Cookies

So tonight I was thinking...

Fun/happiness are like cookies. If you want cookies, you can wait for them to come around and (except in college where you can get them in the dining hall every day) you probably won't get them that often, except at parties or when someone randomly offers you a cookie. But if you really want a cookie, you'll just make some yourself. Fun and happiness are the same way. If you just sit around waiting to have fun or be happy, it'll happen sometimes, but probably not that often. We have to make our own fun and happiness, and college is a great time to learn how to do that.

Reflections

So I just finished my last final. I feel really happy to be done with them, although finals week was actually pretty fun and relaxing. Mine were really spread out, so I had lots of time to watch movies, go to the mall, and just hang out with friends. Still, I'm happy to be going home for Christmas.

The other night Emily and Kelsey were talking about how they felt the semester had gone, and I guess this is the time when you think about that sort of thing. When they asked me how I felt my semester had gone, I said well, but really I was just thinking about grades. (Speaking of which, I'm having trouble getting used to the concept that an A is an A here and how high of an A it is doesn't matter.) I think this semester has actually been way too big and complicated to sum up in a single word like well. I've made some really awesome friends, although maybe not as many or in as cohesive a group as I'd hoped. I've learned a lot and taken interesting classes, even if they haven't been as hard as I expected. I've learned how to balance studying (which I definitely do a lot of) with making time for fun and how to live with another person (and thanks Emily for being an awesome roommate!). I'm still working on finding a balance between making new friends and staying close to my old ones and on finding a Christian group as awesome as Grace was.

College has definitely been different than I expected. It's not crazy exciting... in fact, it's a lot like high school, moved to a college campus. (To be fair, I have been told that that's because I'm not doing the right kinds of things... but I'm pretty sure I don't want to be doing the kinds of things that person was referring to.) It's not like TIP: there aren't a bunch of Harry Potter-obsessed people who are just like me waiting to be my friends, but in a way it's more real, more rewarding, because I'm making friends who each have something different that makes then awesome.

So, some goals for next semester:

1. Get more involved. I miss the crazy pile of clubs I did in high school. I want to start volunteering again, get involved in lit mag (though that will have to wait until next semester), maybe even be in a play.

2. Find a Christian group. I also really miss our awesome small group, and I really want to find a new one.

3. Meet guys. Okay, this one may sound kind of silly, but when I used to imagine college, there were definitely always guys involved. Plus, I miss having annoying guy friends. :P I've met some really amazing girls this semester, but I'm hoping to expand that next semester.

4. Meet more people in general. I've met cool people on my hall and in Emily's math class, but I'd like to meet some more.

5. Read more. Enough said.

6. Have more fun. I've enjoyed this semester, but it's been pretty low key: movie nights in our room, trips to Walmart/Target, going to Chick Fil A... I think that even if college isn't as exciting as I expected, it still has more potential than I've seen so far, and I want to get the most out of my college experience.

I wanted to have 7 things in that list, but I can't think of another one. So anyway, I hope everyone had a great first semester and has a very Merry Christmas!

Self-Control

So this month I've been doing No-Dessert December (at least until winter break). I thought it would be really hard (I have an obsession with the fudge brownie cookies in the dining hall, and Christmas=lots of desserts), but it's actually been a lot easier than I thought. Today I made tons of cookies and didn't eat any... not even the dough. And it feels good. People always talk about the importance of self control (esp. at college), but self-control isn't just about resisting bad things. It's about power. Having power over yourself and your actions; knowing that you are strong enough to resist. And even if it is just desserts, in a weird way, it's a big deal. And even though I'm going to start eating desserts again after this is over, I'm going to eat them when I actually want to, and not just because they look/smell good. And it applies to more than that... studying too: the power to not procrastinate. And other stuff that I haven't thought of yet (I guess since it's finals week, eating and studying (and sleeping) are about the only things I'm doing).

In other news, Emily and I have definitely gotten into the Christmas spirit. I never liked decorating that much at home, but here, it's so fun. Maybe it's because we have such a small space and just want to make it awesome, maybe because it's really ours and if we don't decorate it, no one will, but I really loved decorating with Emily. I can't wait for Christmas break and seeing everyone!

Merry Christmas!

Fun Once More!

