FINALS WEEK!

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

So, it's been a couple of weeks since my last post. At first I was waiting for my second day of classes so I could give you a first impression run down of how those were. Then I was waiting because I had so much make up work. Then I was waiting until I got back for the week from my trip home. Now? Well...now I'm writing the post, so all is good!

So, I'll start with my classes.

Systems of Grammar: This is easily the classes I'm the most disappointed in. I mean, while it's fascinating to learn how all of the different dialects of the country have a specific reason for their language being structured the way it is, and while it's interesting to learn how languages--specifically English in this case--change through the years, it's mostly Hippy Dippy Grammar Part II. One of my biggest fears about entering the teaching field as a high school English teacher is that I won't know enough about grammar to be an effective teacher. I'm afraid that I won't remember what participle phrases are, what prepositions are, or how to recognize passive voice. I really wanted Systems of Grammar to be a back to basics teaching of the mechanical workings of English grammar...but it's not. I guess I'll have to go ahead and buy some grammar books to refresh myself on the subject before I graduate.

Classroom Application of Educational Psychology: This class seems to be an exercise in redundancy. It's supposed to point out things that are obvious, but that we just haven't given time to think about them. To me, though, it seems like a waste of a class. I realize that kids from strict, authoritarian families are going to be more likely to be passive and prefer structure and being told what to do, while kids from neglectful families or families who make the rules together are going to want fewer rules and less structure from the teacher. I realize that I, as a teacher, have to be sensitive to each student's need as an individual. So...this class makes me sleepy.

Adolescent Development: Is taught by the same teacher as the previously mentioned class, so it's just as boring, and, for now at least, is covering the same material as the other class. I know that the other class is reviewing this a little before moving on to other stuff, but both seem to be a bit redundant. Nevertheless, they're required for my major, so take them I must.

Adolescent Exceptionalities: This class is much more interesting than the other two classes about adolescence. For one thing, the teacher is much more engaging and entertaining. For another thing, the class doesn't point out the obvious, it's about the out-of-the-norm cases. My only beef with this class is that I have to have 10 hours of observation time with an "exceptional" child, which is going to put me in a bit of a crunch with my other class--"Application of Educational blah blah blah"--because I need an additional 10 hours of observation with a high school teacher in the field I will be teaching, AND two videos of me student teaching a class. In addition to the 10 hours with the exceptional student, I'm also expected to write a 15 page paper about the experience by the end of the year. BLARG!

British Literature since 1800: It goes without saying, I enjoy this class. We're starting with Jane Austen's Emma, which I like so far. I've had this teacher before, so I don't think I'll have much to complain about in this one class.

Besides all of the work I'm expected to do for the classes listed, I also have to make up two final exams, finish my poetry portfolio from last semester, write two final papers (6-8 pages each), and make up all the assignments I'm missing for my Technology class. I have a LOT of work to do. Stupid car crash.

On the good news front, I've had two of the most amazing days with Darling Dearest ever. She's not in rehab yet--she developed a little fluid on the brain, so they did a procedure to drain it. However, she's since recovered and is doing leaps and bounds better. She's regained memories that I didn't think she'd every remember, and her personality is finally almost completely back. For example, she misses me, which is something I haven't heard in a while. She calls me all the time now, and that makes me happier than I ever thought I would be ever again.

I also, in my infinite wisdom, decided to purchase a camcorder. I'm very excited that it will be arriving soon (might already be here...although I may have to wait until Tuesday to get it if the Post Office is closed tomorrow...boo...).

So that's the news so far. I plan on spending my Martin Luther King, Jr. Day working on all of my make up work and praying that I can get it out of the way before the work piles on from my other classes. Then, if I make significant enough progress, I'm going to see Darling Dearest in the hospital because I have no classes tomorrow! Whoo hoo with going to see loved ones.

So that's all for now. Remember to leave cookies and milk for Martin Luther King, Jr. so he can leave you presents and freedom under your tree.

Short Posts Are Annoying

I'm sorry for posting so many brief posts and such over the past several days. I've been extremely busy, and it doesn't look like things will be getting any better. I've been keeping careful track of my grades to make sure that I can keep my scholarship. Next semester is going to be a fun one though. If I can, I'm gonna try to take Fiction Workshop, and a class specializing on Edgar Allen Poe, both of which have me very excited.

Beyond that, I've also been working on my latest project. It's coming along pretty well, but every time I think I'm ready to write, I remember something that I need to have settled before hand. The plot is still very convoluted, and the idea is so complex I'm having trouble tackling them. I don't want to have the story too complex -- no one will understand what's going on, but I feel there's more the story than I originally thought. So, after a test scene, I think the story will work, but I need to work on it a bit more. On the plus side, I made quite a bit of progress on it, yesterday. Today is going to, at least partly, be devoted to catching up my homework. With the end of the year fast approaching, I'm feeling the noose tighten so I'm scrounging for every point I can whether I need it or not, ha ha.

