Driving and Walking

As a driver now, I have noticed a few obvious similarities between driving and walking that I have found highly humorous.

The first being that when it comes to walking in a very crowded area, people bull their way through and impatiently swing wide to go around. The same is true in driving, obviously. Anyone who has been in a horrific traffic jam knows this. People will switch lanes desperately in hopes that is will move faster, and some idiots will even go on the median just to get that extra few feet.

Another one that makes me laugh is the utter confusion at all way stops. You're taught when you start driving that you go in order that you got to the stop -first going first and so on. But no one remembers that if you get there at the same time there are rules too. It's just the same in walking. because of the many little patches of sidewalk we have all over campus, there are many such stopping or almost-collisions. People will come to the same intersection of sidewalk paths and they stop, not knowing what to do next. But a public service announcement - when you're walking, you are NOT required to stay on your side of the sidewalk, nor do you have a two ton vehicle under you - so you CAN maneuver AROUND somoene coming head on!

The funniest connection I have made is that pertaining to snow. As it's November in Northern Indiana, it's snowed a few times. Not much, but enough to carpet the grass and pavement with about half an inch of the white stuff. Where I'm from, in Baltimore, people literally shut down when it snows, even a little bit. They drive terribly in it, either too fast and wrecking (which only succeeds in scaring people even more of it) or too slow, which causes accidents too. There's such a thing as being too cautious, and if you slam on your breaks on a slippy road, you're gonna have problems. This last time it snowed, I was walking to class via one of Manchester's many sidewalks, and ended up following a girl, being about five feet behind her. Since it was the outside sidewalk that runs along Oakwood, the Administration building and Helman, there are points where you cross a small stretch of blacktop. On this morning, the snow wasn't too bad, and traction was pretty good, especially on the concrete tops of the sidewalks. But as we continued down the sidewalk and hit that stretch of black top, the girl in front of me nearly stopped, and started shuffling her feet in a painfully slow manner. I quickly caught up with her, slowing my stride so I wouldn't have to run around her or crash into. Instead of walking brickly around her, I decided to fall back and watch her some more. As soon as the treads of her tennis shoes hit the concrete of the next portion of sidewalk, she began walking at a normal pace and stride again, so I followed suit. Another twenty feet, the other part of the "U" of Oakwood, she slowed down considerably and began her shuffle step again.

I'm not in people's heads, but I don't really think such actions are necessary, considering that most of the time they reap more problems than they avoid.

Sunny Zachariah Paul

This is my cousin's youngest child, Zachariah. Zachariah just turned three years old in May, and as he runs around the living room jumping on the carpet and laughing at just about anything and everything, I can see that he's all boy and a bundle of energy.

But as funny as it is to watch him and listen to him in a normal sense, Zachariah has a very humorous, albeit completely innocent, way of talking. Poor little Zach can't say his "f" sounds or "th" sounds. Well, I take that back. He can say words containing the letter "f" and sound "th" but they come out as an "s" sound.

Sor example, Zach at se moment is sitting at se piano, playing the keys very loudly, until Grandma tells him to play with one single singer at a time. He taps his little soot along wis se music, which is so cute and so sunny sor a child of sree years old. While he sumbs away at the keys, he sings softly to himself a song sat he apparently had been singing earlier sat morning while I slept, sat goes like; "We can be anysing, anysing we want to be! We can be anysing, snysing we want to be!" Quite a young Mozart, this one is.

My favorite Zacahriah-ism, however was last year when we were playing doggies out in the living room with him and his sister. At one point I asked Zachariah what sound a doggie makes, and he stands up, puts his hands on his hips, and belts, "WOOS WOOS!!!" I almost died.

4 a.m.

It's 4 in the morning. I'm not able to sleep thanks to my medicine from being sick all weekend. That and I'm extremely pissed off, saddened and confused all in one. I don't understand human actions. I don't understand thought processes. I don't understand how people think that what they do isn't going to get caught up and complicated even though they are deliberately hurting someone. I guess it's the peace-maker in me that is always so cautious about what I say around other people, but I can't even imagine doing something like that, especially someone within such close proximity. Someone that there is supposed to be an innate trust and understanding with.

