I'll give you this poster for free if...

"If you can tell me what Freddie Mercury's real name is," the poster salesman said as he pointed to the divine figure in the center of the Bohemian Rhapsody pose.

Shamelessly, and without skipping a beat I replied with the correct answer. There was almost an air of confusion in my voice as to why that would be a free poster warranting question.

"What?" He asked, surprized.

I repeated myself, "That's right, I know my Queen."
"Do you have all of their albums?"
"No..." I said sadly, "But my hours of studying Queen trivia have finally paid off, you made my day."

Note that I am not going to tell you what Freddie Mercury's real name is. I am not going to let you steal my glory THAT easily.

How terrible this day would have been had he asked a question that I would have frozen up on! I don't know what he could POSSIBLY have said... but to stumble in the face of Queen Trivia??? It would be the end of me.

And that is how I got two posters for the price of one. Saving most of the money my grandmother sent me. (I had felt bad spending it on posters...)

Along side "Imagine" now, above my bed is a beautiful picture of Bob Dylan, wearing sunglasses behind a music stand and a microphone. (Want to know HIS real name? Huh? Shhhh! It's Robert Zimmerman, and you know where the "Dylan" comes from? Dylan Thomas, the Irish poet! Keep this on the dl, I don't want it to get out that I give away free trivia just like that!")

Above the head end of my bed now hangs the almost cliche Bohemian Rhapsody picture. All the sweeter because it was free.

My room's a mess. At least my part of the room. I haven't made my bed in two days, and my clothes are scattered all over the floor. It's starting to look more like home. :D

THis morning my alarm went off at six forty five. I got up and got half dressed, then went back to bed until SEVEN FORTY! After my World Politics class I came back and went to sleep again, and now I REALLY don't remember much of that class. It is going to be awful. Why was it so easy for me to pay attention in high school? Why is my mind anywhere but academics here?

Marrta chatised me for my intentions of going back to sleep... I probably shouldn't. I should probably start plowing through "The Great Train Robbery." I read "A Time to Kill" for law in a month... and now because I didn't start until today, I've got an equally long novel to complete by the 23rd. I can do it. I still have a bit of work to do... a LOT of reading... but hey! It's the weekend!

"What's one thing you've learned so far at Augsburg?"
"To do the reading when they tell you to."

Take you're own advice Silly!

Tabula Rasa

I am coming down from a History High right now.

"Tabula Rasa?" My friends might ask, "Are you referring to the episode of Lost, season one in which Kate simply wants to start afresh?"

Then I will respond, "No, I am speaking of the concept that all children are born as a 'blank sheet' to be formed into good citizens, as brought up by John Locke."

HAHAHAHA! Yes. John Locke.

John Locke, Tabula Rasa, Rousseau, David HUME...

I don't know if my High is coming from the fact that my History class is so awesome, or because LOST is so awesome.

The entire second half of class I was giddy because I am a shameless Lostie.

Anyway, Time has passed since my initial glee. Contemplating my next move, and whether or not going to bed at nine would be acceptable.

I don't feel well. My throat is raw, my nose is annoying, and my sinuses are starting to get irritated. I think a few girls on my floor are sick too, so that's just joyous.

I just got back from the Augsburg Students for Obama meeting. We just talked a little about volunteering, and then made some calls to get some more volunteers. Almost as good as phonebanking, without the fear of being yelled at. One of the guys there said that he had a gun pulled on him while door knocking once. I MISS 8B!!!

It will be difficult to be really involved here, and I don't think I am going to try that hard.

...

The NEXT DAY:

I rock, just so you know.

Dance, even if you have no where to do it but in your own living room

Such wise, wise words indeed.
However, the logistics behind whether it is more wise to dance in your living room-or in my case a dorm- instead of studying, are sketchy. I've got my Pandora set on "Quick Mix" and it is pretty fantastic. I have REALLY good tastes in music.

Slowly and surely I am getting caught up. Scholar Citizen today was wonderful after having at least read the chapters in the book that I was supposed to. Believe it or not it is a lot more fun to debate and discuss when you've actually read the topic of the debate and discussion! I still have the 20 page print off on dreams to plow through... but technically I don't need to have that done until Monday... Sooo... I'll probably try to do some of it today or tomorrow, and there's no doubt more on top of that anyway.

Today I should get caught up in History, but it's going to have to be tonight... erlack. I don't like night studying. (So I blog during prime day-studying hours!) Last night I made use of the First Year Student Lounge, it was pretty effective, but the lights weren't very bright. Tonight I am going to test out Alison's suggestion of the first floor of the Library.

I've been having a very hard time comprehending what I hear in lectures, and what I read. I really would like that to go away.

Last Night I got phone calls from Nicole, Mom AND Sara. It was nice to hear from them all. I've only been here a little more than a week, but it already feels as if I have been here all along. I still miss home though.

