Well, I failed on that thirty-day-challenge there. And also at posting at all. We're halfway into the semester now, and six classes, concert band, basketball band, and Into the Woods have kept me very busy.
I just returned from spring break, which I spent with my boyfriend. I got to ride horses, learn to crochet, watch movies, cook a little, and generally relax. It was nice, but it's back to the daily grind. Lots of work to be done...
There are so many things that I want to accomplish, but I never feel like I have the time. Whenever class is in session, I have tons of work. Whenever I have a break, I'm so burnt out I just flop on the couch and don't get much done. (This past break was actually a combination of both... >> ) I'm not sure how to find the right balance between the two.
But for now, it's back to programming.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Zodiac
So I'm cheating a little. I've spent the past few days trying to come up with 30 interesting facts about me, and as I'm having some difficulty completing the list, I've decided to step away from that one for a little bit and move on.
Without further ado, Day 07: Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality.
Under the tropical system, I'm a Virgo. Under the sidereal system, I'm a Leo. While the sidereal makes more sense to me (if you're gonna buy into all that stuff), I believe that Virgo characteristics match me much better. I'm a perfectionist, which has robbed me of a lot of time and sanity. I am also very analytical and independent, as well as skeptical and occasionally inflexible.
I really don't believe that because the sun was in the general vicinity of an arbitrarily selected group of stars at the time of my birth, I have a certain set of characteristics. It can be kinda fun though, and relatively harmless.
Well, this is a kinda boring entry, but I'm not sure what else to say about the subject. Half a week into the new semester and it's gonna be hard but good I think. One of professors is a particularly horrible lecturer, so that class could be kinda difficult just because I won't be able to pay attention in class. And we have ItW auditions this week! Yay!
Without further ado, Day 07: Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality.
Under the tropical system, I'm a Virgo. Under the sidereal system, I'm a Leo. While the sidereal makes more sense to me (if you're gonna buy into all that stuff), I believe that Virgo characteristics match me much better. I'm a perfectionist, which has robbed me of a lot of time and sanity. I am also very analytical and independent, as well as skeptical and occasionally inflexible.
I really don't believe that because the sun was in the general vicinity of an arbitrarily selected group of stars at the time of my birth, I have a certain set of characteristics. It can be kinda fun though, and relatively harmless.
Well, this is a kinda boring entry, but I'm not sure what else to say about the subject. Half a week into the new semester and it's gonna be hard but good I think. One of professors is a particularly horrible lecturer, so that class could be kinda difficult just because I won't be able to pay attention in class. And we have ItW auditions this week! Yay!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Gourmet Cannibalism
Day 04 - Your views on religion
Funny, I was just talking about this a little bit. I believe that religion is a beautiful thing when not taken too far. It can be a rock, a reason for living, a way to cope, a way to connect. Sometimes a lot of that gets lost in translation.
I'm a born and raised Catholic who plays a little loose with the rules. I don't believe every word that the Pope hands down, especially since I disagree with the Church on several social points (e.g., gay rights). I take what I need from religion and try not to let the rest bother me.
Since we lost my grandmother this past summer, I've really seen what religion can do for people. My nana said, in the midst of fighting a losing battle with cancer, "I am at peace." It has helped my family cope, believing her to be in Heaven. It has given a support group for my grandfather - it's one way they met people after moving. If religion can do that for people, can it really be so bad?
I really like Catholocism. The word means "universal," and it is very cool to feel connected with Catholics all over the world through the Eucharist. I can walk into any Catholic Mass anywhere in the world and be able to follow along. My confirmation sponsor went to Italy and attended a Mass celebrated by the Pope, and she told me that it was very cool to hear the Mass in Latin and all the responses in different languages from all over the world. The idea of transubstantiation is very cool in that communion takes on a higher meaning than just a symbol. I was told when leaving a camp once not to say goodbye but rather "I'll see you in the Eucharist." Catholics all over the world are connected by this Sacrament.