I don't understand how people can be so judgmental, even hypocritical. Even if they have thoughts, why would you ever voice such hurtful things? There is a filter that should have been acquired from life that everyone should have, but apparently not everyone does.

It hurts. That people do such things. It hurts, that people don't actually think. It just makes life harder for everyone else.

Me:

I might be naturally stubborn but I am naturally supportive. I can't watch people self destruct or watch them hurt themselves. I would do anything for anyone. If I care about someone a lot, I would be their number one fan and help them through anything. It bothers me when I can't help people. I'm very dedicated and devoted.

Yeah...

Remember Remember - ALLITERATION!

Today, being the Fifth Of November, (ironically the day after our election) reminds me and the rest of the relevant world that political ruin can happen, and that our government is supposed to be for the people by the people.

BUT - one of my favorite and probably less appreciated part of V for Vendetta is the genius use of alliteration. Not many people pay attention to such a thing, but me being an English major and Journalism minor, I do.

"Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à-vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V."

New Year - New Feelings

There's an over-used phrase that with new beginnings, comes new people.  I absolutely hate trite sayings, but I've found that it's true in most instances.  This school year, 2008-2009, has come with many new twists and turns that I didn't see coming at all, and I'm far-sighted!

I consider myself a strong person.  I've been through a lot that not a lot of people can say that they have and survived without so much as a one tear shed, but this year has been different.  I have been more human, some would say.  I'm not nearly as cold hearted as I have been in the past, and it kills me when I think about it.  Not that I particularly like being that, but I like the fact that very little affected me. This year, I find myself moved by the smallest things.  My mother says it's the woman in me finally surfacing after nearly twenty years of being a rambunctious tom-boy, but I'm not sure.  Gradually, however, I'm gaining my old self back, and it feels good to be able to smile and know that it's not fake.

Anyway.  I've decided that I need to update this thing a whole lot more.  I completely forgot about it since "The Happening," seeing as the summer got crazy after that, but I think that I can take a little time out of my busy week to write and be a little creative.   Beware the return of Clutzy McGee.  I've been falling a lot... and sliding down stairs.  ;)

The Happening - SPOILER ALERT

The Happening

Well, it certainly “Happened.” With the pressure of previous box office hits of M. Night weighing on the back of his newest production, people flocked to the movie theatres. As is Night’s way, there is very little known about the film as people walk in. One might argue it’s the only reason there are so many numbers to theatres, but either way, it works.

The film itself was a patented twisted and spiraling thing that most expected it to be. But who would have thought biological warfare – but isn’t manufactured and therefore pretty much unstoppable? Yes, that’s right – mother nature is out to get us. The trees and other plant life want us off their land, and it seems they’ve tired of our antics.

Overall, the film wasn’t anything to completely boo and hiss, nor anything to write home about. Like other famous movie makers, Night turned to blood and gore to get a point across. His show of fit, however, is not a pissed off stalker or a family with a blood thirst. The blood serves as a poignant realization for all those watching that, “Hey, we are maybe overstepping our boundaries a little on what we’re doing with our planet.” No doubt Al Gore will love this film. With this realization in mind, the beginning of the movie brings up the problem of the disappearing honeybees. No bodies. No real understanding of why their numbers are decreased. Scientists say that it could be anything from a temperature change to lack of flowers to pollinate. Either way, this is something REAL that is really “Happening” in our world. Perhaps things outside of our concrete jungles aren’t running quite as smoothly as we all think.

All this aside, Night’s writing style is becoming more and more predictable. There are fewer and different twists in many of his films. Other than following into the blood bath culture, he uses such over written play on life and death as having new life at the end of the movie when everything is regenerating. As if many people who actually can understand the movie couldn’t see that coming. Honestly, he needs to pick up his game a little.

Reviews of People

Standing outside the theatre, however, the populous gave it a different review. “That was the ‘gayest’ movie I’ve ever seen. Don’t see it.” “That lawn mower scene was wicked awesome! The blood when that guy was run over – AMAZING.” “I don’t ever want to see another one of his movies again.”

