School started today. Should be an interesting semester.
Sports Documentary isn't as exciting as I thought it would be. I thought it would be more talking about forms of sports telecasting/reporting with sports programs assigned as homework, but it's a lot of watching movies and discussing how it affects the sports, how it's portrayed etc, etc. It's a 9am class, which is anything but early to me, but one of the girls sitting behind me came in and complained about how early it was and then the teacher said she "commended" all of us for picking an early class. Meanwhile I'm sitting there like "this is early??" Oh college students, you've got such a wake up call coming when you start in the real world. Especially since I've been thinking that if traffic settles down, I'll be able to sleep in until 730 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. lol.
My English 325 teacher is crazy. Very scatterbrained, but he seems enthusiastic about his job. Reminds me a LITTLE bit of Bob. Mostly because of his antics and scatterbrained tendencies. Today's class flew by, mostly because I didn't know what he was going to say next. What we were discussing wasn't even that exciting (yay, syllabus!) but he'd change voices and tell stories and it was just entertaining. Hopefully it continues the rest of the semester... it'll ALMOST make up for all the reading/paper writing I'll have to do. (I know I KNOW, I'm an English major... but damn there's a lot of paper's assigned this semester already!)
My English 202 teacher admitted that he's served time in jail about twenty minutes into class. He didn't want to be drafted during the Vietnam war, so he turned his draft card in and spent 18 months behind bars. He then proceeded to say "You might think I'm one of two things. Either I'm a coward, which is partly the case even though I thought my decision through very carefully and decided it was truly what I wanted to do; or that I'm crazy which might more hit the mark." I just find it ironic that he refused to go to war, but he's teaching a class on it. But anyone who admits that they're crazy less than thirty minutes into the first class is okay by me. haha. Course, then he showed about twenty minutes of Fahrenheit 9/11, so that kind of took away from the cool factor.
New receptionist starts at work tomorrow and I get to play trainer. Not too excited about this. The training part, I mean. I have no patience whatsoever and I'm going to have to dumb down my job (more so than it already is, because lets face it: how hard is it to answer phones, really??) so she can keep up. I learned the job in a day... but for some reason no one else has been able to come in and learn the ropes as well. We shall see...
I'm in love with this song right now. Interestingly enough, I read somewhere that B.o.B. and Hayley Williams have never met. Everything was taped and recorded in different places.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Wonderin' why we bother with love if it never lasts
Hmmm... where to start this post?
Ran into an old friend in Target yesterday (like how I blog about something more than 24 hours after it happens? lol). Friend might be a loose term, but I'd like to think that at some point we were friends, and not just acquaintances because I was dating one of his close friends... but either way... haven't seen him in probably almost two years. Maybe more like a year and a half, because I broke up with this particular boyfriend two years ago. Anyways... it's been a while since I've seen him and a lot has happened in life since then. More so in his life than mine because mine is pretty boring and monotone. He's getting married next weekend. This isn't a shocker because I'm friends with him on Facebook and I saw when he got engaged. It is a bit surprising that it's so soon because he just got engaged in April. But maybe I'm just used to knowing people who are engaged for a year or longer before the actual ceremony. But in today's society people get married quickly for one of two reasons: either the girl is knocked up, or they actually want a speedy engagement. More commonly than not an engagement is fast because the girl is pregnant and they want the child to be "legitimate" when it comes into the world.
But after speculating (and snooping/stalking) I'm pretty sure this isn't the case in his situation. So props to him and his fiance for knowing that what they have is right and not wasting time with details. I really am happy for him, although slightly jealous. But then again, not jealous. He deserves it. He's been through a lot, and when he was my age I think he felt just as depressed and alone in love as sometimes feel now.
With that being said, I had a very strange dream with my ex in it last night, most likely because I ran into this old friend and it brought to mind my exboyfriend. I've had dreams about him recently, and they're almost the same tone. He and I are back together and I'm not happy about it. I usually spend most of the dream trying to figure out how to break up with him again. Last night's dream was a bit different. In this case he cheated on me but still wanted to be with me and I couldn't stand looking at him. In one part of the dream I actually snuck out of his house so that I didn't have to be with him, and then I got on a plane which turned into a bus. The part I remember most clearly was the seats on the bus were more like airplane seats and the window were more like portholes. I was sitting in a seat by the window listening to my ipod (at least I think it was an ipod, the layout was slightly different) and he came and sat down beside me and pulled out one of the earbuds that was lodged in my ear. Then I woke up. Random? I didn't eat anything right before bed last night, promise.
Went over all of this information with Becky at my massage today and she said she thinks its normal that even after two years I still dream about him. She said it's normal to still wonder about him and hope that he's doing okay. I'm not sure I sit around hoping he's okay (as horrible as that sounds). I'm curious about him because I want to know if he actually got the motivation to do the things I was trying to motivate him to do. One thing I can NOT stand is people who want something and then do nothing to go get it. If you don't like your job go out and get another one. If you want to go to school to make more money, find a way to do it. If you don't like living at home with your parents: fix it. I understand this is easier said than done, but don't complain night and day about these problems and then sit around and think it's impossible to fix. So I'm not curious about him in hopes that he's doing better. I have very little faith in thinking he's changed his situation, but I ask to be sure. Does this make me a mean person? Possibly. But there you have it. I have enough drama in my own life without trying to support someone else's dysfunctional family drama.
Ran into an old friend in Target yesterday (like how I blog about something more than 24 hours after it happens? lol). Friend might be a loose term, but I'd like to think that at some point we were friends, and not just acquaintances because I was dating one of his close friends... but either way... haven't seen him in probably almost two years. Maybe more like a year and a half, because I broke up with this particular boyfriend two years ago. Anyways... it's been a while since I've seen him and a lot has happened in life since then. More so in his life than mine because mine is pretty boring and monotone. He's getting married next weekend. This isn't a shocker because I'm friends with him on Facebook and I saw when he got engaged. It is a bit surprising that it's so soon because he just got engaged in April. But maybe I'm just used to knowing people who are engaged for a year or longer before the actual ceremony. But in today's society people get married quickly for one of two reasons: either the girl is knocked up, or they actually want a speedy engagement. More commonly than not an engagement is fast because the girl is pregnant and they want the child to be "legitimate" when it comes into the world.
But after speculating (and snooping/stalking) I'm pretty sure this isn't the case in his situation. So props to him and his fiance for knowing that what they have is right and not wasting time with details. I really am happy for him, although slightly jealous. But then again, not jealous. He deserves it. He's been through a lot, and when he was my age I think he felt just as depressed and alone in love as sometimes feel now.
