Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Prettiness is only skin deep...
I love going to Plugged in Online. If I want to see a movie, and I want to figure out exactly why it has a PG-13 rating, I can go to Plugged in, and find out every single possible thing in the movie that could ever be declared objectionable. They'll list every swear word that's said, every glass of wine drunk, and every lie told. If I want to know if a certain music album is any good, I'll just head to Plugged in to look at the music reviews. But it's articles like this one that cement my undying love for Plugged in.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Emma On BBC One
"Friendship is constant in all other things, save in the office and affairs of love."
~Claudio, William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing
Here is the official promotional trailer for BBC One's new adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma, which premiered last night in the United Kingdom.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
College...
College
Give a girl an education and introduce her properly into the world, and ten to one but she has the means of settling well, without further expense to anybody.
Jane Austen
Right now college means one thing to me:
applications
which of course equal:
loads and loads of work.
Writing essays, I'm fine with. What was really starting to get to me was the neverending checking boxes, filling out the SAME information over and over, squeezing words into limited spaces, number crunching, etc., etc., etc. in never ending succession!
*insert plaintive sigh here*
And furthermore, the endless and monolithic process known as "APPLYING TO COLLEGES" takes up lots of TIME.
*insert groan here*
Time that could be spent enjoying oneself, laughing and talking with friends, scrapbooking, journaling, going for a walk, or any other infinitely more enjoyable activity.
So. Those were my feelings up until about 5:00 today.
After having to cancel my second outing with a friend this week, I decided that if I was going to have to stay home and work on these college applications, I jolly well would. And I would finish my calculus homework, even if it killed me, and I would not waste the afternoon on Facebook or the forum; I would sit down and get stuff done. I was not going to sacrifice my time with friends just to waste more time. So help me, I was going to get some actual work done.
So, on the way home from my show this afternoon, I stopped by my church's Eucharistic adoration chapel. It was lovely and peaceful, and I sat in front of Jesus, finishing up my calc homework. I've always found the adoration chapel is the best place to work through my problems. I now know that math problems can be worked out there as well.
Then, I got home, and I sat down at the computer and I got my first college application submitted! One down. Five to go. I can do this.
And, I realized I've been letting my laziness get in my way. There were some points over the past week I was debating whether college was really worth it or not. In reality, though, I was just bogged down in the mire of applications, and also, scared of leaving home, friends, and family. Then, I realized how absolutely stupid I was being. Because, I AM excited for college-I know it'll be awesome. Anything that is awesome won't come without hard work; and I hate to admit it, but hard work is an aquired taste for me. I have to teach myself to enjoy it.
And as for leaving friends, one of my favorite new quotes I discovered is Eleanor Roosevelt's: “Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.” I can leave home and all the people I love and care about won't leave me-their footprints will be in my heart.
*insert violin music here*
Now, I'm feeling ready to tackle these remaining applications with all my heart. Wish me luck! And when I get to the end of this adventure, let's have coffee together. :)
Give a girl an education and introduce her properly into the world, and ten to one but she has the means of settling well, without further expense to anybody.
Jane Austen
Right now college means one thing to me:
applications
which of course equal:
loads and loads of work.
Writing essays, I'm fine with. What was really starting to get to me was the neverending checking boxes, filling out the SAME information over and over, squeezing words into limited spaces, number crunching, etc., etc., etc. in never ending succession!
*insert plaintive sigh here*
And furthermore, the endless and monolithic process known as "APPLYING TO COLLEGES" takes up lots of TIME.
*insert groan here*
Time that could be spent enjoying oneself, laughing and talking with friends, scrapbooking, journaling, going for a walk, or any other infinitely more enjoyable activity.
So. Those were my feelings up until about 5:00 today.
After having to cancel my second outing with a friend this week, I decided that if I was going to have to stay home and work on these college applications, I jolly well would. And I would finish my calculus homework, even if it killed me, and I would not waste the afternoon on Facebook or the forum; I would sit down and get stuff done. I was not going to sacrifice my time with friends just to waste more time. So help me, I was going to get some actual work done.