On the other news front, I've been busy with more than just school work. I also got a part in my school's production of The Pirates of Penzance. I'm only a part of the chorus, but it's still fun. It's quite an adventure though, since I don't know how to read music. I'm having the others in my group teach me, or at least explain where I can follow along a bit better.

I've also been reading Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. I know that he's taking over The Wheel of Time series, and I was curious of his writing style. I really like the book so far, it has a very interesting magic system, and I might start dropping hints for the second one to my family for Christmas.

And finally, movies. I'm a huge movie buff. When I treated myself yesterday with a trip to Hastings, I found a movie that made my jaw drop. It's called Sinatra -- it's about the life of Frank Sinatra. More importantly, Frank helped with the movie some. I've been talking about how I'd like to see a Frank Sinatra movie for while. Little did I know there was already one made. So, I might be spending part of this evening reveling in the story of The Voice. I also rented Speed Racer, just out of curiosity. Some of my friends told me it was good, some told me it was horrible. I'm easily pleased, so I suspect I'll enjoy it, even if I don't love it.

Anyway, that's all for now. For those of you participating in NaNo, how are things going? Some of my quitter friends have already dropped out. I teased them about it, but I can't say too much since I didn't participate at all. To those of you still in, good luck, and I can't wait to see what comes of it.

End of the Week Writing Update

Well, this is kind of an end of the week wrap up. You might not hear much from me on into Tuesday because midterms are here and baring their ugly teeth. I've got a World Literature test, an American literature test, and a Intro to Film test. Yuck. Shouldn't be too bad though. My Psych test was last week, so I least I don't have to worry about that.

So, yeah, writing. My friends and I are trying to start a writer's club where we meet and critique and stuff. The last one was kind of a bust. Since it was just basically us friends who hang out all the time, nobody took it too seriously, and some people only came to make my roommate feel better. One girl stopped caring halfway through the meeting and complained if anybody wanted to read anything longer than 3 pages...and then she read the longest poem I'd ever seen a student write. It was, like, 14 pages. Another girl there just didn't care and talked during the readings and just didn't take anything too seriously. Most of what was accomplished was...well...nothing. We still don't even know when to set the usual meetings. We're setting them for Tuesdays at 6:30, but that's just a tentative schedule, and we still don't know whether we want to meet every week or every other week. Meanwhile, my friend has been trying to gather up some people other than just us friends so the meetings will be more formal and structured. This thing will probably collapse, but I think it's cool of them to try.

As for actual writing, I've started a new story. I've decided that free form is just not the structure for me. I can't do "seat of your pants" writing, I go off on irrelevant tangents, and I catch myself with a whole lot of scenes where the main character is just doing mundane tasks. I realize that in scene something should change to make it significant, even if it's a small change, and with that in mind, I've been trying to make sure all of my scenes involve a change or action of some kind. I also laid out the basic ideas that I wanted, which I've done before, but I've been using a technique I got from Holly Lisle's plot course where I can fill in the blank spaces between key scenes with relevant scenes instead of fluff and filler. So it's been going pretty well.

Interestingly enough, when I finished mapping out the basic concept of the story, I realized that it's very similar to a story I tried to write before, but with a slightly different take on it. It's more organized, more streamlined, and hopefully it'll flow better because of that.

Also, for you writers who are a bit more disciplined than I am, NaNoWriMo is just around the corner. In case you don't know, that stands for National Novel Writing Month. If you don't live in the US, that's fine. National doesn't really mean anything. Anyone can participate, and if you think you're up to the challenge, you can go here to register. I want to participate in one someday, but I never have the time. And by never have the time I mean that I don't want to risk my scholarship and my schoolwork. I'm not very good at balancing my daily tasks -- it's one of the things I'm trying to work on -- and I'm hoping I can work towards participating in one in the near future. If you have anymore questions about NaNo you can look here, and I hope you guys have fun.

That's all I've got right now. Have a good weekend guys. I'm going to hit the books.

Long Time No Speak

I'll write a much longer post later with catch up news. I only have one thing to say right now. I just got back from seeing Wall-E for a second time. My college showed it as part of some special thing they do. You know a movie is really fantastic when an auditiorium of cynical, hard nosed, smart ass college students break out into applause at the end of the movie. That movie always leaves me with a smile on my face.

That's all for now. A real post later.

This post is rated R for Rejection.

Hey, still up to my neck in "end of the year" garbage. But, I thought I'd give you guys a little news, I got more word from two more magazines. I got word from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine about my murder/mystery story. A very polite rejection letter. I also got word from The New Yorker (yeah, it was a long shot, but I thought it was worth a try), and that was another shorter but still polite rejection letter. Oh well. If they don't get accepted, I'll post them on Scrib'd and you guys can read them there. If I do that, and if you do read them, and if you decide to give me some constructive criticism, that's awesome.

