One thing never changes about going back to school: the first day is all about getting to know your classes and seeing your friends again. (Of course, in college, it's a lot easier to do the latter earlier than the former.)
Of course, classes in college are different than in high school. The only time my class schedule has been the same from one semester to the next was when I was a freshman, and that's only because the freshmen don't have many options when it comes time to register. This semester is the most imbalanced schedule I've had so far; most semesters, I've had one or two classes on one day and two or three on another. This semester, I have three classes (plus choir) on Monday, no class on Tuesday, four classes on Wednesday, choir on Thursday, and two classes on Friday. Needless to say, Wednesdays are not going to be fun. (I've had good Wednesdays before, but the prospect of those happening this semester are rapidly decreasing).
I'm really excited about the semester, though. I'm doing courses in Shakespeare (commence epic fangirling), Greek Historiography (we're reading Xenophon), Uses of the Bible in Literature (which, as an English course, has more emphasis on the literature and less on the Bible part of it) and Basic News Writing (this is the one that's happening on Wednesdays only. It may be the reason that Wednesdays are terrible, but I don't know yet). I'm also doing choir, which is a lot of fun.
Also, here's an update on THINGS WILD CARD IS READING RIGHT NOW.
As some of you may know, there's a very popular YouTube series called The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which follows the story of Pride and Prejudice in the form of video blog posts on YouTube. Well, now it's come full circle, and The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet, the companion novel to the series, is the book I'm currently reading. It's written diary-style; while you could probably understand the book with some decency if you know the basic plot of Pride and Prejudice, it's definitely a lot easier to take out a few hours to watch the series before you read the book. (I realize that this may be the only time I advise someone to watch before reading, but the vlogs came before the book.) You should all go check it out on Amazon. I may do a proper review of it later.
But, for now, it's time to prepare for a lot of academia.
Showing posts with label class. Show all posts
Showing posts with label class. Show all posts
Monday, September 1, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
On King Arthur (again!) - Merlin
Yes, another post about King Arthur! HUZZAH!
I know that this is an easy way to do things because I'm writing similar things for class, but I find it kind of interesting - so I'm writing about Merlin today.
Right, so Merlin. In the three accounts we have read so far - Geoffrey of Monmouth, Thomas Malory, and Lord Alfred Tennyson - Merlin has pretty much been Uther's wingman; his sole purpose seems to be to turn him into Gorlois (and, later, to whisk Arthur off to a humbler upbringing). As far as we've gotten in Arthur's upbringing, that's Merlin's only relationship to Arthur.
Then we get to T. H. White's The Once and Future King. If any of you have ever seen Disney's The Sword in the Stone, this is the same Merlin that shows up in the book (I'm pretty sure the movie is based on the first third of the book, in fact). The Once and Future King is obviously more of a kid's book than the others - there's no mention of wingmen or sex of any level of consent - and the early pages focus more on Arthur's early life than the other works thus far. (this is probably because, again, it's a kid's book, and probably wants to relate to the target audience and everything). Here, Merlin is Arthur's teacher, mentor, and the resident hooligan of the castle. He's got powerful magic, turning Arthur into a fish and a hawk for various ordeals. Outside of Uther's relationship with Ygerne, this is the first real mention of Merlin's magical abilities.
Merlin, in White's tale, gets a lot more description than in the earlier works; whatever classic Wizard trope you have in your head - that's what Merlin is in this book (also, look up The Sword in the Stone; they do a good job of animating him). Interestingly, this is one of the only descriptions of the wizard we have - or any character, for that matter. It shows a bit of the values for the time - White was writing a narrative story for kids in the 1930s, not a history of kings from a monastery in Wales in the 12th century, as Monmouth was. White spends more time describing interests and places and things - the typical fare that you need to comprehend a novel. Monmouth does the same, but focuses more on the battles than the people. Merlin is more of a presence in T. H. White's novel as well - that could just be because Arthur hasn't properly pulled the sword out of the stone yet; maybe Merlin leaves after that. I don't really know.
The third major thing that White added to Merlin's character is that he ages backwards. As Merlin has only had a few lines of text among all three of the previous authors, it's a lot easier to expand on his character and his hobbies. Here, White uses Merlin's backwards aging as a source for comedy and bringing in time-irrelevant things (Merlin tries to draw his pointed wizard hat from thin air, for example, and goes through several iterations, including a sailor's hat, before he gets it). At the same time, there's so much potential for something darker - but, of course, remembering one's audience is important. (Maybe White might go into that... but... we haven't gotten there yet).
I know that this is an easy way to do things because I'm writing similar things for class, but I find it kind of interesting - so I'm writing about Merlin today.
Right, so Merlin. In the three accounts we have read so far - Geoffrey of Monmouth, Thomas Malory, and Lord Alfred Tennyson - Merlin has pretty much been Uther's wingman; his sole purpose seems to be to turn him into Gorlois (and, later, to whisk Arthur off to a humbler upbringing). As far as we've gotten in Arthur's upbringing, that's Merlin's only relationship to Arthur.
Then we get to T. H. White's The Once and Future King. If any of you have ever seen Disney's The Sword in the Stone, this is the same Merlin that shows up in the book (I'm pretty sure the movie is based on the first third of the book, in fact). The Once and Future King is obviously more of a kid's book than the others - there's no mention of wingmen or sex of any level of consent - and the early pages focus more on Arthur's early life than the other works thus far. (this is probably because, again, it's a kid's book, and probably wants to relate to the target audience and everything). Here, Merlin is Arthur's teacher, mentor, and the resident hooligan of the castle. He's got powerful magic, turning Arthur into a fish and a hawk for various ordeals. Outside of Uther's relationship with Ygerne, this is the first real mention of Merlin's magical abilities.
Merlin, in White's tale, gets a lot more description than in the earlier works; whatever classic Wizard trope you have in your head - that's what Merlin is in this book (also, look up The Sword in the Stone; they do a good job of animating him). Interestingly, this is one of the only descriptions of the wizard we have - or any character, for that matter. It shows a bit of the values for the time - White was writing a narrative story for kids in the 1930s, not a history of kings from a monastery in Wales in the 12th century, as Monmouth was. White spends more time describing interests and places and things - the typical fare that you need to comprehend a novel. Monmouth does the same, but focuses more on the battles than the people. Merlin is more of a presence in T. H. White's novel as well - that could just be because Arthur hasn't properly pulled the sword out of the stone yet; maybe Merlin leaves after that. I don't really know.
The third major thing that White added to Merlin's character is that he ages backwards. As Merlin has only had a few lines of text among all three of the previous authors, it's a lot easier to expand on his character and his hobbies. Here, White uses Merlin's backwards aging as a source for comedy and bringing in time-irrelevant things (Merlin tries to draw his pointed wizard hat from thin air, for example, and goes through several iterations, including a sailor's hat, before he gets it). At the same time, there's so much potential for something darker - but, of course, remembering one's audience is important. (Maybe White might go into that... but... we haven't gotten there yet).
Friday, February 21, 2014
On King Arthur
As some of you may know, I'm doing a course on King Arthur this semester. We've only had three classes - one class last week was cancelled for snow - but it's still very interesting. We're going over the various aspects of the Arthurian myth, starting from Arthur's origin story.
The thing about Arthur's legend is that, well, he's a legend. Someone important named 'Arthur' can be traced back to the Welsh writing during the Saxon invasion of what is now Wales in 410 AD, after the collapse of the Roman empire - and even then, it was a passing reference, as if everyone knew who Arthur was. (He's like Jesus like that... is that bad to say?) Since he's been around for several thousand years, the legend has changed.
Since the part we've focused on in class so far is just Arthur's origin story, that's what I'm focusing on today.
There have been four assigned texts for this portion: Geoffrey of Monmouth's A History of the Kings of Britain, which was finished around 1136 AD and contains accounts of other (also mythical) kings like Cymbeline and Lear; Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur, completed in 1467-70 (Malory, by the way, could have a novel written about his shenanigans, including the fact that he was knighted and then arrested and escaped prison via the moat... and again, with several swords and daggers); Lord Alfred Tennyson's Idylls of the King, written in 1839 to bad reviews and then re-released in 1859; the first 100 pages of The Once and Future King by T. H. White are due on Tuesday.
There only a few things agreed upon in the span of 800 years of myth: Igraine is pretty but married and Uther wants to get it on with her; on the night that her husband, Gorlois, dies in battle (that Uther started... probably), Uther goes in (possibly in the disguise of Gorlois because MAGIC) to bed her. This is the night that Arthur is conceived; a short while later, they get married and Arthur is born. There are some stories that say that Merlin has him whisked off to grow up in a more humble area with a knight.
There are differences in the accounts, however. Geoffrey is more concerned with Arthur's exploits in the battlefield than his origins, so this whole story is the work of a few paragraphs. Igraine is consenting to sleep with Uther, and Gorlois apparently dies while Uther is in the building. When Igraine finds out the truth about who the father of her baby is, she is completely okay with the whole thing and rejoices in her new marriage. She's more of an object than a person here. Merlin is around - he gives Uther 'medicines' to change his face to that of Gorlois (this is a very Christian work, so 'magic' is probably not the best word to use). In Malory's account, she's similar - not only consenting to the match, but outright rejoicing that the baby is Uther's. This is the first time that Merlin is mentioned as taking the baby away afterwards. Also, Merlin seems more magical here - he casts a spell over Uther and several others to make Uther look like Gorlois and himself and one other man to look like Gorlois's companions.
