Friday, October 15, 2010

Things that I don't have to learn how to do, which happen to be AWESOME

Speak English fluently and well.

Type on a keyboard.

READ.

I guess that is all.
It just struck me as I finished up my Mary Kingsley paper how good I am at typing, and when I thought about it, it's a pretty difficult thing to learn.

Remember when they'd put cardboard covers over your keyboards so you couldn't peek? And now we can pump out words without even thinking about where our fingers go. Mental_Floss has a quiz to see if you can identify places on a keyboard without cheating, I didn't do well, yet I can type like a champ.

And think, there are some people- most notably our parents- who didn't have to have cardboard things over their keyboards, they didn't even have keyboards and now they still type like chickens, if they even know where to start!

Mmm. 21st Century! Thank you for being my home.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Study Break

Taking a quick study break to share how great it feels to sit down to a project-In this case discussion notes and a book review of "A Voyager Out: The Life of Mary Kingsley" by Katherine Frank- and not have to think about ALL the other things I need to do, and just work.

I haven't even finished the book, but I feel good about my abilities, I have my discussion plotted out, and even though the Review part will be time consuming, I think I will be able to scrape that together in time too.

It is nice. People who I vent my frustrations to tell me that I need to find a place in my school work where I can really just ENJOY myself, and not worry about other things or people. All this time I've spent WORRYING about getting things done, and getting good grades, which then makes me start hating school, and even History... But then, to sit down over a good text, underline, organize, plot and analyze without thinking of time or "priorities," Wow.

I WILL do poorly on my Biology and French quizzes tomorrow, but I don't even mind if I can just turn this project IN. :)

Last night, I hung out with some people for a couple hours, and then when Erica and I returned to our room, we both stayed up until two. I scheduled my next week, and sent some important emails, but I also watched a whole episode of That 70s Show, because it has been a while, and really is at its best when enjoyed at odd hours.

I remember a time last summer, when I stayed up ALL night watching it, and then went for a run as the sun rose. Mmmm.

After I went to bed, I received a text message from an intriguing new person, who I met up with today.

Because I was up so late, I went to sleep after my 8am class, slept until 12:30, and didn't do anything but wile the way the hours on facebook until brass chamber. Then Jazz band, then RENDEVOUS.

Returned here after 6, shared my adventure with Hillary, and have since been in the Suite working away.

Going home tomorrow.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Opportunities, and another week

Whooo hooooo! What a week.

Stressed out sobbing days, followed by days of studious bliss, repeated haphazardly...

Monday, Tuesday, WEDNESDAY.

After Senate on Wednesday, I walked up Riverside to the KFAI studios for the second time. It is pledge week, so I showed up to answer phones. "Doug the Thug" who I met at the Cedar concert told me that I could record a spot too, but that finished at 9... so I answered phones... and by that, I mean I answered one call and registered one pledge of $20. Still, it was a great time. I met some of the other KFAI staff people, and was encouraged further to come back.

One man told me about work in the Legacy project, which is the result of government funding to promote culture and HISTORY. He said it's a big deal, and that people have gone on to MPR to make BIG bucks. If I pursue this energetically, the possibilities are endless. And it's great because I didn't even have to sign up for a program, or try to get scholarships or anything, I just went to a concert, and now here it is!

I am going to go back next wednesday and see if I can actually record a spot, and from there maybe figure out what kind of volunteer work I can devote myself to once pledge drive is over.

Another person told me about community radio in Melbourne, Australia. I had overheard his discussion with another woman about Australian "Americana." He gave me the names of three radio stations in Melbourne, one is an AM activist station, and the others are music based. I have yet to really look into them.

This is extraordinary because I hope to go to MELBOURNE for six weeks next summer to study, and I will therefore HAVE to try to visit these stations. GEE WHIZ! Thinking about it is exciting. Topkat, who I talked to, through following Australian community radio told me that he could couch surf from the top of Australia to the bottom based on his radio connections.

I know radio! Not in a scholarly, or professional way by any means... but I have real experience, and that counts for something? KBEK just happened for me, and this opportunity seems to have fallen in my lap as well... perhaps the universe is gently nudging me towards my vocation?

*Deep Breath

Who knows.

I got into a funk on Thursday, but I am hoping that has cleared up for a while. Meh. I am busy, and am only going to get busier. It's nothing I haven't done before, but the hard part is living up to my own expectations.

One way to start is by camping out in the Honor's Suite on a Friday night reading about Mary Kingsley. Yum.

I read nearly 50 pages (250 more to go by Wednesday).

Student Senate retreat tomorrow, followed by Jenny's Fall Party in the evening. Mpirg bike ride on Sunday afternoon, homework, and then Pirates of the Caribbean with band friends that night. The next couple days have potential.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

The Last Three Weeks, a story of Independence and Adventure

October is definitely autumn. It smells like autumn, and I am even getting excited for winter.