Now, Catholics get a lot of flak from a lot of people. First off: the Crusades were a bad idea. Indulgences were bad. Bishops lining their pockets from the collection plate was wrong. That doesn't happen anymore. And I'd really like it if people stopped connecting Catholics with molesting little boys. Groups should not be measured by their lowest members, or else humanity as a whole is screwed.
One more point of clarification: We do not worship Mary. We venerate her and other people who have led lives of supreme example, we call them saints and we call on them to pray on our behalf. It's much the same as asking your friends to pray for you or someone else. The saints give us an example of how to lead a life in faith.
I haven't studied a lot of other religions in depth, but it seems to me that everybody's got it a little bit right. To me, it boils down to God is Love. From that you derive a rock, for God will always love you, a reason to love your neighbor as yourself, and a reason to believe in an afterlife and an immortal soul. Whatever religion gives you those comforts (or whatever you need), go for it. Don't want a religion? I don't mind. I'm not going to try to push mine on you.
Particularly in matters of religion, I just wish we could all get along. Particularly for Christians, I don't understand why we would fight over it, what with the Ten Commandments and love your neighbor and all. A little live and let live to temper religious arguments would be nice to see, and I think would bring us closer to the idea of the Kingdom of God on earth that Christians are striving to achieve. We just need to realize that everybody doesn't need to agree with one particular dogma. If we can learn from our differences instead of persecute each other, we will all become stronger for it.
Funny, I was just talking about this a little bit. I believe that religion is a beautiful thing when not taken too far. It can be a rock, a reason for living, a way to cope, a way to connect. Sometimes a lot of that gets lost in translation.
I'm a born and raised Catholic who plays a little loose with the rules. I don't believe every word that the Pope hands down, especially since I disagree with the Church on several social points (e.g., gay rights). I take what I need from religion and try not to let the rest bother me.
Since we lost my grandmother this past summer, I've really seen what religion can do for people. My nana said, in the midst of fighting a losing battle with cancer, "I am at peace." It has helped my family cope, believing her to be in Heaven. It has given a support group for my grandfather - it's one way they met people after moving. If religion can do that for people, can it really be so bad?
I really like Catholocism. The word means "universal," and it is very cool to feel connected with Catholics all over the world through the Eucharist. I can walk into any Catholic Mass anywhere in the world and be able to follow along. My confirmation sponsor went to Italy and attended a Mass celebrated by the Pope, and she told me that it was very cool to hear the Mass in Latin and all the responses in different languages from all over the world. The idea of transubstantiation is very cool in that communion takes on a higher meaning than just a symbol. I was told when leaving a camp once not to say goodbye but rather "I'll see you in the Eucharist." Catholics all over the world are connected by this Sacrament.
Now, Catholics get a lot of flak from a lot of people. First off: the Crusades were a bad idea. Indulgences were bad. Bishops lining their pockets from the collection plate was wrong. That doesn't happen anymore. And I'd really like it if people stopped connecting Catholics with molesting little boys. Groups should not be measured by their lowest members, or else humanity as a whole is screwed.
One more point of clarification: We do not worship Mary. We venerate her and other people who have led lives of supreme example, we call them saints and we call on them to pray on our behalf. It's much the same as asking your friends to pray for you or someone else. The saints give us an example of how to lead a life in faith.
I haven't studied a lot of other religions in depth, but it seems to me that everybody's got it a little bit right. To me, it boils down to God is Love. From that you derive a rock, for God will always love you, a reason to love your neighbor as yourself, and a reason to believe in an afterlife and an immortal soul. Whatever religion gives you those comforts (or whatever you need), go for it. Don't want a religion? I don't mind. I'm not going to try to push mine on you.
Particularly in matters of religion, I just wish we could all get along. Particularly for Christians, I don't understand why we would fight over it, what with the Ten Commandments and love your neighbor and all. A little live and let live to temper religious arguments would be nice to see, and I think would bring us closer to the idea of the Kingdom of God on earth that Christians are striving to achieve. We just need to realize that everybody doesn't need to agree with one particular dogma. If we can learn from our differences instead of persecute each other, we will all become stronger for it.