In Tennyson's account, however, Igraine is the most different from the other two. Not only is Uther not disguised, but he goes in after Gorlois is dead and takes Igraine right there. She is CRYING at the wedding and CLEARLY NOT OKAY WITH IT. The other interesting bit of Tennyson's account is that Guinevere is a bit different, too. She's beautiful, sure, but Tennyson's account really highlights that the relationship between Guinevere and Arthur: when they first get the chance to see each other, Arthur isn't wearing anything to distinguish himself as a king, so she barely notices him and he thinks she's the most attractive person that he's ever laid eyes on. This sets up the interesting relationship between the two - it's the first time that you see the one-sidedness of it. Also, Tennyson includes two life lessons that we now know NEVER TO DO if we find ourselves in a work of fiction: first, Arthur sends his wingman LANCELOT to go get Guinevere from her palace on their wedding day; second, Arthur says to Guinevere at their wedding, "Behold, thy doom is mine... I love thee to the death." words such as these have been said by John Grady Cole in Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy; Romeo probably said it to Juliet. Basically, the words "I WILL DIE FOR YOU" (or, you know, "I will love thee to death and doom and blah blah blah" or something) will be immediately noted by Fate and used for further reference.
That's all I have for now. Farewell.
The thing about Arthur's legend is that, well, he's a legend. Someone important named 'Arthur' can be traced back to the Welsh writing during the Saxon invasion of what is now Wales in 410 AD, after the collapse of the Roman empire - and even then, it was a passing reference, as if everyone knew who Arthur was. (He's like Jesus like that... is that bad to say?) Since he's been around for several thousand years, the legend has changed.
Since the part we've focused on in class so far is just Arthur's origin story, that's what I'm focusing on today.
There have been four assigned texts for this portion: Geoffrey of Monmouth's A History of the Kings of Britain, which was finished around 1136 AD and contains accounts of other (also mythical) kings like Cymbeline and Lear; Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur, completed in 1467-70 (Malory, by the way, could have a novel written about his shenanigans, including the fact that he was knighted and then arrested and escaped prison via the moat... and again, with several swords and daggers); Lord Alfred Tennyson's Idylls of the King, written in 1839 to bad reviews and then re-released in 1859; the first 100 pages of The Once and Future King by T. H. White are due on Tuesday.
There only a few things agreed upon in the span of 800 years of myth: Igraine is pretty but married and Uther wants to get it on with her; on the night that her husband, Gorlois, dies in battle (that Uther started... probably), Uther goes in (possibly in the disguise of Gorlois because MAGIC) to bed her. This is the night that Arthur is conceived; a short while later, they get married and Arthur is born. There are some stories that say that Merlin has him whisked off to grow up in a more humble area with a knight.
There are differences in the accounts, however. Geoffrey is more concerned with Arthur's exploits in the battlefield than his origins, so this whole story is the work of a few paragraphs. Igraine is consenting to sleep with Uther, and Gorlois apparently dies while Uther is in the building. When Igraine finds out the truth about who the father of her baby is, she is completely okay with the whole thing and rejoices in her new marriage. She's more of an object than a person here. Merlin is around - he gives Uther 'medicines' to change his face to that of Gorlois (this is a very Christian work, so 'magic' is probably not the best word to use). In Malory's account, she's similar - not only consenting to the match, but outright rejoicing that the baby is Uther's. This is the first time that Merlin is mentioned as taking the baby away afterwards. Also, Merlin seems more magical here - he casts a spell over Uther and several others to make Uther look like Gorlois and himself and one other man to look like Gorlois's companions.
In Tennyson's account, however, Igraine is the most different from the other two. Not only is Uther not disguised, but he goes in after Gorlois is dead and takes Igraine right there. She is CRYING at the wedding and CLEARLY NOT OKAY WITH IT. The other interesting bit of Tennyson's account is that Guinevere is a bit different, too. She's beautiful, sure, but Tennyson's account really highlights that the relationship between Guinevere and Arthur: when they first get the chance to see each other, Arthur isn't wearing anything to distinguish himself as a king, so she barely notices him and he thinks she's the most attractive person that he's ever laid eyes on. This sets up the interesting relationship between the two - it's the first time that you see the one-sidedness of it. Also, Tennyson includes two life lessons that we now know NEVER TO DO if we find ourselves in a work of fiction: first, Arthur sends his wingman LANCELOT to go get Guinevere from her palace on their wedding day; second, Arthur says to Guinevere at their wedding, "Behold, thy doom is mine... I love thee to the death." words such as these have been said by John Grady Cole in Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy; Romeo probably said it to Juliet. Basically, the words "I WILL DIE FOR YOU" (or, you know, "I will love thee to death and doom and blah blah blah" or something) will be immediately noted by Fate and used for further reference.
That's all I have for now. Farewell.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Spring Semester
Today is our first day of spring semester, and it has been interesting. I've only had two classes today, which is nice, but I'm not looking forward to having an 8:00 AM class every single day. Well, I might. My history professor seems cool enough, so I might be looking forward to his class. The other class I had today was the Greek Epic - in other words, Homer. This is going to be a challenge and a half.
I'm definitely not looking forward to his 18-page final paper, though. The last time I had a long paper, it was 10-15 pages for an honors class last semester, and I had 12 pages counting the bibliography (with a large-ish 12-point font... IT'S IN THE PAGE RANGE, OKAY). This, on the other hand, is a History 101 course. I understand that the 101 portion is designed to help the students with their writing, but I'm not sure if I can come up with 18 pages about the sexual revolution and/ or the LGBTQ+ movement in the 1960s. Those are topics I like, but still - Masau'u and other factors of Puebloan death mythology and their influence on Blood Meridian and its character of the Judge was also an interesting topic for me, but I could still only come up with eleven double-spaced pages on the topic. To be fair, there is probably more up-to-date literature about the sexual revolution and/ or the LGBTQ+ movement in the 1960s... and I can probably read it all the way through... (I didn't even finish Blood Meridian. Does that make me a bad Honors student?)
Anyhow, the other class I had today was The Greek Epic - we're translating The Odyssey from its original Greek. Greek is my fun-challenge course (except for the verbs), but apparently Homer is one of the more difficult writers to translate, especially coming from intermediate Greek that focused mainly on the Attic dialect. The reason for this will take a bit of explaining.
So, basically, there are a few major dialects of Greek - Ionic and Aeolic are two of them. I'm not sure where Ionic was dominantly spoken - I assume that it was more on the mainland of what we now call Greece, because Attic (from Athens) is a sub-dialect of that. Aeolic is more from the coast of what we call Turkey; it is, strictly speaking, the same language, but there are several differences in the rules for syntax and verbs. In The Odyssey, the Ionic and Aeolic styles are all jumbled up into lines that fit the meter. Since we're not actually sure who wrote the work down, it's easy to think that certain books of The Odyssey could be more dominantly Ionic and others could tend towards Aeolic - but it's not like that at all. Ionic rules and Aeolic rules are mish-mashed together into something that fits the meter. That's going to be a royal pain in the butt for me, because I've only recently gotten the hang of all the Attic verb indicators - the letters that indicate that a verb is imperfect or perfect or aorist - and now I'm reading Homer, who doesn't actually use any of those. Well, maybe I shouldn't throw away my Greek notes and textbooks yet - I might need them.
Tomorrow I have two honors classes (one involves yarn and one involves King Arthur, so that should be fun) and Journalism, which should not be fun because its textbook is expensive.
Anyway, I'll write again on Friday.
I'm definitely not looking forward to his 18-page final paper, though. The last time I had a long paper, it was 10-15 pages for an honors class last semester, and I had 12 pages counting the bibliography (with a large-ish 12-point font... IT'S IN THE PAGE RANGE, OKAY). This, on the other hand, is a History 101 course. I understand that the 101 portion is designed to help the students with their writing, but I'm not sure if I can come up with 18 pages about the sexual revolution and/ or the LGBTQ+ movement in the 1960s. Those are topics I like, but still - Masau'u and other factors of Puebloan death mythology and their influence on Blood Meridian and its character of the Judge was also an interesting topic for me, but I could still only come up with eleven double-spaced pages on the topic. To be fair, there is probably more up-to-date literature about the sexual revolution and/ or the LGBTQ+ movement in the 1960s... and I can probably read it all the way through... (I didn't even finish Blood Meridian. Does that make me a bad Honors student?)
Anyhow, the other class I had today was The Greek Epic - we're translating The Odyssey from its original Greek. Greek is my fun-challenge course (except for the verbs), but apparently Homer is one of the more difficult writers to translate, especially coming from intermediate Greek that focused mainly on the Attic dialect. The reason for this will take a bit of explaining.