Even though discussion of the weather is the last resort of the unimaginative (Wilde) It feels like a good starting point.

THE WEATHER IS BEAUTIFUL!

We have the windows in our apartment open for air circulation, and it's wonderful because we just cleaned. Now I can use my desk as a desk and not have to DIG to find anything. The apartment is looking really good, especially now that we have more things up on the walls. I am READY, at least domestically for school to really set in.

Oh, but shouldn't it have set in already? Where have I been?

Superficial small talk: I am doing all right in my classes, and I have been meeting lots of people. I say that I've "got the hang of it" but I actually don't know what that means. I know how classes work, and to take my vitamins, but I am not thriving. Or at least I am not living up to my own standards.

My Counselor at CCHP is making me come in and talk to her two weeks in a row... Does blogging about mental issues make me an emo kid? It IS part of my college experience, and the CCHP is a very valuable resource.

Doing School takes a lot of mental energy, and if that energy is scattered or negative success becomes difficult. So I am dealing with it.

That aside, Two weeks ago, I went to the Renaissance with Corinna and stayed the whole weekend. I had a GREAT time. Last week, I went home for the Sticks and Stones art and Cultural event VIII. I worked at the radio station both days, and spent the rest of the time hanging out at the History Center. This year, the headliner bands were Brian Wicklund (a great violinist) and Monroe Crossing (Bluegrass). I also got my face painted, and had a rock carved. I was really busy, but the weekend was fun.

On Sunday night, when I planned on coming back to school, we lost the car keys, and ended up watching Sense and Sensibility. My mother and I left the next morning, and I got to school just as my Monday-Friday alarm went off at 7am.

THIS weekend, I went to the Wilde Roast Cafe, the Mill City Farmers Market, the Cedar Cultural Center and the Unitarian Universalist church.

When I was 14-15, I found the Wilde Roast Cafe's website linked from Outfront Minnesota. I learned all about it. That it is a gay owned restaurant that strives to celebrate the extravegant, and FABULOUS life of Oscar Wilde. For the three years before college, I'd ask to visit every time we came near the cities. Then my first year, when I got on the wrong bus on the way to Codey's, I ended up RIGHT next to it. Still, it took me until now to get there.

I took the bus by myself to the end of the line, and went inside for the very first time. It took me a few moments to realize that I had been waiting for that moment for 5 years, then I couldn't stop smiling. The charming barista gave me my pumpkin pie with extra whipped cream and my "Wilde Carmel" specialty drink and told me that the chairs are PERFECT for studying in. I sat down by the door in a beautiful brocade chair and read about Buddism. (I sat in the chair and knew that I was sitting in the chair, and when I tasted my pumpkin pie with extra whipped cream, I knew that I was tasting my pumpkin pie with extra whipped cream, and when I felt sheer JOY at being in that place, I knew that I was feeling sheer joy at being in that place). Everytime someone came in, I could smell the winter air, and I saw that it was good. I will be back.

When I got back, I went to Anderson where Jenny and some others were playing Mad Gab and Scattagories. I played for a while, and then upon discovery of fire trucks and evacuation of Mort, I walked over to Boulder Court to see what was going on there. An impromtu get together happened, and I ended up hanging out with some really cool people. A couple of whom I hadn't talked to in a long time, and it was fun to discover common ground.

Saturday morning, I woke up early and went to the Mill City Farmers Market with Colin. I invited my Augsem, but no one took the bait. It worked out though. I bought some good smelling soap.

Later, I thought to myself, "I like folk music. I wonder what kind of folk music scene there is in Minneapolis." Turns out that Cedar Riverside is where it is at! I decided to go to a concert at the Cedar Cultural Center. No one who I thought might want to go with me could go with me, so I went by myself. I knew nothing about the performers beyond brief scans of their facebook pages, and I had never been to the Cedar Cultural Center before.

Boy, have I been missing out! That beautiful place has been there all along, and it took me TWO years to get there.

The first band was "The Sunny Era" and I am listening to the Cd that I bought right now... On my music player, the genre says "Rock" but that's not quite accurate. It's gypsy folkish. GREAT! Then it was "The Poor Nobodys" who just released a new cd. I didn't like them as much... and finally, it was the "Brass Messengers," an Eastern European Brass Dance Band. I danced a plenty. SO GREAT!

Then, it just so happens that I sat behind a KFAI dj, who invited me to the studio after the show to take advantage of free pledge drive pizza. KFAI is mostly volunteer, and they said that I could come in and read the news! !!!

Today, I went to the Unitarian church again, and it was good. I would write more, but I am sleepy. Then Erica and I cleaned the apartment, and now I am going to take a nap.