It amazes me that people are so damn dense. I’m not saying that it’s going to be one of my favorite movies, or that I will MAKE or FORCE my friends to go see it, but I certainly don’t think it was bad. There is so much more to writing a movie (as in most writing genres) than people seem to understand or appreciate. It’s all about instant gratification with most people. If they’re not instantly pleased with something, or come out of the movie theatre with a warm sense of bubbly satisfaction and satiation, then it’s not worth the $10 they paid to get in.

Personally, I like to think about it. Let it seep in as I think about the movie as a whole. Relive parts of the movie with things later on and make them make sense. Also, to talk to someone about the whole thing and get their input on it opens your eyes even more. A movie like this that is so seemingly far fetched, yet almost completely plausible is a mind numbing experience to take in. There’s so much that you can think about. Like – “What set off the plants?” Throughout the movie different theories are thrown around, but none seem to be right since it keeps changing. I have my own theories after thinking about it for about half an hour as I sit in my room doing nothing, but there’s so much more.

In my opinion, if something can make me think and dive deeper into the story line and the mind of the writer, then it’s good. I guess that’s a problem with our society today – people don’t want or have the time to actually open up their mind and think every once and a while.

Peanut

For any of those who pay attention - please keep my little friend Jaylen (aka Peanut) in your thoughts and prayers for the next few weeks.
Jaylen is the smallest ("But not youngest!" she'll tell you) of ten year old triplets that I have babysat for years and years. She was born with a significant hole in her heart, but being born so small and weak, they could do little but hope for the best. Over the years, she has had many health trials, in and out of countless hospitals across the country and world (being a military brat). Now, as a vibrant, hyper and very, very intelligent ten year old, they decided that now would be a good time to perform open heart surgery and fix said problem. Tomorrow (Friday) she will undergo a heart catheratization process and then next Thursday will be her big day.

Please keep this little girl in your prayers. She has the most loving family and means the world to so many people. Hope for the best!

Gas Prices?

$4.00 A gallon really isn't that bad, when you look at the rest of the world.

European Gas Prices

Be lucky our government and oil predicaments are what they are, even if they could be better.
:)

Summer blues?

So, I'm home for the summer. It's interesting, I have been home for over a week now, and all I want to do is go back. I feel so utterly vulnerable at home. It might be the close proximity of Joshua, but I just don't know. It's been two months now, and I miss him more than ever. I keep telling myself that I wanted this, and that we're both better off without each other, but I'm finding it hard to keep believing it. I know people go through this after long relationships, but who knows. I just have to stick it out and hope for the best. But it's hard - losing your best friend. I think another reason is that I'm around my old friends once gain who are dating the same people they were while Josh and I were still together. I wish them the best, but it's so odd to be the only one of us that's single. I know now how some of these friends have felt throughout the random years. It hurts. And also, prom pictures are going up all over the place. It makes me miss dressing up, and meeting up with him those three years in a row. It's really quite silly, but at the same time, it's not. We were dating for almost four and half years, and I miss it.

I also definitely think that another reason I am finding myself so vulnerable is because other guys won't seem to leave me alone. All I really want to time and space to be myself - to be the person that's not attached at the hip anymore - but they, two in particular, won't even let me breathe, much less think of a life where I'm not dating them. Since when am I so damn wanted?!

I don't know. I guess late at night, I miss him more than ever. Life goes on though, and I'm learning more and more that I can cope and that I'm strong. Everything will work out - we'll both be happy, and the world will still turn.

I feel a little better, now that that emo post is out of the way.

Bloodah!

Okay, so admittedly I have been spending WAY too much time on youtube. For those of you who hand out with me, you know that I am obsessed with one video in particular.



I am simple enamored with this little boy. I want him for my own! And the dad cracking up behind the camera just makes how mad he gets even funnier!

So if any of you hear me say, "Nah FUNNNAH!" this is what it's from.

You Can

I have been spending way too much time on youtube lately, but a related story was sent to my by my dad, and being the kind of person I am, I had to learn more. I found this touching video and had to fight back the tears as I watched it. It doesn't really explain the situation any, but the music choice and the imagines are heart warming.