With that being said, I had a very strange dream with my ex in it last night, most likely because I ran into this old friend and it brought to mind my exboyfriend. I've had dreams about him recently, and they're almost the same tone. He and I are back together and I'm not happy about it. I usually spend most of the dream trying to figure out how to break up with him again. Last night's dream was a bit different. In this case he cheated on me but still wanted to be with me and I couldn't stand looking at him. In one part of the dream I actually snuck out of his house so that I didn't have to be with him, and then I got on a plane which turned into a bus. The part I remember most clearly was the seats on the bus were more like airplane seats and the window were more like portholes. I was sitting in a seat by the window listening to my ipod (at least I think it was an ipod, the layout was slightly different) and he came and sat down beside me and pulled out one of the earbuds that was lodged in my ear. Then I woke up. Random? I didn't eat anything right before bed last night, promise.
Went over all of this information with Becky at my massage today and she said she thinks its normal that even after two years I still dream about him. She said it's normal to still wonder about him and hope that he's doing okay. I'm not sure I sit around hoping he's okay (as horrible as that sounds). I'm curious about him because I want to know if he actually got the motivation to do the things I was trying to motivate him to do. One thing I can NOT stand is people who want something and then do nothing to go get it. If you don't like your job go out and get another one. If you want to go to school to make more money, find a way to do it. If you don't like living at home with your parents: fix it. I understand this is easier said than done, but don't complain night and day about these problems and then sit around and think it's impossible to fix. So I'm not curious about him in hopes that he's doing better. I have very little faith in thinking he's changed his situation, but I ask to be sure. Does this make me a mean person? Possibly. But there you have it. I have enough drama in my own life without trying to support someone else's dysfunctional family drama.
Thought this was interesting
Alright, I've tried twice to post the link, but it won't let me...so I'm going to copy and paste the article. Found this on Yahoo, via their website Shine who apparently got it from Reader's Digest.
24 Things you're saying wrong:
You never mean: Could care less
You always mean: Couldn't care less
Why: You want to say you care so little already that you couldn't possibly care any less. When the Boston Celtics' Ray Allen said, "God could care less whether I can shoot a jump shot," we know he meant exactly the opposite because 1) God has other things on his mind, and 2) God is a Knicks fan.
You might say: Mano a mano
You might mean: Man-to-man
Why: You don't speak Spanish by adding vowels to the end of English words, as a columnist describing father–teenage son relationships seemed to think when he wrote, "Don't expect long, mano a mano talks." Mano a mano (literally, "hand to hand") originated with bullfighting and usually refers to a knock-down, drag-out direct confrontation.
You might say: Less
You might mean: Fewer
Why: In general, use fewer when you're specifying a number of countable things ("200 words or fewer"); reserve less for a mass ("less than half"). So when you're composing a tweet, do it in 140 characters or fewer, not less.
You never mean: Hone in
You always mean: Home in
Why: Like homing pigeons, we can be single-minded about finding our way to a point: "Scientists are homing in on the causes of cancer." Hone means "to sharpen": "The rookie spent the last three seasons honing his skills in the minor leagues." But it's easy to mishear m's and n's, which is probably what happened to the Virginia senator who said, "We've got to hone in on cost containment." If you're unsure, say "zero in" instead.
You might say: Bring
You might mean: Take
Why: The choice depends on your point of view. Use bring when you want to show motion toward you ("Bring the dog treats over here, please"). Use take to show motion in the opposite direction ("I have to take Rufus to the vet"). The rule gets confusing when the movement has nothing to do with you. In those cases, you can use either verb, depending on the context: "The assistant brought the shot to the vet" (the vet's point of view); "the assistant took the shot to the doctor" (the assistant's).
You might say: Who
You might mean: Whom
Why: It all depends. Do you need a subject or an object? A subject (who) is the actor of the sentence: "Who left the roller skates on the sidewalk?" An object (whom) is the acted-upon: "Whom are you calling?" Parents, hit the Mute button when Dora the Explorer shouts, "Who do we ask for help when we don't know which way to go?"
You almost never mean: Brother-in-laws, runner-ups, hole in ones, etc.
You almost always mean: Brothers-in-law, runners-up, holes in one, etc.
Why: Plurals of these compound nouns are formed by adding an s to the thing there's more than one of (brothers, not laws). Some exceptions: words ending in ful (mouthfuls) and phrases like cul-de-sacs.
You almost never mean: Try and
You almost always mean: Try to
Why: Try and try again, yes, but if you're planning to do something, use the infinitive form: "I'm going to try to run a marathon." Commenting on an online story about breakups, one woman wrote, "A guy I dated used to try and impress me with the choice of books he was reading." It's no surprise that the relationship didn't last.
You almost never mean: Different than
You almost always mean: Different from
Why: This isn't the biggest offense, but if you can easily substitute from for than (My mother's tomato sauce is different from my mother-in-law's), do it. Use than for comparisons: My mother's tomato sauce is better than my mother-in-law's.
You almost never mean: Beg the question
You almost always mean: Raise the question
Why: Correctly used, "begging the question" is like making a circular argument (I don't like you because you're so unlikable). But unless you're a philosophy professor, you shouldn't ever need this phrase. Stick to "raise the question."
You might say: More than
You can also say: Over
Why: The two are interchangeable when the sense is "Over 6,000 hats were sold." We like grammarian Bryan Garner's take on it: "The charge that over is inferior to more than is a baseless crotchet."
You almost never mean: Supposably
You almost always mean: Supposedly
Why: Supposably is, in fact, a word—it means "conceivably"—but not the one you want if you're trying to say "it's assumed," and certainly not the one you want if you're on a first date with an English major or a job interview with an English speaker.
You might say: All of
You probably mean: All
Why: Drop the of whenever you can, as Julia Roberts recently did, correctly: "Every little moment is amazing if you let yourself access it. I learn that all the time from my kids." But you need all of before a pronoun ("all of them") and before a possessive noun ("all of Julia's kids").
You might say: That
You might mean: Which
Why: "The money that is on the table is for you" is different from "the money, which is on the table, is for you." That pinpoints the subject: The money that is on the table is yours; the money in my pocket is mine. Which introduces an aside, a bit of extra information. If you remove "which is on the table," you won't change the meaning: The money is for you (oh, and unless you don't want it, it's on the table). If the clause is necessary to your meaning, use that; if it could safely be omitted, say which.
You never mean: Outside of
You always mean: Outside
Why: These two prepositions weren't meant for each other. Perfectly acceptable: "Wearing a cheese-head hat outside Wisconsin will likely earn you some stares and glares (unless you're surrounded by Green Bay Packers fans, that is)."
You might say: Each other
You might mean: One another
Why: Tradition says that each other should be used with two people or things, and one another with more than two, and careful speakers should follow suit: "The three presenters argued with one another over who should announce the award, but Ann and Barbara gave each other flowers after the ceremony." (By the way, if you need the possessive form of either one when writing that business letter, it's always each other's and one another's; never end with s'.)
