I started writing again today! Woot! I'm not sure if I'm going to write that memoir about Megan; maybe, but I'd have to do it all from scratch, and that's hard when you've already started the project in a different form (like, say, a badly written version of the memoir from when you were 16...). Today I wrote a poem. Actually, I expanded on an idea I had for a poem in January, but that I couldn't find a direction for in my Poetry Writing class. Hopefully this means I have successfully psyched myself into writing something every day; the more seriously I consider grad school, the more things I have to do yesterday to make myself a competitive applicant (the acceptance rate for the school I really want to go to is about 50 seats to 150 applicants--yikes). Sometime this week I need to go to Testing Services and figure out how to register for the September GRE, then go to Hastings and buy the book my brother told me to study from. I need to write something every day, so that a) my writing improves, b) I'll have a bigger portfolio, and c) I might get scholarships, published, and/or go to conference(s). I need to read every day to expand my knowledge base (to be a good writer you have to read, you know), and I really need to start reading Atlas Shrugged so I can write a killer essay and get a scholarship in September. Never mind all the good stuff I'd like to do anyway, like practice French, learn the piano, and crochet my afghan. It really doesn't help that my otherwise totally awesome roommate Christina got me hooked on a Japanese anime, "Bleach." There's not enough time for everything! AAH!
Anyway, now you all know my stress. Below is the poem I wrote today, because I know you've all been dying to read it from the first line of this post:
It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring—
Wait—
Why is there an old man?
Why not a young man? Or a woman? Or a child?
That line is so restrictive.
Breathe. I’m over it.
It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring—
Wait—
Why does he snore when it rains?
Why doesn’t he sit by the fire, holding his white-haired wife’s hand?
Or finish his homework to Nature’s background music?
The least she can do is watch through the kitchen window as greens grow brighter, reds burn longer, and all colors blend into an ephemeral arbor over her roses.
Surely the little one learns the pleasure of puddle-jumping and the cold eerie surprise of water in one’s boots.
Or maybe it’s raining and pouring because the old man is snoring. Hmm.
What thunderous snores he must make, to be heard above the rain’s roof-tapping.
What manner of Man he must be, to call forth the tears of heaven.
What so many sorrows He must have endured, to know how to wash away the faded green of dying flowers, the bright crimson stain on pure white clothes, and give them new life.
It's hard to see some of the formatting this way but that's okay. I love comments on everything, but if you could, I'd like my readers to respond to a couple questions.
Q 1: Does the switch from comical to serious work? Why or why not? How can I make it better? Did you see this poem going in a different direction? Why?
Q 2: Is there enough imagery and sensory detail in this poem? Why or why not? Any ideas?
Q 3: Any help with poetic techniques in general would be great, specifically internal music.
Q 4: There are a couple of lines that I'm not so sure about right now. If a line doesn't seem to fit, or confuses you, PLEASE tell me. Any ideas for these are especially helpful.
Any other comments are always welcome! Keep your fingers crossed for me that I'll be able to write something again tomorrow!
Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Silver White Winters That Melt Into Spring...
No, unfortunately, I have not watched The Sound of Music recently, because I don't own it. But the song "Favorite Things" popped into my head today and that line stuck. I'm so happy that spring is finally in Logan!
A few days ago I found a patch of tulips growing in our front yard!
And today they looked like this! I'm so excited! I love flowers.
Now, as everyone knows, it's finals week. For our "final" in my Poetry Writing class, we just met during our scheduled examination time as if it were class and discussed submission tips and read aloud some of our poetry before turning in our final portfolios. It was a fabulous experience. As a writer in a writing class, I'm aware of others' writing because we workshop, but I don't really think about them much because I'm concerned with what I'm writing. I never realized how many brilliant poets surrounded me in that class. One girl read a poem all about the letter X: how it only says its own sound above a door in an "exit" sign, how you can see it in the body of a cheerleader, how it replaces a cartoon figure's eyes to signify death, and how it changes a person by putting itself in front of their title (ie, ex-boyfriend), among other examples. I never would have thought to write a poem about a letter! Another girl, K.J., shared a poem about Joseph Smith, Jr.'s First Vision of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ from the point of view of the tree he knelt next to. It was amazing. I realized that religious themes crop up in my ficion writing--in fact, religion has been a major theme in my two most recent stories--but for whatever reason they never seem to show up in my poetry. Any guesses why? I have no clue.
As far as Fiction Writing goes, our "final" was a major revision of one of the two stories that we wrote this semester, which I started and finished all yesterday afternoon before turning it in early this morning. I got a lot of useful feedback for my second story, "Crisis of Faith" (see that religious theme? it's even in the title!), which was about an LDS girl's attempt to reconcile religion with a dating issue and which I didn't really like once I'd finished writing it, but even though I think better of it now because of a great workshop, I decided to revise my first story. "Unexpected" was about a girl in an American tour of Italy and how God and art history work in her life in one day and it needed a lot of work, which got crammed into one afternoon and evening. Hopefully it turned out all right and I can pull off an acceptable grade in that class.
And tomorrow is my final in Dr. McCuskey's Victorian Literature class (for which I have not studied...!), after the roommate tradition of IHOP during finals week! It really shouldn't be that difficult of a test; he said it was mainly to prove that we'd read Middlemarch and could relate it with the other stuff we read in the first half of the semester. Well, wish me luck!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Additions to my Bookshelf
Before I get to my summer reading list, I have some other books to tell you about. First is the Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle, the journal of creative writing for the International English Honor Society (the only Greek organization to which I belong). I haven't actually started reading it yet, but I'm way excited to read it, and hopefully I can begin next week as a break from finals. This yearly publication has a good smattering of poetry, short fiction, and creative non-fiction, and one award every year for each.
Next is the Sigma Tau Delta Review, the journal of critical writing, which I'm also very excited to start reading. I find it strange thought that the Review is smaller in thickness than the Rectangle, as if the judges value creativity over criticism...? Maybe that's just me. The goal this year was to incorporate some modern criticism of Middlemarch into the essay I gave to Dr. McCuskey and submit it for publication to the Review but the deadline is April 30, and I have finals and revisions and portfolios to work on, so...I might not make it into the 2010 journals. Hopefully I can write and revise some really good critical and creative work in the next year and submit next April. That will be my last chance to submit because the journals only accept work by enrolled students.