So, basically, there are a few major dialects of Greek - Ionic and Aeolic are two of them. I'm not sure where Ionic was dominantly spoken - I assume that it was more on the mainland of what we now call Greece, because Attic (from Athens) is a sub-dialect of that. Aeolic is more from the coast of what we call Turkey; it is, strictly speaking, the same language, but there are several differences in the rules for syntax and verbs. In The Odyssey, the Ionic and Aeolic styles are all jumbled up into lines that fit the meter. Since we're not actually sure who wrote the work down, it's easy to think that certain books of The Odyssey could be more dominantly Ionic and others could tend towards Aeolic - but it's not like that at all. Ionic rules and Aeolic rules are mish-mashed together into something that fits the meter. That's going to be a royal pain in the butt for me, because I've only recently gotten the hang of all the Attic verb indicators - the letters that indicate that a verb is imperfect or perfect or aorist - and now I'm reading Homer, who doesn't actually use any of those. Well, maybe I shouldn't throw away my Greek notes and textbooks yet - I might need them.
Tomorrow I have two honors classes (one involves yarn and one involves King Arthur, so that should be fun) and Journalism, which should not be fun because its textbook is expensive.
Anyway, I'll write again on Friday.
Friday, January 31, 2014
On travel
Firstly, let me apologize that I have started writing this post at 10:30 PM on Friday, but better super-late on Friday than never, right?
Anyway, today's post is going to be a bit about traveling, as you probably guessed from the title.
As you faithful readers know (all two of you), I recently got back from a trip to Greece and Turkey, as part of a travel course. Half of it was choir tour, which was cool, and the other half was Early Christianity, which was also cool. The course was interesting because of the sites we went to; places like Delphi and the Parthenon have been on my bucket list since I was around 12.
Anyway, today's post is going to be a bit about traveling, as you probably guessed from the title.
As you faithful readers know (all two of you), I recently got back from a trip to Greece and Turkey, as part of a travel course. Half of it was choir tour, which was cool, and the other half was Early Christianity, which was also cool. The course was interesting because of the sites we went to; places like Delphi and the Parthenon have been on my bucket list since I was around 12.
(for those of you who want photographic evidence that yes, I was there)
Anyway, while being at the Parthenon was one of my favorite experiences of the trip, I think one of the more valuable experiences I got was how to deal with people. We were a varied group - extroverts, introverts, fraternity guys, sorority gals, fraternity gals (yes, hi, I do exist), people who are easy to travel with, people who have never left the US, and a bunch of other things that I don't feel like categorizing right now. Some people I didn't really feel like I could bond with; others were really nice but were solidly in another group.
This is not my first time out of the US; Greece is the seventh non-US country I've been to. (Canada, Guatemala, Switzerland, Italy, Peru, and Turkey are the others). I'd like to think that I've become a fairly decent traveler - there was a time in Switzerland where I was a jerk to everyone and irritated all the time, but there were a lot of factors going on in that (and do not attribute it to biology, because the trip managed to land on the three weeks I wasn't on my period); other than that, I think college has taught me a lot about how to work with people.
But my college experience is far from over, and I don't think I've met every single personality in the world. This trip, however, has shown me several.
First is an extrovert that I didn't know how to handle at first. I've roomed with an extrovert before - I spent an entire year with that person in a fairly good and comfortable relationship, and we're still in touch though we don't room together. This extrovert, however, is constantly chatty - not necessarily in a bad way. Where I might write or think deep thoughts in order to process emotions, she talks aloud; my feelings are put down in pen, hers are put out . She's not necessarily a bad individual; the important thing to note here is that as an extrovert, talking is her emotional processor. It took me a few nights to realize that just because she was talking, she wasn't necessarily talking to me.
What I'm trying to say here is that a protip for introverts on working with chatty extroverts is that, unless their words are actually biting in nature, they don't really mean to annoy you. It's important for you to mention if you really need them to be quiet for a while; it may take a while to explain why you're so quiet or, like my roommate on the trip, they might have an introvert sibling and know exactly what to do when you ask for some head space.
The second major type of person I learned to work with is very vocal in her opinions. I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to speak up when you don't think something is working with you, but sometimes I could hear her negativity very easily. When she sat down and actually talked something out with people, she was fairly reasonable about trying to point out the positives - even if the only positive she could find was something like "well, I'm glad I tried, now I know I don't like this food," or something. Protip for everyone: try to bring in the positive and the negative into an analysis of something.
The third kind of person I encountered regularly was similar to the second, but far girlier. The second had been in the army for several years; when it comes down to it, the second girl knows how to tough things out. This third girl does too, but I only learned that through talking to her. She once wondered why people think she's stuck-up and rich when she grew up on a farm and has had several jobs over the past few years, often working a few over the summer in order to supplement her tuition. She's hardworking, but not necessarily in the army-strong way. I think the reason she often gets mistaken for being in the 'sorority trope,' for lack of a better term, is in the way she presents herself. When I say she has a full face of makeup on, I mean that she rarely leaves the room without foundation, concealer, blush, eyeliner, eyeshadow, lip gloss, and mascara. While I could easily learn a thing or two from her about how she get her eyeliner so damn precise, I think she's also someone from whom I learned a bit about self-presentation. People are going to make assumptions about you based on how you present yourself, and I'm glad that I realized that I present myself in about the way I want to be seen.
In all, I think this trip taught me as much, if not more, about how to deal with people as I did about ancient sites around the Aegean Sea. Both are important lessons.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Back in the USA!
Well, I've made it back from another reasonably good trip abroad. I need to catch up on some posts on TravelPod (the blogging platform we used for class when we were in Greece and Turkey), but that should happen shortly - if only because the blogs must be completed by tomorrow night. If you want to see what I was up to when I was doing the travel course, go check that out over there. I have a link in my last post, I believe.
Anyway, now that I'm back, it's interesting to see the differences among cultures, and also the similarities. Greece and Turkey obviously have more in common with each other than they do with the USA, in everything from length of history to kinds of food to even the coffee (there is a strong, bitter coffee in both countries that is served in a small cup with the dregs at the bottom; the Greeks call it Greek coffee and the Turks call it Turkish coffee), but that doesn't mean that there aren't things that are similar to the US. For example, when we went out in a social context with some Greek high schoolers in Kavala, we did two rounds of bumper cars before going ice skating, and then we went for coffee (or hot chocolate, or alcohol in some cases). There are hookah bars in a lot of places (particularly in Turkey, because that's a Thing That People Do). Personally, if I go for hookah, I'm just there to talk to people; for me, the smoke smells good, but I don't want to inhale it too much. I did try it a bit, just to say for sure whether or not I like it, and my conclusion is that the atmosphere is more my thing than the actual smoking.
It's hard to pick my favorite archaeological site, because we went to so many. Going to the Parthenon was absolutely amazing, because it was something that I've really wanted to do since middle school. One professor at our school is the director of the Agora excavation, and he was able to give us a behind-the-scenes tour of the place, which was also really cool. Going to Greece especially was really cool for me: it's one thing to hear about these places in class; it's another thing to read about them in Ancient Greek; it's altogether a separate event to actually be there in person and to see each of the places that I've heard about so often. My dad asked if I could check in with the Oracle of Delphi about the winner of this year's Super Bowl, but the Pythia wasn't around for predictions that day, unfortunately.
You may be wondering whether I'm going to be posting my journal here later; unfortunately, I am not. Half of this is because we did so much that I just didn't feel up to writing a blog AND a journal for the entire second week. The other half is that it turned into something that had more of my personal thoughts - things that I wouldn't want people to see (for example, off-the-cuff opinions of people that aren't the most flattering, because I was writing in the journal in order to vent off the negativity). So, unfortunately, y'all are going to have to go check out my TravelPod blog if you want to go check what I was doing.
At any rate, it's good to be back in the US. The trip to Greece and Turkey was a wonderful experience, but it's nice to not be moving around every few days.
Anyway, now that I'm back, it's interesting to see the differences among cultures, and also the similarities. Greece and Turkey obviously have more in common with each other than they do with the USA, in everything from length of history to kinds of food to even the coffee (there is a strong, bitter coffee in both countries that is served in a small cup with the dregs at the bottom; the Greeks call it Greek coffee and the Turks call it Turkish coffee), but that doesn't mean that there aren't things that are similar to the US. For example, when we went out in a social context with some Greek high schoolers in Kavala, we did two rounds of bumper cars before going ice skating, and then we went for coffee (or hot chocolate, or alcohol in some cases). There are hookah bars in a lot of places (particularly in Turkey, because that's a Thing That People Do). Personally, if I go for hookah, I'm just there to talk to people; for me, the smoke smells good, but I don't want to inhale it too much. I did try it a bit, just to say for sure whether or not I like it, and my conclusion is that the atmosphere is more my thing than the actual smoking.
It's hard to pick my favorite archaeological site, because we went to so many. Going to the Parthenon was absolutely amazing, because it was something that I've really wanted to do since middle school. One professor at our school is the director of the Agora excavation, and he was able to give us a behind-the-scenes tour of the place, which was also really cool. Going to Greece especially was really cool for me: it's one thing to hear about these places in class; it's another thing to read about them in Ancient Greek; it's altogether a separate event to actually be there in person and to see each of the places that I've heard about so often. My dad asked if I could check in with the Oracle of Delphi about the winner of this year's Super Bowl, but the Pythia wasn't around for predictions that day, unfortunately.
