Two part blog!

Part 1-
I have a split shift in Admissions tonight. From 7-9 I'll be attending a guest lecturer on campus. He's one of the foremost scholars on the end of the African slave trade, and I was told by my adviser that it's going to be really great. African diaspora? History nerds? Prestigious scholar? Count me in! I have to admit, this will be my first encounter with a history scholar outside of the Beloit faculty. Will I be interested in what he's saying? What if I have a stupid question (none of that "there aren't stupid questions, only stupid answers" stuff) because I'm only beginning to delve into the field and don't know how ignorant it sounded- like a question that you know the answer to once it's halfway out of your mouth? I suppose that's how people learn. This is a silly thought process... I'm really not worried- really excited, though! I was just typing my thoughts. Which is, I suppose, the point of this blog. Or any blog, for that matter. Speaking of, the second part of this blog will be when I return to admissions and let you know how it went. I'll also tell tales of giving bids for Kappa Delta today- it's a crazy, busy time of year (as evidenced by the insane 50 degree weather change today), but it's also some of the best times. I'll report back soon!

Part deux-
Okay, as nerdy as my excitement about the speaker was, so shall this part about the lecture be. Did you know that South Carolina pushed for a clause at the constitutional convention to keep the slave trade legal until 1808? Then, once they got it, they didn't open the trade until 1803, 15 years after they put so much effort into it? Interesting, right? And that Ben Franklin's last letter to the public was mocking the slave trade and slavery? What an interesting lecture. It's amazing what human beings will do to each other for money, what justifications about the oppression and torture of men, women, and children are made in order to glean a profit. Sigh.

This is the lecturer, Paul Finkelman. He opened the evening with a joke about President Bush. Teehee.

It's the end of the world as we know it...

and I feel fine!

Songs that have been stuck in my head recently:
-Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes
-There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly (like the children's song/poem that starts: There was an old woman that swallowed a fly, I don't know why she swallowed a fly. Perhaps she'll die. If you want to see the whole thing you can go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_Was_an_Old_Lady_Who_Swallowed_a_Fly )

That was one of my favorite songs as a kid. Two of my favorite books back then were Go, Dog. Go!

and Hooper Humperdink? Not him!

(which was written by Dr. Seuss under a different pen name- since his real name is Theodore Geisel, the different name is a variation on that: Theo LeSieg... neat, huh?). Go, Dog. Go! was a random montage of anthropomorphic dog scenes, culminating in a huge dog party on the top of a blue tree. The common thread running through the book is two dogs that keep running into each other and having the exchange:

"Hello!"

"Hello!"

"Do you like my hat?"

"I do not."

"Good-bye!"

"Good-bye!"

Until the end when, at the party, he does like her hat, and they get in a car and drive away into the sunset together. Which is actually a little odd, now that I think about that as an adult... Oh, well!

Hooper Humperdink was about a kid that didn't get invited to the biggest party of the year, but then in the end he does. Simple, I know. But it turns into this elaborate exploration of the birthday kid's exotic range of friends from A-Z. My favorite line (that I will never forget) is:

"No one wants to play with Hooper, Humperdink's a party pooper!"

I think I liked it because it introduced the concept of a "party pooper" into my life and vernacular.

Anywho, now I'm in college and reading a book of ancient erotic poetry for a comparative literature class. To pull a line from the title song in the musical "Anything Goes":
"Times have changed!"

Good-bye, Heath!

Ok, I admit this entry may seem a bit silly, but I wanted to acknowledge something big that hit the media today. Heath Ledger died, and it's crazy how quickly news spreads in this day and age. A wonderfully talented person that did some really great work in his time, my prayers are with his family and friends. That being said, someone pointed out to me that 27 American soldiers and 349 Iraqi citizens have died in 2008 alone. It's a little extraneous to shower quite so much attention on something that we will know nothing new about for the next 48 hours, but I think it's an interesting study of American culture. True, he lived a highly visible life, but our society's obsession with celebrity deaths and culture is disturbing at times. Anywho, I was just thinking about it and feel like it's something of which to be aware.

I hope everyone sleeps well and has a pleasant week. Good bye!

Ye Olde Spring Semester

Indeed, it's that time of year again. In with the old, out with the new... wait, scratch that, reverse it (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, anyone?). Break resulted in a few things for me (you all know how I love lists!):
1- Unparalleled (at least in my immediate family) skill at Pin Ball


2- Many trips to the movie theater (Charlie Wilson's War, Juno, Atonement, etc.)
3- Quality and bountiful family time (Hey everyone!)
4- My first Christmas in a new home, an experience at times both odd and wonderful, but overall interesting and fun
5- Happy times with friends back home (board games galore!)
6- A visit to Chicago to see a few friends (including a good friend who's abroad all year... hey, Agnotti!)