The story is that of a man and his son who compete in races and triathlons together. The son, Rick, however, was born with the umbilical chord wrapped around his neck, causing no air to get to his brain and causing irreversible brain damage, and lack of control of limbs and motor skills. But Rick was very smart, and his parents could tell that. They figured out a way to let him communicate, using a computer. The racing started with a fund raiser 5 mile run for a disables teenager at Rick's high school. He told his father that he wanted to do that, and it grew from there. "When I run, Dad, it feels like I'm not disabled anymore," he told his father, which melted Dick's heart.

It's truly touching, how devoted this man is to his son. It's amazing that people are still good in a world that is so screwed up sometimes.

Genius Idea

So, as I was thinking about my flight in a week, and it occurred to me – what if they put a UP, Fed-Ex or USPS store/service station right outside where people go through security. There are people all the time that get things confiscated or have to throw them away because things are not allowed on airlines anymore. The shipping companies would make a killing with this, because people would be free to ship these items to themselves at the destination or back to their homes instead of just losing them all together. Not to mention, it would really help those people out, saving them the money loss of having to possibly buy this thing over again.

Just a thought.

Music

I think someone, be it God or someone else, is trying to tell me that I’m not cut out to be a musician. Between high school and college and extra-curricular things, I keep getting screwed over.

Music was pretty much my life in high school. I did English stuff too, of course, but music was the one thing that I was in non-stop all four years of my career. I was the vice president of the Tri-M my senior year, as well as a constant member of the marching, jazz and concert band. I never got an elected position at all in the four years of the band. I competed in tons of Solo and Ensemble competitions as well as honor bands, but I never saw anything from it. I was not even able to hold on to first or even second chair my senior year. And when the award season came up – I didn’t get any of the scholarships available, nor did I even get any of the recognition of outstanding anything in music. I dealt with this for a while, maturely and as much as I could. It hurt, but I took consolation in the fact that there were just people more dedicated and better than myself. Now, I want those things even more. I just wanted something in music – since it’s the thing that I thought I loved the most.

And now in college, I am in a feud with the Department chair of Music. There was a stupid misunderstanding and now I seem like an ass. I gave up a weekend to do something nice for them – And I’m not even a music major. I am doubling with a music minor with my journalism minor. Well, not anymore. This is just too stupid. I can’t stand getting taken advantage of anymore. I work hard. I always have been. I am not one to give up, but this is ridiculous. I am dropping the minor – staying in band and my lessons until the end of the semester and am still thinking on if I will pick them up in the fall or not.

The only reason I’m in them is for Ravens, and I got fucked there too. The mellos are always getting screwed, and things just don’t matter anyway. I don't know about Ravens yet, but I'll make that decision later.

So, whoever wants me to give up – whoever keeps sending me these messages – you win. I don’t care anymore. I’m through sacrificing things for music. It’s not worth it.

Cutest Girl Ever

This girl is ADORABLE. I was surfing youtube and found it and it made me smile huge!

Garth? Garth? Garth?

So, if some of you haven't noticed, I am obsessed with Garth Brooks. I know he's older than my parents, but it doesn't matter. He's an amazing artist and is one of the most fun people when he's live in concert.

This is right no, granted Ron White makes fun of it, but still.

"It's like I made a Jesus joke in the middle of Bethlehem." DAMN RIGHT, Skippy.


Garth was on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight. Sang "More than a Memory." I really wish he would tour!

Zombies are coming to get YYOOUU!

For the past few months, maybe even a year, I'm not entirely sure - I have been having random nightmares about Zombies. Yes yes, it's funny that a nineteen year old still has nightmares but don't you dare tell me that even you adults stopped having them as children.