8 Confusing Pairs
leery, wary: suspicious
weary: tired
farther: for physical distance
further: for metaphorical distance or time
principle: rule
principal: of your school
compliment: nice thing to say
complement: match
continual: ongoing but intermittent
continuous: without interruption
stationary: stands still
stationery: paper
imply: to suggest a meaning
infer: to draw meaning from something
affect: typically a verb, meaning "to act upon or cause an effect"; as a noun, it's "an emotional response"
effect: typically a noun, meaning "something produced," like a special effect; as a verb, "to bring about," as in "to effect change"
Reading that kind of made my head hurt trying to figure out the differences, but still very interesting.
24 Things you're saying wrong:
You never mean: Could care less
You always mean: Couldn't care less
Why: You want to say you care so little already that you couldn't possibly care any less. When the Boston Celtics' Ray Allen said, "God could care less whether I can shoot a jump shot," we know he meant exactly the opposite because 1) God has other things on his mind, and 2) God is a Knicks fan.
You might say: Mano a mano
You might mean: Man-to-man
Why: You don't speak Spanish by adding vowels to the end of English words, as a columnist describing father–teenage son relationships seemed to think when he wrote, "Don't expect long, mano a mano talks." Mano a mano (literally, "hand to hand") originated with bullfighting and usually refers to a knock-down, drag-out direct confrontation.
You might say: Less
You might mean: Fewer
Why: In general, use fewer when you're specifying a number of countable things ("200 words or fewer"); reserve less for a mass ("less than half"). So when you're composing a tweet, do it in 140 characters or fewer, not less.
You never mean: Hone in
You always mean: Home in
Why: Like homing pigeons, we can be single-minded about finding our way to a point: "Scientists are homing in on the causes of cancer." Hone means "to sharpen": "The rookie spent the last three seasons honing his skills in the minor leagues." But it's easy to mishear m's and n's, which is probably what happened to the Virginia senator who said, "We've got to hone in on cost containment." If you're unsure, say "zero in" instead.
You might say: Bring
You might mean: Take
Why: The choice depends on your point of view. Use bring when you want to show motion toward you ("Bring the dog treats over here, please"). Use take to show motion in the opposite direction ("I have to take Rufus to the vet"). The rule gets confusing when the movement has nothing to do with you. In those cases, you can use either verb, depending on the context: "The assistant brought the shot to the vet" (the vet's point of view); "the assistant took the shot to the doctor" (the assistant's).
You might say: Who
You might mean: Whom
Why: It all depends. Do you need a subject or an object? A subject (who) is the actor of the sentence: "Who left the roller skates on the sidewalk?" An object (whom) is the acted-upon: "Whom are you calling?" Parents, hit the Mute button when Dora the Explorer shouts, "Who do we ask for help when we don't know which way to go?"
You almost never mean: Brother-in-laws, runner-ups, hole in ones, etc.
You almost always mean: Brothers-in-law, runners-up, holes in one, etc.
Why: Plurals of these compound nouns are formed by adding an s to the thing there's more than one of (brothers, not laws). Some exceptions: words ending in ful (mouthfuls) and phrases like cul-de-sacs.
You almost never mean: Try and
You almost always mean: Try to
Why: Try and try again, yes, but if you're planning to do something, use the infinitive form: "I'm going to try to run a marathon." Commenting on an online story about breakups, one woman wrote, "A guy I dated used to try and impress me with the choice of books he was reading." It's no surprise that the relationship didn't last.
You almost never mean: Different than
You almost always mean: Different from
Why: This isn't the biggest offense, but if you can easily substitute from for than (My mother's tomato sauce is different from my mother-in-law's), do it. Use than for comparisons: My mother's tomato sauce is better than my mother-in-law's.
You almost never mean: Beg the question
You almost always mean: Raise the question
Why: Correctly used, "begging the question" is like making a circular argument (I don't like you because you're so unlikable). But unless you're a philosophy professor, you shouldn't ever need this phrase. Stick to "raise the question."
You might say: More than
You can also say: Over
Why: The two are interchangeable when the sense is "Over 6,000 hats were sold." We like grammarian Bryan Garner's take on it: "The charge that over is inferior to more than is a baseless crotchet."
You almost never mean: Supposably
You almost always mean: Supposedly
Why: Supposably is, in fact, a word—it means "conceivably"—but not the one you want if you're trying to say "it's assumed," and certainly not the one you want if you're on a first date with an English major or a job interview with an English speaker.
You might say: All of
You probably mean: All
Why: Drop the of whenever you can, as Julia Roberts recently did, correctly: "Every little moment is amazing if you let yourself access it. I learn that all the time from my kids." But you need all of before a pronoun ("all of them") and before a possessive noun ("all of Julia's kids").
You might say: That
You might mean: Which
Why: "The money that is on the table is for you" is different from "the money, which is on the table, is for you." That pinpoints the subject: The money that is on the table is yours; the money in my pocket is mine. Which introduces an aside, a bit of extra information. If you remove "which is on the table," you won't change the meaning: The money is for you (oh, and unless you don't want it, it's on the table). If the clause is necessary to your meaning, use that; if it could safely be omitted, say which.
You never mean: Outside of
You always mean: Outside
Why: These two prepositions weren't meant for each other. Perfectly acceptable: "Wearing a cheese-head hat outside Wisconsin will likely earn you some stares and glares (unless you're surrounded by Green Bay Packers fans, that is)."
You might say: Each other
You might mean: One another
Why: Tradition says that each other should be used with two people or things, and one another with more than two, and careful speakers should follow suit: "The three presenters argued with one another over who should announce the award, but Ann and Barbara gave each other flowers after the ceremony." (By the way, if you need the possessive form of either one when writing that business letter, it's always each other's and one another's; never end with s'.)
8 Confusing Pairs
leery, wary: suspicious
weary: tired
farther: for physical distance
further: for metaphorical distance or time
principle: rule
principal: of your school
compliment: nice thing to say
complement: match
continual: ongoing but intermittent
continuous: without interruption
stationary: stands still
stationery: paper
imply: to suggest a meaning
infer: to draw meaning from something
affect: typically a verb, meaning "to act upon or cause an effect"; as a noun, it's "an emotional response"
effect: typically a noun, meaning "something produced," like a special effect; as a verb, "to bring about," as in "to effect change"
Reading that kind of made my head hurt trying to figure out the differences, but still very interesting.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Tired of playing ignorant because of you
I finished reading "The Quiet American" today. It's kind of funny because this book is the shortest out of anything I've been assigned, and so far it's taken me the longest time to read. I started it last Thursday and just couldn't get into it. I even tried reading it during some slow parts of the weekend and still couldn't get into it. Finally I picked it back up in earnest today and made it through to the end. It's actually not a bad book, just starts off really slowly. Around page 70 it finally picks up and gets interesting. There have been two movies made from it... both called The Quiet American. One made it the 50's and one made in 2002. I'm going to try and watch both before school starts because it helps me remember names and places. Also, I'm kind of tired of reading books that portray Americans as the bad guys. Hasn't someone out there produced a book in which Americans do well overseas??
