Twice the school! Twice the FUN!

This semester, I get to go to kindergarten AND college. At the same time. Two days a week I'm in a kindergarten classroom and the other 3 I'm on Clemson campus for college classes. As far as preference goes, right now my K-5 class has won my heart over and I love going to school (as opposed to going to class, which refers to college class). Twenty-two 5 year-olds  greet me twice a week and going to their class makes me want to be there more often. My school is great and my cooperating teachers are awesome. This is going to be a good semester. Assuming I can be as enthusiastic about my college classes as well. And successfully plan a wedding (07.20.13).

ALSO, I've missed good ol' Clemp! It's good to be back.  :) Go Tigers!

THIS SUMMER...FLIPS WILL HIT THE FANS

Ahhhhhh, 2012. You give me something that I love. Something that I only get to enjoy every so often. Approximately every four years. You give me a reason to obsess over gymnastics and force everyone to watch it with me. You give me THE OLYMPICS.

     The Olympics. I LOVE THEM!!!! Where the WORLD participates in something and you can catch a glimpse of other countries and their people. so cultural, but also so ethnocentric. You cheer for your own country while at least I am partially in awe of what other countries have accomplished.

This year, as with every Olympics, I am most excited about GYMNASTICS! Not just the women's competition, either. I love watching men's and women's gymnastics and watching ALL countries, not just USA.I also love dragging my friends to watch gymnastics with me and then seeing their faces and they are befuddled and how any of it is humanly possible and are amazed at what superior acrobatic and powerful feats they are viewing at the moment.

The following are some pictures that I've gathered just because I can no longer put my love for gymnastics into words:
(P.s. It's mostly Nadia because I love her gymnastics)

Nadia, duh.

Nastia.

Beth Tweddle

Nadia

 

Nadia

Shawn Johnson

EXAMS. XMAS. Almost the same letters, but not really the same awesomeness.

I LOVE THE HOLIDAY AND I LOVE THE MOVIE "ELF" AND I DO NOT LOVE EXAMS.

      This week is exam week, and it's not fun. It could be worse, but it's definitely not fun. I've completed 3 in one day and still have two more to go. Good thing is that all of my past exams have been short; the shortest exam taking 14 minutes to complete and the longest exam lasting 45 minutes. Tomorrow I have but one more exam in the morning and the rest of the day to pack/go to gymnastics practice/study for my LAST exam/procrastinate on the interwebz. 

   BUT after the exams are over, IT'S WINTER BREAK, PEOPLE!!! That means watching Elf all 3 days in a row that it's showing on USA (and/or TBS) and drinking cinnamon hot chocolate, even if you're not cold!! It also means visiting family out of state and giving/getting awesome presents. I already have a solid guestimate that I'm getting an awesome book bag that I'm pretty excited about! Then it'll be off to a new semester at college (to put my new book bag to use)!

C0LL3G3 LYF3

So it's the week before FINALS and this pretty much sums it up:

 

(I personally don't know how these particular people do it. There are definitely not enough outlets for all those computers.)

. My finals week won't be so bad. As an education major, I've been in schools completing assignments throughout the semester. I'm pretty much just gathering all information that I've been taking all semester and compiling it into a portfolio. No lab practicals or national exams, just whatever my sometimes eccentric professors decide to put on the final. 

And that's all I've got to say about that.

OMGLONGITMENOSEE

So, it's been a while, but good news everyone! IT'S OFFICIALLY THE HOLIDAY SEASON!! Time for jolly music, gingerbread decorating, and green and red sparkly goodness! I've been compiling my fav Christmas tunes and now I can play them with no remorse and prepare myself for the joy of the season, but also the horror of finals.

The picture provided is a tribute to my SecretShark (a variation of Secret Santa) gift that I shall be giving this Sunday!! This particular picture is a compilation of various memes that inhabit the interwebz because the theme of memes may or may not be related to my gift. Yay!

The Beginning of Fall at Clemson

FiRsT Post of the fall semester! 

Well, it's a bit late, but at least I have an awesome picture of the most exciting 25 seconds in college football!!

So, it's the start (or was the start) of another semester at Clemson University. That means Orange Fridays, a lot of free stuff being thrown at you (shirts, Frisbees, coupons, etc), and getting used to grocery shopping on my own on a regular basis. It also means cooler weather is coming (FINALLY) and the mood of campus will be determined by how our football team performs each Saturday. Luckily, we're 2-0 right now, but we'll see how we fare against Auburn and Florida State, our next two games in a row.

FIRST!!...

...DAY OF SUMMER!!!!

Well, nothing super exciting to report -- BUT!! in honor of the start of summer, the current rumbling of thunder and frequent flashes of lightning, and the insane heat index daily average of 115, here's a picture of some lightning.

School’s—Out—Forever! (…Until the fall!)

     So the semester is over and now we can enjoy posting/reading about awesome things/activities!! So put your fun cap on kiddies, it’s SUMMER!

Deliverance...[insert BANJO solo here]

Trekking Through the Woods of Desperation and Reverting to Animalistic Survival Tactics

(because there's so much more to it than that scene)

     

     I found this 1972 movie poster for Deliverance and thought that it described the general plot, not only through the caption, but also in the actual image depicted in the poster. 