So this is my plug for Sigma Tau Delta. There are tons of English majors at USU but our chapter is so small! Please join! Come to the activities! Network! Make friends! Have fun! Get 
scholarships! Beef up your resume! Submit your writing and maybe get published! A one-time fee gets you lifetime membership, and a subscription to the journals as long as you're an enrolled student. We have lots of great ideas for activities and things to help each other in our various disciplines this year, so come see what it's all about! If you're interested in finding out more, visit the website at www.english.org/sigmatd.
scholarships! Beef up your resume! Submit your writing and maybe get published! A one-time fee gets you lifetime membership, and a subscription to the journals as long as you're an enrolled student. We have lots of great ideas for activities and things to help each other in our various disciplines this year, so come see what it's all about! If you're interested in finding out more, visit the website at www.english.org/sigmatd. The other addition to my bookshelf is Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage. I've decided to do m
y best to study the good word in the morning and at night, so it will feel like it's a greater priority in my life than it might be if I only read before bed. Last night I read chapter 4, which proves the antemortal existence of Christ by the significance of his names; for example, "Jehovah" (and the related Hebrew word for "I Am") means "Self-Existent One" or "The Eternal." Remember when Jesus tells the Jews in John 8 that "Before Abraham was, I Am"? Talmage tells us that "The true significance of this saying would be more plainly expressed were the sentence punctuated...as follows: '...Before Abraham, was I Am'; which means the same as had He said--Before Abraham, was I, Jehovah." I thought it was so interesting to prove the premortal divinity of Christ by using scriptural evidence of his names and titles. I highly recommend this book, and I haven't even finished it yet.
y best to study the good word in the morning and at night, so it will feel like it's a greater priority in my life than it might be if I only read before bed. Last night I read chapter 4, which proves the antemortal existence of Christ by the significance of his names; for example, "Jehovah" (and the related Hebrew word for "I Am") means "Self-Existent One" or "The Eternal." Remember when Jesus tells the Jews in John 8 that "Before Abraham was, I Am"? Talmage tells us that "The true significance of this saying would be more plainly expressed were the sentence punctuated...as follows: '...Before Abraham, was I Am'; which means the same as had He said--Before Abraham, was I, Jehovah." I thought it was so interesting to prove the premortal divinity of Christ by using scriptural evidence of his names and titles. I highly recommend this book, and I haven't even finished it yet. Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Easter!
The Easter Bunny found me today (which is the real reason I came home this weekend; never mind anything you hear about my brother's reception). I got a ton of candy, as usual, but the cool part is the useful gifts I got, such as the Ironman DVD pack that came with a DVD of the old cartoon too. Anybody wanna watch the cartoon? My brothers love it. I guess I'll have something to babysit with if they come up and hang out with me for a few hours (don't know when that might happen...). 
I also got a DVD of the second season of Matlock!!! I love Matlock! It's one of the best TV shows of all time! I'm so excited. I've been waiting to see seasons of Matlock on DVD forever. The next time I get sick, it will be a difficult decision: Avatar or Matlock?
Since blogging is as much about networking as any other hobby (or many professions), every once in a while we need to talk about other people's blogs, right? So my faithful followers, check out some of my favorite blogs:
*My cousin Matt writes about the various hilarities of life, a lot like the rest of us, but with a unique voice all his own: www.mattbarrington.com/wordpress.
*I love the blog My Castle in Spain. The author writes about the kind of slower-paced life I hope to have someday.
*And a new discovery (thanks to my favorite website ever, MotherEarthNews.com) is Cold Antler Farm. The author is also a writer, so her posts are always interesting to read, but she also mostly addresses modern homesteading, which I would love to learn more about and maybe even try someday.
Now that you know a bit about my online tastes, let me know what you think about my faves, what your fave blogs are, and/or anything else you think I'd like. And I'd love to hear about your Easter! Mine was great. I hope yours were too!
Friday, March 27, 2009
So much blogging...so little time!
HUGE apologies for not blogging regularly everyone! I made some bad decisions with my time the two weeks before this one, and this week I've been paying for it. And since I haven't been blogging regularly I have TONS to tell everybody. I never think that I'll have much to talk about with books, movies, and writing as my main topics, but I'm an English major! There's always something to say about books, movies, or writing, or at least about my plans in those areas. Fingers crossed that I'll do better at writing regularly in the future!
I've been reading To Draw Closer to God a second time, and since I have my own copy now I've been able to mark it up. Y'all should read it. Fabulous book. I learn something new everything I read through it. My new favorite quote is from that book: "If you wish to get rich, save what you get. A fool can earn money, but it takes a wise man to save and dispose of it to his own advantage. Then go to work, and save everything, and make your own bonnets and clothing." (from Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 11:201) Of course Pres. Eyring says tons of great things of his own, but this quote is the one that speaks to me the most right now. Only problem is I can't make my own clothing...it'd be cool if I could...but for now I guess I'll just reuse and recycle!
So a long time ago I talked with Dr. McCuskey about literary criticism and undergrad publishing opportunities, etc. He told me to talk to my fellow undergrad Trent, which I did on Tuesday. He's done lots of conferencing so I learned a lot about something I've never done. He also suggested the British and Commonwealth Studies minor (BCS), which I have always been interested in but up til now have found reasons why I couldn't do it. So the week I pick to email the people who would have answers to my questions is the week that those professors don't check their email! How frustrating! What's worse is that I think registration for summer classes begins next week and if this minor works for me I would take a summer class. The longer they take to answer me, the less time I have to make up my mind and finangle my finances!
Anyway...pretend that they've answered me, and I'm signed up to take three credits of Directed Study. I have to write a proposal for the topic of my 20 ish page paper that I will produce under the direction of my supervising professor (Dr. McCuskey or...or...just Dr. McCuskey). With this in mind alongside my angst about unanswered emails, I've come up with a few paper ideas.
1. Film Adaptations of Jane Austen's Novels. I would probably investigate how these adaptations change modern perceptions about the era in which she wrote; what thematic and formal changes have been made in the transition from book to movie; how do those changes reflect or affect modern society. I like the idea of the paper, but I feel like I'd have a hard time researching for it.
2. Domestic Angels/Cult of Domesticity/Female Gender Roles in Jane Austen's Novels. This is the topic I am least excited about, mostly because I feel like this is a topic that everyone will have written about. I suppose that's helpful for research, but there's no point to my paper if this something everyone talks about.
3. Dancing and Physical Activity, either in Jane Austen's novels or in Romantic/Victorian literature in general (I'm getting less specific as I go along...). How did dancing function in society? How did it change between the Romantic and Victorian periods? How did it differ between classes? I think this would be a really fun paper to write because it's so random.
4. Love Letters in Victorian Literature. This idea comes from our reading of Middlemarch by George Eliot. And doesn't Darcy write something of a love letter? or Mr. Ferrars? I might even use Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "Letters from the Portugeuse" (sp?), I don't even know. I think it would be fun to write though, because love letters in Victorian literature just don't really ever work, so why do they come up?
Anyway, those are my ideas so far. Let me know what you think.
I've been reading To Draw Closer to God a second time, and since I have my own copy now I've been able to mark it up. Y'all should read it. Fabulous book. I learn something new everything I read through it. My new favorite quote is from that book: "If you wish to get rich, save what you get. A fool can earn money, but it takes a wise man to save and dispose of it to his own advantage. Then go to work, and save everything, and make your own bonnets and clothing." (from Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 11:201) Of course Pres. Eyring says tons of great things of his own, but this quote is the one that speaks to me the most right now. Only problem is I can't make my own clothing...it'd be cool if I could...but for now I guess I'll just reuse and recycle!