Anyway, I woke up in a cold sweat well before my alarm went off because I was having this crazy dream. I was in some sort of school/house building with tons of windows. The group of us that was "left," for a lack of a better term, went about trying to seal the room from the intruders that would soon hanut us as the sun went down. We went around and boarded doors, stockpiled food, put matresses and tape on the windows but we didn't do it fast enough. At one point, I fell asleep in my dream (yeah - really) and ended up dreaming that I was looking for food in this weird place, and stumbled upon a kitchen. Nothing better, right? WRONG. I smelled something cooking, so I opened the oven - and out came this yellow mist. The mist attacked the loaf of bread next to iton the counter, and went across the kitchen to a white cat that was on the island. Then, without warning, both infected (by this time I had figured out that this is what the virus was) broke out into song. The loaf of bread moved the heel piece up and down kind of like the inanimate objects in Sesame Street do, and the cat was just singing - in English no less. I don't remember what they were singing, but I do know that it was in a very strong baritone, very loud, and very good. But seeing as I was in a dream's dream world, I freaked out, locked off the kitchen and returned to my people. When I got there, however, all of the work we had done on sealing the place off was undone. The brightly colored sunset was streaming through the windows that weren't only uncovered, but OPEN! I started screeching at my party, telling them that we were all going to die. The next thing I know, there are zombies standing in the open windows and all around me, singing. It was like a choir! They were amazing. So strong and well-trained. It was like someone had mixed the singing scene from Beetlejuice into I Am Legend. Either way it freaked me out. But then I woke up, mind you - in my dream, and it was nearing sunset, and some of the windows weren't bound yet. So I climbed up to the highest windows and started taping X's on them (I don't know why I was making them shatterproof - it seemed like a good idea at the time) and out the window I was working on, I saw this woman coming out of her house next door. She bent and kicked the dog very sluggishly, and moaned - giving me the signal that she was a zombie. But it was still light out! I started screaming, finished my window and then grabbed a hammer. Looking towards the front door - with those little windows in the panels, I realized we hadn't done anythign with them, much less CLOSED THE FREAKING DOOR!!! I ran to the door, but it was too late. These things looked like the parody zombies in Shaun of the Dead, but moved like the buggers in I Am Legend. She got there before me, I used the back of the hammer to hit her in the forehead, and then I woke up - shaking and frekaing out.

I think the worse thing about the whole thing was that I was laying in bed for thenext hour, convincing myself that something like that could happen somedoay, with all of the medical technology and genes and stuff that the governments are doing today. I even looked around my room while my heart tried to resume beating to figure out how I would save myself in the event of the infection and over-run. I decided that a dorm room would be a great place to barricade ones self in, since the walls are of a sturdy concrete and the door heavy. The only thing is my 8 foot window. I seriously thought about measuring my mattresses to see exactly how much of the glass it would cover. Then thoughts went through my mind like, "Well, how do I know I'll be immune if it is an infection?" and "What will I do for food? Or a bathroom for that matter?" Then - I had the brilliant idea of barricading myself in one ofthe suites in Oakwood or Helman. Aha! They have a bathroom, running water. Food would still be a problem, but I could go forragin. As I was figuring this all out, I kept getting spooked by all the sounds caused by the other girls and the dorm itself. My fridge turning on just about made me pee my pants, nad the constant movement of people on all sides of me made me uneasy. Finally, I turned on some music and pulled the covers over my head.

I don't know why my brain does this to me. Honestly, I know that I was aware of what was going on and woke myself up when I didn't like it anymore, but what the hell? The closest thing that I can think of is that earlier in the night Barbara mentioned Shaun of the Dead, and right before I went to bed I was watching The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and thinking it was so weird to see Will Smith as a teenager since he was such an accomplished and well known man now.

Weird.

Haunted Dorm?

Here in Indiana, I live in the oldest dorm on the campus. It's also the only all same sex dorm, so there aren't a lot pf people in it. But is that the real reason??

East is supposedly haunted. It's an old brick building with a creepy basement with yellow lights, so of course it's going to give off that "willy" feel. But lately we have been freaking ourselves out a little.

Everyone in the building, especially on my end of the second floor, has reported weird sounds (which may just end up being obnoxious neighbors) as well as doors popping open. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but our door are different. They are heavy wood, and our knobs and latches lock in place as soon as the door is closed. When it's closed, it's closed. You can open it easily enough with the knob, but it's not coming loose without it. Well, they pop open nonetheless. Mine has done this countless of times. I'll hear the metal pop and my door drifts open. I know I close my door when I come into the room, so it freaks me out. Being a ghost hunters fanatic, I decided to try and debunk it SciFi style. I went down the hall, opened and closing some of my friends doors as well as the dividing door, thinking that maybe the air from the other doors caused it. The door only jiggled, which is completely different than coming completely open.