     The hand with the gun coming out of the water is appropriately bloody because of all the pain and suffering (and yes, death) included in the novel. The three figures in the canoe are paddling for their lives, instead of just idling around enjoying the beautiful scenery and nature around them. They know that the bloody hand with a gun is out there, waiting for a chance to knock another one of them out of the picture (read: kill someone if not all of them). I also like this poster because it is set in the actual river. The river embodies the camping trip as a whole because there are parts of it that are calm (such as the water seen above) but that does not mean that a treacherous section of rapids is not right around the bend (such as when the crazy hillbilly tries to shoot another one of them). 

     Of the four men that entered the woods, one is dead, many agree that another SHOULD be dead, and the other two (the stronger characters) are both physically compromised. For the three remaining men, they (mainly Ed) have resolved the main issue at hand, which is surviving and getting out of the woods in (relatively) one piece. But even after being "free" of crazy murderous mountain men, all the remaining men are forever different people than when they first started their canoeing adventure. One is psychologically ruined and even more incompetent than he was before; another is forever humbled by his injury and full dependence on the others for a majority of the trip; the final (and most important) man is actually more confident in his instincts and abilities and is finally able to get a "brilliant" night's sleep.

Plans to finish the book are a go.

The "Space Food" Version of My Recent Encounters with Literature

 I call it that because this post will be full of information, but in a condensed form, similar to food given to astronauts (lots of nutrients, little volume of food).

     Anyhow, the first subject matter is A Streetcar Named Desire. I put that in brown to represent my UN-fondness of the play. I liked it at first, but as a whole I would not put it on my "Top 10." It started out interesting and nothing was too insane (except for the whole domestic violence scene right off the bat), but as the play went on, I just got more annoyed with characters and their refusal (or the authors refusal) to change and adapt. Stanly was always violent and had to have his way; Blanche was always living in a fantasy world and refused to accept the truth (that is, until Stanley's violent ways destroyed her forever, and by then she was being carted off to a mental institution); Stella was always obedient to her husband and never wanted to do anything about Stanley's crude and animalistic (and unhealthy) way of life. The only character that the reader saw for a legitimate amount of time and  was remotely likable reasonable was Mitch, and that was only because the reader felt sorry for him the entire time and he was the one who seemed to have a heart and sense of decency at the same time.

      So while I recognize this award-winning piece of literature, I would stand behind my decision to choose a different work, should I have the choice.

     After this, I had to expound on my knowledge about the literature read up to this point, and it was known as the mid-term exam.

     Next on the "to talk about" list is the concept of fairy tales. The main point of discussion being how they distort reality and possibly teach children (read: girls) lessons that we may want to reconsider. First we read distorted versions of the classic tales of Snow White and then Cinderella. 

•      Snow White & the Seven Dwarves just mocked the Disney version and showed how vain and how much of a "dumb bunny" Snow White was. It even went on to imply that she was just turning into her "evil" stepmother and that Prince Charming was just a wandering man with necrophiliac/pedophiliac tendencies. 
•      Cinderella also hit on the less-than-perfect Prince Charming. He was a psycho-stalker who didn't notice blood gushing from the feet of women who didn't even look like the woman he was obsessed with. He took an axe to a door when Cinderella ran away from him (before she had to return to her pre-princess state).

I personally like the concept that fairy tales can be seen as not perfect and not always teaching the best lessons, but I like that concept as a high school or college English essay concept, not something I would read to my children as a bedtime story. I would show my children the Disney version of fairy tales rather than scare or intimidate them to sleep.

"I Need Closure!!!"

Fin.


     We finished No Country For Old Men  in class today (I finished Wednesday), and now looking back on the novel as a whole, I though it was very good and I would definitely recommend it to everyone (who can read).


     But I was actually disappointed by the ending...It seemed like at the end, maybe McCarthy just wanted it to be done, I don't know. It just seemed like Sheriff Bell was saying, "well, everyone that COULD stop Chigurh is dead, and he COULD just be dead in the desert anyways...maybe I should just let it go and retire...okay, done." It was definitely a good book, but I guess I was just expecting a more exciting (or at least a more meaningful ending, that took into accounts from Chigurh and Moss' experiences) ending to such a suspenseful and thought-provoking novel. I guess I just have to do like Bell and "let it go" because that's just how it is. 


POB: 
I just would like to borrow a picture that sort of depicts my feelings about the end of the book:

Courtesy of Allie Brosh, writer of "Hyperbole and a half"
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/10/every-time-i-write-something-new-feel.html

     I was happy to reach the end of the book and excited to find out how the story ended. I wanted to know if Chigurh lived or died, whether he actually felt bad for Carla Jean, if Sheriff Bell would make a come back from always being a few steps behind the action and capture Chigurh, at least for a while before he escaped again or died, and things of that nature. But I was left with an open ending and even more questions about Bell's dreams. 


Instead of answering my questions, McCarthy just gave me even more. 


Now I just have to watch the movie.

