Oh . . . . yeah, it's December . .. right

Well, time's moving along as always. And yet, somehow I'm not sure I want it to. I feel like its flying ahead and not waiting for me to catch up.

At the same time, its dragging. I'm trying to speed by and it's holding me back. So run the hands of time. . .

BUUUTTT :D it's almost Christmas break. My semester is nearly done with one day of classes and two days of finals remaining. I'm not sure how I'm feeling about having one semester left after this. Graduation seems exciting but at the same time it is going to force me to leave something that I've known, something that has been familiar to me since I was five. I'm going to be 22 by the time this is all done. That's 17 years of my life spent in school. What now?

Hopefully I will be able to get a job. As it stands now, my college job, (retail) is becoming almost unbearable. Granted I am trying to move on with my life and I've been working at the same place doing the same job since 2006. It's been a while and I'm growing bored of the job. The people are great but the job is just . . . yup.

Here at school I've been chugging along. I was the co-stage manager for the mainstage production of Cabaret here at school. Next semester I'm stage managing for the show All My Sons. I'm really excited for the opportunities I've had and am having! I'm really working up quite a resume! :D

Classes are going well. I've been enjoying the feedback from my creative writing class and have successfully stumbled upon a good story that has potential. It has an interesting concept and I think if I keep at it, the story could develop into a good, interesting one!

My other classes have been interesting and boring. A fairly even split I'd say. I've slept through some classes, gone to most. I had one class that I feel like I learned nothing at all. Another where it was a lot of review of things I knew already. I think my favorite class would be my Non-Western Literature class. That I felt, was a class of discovery and I was surprised (I think) to find that Literature across the world is similar in theme and story. The differences occur in style and how each topic or theme is talked about.

So, there's some fun ramblings! HAHA

Oh, and I didn't even start a novel for NaNoWriMo. I just couldn't find the time between classes and Cabaret! Maybe next year!!!!







Montmartre

NaNoWriMo

Stands for National Novel Writing Month. Yes I mean November. Well, basically, I've signed up to try to write a 50,000 word novel by the end of November. It's a real event. Check it out: NaNoWriMo.org. You'll see. Anyways.

This event has only just begun today. And I'm already behind (so to speak). Technically I'm about 1,000 some odd words behind now because I haven't written at all today. I've still got lots of other stuff on my mind. So, this should be interesting. An added stress on top of my stressful existance. But that's the way the cookie crumbles (yup I said it haha)

Do I have a topic/plotline/character outline/ any clue as to what I'm going to write about?? Of course not. That would be silly. (ish) Actually no. That would be smart. But I'm winging it. So we'll see what sort of nonsense I can come up with in this month of November.








insanity

Busy

So, it would seem that I only post once a month. Try as I might, that will probably still be how it goes. And that's all because of one word: busy!

As it all is going down this semester, I am trying to be involved a bit at church, I have classes with projects due a LOT and little homework assignments that I've grown out of (thanks England), I've been working in the Costume Shop whenever I can, and on top of all that, I've picked up a stage managing job for the main stage production of Cabaret here at WIU. Excited about this?? OF COURSE!!!!! It has been entirely too long that I've stage managed and what a fun show to get back into it all with! Our first rehearsal was last night and I thought it went very well. The next six weeks are going to be stressful and yet fun! What a combination. Hopefully I'll make it!

Another point of interest is that I'm on track to graduate in MAY! What an exciting and scary prospect. Oh, WIU kick me out into the world why don't you. I hope I'm prepared.








Futtock (look it up hehe)

Here I am!

Being back at Uni has been . . . well, for lack of a better word: interesting. It's a lot to re-adjust to.

It's time to be lonely for missing my friends, both back at home and back in England which to me now feels almost the same. I miss England. I miss the classes and my friends and the lifestyle.

But this is me we're talking about so's I'm trying to swing back to my old life while trying to make it new and not bore people with talk of England. It's just, as I've changed, so has everyone else. I'm playing constant catch up trying to figure out what everyone was doing this last school year and catching up with the happenings of their lives. I haven't found it all that easy to slip back into all of my groups of friends. But don't get me wrong, some of them it feels like I've never left at all.

I'm experiencing the overwhelming feeling of homework. There's sooo much of it, or so it seems, at Western. Little assignments that add up and make life difficult. It makes me reminisce about classes in England, which ones I liked and which ones I didn't. I've also discovered that the Gen. Ed's that I used to find an interesting distraction are now boring and in the way of my studying of English Lit. (and World lit. and well just Lit in general). I also miss my creative writing classes that I had in England. The structure and content were so much better, the environment more helpful, and even though I was a "stranger" to everyone, I felt accepted and everyone knew me.

I've returned to a "senior class" who doesn't know most of the people in their Major, let alone their class. It's a depressing thought that we aren't as social within our majors as my friends in England are.