So a long time ago I talked with Dr. McCuskey about literary criticism and undergrad publishing opportunities, etc. He told me to talk to my fellow undergrad Trent, which I did on Tuesday. He's done lots of conferencing so I learned a lot about something I've never done. He also suggested the British and Commonwealth Studies minor (BCS), which I have always been interested in but up til now have found reasons why I couldn't do it. So the week I pick to email the people who would have answers to my questions is the week that those professors don't check their email! How frustrating! What's worse is that I think registration for summer classes begins next week and if this minor works for me I would take a summer class. The longer they take to answer me, the less time I have to make up my mind and finangle my finances!
Anyway...pretend that they've answered me, and I'm signed up to take three credits of Directed Study. I have to write a proposal for the topic of my 20 ish page paper that I will produce under the direction of my supervising professor (Dr. McCuskey or...or...just Dr. McCuskey). With this in mind alongside my angst about unanswered emails, I've come up with a few paper ideas.
1. Film Adaptations of Jane Austen's Novels. I would probably investigate how these adaptations change modern perceptions about the era in which she wrote; what thematic and formal changes have been made in the transition from book to movie; how do those changes reflect or affect modern society. I like the idea of the paper, but I feel like I'd have a hard time researching for it.
2. Domestic Angels/Cult of Domesticity/Female Gender Roles in Jane Austen's Novels. This is the topic I am least excited about, mostly because I feel like this is a topic that everyone will have written about. I suppose that's helpful for research, but there's no point to my paper if this something everyone talks about.
3. Dancing and Physical Activity, either in Jane Austen's novels or in Romantic/Victorian literature in general (I'm getting less specific as I go along...). How did dancing function in society? How did it change between the Romantic and Victorian periods? How did it differ between classes? I think this would be a really fun paper to write because it's so random.
4. Love Letters in Victorian Literature. This idea comes from our reading of Middlemarch by George Eliot. And doesn't Darcy write something of a love letter? or Mr. Ferrars? I might even use Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "Letters from the Portugeuse" (sp?), I don't even know. I think it would be fun to write though, because love letters in Victorian literature just don't really ever work, so why do they come up?
Anyway, those are my ideas so far. Let me know what you think.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
reading, writing and facebook...and Spring Break!
My titles are getting lamer.
Eventually I will post more often. I would have blogged last night: I had a great idea while chatting on facebook with my new friend Abraham and editing my personal information (favorites etc), but when I pulled up the blogger window the great idea vanished. Bummer.
I love Victorian Literature. It's my favorite class. Dr. McCuskey is awesome, the book is hard and I'm behind BUT I love discussing it and learning how to think critically, and I'm just excited to go to class every day. The difficult part is that next week over spring break I have to read two sections in the novel, which is at least 100 pages. Not looking forward to that one.
So I told you that for story #2 I was writing about an existential character and having a hard time of it, remember? I got a whopping 2 1/4 pages written. Well, on Monday my Fiction Writing professor told us if we were having a hard time to just scrap it and write something we really cared about (which is ironic because wouldn't that be creative nonfiction? not fiction?). So I ditched the existential story and decided to write something a little closer to home. She's been telling us to try new things since this is Advanced Fiction Writing, and I've noticed that religion is a theme I keep coming back to in my last two stories, so this one that I'm working on right now for class is an exploration in fiction (obviously) of the impact religion has on dating, and how/in what ways such an experience could change a character. In about three hours of sitting at my computer I've written 5 ish pages!! That doesn't include brainstorming. The Lord has really helped me with this one. As far as the brainstorming goes this could be one of the most complex stories I've written. This story is due the Monday after Spring Break (3/16), so I'm hoping I can get it finished by next Wednesday or Thursday, and then use next weekend in revision and maybe get a friend or two to read it. Wish me luck!
Nothing to write about poetry. I would post one for y'all but we turned in our journals today. No cool Christina poetry for you. :(
Speaking of Spring Break, my bff roomie Ellie is getting her wisdom teeth out! Wish her good luck! We're going to have a Masterpiece Theatre Jane Eyre party. And I'm going dress shopping with my mom for my brother's wedding reception, and I might get my hair cut, and it will just be a great week. I'm also job hunting in Logan so if you know of any good opportunities, let me know.
Happy Spring Break!
Eventually I will post more often. I would have blogged last night: I had a great idea while chatting on facebook with my new friend Abraham and editing my personal information (favorites etc), but when I pulled up the blogger window the great idea vanished. Bummer.
I love Victorian Literature. It's my favorite class. Dr. McCuskey is awesome, the book is hard and I'm behind BUT I love discussing it and learning how to think critically, and I'm just excited to go to class every day. The difficult part is that next week over spring break I have to read two sections in the novel, which is at least 100 pages. Not looking forward to that one.
So I told you that for story #2 I was writing about an existential character and having a hard time of it, remember? I got a whopping 2 1/4 pages written. Well, on Monday my Fiction Writing professor told us if we were having a hard time to just scrap it and write something we really cared about (which is ironic because wouldn't that be creative nonfiction? not fiction?). So I ditched the existential story and decided to write something a little closer to home. She's been telling us to try new things since this is Advanced Fiction Writing, and I've noticed that religion is a theme I keep coming back to in my last two stories, so this one that I'm working on right now for class is an exploration in fiction (obviously) of the impact religion has on dating, and how/in what ways such an experience could change a character. In about three hours of sitting at my computer I've written 5 ish pages!! That doesn't include brainstorming. The Lord has really helped me with this one. As far as the brainstorming goes this could be one of the most complex stories I've written. This story is due the Monday after Spring Break (3/16), so I'm hoping I can get it finished by next Wednesday or Thursday, and then use next weekend in revision and maybe get a friend or two to read it. Wish me luck!
Nothing to write about poetry. I would post one for y'all but we turned in our journals today. No cool Christina poetry for you. :(
Speaking of Spring Break, my bff roomie Ellie is getting her wisdom teeth out! Wish her good luck! We're going to have a Masterpiece Theatre Jane Eyre party. And I'm going dress shopping with my mom for my brother's wedding reception, and I might get my hair cut, and it will just be a great week. I'm also job hunting in Logan so if you know of any good opportunities, let me know.