In an hour I am off to hit the Speech meeting. I am interested to see how many people will actually be there. If I could actually do speech, that would be great. Speaking is so much fun, and I am itching to be competative. That will probably brush right up against band then, where we'll actually get to Play! I'm looking forward to that. Then shortly after band is Pep band practice! If this is our only practice, I'm pretty frightened because we have a gig on Saturday.

UGH!!!! I am pretty sure that I must have Mountain Dew poisoning.
I need to lie down.

My First College Tuesday

Free time is hard to find in college!

It's only Tuesday, but it feels like a weekend. I've slept in, and now I'm sitting dressed as comfortably as possible, being responsible while I wait for my 1:30pm class. Marrta had her class at eleven today, and I'm really worried that for some reason my schedule is wrong. I don't remember her being in my Christian Vocation class... so maybe everything is ok... but just two classes today? THAT feels wrong.

Good classes though, Christian Vocation and the Search for Meaning and The Modern World, both of which classes that I have really enjoyed so far.

I finished writing my life Canon for the Honors Course today (Christian Vocation...) and it's something like three pages double spaced. That MUST be too long. Our instruction wasn't very specific, so I just went with it, The Hobbit to Shutterbabe, it's all there!

Today is going to be productive, I know it will be. After I blog I am going to change into something more presentable, and find a quiet, safe place to read and study. My room is too distracting, particularily because it has a computer that connects to Facebook, and a bed that promotes "power naps" that range anywhere from twenty minutes to three hours... SO... I think I am going to test out the Honor's lounge, only Alison warned me once that falling asleep on one of the big squishy couches is a very likely danger. Then, after my classes, I'll need to continue studying, and finishing up on the classes that I am behind on.

Just the Scholar Citizen really. I'm pretty sure the Professor is speaking English but it's hard to tell. Even though he, and my mother plead to "ASK QUESTIONS!" I don't even know where to begin! It will help when I read what I'm supposed to. So much to read, Twilight is back on the shelf. ... Oh well.

Now, being that I haven't blogged in a while, I will travel slowly backwards in time.

YESTERDAY, was Monday. I was Super tired from my sleep deprived weekend and had a couple embarassing head nods in the front row of my World Politics Class. Then I was lost in Scholar Citizen. Marrta disapproves, but I slept graciously yesterday until I peeled myself out of bed for Band. Band is going to be good this year, and I am especially excited for Romania. Bob Stacke actually talked about the concentration camp-like orphanages, and it made me happy to hear that Romania is coming out of that now-Since Shutterbabe was there.

After band there was no time for dinner, but luckily there was food at the Medieval Studies meeting. I don't know if I want to major in Medieval Studies, and I do know that I LOVE Medieval History... at least I remember a time when I did. I don't know where my passions are anymore. I blame the thorough social exhaustion that I am experiencing. My hope is that I will join speech and remember that I really do have skills, and that will begin showing everywhere else.

That sounds like a bummer... and it kind of is.

When we were let out of our Scholar Citizen lab (which was fun!) Marrta and I walked to the Gas station across from Parking lot L to get Mountain Dew. We laughed at the fact that at a gas station across from a college campus, they only sell mountain dew in cases of 36. We bought a case and each took 18 cans. I am going to be purely SICK of Mountain Dew... and noodles... *sigh

I called my mom and we talked for a while. I miss home, but my weekend in Montevideo helped to quench my need for a rural environment.

Finally going back to Thursday, it was the last day of the Republican National Convention, we HAD to experience it. Ben got a schedule printed off to St. Paul, but we ended up waiting at a deserted bus stop for at least half an hour until we just decided to take the light rail to down town to catch the bus to St. Paul. I had been warned by many that bus drivers are angry and can not be trusted. This is true. Don't trust them to be helpful or nice especially on your first ride when you don't know what you're doing.

We got to St. Paul and the excitement seemed to be disappating. It was still intense as multiple helicopters cirlcled above us and lines of swat teams in riot gear marched the streets. I guess only about half an hour before we got there there was a huge demonstration where people got tear gassed and the whole shebang. We walked around feeling scared for a while, got as close as we could to the Excel center, and then barely made the 16 bus back to Minneapolis.

It was a really awesome experience.

Now, I just need to resist the urge to eat peanut m&ms for lunch and actually go get food... all by myself.

THEN, it's back to being productive.

Twilight

To all of those who are intersted, I am now on page 18 of "Twilight" by Stephanie Meyer.

Congratulate me.

So far, all I have to say is that Bella is SUPER annoying. I want to conk her on the head. Ms. Swenson was right.

Get over yourself stupid emo girl!

That is all.

Elton John, Supertramp, Fleetwood Mac? ... I miss my job.