Which brings me to another point, nights out. Just. Not. The. Same. That's all I'm going to say. Not that they don't have their moments of fun, but they just aren't the same.

Well, now that this is a thouroughly depressing blog, I think I'll maybe go in another direction.

Yesterday was Mom's Weekend here at WIU. My mum came to visit and I got to spend time with her and my brother. We went out for breakfast/lunch together and then I got to hang out with my mum in my room for a bit. We went and did a bit of shopping and then came back to rest before dinner. BWW's was a good time. Lots of laughing and good (non-cafeteria) food. We ended up taking some funny pictures in the parking lot before Mum left to go home and it was a fun, successful day! :D





Chartreuse

End-of-Summer Ramblingness

The Blog world seems to be a bit quiet at the moment as students are trying to hold on to the last remains of summer and everyone else is busy and thinking about other things like vacation and what next. I thought I'd make some noise.

I myself have been working on the painful process called 'packing.' I'm headed back to college (aka uni) and I'm not quite sure what to expect this year. It almost feels like I've forgotten how to be a college student from the States. It'll be a lot different. Probably in more than one way and for more than one reason.

It is my last year of college. For my Bachelor's at least. Who knows what will happen later. But, for now it's strange to think that after about 16 ish years of schooling I will be thrown out into the world to see what I can make of it.

Over the summer, I've been reading a lot. Along with this, I've also been writing a fair bit. I'm excited about some of the stuff I've been working on.

As I sit on my bed, surrounded by my packed college stuff, I can't believe summer is over already. Don't get me wrong, I AM ready to go back to college, but it's hard to believe I've been back in the States now for about 3 months. Time goes by in such a strange fashion.







Pandemonium

Raging Sharks

Wo-ow. and can I say wow. I recently picked up a movie from Walmart and I found a Horror Four Pack. In the pack was a a film called Raging Sharks. I've seen some pretty bad sci fi horror films but this one is particularly bad. The sets aren't too bad however and the acting is alright, but ohhh man. The graphics are absolutely terrible. There are lion noises for the sharks. The gore is ridiculously horrible and they keep repeating shots. Oh and the writing is terrible to boot. It's just comical. Not to mention that the man who is supposed to have an Austrailian accent doesn't really have one and his fake one is bad . . . and he says bloody . . . a lot. Too much really. Saying bloody doesn't make you Austrailian mate. Nope.

This film begins in a very alien way. Extraterrestrials crash into the ocean. (see what I did there?) That is the cause of some weird shark activity and bad gore and bad writing. Good thing the actors aren't all terrible because otherwise this movie would be shittier shite than it is. And this is only the review from halfway through the film. haha

Let's go through the bad sci fi horror film check list:

• Shaggy main character-- Check
• Porn star/sexy wife -- Check
• Awful accent -- Check
• Arragant, condescending prick who hopefully gets eaten-- Check
• Baaaaaaad gore-- Double Check
  
• Bad guy . . . don't even get me started on the sharks
• Filming . . . repeated and recycled-- Check
• Lots of cursing-- Triple Check
• Alien technology/activity???????????????????????????????????????????
  

Ta-da Review complete :)







Banana

Turtles & Disasters

Save the turtles. Save the polar bears. Save the rainforest. Save the desert. Don't forget the bees. Don't get me wrong. But recent events have me thinking. What about the people?

How does this relate? Well not directly I will admit. Indeed, recent events revolve around the oil spill disaster in the Gulf. Here's the connection. The Gulf. While current disasters are occurring, the world has moved on and abandoned those still in need of help and support.

Survivors of Hurricane Katrina are still scattered, New Orleans still in need of rebuilding. I'm sure enough people are back to make it a city again, but how much are they accomplishing by themselves. The straggling numbers of volunteers helping rebuild . . . how much can they do without more support from the rest of the country.

As a person who's been to New Orleans to help rebuild, I won't hide the fact that I'm itching to get back. New Orleans is a beautiful, vibrant place full of wonderful people (and great food), but it needs help.

I'm sure it isn't just New Orleans either. What's going on in Haiti? How are the survivors of Hurricane Ike? The tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004? What is being done for the flood victims in Nashville, Tennessee back in May? (a disaster not largely publicized, hidden if you like).

I guess the real question I'm posing here is this: Does the world move on too quickly and forget about those still in need? Are we just looking for the next big disaster area who is in need of aid? And finally, do we actually remember the past disaster zones that we've left partially rebuilt?

Food for thought.





Shiny

What is Truth?

Okay, I just finished reading this book, right? The story is told from the perspective of one of the characters and it takes a while for the character to be identified as male or female, it just never said. Before the gender of the character was established I had got it into my head that this character was female. Then what do I come across in the book, "something something . . . too much for an old MAN." I had a moment of great confusion at this point. I was certain this old man had been an old woman. But, I decided I had probably missed something somewhere earlier in the book. However, I get to the end of the book and low and behold, there is a plot twist and the old man really was an old woman!!! I was right! But, it got me thinking about two things.