Happy Spring Break!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
I'm running out of ideas for titles
So I haven't gotten to any Jane Eyre yet this weekend; maybe I'll do some of that later today. I pretty much haven't done anything that I said I would do over the weekend except brainstorming my essay for Dr. McCuskey's Victorian Literature class. It's supposed to be 4-5 pages, ending somewhere on the 5th page; I've only answered half of the question and I'm already on page 4. This sounds bad, but really it's a good thing because it means I can cut out all the crappy support for my first point and only keep the strong stuff. The hard part is that I have to keep multiple points in my head all at once: the first half of the question (the half that I have brainstormed and written some of) asks me to talk about content--not language--and how the author of the work (Eliot, Prelude to Middlemarch) complicates and challenges patriarchal views of women's roles, and I have to remember that Eliot is trying to change readers' views of women and readers' views of books about women, and I have to remember how all this is related to the main female character of the actual novel and how it won't be a silly novel about silly subjects, AND I have to prove my point. You think having every paragraph link back to the thesis is hard--try to make everything you say do all of that, all at once. I love being an English major. I was actually having a difficult time emotionally the other day, so I brainstormed and wrote part of my essay to distract myself. It worked fabulously well. I know I'm in the right place (and I feel much better now, since I know you were wondering).
And we did watch movies during our pity party yesterday! My Big Fat Greek Wedding was funny, and cute. I don't know that I'd ever watch it again but I did enjoy it. I didn't expect the ending to show her with a daughter. And I could never live next door to my parents; I love them but it poses too many issues. Everybody Loves Raymond, anyone?
Return to Me was also funny and cute. The old men make that movie, like Scrat made Ice Age. I liked the portrayal of human-animal relationships, and the music was good. If anybody ever finds a real Irish-Italian restaurant, let me know so we can go check it out.
I found a book that everyone ought to read: To Draw Closer to God. It's a collection of discourses by President Henry B. Eyring, and it is fabulous (can anybody tell what my new favorite word is?). I have learned so much about my own testimony and how to be a better daughter of God, and it has helped me through the reason for my emotional difficulty alluded to earlier. I'm borrowing it from my roommate right now, but as soon as I finish (which will probably be this week), I'm running straight over to Deseret Book and getting my own copy for around $7-8 so I can read it again and mark it up. My Institute teacher told us that the Prophet Joseph Smith said something like, "The reason God doesn't give the Saints more revelation is because they don't value his words enough to record them." So I need my own copy to mark up and make notes in. I imagine it will be a great resource for giving talks.
While we're on the topic of religion, Dr. McCuskey said something really interesting in one of our discussions about Tennyson's "In Memoriam" and the Victorian crisis of faith: "Science and religion are both exercises of imagination in the absence of certainty." What an interesting concept, that the same things can be proven by either/both science and/or faith, and that two things we believe as certain could actually be imagined. I personally think they're both certain, but it feels like imagination because they don't always agree. Anyway. Can anybody tell how much I love Dr. McCuskey?
P.S. Check out my updated bookshelf to the left! I added some of my favorite things that we've read in Victorian Literature.
And we did watch movies during our pity party yesterday! My Big Fat Greek Wedding was funny, and cute. I don't know that I'd ever watch it again but I did enjoy it. I didn't expect the ending to show her with a daughter. And I could never live next door to my parents; I love them but it poses too many issues. Everybody Loves Raymond, anyone?
Return to Me was also funny and cute. The old men make that movie, like Scrat made Ice Age. I liked the portrayal of human-animal relationships, and the music was good. If anybody ever finds a real Irish-Italian restaurant, let me know so we can go check it out.
I found a book that everyone ought to read: To Draw Closer to God. It's a collection of discourses by President Henry B. Eyring, and it is fabulous (can anybody tell what my new favorite word is?). I have learned so much about my own testimony and how to be a better daughter of God, and it has helped me through the reason for my emotional difficulty alluded to earlier. I'm borrowing it from my roommate right now, but as soon as I finish (which will probably be this week), I'm running straight over to Deseret Book and getting my own copy for around $7-8 so I can read it again and mark it up. My Institute teacher told us that the Prophet Joseph Smith said something like, "The reason God doesn't give the Saints more revelation is because they don't value his words enough to record them." So I need my own copy to mark up and make notes in. I imagine it will be a great resource for giving talks.
While we're on the topic of religion, Dr. McCuskey said something really interesting in one of our discussions about Tennyson's "In Memoriam" and the Victorian crisis of faith: "Science and religion are both exercises of imagination in the absence of certainty." What an interesting concept, that the same things can be proven by either/both science and/or faith, and that two things we believe as certain could actually be imagined. I personally think they're both certain, but it feels like imagination because they don't always agree. Anyway. Can anybody tell how much I love Dr. McCuskey?
P.S. Check out my updated bookshelf to the left! I added some of my favorite things that we've read in Victorian Literature.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The Victorian Literature test was today! I don't know what was wrong with me today--I was fine in Institute this morning--but by the time I got to RBW 306 my left eye was partially blind, like the snowy stuff on a TV with bad reception. I had no peripheral vision; I probably wasn't safe to drive. A fervent prayer five minutes before class replaced the blindness with a pounding headache but at least I could read the exam questions and get home safely to crawl in my bed.
Anyway, the test: I love Dr. McCuskey's tests. He designs them to help me pass. There were 20 quotations we had to match to authors, but the quotations were all examples I could use to answer the four short essay questions. We criticized the effects of industrial capitalism using three authors (I used Charles Dickens, Friedrich Engels, and Thomas Carlyle), female education/female role of "angel in the house" using three authors (I used Caroline Norton, John Stuart Mill, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning), the idea of the gentleman using two authors (I used Robert Browning and Christina Rossetti), and Tennyson's illustration of and attempts to reconcile the conflict between science and faith, which means we all had to use "The Kraken" and "In Memoriam". Even with the headache I think I did pretty good. Now I must use the long weekend to write the essay! Ahh!
On a totally different note, I met with Dr. McCuskey yesterday to discuss literary criticism, since I want to improve that kind of writing and increase my portfolio of it. The whole point of the discussion was for me learn how to be flexible in my writing. It was a fabulous meeting: he had great ideas of other professors I can contact for more specific information; he directed me to three magazines that I can use to learn more about how popular critics write (for your information, they are the New Yorker, Harpers, and Atlantic Monthly, and I've only ever heard of one of them); and he explained the different kinds of literary criticism so I can decide what I want to write. I don't think I'm much interested in academic literary criticism because you basically have to go to grad school and become an English professor so you can do it full-time. He told me not to sell myself short on the idea of going to grad school; apparently he thinks I could do it. Yay for encouraging teachers! Probably not, though. What I really need to do is talk to a fellow student of mine named Trent, who's really on top of presenting and trying to publish his work. If I could get published before May 2010 (when I will graduate), that would be a very cool thing. I need to email some of the other professors to talk about nonfiction and literary/cultural reviewing, although I know very little about nonfiction because I haven't taken my Nonfiction Writing class yet. Anyway. More stuff to do.
I thought I might post my surreal poem I mentioned in my last post, but I don't want to type it all up. It will be an excuse to blog later.