Anyone else following the mine disaster in South America? Anyone else flabbergasted by the fact it's going to take MONTHS to get those miners out of the mine? Now, I haven't been watching the news, just reading updates about it on Yahoo, but that seems slightly ridiculous to me. Is it because of technology? Is it because they're afraid the mine will collapse? Is anyone else afraid that by the time they get to those miners there won't be anyone alive? I feel sorry for everyone involved.
Well... I'm heading to the bank (I got a refund check from Mason b/c the financial aid amount I requested is more than Mason costs a semester. I should probably give it back so that that amount doesn't grow interest... but I'm going to end up putting it towards my credit card bill since I used that to buy books and a parking permit.) and then off to Target because the kids (the cats) need to eat. And my stomach is reminding me that I do too...
found this while looking for a non creepy version of Coldplay's video (Chris Martin's teeth need work...). But I thought this was pretty fabulous. Coldplay's will be below... (okay, all the videos with the creepy teeth sections wouldn't let me post them.. but seriously, his mouth needed some work. Go to youtube and look it up...)
Anyone else following the mine disaster in South America? Anyone else flabbergasted by the fact it's going to take MONTHS to get those miners out of the mine? Now, I haven't been watching the news, just reading updates about it on Yahoo, but that seems slightly ridiculous to me. Is it because of technology? Is it because they're afraid the mine will collapse? Is anyone else afraid that by the time they get to those miners there won't be anyone alive? I feel sorry for everyone involved.
Well... I'm heading to the bank (I got a refund check from Mason b/c the financial aid amount I requested is more than Mason costs a semester. I should probably give it back so that that amount doesn't grow interest... but I'm going to end up putting it towards my credit card bill since I used that to buy books and a parking permit.) and then off to Target because the kids (the cats) need to eat. And my stomach is reminding me that I do too...
found this while looking for a non creepy version of Coldplay's video (Chris Martin's teeth need work...). But I thought this was pretty fabulous. Coldplay's will be below... (okay, all the videos with the creepy teeth sections wouldn't let me post them.. but seriously, his mouth needed some work. Go to youtube and look it up...)
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
They say bad things happen for a reason but no wise words gonna stop the bleeding
I got to escape Virginia over the weekend. I can't say that it was about damn time to get out.... because I did spend a week in New England a month ago. But shit has really hit the fan around here this past month, so escaping even for two days was totally necessary for my sanity. The only thing that might have thrown a wrench into it was that I traveled with my dad... and if you all recall from a few posts back... we weren't on the best of speaking terms. But we played nice... and totally ignored the issue at hand... because the entire reason for the trip was to go support my uncle (his brother) who was being inducted into his high school's hall of fame for football accomplishments.
Let me just start out by saying how ignorant I've been of everything my uncle actually achieved while he was a football player. Scratch that. I've been totally ignorant of everything my uncle achieved during his life thus far. I had no idea he was an All-American. Had no idea he could have gone pro if he didn't elect to coach instead. Fascinating stuff.
It was a great weekend. I haven't seen this uncle and his wife in years... probably since 2001/2002, the year after Mommom died. It's kind of sad that she was the strongest piece of glue holding the family together, but on the other hand, I get it. We're all growing up. We've all got seperate lives now. Plus I think it's awkward with my parents being separated and the rest of the family still in working marriages... maybe not and I'm just paranoid.
I just love being able to spend time in Steeler Country. Normally it doesn't bug me that I live in Deadskin territory, but around football season when you walk into Target and see Redskins merchandise for cheaper prices than buying it online, it kind of bites. Plus, being able to watch games on TV without needing special channels to view it is nice too.
We even stopped in Pittsburgh on our way home Sunday. I think Dad was really trying to suck up to me at this point, lol. I can't even express how much I love that city. I'd been tense all weekend, but as soon as I drove through the Ft. Pitt tunnel and saw the city laid out in front of me, I couldn't stop smiling. Ft. Pitt has got to be the best tunnel, EVER. It's just the greatest thing ever to be driving down the parkway with Mount Washington in front of you and no view at all of the city that's behind it. Then you enter the tunnel and of course everyone slows down (which never makes any sense to me...) and I always unconsciously start rocking back and forth in my seat trying to will the cars to move faster. Then the darkness starts fading. First, just a little... enough to tease you (is the end of the tunnel coming? mmmm... maybe!) and then it's somewhat blinding (you know, darkness around the edges of the car, but just a bright blinding light ahead) and then volia! No more tunnel; just a bright yellow bridge and sky and skyline. To the right is Station Square and all of it's glamour, but beyond that at about 2 o'clock is my happy place.
Needless to say, it was a fight to get me home.
...cuz when a heart breaks, it don't break even.
Let me just start out by saying how ignorant I've been of everything my uncle actually achieved while he was a football player. Scratch that. I've been totally ignorant of everything my uncle achieved during his life thus far. I had no idea he was an All-American. Had no idea he could have gone pro if he didn't elect to coach instead. Fascinating stuff.
It was a great weekend. I haven't seen this uncle and his wife in years... probably since 2001/2002, the year after Mommom died. It's kind of sad that she was the strongest piece of glue holding the family together, but on the other hand, I get it. We're all growing up. We've all got seperate lives now. Plus I think it's awkward with my parents being separated and the rest of the family still in working marriages... maybe not and I'm just paranoid.
I just love being able to spend time in Steeler Country. Normally it doesn't bug me that I live in Deadskin territory, but around football season when you walk into Target and see Redskins merchandise for cheaper prices than buying it online, it kind of bites. Plus, being able to watch games on TV without needing special channels to view it is nice too.
We even stopped in Pittsburgh on our way home Sunday. I think Dad was really trying to suck up to me at this point, lol. I can't even express how much I love that city. I'd been tense all weekend, but as soon as I drove through the Ft. Pitt tunnel and saw the city laid out in front of me, I couldn't stop smiling. Ft. Pitt has got to be the best tunnel, EVER. It's just the greatest thing ever to be driving down the parkway with Mount Washington in front of you and no view at all of the city that's behind it. Then you enter the tunnel and of course everyone slows down (which never makes any sense to me...) and I always unconsciously start rocking back and forth in my seat trying to will the cars to move faster. Then the darkness starts fading. First, just a little... enough to tease you (is the end of the tunnel coming? mmmm... maybe!) and then it's somewhat blinding (you know, darkness around the edges of the car, but just a bright blinding light ahead) and then volia! No more tunnel; just a bright yellow bridge and sky and skyline. To the right is Station Square and all of it's glamour, but beyond that at about 2 o'clock is my happy place.
Needless to say, it was a fight to get me home.