Anyway, Im exhausted. I'm gonna crash. Hope you guys are doing okay. I can't wait until life slows down a little. Then I can post an actual post. Anyway, good night all.

Quick Check In

Hey, just wanted to let you guys know that I'm alive. I've been swamped with end of the year essays, projects, and finals are coming up. Thank you all very much for your suggestions, you helped me a lot. I definitely have a good idea. Gotta go, I'm still very busy.

Beat

Oh, I'm so exhausted. I haven't had a very good nights sleep all week, I've had heartburn every night, or felt like I've had to throw up, I had to be in court yesterday, and today I have all kinds of stuff to take care of. Wish me luck.

Busy

I've been swamped with college lately, and I've had a lot of other stuff to do besides. I'll try to post when everything clears up.

Digging in for the storm

I've got two research papers, a test, and all my finals coming up in these few weeks, so if you don't hear from me for a while, I'll be up to my neck in the college avalanche. Wish me luck.

So, here's what I've been doing.

Hey, just so you know, college is busy. I know in the movies they always show those college kids going out every night and partying all night and sitting in coffee shops and stuff. Lies, all of it. Now, the first week was like that, because it was pretty much a meet and greet--all the freshmen got to meet eachother and get adjusted to living at home. I'm sure you're all wondering how it worked out. Well...

My roommate likes pretty much everything I like. He owns the entire series of Trinity Blood, a series I got into watching but didn't have time to finish, and both he and his girlfriend like to write, so we've sat around talking about our stories and discussing things about each of them.

Not only does he own Trinity Blood, he owns pretty much every Miyazaki (I think that's how you spell it) ever made. He has Howl's Moving Castle, Steamboy, Princess Monoke, Appleseed, and tons more; also, he owns just about every movie made in 2006. So if we're bored, we have plenty of movies to watch.

The third or fourth night there I went to a concert that was taking place on campus. I wasn't really excited about going because I've always assumed that anything the school wants to hire is going to suck. However, what got me to go was that the year before they got Nickelback to come, and if you read PBW's blog, I share her sentiment on Nickelback--(hint: we don't hate 'em.) Anyway, I'm really glad I went. The band is called Midnight to Twelve and they have a myspace page here. If you haven't heard of them, you need to go check them out. They along the same genre as Nickelback, they're so awesome. I screamed myself hoarse, but I had a great time, and I went out after the concert and bought their cd. I say again, if you haven't heard of them and you like alternative music, give these guys a shot. They're worth it. Midnight to Twelve - King of Spain.

Anyway, classes have started and I learned something. My hometown is very undiversified. We have two African-Americans and that's about it. So when I saw that my college offered Japanese, I couldn't figure out where I would use it. It sounds like a cool language, but where would I use it? At my college. There are Japanese people everywhere. Apparently there's a sister school in Japan, so they've come over as foreign exchange students. I wish I'd taken Japanese instead of Spanish, but I still may take it. I'll have to see how my schedule looks next semester/next year.

I've made several friends, and I'm going to the gym 2 or 3 times a week. All in all, it's busy but so much fun. It's not the horrible fiasco I originally imagined it would be. No horrible faux pauxs--although I did get distracted and almost fall off the tread mill in the gym earlier this week. I'll probably change my tune when finals come around, ha ha, but let's just go with that for right now.

The one downside with college so far? No time to write...at all. I really miss it, and I want to write, but everytime I sit down to write, something else is happening and I get pulled away. But when Christmas Break comes around, I'll have quite a bit of time to catch up on my reading/writing, two things I haven't had much chance to do in college. I've been drawing a lot, but that's because I go to class early and start a drawing before the class. I can usually get them done by the teacher walks in the room, but I'm trying to work on refining my drawings--improving how I draw the hair, getting more consistent with my eyes and mouths, and general anatomy on girls. They always come out looking like long haired guys, and that's just sad.

So, I've been busy with classes, but I've liked them all so far. The teachers are great. Each one has their own plusses. In Spanish, the teacher is really nice; in English Comp, the teacher is extremely laid back and patient; in Biology--as much as I hate anything science or math related--I look forward to seeing more of how our Biology teacher is adjusting to America (he's from Sussox, England). His reaction to seeing a tick for the first time was pretty funny.

So, anyway, I hope I can post more often, because I miss posting on this thing! How've you guys been while I was gone?

Also, thanks to those of you who wished me a smooth move, it worked, the move was easy and no horrible problems.

Moving Madness and a Meme

Whoo, man has it been a week. I've been scrambling around trying to clean the house (especialliy my room which looked like a bomb had been set off in my garbage can) and packing for THE BIG MOVE. It's coming, and I'm terrified. I'll have a room mate, but that doesn't mean that I'll like him or that he'll like me. He could be a royal jackass, or I could have a whole series of horrible misadventures. For a list of things that could go wrong, see this post.

