Tuesday, November 23, 2010

November

How do I catch up on everything since Election Day!

I will go weekend by weekend.

The first weekend in November was the National Rabbit Breeders Association Convention here in Minneapolis. My mom had a booth to sell pottery, and I went on Sunday to booth sit while she went to Owatonna. Then, Hillary came and we looked at all the bunnies. Hundreds of them.

While I still favor the noble Rex, my fondness for English Spots is growing. I think that when the time comes for me to get a house rabbit, it will be an English Spot.

The next week, I left after Religion class on Thursday to hop on a plane and go to DENVER for the National Women's Studies Association Conference with Annika, Lucretia, Gina, Christine, Murriel and Jessica Nathanson. It was amazing, and really got me Jazzed for the rest of my academic career.

This Thursday was Harry Potter day, and Alan picked me up at 8 to go get ready to see the first part of the LAST set of movies. We met up with Mitch, Ali and their friend... Laura? At Perkins, and then went to the theater. We were very early, and I ate a ton of pop corn. Eventually, Hillary was able to get tickets, and she joined us! The movie itself was good. I haven't read the book since it came out in 2007, so I was not nitpicking. I really liked it. I can't wait until the next one comes out! I might be in Australia. I wonder what that does to release dates.

Friday, Sara came down from Superior to see The Room at the Uptown Theater with some of her friends. Alan and I went too. Tommy Wiseau was there in the flesh. I had never seen the movie before, and knew nothing about it other than that it is BAD. Sara let me use her spoons to throw. Another very fun experience.

Sara stayed at my apartment that night, and then in the morning Visser and Caite picked us up to go to a Coffee Expo in Uptown. Codey had been really excited about it. The expo was smaller than last year, but I still got my fill of free tea, coffee and pastries. When we got bored, we went to Cody's work and ate delicious Thai food. Then we played video games. Well, they played video games. I worked on my Religion 200 project.

Earlier that day, I got a text message from Oliver asking if I wanted to go to an amateur trapeze show. Of course I did! We would have to leave at 7:30, and I had to get Sara safely to the Northstar train. Because of all this, I missed the Honor's play, which I am kind of bummed out about, but the trapeze show made up for it.

I really want to be an acrobat... Yet another dream. I guess I will just keep doing sit-ups until the day comes in which I need to use my formidable abdomen to hoist myself into the sky.

The show was great. We had front row seats, and everyone was awesome. The last performance even used Moulin Rouge's "Roxanne." After the show, we mingled a bit, and then returned to Augsburg.

There was ice on everything, which made for great sliding. We slid all over the foot bridge, and then, on the way back to Mort, Oliver fell on the sidewalk, so we slid around there for a while too. Once in Mort, Oliver and I parted ways, and I joined with Jenny to watch a sad movie (Friday evening, I watched "Boys Don't Cry" with QSU, VERY SAD.) I wanted to watch more sad movies, so we put in Edward Scissorhands. I hadn't seen it in at least 10 years, and really enjoyed myself.

Random sleeping patterns made last week fly by, and now it is already Thanksgiving week, so we only have three days of class.

Last night, I stayed up until 6am finishing my I believe project. I think it turned out really nice.

Now. It's 7:30. My room says that I should go to sleep now, and do EVERYTHING in the morning. Everything that I planned on doing today, which was a lot, and resulted in a few pages being read about Mendel and Genes, and then some cleaning.

I called my Mom for guidance. She said to get out of here and get more done. So I will... but I am hungry and tired. Argh.

I will try to make a grilled cheese using dinner rolls.

Wish me luck.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Election Day and other Endeavors

Election Day, Election Day!

This morning after Mary Lowe's class, Erica and I went together to vote (awww, Roommie time!). We even did some research on the candidates before walking across the foot bridge to our polling place.

This is my second time voting, and my first time voting in Minneapolis. I am very excited, though it would have been nice to vote up north where my voice might be a little stronger. Oh well. I still feel good. Voting makes me remember why I started college as a poli-sci major, and it makes a career in politics seem not as obscure. I think it would be fun to serve on local committees, and who knows!

In Ogilvie, there is a man named David Youngquist, and though I have not met him yet, he is one of my heros. He has done significant work and planning around Ogilvie's Back to the Tower Days, and through his Ogilvie Facebook page really appears to be vitalizing our community. Even more significantly, a couple weeks ago he spoke up against some bigoted gay-bashing in a very concise and respectful way. I admire his work, and will support him if he ever decides to go further.

Seeing his work also gives me hope that some day, wherever I end up, I will be able to make a difference too, and that is exciting.

~*~*~*~

October was a party.
I am now coming down from a high that lasted at least three weeks. It wasn't bad by any means, but it definitely was a scattered mindset that I am glad is starting to become more focused. At least I can tell myself that, these first days of November... we'll see what the rest of the month brings.

In October, every week was jam packed. I don't think I have ever been so exuberantly social my whole life. I went on DATES.

I think that is where my "crazy" mindset comes in.

Dates.

I had never "Dated" before. Not in the sense in which "Asking out" means asking OUT, and not like high school's "going out." Boy oh BOY is it fun. I like doing things, and I like meeting people, and I like boys... who would have thought there was an activity that satisfied all those interests!

Of course it has come with much confusion about expectation and etiquette, but I am learning, and my research on "Free Love" is providing some insight ;)

RESEARCH

September and October were angsty months - again, I don't want to put November up as being entirely different just yet- now I embark with more resolution.

I lacked ambition. My classes bored me. I didn't want to anything but sleep, doodle and explore the realm of possibility AWAY from campus. I became frustrated, and wondered where the Lily I once knew had gone... and then, with the advent of TWO research papers coming due this month, I think I have found my academic spirit again. I hope it lasts.

I haven't actually proposed these papers yet, and I know that my topics are too broad and with some discussion with professors will be narrowed.

The first is for Honors 200, religion, taking a "core belief" and it's connection to a contrasting or contraversial topic. I am taking Humanism (Which is great) and Morality. I don't know if Mary Lowe will approve of that... so maybe I could make it Humanism and Free Love... or contraception... or something. Whatever the case, I have a bunch of library books that I am excited about, and spent my morning reading the introduction to a compilation of writings by Victoria Woodhull, late 19th Century, "Suffrage, Free Love, and Eugenics." *drool

My other paper is for Modern Britain and Ireland, and is to be a biography. I have chosen to research "Lord Haw-Haw" and his traitorous Nazi radio broadcasts to England during WWII. I will use him as a point around which to study radio's affect on war morale. I think. This too is pending on discussion with Jacqui.

:)

Reading about Victoria Woodhull and her time also got me excited about my Senior thesis opportunity with Larry Crockett on the foundations of pragmatism during the Civil War. Humanism ties into this as well, and from a Historical perspective I think could be loads of fun.

Next week, I will be attending the National Women's Studies Association Conference, and I am REALLY looking forward to it. I like conferences as much as I like free air travel, hotel rooms and good company. I can't wait. It will get me really pumped for my research, and towards a goal of presenting next year either at the National Honor's Conference, Phi Alpha Theta, an ACTC conference or all of the above. Yum. It will employ many of my passions and talents and even get RECOGNIZED. Reasonable goal, I think. :)