7- A week of nothing after New Year's... I was more than ready to come back!

After that week I traveled with a group of more than 20 other Beloit students to the American College Theater Festival that was held in Milwaukee this year. A crazy 5 days full of plays (I saw 7) and workshops and competitions. My friend Daisy and I were in charge of getting the hotel and all that jazz, and I'm happy to say that everything went well. It was a blast and I really loved spending some quality time with a gaggle of insane, fun-loving, theatre people. Next year it's being held in Saginaw, Michigan. Who's excited?!

Now we're into the second week of the spring semester. Cray-cray, as my friend Emma would say (a slightly mutated form of the word crazy). I am pumped for this semester, though. I'm taking Human Biology, International Politics, Burning Sapphos and Laughing Medusa (a class about poetry and sexuality), and creating a special project with my friend Angie focused on the theory side of Theater of the Oppressed. Meanwhile, Kappa Delta is half way through our recruitment process, Voodoo Barbie's first show is a two weeks from Friday, and I'm already late in turning in my tour availability slip for Gold Key. Oh, and I'm taking voice lessons now. Crazy, cray-cray, insane, maniacal, sleep deprivation, friendless... these words come to mind when thinking about my schedule. Which isn't actually all that bad... just constant.

I can already fast forward (in the movie that is my life) to my last blog of this semester:
"I was right, folks. It was hectic, and I barely survived. But it was worth it. Have a good summer and hopefully I will meet some of you in the fall!"

But there's still quite a bit to do before then.
Here it goes!

TETRIS!

A friend told me about this the other day, and I thought I'd share it with you all.



This weekend we had a snow/sleet storm here that, unfortunately, forced me to cancel my plans to visit Chicago. A friend of mine was directing a show that only played the weekend, so hopefully it was taped. The good news is that the weekend turned out to be lovely anyway. I went to brunch with some Kappa Deltas and then we went on a quick Christmas shopping trip. The evening consisted of Lord of the Rings watching (including pulling my life-sized Legolas cardboard cut out out of my trunk, placing a Santa figurine jauntily on his shoulder, and hiding him (creepily) behind the festively decorated tree... actually, quite like this google image I just found... that's odd),

going to TKEs Kontiki party (complete with live regge band), and the Outdoor Environmental Club's Talking Heads party, where they only play Talking Heads music. Last year so many people attended that their wooden living room floor looked like a trampoline from everybody dancing on it. The crowd managed to break four crossbeams before the entire group was forced to migrate to a new location. Not quite as much excitement this year, but still an energetic evening. I think quite a few people were sticking close to home because of the weather. I myself fell down TKEs front porch steps, so I can see the aversion. Thankfully no harm done and I was able to laugh at myself... along with the few other people outside, after they had helped me up, of course.

:)

Have a happy day tomorrow!

Busy- the new idle

I am back from a successful (in terms of eating much delicious, home made food) and festive Turkey Break and have every minute allotted to something or another from here until next Wednesday.

Don't let anyone ever tell you college is restful. Right now, the hardest part is finding time to sleep! It gets hectic around this time every semester, so one would think I'd be used to it by now. Papers, exams, performances, homework- the various presentations of the culmination of a semester of learning, barreling down the home stretch before winter break. As of right now, there are only 11 days of class, 21 days total, until the residence halls close. The reason why those two numbers are so different is because there's a six day period allotted for finals after classes stop meeting. It's broken up so that classes end, then there's a study day, two exam days, another study day, and a final two exam days. Beloit does an excellent job of spacing out tests to make sure no one feels too overwhelmed, for which I am extremely grateful. If you have an approaching test of your knowledge gathered during this semester, in whatever format it may be, I hope it goes well.

Let it be, let it be...

Things I would like to do in my lifetime:

-Be a part of a protest (like a million person, over run D.C. type of protest)
-Own a talking bird
-Ride a bike along the Underground Railroad trail


-Meet a president
-Live for an extended period of time in London

(I think this is the first female BeefEater in 1000 years)

-See the Great Wall of China, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Pyramids of Giza
-Invent something useful (like a shoe horn)
-Breed a new type of dog

(This is a puggle! It's a pug/beagle mix!)

-Create an award winning recipe
-Get lost in the jungle and find my way out again (like Bear Grylls!)


-Befriend a wild animal


-Use my History major later in life!

I like that most of these have to do with animals or traveling.
What do you want to do?