, I woke up, went to class, ate lunch, came back to my dorm, and proceeded to do nothing the ENTIRE NIGHT!! Yep, that's right. I watched TV and surfed the internet, until I called Kara and Sarah at 9:15 ish. I felt bad hanging up on Kara while she was still driving, but there is no cell phone reception in the bathroom here, and the trip to the bathroom could not be avoided. Saturday, I did not wake up unitl 9:30. Yes. Then my Aunt Stacy called, and asked if I wanted to hang out in a real house, bake some cookies and run some errands? Heck yes I do! So that's what I did on Saturday, and then I spent the night there. Stacy and Jerry took me out for Greek food today before returning me to my dorm, where I am currently eating oreos and writing this post.
In other news (this will be punny soon) I have gotten rather addicted to the NY Times online. (HA! there it is!) I didn't realize how much I missed actual news until I was doing research for a class project, and came across it. They will e-mail me today's headline stories for free everyday. How cool is that. I know what you all are thinking, "Wow, Rianna's such a dork. She gets so excited about weird crap!" Well, okay, that part is true. But I'll be the most informed dork you know, dammit! So, shortly after I find out that amazig bit of cyber news, I find out that Hamline pays for it to be delivered to my dorm. For free. I love this school! (I know what you're going to say. It's not free because you pay so much in tuition, room and board. Before you say that, however, keep in mind that I got a scholarship. A really nice one, and since it's a Hamline scholarship, technically, they're still paying for it.) So basically, I can read the NY Times whenever I want for free without a subscription. This brings me to another point.
Mark Kennedy is an idiot. One would think a Republican who has been in office already would understand the concept of twisting words. He doesn't. Now, let me tell you why this is bad. He and Amy Klobuchar were on Meet the Press this morning. Amy Klobuchar clobbered him, not by twisting his words, but by knowing how to twist words. If one knows how to twist words, one can un-twist words once they have been twisted. One Amy un-twisted her own words, and started laying into her offensive attack against Mark Kennedy, he had nothing. He just kept repeating the same attacks, over and over again, even after she proved his points wrong. I'm sorry if that made no sense. I can follow my thought process, but I find that not everybody can.
The content of this post, added to the content of Sara's, makes me think this video is in order. Enjoy! Daniel Powter - Bad Day
The Last of the Blogians? Wow, looks like I'm the only one left posting around here! This is weird.
Hello????
*~*~*~*Echo
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Well... in order to keep the spirit of our blog stirring, I just suppose I will have to post another Adventure.
So...For the last two months, I have been planning to take the SAT today: October 14th, 2006.Two days ago- I found out I wasn't.The search started out innocently: I was organizing my papers for the test today, scanning through a pile of papers for a paper that had never been piled in the first place. Being my usual, muddled self, it took me about 20 minutes to realize that it actually was not there. I proceeded to rummaging through every carboard box, inbox, outbox, and shoebox for one Admissions Ticket or another to no avail. I called my mom (then training in Ohio) and between the two of us and her credit card company, we arrived at the harsh realization that I was Not Registered. Somewhere, something had gone terribly wrong.
Now, I'm not one to get THAT caught up in little things. I knew there was a November 4th test coming up, in Brainerd, much less, that could still be easily accessed. Also, I'm plenty fine with my first score, but I wanted to raise my old math score. Unfortunately, I had missed the Late Registration Date by approximately 18 hours. Life is beautiful. In addition, I had made arrangements with my mom and Amanda O. to get a hotel room and drive down the night before. As they said about 128 times in Apollo 13, "Failure [was] not an option."
Being as Student Congress was yesterday, I didn't have very much time to really consider the situation. I'd come across an acception for "Stand-By Testing," so I grabbed the SAT paper form before we left for Duluth and filled it out in the car on the way there. Now, yesterday... Friday the 13th, was absolutely hellish. I'm not superstitious, let me promise you that much, but days like yesterday DO make me wonder. I'll leave the better (or worse) part of that story to Kara, as she had the absolute worst of it, but, either way, it was a bad day. For one, when we got to Duluth, we found out that Student Congress didn't actually go from 2 to 6, but 4 to 8. That dashed our plans of being home by 8 (the approximate time that the pep-band would be free) and switched our return time to 10. Bad for me and Amanda. That meant we wouldn't be getting to St. Cloud until 11 o'clock, which completely defeated the purpose of going down the night before for sleep, anyway.
Student Congress was a pretty good time, speechie, but forgivably speechie. Kara and I passed kept the page busy passing notes for most of the four hours. It took the edge out of those painful, speechie cries of "My grandmother always said," and "you know, this one time my teacher..." The trouble began again, however when we pulled out to go home. We didn't have time for dinner (I'm still sorry about that, Kara!) We had to get back because of the SAT mess I still had to figure out, and Kara had to pack, yet, for Florida, so both of us were in a severe time crunch. The Fates, however, were not yet through with us. Precisely the time we began to leave, the snow began to fall. Actually... the freezing rain began to fall.
