So, I had meant to post up something on this place last week after Carleen came to visit, but I've been so busy that I've yet to get around to it- until now.
So Carly came by the campus on Thursday and stayed the whole, entire day! It was my best day on campus so far, and I can't wait to see her again. I hadn't seen her since my party in July, so that was a special treat. We've agreed to meet up a lot more frequently now as time allows, so I'll just say I'm really excited.
This week I've been very busy. I learned on Monday that I had a history essay due this Thursday, and I hadn't even started it. Sufficed to say, I crammed to get everything finished and tonight I not only managed to finish a first draft of my essay, but I did a video conversation with Josh, and then talked to Carly before she went to bed. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, too.
Tomorrow, which is Wednesday, I'll be meeting with my assigned First-Year Adviser to talk about my "dream Four-Year Plan". Since this is a mandatory sort of thing I'm glad to finally get it over with. In addition to that, I'll get to ask her a question about my Jury Duty coming up in December. I have another meeting that day, too. I get to talk to Professor Shane Maddock about the subject of my Term Paper. It's a Contemporary America course, so I chose to do my paper on Radical Islam and its implications on the West. I have trouble deciphering the professor's script, but I'm slowly gathering that either my topic is unacceptable, or he views my proposed thesis as something more centered on Europe, rather than America. So, I'm going to try and work with him to work on modifying the argument to better fit the course. If that fails, I can always do something on Richard Nixon. Yet, what? What to do on Nixon that's specific enough to fit into 12-15 pages? I need to decide before long. Perhaps tomorrow. Think. Think. Think.
I had planned to visit the Career Services this week, but because I've been so busy with this and that, and I may not get out of class in time to make the walk-in hours, I'll make it my goal to go NEXT week. I have a lot of my plate this week.
I should mention that last night I was forced to attend a two hour plus special on the philosophies of life called "The Examined Life".It was part of my First-Year-Transitions requirement. In short, there were 8 modern philosophers who were each interviewed about their various thoughts on what they thought it meant to "live a meaningful life." So, we sat through 10 minute clips from people talking in platitudes that were so high in the clouds or so convoluted that even Qaddafi would be put to shame. Topics ranged from staging revolution, to redistributing wealth, to going green, to giving animals the same rights as people, and to feeling guilty about buying expensive items when that money could go to some poor child in an unnamed, undeveloped country.
When I got back to my dorm room I decided to research this Canadian "movie" and the philosophers in it, and to my surprise I found that just about every single person presented was either an affiliated Communist or a Socialist. Nowhere did this appear in the credits, and nowhere was there a warning or disclaimer. One woman went so far as to say President Bush was hauling people up to the gas chambers and eletrocuting people in the electric chair. Granted, ALMOST nobody liked her because she looked like she belonged in some dusty, dark, closet, but these sort of opinions were displayed nonetheless.
I want to complain, but to whom? I'll mention it to my academic adviser tomorrow. I don't want that sort of garbage to be shown again. Not only can we not understand most of it, but what we do understand is funneled through the eyes of socialists and communists without critiques from democratic/republican sort of voices.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Everbody Hates Mondays
Here it is, Monday night, and I'm already writing about new happenings! I should start by saying that after my log post last night, I was just about to shut myself off to bed when my phone rang with a certain little chipper tune I hadn't heard in some time; Jen had called!
I'll not elaborate on the conversation, but what transpired was a near two hour conversation that definitely boosted my morale and made me feel on top of the world. It's a funny thing, when you realize just how much power a simple gesture of dear friendship can mean to both people. I've out so much worth in her, and the mere thought that she would take two hours out of her busy schedule to talk to me is exciting to say the least. Sufficed to say, that was the definite high of the night.
After our conversation ended around midnight, I finally laid myself down for classes at 8:30 that next morning when I was greeted by the constant banging beats of "Jammal's" music. Bryan and I call him Jammal as a term of endearment; we'd kill him otherwise. From midnight until three in the morning there were people running down the halls, one room playing the thumping beats, and I heard some person knocking repeatedly on a door nearby. Swearing to myself (and aloud) I wondered what in the hell was going on. I didn't get much sleep at all last night, so I ran through the day and finished my homework on an empty tank. Such is life, sometimes.