...cuz when a heart breaks, it don't break even.
Monday, August 23, 2010
waist-deep in deep thought
Someone the other day asked me why I like writing. And I think my answer confused them more than anything else, because it's difficult.
Most of the time, I love being creative. Why wouldn't I? Whenever life gets boring I can escape to my own world with people I actually like 99% of the time. If I create a character I don't like... I can do whatever I want with them! Which means if they piss me off, I can dump coffee on them or even kill them off without any consequences.
I like entertaining. The most important thing to remember when you write is that you might not get published. This is a huge blow to some people... but for those of us who write to entertain friends or just to get thoughts down on paper, this is no big deal. In fact, half the time I'm happy just imagining how I want my stories to go, but it's through people pestering me that I actually get it down on paper and edited into an acceptable form.
I like the praise I receive from people who read it and love it. I love when I pass my writing off and then am able to discuss it with people like its a real event. I love book clubs because I love diving into a story line and discussing characters. I love it even more when it's my story and my characters. I could talk about them all night because the characters are real to me. In fact, they're more real to me than my neighbors.
But sometimes I don't like writing. Sometimes it feels like a burden. There are times when I sit down in front of the computer and I know EXACTLY how I want it to sound but once I get it out on paper it reads like shit. That upsets me. Sometimes I know exactly where I want more story to go, but I can't get it there. Conversation doesn't move right, or events don't feel real. Then I have to rethink my plot.
Whenever I don't type for a while, I picture my characters hanging out there in limbo wondering what the hell is going on. Whenever I finish a project, I don't like the emptiness I feel while waiting for another idea to hit me. And once another idea does finally sink in, I don't like getting aquanted with new people. The series I'm working on now has been in the works since I was in the seventh grade. It took me ten years to get a first novel out that I was satisfied with, and I'm still tweaking it because I don't like how parts came out. I understand that there is only so much editing you can do before you start messing with a good thing, but I don't think I've reached perfection yet. I'm satisfied with it, I'm not happy.
But you can see why I don't like putting something down...
Sometimes I feel like I live vicariously through my characters. I'm not out hanging out with friends on a Friday night? That's okay... I've got Amber and Jason to turn to. Their lives are more interesting.
Sometimes I wish my life was more like a movie. Not as predictable... something with more action and a little more worthwhile. It's times like those I get somewhat outlandish ideas for things in my books. It doesn't always end up in the series I'm working on now... but it does come out in other writing (like my idea for an American exchange student who falls in love with a foreign prince... or a journalist who starts dating a quarterback).
This is definitely something I need to get over.
But anyways... that is why my ability to write is a double edged sword.
I love this song... but it makes me sad for some unknown reason. Probably because it's so true.
Most of the time, I love being creative. Why wouldn't I? Whenever life gets boring I can escape to my own world with people I actually like 99% of the time. If I create a character I don't like... I can do whatever I want with them! Which means if they piss me off, I can dump coffee on them or even kill them off without any consequences.
I like entertaining. The most important thing to remember when you write is that you might not get published. This is a huge blow to some people... but for those of us who write to entertain friends or just to get thoughts down on paper, this is no big deal. In fact, half the time I'm happy just imagining how I want my stories to go, but it's through people pestering me that I actually get it down on paper and edited into an acceptable form.
I like the praise I receive from people who read it and love it. I love when I pass my writing off and then am able to discuss it with people like its a real event. I love book clubs because I love diving into a story line and discussing characters. I love it even more when it's my story and my characters. I could talk about them all night because the characters are real to me. In fact, they're more real to me than my neighbors.
But sometimes I don't like writing. Sometimes it feels like a burden. There are times when I sit down in front of the computer and I know EXACTLY how I want it to sound but once I get it out on paper it reads like shit. That upsets me. Sometimes I know exactly where I want more story to go, but I can't get it there. Conversation doesn't move right, or events don't feel real. Then I have to rethink my plot.
Whenever I don't type for a while, I picture my characters hanging out there in limbo wondering what the hell is going on. Whenever I finish a project, I don't like the emptiness I feel while waiting for another idea to hit me. And once another idea does finally sink in, I don't like getting aquanted with new people. The series I'm working on now has been in the works since I was in the seventh grade. It took me ten years to get a first novel out that I was satisfied with, and I'm still tweaking it because I don't like how parts came out. I understand that there is only so much editing you can do before you start messing with a good thing, but I don't think I've reached perfection yet. I'm satisfied with it, I'm not happy.
But you can see why I don't like putting something down...
Sometimes I feel like I live vicariously through my characters. I'm not out hanging out with friends on a Friday night? That's okay... I've got Amber and Jason to turn to. Their lives are more interesting.
Sometimes I wish my life was more like a movie. Not as predictable... something with more action and a little more worthwhile. It's times like those I get somewhat outlandish ideas for things in my books. It doesn't always end up in the series I'm working on now... but it does come out in other writing (like my idea for an American exchange student who falls in love with a foreign prince... or a journalist who starts dating a quarterback).
This is definitely something I need to get over.
But anyways... that is why my ability to write is a double edged sword.
I love this song... but it makes me sad for some unknown reason. Probably because it's so true.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
We share the same star
Started and finished Rooftops in Tehran today. Having interesting books to read as school assignments is still a foreign concept to me... but I haven't found a book from this semester's list that I haven't enjoyed (okay, Baghdad Burning was a bit hard to get through, but it was extremely enlightening to get that perspective from someone living in Baghdad).
Rooftops in Tehran is amazing. And I know I said that about In Cold Blood, but this is amazing in a completely opposite way. This book is essentially a love story about a couple in Iran right before the Iranian revolution. Zari has been engaged to another man since birth because her parents are friends with his parents and they wanted to ensure they remain friends forever. Her fiance is called Doctor and is part of a political group that opposes the Shah. To make a long story short (and because all of you really need to read this book), Doctor gets arrested by the (not so) secret police and killed. Zari and Pasha (the character who is telling this story) admit that they've fallen in love with each other. But tragedy falls and because I'm delusional and believe some of you might actually go out and read the book, I'm not going to ruin the end of the book. This is where Bob would interject (ha, he hates that adjective) and say that he hates when people say they don't want to ruin the end of something... it doesn't ruin a novel or a movie when the end is revealed. You read a book/see a movie for the entire experience of the book/movie, not just for the end. But still, I'm not revealing anything. Go read the book!
I've been reading mostly books about the Middle East... and I'm sure this is the point of the book assignments... but it's very interesting to read what these people think of us. Usually it's not good... although in ROT (Rooftops of Tehran) they'll say how much they hate America, then in the same breath talk about how their kids need to go to an American university because that's the only way to succeed in Iran and also the only way to advance the situation of people in Iran. This novel takes place in 1974/75 and I'm not very educated on Iran in this era, but now I want to do some reading about it. But another thing that apparently people believed was that we'd figured out how to heat all the pavement in the country in order to keep roads from freezing. I laughed out loud about that.