There have been other things, like the incident my RA explained to me and Heather one day, in which she was laying in bed and something was pressing against her and she couldn't get out of bed. She admits that it was weird, and that she didn't really know what to think. I have had some wierd going ons with my curtains, but I'm going to watch them and note what I'm doing more with them to take out the possibility of human error.

NO ONE likes going up to the third floor. At least the half where no one is living. It's always dark, and smells funny. The girls on the third floor use it to play soccer in the hallways sometimes, but they turn on the lights first and never really go alone.

Always something interesting happening!

My Life As I Know It

So, I'm being a procrastinator. But bite me! I have all weekend (well, sort of) to study for my quiz on Monday.

Anyway, here are little explanations that of my classes this semester. Just because I'm bored and for the off chance someone might be interested.

WRITING THROUGH LITERATURE w/ Prof. Watson
This, obviously, but the title, is an English class, so of course I am partial to it. And yes, to you North County APers, it is pretty much Dr. Poole's class. But Prof. Watson adds a more grown up feel to it. The material is different with only a few overlaps. I adore the first novel we read as well as the movie that was somewhat related to it. Even so, it annoys me to some points. I can't stand some of my classmates, since they are in the class only because it's a general education requirement. I'm not saying that they're not intelligent, because they have to hold some sort of brains to not only get into Manchester, but to survive the first semester. They just know very little on a lot of the things they try to talk about. Prof. Watson will do one of those movements where he will freeze, stare at them a moment and then say, "Well, yes, buuuut..." It's almost comical. Also, I knew reading was a problem with a lot of people, but when I offered my copy of the novel to a classmate to borrow since I had already finished, I didn't expect her to stare at me as if I had two heads and gawk. It's sad really, that those of us who actually read the material, much less enjoy reading it, are a minority. It makes me lose some faith in humanity. Overall, I enjoy this class. I keep a low profile. I'm the only English major there, (since I know the rest of them by face since it's a pretty small department) and I plan to not show off, since I have technically taken the class, and also because it's just easier that way. I've come to terms with the "take advantage of the English major - and edit my paper" and have decided the best way around it is to keep it quiet. I enjoy it, but chances are that I have other things I have to be doing.

JUDIASM, CHRISTIANITY, AND ISLAM w/Prof. Bowman
Yeah, you can tell I go to a Christian based school. As a general education requirement, we have to take a religion class. Since I am Christian, I decided against the full blown JESUS class, and settled for the one that touched on things that maybe I didn't know about. Although, history in these terms is dry as hell, no pun intended. I know a lot of the Old Testament - excuse me, we're Jewish right now: the Tanak - so it's also very repetitive. But Prof. Bowman makes things a little more interesting. He's a Church of the Bretheren pastor, but has a degree in comparative religions. He tells all of these biblical stories in a more colloquial manner and it definitely adds gusto to the class. Granted, he's a little hard to follow when taking notes since he gets excited and gets sidetracked, but all in all, it could be worse.

WESTERN CIVILIZATION w/Prof. Tinsely
Another class that grates on my nerves as a do over. Only this one is time number three. I took World Civ. in tenth grade, and then AP World last year. Same class, different degrees of study. This though, is exactly what we did last year with Joffe, only a little bit more straight, since Joffe always has his moments. I enjoy history, so it's nothing challenging. It's a new experience, as far as college goes, since it's a lecture format in a stadium style classroom (one of two on campus, this one holding only forty students). But I like it. She speaks and it really easy to follow with notes and the book. The only slightly irritating thing about her is that she repeats everything she says at least three times. It helps if you weren't paying attention, but if you are it gives you time to doodle more in the margin of your notebook.