We got home closer to 11 than 1o. Through a series of phone calls and a little bit of schedule juggling, the SAT crew managed to get the hotel canceled and a new 5:30 a.m. plan set up, which worked out for the benefit of all, after pep-band was called off. Seriously, though, poor Kara was being cosmically targeted. Again, I'm leaving her story up to her, but, it's a pretty good one. I think the only way we made it home was by talking to Rianna, who was a definite sanity-saver. Speaking of which, Maxwell, you have to check out the link she added, just for you: Create a Boy/Girlfriend from gurl.com. Rianna must share more on that, though (this is my secret way of forcing other people to post).
So... 5 hours of sleep and 1 SAT form later, Amanda and I are on our way to St. Cloud for 4 intense hours of "Mathing and Englishing". By that point, I was beginning to wonder if maybe I would just be better off leaving my scores the way they were and spending those four hours in the park across the street throwing bread crumbs to the geese. Looking back, though, I'm glad I stuck with the test. It was too cold to spend that much time outside, and I didn't have any bread.
The lady at the desk was pretty nice about my runny-inked "Standby Tester" Form. She actually laughed at me- flipped her blond head back and giggled- when I told her I'd had a problem with my Registration. I would have let her laugh for hours, as long as she let me in. She did, so I laughed with her. Later on, when she read off the bubble instructions for "Standby Testers" she winked at me. I've never met a winking, giggling proctor, but she was an anomaly of sorts.
Afterwards, Amanda and I did get to spend a few minutes in the park, but, like I said, we didn't have any bread and I wasn't about to feed any unsuspecting geese my peanut M&M's, so we headed off to feed ourselves at Olive Garden. Pasta is an SAT tradition in my family, as of... well, last April. (We momentarily adopted Amanda just so we could feed her pasta. It was good pasta, too.)
The cosmos repaid all recompense for the frozen-late-night-flames of Friday the 13th by sending us to B&N for a few hours. According to another family tradition, Manda, Mom and I parked ourselves in overstuffed chairs to guzzle books and coffee for a few hours. I've picked up an odd custom of my own at that store. I've started a long-distance relationship with a certain book of short stories by a certain cigarette addicted cynic of the Political Science Fiction realm. I've always read books too quickly, so I never feel like I get to spend enough time with them. Short Story Collections are terrible for that sort of thing, because, say, if you read five stories in a day, not even reading that quickly, the chance that you'll remember even half of them by the end of the week is Hollywood thin. I didn't want to forget anything about Welcome to the Monkey House, so I elected not to buy it until I'd finished reading it. Every time I go to Barnes and Noble, I read another short story. Good stuff, let me tell you. It's a strange way to go about reading, but, hey, it keeps things interesting.
That's about all I have to say. I'm just taking up space now. I'll leave you all with a fairly amazing Fox-trot comic, because, after all, this is the Criminal Masterminds' Blog, and we are destined to rule the world.
Song for St. Cecilia's Day, oh, yeah, and Debate-Updates
Today: Debate Meet. It's going to be a fun year. The novi kicked butt and everyone gave an honest shot to it. Sarah, Rianna, whoever... Luke Berle and his little "bombastic" friend were there- they got first, but we didn't debate them. Next time, though, Kara and I will SO take them down. Along with the little grey DGF girls. (Not the unhealthily skinny one with big eyes, but the Kursten (sp?) and smooth-haired girl who used to be partnered with the unhealthily skinny, big eyed girl. Does anybody have any clue what I just said? Because I don't...). They beat us this time, but it won't happen again! Muahaha.... Kubas [0]<--- I bow. Kara... [0]<--- you get one, too. Today was Kara and my first meet together EVER, and worked very well together, I must say. We were both on track with each other's thoughts and arguments; even on the case where there WERE no thoughts or arguments.
Alright, story must be told:
Our second round today was against these two boys from Grand Rapids who didn't have a case. Well... they had a case, but it had no actually evidence, just about 50 single, unsupported sentences, hanging in the air. My favorite one was that immigration laws must be enforced so that senior citizens don't order drugs from Canada. (?!?!?!) My second favorite one was that immigration is bad for our country and should therefor be stopped. All of it. No more immigration from anywhere, because we don't owe the world ANYTHING.
It would have been much more fun had they held up any points, but... they didn't... It was honestly the strangest round I've ever been in. Every time they got up to speak, they kept reading off the of the same three pages of paper, continuing where the other one left off, adding new points and never backing up their own. Even for the Final Focus. The one point that we kind of, sort of, at-Mars-distance struck on was that immigrants harm/help the economy. So, we took it and ran with it. The whole thing was really... bizarre. For the first rebuttal, I got up and asked one of them "So, you have no evidence supporting your points? For all we know, you and your partner could honestly have made up every one of those points?" And he said Yes. To both questions. He was the one I felt bad for, because it was his first meet... but his partner was the one directing him and apparently this is his second or third year. It was bizarre. Absolutely bizarre.