You may be wondering whether I'm going to be posting my journal here later; unfortunately, I am not. Half of this is because we did so much that I just didn't feel up to writing a blog AND a journal for the entire second week. The other half is that it turned into something that had more of my personal thoughts - things that I wouldn't want people to see (for example, off-the-cuff opinions of people that aren't the most flattering, because I was writing in the journal in order to vent off the negativity). So, unfortunately, y'all are going to have to go check out my TravelPod blog if you want to go check what I was doing.
At any rate, it's good to be back in the US. The trip to Greece and Turkey was a wonderful experience, but it's nice to not be moving around every few days.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Return for second Jterm
Well, I'm back at school now, if only for a week. We're here for the SIT DOWN AND LEARN STUFF time right now, but on Saturday we will be heading out to fly overseas. I'm really excited for that. Mostly because I get to go see Turkey again. Turkey's one of my favorite places ever. Aside from Peru.
The reading for the class is really quite interesting. It's helpful to bring context to how Christianity has appeared in its early history. For example, there are a lot of philosophies that have some parallels within Christianity, and things like that. Also, the religious environment in those times was actually kind of interesting to read about it. Cults, for example, were not what we think of today. Back in the day, they were almost the exact opposite - you could follow any combination of those that help you with your own faith. This helped promote the polytheism. It's interesting to think that Christianity and Judaism were the outliers in this time. Also it's just kind it is interesting to think that yes, Christianity is growing around the time that the book is talking about, but it's not it's the dominant religion just yet. It's not even the dominant style of worship.
The trip is finally coming together, or so it feels. I'm really excited. Most of class time today was going over what to pack and things like that. Our religious studies professor (henceforth referred to as Dr. B) was very thorough, but our choir professor (henceforth referred to as Dr. R) pointed out in choir today that half his reason for this was that Dr. B used to head the Office of International Education - so he's seen all the lousyness that people can get into over things that they have forgotten and things like that.
Right, well, Dr. B has assigned homework, which I need to get to. Farewell!
The reading for the class is really quite interesting. It's helpful to bring context to how Christianity has appeared in its early history. For example, there are a lot of philosophies that have some parallels within Christianity, and things like that. Also, the religious environment in those times was actually kind of interesting to read about it. Cults, for example, were not what we think of today. Back in the day, they were almost the exact opposite - you could follow any combination of those that help you with your own faith. This helped promote the polytheism. It's interesting to think that Christianity and Judaism were the outliers in this time. Also it's just kind it is interesting to think that yes, Christianity is growing around the time that the book is talking about, but it's not it's the dominant religion just yet. It's not even the dominant style of worship.
The trip is finally coming together, or so it feels. I'm really excited. Most of class time today was going over what to pack and things like that. Our religious studies professor (henceforth referred to as Dr. B) was very thorough, but our choir professor (henceforth referred to as Dr. R) pointed out in choir today that half his reason for this was that Dr. B used to head the Office of International Education - so he's seen all the lousyness that people can get into over things that they have forgotten and things like that.
Right, well, Dr. B has assigned homework, which I need to get to. Farewell!
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Day 12: stress?
Current Page: 67
Target Page: beyond that
Written today: nothing
What's going on: a lot of things.
Right now, the internet on my computer is being really dumb - for some reason, it won't connect to the server, so I can only access a few academic sites as well as Facebook and Twitter and, occasionally, the NaNoWriMo site. (This is the reason that I haven't posted for the last two days. My apologies for that.)
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to write too much over the last few days. I've been involved in a lot of things with my fraternity, and I have an essay due tonight at midnight (I'm mostly done with it, which is nice). Additionally, homework is starting to get to me, because all my professors have realized that there are about three weeks before finals (if you count the rest of this week and the two days before Thanksgiving as one whole week), and so they've all decided that now is the time to give out ALL OF THE ASSIGNMENTS. So I had an econ test yesterday, an honors essay tonight, a Greek test on Friday (as well as a bunch of translations), and a bunch of math quizzes before finals begin. Needless to say, there's been a lot going on.
Hopefully I'll find the time to write today and tomorrow and catch up - I'm now running behind, even on NaNo terms, so that needs to get fixed.
Finals. Gah.
Grades. Gah.
Target Page: beyond that
Written today: nothing
What's going on: a lot of things.
Right now, the internet on my computer is being really dumb - for some reason, it won't connect to the server, so I can only access a few academic sites as well as Facebook and Twitter and, occasionally, the NaNoWriMo site. (This is the reason that I haven't posted for the last two days. My apologies for that.)
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to write too much over the last few days. I've been involved in a lot of things with my fraternity, and I have an essay due tonight at midnight (I'm mostly done with it, which is nice). Additionally, homework is starting to get to me, because all my professors have realized that there are about three weeks before finals (if you count the rest of this week and the two days before Thanksgiving as one whole week), and so they've all decided that now is the time to give out ALL OF THE ASSIGNMENTS. So I had an econ test yesterday, an honors essay tonight, a Greek test on Friday (as well as a bunch of translations), and a bunch of math quizzes before finals begin. Needless to say, there's been a lot going on.
Hopefully I'll find the time to write today and tomorrow and catch up - I'm now running behind, even on NaNo terms, so that needs to get fixed.
Finals. Gah.
Grades. Gah.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Day 6: on gender and stuff
Current Page: 39
Target Page: Please, no.
What's been happening: Second encounter with the villains. They have got a trace on the ship that a pirate captains, and which is harboring a 'fugitive' (and by 'fugitive,' I mean 'a prince who was being used as a pawn who has escaped from his cell and onto an escape pod and just happened to wind up on the King's Stiletto because that's where the other escapee was going.')
The trouble with going so slowly (and procrastinating so much) is that I can't get anywhere. It's royally frustrating. I'm going to try to boost my word count over the weekend, but I'm going to have to apologize for my lack of substance on the novel front today.
So, in other news, I'm going to do a Wild Card's Life Update today.
In the front of classes, I'm taking five next semester (six, if you're counting choir): two honors courses, a course in journalism, advanced Ancient Greek (eek!), and history 101: the sixties. I'm not sure whether to be excited or terrified. Maybe both?
In the juggling front, I have finally found success. I'm hitting a point that most people found a few weeks ago, but AS LONG AS I CAN DO STUFF FOR THE FINAL PERFORMANCE I'LL BE FINE. This point is the one where I'm not getting an epic workout from chasing my errant bean bags for half the class, and also the one where I can regularly catch more than ten times. I also learned how to do cool things with a diabolo (photo here), which you spin really fast; one of the tricks I'm working on is to tighten the string so the diabolo goes in the air and then catch it on the string again. I learned a cool way of starting it yesterday, as well as started (and by 'started' I mean 'tried a few times in the last twenty minutes of class and probably can't manage again because my teachers' son won't be there tomorrow') working on throwing it to a partner. This only works when we're facing each other because I'm left handed and he's right handed.
On Saturday when I was working at Train Day (because this small college town started out as a train town). For the last hour and a half I was there, I was giving a little talk inside a fake caboose - what happened where, who stayed back there, why the seats were elevated (so, when checking to make sure the cargo hadn't fallen off, the crew's heads wouldn't get lopped off by a tree branch. Yes, really), that kind of thing. I started off one group of people by asking if they had any questions. One girl asked if I was a boy or a girl.
I'm not surprised she asked that - I have short hair and I'm not as well-endowed as some girls (I'm just fine with my cup size, thanks), and my style can be very boyish at times. That day, my loose green jacket hid my v-neck shirt and orange hi-tops tend to be gender-neutral. Also, my voice was probably in a weirdly ambiguous range after talking for an hour and a half.
At the same time, I'm glad she asked. She could learn to phrase it better - 'what pronouns would you like?' rather than a question that directly correlates to the gender binary - but I'm willing to concede that point on account of the fact that she looked to be around seven. At age seven, girls can be 'tomboys' and boys can be 'girlish;' the terms 'agender' or 'genderqueer' aren't really in the common vocabulary when a kid is seven. I'm glad she asked because it meant that she knew to ask questions if she wasn't sure about something, and asking about gender is something that's important. Why? There are people who don't strictly identify as male or female. This is different from trans* individuals; in the case of trans* individuals, they tend to identify as gender A when their birth certificate and chromosomes tell the world that their sex is B. Someone who is genderqueer can be assigned the sex of A or B, but can identify as the gender AB, A+B, AAAAABBBABABAABA, or 0 (or any combination).
So that's my tangent for today. The only reason I bring the last point up (aside from the fact that it's something I've been thinking about in regards to my own life) is that I've noticed that the two leads in the Novel-Ception (the Star Wars type novel, which is turning out to be the primary story line here) tend to follow interesting gender lines. The captain of the King's Stiletto is Spencer Watkins, who runs the show now that the old captain has officially given her the title; she's probably gotten laid more times than anyone on the ship combined (her standards: 1. your gravity must not kill me; 2. you must not have any deadly viruses or bacteria; 3. you must ask politely and accept a rejection, should Spencer choose to issue one). On the other hand, the love interest, Prince Art Pennington (SHUT UP ABOUT THE PRISSY SOUNDING NAME) is... okay, he is kind of prissy. His first impression of the ship was that the cockpit needed some decoration. In his defense, it's a cramped pirate vessel and he's used to, like, palaces and stuff.
Anyhoo, that's all for tonight. Need to go to bed. Farewell.
Target Page: Please, no.
