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!"