While we're talking about writing, I have a draft of my 20-page story due for a student/teacher conference on Wednesday and I HAVEN'T WRITTEN ANYTHING YET!!!!! I actually have this totally random idea (thanks to Ellie for helping me think this through) to write about an existential character. The point would be to make fun of her; I really want to write something funny, but I honestly have no ideas other than this one. The prompts my professor emailed me haven't helped (true, I haven't tried them, but still). I'm a little concerned about writing an existential character because I don't really like existentialism, the story would be totally inside her head and how do I make her interesting/entertaining to follow? Especially for 20 pages? The idea is basically to have her sitting in a window seat and watching significant events in others' lives; the funny/satiric part would probably come from the totally random things she worries/thinks about immediately after the significant event. The only two existential things I've ever read to help me with this are The Stranger, which I suppose could actually happen but it was totally random and the narrator/main character was so not clued in to life; and The Metamorphosis, which was just plain weird. Both characters in these books worried about random things that really had nothing to do with what was happening around them. I almost want to discuss the lack of religion generally inherent in existentialism, but I don't know how to make fun of the associated emptiness. Any ideas?
On another totally random note, my internship at USU Press is AMAZING FABULOUS and WONDERFUL!!! I do things like compare old and new copies of a work to make sure the changes have been made, double-check page numbers and citations, accept changes on document in MS Word, proofreading, making copies, merging documents, etc. To most people this sounds really boring (and part of my mind does get bored with it very quickly, which is why I love my iPod) but I have discovered that this job is exactly what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. My top career choice used to be an editor in a fiction publishing company, which I think I would still love, but that kind of editing is more thematic and organizational, whereas being an editor in a university press or scholarly publication seems to be more double-checking the research and organization of the argument so that it makes sense. Just a different kind of thinking I suppose. I might also spend the rest of my life writing literary criticism; I do enjoy it and it would make me more flexible as a writer and editor, but I'm concerned about the job security of writing in general. On the other hand, there's always a need for good editors. And just because the economy seems to be taking a downturn doesn't mean research will end.
I was probably going to say something else--every time I start blogging I always have more to say than originally planned--but I don't remember. More blogging later. Hopefully I can read some Jane Eyre this weekend (Mason has just left Thornfield after being attacked supposedly by Grace Poole), write about an existential character, brainstorm an essay, write my poetry homework, learn more about literary criticism, and have some fun. And watch a movie to talk about! My roomies and I are supposed to watch Return to Me and My Big Fat Greek Wedding in celebration of Singles Awareness Day, neither of which have I seen all the way through. I'll keep you posted (no pun intended).
Anyway, the test: I love Dr. McCuskey's tests. He designs them to help me pass. There were 20 quotations we had to match to authors, but the quotations were all examples I could use to answer the four short essay questions. We criticized the effects of industrial capitalism using three authors (I used Charles Dickens, Friedrich Engels, and Thomas Carlyle), female education/female role of "angel in the house" using three authors (I used Caroline Norton, John Stuart Mill, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning), the idea of the gentleman using two authors (I used Robert Browning and Christina Rossetti), and Tennyson's illustration of and attempts to reconcile the conflict between science and faith, which means we all had to use "The Kraken" and "In Memoriam". Even with the headache I think I did pretty good. Now I must use the long weekend to write the essay! Ahh!
On a totally different note, I met with Dr. McCuskey yesterday to discuss literary criticism, since I want to improve that kind of writing and increase my portfolio of it. The whole point of the discussion was for me learn how to be flexible in my writing. It was a fabulous meeting: he had great ideas of other professors I can contact for more specific information; he directed me to three magazines that I can use to learn more about how popular critics write (for your information, they are the New Yorker, Harpers, and Atlantic Monthly, and I've only ever heard of one of them); and he explained the different kinds of literary criticism so I can decide what I want to write. I don't think I'm much interested in academic literary criticism because you basically have to go to grad school and become an English professor so you can do it full-time. He told me not to sell myself short on the idea of going to grad school; apparently he thinks I could do it. Yay for encouraging teachers! Probably not, though. What I really need to do is talk to a fellow student of mine named Trent, who's really on top of presenting and trying to publish his work. If I could get published before May 2010 (when I will graduate), that would be a very cool thing. I need to email some of the other professors to talk about nonfiction and literary/cultural reviewing, although I know very little about nonfiction because I haven't taken my Nonfiction Writing class yet. Anyway. More stuff to do.
I thought I might post my surreal poem I mentioned in my last post, but I don't want to type it all up. It will be an excuse to blog later.
While we're talking about writing, I have a draft of my 20-page story due for a student/teacher conference on Wednesday and I HAVEN'T WRITTEN ANYTHING YET!!!!! I actually have this totally random idea (thanks to Ellie for helping me think this through) to write about an existential character. The point would be to make fun of her; I really want to write something funny, but I honestly have no ideas other than this one. The prompts my professor emailed me haven't helped (true, I haven't tried them, but still). I'm a little concerned about writing an existential character because I don't really like existentialism, the story would be totally inside her head and how do I make her interesting/entertaining to follow? Especially for 20 pages? The idea is basically to have her sitting in a window seat and watching significant events in others' lives; the funny/satiric part would probably come from the totally random things she worries/thinks about immediately after the significant event. The only two existential things I've ever read to help me with this are The Stranger, which I suppose could actually happen but it was totally random and the narrator/main character was so not clued in to life; and The Metamorphosis, which was just plain weird. Both characters in these books worried about random things that really had nothing to do with what was happening around them. I almost want to discuss the lack of religion generally inherent in existentialism, but I don't know how to make fun of the associated emptiness. Any ideas?
On another totally random note, my internship at USU Press is AMAZING FABULOUS and WONDERFUL!!! I do things like compare old and new copies of a work to make sure the changes have been made, double-check page numbers and citations, accept changes on document in MS Word, proofreading, making copies, merging documents, etc. To most people this sounds really boring (and part of my mind does get bored with it very quickly, which is why I love my iPod) but I have discovered that this job is exactly what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. My top career choice used to be an editor in a fiction publishing company, which I think I would still love, but that kind of editing is more thematic and organizational, whereas being an editor in a university press or scholarly publication seems to be more double-checking the research and organization of the argument so that it makes sense. Just a different kind of thinking I suppose. I might also spend the rest of my life writing literary criticism; I do enjoy it and it would make me more flexible as a writer and editor, but I'm concerned about the job security of writing in general. On the other hand, there's always a need for good editors. And just because the economy seems to be taking a downturn doesn't mean research will end.
I was probably going to say something else--every time I start blogging I always have more to say than originally planned--but I don't remember. More blogging later. Hopefully I can read some Jane Eyre this weekend (Mason has just left Thornfield after being attacked supposedly by Grace Poole), write about an existential character, brainstorm an essay, write my poetry homework, learn more about literary criticism, and have some fun. And watch a movie to talk about! My roomies and I are supposed to watch Return to Me and My Big Fat Greek Wedding in celebration of Singles Awareness Day, neither of which have I seen all the way through. I'll keep you posted (no pun intended).