1) If you believe something and then are shown it is really something else and then you change your mind (see example above) and you put all belief in that is it still true? Or is it a false truth?

2) Who says what is really true and what isn't?


Well, in my humble opinion, I will attempt to give a go at these questions.

Answer for number 1: Gut instinct? That's what I had when I was reading the book. So, did I really change my mind when the book mentioned that the character was an old man? I don't really think I did. Throughout the book I kept thinking "I swear this is an old woman!" I was right. But, do people really change their minds if someone tells them something they thought was wrong? Or do they agree that they were wrong to make the other person stop going on about it? Does some stubborn little part of our mind hold on to whatever we believed and keep us from fully changing our minds? And if so, do we just continue to believe our own truths? Basically I'm not really able to answer this question.

Answer for number 2: If I said the sky was purple and not blue who's to say I'm not right? Isn't reality and truth all perception and interpretation? Scary thought I think.

So, in reality, I haven't really answered these two questions. More like just posed more questions. Oops.






Monolithic

Inspiration and Organization

It is a strange thing to be inspired. It happens like opportunity . . . not always at the most convienient time or place. For instance, I sometimes become inspired as I'm laying in bed trying my hardest to fall asleep. I have been woken up at five in the morning and couldn't fall back to sleep because of inspiration. Random ideas in the shower, while driving, in class, whenever I don't have paper handy. Inspiration occurs whenever the hell it wants to. It certainly keeps you on your toes. And who knows what inspires us? I'm not sure anyone does. It seems to me that you become inspired because you've stopped thinking about being inspired. Its like when you are trying really hard to remember something. You know that you know it, but no matter how hard you try you can't remember. You then move on in the conversation and eventually you will (sometimes comically) blurt out the answer and everyone will look at you funny because it makes no sense in the current conversation. It's like that kind of moment. The 'ah-ha' moment if you will.

As a writer I try to keep paper and a pen handy, and if not paper all the time, at least a pen. (Skin in times of need is just as good as paper, especially the back of one's hand).

I'm a pretty tidy and organized person. I keep my DVD's in alphabetical order and my books on the shelf are in alphabetical order (or as much as they can be since they're stacked and crammed onto the shelves.) I've pretty much got a place for everything and I put things in the same places everytime so that I won't lose them (a creature of habit to be sure). The only exception really to this is my desk. No matter how hard I try it usually is stacked with papers and books, pens and pencils hide everywhere. I've come to accept it and it just seems to be me. If I clean it off and organize everything it just looks strange and I let it go back to how it was in no time at all. I think desks are supposed to be messy. At least mine is supposed to be messy.


Juxtaposition (<-- such a good word)

The Beginning -- A place to start

Should I have started something like this a while ago? Perhaps. But, everything has its time. The thing is, I'm not sure if it would have been the same if I would have started this earlier. This. What is my definition of this. . . Ramblings I suppose. What happens in my life. Another meaning. Poetic anything and nothing. Space. . . I think I like . . . Ramblings. Makes more sense.

So, this is a spot for my ramblings.

I keep telling people who ask, "Oh yeah, I'm keeping busy. Same old, Same old."
Except, the same old same old is actually kind of boring. It happens, doesn't it? Things that are done in repeat too much become dull or boring. We need new experiences. Stories to tell. People to laugh with.

The same old has become spending too much time online. Not enough reading or writing. Productive online activities are at a minimum at the moment. Although I'm not watching as many television shows as I was earlier this term. My sleeping schedule is slowly (and I mean slowly) correcting itself. It was a bit off for a bit. My fault but that's the past.

They kept telling me before I came to England, "Studying abroad will help you discover parts of yourself." Or something to that effect. Really, it's been showing me things about the States and I've been learning more about my parents. I suppose you could say I'm realizing how much like my parents I am. That's a type of learning. And it isn't a bad thing, to be like your parents. Well, maybe it is, but not in my case.

So, the reason I'm starting this blog (to finally get to the point) is that I have about 2 and a half months left in England. This means that I won't continue the Study Abroad blog since I won't be abroad anymore. A sad thought to be sure. So this blog can be thought of as Part II of my blogging-ness. A continuation of what I've begun in Does England Have Cheerios? . Except, possibly less structured in this half. Not that I created a structure for Part I but it just kind of formed itself into one. I hope this blog gets more exciting. But, the beginning usually begins kind of slow before the plot picks up.

At the moment I'm reading The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston. It's for a class, but it isn't that bad. She is a Chinese-American writer. I find Chinese literature interesting, so it isn't too bad, it's just the context that I am reading it in. It's for class which just sets up the mindset of not wanting to read it. It's strange to not want to read something but like what it is you're reading. I also read A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. I really enjoyed reading this book by Dave Eggers. I would recommend it to people.



Squiggle