On a less debatey note: IT'S THURSDAY!
I realized that I also missed the Word of the Thursday last Thursday, so I am going to do two words again. Both of which will be entirely life-inspiring. Ready?
perorate: to conclude or sum up a long discourse; also, to speak at length
English is such a nice language. Now... if only we could just stop with our American Supremacy and let other people speak their OWN languages, it would be perfect. Then again, Americans don't speak English. We speak American. On that point, and because it is Thursday, here is very suiting poem by W.H. Auden. It also happens to be the opening quote for M.T. Anderson's Feed. (Sorry, Sarah!)
O dear white children casual as birds Playing among the ruined languages, So small beside their large confusing words, So gay against the greater silences Of dreadful things you did...
Yes. That quote is a requiem mass for the American language. Okay, I'm going to go catch up on homework and finish writing my student congress bills. Take care, all! Much love! Hope you are all doing well! -Sra
Tonight was my youth group's "Wednesday Night Fever" Disco Dance party. Basically, a few of us went and took disco lessons with the elementary schoolers at our church. It was actually really cute. There was one little girl there, Jennifer, who's probably in first grade, and she was just mad (happy mad, enthusiastic) about doing the robot. Everybody even dressed up with gold chains, leaguer suits, fro-wigs, and sunglasses. My dad was reminiscing on the Anti-Disco Movement and came up with an old favorite song of his. Check this puppy out:
Oh, speaking of links, I added a link for us for Kitten Wars, because, well, admit it. It's addicting. I figured I would spread the love. Shelty's got a link to Virtual Bubble Wrap on her blog. You should all go look at that. Both her blog and her Bubble Wrap. (Sorry, Shel, had to do some promotional work for you.)
I can't think of much else to say. I would upload pictures from the Disco night, but who know where our USB cables have wandered off to (and, given the unnaturally high state of entropy in this household, the possibility of them actually sprouting feet and wandering off is very real.)
That's about all I have to say. Take care everybody! Much love and general happiness to you,
-Sara
P.S. Sarah!!!! I was sitting at Mickey's yesterday when your song came on! (No, not the Rocky theme song, you're other song). So... for you....
DISCLAIMER: Max, if you are about to read this, let me just stop you right now. This post conatins discussion about boys and "girly" shows, so you will probably be bored by its content. As a less polite gesture, let me point out that you are, in fact, reading a blog about daily life where the contributers happen to be 5 girls in their late teens. What the hell did you expect?
Let me start out by saying, guess what I'm eating right now Kara! Yep, that's right, a Strawberry Pop-Tart. I stopped at the C store on the way back from lunch solely to see if they had them, and they do. And it's all because of Gilmore Girls that I even had that stupid craving to beign with. Speaking of which, does somebody want to tell me why she called Chris? THAT'S NOT RIGHT!!! STUPID LORALIE! Somebody ought to tell her that Luke is the one for her, and eventually he will get over the whole she slept with Chris thing, but not quite as fast or as willingly if she starts dating Chris. DUH! Geez, TV characters...
Now lets move on to my future husband. I think I've made a decision. After a stunning performance on "The Colbert Report" last night, I decided that Stephen Colbert is truly the right person for me. If you watch the clip, I think you'll see why. Besides, since I started working Thursday nights, Gil and I just don't spend the same amount of time together that we used to, and when we do, it's all work, work, work.
As you can tell, there's not much going on around here. I've done a lot of homework, and it is FREAKIN COLD!! It snowed today. I don't like this one bit. I'm going to call my aunt tonight and see if she wants to go shopping for a hat/mittens/scarf, seeing as I currently have none. So yeah, that's about it. Operation: Facebook Group went off without a hitch, although I have not heard back from two of you about whether or not you like your titles as officers. Interestingly enough, your names are homonyms. I think that narrows it down. I'm going to go take a nap and do some studying before I go to work tonight, so TTFN! Ta Ta For Now!
This is my first attempt at a college application essay. It is gross. It is green. It is oozing shmooze. I am going to call the government about it soon- I think if they dropped copies of it out of planes, they could use it as some sort of nuclear weapon.