Anyways, I'm still at work and technically should be working... and I'm freezing so I can't feel my fingers as I type and it's almost time to go see Cammie and Becky... so I'm going to bid adieu and stop typing here.
Rooftops in Tehran is amazing. And I know I said that about In Cold Blood, but this is amazing in a completely opposite way. This book is essentially a love story about a couple in Iran right before the Iranian revolution. Zari has been engaged to another man since birth because her parents are friends with his parents and they wanted to ensure they remain friends forever. Her fiance is called Doctor and is part of a political group that opposes the Shah. To make a long story short (and because all of you really need to read this book), Doctor gets arrested by the (not so) secret police and killed. Zari and Pasha (the character who is telling this story) admit that they've fallen in love with each other. But tragedy falls and because I'm delusional and believe some of you might actually go out and read the book, I'm not going to ruin the end of the book. This is where Bob would interject (ha, he hates that adjective) and say that he hates when people say they don't want to ruin the end of something... it doesn't ruin a novel or a movie when the end is revealed. You read a book/see a movie for the entire experience of the book/movie, not just for the end. But still, I'm not revealing anything. Go read the book!
I've been reading mostly books about the Middle East... and I'm sure this is the point of the book assignments... but it's very interesting to read what these people think of us. Usually it's not good... although in ROT (Rooftops of Tehran) they'll say how much they hate America, then in the same breath talk about how their kids need to go to an American university because that's the only way to succeed in Iran and also the only way to advance the situation of people in Iran. This novel takes place in 1974/75 and I'm not very educated on Iran in this era, but now I want to do some reading about it. But another thing that apparently people believed was that we'd figured out how to heat all the pavement in the country in order to keep roads from freezing. I laughed out loud about that.
Anyways, I'm still at work and technically should be working... and I'm freezing so I can't feel my fingers as I type and it's almost time to go see Cammie and Becky... so I'm going to bid adieu and stop typing here.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
It's POSSIBLE she may have misunderstood us...
Interesting day today. If by definition "interesting" means getting to sleep in, arguing with my father about how I treat his mistress, deciding I'm finally going to talk to my mom about moving back in with her, then having my mom tell my dad that I want to move out (I actually wanted to be the one to tell him that), thinking the whole ride home from work that I was going to be having a huge confrontation when I got home just to get home and have him leave...
Anyways, finished In Cold Blood today. Capote is a genius. I will be renting the movie this evening to watch. I think either "Lolita" or "Rooftops of Tehran" is next. One and a half weeks until classes start.... ten books left to read if I truly want to get a jump start on the semester.
Anyways, finished In Cold Blood today. Capote is a genius. I will be renting the movie this evening to watch. I think either "Lolita" or "Rooftops of Tehran" is next. One and a half weeks until classes start.... ten books left to read if I truly want to get a jump start on the semester.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
She's fine most of the time
This will be a short post... I'm trying to convince myself that posting even the smallest posts are better than nothing.
Been reading "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote. This is another book for school, but now I'm sorry I haven't read it sooner. It's excellent. Completely captivating. What makes it even more interesting is that this story is based off a true story. It's about a quad murder of a well liked Kansas family. They're all tied, gagged, and shot at short range with a shot gun. The only complaint I've got so far is that the first 70 pages is all about the family. Capote writes about them as if he actually met them. I'm not a fan of this because I know they all die and I don't want to get familiar with a family that's going to be killed.
What's also interesting for me is that before reading this story, I read a couple of his other short stories. I'm a huge fan of the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's and so I of course wanted to read the short story behind it. His writing style doesn't change from short story to novel, but it's just amazing to go from something that's so lighthearted to something so dark and still recognize the tone and description.
I can't wait to finish this novel and watch the movie.
Been reading "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote. This is another book for school, but now I'm sorry I haven't read it sooner. It's excellent. Completely captivating. What makes it even more interesting is that this story is based off a true story. It's about a quad murder of a well liked Kansas family. They're all tied, gagged, and shot at short range with a shot gun. The only complaint I've got so far is that the first 70 pages is all about the family. Capote writes about them as if he actually met them. I'm not a fan of this because I know they all die and I don't want to get familiar with a family that's going to be killed.
What's also interesting for me is that before reading this story, I read a couple of his other short stories. I'm a huge fan of the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's and so I of course wanted to read the short story behind it. His writing style doesn't change from short story to novel, but it's just amazing to go from something that's so lighthearted to something so dark and still recognize the tone and description.
I can't wait to finish this novel and watch the movie.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Look at me...
Two posts on one day! Wowza! Truth is I'm bored at work (yes, on a Saturday) and I'm surfing the internet and finding some interesting things.
Following along the lines of the blogging world.... there's a blogger in Mexico that is doing pretty much the same thing Riverbend did in Iraq. His blog is totally devoted to the drug wars in Mexico and is posting things that the Mexican news sorces are not. Including some pretty graphic things. I haven't actually been to his website (there was an article about it on yahoo this morning) but apparently he's posted videos of beheadings and other gory extremely violent incidents. The interesting thing about him is that he doesn't take one side or the other, and by remaining as neutral as possible he hasn't received threats from the drug lords (he's also taking great strides to remain hidden). The only problem that people have with him is that while he's very credible and provides tons of information for the police/army of mexico, drug lords are turning to his blog for information as well. But how do you shut down someone you can't find? Block the blog? That only makes him more popular. Not to mention, there are websites out there that would be willing to publish ANYTHING, especially about subjects as sensitive as what he's writing about. Below is a link to the article from yahoo.
Mystery Blogger in Mexico
Interesting stuff, right?
On a second note... my faith in Hollywood continues to dwindle. Has anyone heard of the movie coming out this year called "The Switch"? It's staring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman and for the life of me, I can't figure out why either of them would have agreed to it, unless the plot is a whole lot better than the snips they're releasing to the press (which makes no sense, wouldn't you WANT your movie to sound appealing?). But the storyline is basically this... a single woman (Aniston) decides she wants to become pregnant, so she impregnates herself with a turkey baster (WHAT???). Turns out the sperm is actually donated from her friend, who has to keep his involvement a secret from her.
Do women out there actually use turkey basters to get pregnant?? Talk about sounding desperate. I seriously hope that the rest of the plot is better than what I read about, or all respect for Jen and Jason have gone out the window also.
I am really looking forward to Vampires Suck. The twilight series is laughable enough on its own (although completely unintentional) so the fact a spoof is coming out makes me really excited. It's actually kind of amazing that there haven't been any Harry Potter spoofs... though I think the series is a bit (a lot) better movie-making than that of Twilight. And they started off much the same. Harry Potter was no where as famous as it was after the movies (it was famous, yes, but it now has a mass following thanks to the production) and they used unknown actors in the cast. Difference being the actors of HP seem to actually want to become better actors and have learned from their previous movies (and also had an incredible supporting cast with the adults), whereas the Twilight actors seem to just get worse.