So, on the way home from my show this afternoon, I stopped by my church's Eucharistic adoration chapel. It was lovely and peaceful, and I sat in front of Jesus, finishing up my calc homework. I've always found the adoration chapel is the best place to work through my problems. I now know that math problems can be worked out there as well.
Then, I got home, and I sat down at the computer and I got my first college application submitted! One down. Five to go. I can do this.
And, I realized I've been letting my laziness get in my way. There were some points over the past week I was debating whether college was really worth it or not. In reality, though, I was just bogged down in the mire of applications, and also, scared of leaving home, friends, and family. Then, I realized how absolutely stupid I was being. Because, I AM excited for college-I know it'll be awesome. Anything that is awesome won't come without hard work; and I hate to admit it, but hard work is an aquired taste for me. I have to teach myself to enjoy it.
And as for leaving friends, one of my favorite new quotes I discovered is Eleanor Roosevelt's: “Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.” I can leave home and all the people I love and care about won't leave me-their footprints will be in my heart.
*insert violin music here*
Now, I'm feeling ready to tackle these remaining applications with all my heart. Wish me luck! And when I get to the end of this adventure, let's have coffee together. :)
The Quintessential Conglomeration of College Quotes
The fool doth think that he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.
~Touchstone, William Shakespeare's As You Like It
Why must Portia and Desi have all the fun of writing down chuckle and giggle inducing quotations? I must have my share in this lingual romp!
"My apple is bipolar." ~ Catherine
"I want to be a cadaver when I grow up." ~ Matt
"Check out my knee!" ~ Meg
"My fish committed suicide" ~ Matt
"What a creepy creeper" ~ Jenna
"What is a cross between an elephant and a rhinoceros?" ~ Michael
"A termite" ~ Katie
"Ooh, a stairwell! We should sing something!" ~ Michael
Quotebook Time!
When Grammer Just Gets You...
Those memorable quotes that result from our inability to correctly use the English language, those fatal slips of the tongue, and other such joys.
"My grammar has taken up permanent residence outside of the window." --Rebecca
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when guys are grey. You'll never know, ear, how much I love you." ---Sienna, age 3 1/2
"I need toilet paper for my teeth." ---Bekah Mogo
"Sometimes you have to let the germs be free."--Renee
"Rebecca, stand up, I want to see your pants."--Brittany
"Those Latineans."--Lainey
"a.k.a. ROMANS."-- Renee
"That's like a Freudian carcrash." --Mara
Those memorable quotes that result from our inability to correctly use the English language, those fatal slips of the tongue, and other such joys.
"My grammar has taken up permanent residence outside of the window." --Rebecca
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when guys are grey. You'll never know, ear, how much I love you." ---Sienna, age 3 1/2
"I need toilet paper for my teeth." ---Bekah Mogo
"Sometimes you have to let the germs be free."--Renee
"Rebecca, stand up, I want to see your pants."--Brittany
"Those Latineans."--Lainey
"a.k.a. ROMANS."-- Renee
"That's like a Freudian carcrash." --Mara
Friday, October 2, 2009
The Week in a Nutshell
1) Sunday: Panicked over algebra exam on Monday. Fretted over props. Slogged through Leviticus.
2) Monday: Algebra exam. Only 13 correct answers needed to pass. The quadratic equation is a life-saver. The square root of 7569 is 87.
3) Tuesday: Crammed at the last minute for seminar, which turned out to be a very fruitful class.
4) Wednesday: The sweetest nuns in the world came to the college today: active Norbertine sisters from Slovakia looking to start a house in southern California held a recruiting day.
5) Thursday: Feast-day of St. Therese, patron of my dorm. Sugar + games + giggly girls = fun. Adoration was a blast, too.
6) Friday: Opening concert of the year with some awesome Baroque music. Then, the tutors creamed the students at a game of trivial pursuit.
7) Saturday: Junior-Freshman dance. Semi-formal dance. I have nothing to wear. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah! (And 3 1/2 hours of work-study)
Ponder your own relaxed existence, O Jessica and Desdemona, and REJOICE in the fact that you don't have to be anywhere at 8:30 in the morning.