Last words: 1.) I love you all dearly! 2.) Yes, it's about Debate. Haha. And I do love Debate. And I do love all of you, dearly. See point 1 for details. 3.) Thank you, Sarah, for being absolutely amazing and for teaching me everything I know and for being so gracious and nice and polite, even when I did get up and actually say the words "Therefore, we urge you to vote con," when we were debating pro. I love you uber dearly. And Rianna... you're prodigy children truly are progidies. 4.) Point of Clarification: The first kids we ever debated were Luke Beryl and his "bombastic" partner. We debated them three times at the same meet. For those of you who know them, keep that in mind if you survive to Paragraph 3ish of my essay. 5.) Forgive me, forgive me, forgive me for patting myself on the back in this ridiculous, stinky essay. There is nothing worse in the world than having to write a pat-yourself-on-the-back-essay. I would rather eat live ants than have to write pat-yourself-on-the-back-essays. I would never talk about myself this way if I wasn't trying to do a sales-bid for my soul and future education to Carleton. I should really be back-patting Sarah and Rianna and Pelkey and Kubas and, God forbid, even Tay, for being so incredible last year and now all of the prodigy children and Kara for being so smart and having such ready speaking skills. You blow me away. 6.) Try not to be too terrified by the poor grammar and complete lack of sentence structure. I was trying to be "creative,"I think.
Okay. Here goes. Oh, and the number for MN's Poison Control Center is 1-800-222-1222 , if you can't make it all the way through the essay.
Welcome to Debate
"I, uh, I, uh, I-I...." I was terrified. The whole thing had been an accident: I had never meant to join the debate team; I was a swimmer. Swimmers didn’t debate. Swimmers didn’t even talk to each other. In fact, the only thing that swimmers did with their mouths was blow bubbles.
"M-my m-my p-partner and I-I..." My friend had invited me to go to debate camp over the summer. He’d told me it would be a "great confidence builder" for me and that it would "help me overcome my fear of public speaking." I wasn’t just afraid of public speaking. I was afraid of speaking in general. When my mother found out about Debate Camp, she was emphatic: an adamant supporter of anything that would help me "come out of my shell." I was too afraid to argue with her. By the time we reached camp, I was on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
"...s-support t-the... r-resolution..." Of course, I hadn’t realized that by attending the Debate Camp, I would be joining the Debate Team. I mustered up the courage to mutter a "n-no way," to the coach, but he obliterated my argument with a cheerful, "you’ll be great!" By then, my friend had decidedly lost interest, quitting the team before the season even began, abandoning me with a scrambled stack of research papers and an invisible case. I felt as if I had been skinned alive.
"Our f-first point..." I don’t know what the coach was thinking when he partnered me with a senior debater and tossed us into a varsity round for my first meet. I’m still surprised I survived that first round. Our opponents were a pair of suit-clad varsity veterans. They had leather brief cases and slicked-back hair. I had a notepad and a sweater vest. My hair was in a ponytail and my glasses were incurably crooked. When they spoke, their words took flight. When I spoke, my words staggered on the ground. I kept speaking though, more afraid of disappointing my debate partner than of looking like a fool. She gave me an encouraging smile, and I forced my sentences into the air. I not only survived that first round; but we won it; along with the following three rounds. My partner and I took second place at that first meet. This gave me a shock of confidence: it was the first time I had been able to over come my fear of speaking, to finally overcome my fear of being judged.
"...and therefore I urge you to vote pro." My newfound confidence diffused from the debate round into the class room. I was not only unafraid to speak, I was eager to speak. Debate gave me a kind of strength and personal power that I had never known existed. I become a powerful, confident human being. My social skills and debating skills grew together. My partner and I tore through the conference; win after win, packing the trophy cases and trouncing our opponents. As a fledgling debater, once strangled by anxiety, I was able to untangle my knotted nerves and soar as one of the leading debaters in our Section. No one was surprised when we took first place at the District National Qualifiers. We’d won ourselves a trip to Texas to debate among the top 200 partner pairs from across America. It was an incredible first year. A team-mate of mine summed everything up best after I qualified for nationals; a social duckling turned swan. "Welcome to Debate."
*Claps hands and laughs* I take the "nerd" OUT of BRAINERD!