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Thursday February 5
Today was a good day.
I love my LDS Institute class--Book of Mormon 2. We talked about Ether 3 and the inherent dilemma and how to wrap our heads around it. I love classes where I actually learn something. I didn't ever really want to take a BOM class because I feel like we hear about it all the time, but this is different. I will be taking classes from Brother Patty till I die.
I love my Victorian Literature class (which is really called Period Studies and is based on the professor's expertise, so I'll just call it by what we're studying). I love Dr. McCuskey's engaging lectures and half-serious jokes and half-joking deep thoughts. I even love how he knows my name and usually I prefer to hide somewhere in the middle of the classpeople. I raised my hand today to voice an idea about the topic we're writing our paper on (due in two weeks--aah!) and he held his head with one hand and said, "I'm not holding my head because I'm disappointed--I'm holding it trying to keep the top of my head from coming off." Apparently it was a great idea and he liked it. Yay for voicing comments!! Plus we had a great discussion of possible interpretations of the topic question, and a great discussion of science and religion in Tennyson's "The Kraken". We didn't get to "In Memoriam A.H.H." which is 20 pages long, but we'll talk about that on Tuesday I suppose.
I love my Poetry Writing class--but just for today because WE DIDN'T HAVE CLASS!!!!!! I feel bad that Shanan's grandfather died (she was gone for his funeral) but all I had to do was hand in my assignment to the appropriate person. I got to spend an hour and fifteen minutes talking to my friend Mikey, who's also in my Advanced Fiction Writing class. He is an amazing person, we have a lot in common, and I'm really excited that I'm getting to know more people this semester than I ever have before since leaving home.
So my homework poem for last night was strangely surreal but I just remembered that it was in my notebook, which I had to turn in today, so I can't reproduce it here. Bummer. Here's one that I really like though, written as homework earlier this week:
The Desk
The dull scratched wood had fueled a decade of creativity and academia—
Favorite pens had carved owners’ names on the side
by the wall
Blunt scissors, yellowed paper, bent staples,
and dried-out markers filled
it like dead coals
The sparks of genius once fanned had long since gone out—
In the world they were extinguished
by other flames
And the desk had been smothered—
shoved into an icy corner—
left dark and cold
Let me know what you think.
I also actually enjoyed my Sci/Tech class today. I didn't have a lot of fun actually participating in the debate with my group but listening to debates about human and animal cloning and adult and embryotic stem cell research was tons more interesting than listening to a presentation on one of those topics. My group presents next on Tuesday--blaahh--on technologies of modern society or some broad topic like that. So I'm researching cell phones and teleconferencing/skype stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPzeCcoXZjA&NR=1 is a really funny video about the hands-free while driving law recently passed in California (why does everyone care that it's in California? several other states have passed similar laws). Another funny one is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLCY9eBa5r0&feature=related . If you hurry you can vote for which one you think should be in my mini presentation. Just comment below!
(if someone figures out how to put the actual Youtube video on my blog so you can just hit "play" instead of opening up a new window, would they please let me know so that at some totally random time in the future I can make this easier for my unnumbered readers)
I love my LDS Institute class--Book of Mormon 2. We talked about Ether 3 and the inherent dilemma and how to wrap our heads around it. I love classes where I actually learn something. I didn't ever really want to take a BOM class because I feel like we hear about it all the time, but this is different. I will be taking classes from Brother Patty till I die.
I love my Victorian Literature class (which is really called Period Studies and is based on the professor's expertise, so I'll just call it by what we're studying). I love Dr. McCuskey's engaging lectures and half-serious jokes and half-joking deep thoughts. I even love how he knows my name and usually I prefer to hide somewhere in the middle of the classpeople. I raised my hand today to voice an idea about the topic we're writing our paper on (due in two weeks--aah!) and he held his head with one hand and said, "I'm not holding my head because I'm disappointed--I'm holding it trying to keep the top of my head from coming off." Apparently it was a great idea and he liked it. Yay for voicing comments!! Plus we had a great discussion of possible interpretations of the topic question, and a great discussion of science and religion in Tennyson's "The Kraken". We didn't get to "In Memoriam A.H.H." which is 20 pages long, but we'll talk about that on Tuesday I suppose.
I love my Poetry Writing class--but just for today because WE DIDN'T HAVE CLASS!!!!!! I feel bad that Shanan's grandfather died (she was gone for his funeral) but all I had to do was hand in my assignment to the appropriate person. I got to spend an hour and fifteen minutes talking to my friend Mikey, who's also in my Advanced Fiction Writing class. He is an amazing person, we have a lot in common, and I'm really excited that I'm getting to know more people this semester than I ever have before since leaving home.
So my homework poem for last night was strangely surreal but I just remembered that it was in my notebook, which I had to turn in today, so I can't reproduce it here. Bummer. Here's one that I really like though, written as homework earlier this week:
The Desk
The dull scratched wood had fueled a decade of creativity and academia—
Favorite pens had carved owners’ names on the side
by the wall
Blunt scissors, yellowed paper, bent staples,
and dried-out markers filled
it like dead coals
The sparks of genius once fanned had long since gone out—
In the world they were extinguished
by other flames
And the desk had been smothered—
shoved into an icy corner—
left dark and cold
Let me know what you think.
I also actually enjoyed my Sci/Tech class today. I didn't have a lot of fun actually participating in the debate with my group but listening to debates about human and animal cloning and adult and embryotic stem cell research was tons more interesting than listening to a presentation on one of those topics. My group presents next on Tuesday--blaahh--on technologies of modern society or some broad topic like that. So I'm researching cell phones and teleconferencing/skype stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPzeCcoXZjA&NR=1 is a really funny video about the hands-free while driving law recently passed in California (why does everyone care that it's in California? several other states have passed similar laws). Another funny one is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLCY9eBa5r0&feature=related . If you hurry you can vote for which one you think should be in my mini presentation. Just comment below!
(if someone figures out how to put the actual Youtube video on my blog so you can just hit "play" instead of opening up a new window, would they please let me know so that at some totally random time in the future I can make this easier for my unnumbered readers)
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
A little bit of everything
So I was going to read more of Jane Eyre before I blogged again, just to have something intelligent to talk about, but I'm too busy with school. Actually I'm lazy, and that forces me to be busy doing homework when I would otherwise be reading and blogging. So no Jane Eyre today. Sorry.