SURVEY OF MATHEMATICAL THOUGHT w/Prof. Beery
I have never, ever enjoyed a math class but I adore this class. However, I don't know if you could really call it a math class. At least not with what we have done so far. For the first few classes, we learned ancient numeral systems and then wrote our birthdays and ages in them. We spent a good three days going back and forth, translating the odd numerals to our familiar Hindu-Arabic. It's a class made for people like me who don't really need advanced math in their professions. Those of us that only need math for taxes and grocery shopping. I probably could have kept afloat in the Algebra class that I was eligible for, but why bother? Why take a harder class that might result in a lower grade when it's only going to frustrate me and lower my GPA. Besides, I like being a big fish in a slightly small, simpler pond. The professor is great. He's funny, yet humble. He knows my name out of everyone else's because somehow I ALWAYS end up under his radar and getting skipped when he passes out papers. It has gotten so bad that all I have to do is clear my throat and he knows exactly what he did. He's great though, and explains things thoroughly.

BAND w/Prof Gindin
Some of you heard about my little problem with band at the beginning of the year. It made me more homesick than anything else and I had a hard time fitting in. This was, after all, stage band and not marching. Well, now I have a few friends, and most people at least know my name. The director is awesome. She's a horn player - how could she not be awesome? She greets me by name every day, and has genuine love and fun directing us. I didn't go to Puerto Rico with them, which I am regretting more and more, but that's okay. Thanks to my flute lessons though, the music is getting easier to read. But, I am still struggling with some issues in instruments and comrades.

FLUTE LESSON w/Ann Donner
At the beginning of last semester, I hated it. I hated her. I hated that everything I had ever learned or taught myself meant nothing and everything that I had ever worked for and earned meant nothing. Now, I adore it. I have learned so much and have gotten to know Ann as well. She's awesome. She cracks me up half the time, especially when she flicks my stomach and yells "Jessie, fart more!" The only thing with the lessons is that my flute won't cooperate. I have Laura's, but as we found out at my first lesson this semester, one of the pads used in the upper-upper registers has a leak. It's just because it's slightly bent, so I'm just going to go ahead and get it fixed. Meanwhile, my flute is in for an overhaul. Thanks to tax season, my parents will be able to afford to fix it. Don't worry Laura, your baby is fine. I'm taking extra good care of it, I promise. Better than my own, most definitely!

JOURNALISM II: EDITING w/Prof Ings
This is basically my major. I LOVE IT. I don't think people would dare to think otherwise anyway. It's so much fun and I adore the things we're learning. This week we focused on headlines. We learned what not to do, the different kinds, using decks grammatically correct, etc. But Prof. Ings throws things in there that make us roll on the floors! She likes to show us real life examples of what not to do. Like showing us the importance of spell checking in a GIANT headline, "Pubic school attendance on the rise." And then my personal favorite to show us the importance of proper spacing and that you don't always need the little words, "Governor penis busy." (pen is) I also love that we get to edit each other's work. I love doing it to a certain extent, so this is a great thing. The only thing is - my article assignment for next week is on the vocation entitled "The Vagina Monologues." I have NO IDEA what it is. Although by the name, I think she should have assigned it to a guy. My favorite day though is Thursday, when we spend the first part of class proposing story ideas. Just the things that go on on a college campus are intriguing and hilarious! With all the snow we got last week, people built a giant falice on the middle of the mall, which the security guards knocked down after taking pictures. And also, in the middle of one of the main streets of the town that runs through our campus, people built a six foot high, three foot wide wall of snow across the whole road. The police ended up being called and they knocked it down too. I really want to know who thinks of all this random things that makes life so interesting.




Well, I think that's it, class wise anyway. The weather has been apocolyptic. For the last two weeks, we have had thunderstorms, a total accumulation of about a foot of snow that was then in turn all melted by two full days of pouring rain. Then for the past two days straight, it has snowed all day and night. But this is not the good kind of snow. This is tiny little flakes that you can hardly see at times but succeeds in making the maze of sidewalks unwalkably slippery and just plain miserable. With all the rain and snow melting, our campus is practically a skating rink. There was water everywhere -- everything flooded and then it froze! The river that runs through the town is considered dangerously flooded at 9 ft - and it was measured yesterday at 12 1/2 ft. There are reports all over the area of flood damage and some of the images are almost of biblical proportions. And then we had a tornado watch earlier in the week? It's seriously the end of the world.

"It's the end of the world as we know it, and I FEEEEEEEEELLLL FFFIIIIIINNNNEEE!"