The Philosophy of Hate and Adventure

From coast to coast I go!
Life in the Northwest is by no means boring to me yet-- in fact I have seriously been considering staying here permanently after school, or at least coming back after grad. school somewhere else-- but even so, come March and I will be jetting off to the other end of the country. That's right I am finally going to New York! I am all but literally exploding with happiness.
With a sister and a new baby on the other side of the country in one of the coolest states in the U.S. how can I not go there for my spring break? Well, clearly I couldn't not go....which is why I am going!
This quarter has had me stressed far beyond my normal capacity and I feel as though information is being forced into my head when there isn't room for it to fit; maybe I should try to forget some of those many memorized movie lines, but I am fairly sure because of how often Rennie and I repeat them...they are forever stuck in my head.
I am immensely enjoying my African History class. I am so glad that I chose to take it. I think it will really help me as I move closer to the opportunity of my study abroad. I have one of the coolest and most passionate teachers I have ever met and that simply makes it all the better. I don't know what I would do if I were forced to attend a large university; large classes where the teacher doesn't know me personally is a something I could never deal with.
My English class is of course going well, I can't help but love it because it is all reading and writing, so that's enough about that.
As for my third major class, I hate my life. Philosophy has become the bane of my existence! I guess you could say that the ideas behind it and the fact that people are acknowledging how little they know is cool; but talking in circles about the idea of whether or not I am seen because I am being seen or just because I am something seen has to be the most pointless and boring way to spend two hours twice a week. Maybe philosophy is just not my forte, I don't really know, all I know is that it makes me very tired, hungry, and bored.
As this weekend is a long weekend and Valentine's Day I am hoping to do something exciting, but we'll see if that actually ends up happening. As it is I am now officially broke because I just bought a plane ticket to New York.

I can't express enough how excited I am for summer. The thought of having time and sunshine to go hiking and exploring all over the place again is wonderful. No homework or other school related worries to deal with will allow my mind a much needed break. Plus I will get to see all the lovely people that read this, namely my family and best friend all of which I am beyond excited to see again.
However, seeing as how I still have another quarter to learn and grow, stress and work, play and lose sleep through.... I guess I will have to wait for all that excitement. But I am not worried, I live in one of the most beautiful cities I know of.
Such is life...

Holidays of days gone past

Christmas break was to say the very least, AMAZING!
I was so happy I got to see the whole family and spend some quality time on the slopes with Rennie and Nile. Being back home was great but being back here at home is even better than I expected. I am finally adjusted and comfortable in my new quarter's classes and though once again they are unbelievably hard, I am enjoying them completely.

In other news, I have discovered real pain, pain enough to make me go to the ER on a Sunday night and get prescribed to be on doppey drugs for a week. I still don't completely understand what is wrong with me but the basics are that my back really really hurts! It's miserable and even worse is the fact that the prescription makes me tired all the time.
It is easy to tell from this short little blog that not a lot of exciting things are happening yet for me this quarter but we never know what the future holds, and I look forward to finding out. In the meantime, here are some pictures from the winter season to keep everyone happy! Lata!

SL whUT?

Some people say you can never go home again. Others say you never leave home. I disagree with both. I definitely left and I am defeinetly back--with all literal and philisophical or whatever meanings included.
I have no official home and yet just being back in the city I grew up is me being home. It's true that a lot changed while I was gone but at the same time there is so much that is still the same that it doesn't seem to matter that so many things have changed. In all honesty, the biggest shock in my mind is the fact that the freeway is done.
I am proud to say that I think I survived finals incredibly well and I may even be able to pull off a 4.0....but at the very least a 3.8. Finals were tough to say the least but at the same time they weren't quite as bad as I had been expecting. I guess wathcing my sisters and cousins and older friends go through them made them look like the end of the world or H-E-double-hockey-sticks, but once they were all over and the last paper had been submitted, I started to laaugh at myself for thingking they would ever be that bad.
being home is in many ways very strange, mostly because I don't have pressure on me all day to be doing work or homework and I don't have to be running to classes, nope, I just get to sit and relax--a feat that has become somewhat unerveing. I do have time to read my nwe books now though so that makes me beyond happy.
After being at sea level for the last three months, it is surprisingly hard to come back here and try to run outside and be out of breath within half a mile. I miss the dense are that surrounds me at sea level. I think running here will give me exercise induced asthma.
Other than these updates, not a lot has happened yet. I have yet to see my friends and Nilly and Paul don't fly in until Wednesday so hopefully things will become more exciting after that.
Tata for now!