It turns out someone nextdoor thought it would be a good idea to drink alcohol in a dry dorm. He drank so much alcohol, it seems, that he had alcohol poisoning and the people walking down the halls and knocking on a door were police officers or medical people, I've not heard a corroborating story yet. On top of all of this, I still find it impossible to chew on anything at all. There's no pain, of course, and I don't expect pity from any of my friends who've had braces for four or fice years, but eating pasta today was a chore. I hope that everything will be worked out by tomorrow. I'm tired of teetering on the edge of fullness and hunger.
As far as today is concerned, there are two important developments to report:
1. Bryan and I have begun our own sort of story-telling involving a character by the name of "Mister Chattahs". Whenever we have to go run an errand, use the bathroom, or when we are in general public, we're always exclaiming the virtues of Mister Chatters. You see, a history professor of ours decided to assign us a pointless 20-page reading assignment, and the person who was involved in the reading was named "James Chatters". So, all it took was Bryan and myself cursing this mandatory reading, and in our cursing using a very Bostonian slur, and it stuck as an instant classic. Currently, he and I are jokingly planning on writing a series of short stories detailing the life and times of a Mister J. Chatters. Oh, the fun I can have...
2. I managed to get into contact with Carly maybe ten minutes ago. She is coming to visit on Thursday and plans to spend the entire day with me. I've not see her in years it seems, and she seemed very, very happy to have my call. I'll get to see one friend, at least?
As an aside, I attended the "Historical Society Re-foundation Meeting" today and officers were elected among a body of 11 or so people. Apparently there are only about 100 history majors at any given time. The faculty was excited. For now, I've decided to hide in the shadows and wait to see what exactly an officer position entails before I volunteer sometime within the next two or three years.
Finally, with some time to myself and with my work caught up for the week I can take a deep breath and stay up a little later than normal. So far, this week is going splendidly.
This concludes the military log of Commander Cadimus Orso of the 224th Boland Legions.
I'll not elaborate on the conversation, but what transpired was a near two hour conversation that definitely boosted my morale and made me feel on top of the world. It's a funny thing, when you realize just how much power a simple gesture of dear friendship can mean to both people. I've out so much worth in her, and the mere thought that she would take two hours out of her busy schedule to talk to me is exciting to say the least. Sufficed to say, that was the definite high of the night.
After our conversation ended around midnight, I finally laid myself down for classes at 8:30 that next morning when I was greeted by the constant banging beats of "Jammal's" music. Bryan and I call him Jammal as a term of endearment; we'd kill him otherwise. From midnight until three in the morning there were people running down the halls, one room playing the thumping beats, and I heard some person knocking repeatedly on a door nearby. Swearing to myself (and aloud) I wondered what in the hell was going on. I didn't get much sleep at all last night, so I ran through the day and finished my homework on an empty tank. Such is life, sometimes.
It turns out someone nextdoor thought it would be a good idea to drink alcohol in a dry dorm. He drank so much alcohol, it seems, that he had alcohol poisoning and the people walking down the halls and knocking on a door were police officers or medical people, I've not heard a corroborating story yet. On top of all of this, I still find it impossible to chew on anything at all. There's no pain, of course, and I don't expect pity from any of my friends who've had braces for four or fice years, but eating pasta today was a chore. I hope that everything will be worked out by tomorrow. I'm tired of teetering on the edge of fullness and hunger.
As far as today is concerned, there are two important developments to report:
1. Bryan and I have begun our own sort of story-telling involving a character by the name of "Mister Chattahs". Whenever we have to go run an errand, use the bathroom, or when we are in general public, we're always exclaiming the virtues of Mister Chatters. You see, a history professor of ours decided to assign us a pointless 20-page reading assignment, and the person who was involved in the reading was named "James Chatters". So, all it took was Bryan and myself cursing this mandatory reading, and in our cursing using a very Bostonian slur, and it stuck as an instant classic. Currently, he and I are jokingly planning on writing a series of short stories detailing the life and times of a Mister J. Chatters. Oh, the fun I can have...