It's these Creative Writing classes that I'm taking for my English major (since CW is my emphasis...also my initials...hmm). Advanced Fiction Writing seems like it should be fun; we get time to write in that class, which didn't happen in my intro FW class (yet I liked FW better than I like Adv. FW). The teacher is...interesting. The problem is just finding time to sit down and write when I'd rather be watching movies or TV or something else lazy. Poetry writing sucks (and I don't like to use that word, so it conveys the strength of how much I hate that class better than just saying I hate that class). So much writing for an intro class! and I don't even like READING poetry! We have 9 peer workshops that are supposed to be different from the 9 poems we turn in to the professor periodically that are supposed to be different from the 6 poems we'll discuss in three student/instructor conferences; that's at least 24 poems! Not to mention the poetry journal we do our homework in, which is worth the most in the grading breakdown (although most of those 24 poems will come from the exercises in the journal). We'll also have a final portfolio, a poem recitation, and a poetry analysis essay (in a poetry writing class?) I agree with Chessie. This class might kill me. But, since Chessie posted a poem, I guess I will to. This is a poem I've revised for our first peer workshop tomorrow:
We pick our way among nettlesome brambles and brush
following a path of flesh-colored sand through black green trees to the beach
The steely blue ocean, more dirty sand, and poorly lit sky
appear before us past the trees
The wind is thundering, we shout to talk, and my feet
feel dirty and cold. The kids chase the tide and race it back
We’re looking for seashells, waiting for the dark cold ocean
to hit the line dividing the light and dark sand and touch our toes
The water is faster than my brother.
It is behind him, around him, over him.
Mom is shouting Dad’s name as we fear
the Master Riptide has claimed him.
The heavy water rushes back, leaving a dark lump
in the sand, gagging for breath. Dad picks him up, heaves him
back to Mom, where he stands shivering in his blue oversized
sweatshirt with his already-straight hair plastered to his skull
We pick our way among nettlesome brambles and brush
following a path of flesh-colored sand through black green trees to the condo
The steely blue ocean, more dirty sand, and poorly lit sky
Disappear behind us past the trees
I don't know. I think I tell too much instead of show in poetry. I just don't feel it like some people do.
On a happier note, Dr. McCuskey's class is awesome, of course, just because he teaches it. I'm not very familiar with the Victorian novel, so I can't say whether or not I'm a big fan of them or not (since Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters were publishing before 1832, when this class starts), but even though our mini history lessons are depressing (because of the Corn Laws and poorhouses and the ignorance of the upper classes) I still label Period Studies as my favorite class. Dr. McCuskey just makes thing interesting when, in less capable hands, the subject would be butchered and boring-to-death (like my poetry class--ugh).
So I haven't done so well with my goals (remember they are not resolutions). I'm still on 0-3 fruits and vegetables a day, and I haven't exercised three days in a row since I posted those goals. I am drinking what feels like lots of water but it's probably not the recommended 8 glasses a day.
I did sign up for an LDS Institute class (Book of Mormon 2) and it's AWESOME (big thanks to Ellie for signing up to go with me!). I'm still working through the Gospels. I need to get more motivated though; right now I tend to read 10 minutes before I go to bed. I get good review on the stories and parables, but I don't feel like I'm learning much. On the other hand, I'm just not a morning person, so I have a really hard time getting up and studying before class and homework. I'm not quite sure what to do about it.
And no one has told me any of the new movies they want to see! How can I go with you and share my educated opinion with the world about the movie if no one lets me know what movies to see? Here, I'll make it easy: the following movies are in theaters now or soon.
Taken opens January 30, rated PG-13.
Inkheart opens January 23, rated PG.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop opens January 16, rated PG.
Bride Wars opened January 9, rated PG.
Marley and Me opened December 25 2008, rated PG.
Bedtime Stories opened December 25 2008, rated PG.
Valkyrie opened December 25 2008, rated PG-13.
Yes Man opened December 19 2008, rated PG-13.
Seven Pounds opened December 19 2008, rated PG-13.
To learn more about these movies, including the cast and plot, visit the Internet Movie Database.
I almost forgot: I saw Eagle Eye this weekend! It is a great film and I highly recommend it. It's like a cross of the Bourne movies and Stealth, oddly enough, and not predictable either. There is a fair amount of language and violence, but no adult content. Shia LeBeouf does a fantastic job. I would watch it again.
It's these Creative Writing classes that I'm taking for my English major (since CW is my emphasis...also my initials...hmm). Advanced Fiction Writing seems like it should be fun; we get time to write in that class, which didn't happen in my intro FW class (yet I liked FW better than I like Adv. FW). The teacher is...interesting. The problem is just finding time to sit down and write when I'd rather be watching movies or TV or something else lazy. Poetry writing sucks (and I don't like to use that word, so it conveys the strength of how much I hate that class better than just saying I hate that class). So much writing for an intro class! and I don't even like READING poetry! We have 9 peer workshops that are supposed to be different from the 9 poems we turn in to the professor periodically that are supposed to be different from the 6 poems we'll discuss in three student/instructor conferences; that's at least 24 poems! Not to mention the poetry journal we do our homework in, which is worth the most in the grading breakdown (although most of those 24 poems will come from the exercises in the journal). We'll also have a final portfolio, a poem recitation, and a poetry analysis essay (in a poetry writing class?) I agree with Chessie. This class might kill me. But, since Chessie posted a poem, I guess I will to. This is a poem I've revised for our first peer workshop tomorrow:
We pick our way among nettlesome brambles and brush
following a path of flesh-colored sand through black green trees to the beach
The steely blue ocean, more dirty sand, and poorly lit sky
appear before us past the trees
The wind is thundering, we shout to talk, and my feet
feel dirty and cold. The kids chase the tide and race it back
We’re looking for seashells, waiting for the dark cold ocean
to hit the line dividing the light and dark sand and touch our toes
The water is faster than my brother.
It is behind him, around him, over him.
Mom is shouting Dad’s name as we fear
the Master Riptide has claimed him.
The heavy water rushes back, leaving a dark lump
in the sand, gagging for breath. Dad picks him up, heaves him
back to Mom, where he stands shivering in his blue oversized
sweatshirt with his already-straight hair plastered to his skull
We pick our way among nettlesome brambles and brush
following a path of flesh-colored sand through black green trees to the condo
The steely blue ocean, more dirty sand, and poorly lit sky
Disappear behind us past the trees
I don't know. I think I tell too much instead of show in poetry. I just don't feel it like some people do.
On a happier note, Dr. McCuskey's class is awesome, of course, just because he teaches it. I'm not very familiar with the Victorian novel, so I can't say whether or not I'm a big fan of them or not (since Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters were publishing before 1832, when this class starts), but even though our mini history lessons are depressing (because of the Corn Laws and poorhouses and the ignorance of the upper classes) I still label Period Studies as my favorite class. Dr. McCuskey just makes thing interesting when, in less capable hands, the subject would be butchered and boring-to-death (like my poetry class--ugh).
So I haven't done so well with my goals (remember they are not resolutions). I'm still on 0-3 fruits and vegetables a day, and I haven't exercised three days in a row since I posted those goals. I am drinking what feels like lots of water but it's probably not the recommended 8 glasses a day.