What's been happening: Second encounter with the villains. They have got a trace on the ship that a pirate captains, and which is harboring a 'fugitive' (and by 'fugitive,' I mean 'a prince who was being used as a pawn who has escaped from his cell and onto an escape pod and just happened to wind up on the King's Stiletto because that's where the other escapee was going.')
The trouble with going so slowly (and procrastinating so much) is that I can't get anywhere. It's royally frustrating. I'm going to try to boost my word count over the weekend, but I'm going to have to apologize for my lack of substance on the novel front today.
So, in other news, I'm going to do a Wild Card's Life Update today.
In the front of classes, I'm taking five next semester (six, if you're counting choir): two honors courses, a course in journalism, advanced Ancient Greek (eek!), and history 101: the sixties. I'm not sure whether to be excited or terrified. Maybe both?
In the juggling front, I have finally found success. I'm hitting a point that most people found a few weeks ago, but AS LONG AS I CAN DO STUFF FOR THE FINAL PERFORMANCE I'LL BE FINE. This point is the one where I'm not getting an epic workout from chasing my errant bean bags for half the class, and also the one where I can regularly catch more than ten times. I also learned how to do cool things with a diabolo (photo here), which you spin really fast; one of the tricks I'm working on is to tighten the string so the diabolo goes in the air and then catch it on the string again. I learned a cool way of starting it yesterday, as well as started (and by 'started' I mean 'tried a few times in the last twenty minutes of class and probably can't manage again because my teachers' son won't be there tomorrow') working on throwing it to a partner. This only works when we're facing each other because I'm left handed and he's right handed.
On Saturday when I was working at Train Day (because this small college town started out as a train town). For the last hour and a half I was there, I was giving a little talk inside a fake caboose - what happened where, who stayed back there, why the seats were elevated (so, when checking to make sure the cargo hadn't fallen off, the crew's heads wouldn't get lopped off by a tree branch. Yes, really), that kind of thing. I started off one group of people by asking if they had any questions. One girl asked if I was a boy or a girl.
I'm not surprised she asked that - I have short hair and I'm not as well-endowed as some girls (I'm just fine with my cup size, thanks), and my style can be very boyish at times. That day, my loose green jacket hid my v-neck shirt and orange hi-tops tend to be gender-neutral. Also, my voice was probably in a weirdly ambiguous range after talking for an hour and a half.
At the same time, I'm glad she asked. She could learn to phrase it better - 'what pronouns would you like?' rather than a question that directly correlates to the gender binary - but I'm willing to concede that point on account of the fact that she looked to be around seven. At age seven, girls can be 'tomboys' and boys can be 'girlish;' the terms 'agender' or 'genderqueer' aren't really in the common vocabulary when a kid is seven. I'm glad she asked because it meant that she knew to ask questions if she wasn't sure about something, and asking about gender is something that's important. Why? There are people who don't strictly identify as male or female. This is different from trans* individuals; in the case of trans* individuals, they tend to identify as gender A when their birth certificate and chromosomes tell the world that their sex is B. Someone who is genderqueer can be assigned the sex of A or B, but can identify as the gender AB, A+B, AAAAABBBABABAABA, or 0 (or any combination).
So that's my tangent for today. The only reason I bring the last point up (aside from the fact that it's something I've been thinking about in regards to my own life) is that I've noticed that the two leads in the Novel-Ception (the Star Wars type novel, which is turning out to be the primary story line here) tend to follow interesting gender lines. The captain of the King's Stiletto is Spencer Watkins, who runs the show now that the old captain has officially given her the title; she's probably gotten laid more times than anyone on the ship combined (her standards: 1. your gravity must not kill me; 2. you must not have any deadly viruses or bacteria; 3. you must ask politely and accept a rejection, should Spencer choose to issue one). On the other hand, the love interest, Prince Art Pennington (SHUT UP ABOUT THE PRISSY SOUNDING NAME) is... okay, he is kind of prissy. His first impression of the ship was that the cockpit needed some decoration. In his defense, it's a cramped pirate vessel and he's used to, like, palaces and stuff.
Anyhoo, that's all for tonight. Need to go to bed. Farewell.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The Closing
So this is my second-to-last night staying in my freshman dorm, and it feels really strange. I have only somewhat dared to start packing yet, which is sort of worrying, but I still have all of tomorrow afternoon!
Anyway, it has been a crazy year, and I can hardly believe that I am pretty much done with my first year of college. I'm glad I chose the school I did, even though it is sometimes not what I expected (or too much as I expected).
For all my friends (who probably don't read this) who are going to college next year, I give you Wild Card's Top Ten List of Things You Should Know For College:
1. Be nice to your roommate. You're going to have to deal with them all year. If you wind up not getting along and having to switch to a different room, then that's how things go, but that should not stop you from being nice to them. If you're switching rooms because of drama, deal with it as amiably as possible, and talk to them about it. It could be that they don't know their stupid habit is annoying you, and if it's something that can be eliminated, then they'll know that they should work on it.
2. Don't keep too much unsealed food in the room. You will get mice, which will stick around long enough for you to grow fond of and name (ours is named Indy, because we live in Jones Hall - Indiana Jones). Anyway, the mice can get all over your bed and poop where you may or may not want it (this hasn't happened to me, but Indy made two attempts on my bed today, which leads me to wonder where else he's been).
3. Be familiar with your hallmates. From experience, there may come an awkward moment when a group member in a class says, "Hey, since we live across the hall from each other, want to work on the revisions together?" Do not be that person, as I was, who does not realize who their hallmates are until halfway through spring semester. Also, if you need to tell someone to shut up because you have a final or a midterm or whatever, they'll probably listen to you more if you know them. (this may not apply if they're drunk.)
4. If you do not want to drink, you do not have to drink. There will always be the people who will watch Stargate, Dr. Who, or Star Trek with you on a Friday night without alcohol. Though these people are what are generally called 'nerds,' the difference between these people and the people who get drunk at fraternity parties every night is that the nerds will remember the stupid puns they made.
5. If you really want to join a social Greek organization, consider not going Greek right away. If it's something that you feel is part of the essential college experience, and you couldn't bear to rush as a sophomore, I'm not telling you to not go Greek right away - just that maybe you can make friends without the help of the social organizations.
6. If you really think social Greek organizations are dumb - go through rush just to see what it's like. I came into college saying that social sororities are stupid, and that I could never hang out with someone in Greek life. After going through rush, I do have a better understanding of what it's like to be part of a social Greek organization. I didn't get a bid, I don't really want one, and I'm probably not going to go back for one, but I'm glad that I went through it. The biggest thing I learned is that yes, there are the sororities that are better known for being ditzy or more of the 'party house' (I geeked out about DnD at this house... there's a reason I didn't get asked back), but there are also the houses that are super down-to-earth. Part of the reason I didn't want to go through rush is because I thought I would be the only non-blonde and certainly the only nerd there, but my host at the first house I went to turned out to be a huge Star Wars fan. (That made stuff a lot easier.)
7. If you're interested in going Greek but don't want to do something social, there are probably going to be honor societies and service fraternities (like Alpha Phi Omega). If it's an honor society, you're going to have to work up your major GPA and probably not going to get in your first year, but that's always an option. Additionally, service-based organizations are easy ways to bond with people because you can easily say that you can HELPED PEOPLE TOGETHER! HUZZAH!
8. In the realm of academics, do study. You'll probably have entire spans of afternoons free, which are there for you to keep your grades up. If you don't keep up your GPA, you may be asked to not return to the school. College is not there for you to get drunk all the time. If drinking is your thing, don't be dumb about it. Doing Tipsy Tuesday, Wasted Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday, and the regular weekend drinking is perhaps the stupidest thing you can do for your GPA (it also puts you on the fast track for being an alcoholic).
9. In terms of group projects, DO YOUR WORK. If you can't make it to the group meetings, LET PEOPLE KNOW. Don't be that one kid who shows up late or not at all without a good excuse. Good excuses include work, sports you can't get out of, class, or a paper that is 20% done and due in the morning. Bad excuses include everything else.
10. Talk to everyone. You meet so many new people in the first three weeks of school than you might in the entire rest of the year put together that it's easy to get kind of confused and mixing up names and faces and phone numbers, but it'll be worth it. Everyone else is going to mix up some faces and names and stuff, too, so you're not alone. You'll have friends, and if you wind up not hanging out with a lot of people you hang out with in the beginning of the year, you'll probably wind up with a few people that you're on good terms with in case you wind up in a group project together or something.
I'll probably make more of these lists at some point, but here's some tips for now.
Anyway, it has been a crazy year, and I can hardly believe that I am pretty much done with my first year of college. I'm glad I chose the school I did, even though it is sometimes not what I expected (or too much as I expected).
For all my friends (who probably don't read this) who are going to college next year, I give you Wild Card's Top Ten List of Things You Should Know For College:
1. Be nice to your roommate. You're going to have to deal with them all year. If you wind up not getting along and having to switch to a different room, then that's how things go, but that should not stop you from being nice to them. If you're switching rooms because of drama, deal with it as amiably as possible, and talk to them about it. It could be that they don't know their stupid habit is annoying you, and if it's something that can be eliminated, then they'll know that they should work on it.