Whiskey in the Jar
Today time just got away from me - I spent a lot of it helping my little sister paint a herald costume for school and prepping to head back to college.
Day 03: Your views on drugs and alcohol
Well, I may or may not be sipping a Mike's as I write this (the black cherry kind might be my favorite), so... haha.
I have never done drugs and never plan to. Having watched somebody close to me go through quitting cigarettes and dealing with the urges years later, I can't imagine ever doing that to my body. I'm a little picky about what goes into my body - I've avoided caffeine dependency and try not to take medicine unless I need it.
That being said, I don't really care if other people take drugs. If you want to get high, who am I to stop you? It only concerns me when your drug-addled self shoots somebody or pulls a dui. So I don't think we should outlaw drugs, but we should crack down on drug-induced crimes.
I'm half Irish, so my views on alcohol should be self evident. :-P Seriously though, I have no problem with it. My parents have always had a very open attitude about drinking, preferring me to experiment and learn my boundaries with them rather than while I'm off at college or something. While I haven't taken them up on it until very recently, it's helped me to have a very healthy view of alcohol. I don't need it to have fun, but I like drinking a little sometimes to wind down or casually at a party. And I'm developing a taste for wine.
I see no reason why the drinking age shouldn't be 18. There are so many arguments for it - we can go to war then, we can buy cigarettes and lotto tickets, we can go to "real" jail - in every other legal sense we are considered adults at that point, why can't we drink then? The impetus was concern over drunk driving. I propose that we need to change our views on alcohol.
Since Prohibition rolled through (which was largely driven by Protestants railing against the evils of alcohol - fun fact: Welch's grape juice was originally conceived and marketed as "unfermented grape juice" specifically as an alternative to wine), America has not had a healthy relationship with alcohol. The frat scene makes no sense to me - the culture where you drink to the point of not remembering your night. But somehow that's considered acceptable in college. Other cultures, notably French and Italian, view wine as a food rather than alcohol, and this is reflected in those countries' cuisines. Now, other cultures have their problems with alcohol. A research project my wine history class did showed that other countries are trying to change their relationship with alcohol. Fairly recently, Ireland outlawed happy hours - periods of time where the price of drinks is marked down - as they have recognized the effects that rampant alcoholism has had in a place where children are weaned on whiskey.
So alcohol itself is not bad, and I don't think we should be taught that. It is something to be used intelligently and in moderation. You can have a lot of fun sober and a lot of fun after just a couple drinks. And I can promise you that the next morning will be much more fun under those circumstances.
So I will leave you with the refrain of one of the many Irish drinking songs in my repertoire, a marvelous ditty called "Beer, Beer, Beer:"
He must have been an admiral
A sultan or a king.
And to his praises
We shall always sing.
Oh, look what he has done for us,
He's filled us up with cheer.
Lord bless Charlie Mops
The man who invented
Beer, beer, beer, tiddly
Beer, beer, beer
Day 03: Your views on drugs and alcohol
Well, I may or may not be sipping a Mike's as I write this (the black cherry kind might be my favorite), so... haha.
I have never done drugs and never plan to. Having watched somebody close to me go through quitting cigarettes and dealing with the urges years later, I can't imagine ever doing that to my body. I'm a little picky about what goes into my body - I've avoided caffeine dependency and try not to take medicine unless I need it.
That being said, I don't really care if other people take drugs. If you want to get high, who am I to stop you? It only concerns me when your drug-addled self shoots somebody or pulls a dui. So I don't think we should outlaw drugs, but we should crack down on drug-induced crimes.