2. I managed to get into contact with Carly maybe ten minutes ago. She is coming to visit on Thursday and plans to spend the entire day with me. I've not see her in years it seems, and she seemed very, very happy to have my call. I'll get to see one friend, at least?
As an aside, I attended the "Historical Society Re-foundation Meeting" today and officers were elected among a body of 11 or so people. Apparently there are only about 100 history majors at any given time. The faculty was excited. For now, I've decided to hide in the shadows and wait to see what exactly an officer position entails before I volunteer sometime within the next two or three years.
Finally, with some time to myself and with my work caught up for the week I can take a deep breath and stay up a little later than normal. So far, this week is going splendidly.
This concludes the military log of Commander Cadimus Orso of the 224th Boland Legions.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Titter, titter.
Well, it's a peaceful (if chilly) night here at Stonehill. I'm writing this now, because I'm really behind on my blog posts. What else is new? Hah.
Braces went in last Thursday, and I've been reeling in pain and discomfort since. Day by day, hour by hour, the pain disappears and the discomfort diminishes. Hopefully I can start to actually chew my food in earnest. It's a strange, but sadly true little cliche that you realize what you desire most when it's no longer within your reach. For me, that phrase encompasses two or three specific people, and a whole bunch of delicious food that I won't be able to enjoy for a good year or more. Steak, gum, hard candies, and lots of icecream are going to be sorely missed. I don't know how much patience I'll have for dicing my food up into small little pieces and practically swallowing them, with the occasional chewing every now and then. It's something I'll have to get used to, I suppose, and I simply cannot wait to get the whole affair over with in the summer! That being said, there ARE things that I'm looking forward to in the coming months.
Thanksgiving and Christmas, moreso the latter than the former, will set a special place in my heart this year. Why? Because I'll get to spend a hell of a lot of time with my dearest friends whom I miss daily, and long for hourly. Everyone has been so busy lately (myself included) that it sometimes feels as if it'll be an eternity before I see them again. That said, I try to busy myself with the day-to-day aspects of living. I focus on my academic work, on trying to establish some social relations here at Stonehill, and I sneak in some reading or gaming time when I can.
On another note, Carleen and I have made plans this Thursday. Apparently, she will stay the afternoon with me once I get out of my classes for the day. I've not seen her since July, so I'm hoping and praying that everything will work out just fine. I'll probably be reporting on that, and any other interesting developments as they arise.
This is Commander Cadimus Orso of the Boland 224th Legion, signing off. Good night, and good luck.
Braces went in last Thursday, and I've been reeling in pain and discomfort since. Day by day, hour by hour, the pain disappears and the discomfort diminishes. Hopefully I can start to actually chew my food in earnest. It's a strange, but sadly true little cliche that you realize what you desire most when it's no longer within your reach. For me, that phrase encompasses two or three specific people, and a whole bunch of delicious food that I won't be able to enjoy for a good year or more. Steak, gum, hard candies, and lots of icecream are going to be sorely missed. I don't know how much patience I'll have for dicing my food up into small little pieces and practically swallowing them, with the occasional chewing every now and then. It's something I'll have to get used to, I suppose, and I simply cannot wait to get the whole affair over with in the summer! That being said, there ARE things that I'm looking forward to in the coming months.
Thanksgiving and Christmas, moreso the latter than the former, will set a special place in my heart this year. Why? Because I'll get to spend a hell of a lot of time with my dearest friends whom I miss daily, and long for hourly. Everyone has been so busy lately (myself included) that it sometimes feels as if it'll be an eternity before I see them again. That said, I try to busy myself with the day-to-day aspects of living. I focus on my academic work, on trying to establish some social relations here at Stonehill, and I sneak in some reading or gaming time when I can.
On another note, Carleen and I have made plans this Thursday. Apparently, she will stay the afternoon with me once I get out of my classes for the day. I've not seen her since July, so I'm hoping and praying that everything will work out just fine. I'll probably be reporting on that, and any other interesting developments as they arise.
This is Commander Cadimus Orso of the Boland 224th Legion, signing off. Good night, and good luck.
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