No Boring Read for (Relatively) Old Students

Wow.
It's been a while since I've been able to bequeath my thoughts upon my fair audience (whomever that entails). 


To start off, I've been reading the famous book, "No Country for Old Men." Being almost done with it, I found this poster for the movie to be quite accurate and picked it as the picture of the blog (or the POB, if you will). [I just love this poster for its accuracy and for just how awesome it's been designed.]

     Yeah, there's a gun, and it's been fired (see bullet casings on the ground), and the guy in the picture is wearing the stereotypical Texas/Western clothes (see boots, jeans, and plaid shirt), but this poster is a lot more accurate than just in those superficial details. It argues that "clean getaways" just do not exist. And in this novel, that is one of the obvious truths! 


SPOILER ALERT!
If you have not read this book/seen the movie, I advise you to DO IT. It is an amazing read and you won't regret it! (Plus you can keep reading this post without being sad and/or confused).


     I had not yet thought about this theme of the story, so it was interesting for me to find it while looking for other POBs. This theme is a part of why this story is so gosh-darned interesting! You meet seemingly innocent people who get caught up (or are just in the wrong place at the wrong time) and they end up going through an ordeal along with the main characters (e.g. Carla Jean because of Moss). So far (I am currently about 30 pages from the end), this theme of "no clean getaways" has applied to every character we have met, save Sheriff Bell (who just hasn't really met any action because he has always been a few steps behind). Wells, Carla Jean, and Moss have been killed throughout the book, and even Chigurh, with his extreme skill and obvious experience, has almost gotten himself killed twice, and was last seen limping away from a  car accident with his bone sticking out of his arm and bleeding incessantly. 


Another theme and/or question that I ask myself is "Why would McCarthy write a novel that, on the surface, it seems that essentially nothing happened?" Man finds money; he takes it and tries to avoid/kill a psycho-killer who also wants the money. Man dies, but not from psycho-killer. Psycho-killer gets the money, but gives it back to its "rightful" owner before going to kill the man's wife. At this point in time, everyone except the sadistic psycho-killer and the seemingly useless sheriff has been killed.


Also, what role does the law enforcement play? What picture is McCarthy trying to paint about "justice"? They always seem to get there after the fact and have not been able to prevent anything bad from happening, let alone capture "the bad guys." Chigurh says that the coin in his pocket that decides whether someone lives or dies is "justice," while most people would think that "justice" and righteousness would have at least caught up with Chigurh by now, after all the horrific things he has done.

How Old Are These Kids Anyways?

Second!


Today we practiced (gulp!) writing. But it actually was not that bad, seeing as my group wrote an awesome thesis and finished strong with a supporting paragraph (...and got to leave 20 minutes early). 


We had to read and write about the most roller-coaster-of-emotion-like story EVER. It was, "The School," by Donald Barthelme. It's from a teacher's viewpoint, and it seems like the school has a curse of death upon it. Every school project (such as trees they planted and animals they have at least tried to take care of) has died. Not only that, but an unusual number of parents and grandparents (and even classmates!) have died. So the kids have become used to death and disappointment, and so they ask their teacher and teacher's assistant to show them what love is, that it can even still exist in such a place where sadness is abound (everyone knows that the teacher is "secretly" in love with his lovely teacher's assistant, anyways). So the teacher and assistant share a hug and a kiss on the forehead and the class cheers and is happy, and just then, the new class gerbil arrives. Fin.


This was a very interesting story because it never mentions how old the students are, but in the beginning, they are noted as planting trees, taking "care" of tropical fish, and chasing a puppy around the classroom, which would denote them as being in grade school, possibly 2nd or 3rd grade. Later, when asking their teacher about life versus death, they are noted as asking questions about existentialism and using words such as, "fundamental datum," which are things that no elementary school student I've ever heard of doing. So it naturally brings up the question, "How old are these kids, anyways???" How sad it is that they have had to grow up so rapidly because of all the loss and disappointment in their lives and that they have to ask their teacher for an example that love and happiness can even exist in such an environment. Another great topic for an inevitable paper.


Hopefully the school I find a job at will not be cursed with so much death and misery, but I also hope that my students would have the same confidence in me and that I could be so personable to them that they would be comfortable asking me such questions about life and happiness.


And that's all I have to say about that.

A Seemingly Simple Sestina

First!
It's the first blog post for my English 215 class (20-21st century literature), and it's a bit late, but the topic is the poem, "This Is Just To Say," by William Carlos Williams.

I've actually read this poem before, in a high school English class, and I am still intrigued at how famous this poem has become. When you look at it, you think, "Oh, it's just a little blurb someone wrote, and -what the heck- they didn't even bother with punctuation!"

Although it was such short a poem, there were a surprising number of views taken to it (and so many questions to be asked when you actually analyzed it). Maybe it was a revenge poem, like a husband-and-wife-passive-aggressive-family-feud thing? Maybe it was a note that a little kid left on the fridge to his mother because he was so hungry and a plum that she was probably saving for breakfast was all that was left at the time? Did the author actually feel remorse and was seeking forgiveness, even though the entire poem is about how delicious the plums were, save ONE line?

This one would be a fun paper topic to write about.