Todays title comes from the fabulous Crystal Lee, if you want to know the rest of the story, either ask me or check out my wall on Facebook. I haven't posted in almost a week, do you guys realize that? Not much going on, I guess. I am currently finishing my lunch (yes at 3:40 PM) while writing this blog. Homework trumped lunch, so I had to gett a to-go sandwich from Klas after class. What to say, what to say? Um, I had study group with Jessica and Steve last Wed. night. I have another one tomorrow night, so I will try to get pictures. Speaking of pictures, I got my hair cut, and I have pictures!! Front view:
Or a picture, I guess. Oh well, it shows what it looks like, anyway. This haircut has solved my problem of people telling me I should eat. Everyone tells me "Eat more, you've lost so much weight." I'm not susre how that's physically possible. If everyone knew how much I ate in a day, and how much of it was junk food, they'd bring me in as a scientific experiment. I'm not kidding. So, that's about it for know. I think. I'll write more when I can think of more. Until then, watch this. (Click on "Political Science")
I have coined a new term. I'm sure this is something that many of you have experienced, but I have just named it. It's called "godknowswhen." This is the time at which, after finally completing the obnoxious assignment/project/paper that you put off until the few days before it's due, that you get to go to sleep. I'm really looking forward to godknowswhen. As of this moment, my (not-so) wonderful paper on the philosophies of Fredrich Nietzsche and Salmon Rushdie is at 1,356 words; 444 words short of the minimum word requirement. However, in about an hour, I am meeting Sean and we are going to get dinner at Taco Bell and read each other's drafts, make sure we're actually making logical arguments, then I'll be back here revising until godknowswhen. So, although I am regretting putting off my paper this week, at least I get Taco Bell. :D
Ok. So, this weekend was off to an awfully dull start. I read biology Friday night. On Saturday I volunteered at Yunker Farm for the Party in the Pumpkin Patch. Yunker Farm is a children's museum and all I did was stand around for 2 hours making popcorn. I then went to work, then filled my truck up with gas and went grocery shopping. Sunday I went to church (ok, did I say start, I meant the weekend was mostly dull) and then I went to work. However, on my break I checked my phone messages and found that Aaron had left a voicemail (the guy who invited me swing dancing). He wanted to know if I wanted to go out to dinner with he and Nick. I decided I'd call him back and tell him not unless he wanted to wait to eat until 7:15 or 7:30 PM (when I got off work). He said that would be ok and they ended up waiting for me until 7:50 because all the mangers were going insane getting ready for this inspection we have coming. Anyway, we went to the Hu Hot (?), I don't really remember the name, but it was this Mongolian restaurant. It was really good food and you pick out your meat, noodles, veggies, and sauce and they cook it for you and you watch. After dinner Nick, Aaron, Ryan, and I (did I forget to mention Aaron's roomate Ryan came along?) headed over to Nick's house. This is where the real fun occured. Wow. I exploded stuff! It was awesome! We took dry ice (don't ask where Nick got it from) and put it in 2 liter plastic pop bottles and added water, your basic pressure bomb. We headed home after the last one went off and sounded like a gunshot (probably awaking the neighbors since it was later in the evening). All in all it was pretty awesome and I'm happy I've finally had the joy of destroying things! Oh and I have to tell you all to look at Aaron's current Facebook picture because I find it incredibly funny and cute (lets just say it has a bunny). Look under my friends list on Facebook (his last name starts with an F, so it should be toward the beginning of the list).
"Alcatraz is a place." "Can you see it on a map, Brian?" "... No." "Then it doesn't count."
Surprises are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable. Source
I will officially state this for the record: I am sorry that I didn't join Debate last year. It is the only thing I regret throughout all of high school. Why? Because yesterday would have had Rianna and Sarah there along with everyone else and that would have just been awesome.
I was definitely nervous, but it was a combination of nerves and calmness. Pretty much, I figured, if we, Stephanie and I, screwed up big time it wasn't that big of a deal and we'd learn something from it. Good news, however, we didn't screw up big time and we still learned something and Steph got a huge boost in her confidence, and that is probably the best bit of it all.
Stephanie and I finished second out of sixteen teams; apparently the top team was one from Eagan that went to Nationals last year, but we never debated them so I have no idea how good they are. Kubas and Chelsea finished fourth, with Kubas seventh in speaker points and I was third. Jenna and Brian didn't do as well, which was sad; but Pritschet thinks they were both robbed at least one win apiece so that's positive, especially since they were in the JV division.
It was a fun drive there and back, even if Jenna was very loopy on the way back, not that we all weren't to varying degrees, but she was obviously the worst. And you know you aren't with a normal group of people when you can play the Geography game for an hour and a half and not actually run out of things to say, unless you're Brian and Pritschet is deliberately giving you A's just to see how long it takes for you to crack. Three answers I liked: Tel Aviv, Reykavik and the Kara Sea. Pritschet didn't believe that last one, which is why it's always good to travel with a geography teacher to back you up.
Okay, so, it's approximately 1 a.m. and I just got back from my Great Grandma's funeral. Great way to start a post, I know, I know, but I just thought I'd fill y'all in. The whole thing was really... okay, actually. She was 90, she was in fine health until this heart attack just hit her and then she went quickly and peacefully a couple of days afterwards. She got to say her goodbyes, and so did we. Because of that, this weekend officially qualifies as an Adventure (a nice adventure) because we got to visit with cousins and second cousins and great Aunts and people that I know I'm related to but still don't know how and share stories and share cookies and, the whole thing was really alright, and we knew it was alright and that it was going to be alright.