Following along the lines of the blogging world.... there's a blogger in Mexico that is doing pretty much the same thing Riverbend did in Iraq. His blog is totally devoted to the drug wars in Mexico and is posting things that the Mexican news sorces are not. Including some pretty graphic things. I haven't actually been to his website (there was an article about it on yahoo this morning) but apparently he's posted videos of beheadings and other gory extremely violent incidents. The interesting thing about him is that he doesn't take one side or the other, and by remaining as neutral as possible he hasn't received threats from the drug lords (he's also taking great strides to remain hidden). The only problem that people have with him is that while he's very credible and provides tons of information for the police/army of mexico, drug lords are turning to his blog for information as well. But how do you shut down someone you can't find? Block the blog? That only makes him more popular. Not to mention, there are websites out there that would be willing to publish ANYTHING, especially about subjects as sensitive as what he's writing about. Below is a link to the article from yahoo.
Mystery Blogger in Mexico
Interesting stuff, right?
On a second note... my faith in Hollywood continues to dwindle. Has anyone heard of the movie coming out this year called "The Switch"? It's staring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman and for the life of me, I can't figure out why either of them would have agreed to it, unless the plot is a whole lot better than the snips they're releasing to the press (which makes no sense, wouldn't you WANT your movie to sound appealing?). But the storyline is basically this... a single woman (Aniston) decides she wants to become pregnant, so she impregnates herself with a turkey baster (WHAT???). Turns out the sperm is actually donated from her friend, who has to keep his involvement a secret from her.
Do women out there actually use turkey basters to get pregnant?? Talk about sounding desperate. I seriously hope that the rest of the plot is better than what I read about, or all respect for Jen and Jason have gone out the window also.
I am really looking forward to Vampires Suck. The twilight series is laughable enough on its own (although completely unintentional) so the fact a spoof is coming out makes me really excited. It's actually kind of amazing that there haven't been any Harry Potter spoofs... though I think the series is a bit (a lot) better movie-making than that of Twilight. And they started off much the same. Harry Potter was no where as famous as it was after the movies (it was famous, yes, but it now has a mass following thanks to the production) and they used unknown actors in the cast. Difference being the actors of HP seem to actually want to become better actors and have learned from their previous movies (and also had an incredible supporting cast with the adults), whereas the Twilight actors seem to just get worse.
What amazes me...
Is people who are able to post something to their blogs almost daily.
I'm starting to read books for school (which I mentioned last post) and the two that I've started so far are both blogs turned into books. The one that I mentioned last entry is called "My war...Killing time in Iraq" and is by a solider who was stationed in Iraq just after the occupation began back in 2003. The second book is called "Baghdad Burning" and is by an Iraqi woman who lives in Baghdad (or did, back in 2003) and is documenting everything around her as it goes on.
Now, granted, I'm not living in a war zone (thank god) nor am I a solider in a foreign country (again, thank god) but I'm truly amazed that they have something to write about nearly everyday. AND they both had a group of followers. Now, they started these blogs back when blogging was new and if you didn't have a blog you went online and found someone's blog to follow, but good lord I've had this thing since March and I only have 4 followers... and half of you never check the website (I guess it would help if I posted more often, huh?).
Both books are shocking, especially if they're 100% true (I'm not saying they've been fabricated, but people tend to embellish stories when they know they have a following). I want to feel sorry for the girl who writes in Baghdad Burning, but sometimes she makes comments that makes it hard for me to feel sympathy for her. She's very adamently against the war (and I don't blame her) but takes every punch at America she can take... and then claims she doesn't hate us. I'm sure my opinions of her would fall right into her perceived view of us Americans, but her blog is very difficult for me to get through. I finished "My War" in two days and didn't want to put it down. I've been reading Baghdad Burning for three days and I'm only 100 pages in (those of you who know how fast I read will know this is significantly slow). But I highly recommend these two books for anyone who wants a better idea of what really went on over there right after the war started. And prepare to be slightly horrified. You dont' realize the lack of "Freedom of press" until you realize what the news stations left out. But I've never been a believer of the validity of freedom of press anyways...hence my switch from journalism to English as a major...
I'm starting to read books for school (which I mentioned last post) and the two that I've started so far are both blogs turned into books. The one that I mentioned last entry is called "My war...Killing time in Iraq" and is by a solider who was stationed in Iraq just after the occupation began back in 2003. The second book is called "Baghdad Burning" and is by an Iraqi woman who lives in Baghdad (or did, back in 2003) and is documenting everything around her as it goes on.
Now, granted, I'm not living in a war zone (thank god) nor am I a solider in a foreign country (again, thank god) but I'm truly amazed that they have something to write about nearly everyday. AND they both had a group of followers. Now, they started these blogs back when blogging was new and if you didn't have a blog you went online and found someone's blog to follow, but good lord I've had this thing since March and I only have 4 followers... and half of you never check the website (I guess it would help if I posted more often, huh?).
Both books are shocking, especially if they're 100% true (I'm not saying they've been fabricated, but people tend to embellish stories when they know they have a following). I want to feel sorry for the girl who writes in Baghdad Burning, but sometimes she makes comments that makes it hard for me to feel sympathy for her. She's very adamently against the war (and I don't blame her) but takes every punch at America she can take... and then claims she doesn't hate us. I'm sure my opinions of her would fall right into her perceived view of us Americans, but her blog is very difficult for me to get through. I finished "My War" in two days and didn't want to put it down. I've been reading Baghdad Burning for three days and I'm only 100 pages in (those of you who know how fast I read will know this is significantly slow). But I highly recommend these two books for anyone who wants a better idea of what really went on over there right after the war started. And prepare to be slightly horrified. You dont' realize the lack of "Freedom of press" until you realize what the news stations left out. But I've never been a believer of the validity of freedom of press anyways...hence my switch from journalism to English as a major...
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Wasting time like its free
It seems repetitive to comment on the fact that I'm a bad bad blogger... but I'm going to do it anyways. I just can't seem to remember that I have a blog. My life just isn't that interesting and I've always been told that its bad when a writer has to write about writing. But anyways, here I am posting again. I'll try my hardest to make it worthwhile, lol.