My life is exciting again! And thus I have stuff to blog about. So here goes.

The next weekend after I last blogged was Fall Break, so I went to O'Charley's (Chicken Harvest Soup--yummy!), went to the mountains with my parents (and to Dillard House--possibly even yummier!), and spent Halloween at Emory. While there staying up all night talking (again), I had an epiphany: we'd stopped having fun at UGA. So we decided to change that.

This weekend we had lots of fun. On Friday I went to Walmart, Target, and Chick-fil-A (see exciting video of me failing at bike-riding on Facebook), rode carnival rides at Dawgs After Dark, had a baking party (cookies and pumpkin bread! so much yummy-ness in this blog), went to the game, went to Chili's with my parents, and watched V for Vendetta with my friend Katie. Overall, the weekend was really awesome.

I have also gotten much more productive lately after banning myself from TV. Remember Pushing Daisies from the last blog? Yeah. Total obsession. But I'm back to work, and after tomorrow I'm allowed to watch TV again!

I also finally got my schedule finalized. I'm taking Honors American Lit After 1865, Ecology (Environmental Issues), Roman Biography, Second Language Acquisition, Intro to English Studies, and Honors Intro to Mythology. 18 hours... we'll see how that goes.

Other than that, just trying to keep up with work and waiting for Thanksgiving! I can't wait for more yummy Southern food and our party!

So when I got a blog for college, I was sure I would have tons of exciting stuff to write about. But really, college isn't that different from high school. I study a lot, hang out with friends, and go to football games. But here's what has happened lately:

Some friends of mine and I became completely obsessed with four year plans. They (and UGA Bulletin) are addictive. But I do now have it worked out so that I can be a double major (English and Linguistics), double minor (Latin and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), double emphasis (Creative Writing and Advanced Studies in English), and study abroad twice (at Oxford and maybe in China). I'm also probably going to do Tolkien research this summer! So I'm really excited about that. Next semester I'm taking Honors American Lit after 1865, ENGL 4000 (the intro class for English majors), Ecology 1000, Roman Biography, and Second Language Acquisition.

A couple weekends ago I went home for my mom's birthday, which was really fun. I got to see Sumi and Caroline (and eat some bagels and Hibachi San--yummy!), plus hang out with my parents and go shopping. The next weekend I spent the night at Tech after going to the Third Eye Blind concert, which was awesome if sleep-depriving. Then this weekend I went home for Sumi's Diwali party, which I then discovered was actually tonight, so that didn't work out, but I did get to go to the Avenue with Sumi, Courtney, and Anqi, and then hang out at my house with them plus Emily, so that was of course amazing.

I've also been watching this really cool show called Pushing Daisies, which is about a guy who can bring dead people back to life (with certain restrictions). It sounds weird, but it's actually really cool.

I'm going to go watch that some more...

Hobbits, Snellebrations, and Other Fun

Hello again! I'm aware that it's been a ridiculously long time since I last posted, but tons has happened since then! So in no particular order, here goes:

First off, I saw Sean Astin tonight! And he talked to me! I mean sure, he was on stage and he was answering my question, but he still totally talked to me. And quoted Sam lines. Which was amazing. It may sound pathetic, but meeting an LotR actor is a dream come true. And I had friends to go with! I found some English majors right down the hall (one is in my super-awesome creative writing class) who were just as excited as me (well maybe not quite that excited, but pretty close).

In fact, the friend thing is going surprisingly well. There are still a lot of people I don't know (many of whom I don't particularly want to know), but I've slowly met people and made some friends.

The first weekend after classes was really crazy: the girls in my hall planned a schedule which consisted of Pilates at Ramsey (our fancy gym), dinner, 17 Again, Phi Slam (a super-fun alcohol-free dance party), and Dawgs After Dark (a school sponsored event with free food, and this time, a mechanical bull, which was actually really painful, but now I can say I've done it). Since then things have settled down into movies and Scrabble, but those are still really fun. Plus, every Wednesday night we Snellebrate, which means we go to our 24-hour dining hall after midnight and eat breakfast food (like those waffles that you pour in the thing and then flip over!).