We broke my Uncle out of the State Hospital yesterday after school, and yanked him up to Thief River. THAT was an adventure. He smokes a lot, so even though we wouldn't let him light a cancer stick in the car, we all ended up smelling like ash trays by the time we arrived. Grandma didn't mind so much, she was too distracted feeding everyone pie. I love Northern Minnesota... I mean NORTHERN MINNESOTA because it's still infected with that Norweigan weather-talking-pie-eating-stuff-'em-till-they-can't-walk kind of love that involves, well, a lot of pie and a little bit of lutefisk. We got to listen to stories, then, about Grandparents and Great Grandparents growing up without electricity or telephones or running water. My grandpa always gets a laugh out of the line "we had running water alright... run out back and fetch a pail and you've got your water running!" They grew up in the North Woods Sticks, rural poverty farming area. Both of them were extremely lucky to have both graduated High School. They were both the first to graduate High School out of their families, and my dad was the first to go to college out of the entire Swenson line. Cool stuff. It was a really... neat, to get to hear all of those stories, about them and about Ethel. She wasn't the type of Great Grandma that sat around in Sunday gloves drinking tea. She worked hard for what she had. She drank black coffee from a Ben Franklin's Counter ceramic cup. She was the one that made the cuts and sacrifices that somehow got my Grandmother through High School. She was brave.
Everyone went to bed before Midnight, but us "cousins" stayed up until who knows when watching Simpson reruns. Josh loaned me a Terry Pratchet book called Mort. I don't know if anyone's heard of Terry Pratchet, but I'll say he's worth a definite laugh. Brittish humour... less random than Douglas Adams, but with better sales. In Mort... Death decides to take an apprentice. Good stuff. It's a nice mental break after The Catcher in the Rye. If anyone wants to have a Catcher in the Rye Book Chat, this is the comment box for it. I'm still trying to figure out what the ducks were for. If anything. Did they "symbolize" his brother's death? Leaving for "Winter"? Or was it just another way for Salinger to leave something unresolved, like the rest of life, adolesence, and that damned depressing novel?
Anyway, I suppose I ought to get some sleep sometime tonight.
Crystal... I'm buying you a can of mace for your evening walks. Kara/Kubas/ANYONE.... How Was Debate? Did you guys rule the tourney or what?
Alright, goodnight everyone... er... good morning! Happy weekend!
It's Friday. thank god. I have not done anything produvtive since band got over 4 hours ago. I finally get to relax. Weekends make me more happy than you can possibly imagine. So now I'm sitting here watching Comedy Central and being very glad that I get to sleep until noon tomorrow. :D I'll get to the paper eventually... I swear... *shifty eyes* yeah. that's what tomorrow is for. I'll sleep til noon, go to the concert at 7... (the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra is playing tomorrow night) then go to bed late tomorrow, and go to the play Sunday afternoon to take a break from my homework. so it'll be busy, but mostly fun. I probably won't have time to post next week, so my next post will most likely be next weekend. but until then, yes, I am still alive, and have two care packages coming my way so I have enough to eat. (thanks mom, dad, and Jann :D)
so my mind was going in about 8 million different directions all at the same time, so I decided to go for a walk. this was at 11. I just got home. it's now 11:40. I walked for a while, and then decided it would be nice to lay down on the grass in the middle of campus... it was gorgeous. The security lights gave off just enough light so I could see the trees, but it was still dark enough that the light from the full moon came down where I was laying. it was amazingly calming. not too cold, not too warm. So I laid and listened to "Slide" by the Goo Goo Dolls. of course that song hasn't been on repeat one for the last three days... O.o yeah. I'm odd. oh, and to all of you that are thinking "what an idiot, who goes for walks at 11 on a Friday night?" my response: me. and someday, I promise I'll take someone with me. I swear. So my mind is still going in 8 million directions, but now it's doing so in my dorm room.
Indem er ein Hühnchen über seinem Kopf schwenkt, hofft ein ultra-orthodoxer Jude in Jerusalem auf Läuterung. ▪ Zurück zum Artikel
So... my dad and I have a bet going on about what this picture actually is of.
He says its an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Chicken-tossing contest.
I say he's an Ultra-Orthodox Jew offering the chicken to God.
We both think that he is speculating the question of which came first, the chicken or the egg.
Neither of us speak German and neither of us is feeling particularly politically correct today, but we both recognized the words "Ultra-Orthodoxer Jude".
I told him I could post this on the blog and we'd have some sort of translation in at least half an hour because so many of you are Germanophiles.
We've even come up with a prize: Whoever answers first wins a chicken egg.