My last post was June 22nd which seems like forever and a day ago. Since then I've been obsessed with Sarah Dessen. For those of you who don't know who she is, she's an amazing young adult writer. She has six or seven books (and that number might be low...) and she's had two of her books combined and turned into the movie "How to Deal" staring Mandy Moore. She's phenomenal. All of her books are written in first person point of view and she truly captures the minds, voice, and emotion of girls who are in their late teens and nearing the end of high school. It's like she still is 18 or she hangs out with a bunch of them. I've read five of her books and am completely crazy about at least four of them. If you don't feel it necessary to run out and buy all of her books like I did, I HIGHLY recommend "The Truth About Forever" and "This Lullaby"
Also, excited/sad because my days at NOVA have ended and I have less than three weeks before my classes at George Mason start. I'm not sad about starting at Mason, (more excited/nervous) but I am sad about leaving Creative Writing and Bob. I'm going to miss all of his crazy stories and rantings. My Tuesdays don't feel quite whole since class ended last week. On a positive note, my classes this fall at GMU are totally going to rock. Two classes in particular I'm excited about are a Sports Documentary seminar (part of my homework will be to go home and watch sports!) and American War in Literature and Film. I've already started reading one of the books for that class and it's pretty intriguing. A definite read for anyone who wants to get an insider's view on the war in Iraq. His style drives me a bit nuts because he jumps around a lot, but it's a very interesting read. I started it this morning and I'm already halfway through.
I was trying to get through some of the classic books before classes started. Made it through Gone with the Wind (an accomplishment in itself since its almost 1500 pages) and started reading This Side of Paradise by Fitzgerald before the parcels full of school material started arriving at Mom's house. Since I'm working full time and also going to school full time, I want to get a jump start on require reading for school so that when assignments pop up this fall I just have to review the material. This is a strange concept for me, because I used to think that people that were this prepared before hand were nerds. My, how my views have changed since high school... Anyways, after reading GWTW, I sat down to watch the movie, which has always been one of my favorites and so I was really looking forward to it. Memo to myself and to everyone else out there: if you are in love with a movie and then realize it was also a book...think LONG and HARD about if you want to read the novel, because chances are it's going to totally ruin the movie for you. Now, some of this isn't GWTW's fault. It was made in the late 1930's so there are no special effects to speak of, some of the acting is really cheesy, and the sets aren't the best. But I swear the speed through 600 pages in the first hour and a half. I think my favorite part though is when Rhett and Scarlett are fleeing Atlanta with Melanie, Beau and Prissy and Rhett says "we have to get out of here before the fire reaches the explosives!" and the camera cuts to a stack of boxes that are clearly labeled EXPLOSIVES. I'm thinking: c'mon Hollywood.
I've also been typing. Had a dry spell there for a while where it was really REALLY hard to get through this one scene in the book, but I typed my way through it (or TYWTTE as Bob would say) and now I'm looking forward to getting to the parts I actually want to type. Not that I didn't want to type this part, just that the conversation between characters didn't come as naturally as I wanted it to and I got frustrated with my descriptions because I feel like I always describe things in the same way. My plans for the rest of the night are actually to take a shower to cool off, grab a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone and write until Top Chef comes on at 9 tonight (restaurant wars! My favorite!).
Shoulder is feeling better (finally) but I whacked my knee on a cabinet at work yesterday and now that hurts like hell. Starting to feel like I can't win. But hopefully I only bruised my kneecap and once the black and blue mark goes away it'll feel better.
Alright, just almost had a coronary because I hit the backspace button and it took me to a different screen and I thought I lost this post. So instead of posting pictures of the books I've been reading recently, you all will have to read back through the post and use your imagination. lol.
My last post was June 22nd which seems like forever and a day ago. Since then I've been obsessed with Sarah Dessen. For those of you who don't know who she is, she's an amazing young adult writer. She has six or seven books (and that number might be low...) and she's had two of her books combined and turned into the movie "How to Deal" staring Mandy Moore. She's phenomenal. All of her books are written in first person point of view and she truly captures the minds, voice, and emotion of girls who are in their late teens and nearing the end of high school. It's like she still is 18 or she hangs out with a bunch of them. I've read five of her books and am completely crazy about at least four of them. If you don't feel it necessary to run out and buy all of her books like I did, I HIGHLY recommend "The Truth About Forever" and "This Lullaby"
Also, excited/sad because my days at NOVA have ended and I have less than three weeks before my classes at George Mason start. I'm not sad about starting at Mason, (more excited/nervous) but I am sad about leaving Creative Writing and Bob. I'm going to miss all of his crazy stories and rantings. My Tuesdays don't feel quite whole since class ended last week. On a positive note, my classes this fall at GMU are totally going to rock. Two classes in particular I'm excited about are a Sports Documentary seminar (part of my homework will be to go home and watch sports!) and American War in Literature and Film. I've already started reading one of the books for that class and it's pretty intriguing. A definite read for anyone who wants to get an insider's view on the war in Iraq. His style drives me a bit nuts because he jumps around a lot, but it's a very interesting read. I started it this morning and I'm already halfway through.
I was trying to get through some of the classic books before classes started. Made it through Gone with the Wind (an accomplishment in itself since its almost 1500 pages) and started reading This Side of Paradise by Fitzgerald before the parcels full of school material started arriving at Mom's house. Since I'm working full time and also going to school full time, I want to get a jump start on require reading for school so that when assignments pop up this fall I just have to review the material. This is a strange concept for me, because I used to think that people that were this prepared before hand were nerds. My, how my views have changed since high school... Anyways, after reading GWTW, I sat down to watch the movie, which has always been one of my favorites and so I was really looking forward to it. Memo to myself and to everyone else out there: if you are in love with a movie and then realize it was also a book...think LONG and HARD about if you want to read the novel, because chances are it's going to totally ruin the movie for you. Now, some of this isn't GWTW's fault. It was made in the late 1930's so there are no special effects to speak of, some of the acting is really cheesy, and the sets aren't the best. But I swear the speed through 600 pages in the first hour and a half. I think my favorite part though is when Rhett and Scarlett are fleeing Atlanta with Melanie, Beau and Prissy and Rhett says "we have to get out of here before the fire reaches the explosives!" and the camera cuts to a stack of boxes that are clearly labeled EXPLOSIVES. I'm thinking: c'mon Hollywood.
I've also been typing. Had a dry spell there for a while where it was really REALLY hard to get through this one scene in the book, but I typed my way through it (or TYWTTE as Bob would say) and now I'm looking forward to getting to the parts I actually want to type. Not that I didn't want to type this part, just that the conversation between characters didn't come as naturally as I wanted it to and I got frustrated with my descriptions because I feel like I always describe things in the same way. My plans for the rest of the night are actually to take a shower to cool off, grab a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone and write until Top Chef comes on at 9 tonight (restaurant wars! My favorite!).
Shoulder is feeling better (finally) but I whacked my knee on a cabinet at work yesterday and now that hurts like hell. Starting to feel like I can't win. But hopefully I only bruised my kneecap and once the black and blue mark goes away it'll feel better.
Alright, just almost had a coronary because I hit the backspace button and it took me to a different screen and I thought I lost this post. So instead of posting pictures of the books I've been reading recently, you all will have to read back through the post and use your imagination. lol.
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