2. Don't keep too much unsealed food in the room. You will get mice, which will stick around long enough for you to grow fond of and name (ours is named Indy, because we live in Jones Hall - Indiana Jones). Anyway, the mice can get all over your bed and poop where you may or may not want it (this hasn't happened to me, but Indy made two attempts on my bed today, which leads me to wonder where else he's been).
3. Be familiar with your hallmates. From experience, there may come an awkward moment when a group member in a class says, "Hey, since we live across the hall from each other, want to work on the revisions together?" Do not be that person, as I was, who does not realize who their hallmates are until halfway through spring semester. Also, if you need to tell someone to shut up because you have a final or a midterm or whatever, they'll probably listen to you more if you know them. (this may not apply if they're drunk.)
4. If you do not want to drink, you do not have to drink. There will always be the people who will watch Stargate, Dr. Who, or Star Trek with you on a Friday night without alcohol. Though these people are what are generally called 'nerds,' the difference between these people and the people who get drunk at fraternity parties every night is that the nerds will remember the stupid puns they made.
5. If you really want to join a social Greek organization, consider not going Greek right away. If it's something that you feel is part of the essential college experience, and you couldn't bear to rush as a sophomore, I'm not telling you to not go Greek right away - just that maybe you can make friends without the help of the social organizations.
6. If you really think social Greek organizations are dumb - go through rush just to see what it's like. I came into college saying that social sororities are stupid, and that I could never hang out with someone in Greek life. After going through rush, I do have a better understanding of what it's like to be part of a social Greek organization. I didn't get a bid, I don't really want one, and I'm probably not going to go back for one, but I'm glad that I went through it. The biggest thing I learned is that yes, there are the sororities that are better known for being ditzy or more of the 'party house' (I geeked out about DnD at this house... there's a reason I didn't get asked back), but there are also the houses that are super down-to-earth. Part of the reason I didn't want to go through rush is because I thought I would be the only non-blonde and certainly the only nerd there, but my host at the first house I went to turned out to be a huge Star Wars fan. (That made stuff a lot easier.)
7. If you're interested in going Greek but don't want to do something social, there are probably going to be honor societies and service fraternities (like Alpha Phi Omega). If it's an honor society, you're going to have to work up your major GPA and probably not going to get in your first year, but that's always an option. Additionally, service-based organizations are easy ways to bond with people because you can easily say that you can HELPED PEOPLE TOGETHER! HUZZAH!
8. In the realm of academics, do study. You'll probably have entire spans of afternoons free, which are there for you to keep your grades up. If you don't keep up your GPA, you may be asked to not return to the school. College is not there for you to get drunk all the time. If drinking is your thing, don't be dumb about it. Doing Tipsy Tuesday, Wasted Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday, and the regular weekend drinking is perhaps the stupidest thing you can do for your GPA (it also puts you on the fast track for being an alcoholic).
9. In terms of group projects, DO YOUR WORK. If you can't make it to the group meetings, LET PEOPLE KNOW. Don't be that one kid who shows up late or not at all without a good excuse. Good excuses include work, sports you can't get out of, class, or a paper that is 20% done and due in the morning. Bad excuses include everything else.
10. Talk to everyone. You meet so many new people in the first three weeks of school than you might in the entire rest of the year put together that it's easy to get kind of confused and mixing up names and faces and phone numbers, but it'll be worth it. Everyone else is going to mix up some faces and names and stuff, too, so you're not alone. You'll have friends, and if you wind up not hanging out with a lot of people you hang out with in the beginning of the year, you'll probably wind up with a few people that you're on good terms with in case you wind up in a group project together or something.
I'll probably make more of these lists at some point, but here's some tips for now.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Confessions and Writing
All right, confession time:
I haven't edited almost any of NaNo2011 this month. To be honest, this isn't a huge surprise - this is something that needs to be done, sure, but let's face it, I'm a college student with a significant other and a laptop that has an Internet connection. In my spare hours, I'm probably going to be texting said significant other or dawdling around random Internet sites. (Well, actually, there's an App store for Macs, and I've downloaded a free game from there that gives you around two dozen different types of card games, so that's what I've been killing time with).
Unfortunately, finals week is going to be speeding over the horizon very soon, and I need to have my stance ready to... do whatever I need to do to flip it over and... do something. What's a good metaphor for defeating Finals Week? I don't even know.
Anyway, whilst I am trying to figure out my metaphors (can you tell I haven't done much creative writing lately?), I also need to work out my school forms for next year so I can, you know, continue my education. I need to make the Official List of Classes I Want to Take Next Semester (including the List of Classes to Sign Up For if I Don't Get My Top Picks and the name of a potential advisor) for my meeting with my advisor tomorrow (who will be on sabbatical next year), and then go to Rez Life with the person I want to room with next year to see if we actually have a room yet. The hardest part, I think, is figuring out my advisor - it has to be in your major, not your minor, so I can't ask my drama professor to do it (I want to minor in drama). I've only taken one English class this year, and the teacher, while nice, isn't very organized. I don't know whether (or even if) I'm going to take on archaeology or classics, so I'm not sure whether I can ask my Greek professor to do it next semester.
The joys of being in college! Not.
I haven't edited almost any of NaNo2011 this month. To be honest, this isn't a huge surprise - this is something that needs to be done, sure, but let's face it, I'm a college student with a significant other and a laptop that has an Internet connection. In my spare hours, I'm probably going to be texting said significant other or dawdling around random Internet sites. (Well, actually, there's an App store for Macs, and I've downloaded a free game from there that gives you around two dozen different types of card games, so that's what I've been killing time with).
Unfortunately, finals week is going to be speeding over the horizon very soon, and I need to have my stance ready to... do whatever I need to do to flip it over and... do something. What's a good metaphor for defeating Finals Week? I don't even know.
Anyway, whilst I am trying to figure out my metaphors (can you tell I haven't done much creative writing lately?), I also need to work out my school forms for next year so I can, you know, continue my education. I need to make the Official List of Classes I Want to Take Next Semester (including the List of Classes to Sign Up For if I Don't Get My Top Picks and the name of a potential advisor) for my meeting with my advisor tomorrow (who will be on sabbatical next year), and then go to Rez Life with the person I want to room with next year to see if we actually have a room yet. The hardest part, I think, is figuring out my advisor - it has to be in your major, not your minor, so I can't ask my drama professor to do it (I want to minor in drama). I've only taken one English class this year, and the teacher, while nice, isn't very organized. I don't know whether (or even if) I'm going to take on archaeology or classics, so I'm not sure whether I can ask my Greek professor to do it next semester.
The joys of being in college! Not.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Class Registration and Trash
The interesting thing about going to trash cleanups for service hours is that, if you do it enough, you start giving out arbitrary awards. All you get is bragging rights until the next cleanup. For our service fraternity, it's just Find The Most Interesting Piece of Trash. I found a 21st birthday card that played epic music when you opened it to reveal an illustration of a bar. (I have no idea why they didn't keep that, but whatever). There are more interesting ones, though - apparently someone found used condoms and an aphrodisiac earlier this week. Keep in mind that this is a highway cleanup that we do. WHO HAS SEX ON A HIGHWAY?
That would make an interesting story.
In other news, however, class registration is coming up. Right now, I hope I'll be taking a science, a math, economics, and Greek next semester, which will be kind of annoying (that's what I get for loading up almost all of my arts and social credits this semester), but I have friends who can help if I need them to. The science is going to be interesting - I'm hoping for Astronomy 101, which goes into the Astrophysics minor (which means it's going to be actually challenging). The annoying thing about it being a lab science is that it's got a lab component (duh), but the lab block seems to be in the time slot where everything interesting seems to go. The same goes for Greek. Apparently, all the fun courses want to be put on Wednesdays at 2:10 and MWF at 10:20. I don't know how this is going to work out.
By the end of college, I will be master of the Scheduling Tetris.
Hopefully.
That would make an interesting story.
In other news, however, class registration is coming up. Right now, I hope I'll be taking a science, a math, economics, and Greek next semester, which will be kind of annoying (that's what I get for loading up almost all of my arts and social credits this semester), but I have friends who can help if I need them to. The science is going to be interesting - I'm hoping for Astronomy 101, which goes into the Astrophysics minor (which means it's going to be actually challenging). The annoying thing about it being a lab science is that it's got a lab component (duh), but the lab block seems to be in the time slot where everything interesting seems to go. The same goes for Greek. Apparently, all the fun courses want to be put on Wednesdays at 2:10 and MWF at 10:20. I don't know how this is going to work out.
By the end of college, I will be master of the Scheduling Tetris.
Hopefully.
Monday, March 18, 2013
On writing things
I'm pretty sure I'm brain-dead for ideas right now, and it's not fun. I have to write a script for my First-Year course, as I mentioned, and five pages are due later this week.
The five pages aren't the problem. The problem lies in the fact that I'm not really sure where I want to go from those five pages. I have a general idea of where I want to go, but I keep wanting to change it and fix it and make it not suck as much as I sometimes think it does.
This, I believe, is what is called the 'creative process.' Or, rather, 'procrastinating on the creative process.' Once you get the idea, go for it, I'd say. If you stop, you start to doubt yourself.