So, I miss "talking" to you all. Coming to this conclusion I will discuss my life (no matter how dull it may be). I went swing dancing again this week. So much fun! Crystal, I know you don't swing dance, but you should come! Seriously! You have rhythm because you play the clarinet (and therefore some coordination as well...come on you were in marching band and were actually good). I say you give it a try and accompany Karla and her friends to the Avalon one of these Tuesday nights! Ok...enough of that. Here is a funny story (yet not unusual for me). Aaron and I just got back from swing dancing and I'm walking back to my dorm. I approach the door where a group of students are standing around talking and smoking. That's cool...So I go to open the first door and think, "this is a bit unusual, the door seem more 'open.'" Well, it is at this point (at least not by the time I tried to swipe my student ID card) that I realize I am trying to enter the wrong dormitory! Oh my gosh. So I state out loud, "Where am I going?" and proceed to the dorm right next to the one I just tried to enter. The group outside the door was left snickering. Yes, I truly amuse everyone. If you want any more embarrassing Sarah-got-disoriented stories, I have a plethora. On a happier note, I had a scone this morning. It was delicious. I'm seriously coming to love those things. The cranberry ones here are as good as if not better than the ones at Caribou and the lemon-cinnamon one I had this morning...delicious! Seattle's Best is where I get them from if anyone was wondering. I suggest trying it out (unless you live close to a Caribou, then I'd just go there, but as it is I'm limited in my choices). Ok well that's enough babbling. Now you know what I've been doing...getting lost and eating scones. Oh...and I'm going to the tri-college jazz combo tonight at 7:30 PM, are you playing in that Crystal, or do they not allow clarinets to play? Probably not. But are you going?
Since it's been a while since my last post, I will begin with a funny story. So I went to work on Monday. I'm calling people, listening to many, many answering machines, and I finally get ahold of a real person. I begin talking to him, and I ask him how long it's been since he was on campus. He replies, "Oh, about three days." Now, understand, that most people I ask that question tell me they haven't been back since they graduated, so I am thrilled. I have something to talk with this guy about. "What brought you back?" I ask. "Well, I went to have dinner with the Theta Chis. I was a member back when I was a student, so I employ three or four of them at my Insurance agency, you know, stuffing envelopes and such." "Well that's very nice of you," I say, mildly sucking up. "That has to be great experience in the working world. I think it was the Theta Chis that helped me move into my room on move in day." Laughter. "Hun," he says, "I invented that move 18 years ago. Which dorm do you live in?" Osborne, 4th floor I reply. "Well then you have got to be pretty damn good looking, because that's the only way they made more than one trip up those stairs." HAHAHA!! Joke's on him. Now, while I've nevered considered myself to be heinous, I don't consider myself, "damn good looking" either. So that's my funny story. I'm sorry Max, I know this was about boys and probably left you bored out of your mind. In other news, it's been sunny here, and that makes me extremely happy. I hate it when it rains constantly and it feels like the temperature is -40. That makes me sad. But it's not, so no use depressing myself! I finally cleaned my dorm room, geez, it was getting bad. I wouldn't even prop my door open to circulate air for fear that someone might see the condition of my room. I felt especially bad when I walked into the bathroom today to take a shower, and the cleaning lady was in there. She speaks very little English, but she's super nice. I'm thinking, "Oh, I'll just come back later." She, however, thought differently, saying very proudly, "Yes. Go shower. Clean!" It was too, and then I had to go back to my messy room. English sucks. Here and now, anyway. We're reading "Nickle and Dimed," and while I understand the importance of knowing what's going on in society, I don't see what 4weeks of studying depressing writings about the lower class has to do with English. I have yet to hear a discussion in that class about the rhetorical strategies used to convey the author's point. I have yet to write a paper on something that applies to anything. We read an article, then talk about it. I do understand that the articles are written in English, so that does, in fact, fall under the title "English Class," but would it be too much to ask to look at a different subject, even? I wouldn't mind children dying in Nigeria, the threat of nuclear war, or even the oppresivness of dictator-style goverenments. Just anything but the lower class in America. I think I'm done ranting now. Lets move on to a subject that should be of concern to everyone: My Hair. (Sorry Max) I opened my future hairstyle choices up to discussion a few days ago or so, and have come back to refine the question. I've had hair of all one length, or with long layers, since 9th grade. I'm looking to get a way from that a bit. I liked Kara's idea of a short, layered bob. I also like my sister's idea, which is her hair last year. Sarah, I think you saw it. Remember when I told you she got a perm and you cringed, but then it turned out really cute? That's what I'm thinking about, problem being her hair was permed, mine is naturally curly. I'm open to any and all suggestions. I think I've written quite enough. Instead of a random Colbert quote, I think I will leave you with two links to click on. This (boy they're nutcases) and this (Sarah especially should watch it, you only have to watch until the cat dancing part. Just click on the link that says, "10 F**king years: Animals.) .
Business, you know, may bring you money, but friendship hardly ever does. Source
In an attempt to improve the quality of this blog; I have taken Max up on his challenge and have written Page 162 of my memoir. This is also partly because this is kind of like writing a short story snippet for a college essay.