I thought it would be so easy to blog, but I keep putting off or deleting the ones that I actually do. Well... yesterday I had a blog, but I closed the window to watch a movie... Ooops.

With my first two classes and placement audition out of the way, there is no question to my status as a college student. None. I like it. I like it a lot.

If you walked outside, you would not believe that it was SO bloody hot just two days ago! Autumn is in the air. Just Autumn though, maybe if I were to get up real early and smell the air I could catch a whif of winter, but for now I think it's just fall. Fall is waking up, and cracking his knuckles, blinking the sleep out of his eyes and contemplating what to do next. I love love LOVE Fall!

And I love COLLEGE! I Love learning and I LOVE Augsburg. Augsburg is most definitely the perfect school for me. I hope I will always feel this way... I'm sure I will... most Auggies do. World Politics this morning was my first ever college class, and a great one at that. We discussed questions we'd like to have answered, and were promised that we would get the answers.

Even if I wuss out and decide to not to pursue a career in politics, and instead resign to the life of a History Major, NOT that that would be bad at all, I could still do ANYTHING! (if not more :) ) I Still love learning about the social sciences. In Honors 120 we just talked about ourselves, and a little about what will be covered. There's a reading assignment in that class, and I managed to read most of it today, but then I got too tired (at 2pm?) I fell asleep and slept until after three... I liked the reading though, once I got past the first part. I'll finish it tonight. No worries.

When I woke up from my nap, Marrta called and told me that there's no band today, just auditions. I went down to the Musica hall anyway to practice. It was awful. All my valves were stuck solid. SOLID. It was a great struggle to get them loose enough to oil them. After my half our practice, I had enough Blue Juice on my hands and on the crotch of my jeans to oil 3 three trumpets, but was that enough to keep my first valve from sticking?

Of course not.

When I was finished, I asked if I could sign up for an audition time, and I was told that I could go next. HA! I just played my solo through at least 5 times after not playing for a couple weeks... but I auditioned anyway. My valve stuck, and I missed a couple notes, but they still told me that I did a good job. :D I'm going to be contacted about being in a brass ensemble!!!

We don't actually have our first band practice until Monday, but we get our music at the meeting on Friday.

OH! I Saw Bob Barr speak today! It worked well, right after my classes I went to the chapel and watched him. The posters all said he was the independent presidential candidate, but he's a libertarian. One of his biggest points was the Second Amendment issue. I felt bad, but I left after the first few questions, I just got too antsy. I liked it though, it was really exciting. I texted Cousin Jack with my happiness :P

"NObama" buttons irk me.

Tomorrow, I just realized I am going to miss Howard Dean. What's with that??? And I'm not even going to have that much time to sign up Obama supporters! ZUT! After all of our classes and practices tomorrow, Ben, Jenny and I, and maybe some other people are going to head down to the RNC. Just to see what it looks like.

Because I'm not studying right now, I have Pandora playing. It's distracting. I have it set on "classic Rock" Radio. Hence the title of this blog. I love it here. Love... but I am sad that I will not be working at KBEK anytime soon. SAD. If it gets too bad, I'll join Kaug, but that might be too much.

Je ne mange pas le petit dejeuner

It's almost nine, I am having water for breakfast.

I only technically get two meals a day, and I slept too late to really get down there. At first I was thinking that I would eat lunch and dinner, but I think the smart thing to do would be to go for breakfast and dinner.

YESTERDAY was a lot of fun. I know I go into each day begrudgingly but in the end it always turns out good. Especially when I DO things instead of holing up in my room all day like I would LIKE to. The highlight of yesterday was probably going to the MIA with Jenny and Ben. I had met them both on line, and Ben briefly at Soar but it was SOOO cool to actually hang out with them in real life. After dinner we had some more free time, so we went exploring around our new neighborhood. We all were astounded with the diversity we have in our little community. Walk 3 blocks and you are in an entirely different world, turn a corner and you can see the bricks of Augsburg.

Before, when people would ask me how I felt about going to college, I would say that I was scared of the city. In Seattle, I walked down one street by myself and came running back with my tail between my legs. Cities were scary. Now, all of the sudden, it's not some big scary place, it's my home. It's my city.

Later, I called the boy and the conversation wasn't emo. It's a real bummer that I can't visit the weekend after next, but now he's saying that he doesn't want to even come for Camp Wellstone. It will be interesting to see how it all works out.

Then we got root beer floats and sat in the lamplight of Murphey Park. It was seriously fabulous.

I wish my Ugly Betty still had Marc left as a month... but I think they used him up on February. It's on Alexis right now, which isn't bad, but Bradford is next! erlach!

As I sit here blogging, and talking on the phone and chatting with Jess, I realize that it would have been to my benefit to go to some of the sessions that happened this morning. It's part of that being responsible for yourself deal...

I'll have to find my classrooms later.