I'm half Irish, so my views on alcohol should be self evident. :-P Seriously though, I have no problem with it. My parents have always had a very open attitude about drinking, preferring me to experiment and learn my boundaries with them rather than while I'm off at college or something. While I haven't taken them up on it until very recently, it's helped me to have a very healthy view of alcohol. I don't need it to have fun, but I like drinking a little sometimes to wind down or casually at a party. And I'm developing a taste for wine.
I see no reason why the drinking age shouldn't be 18. There are so many arguments for it - we can go to war then, we can buy cigarettes and lotto tickets, we can go to "real" jail - in every other legal sense we are considered adults at that point, why can't we drink then? The impetus was concern over drunk driving. I propose that we need to change our views on alcohol.
Since Prohibition rolled through (which was largely driven by Protestants railing against the evils of alcohol - fun fact: Welch's grape juice was originally conceived and marketed as "unfermented grape juice" specifically as an alternative to wine), America has not had a healthy relationship with alcohol. The frat scene makes no sense to me - the culture where you drink to the point of not remembering your night. But somehow that's considered acceptable in college. Other cultures, notably French and Italian, view wine as a food rather than alcohol, and this is reflected in those countries' cuisines. Now, other cultures have their problems with alcohol. A research project my wine history class did showed that other countries are trying to change their relationship with alcohol. Fairly recently, Ireland outlawed happy hours - periods of time where the price of drinks is marked down - as they have recognized the effects that rampant alcoholism has had in a place where children are weaned on whiskey.
So alcohol itself is not bad, and I don't think we should be taught that. It is something to be used intelligently and in moderation. You can have a lot of fun sober and a lot of fun after just a couple drinks. And I can promise you that the next morning will be much more fun under those circumstances.
So I will leave you with the refrain of one of the many Irish drinking songs in my repertoire, a marvelous ditty called "Beer, Beer, Beer:"
He must have been an admiral
A sultan or a king.
And to his praises
We shall always sing.
Oh, look what he has done for us,
He's filled us up with cheer.
Lord bless Charlie Mops
The man who invented
Beer, beer, beer, tiddly
Beer, beer, beer
Saturday, January 15, 2011
10 years from now
Jeez. You'd think I'd get farther than a day before forgetting. Well, I remembered earlier but then I got caught up figuring out how to trade Pokemon using emulators (I now have all three starters and a full set of the red/blue specifics so far - it's important.)
So, without further ado, Day 02: Where you'd like to be in 10 years
Huh. It's a rather overdone question in some ways, but still an interesting one. Like I said before, I'm not really sure where my life is going. 10 years from now I'll be 30, which sounds really old to me but isn't really, in the grand scheme of things.
Call me old-fashioned, but ideally I'd like to be married and have a kid or two by then. Monetarily, I'd like to be comfortable - I don't want to wonder where my next meal is coming from, and I'd like a cushion in case something crazy happens. I don't ever need to be rich to be happy.
Having a career isn't terribly important to me, though I think it's important for me to have something to do every day. I'd like to have found local theatre and/or music groups to join, maybe a bookclub, just things to give me time to be me and keep my other hobbies going. If I can, I'd like to be in a situation where I can either work from home or take some time off to stay home with my children.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that the most important thing to me is family. In an extended sense, this includes my friends. I hope to still be in touch with many of the people I am close to now, even if we don't wind up living near each other. When I picture my future, it revolves around the people in my life - it really does boil down to just that. And I've always had a strong desire to have children, so that features prominently.
Really, I come back to the idea that life is what happens when you're making other plans. So I don't really bother planning, because lots of variables can change. And maybe doing that is what has really distilled my priorities for me, but it's been very comforting to see because I can try to stress less about it now. If I can find my way to a family and a happy home, I'll be okay. And I really believe that's an attainable goal.
[this probably rambles, but I'm too tired to think through edits. Call it a freewrite or whatever. Good night.]
So, without further ado, Day 02: Where you'd like to be in 10 years
Huh. It's a rather overdone question in some ways, but still an interesting one. Like I said before, I'm not really sure where my life is going. 10 years from now I'll be 30, which sounds really old to me but isn't really, in the grand scheme of things.