Truth in Every Grape: My Life as a Wine Baroness
skeptical that claim will come to fruition.”
He sat across the table, self possessed and smiling at what he saw as my eminent defeat. After all, what did I know about his company? I was just the cocky up start kid, who through a series of accidents had landed in his lap. No proof existed I could deliver what I promised.
It was the smug grin on his California-tanned face that riled me into proclaiming, “Give me three weeks and I’ll figure out your distribution problem and have a way to fix it.” It was most likely the stupidest thing I could have said at the time, what with the woman who hired me sitting next to my new employer. She had promised I wouldn’t do or say anything that would reflect negatively on his company, and here I was risking it all because his insufferable grin had gotten under my skin.
The strangest look registered in his eyes for a brief moment before he raised his glass of chardonnay, from the finest vineyard in Napa Valley valued around two hundred dollars a bottle, his wine. “To the success of your plan,” he toasted, only a trace of mockery threading its way through his voice.
I raised my glass in response before taking a slight sip of the sand paper dry wine; unfamiliar in the ways of fine wines, I nearly choked over the dusty wine in my throat. I recovered only after I drank a significant portion of my water. When my eyes returned to his, the slight crinkling around his eyes confirmed my fears: I was simply figurehead he could places on all his stationary.
Whether the decision was conscious or not, I will never know, but I do know that it was over dinner that night the nature of our relationship and my relationship with the company changed. No longer would I stand for the quiet ridicule; I would work to prove how I earned my position. Even if I had no life as a result.
Thoughts of my fledging plan must have spilled across my face for he inquired with calm indifference what I had been thinking about. In another foolish display of bravado, I said I had been mulling over the ways to fix his delivery issues before deflecting attention away from me and onto the latest political scandal.
Apparently the young president had made a grievous misstep at the previous Wednesday’s summit
Because we didn't get a proper Nietzsche send off, here it is: God is dead. Source
Pros - I don't have class until 11:41 tomorrow, yay! - Until that time I can do all the homework I want and not do any tonight. - I'm missing half of Friday. - I'm debating for the first time on Saturday... maybe I should make a neutral category. - Despite the apathy of the rest of you, Lost starts on Wednesday. - I have this strange desire to actually do my homework.
Cons - I still have to see Peterson tomorrow and I have a quiz. - I'm missing a test in Euro on Friday; I'll probably take that on Thursday sixth hour. - I don't even want to contemplate what time I'm getting up on Saturday to get to school in time. - Our pro case for Debate. - The new resolution; anyone want to interpret that thing? Resolved: That participating in multinational diplomatic efforts is beneficial to U. S. interests. Yeah, I didn't think so. - Having to read my Euro chapter two days before the test.
And introducing our new quote: Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way. Source
So, basically, I spent $26.99 on this t-shirt to support James' biking trip and the children with cancer. I suggest all of you visit cafepress and also purchase one (some are cheaper). I will include pictures to entice you and because James wants to see how they look. So here we go:
Ok. Now I really must stop avoiding the task of typing my English paper. Hope to see more posts on here soon!
Kara, read this article from The Onion. I laughed really hard, then thought to my self, Kara must read this. On a not so related note, I'm getting bored with my hair and want to cut it, but I have no idea what I want. Any ideas?
Hi All! For everyone I saw on Friday: I really enjoyed seeing you all, and I already miss you terribly. For Sarah, who I did not: I love and miss you as well. Just as much, maybe more. I was sooo not ready to come back to college today. Ashley and I left Brainerd on Sunday, and I didn't want to go. I could have stayed for at least another week. I had a great time. Let's see, Friday was the game, so that's pretty self explanatory. Saturday I spent with my parents, we went to Sibley Station, watched the leaves change as we drove there, then cam home to watch a movie and eat ice cream. Sunday, my Mom took me out for coffee at Caribou, where my boss told me they miss me a ton, and would I please quit college and work there again? My Mommy also bought me a new Caribou mug, since I lost the top to mine. It’s a really cool purple mug. We then went for lunch, then Ashley picked me up and we came here. Now for the interesting part: I took the Belief-o-Matic quiz you told me about, Sara. Here are my top 5 results: 1. Liberal Quakers (100%) 2. Unitarian Universalism (90%) 3. Reform Judaism (89%) 4. Neo-Pagan (88%) 5. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (81%) Huh. No wonder Pastor Darrel and I had issues. Out of all 26, "Moderate to conservative Christian Protestants" (Lutherans) were number 24. Scientology was higher on my list than that. The only 2 religions lower than Lutherans? Jehovah's Witness and Roman Catholic. No offense Sarah, this is apparently how I've always been. Hahahaha this was fun. Now for the random Stephen Colbert quote: PBS guy: "Now I have a question for you, why is it that so many more young people watch your show than ours?" Stephen: "Um, because it's good."