Fall, Ball, Call, Hmmmmm......

 

I thought high school dances at home were fun, little did I know the levels of fun that can be reached when attending a college dance in a somewhat strange city. Yes I attended my first college dance. FALL BALL baby! It was at the Aquarium and we got to play with the tide pool animals, watch an otter show, take pictures in a crazy cool photo booth that projected our pictures onto the wall, all while dancing and having a great time. Yes college is the place for me.

So I don't know if I mentioned it, but I got a job! Twenty long and time consuming hours a week in addition to everything else that I am doing but I have to do it. It's how I am going to pay to be here. The job is promoting Health and Wellness, i.e. informing all these crazy college kids about the dangers of sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. I find it quite fitting and somewhat hilarious that the job I have fits perfectly with the ideals and example I try to uphold while living outside my element.

Although life is stressful it is also amazing. I am declaring a double minor in Global African Studies and Visual Art and I am very excited about it. Apparently it will take me approximately five years to finish the degrees but I believe it will most definitely be worth it. I also am now planning to do a study abroad to South Africa during my Junior year and if they can find the funding for it I am going to learn Swahili! (Is that how it is spelled? I should probably figure that out.)

I am now counting the days that I get to come home though! I miss the clean air and snow of home. Ski time and all that jazz baby! That is what I am anticipating, in addition to the wonderful compnay of all my family and friends of course.

Happy soon to be Thanksgiving everyone!

Lata!

the college life 'low down.'

Break it down!
Curious to know the top ten secrets for surviving the college life? Here is it:
1. Having fun is important to survival, just make sure homework is done before play time.
2. Professors are either you worst enemies or your greatest mentors. The key is to adapt, make
each of them like you and notice you.
3. Computers are bound to have problems. Back everything up!
4. Plan for change. Have a schedule but make it flexible. Things always come up.
5. Try new things! If you don't you are likely to get bored out of your mind!
6. Procrastination will be your downfall. Don't submit to it.
7. The gym is essential for brain power.
8. I know the desserts are good but seriously don't eat more than one a week.
9. Dress comfortably if it's going to be a long day. Sometimes those cute clothes don't hold up
through a busy day.
10. Sleep is essential! Get as much as you can at night and for goodness sakes go to bed early
rather than sleep in and miss class.

So far those are the things I have had to learn and now I am trying to stick to them religiously!

I have decided that the Northwest is definitely the place for me. I am obsessed with the rain, the fog, the trees, the colors, the people, and pretty much everything this place has to offer! Going to school here for four years should really be no problem as long as I keep the school part under control.
I am sorry to say I had to give up the crew team. Although it was wonderful and I deeply desired to continue, it was far to expensive for my meek college student budget and it simply took up way too much of my study time. So it was farewell to a workout on the water and hello to the gym. Yes that is correct I have been actually going to the gym at least twice a week. At least for me it truly is something to be proud of.
I am in full swing working for the newspaper now and have been finding it to be quite enjoyable thus far. I find out about more things that are going on all around campus and therefore never miss an opportunity to try something new. My newest interest is Thursday meditation. Now I have not been to it yet but I look forward to the opportunity and will be sure to report how it goes. Maybe it will help me gain more control over the procrastination part of my brain...... however, that seems unlikely.
In case the thought of Halloween has been on your mind, here are some pictures of the event.

Yeah that's right! I was a B-ball player! Too bad I didn't have an awesome Jazz jersey to represent!

One of my crews!

We went on a dance boat cruise around the harbor. Crazy awesomeness because it was royally raining!

Life is going good. I need to take some pictures of the beautiful and amazing fall here. I'll get those up soon!
Love to you all!
Lata.