2) Monday: Algebra exam. Only 13 correct answers needed to pass. The quadratic equation is a life-saver. The square root of 7569 is 87.
3) Tuesday: Crammed at the last minute for seminar, which turned out to be a very fruitful class.
4) Wednesday: The sweetest nuns in the world came to the college today: active Norbertine sisters from Slovakia looking to start a house in southern California held a recruiting day.
5) Thursday: Feast-day of St. Therese, patron of my dorm. Sugar + games + giggly girls = fun. Adoration was a blast, too.
6) Friday: Opening concert of the year with some awesome Baroque music. Then, the tutors creamed the students at a game of trivial pursuit.
7) Saturday: Junior-Freshman dance. Semi-formal dance. I have nothing to wear. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah! (And 3 1/2 hours of work-study)
Ponder your own relaxed existence, O Jessica and Desdemona, and REJOICE in the fact that you don't have to be anywhere at 8:30 in the morning.
I Can Do the Quotebook, Too!
Look, Desdemona, I, too, can post random and embarrassing quotations from my fellow humans.
"Ah yes, the egg-circle prop." --My beloved Math tutor, Mr. Lehman.
"Eww, they're just like legs, but arms!" --Bridget
"Ah yes, the egg-circle prop." --My beloved Math tutor, Mr. Lehman.
"Eww, they're just like legs, but arms!" --Bridget
Weekend!
Ah, yes, Thank God It's Friday. And I mean that in the best possible sense. Thank you, God, for creating the Weekend. Because school is stressful, and sometimes I just need...nothing: a day on which I can take a blanket outside (it's southern California; it still gets up to the 80's here in the afternoon), curl up with a book, and fall asleep while I pretend to do homework.
Let's face it; I will probably end up screaming insanely at a pile of books sometime in the next month. Don rags are in two weeks (sort of a "constructive criticism" meeting with all of your tutors), our bug project is due on Monday, there are props to learn, books to read, lines to memorize, our seminar paper gets assigned on Tuesday, and so on and so forth. I'm already looking forward to Thanksgiving break, which will not occur for another month and a half.
On the positive side, I was able to spend some time in Adoration last night/early this morning. The college has a tradition of all night Adoration the night before the first Friday of the month. It was incredibly beautiful. The chapel, which could be considered a small church, was packed full of people -- at midnight. There was complete silence, and the presence of God was tangible in a way that sent goosebumps up and down my arms. The feeling was almost one of being wrapped in an enormous blanket, cocooned away from the world and all of its cares, worries, and responsibilities.
And what better way to read the Bible than in the presence of God? Only with this book can you take it directly to the author and say, "Dear Lord, I'm very confused. What the heck did you mean by this, that, and the other thing?" Jesus also helps tremendously with props, no blackboard required. Sleep, coffee, and brains are all secondary.
Let's face it; I will probably end up screaming insanely at a pile of books sometime in the next month. Don rags are in two weeks (sort of a "constructive criticism" meeting with all of your tutors), our bug project is due on Monday, there are props to learn, books to read, lines to memorize, our seminar paper gets assigned on Tuesday, and so on and so forth. I'm already looking forward to Thanksgiving break, which will not occur for another month and a half.
On the positive side, I was able to spend some time in Adoration last night/early this morning. The college has a tradition of all night Adoration the night before the first Friday of the month. It was incredibly beautiful. The chapel, which could be considered a small church, was packed full of people -- at midnight. There was complete silence, and the presence of God was tangible in a way that sent goosebumps up and down my arms. The feeling was almost one of being wrapped in an enormous blanket, cocooned away from the world and all of its cares, worries, and responsibilities.
And what better way to read the Bible than in the presence of God? Only with this book can you take it directly to the author and say, "Dear Lord, I'm very confused. What the heck did you mean by this, that, and the other thing?" Jesus also helps tremendously with props, no blackboard required. Sleep, coffee, and brains are all secondary.
Of Homecoming and Haydn
[hearing Balthazar sing] An he had been a dog that should have howled thus, they would have hanged him.
~ Benedick, William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing
Here are the two little ditties that I am going to sing with the college chamber choir for the homecoming concert tonight. I hope you enjoy them!
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