So, as a piece of advice for all those who are undertaking any sort of major writing project in the immediate future: start, don't stop, and keep going at all costs. Your muse will thank you later. Even though your sleep cycle may be messed up (as mine currently is, thanks to a Greek test), and your writing might suck, it's easier to work on continuity and such if you have everything there.
On that note, I need to go to the library and study some Greek and write a play.
The five pages aren't the problem. The problem lies in the fact that I'm not really sure where I want to go from those five pages. I have a general idea of where I want to go, but I keep wanting to change it and fix it and make it not suck as much as I sometimes think it does.
This, I believe, is what is called the 'creative process.' Or, rather, 'procrastinating on the creative process.' Once you get the idea, go for it, I'd say. If you stop, you start to doubt yourself.
So, as a piece of advice for all those who are undertaking any sort of major writing project in the immediate future: start, don't stop, and keep going at all costs. Your muse will thank you later. Even though your sleep cycle may be messed up (as mine currently is, thanks to a Greek test), and your writing might suck, it's easier to work on continuity and such if you have everything there.
On that note, I need to go to the library and study some Greek and write a play.
Friday, March 15, 2013
On Wording
In my First Year course, we have to write plays as our final project. It's not supposed to be a long play, but it's supposed to have some sort of meaning.
That's not what I'm getting at, however.
What I'm getting at is that today in class, the drama professor went over wording: he emphasized that what you say is greatly affected by how you say it.
For example, if you have someone say, "I should probably pee," that means that their bladder is only half-full but they're in for a long stretch in a situation where relieving one's bladder is socially unacceptable. However, if they say, "I NEED TO PEE!" that means that they really shouldn't have drank that two-liter bottle of Ginger Ale half an hour ago. (drinking an entire two-liter bottle of ginger ale in one sitting is questionable under any circumstances, but that's irrelevant).
It goes beyond the situation of someone's bladder, though. How you phrase a monologue can imply whether Beka wants Fuze to be happy, or whether Beka thinks Fuze should be happy. What's the difference? If Beka wants Fuze to be happy, it can carry the implication that Fuze's unhappiness is a matter of great concern to Beka. If Beka thinks Fuze should be happy, it implies that Beka is rather concerned about Fuze's unhappiness, but it's also driving her up the wall. In short, it can define whether Beka wants Fuze happy for his own sake or so that he'll stop complaining to her and stop irritating her so much. It shows whether Beka is concerned more for Fuze's sanity or for her own.
That's not what I'm getting at, however.
What I'm getting at is that today in class, the drama professor went over wording: he emphasized that what you say is greatly affected by how you say it.
For example, if you have someone say, "I should probably pee," that means that their bladder is only half-full but they're in for a long stretch in a situation where relieving one's bladder is socially unacceptable. However, if they say, "I NEED TO PEE!" that means that they really shouldn't have drank that two-liter bottle of Ginger Ale half an hour ago. (drinking an entire two-liter bottle of ginger ale in one sitting is questionable under any circumstances, but that's irrelevant).
It goes beyond the situation of someone's bladder, though. How you phrase a monologue can imply whether Beka wants Fuze to be happy, or whether Beka thinks Fuze should be happy. What's the difference? If Beka wants Fuze to be happy, it can carry the implication that Fuze's unhappiness is a matter of great concern to Beka. If Beka thinks Fuze should be happy, it implies that Beka is rather concerned about Fuze's unhappiness, but it's also driving her up the wall. In short, it can define whether Beka wants Fuze happy for his own sake or so that he'll stop complaining to her and stop irritating her so much. It shows whether Beka is concerned more for Fuze's sanity or for her own.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Snow! (and still classes)
Well, we have snow right now. See? (that bar thing in the middle is the frame of my window).
The most irritating thing about this (aside from the fact that it is MARCH and it is SNOWING) is that classes aren't officially canceled. I mean, I only had to go to one class, but I didn't get the email about the cancellation of the other two - that is, until I walked halfway across campus.
Still, those were the only three classes I had today. MORE TIME TO WORK ON HOMEWORK! (or procrastinate, write, or other things). There are also no clubs (most likely), so I'm probably going to get an extra hour out of that.
Anyway, have a good non-snow-day.
Still, those were the only three classes I had today. MORE TIME TO WORK ON HOMEWORK! (or procrastinate, write, or other things). There are also no clubs (most likely), so I'm probably going to get an extra hour out of that.
Anyway, have a good non-snow-day.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Final Weeks
My J-term class ends on Friday. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I'm excited that we're going to be on break and that spring semester is coming, but I'll be sad to see the excessive amount of time leave.
More relevant, I'm also not sure how I'm going to feel about the final product of the class. If there's one thing I've learned about my own writing process, it's that the editing part is never done. I have a measly seven scenes - I originally had eight, but one got cut before it got typed up - but all of the editing won't help my nerves, in the end. Does the pacing work? Are the characters relatable? Will anyone be able to pronounce Siofra's real name? Am I using too many cliches? Is the timing right? The list goes on.
I know the reason that I'm getting nervous about it, too - more nervous than my other writing. It has nothing to do with my peers accepting it as decent work - that was what I had issue with at the beginning of the course, a long time ago when I only had to write five pages. At this point, the trouble is me accepting it as decent work. When you spend just as much time editing a piece as you do writing it (more time, actually), you tend to worry about it. If this were a longer work, it would be like a child. You want the best for it, but sometimes it gives you hell. A lot of times, actually. Some things you love to go over, other things you fear to even glance at.
Though this is not my longest work - it barely counts as 30 pages, even with the title page, the character list, and the page-happy formatting that a script must follow - it's still causing me a bit of worry. In comparison to some other people in the class, I think I'll do fine, and I don't mind how it's written, but sometimes I wonder how it would turn out if I had done things differently. I could have killed my main character. I could have made the future relationship of two of my characters less ambiguous. I could have made one character more sympathetic to the antagonistic party.
When it comes to it, though, I'm glad I had the chance to do this course. It taught me how not to format a script, and it taught me what to look at and what to ask when going through the editing process.
More relevant, I'm also not sure how I'm going to feel about the final product of the class. If there's one thing I've learned about my own writing process, it's that the editing part is never done. I have a measly seven scenes - I originally had eight, but one got cut before it got typed up - but all of the editing won't help my nerves, in the end. Does the pacing work? Are the characters relatable? Will anyone be able to pronounce Siofra's real name? Am I using too many cliches? Is the timing right? The list goes on.
I know the reason that I'm getting nervous about it, too - more nervous than my other writing. It has nothing to do with my peers accepting it as decent work - that was what I had issue with at the beginning of the course, a long time ago when I only had to write five pages. At this point, the trouble is me accepting it as decent work. When you spend just as much time editing a piece as you do writing it (more time, actually), you tend to worry about it. If this were a longer work, it would be like a child. You want the best for it, but sometimes it gives you hell. A lot of times, actually. Some things you love to go over, other things you fear to even glance at.
Though this is not my longest work - it barely counts as 30 pages, even with the title page, the character list, and the page-happy formatting that a script must follow - it's still causing me a bit of worry. In comparison to some other people in the class, I think I'll do fine, and I don't mind how it's written, but sometimes I wonder how it would turn out if I had done things differently. I could have killed my main character. I could have made the future relationship of two of my characters less ambiguous. I could have made one character more sympathetic to the antagonistic party.
When it comes to it, though, I'm glad I had the chance to do this course. It taught me how not to format a script, and it taught me what to look at and what to ask when going through the editing process.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
another week of writing
I'm halfway through the second week of J-term now, and, for the record, J-term has come with a few surprises, not all of them bad.
Good things:
1. I have way more free time than I do during the normal semester. If I don't want to go to the gym in the morning, I don't have to wake up until 9:30 or 10:00. After maybe 1:45 or 2:00, when I'm done with class and lunch, I have almost nothing to do except homework until 6:00, which is our normal dinner time.
2. The spare time has led me to actually get to the gym, which is always nice (except when I get scared of judgement from the actual athletes). Also, I actually have time to write for my class, which is nice, but I also tend to procrastinate on my own writing because of podcasts and yarn. Nevertheless, J-term has been fun so far because of all the time I can actually use now.
3. Since I actually have time to do homework during the day and I don't have to wake up early, the evenings can be spent doing things other than sleeping (sleeping does get involved). These new activities include Apples to Apples, Capture the Flag, Marco Polo (played on the football field and not in the pool), and Hide and Seek. All of these activities have commenced at around 10:00 PM and proceeded until midnight or later, which is fine, because I can still get sleep.
4. The course itself is really interesting - though it is a workshop class, the feedback really helps with what I'm writing.
Bad things:
1. Though the class is fun and I like that I get to write, sometimes the peer editing aspect can get kind of irritating. Don't get me wrong: I do like to read and comment on other people's writing, as well as receive feedback on my own. However, quite a few people in my class seem to be unaware that Spelling and Grammar check is correct on many occasions (there are times when it is incorrect, but when one is in college, one should be able to tell the difference). Sometimes I have to edit my classmates' grammar and spelling as I read their work because it can get rather distracting.
2. Sometimes having all of the extra time can get kind of boring. Though it's easy to find ways to pass the time, afternoons can get long, tedious, and unproductive.
In all, though, I'm glad I took the J-term class that I chose: at the very least, it shows me how not to write a script.