Call me old-fashioned, but ideally I'd like to be married and have a kid or two by then. Monetarily, I'd like to be comfortable - I don't want to wonder where my next meal is coming from, and I'd like a cushion in case something crazy happens. I don't ever need to be rich to be happy.
Having a career isn't terribly important to me, though I think it's important for me to have something to do every day. I'd like to have found local theatre and/or music groups to join, maybe a bookclub, just things to give me time to be me and keep my other hobbies going. If I can, I'd like to be in a situation where I can either work from home or take some time off to stay home with my children.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that the most important thing to me is family. In an extended sense, this includes my friends. I hope to still be in touch with many of the people I am close to now, even if we don't wind up living near each other. When I picture my future, it revolves around the people in my life - it really does boil down to just that. And I've always had a strong desire to have children, so that features prominently.
Really, I come back to the idea that life is what happens when you're making other plans. So I don't really bother planning, because lots of variables can change. And maybe doing that is what has really distilled my priorities for me, but it's been very comforting to see because I can try to stress less about it now. If I can find my way to a family and a happy home, I'll be okay. And I really believe that's an attainable goal.
[this probably rambles, but I'm too tired to think through edits. Call it a freewrite or whatever. Good night.]
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The beginning of a journey
A friend of mine challenged me to do a 30-day challenge thing in order to find myself.
I'll use this over the next month to start babbling about various things and maybe wind up learning something along the way. Who knows, maybe you will too. Possibly more than me.
Right then. Here we go: Day 01: Your current relationship
I have been dating my boyfriend for 1.25 years now, and I could wax on about how amazing he is and how this is the best thing that's ever happened to me, but the internet has enough of that kind of vapid, insubstantial romantic praise.
It's not something I really discuss with anyone other than Mike, so it feels a little odd to be typing it up.
Relationships are hard. All the stories end at "happily ever after." But it's just not that easy. You have to communicate, compromise, support each other, and above all trust. (This goes for non-romantic relationships as well.) The key is to find somebody whose strengths complement your weaknesses and vice versa. Not every day or situation is going to be easy and it's important to find somebody who will not only be there through it all, but who will pick you up and carry you when you can't walk any more.
I've always wondered how I would know when I met "The One." From watching my parents I understand what a good, healthy, lasting relationship looks like. I've come to understand that it's not about meeting The One, it's about creating The One. I believe there are many people out there with whom you are compatible, but by going through life with somebody, he or she becomes your One and Only based on the strength you gain through common experience.
Perhaps, at twenty years old with only one ex and a relationship little more than a year old, I'm not one to talk. But I've always been a hopeless romantic (and luckily in Mike I've found a kindred spirit), so maybe I've watched enough to understand. And love, I think, is way too easy to complicate, but it's something that should be kept simple, for that is when it is at its best.
The best thing about this relationship is that it's comfortable. We're used to each other and we work well together. He keeps me sane, I keep him on top of deadlines. Most of all, I miss him when he's gone. I think that's all it needs to be. I've realized that I don't really know what my future holds, but I know that I want to share it with him - and I've never felt something so simply, so strongly, so I know it must be right.
I'll use this over the next month to start babbling about various things and maybe wind up learning something along the way. Who knows, maybe you will too. Possibly more than me.
Right then. Here we go: Day 01: Your current relationship
I have been dating my boyfriend for 1.25 years now, and I could wax on about how amazing he is and how this is the best thing that's ever happened to me, but the internet has enough of that kind of vapid, insubstantial romantic praise.
It's not something I really discuss with anyone other than Mike, so it feels a little odd to be typing it up.
Relationships are hard. All the stories end at "happily ever after." But it's just not that easy. You have to communicate, compromise, support each other, and above all trust. (This goes for non-romantic relationships as well.) The key is to find somebody whose strengths complement your weaknesses and vice versa. Not every day or situation is going to be easy and it's important to find somebody who will not only be there through it all, but who will pick you up and carry you when you can't walk any more.