I did sign up for an LDS Institute class (Book of Mormon 2) and it's AWESOME (big thanks to Ellie for signing up to go with me!). I'm still working through the Gospels. I need to get more motivated though; right now I tend to read 10 minutes before I go to bed. I get good review on the stories and parables, but I don't feel like I'm learning much. On the other hand, I'm just not a morning person, so I have a really hard time getting up and studying before class and homework. I'm not quite sure what to do about it.
And no one has told me any of the new movies they want to see! How can I go with you and share my educated opinion with the world about the movie if no one lets me know what movies to see? Here, I'll make it easy: the following movies are in theaters now or soon.
Taken opens January 30, rated PG-13.
Inkheart opens January 23, rated PG.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop opens January 16, rated PG.
Bride Wars opened January 9, rated PG.
Marley and Me opened December 25 2008, rated PG.
Bedtime Stories opened December 25 2008, rated PG.
Valkyrie opened December 25 2008, rated PG-13.
Yes Man opened December 19 2008, rated PG-13.
Seven Pounds opened December 19 2008, rated PG-13.
To learn more about these movies, including the cast and plot, visit the Internet Movie Database.
I almost forgot: I saw Eagle Eye this weekend! It is a great film and I highly recommend it. It's like a cross of the Bourne movies and Stealth, oddly enough, and not predictable either. There is a fair amount of language and violence, but no adult content. Shia LeBeouf does a fantastic job. I would watch it again.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Happy New Year
Happy New Year's everyone (all three of you!)
So my New Year's celebration was really boring: I drank a bottle of Martinelli's and stayed up till two in the morning watching the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth (watching P&P and reading Jane Eyre has a strange effect on the way I think; instead of "that stinks", I think, "that is terribly inconvenient"; or when another driver bothers me, I think "insufferable!" or "hateful man!"). Not that that is a bad thing; I love that movie, I just didn't party or even watch any celebration on TV.
I think New Year's resolutions are old and washed-out ideas that never get done, but I have some goals anyway. They're not resolutions. They're goals. And they are:
1. Live a healthier lifestyle. My last visit to the doctor produced evidence of high cholesterol, and I wouldn't mind shedding a few extra pounds anyway, since I'd feel better, look better, like my clothes more, be happier in general, you get the drift. So my goal includes working up to eating at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day (not 5 each--5 total; right now I average 0-2 daily), drinking all 8 stupid recommended glasses of water a day (which will include carbonated water, Propel, and KoolAid mixes), and exercising for at least 30 minutes a day at least 5 days of the week. Usually that 30 minutes is on a treadmill or elliptical machine, since I'm lucky enough to have free subscription to the university gym, but I got a Balanceball set for Christmas so I'll give myself some leeway. The Balanceball workouts are only about 20 minutes, but toning is a lot harder than walking on a treadmill (run? me? are you serious?).
2. Come to know Christ. I feel like I don't know him very well. I know of him, I know most of the stories, but I don't feel like I could testify of him and his power right now. And I'm Christian, I ought to be able to do that much. So I'm reading the Gospels right now; I think I'll sign up for an LDS Institute Book of Mormon class this semester; I'd like to study on my own how Christ is the Master Teacher, since every calling in the Church requires a teacher and someday my children will need me as a teacher of Christ, and teaching is just an all-around good skill to have anyway; and I'll probably try to work my way through Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage. I am convinced this will add greatly to my happiness.
3. Ain't this a blog about books and movies? I'm going to try to step away from the tried and true this year. Instead of wasting money on junk food from the Quickstop on campus, I want to invest in my personal entertainment and see more movies that are currently coming out, instead of watching the old ones that I know I like (A&E Pride and Prejudice, anyone?). The only problem is that someone has to go with me (my mother taught me never to go to the moviehouse alone), so if there's a movie you really want to see, let me know. I also would like to read more books that deserve to be read. Some of these will be classics like Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte; some of them I'd like to be contemporary, but I don't quite know how to decide what's worth my time. I'll have to figure out current bestseller lists, I guess. If you know of any books I should read, or if you have any ideas about how to find books I should read, please share them in the comments section below.
This post wasn't supposed to be so long. Oh well. Happy 2009!
So my New Year's celebration was really boring: I drank a bottle of Martinelli's and stayed up till two in the morning watching the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth (watching P&P and reading Jane Eyre has a strange effect on the way I think; instead of "that stinks", I think, "that is terribly inconvenient"; or when another driver bothers me, I think "insufferable!" or "hateful man!"). Not that that is a bad thing; I love that movie, I just didn't party or even watch any celebration on TV.
I think New Year's resolutions are old and washed-out ideas that never get done, but I have some goals anyway. They're not resolutions. They're goals. And they are:
1. Live a healthier lifestyle. My last visit to the doctor produced evidence of high cholesterol, and I wouldn't mind shedding a few extra pounds anyway, since I'd feel better, look better, like my clothes more, be happier in general, you get the drift. So my goal includes working up to eating at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day (not 5 each--5 total; right now I average 0-2 daily), drinking all 8 stupid recommended glasses of water a day (which will include carbonated water, Propel, and KoolAid mixes), and exercising for at least 30 minutes a day at least 5 days of the week. Usually that 30 minutes is on a treadmill or elliptical machine, since I'm lucky enough to have free subscription to the university gym, but I got a Balanceball set for Christmas so I'll give myself some leeway. The Balanceball workouts are only about 20 minutes, but toning is a lot harder than walking on a treadmill (run? me? are you serious?).
2. Come to know Christ. I feel like I don't know him very well. I know of him, I know most of the stories, but I don't feel like I could testify of him and his power right now. And I'm Christian, I ought to be able to do that much. So I'm reading the Gospels right now; I think I'll sign up for an LDS Institute Book of Mormon class this semester; I'd like to study on my own how Christ is the Master Teacher, since every calling in the Church requires a teacher and someday my children will need me as a teacher of Christ, and teaching is just an all-around good skill to have anyway; and I'll probably try to work my way through Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage. I am convinced this will add greatly to my happiness.
3. Ain't this a blog about books and movies? I'm going to try to step away from the tried and true this year. Instead of wasting money on junk food from the Quickstop on campus, I want to invest in my personal entertainment and see more movies that are currently coming out, instead of watching the old ones that I know I like (A&E Pride and Prejudice, anyone?). The only problem is that someone has to go with me (my mother taught me never to go to the moviehouse alone), so if there's a movie you really want to see, let me know. I also would like to read more books that deserve to be read. Some of these will be classics like Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte; some of them I'd like to be contemporary, but I don't quite know how to decide what's worth my time. I'll have to figure out current bestseller lists, I guess. If you know of any books I should read, or if you have any ideas about how to find books I should read, please share them in the comments section below.
This post wasn't supposed to be so long. Oh well. Happy 2009!
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