Anyway, so we've been scrambling around like chickens with our heads cut off for the past couple of days and it'll only get worse as we get closer to THE DAY of THE BIG MOVE.

So, because I'm bored and because it looks like fun, I got a meme off of MerylF's blog which I will now do. Instead of doing it about me, I think I'll do it about The Dark Lord Sauron from the Lord of the Rings (before he was turned into a crazy, fiery eye), just because I'm crazy like that.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Yes, it just so happens that I'm named after my Great, great, great grandfather The Dark Lord Marian-Stacy...he wasn't Dark Lord for very long.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
I always get a little teary eyed during Leo's death scene in Titanic. *sniff*

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
My handwriting is horrible. It's hard for your handwriting to improve when you have people to write your letters and death threats for you. The only time I write is during December when I have to send thank you cards to my grandmother.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Hobbit. If you fry them in a pan with some onions and then put them on a couple of slices of sourdough bread, I swear, you can hear angels sing.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Unfortunately, no. It's hard to go out and find a girl when you're busy taking over Middle Earth...and when you do get to go out, the girls are always afraid of my spikey helmet and black armor. You'd think they'd understand that Dark Lords get have feelings, too.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Of course. I don't know anybody better than me.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Noooo! Not me! I'm always straight with what I'm saying.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes. To tell you the truth, I'm a little afraid I might need them out sometime soon. My dad was 562 when he got his tonsils taken out, and I'll be 562 next fall.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Hell no! I'm terrified of heights and amusement park ride supervisers.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Sauron's Cinnamon Swirls. I ordered my best men to create that for me.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
No, I wear metal boots.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Well...I don't like to brag, but take out an entire force of men in one swing of my mace.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Oh, Rocky Road is to die for.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Their shoes. If they're not Italian or Dwarvish, they're just not worth wearing.

15. RED OR PINK?
Oooh, that's a tuffie. I like red...it's the color of blood and fire, but I think I'll have to go with pink, because it brings out my eyes.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I care too much. I only maimed a family of Hobbits because they were having a birthday party.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My stuffed teddy bear, Mr. Fluffums. I lost him last week and haven't been able to find him.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO LINK THIS BACK TO YOU?
You mean with a chain, Why would I want someone to chain themselves to me by my laptop.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS (Or Kilt) AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Black leg armor, black leggings, and spaceship underwear.

20. WHAT WAS The LAST THING YOU ATE?
A salad. I'm trying to watch my figure.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The dying screams of the tortured...and a Yani cd.

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Robin's Eggshell Blue. They're so beautiful in the spring!

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Fresh grass, rain, flowers, baking bread, and the rotting remains of my enemies corpses.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
My mum. She called to remind me to brush my teeth after my reign of terror.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO LINKED THIS TO YOU?
Again with the linking. Look pal, whips and chains and stuff is okay for some people, I'm just not into it.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Hobbit squashing and golf.

27. HAIR COLOR?
Well...technically I'm bald.

28. EYE COLOR?
Bloodbath red.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Duh, did you think the eye color was natural?

30. FAVORITE FOOD(S)?Hobbit calves, Dwarf tricept, and chocolate moose

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Our orc training video: "Working like an Orc: How not to piss off your boss and die in the first week."

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Black

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer. I like warmer (or even hot) weather.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Hugs!

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Chocolate moose

37. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
"Be a Better Leader, Take Charge of that Army of Doom"

38. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Hello Kitty!

39. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
The Shire, Middle Earth, yes, I'm 1/4 Hobbit. I just had a growth spurt, and then a run-in with a mystical, disfiguring gem.

40. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
Gandalfs! He's such a riot. And Bilbo if he has time to do this!!!

Explanation about Absense

Yeah, sorry about being gone for so long. It's actually been quite the busy past few days. Just before I posted Fates post 1, my back went out. I couldn't walk for the better part of two days. It wasn't fun, and I still cant' figure out how I did it. Then I went visiting a friend I haven't seen in a couple of months.

After that, we went to the town where I'll be going to college, just so I could drive the route and try to memorize it. On the way up there, though, we saw a car in the middle of the road. It's front was smashed, and a little distance away, a motorcycle was wrapped around a hospital sign. The driver of the car was panicking and the motorcyclist was lying in the ditch. We helped him stop the bleeding from his face and called 911 and stayed with him until the ambulence came. His left leg was broken--apparently she turned right into his leg. He was really really lucky, because he got hit at the end of the driveway to the hospital. Obviously we were late getting to our destination, so we decided to spend the night.

Then, when we got back, I left again to go hang out with another friend I haven't seen in a few months. So, yeah...it's been quite a week.