I've always wondered how I would know when I met "The One." From watching my parents I understand what a good, healthy, lasting relationship looks like. I've come to understand that it's not about meeting The One, it's about creating The One. I believe there are many people out there with whom you are compatible, but by going through life with somebody, he or she becomes your One and Only based on the strength you gain through common experience.
Perhaps, at twenty years old with only one ex and a relationship little more than a year old, I'm not one to talk. But I've always been a hopeless romantic (and luckily in Mike I've found a kindred spirit), so maybe I've watched enough to understand. And love, I think, is way too easy to complicate, but it's something that should be kept simple, for that is when it is at its best.
The best thing about this relationship is that it's comfortable. We're used to each other and we work well together. He keeps me sane, I keep him on top of deadlines. Most of all, I miss him when he's gone. I think that's all it needs to be. I've realized that I don't really know what my future holds, but I know that I want to share it with him - and I've never felt something so simply, so strongly, so I know it must be right.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Thinking
I don't really know now why I left off writing - maybe thought I had nothing to say. But I've been thinking a lot now and really trying to break out of the daily monotony of work by pursuing other things.
So I have some goals. I suppose you could call them resolutions, even if it is a little bit into the new year.
New semester starts in a week. I'll be taking Intro to Geotechnical Engineering, Intro to Transportation Facilities Design, Construction Engineering, and Design of Concrete Structures. Woohoo civil. I'm also attempting the CS minor again with a second shot at 2150, though it may prove too much for me to handle. For fun, I'm taking Instrumental Conducting II - I love the professor and the subject and my classmates.
Outside of academics, I'll be serving as assistant music director for a production of Into the Woods. I've been on stage and in the pit for productions before, so I'm excited to join the other side of the curtain and help put a production together. There's also basketball season to be excited for and playing in the band.
It will be an exciting semester, that's for sure. Keeping up with my goals as listed above may prove difficult, but I'm hoping not to let them slide as I have been. I played guitar with my little brother today and it was a lot of fun, despite it being only the second time I've played in the past month. The hardest part about boredom is that it's only stopped by getting up and doing something - it's just that we're as governed by inertia in this as we are in physics. Once you get going, it's a lot easier to keep up with it.
So here's to a new year, a new semester, and new chances to accomplish new things.
And maybe post here once in a while. :-)
So I have some goals. I suppose you could call them resolutions, even if it is a little bit into the new year.
- Use this blog as an outlet for thought and expression
- Play my instruments more, especially guitar and flute
- Try to exercise more often - I could use the mood boost and extra energy
- Begin writing a novel - I have several planned, but have never actually begun
- Create a Zelda costume - because why the hell not?
- Continue to improve grades each semester
New semester starts in a week. I'll be taking Intro to Geotechnical Engineering, Intro to Transportation Facilities Design, Construction Engineering, and Design of Concrete Structures. Woohoo civil. I'm also attempting the CS minor again with a second shot at 2150, though it may prove too much for me to handle. For fun, I'm taking Instrumental Conducting II - I love the professor and the subject and my classmates.
Outside of academics, I'll be serving as assistant music director for a production of Into the Woods. I've been on stage and in the pit for productions before, so I'm excited to join the other side of the curtain and help put a production together. There's also basketball season to be excited for and playing in the band.
It will be an exciting semester, that's for sure. Keeping up with my goals as listed above may prove difficult, but I'm hoping not to let them slide as I have been. I played guitar with my little brother today and it was a lot of fun, despite it being only the second time I've played in the past month. The hardest part about boredom is that it's only stopped by getting up and doing something - it's just that we're as governed by inertia in this as we are in physics. Once you get going, it's a lot easier to keep up with it.
So here's to a new year, a new semester, and new chances to accomplish new things.
And maybe post here once in a while. :-)
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