Classes are pretty homework intensive, but most of them are really interesting. Latin is the exception, but at least it's not super hard like I thought it would be (mostly due to Ms. Lovette's presence as a student). Linguistics is really interesting (I think I'm gonna double major in it), and of course Brit Lit and Creative Writing are fun. We had this really cool assignment, so if you're interested you can read it, otherwise stop reading now since the rest of this blog will be of no interest.

TWENTY LITTLE POETRY PROJECTS

Jim Simmerman

1. Begin the poem with a metaphor.

2. Say something specific but utterly preposterous.

3. Use at least one image for each of the five senses, either in succession or scattered randomly throughout the poem.

4. Use one example of synesthesia (mixing the senses).

5. Use the proper name of a person and the proper name of a place.

6. Contradict something you said earlier in the poem.

7. Change direction or digress from the last thing you said.

8. Use a word (slang?) you’ve never seen in a poem.

9. Use an example of false cause-effect logic.

10. Use a piece of talk you’ve actually heard (preferably in dialect and/or which you don’t understand).

11. Create a metaphor using the following construction: "The (adjective) (concrete noun) of (abstract noun) . . ."

12. Use an image in such a way as to reverse its usual associative qualities.

13. Make the persona or character in the poem do something he or she could not do in "real life."

14. Refer to yourself by nickname and in the third person.

15. Write in the future tense, such that part of the poem seems to be a prediction.

16. Modify a noun with an unlikely adjective.

17. Make a declarative assertion that sounds convincing but that finally makes no sense.

18. Use a phrase from a language other than English.

19. Make a non-human object say or do something human (personification).

20. Close the poem with a vivid image that makes no statement, but that "echoes" an image from earlier in the poem.

Open the poem with the first project and close it with the last. Otherwise use the projects in whatever order you like, giving each project at least one line. Try to use all twenty projects. Feel free to repeat those you like. Fool around. Enjoy.

So this is what I came up with:

Sometimes my day is cold spaghetti,

clammy on my tongue with jealousy and apathy and a hint of sadness,

all muddled noodles intertwining.

Because I’ve seen their smiles and heard their laughter,

but through the cold window of loneliness.

And he says, “Put scorpions in their bed!”

but that’s no solution, only sceleri scelus,

so like Ovid, alone with his myths, longing for Rome,

I wait for metamorphosis,

to crumple my wings and scrunch back into a caterpillar,

into a little girl whose grandpa calls her Hopi,

but not like the Indians, for they have no home.

Then the rain hangs curtains on my lonely view

and I dream of dancing elephants,

until my sister is calling because my phone is ringing,

and I float through my window

(it tastes of ice and champagne).

And I will meet her, drenched in the smell of rain,

and we will laugh and run like children,

whom time and mud can never touch,

because the day isn’t like spaghetti at all;

it’s as shapely and round as a callipygian,

as warm and buttery as freshly baked rolls.

Hello!

So, I said I would blog in college, and here I am. I can't believe I'm here... it feels like I'm just at summer camp and will be going home in a week or two. It's been overwhelming in some ways, meeting so many new people, getting moved in, trying to figure out where I am, but I'm so glad Emily's here to keep me sane.

I kind of imagined that college would be like TIP, and I don't know about classes, but meeting people isn't the same. The first people I met there ended up being my best friends; they were interested in all the same nerdy things and were really cool, but here people seem pretty... normal. Which is a strange thing to say, but I never know what to talk to normal people about. Like I know how to make lame physics jokes and talk about classes, but start talking about rushing or social lives and I'm bored. Though I did meet some pretty nerdy people playing Scrabble, which was cool. Even cooler was the poster I saw saying that Sean Astin is coming here! I'm so excited!!! (Sean Astin played Sam in The Lord of the Rings, for you losers who don't know.) Hopefully now I can locate people who share my excitement.

Otherwise, mostly we've been wandering around campus figuring out where stuff is. Today we went to the library and checked out books, which was fun. I'm also really excited about my classes. I'm taking Honors British Literature After 1700, Honors Intro to Creative Writing, Honors Intro to Linguistics, Latin Livy, and Abnormal Psych, plus two seminars: the regular honors seminar, and this really cool one about That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis.

Anyway, I really miss everyone and hope they're having a good end of summer/beginning of college and that I'll see them soon!