Good things:
1. I have way more free time than I do during the normal semester. If I don't want to go to the gym in the morning, I don't have to wake up until 9:30 or 10:00. After maybe 1:45 or 2:00, when I'm done with class and lunch, I have almost nothing to do except homework until 6:00, which is our normal dinner time.
2. The spare time has led me to actually get to the gym, which is always nice (except when I get scared of judgement from the actual athletes). Also, I actually have time to write for my class, which is nice, but I also tend to procrastinate on my own writing because of podcasts and yarn. Nevertheless, J-term has been fun so far because of all the time I can actually use now.
3. Since I actually have time to do homework during the day and I don't have to wake up early, the evenings can be spent doing things other than sleeping (sleeping does get involved). These new activities include Apples to Apples, Capture the Flag, Marco Polo (played on the football field and not in the pool), and Hide and Seek. All of these activities have commenced at around 10:00 PM and proceeded until midnight or later, which is fine, because I can still get sleep.
4. The course itself is really interesting - though it is a workshop class, the feedback really helps with what I'm writing.
Bad things:
1. Though the class is fun and I like that I get to write, sometimes the peer editing aspect can get kind of irritating. Don't get me wrong: I do like to read and comment on other people's writing, as well as receive feedback on my own. However, quite a few people in my class seem to be unaware that Spelling and Grammar check is correct on many occasions (there are times when it is incorrect, but when one is in college, one should be able to tell the difference). Sometimes I have to edit my classmates' grammar and spelling as I read their work because it can get rather distracting.
2. Sometimes having all of the extra time can get kind of boring. Though it's easy to find ways to pass the time, afternoons can get long, tedious, and unproductive.
In all, though, I'm glad I took the J-term class that I chose: at the very least, it shows me how not to write a script.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Homework...
Well, I got homework on the first day of J-term. For once, I am actually kind of excited about doing my homework (being excited about doing homework? Yes, that can happen. Who knew?).
As I may or may not have mentioned, my J-term course is called "The Playwright's Process," where the final is a one-act that is fully written, edited, and thought out. This is turning out to be (in the one class I have attended of this course) more of a workshop environment than one of instruction - there will be a lot more peer editing than I expected, and a lot less of the professor saying, "LET ME TEACH YOU HOW TO WRITE A ONE-ACT!"
About an hour ago, I went to have a meeting with my professor about my one-act - everyone has to, just to brainstorm ideas about what each of us is going to write about. From that, the professor has given us each an assignment that is supposed to help us figure out what we are going to write about further (at least, that is what is happening for mine, because I need to work some details out). I have to do two scenes: first, a scene in which the murder victim is the main character, and has to persuade the murderer not to kill them; second, a scene in which the being tasked with the murder is the main character, and, to maintain the secrecy of their mission and society, they must convince a relative of the victim to kill the victim. This is supposed to be to help me decide which side I want to focus on - the secret society, or the being who investigates it (and who may or may not wind up dead).
So far, I think I like this course. The professor is interesting, and the discussion today really helped with just generating ideas. I came in with half a plot I threw together in ten minutes, but came out with something that I can actually work with (I'm not saying what it is, because I haven't finalized it yet, but I'm excited). The main parts of the story - a secret society and a murder - are things that I don't normally write, because I feel that I'm really bad at coming up with plot twists and good reasons for a secret to be kept (she did once say that a secrecy motive I suggested was boring, which is really true. I don't remember what it was, but I remember agreeing with her).
Anyway, I have to go forth and do cool stuff. Farewell.
As I may or may not have mentioned, my J-term course is called "The Playwright's Process," where the final is a one-act that is fully written, edited, and thought out. This is turning out to be (in the one class I have attended of this course) more of a workshop environment than one of instruction - there will be a lot more peer editing than I expected, and a lot less of the professor saying, "LET ME TEACH YOU HOW TO WRITE A ONE-ACT!"
About an hour ago, I went to have a meeting with my professor about my one-act - everyone has to, just to brainstorm ideas about what each of us is going to write about. From that, the professor has given us each an assignment that is supposed to help us figure out what we are going to write about further (at least, that is what is happening for mine, because I need to work some details out). I have to do two scenes: first, a scene in which the murder victim is the main character, and has to persuade the murderer not to kill them; second, a scene in which the being tasked with the murder is the main character, and, to maintain the secrecy of their mission and society, they must convince a relative of the victim to kill the victim. This is supposed to be to help me decide which side I want to focus on - the secret society, or the being who investigates it (and who may or may not wind up dead).
So far, I think I like this course. The professor is interesting, and the discussion today really helped with just generating ideas. I came in with half a plot I threw together in ten minutes, but came out with something that I can actually work with (I'm not saying what it is, because I haven't finalized it yet, but I'm excited). The main parts of the story - a secret society and a murder - are things that I don't normally write, because I feel that I'm really bad at coming up with plot twists and good reasons for a secret to be kept (she did once say that a secrecy motive I suggested was boring, which is really true. I don't remember what it was, but I remember agreeing with her).
Anyway, I have to go forth and do cool stuff. Farewell.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Day 14: close to halfway?
Right, I'm not doing my stats, because I have no time and a test tomorrow. I did write and go to the gym today, though, and I am kind of glad I did.
Anyway, I am reaching a bit of a roadblock on how to get the three main characters into a walled, heavily guarded city that does not allow half-elves (because the guy who runs the place is a butt); it is on the edge of a cliff and the only way in at present is a hole for rotten food and other things that my main character does not want to climb through for a second time. The way in should preferably somehow get them into the dungeon and/ or a torture chamber; using legal means is preferable but not entirely necessary.
What I have noticed during NaNo is that prime study time and prime writing time are the same time. Though I am NOT neglecting my studies (entirely), I'm sometimes faced with the choice of study now and get really frustrated with my word count later, or breeze through my word count and push through homework later.
So far, the second option seems to be working out better, from the two or three times I have done it.
And I have to go now, but I'll be back... tomorrow.
Anyway, I am reaching a bit of a roadblock on how to get the three main characters into a walled, heavily guarded city that does not allow half-elves (because the guy who runs the place is a butt); it is on the edge of a cliff and the only way in at present is a hole for rotten food and other things that my main character does not want to climb through for a second time. The way in should preferably somehow get them into the dungeon and/ or a torture chamber; using legal means is preferable but not entirely necessary.
What I have noticed during NaNo is that prime study time and prime writing time are the same time. Though I am NOT neglecting my studies (entirely), I'm sometimes faced with the choice of study now and get really frustrated with my word count later, or breeze through my word count and push through homework later.
So far, the second option seems to be working out better, from the two or three times I have done it.
And I have to go now, but I'll be back... tomorrow.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Day 9: FRIDAY!
Start Page: 37
Current Page: 38
Target Page: 42
Pages In Between: 6
Place In Story: I should really leave this one out, because I really don't know how this relates anymore.
Anyway, I am really glad it is Friday. It means that I only have to do a few things homework-wise (Greek, start an East Asia project, and do some readings for FYEC before I over-procrastinate and have them take two hours on Sunday night when I could be writing), and it means Doctor Who is tonight, and it means I can write. YAY! I am determined to go and actually write stuff today. I am NOT going to procrastinate... any longer.
I'm probably going to post later, when I've actually gotten stuff done.
In other, academic news, I have the following advice for seniors in high school who are going to be in college soon:
If you are doing a group project, do not procrastinate. It will probably drive down the quality of your project (but honestly, I thought our presentation today was pretty well done, especially when we saw another group's and considering we worked only this week on it); but, more importantly, it will drive your stress levels through the roof and will drive your sleep hours down into the bare minimums, which is not good on a lot of levels.
I mean, our teacher liked the presentation, but my groupmates only got two hours of sleep each (one had rehearsal and one was sick, and, for some reason, I was the only one who bothered to use the afternoon hours to do anything. I think they had class and stuff during the afternoon, though, so that's understandable). I got more, because I didn't actually help put it all together... oops...
Anyway, don't procrastinate, especially not on things of high importance.
Current Page: 38
Target Page: 42
Pages In Between: 6
Place In Story: I should really leave this one out, because I really don't know how this relates anymore.
Anyway, I am really glad it is Friday. It means that I only have to do a few things homework-wise (Greek, start an East Asia project, and do some readings for FYEC before I over-procrastinate and have them take two hours on Sunday night when I could be writing), and it means Doctor Who is tonight, and it means I can write. YAY! I am determined to go and actually write stuff today. I am NOT going to procrastinate... any longer.
I'm probably going to post later, when I've actually gotten stuff done.
In other, academic news, I have the following advice for seniors in high school who are going to be in college soon:
If you are doing a group project, do not procrastinate. It will probably drive down the quality of your project (but honestly, I thought our presentation today was pretty well done, especially when we saw another group's and considering we worked only this week on it); but, more importantly, it will drive your stress levels through the roof and will drive your sleep hours down into the bare minimums, which is not good on a lot of levels.
I mean, our teacher liked the presentation, but my groupmates only got two hours of sleep each (one had rehearsal and one was sick, and, for some reason, I was the only one who bothered to use the afternoon hours to do anything. I think they had class and stuff during the afternoon, though, so that's understandable). I got more, because I didn't actually help put it all together... oops...
Anyway, don't procrastinate, especially not on things of high importance.
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