You know that point where you have had just about enough of studying and could easily give up and stare at your computer screen waiting for someone to update Facebook for three hours? So do I. Which is why I present to you this awesome list of Things to Do When Absolutely Fed Up With Studying:
1. Become a spy. You've already touched up your stalking skills on Facebook; now tackle stealth with this awesome how-to guide to hollow book making.
2. Get in touch with your inner nerd by playing these online versions of Super Mario.
3. Cook something for someone, then proceed to explain why there's only one tiny bite left (Hey, you can't help it if you're an amazing chef!). Get inspired here.
4. Find out awesome facts, such as, "Naperville Central High School, near Chicago, IL, is the only high school in America with an Egyptian mummy." Dazzle your friends with your newfound knowledge.
5. Watch your favorite childhood movie on YouTube. Extra cool points if you make s'mores in your microwave before hand!
6. Never underestimate the power of WikiHow. I particularly like this article.
7. Write a story. Yes, I know the reason you're reading this list because you want to avoid writing, but do me a favor: think about the last time you were reading a book and thought, "This would be so much better if it had jetpacks (or snowmen, or monkeys that could breathe underwater)." Now write it! Make it funny, terrifying, or inspiring - as long as you enjoy it then you're doing it right. Click for inspiration. And remember, you can't go wrong - I have a friend that is writing a story starring the elements from the periodic table!
8. Go classic - did you know there are dozens of ways to play solitaire? Learn online, then play them with the dusty deck hiding in a drawer under your sink. My personal favorite is Accordion.
Have a favorite procrastination technique? Leave it in the comments!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
I'm a different breed, and I'm crazy
Today I salute you, stressed out college student, as you sit in your lonely cubical in the library, doped up on Starbucks and Adderall. You think to yourself, 'Am I ever going to need to know this stuff in life?!?' The distractions are tempting and you have suddenly diagnosed yourself with ADD along with advanced delusionary schizophrenia with involuntary narcissistic rage. I'm sure by now you know exactly what everyone is doing because you've checked your Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, and even Myspace account 800 times. Christmas break is just days away, and your Prozac prescription will be in tomorrow. So crack open an ice cold drink after that last exam, because for most of us, Christmas will be spent in rehab.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Passing Bells and Sculpted Angels
On that bright immortal shore,
We shall meet to part no more.
We shall meet to part no more.
This past weekend my family came into town to visit and rather than waste time with travel I decided to stay in the motel with them. Mom informed me not to expect much - to save money, the motel wouldn't exactly be 5-star quality. Rather, it had questionable guests, sofas with holes in them, and a faulty heating/cooling system.
It wasn't until we were sitting in the van waiting for Mom to get the room keys that my dad told me about the graveyard in the parking lot.
Yeah. New levels of sketchy have officially been reached.
Apparently, in addition to the four family plots in the parking lot, people who died from floods or sickness were buried on the same grounds. Their graves were marked with simple stones or wooden crosses that disappeared long ago. When the motel foundation was being dug, workers began to come accross bones and other remains throughout the area and realized they were building in the middle of a cemetery!
Being the history nerd that I am, the next morning I woke up and went down to check it out, pushing my way through bushes to get as close to the plots as possible. Because the plots form an L shape and the area in the parking lot is a square, to get that close I had to walk over several unmarked graves. It was an eerie feeling.
Here are some of my favorite pictures, along with the one of the sign that tells all about the plots. To see them larger, simply click on the photo you want to view.
Thirteen days old.
Citizen of the Republic of Texas. This was at the foot of Emily Ayres's headstone.
Note the small, tan stones. They mark graves, but don't immortalize the people they contain.
This area contained unmarked graves.
Monday, November 8, 2010
You may think I'm just fine,
How could anything ever be out of line?
I take my time to set the stage,
To make sure everything is all in place.
It's never easy to deal with death. You're left empty and questioning, longing for more time and searching for that rock you can turn to in grief. But somehow, unexpected death is so much worse. Every feeling is amplified, magnified, thrown constantly into your face. All of a sudden the "Why?"s turn into "Why didn't I?"s and your last shared memory is branded before your eyes. There's a weight in your chest that won't let you breathe. You're grasping for something, anything to make it all right again. You don't simply regret their death; you regret not being more present in their life and not saying what you always wanted and never had the courage for.
Wendy was one of the teachers for my Confirmation class junior year of high school. She was the type of person that everyone naturally respected and looked up to. She worked with a sweets factory and always brought us leftovers, and she was always there to listen if you needed help.
When I first met Wendy, I was immediately struck by her faith. It was so strong! She turned to the Lord for everything, no matter how small. That year was a time I was really struggling with my own faith. I was dealing with the suicide of a close friend and my relationship with God was suffering. Wendy was the person who talked me through the rough times that year and helped shine a light in the darkness to show me back to the right path. She was my role model, the person I looked up to and respected above just about everyone else.
The following summer I learned that Wendy had been diagnosed with cancer. I was devastated. But she taught me to have hope, and I refused to believe she would be anything other than okay. Such a strong person simply couldn't lose to something as little as cancer! She was going to beat it, I was sure, and so I sent her encouraging emails and kept up to date on her progress while she was in the hospital. By January 2010 she was on her way into remission and even had the strength to visit my youth group on the Confirmation retreat I was facilitating at a camp in the hills near our town.
Not long after her visit the emails stopped. I assumed she was doing much better and was the taking time to be with her family, and so I thought nothing of it.
This evening, just before Mass, I got a text from my high school youth pastor:
"Wendy lost her battle with cancer. She passed away this morning."
I was shocked. I asked my choir director if I could go outside for a moment and he asked if I could wait just a moment and run through the Recessional with them. I said no and walked out. Before the door had fully closed behind me I was on the floor sobbing. This couldn't be happening! She was so healthy and full of life, it just wasn't fair, or possible, or...fair!
The rest of Mass, and really this evening, passed in a blur.
I spent this weekend at a retreat with my college youth group, learning how to let go and let God and live for Him. But nothing puts life in perspective like the death of someone you care about.
RIP Wendy Havner, loving mentor and friend.
Things aren't always what they seem.
You're only seeing part of me.
There's more than you could ever know
Behind the scenes.
I take my time to set the stage,
To make sure everything is all in place.
It's never easy to deal with death. You're left empty and questioning, longing for more time and searching for that rock you can turn to in grief. But somehow, unexpected death is so much worse. Every feeling is amplified, magnified, thrown constantly into your face. All of a sudden the "Why?"s turn into "Why didn't I?"s and your last shared memory is branded before your eyes. There's a weight in your chest that won't let you breathe. You're grasping for something, anything to make it all right again. You don't simply regret their death; you regret not being more present in their life and not saying what you always wanted and never had the courage for.
Wendy was one of the teachers for my Confirmation class junior year of high school. She was the type of person that everyone naturally respected and looked up to. She worked with a sweets factory and always brought us leftovers, and she was always there to listen if you needed help.
When I first met Wendy, I was immediately struck by her faith. It was so strong! She turned to the Lord for everything, no matter how small. That year was a time I was really struggling with my own faith. I was dealing with the suicide of a close friend and my relationship with God was suffering. Wendy was the person who talked me through the rough times that year and helped shine a light in the darkness to show me back to the right path. She was my role model, the person I looked up to and respected above just about everyone else.
The following summer I learned that Wendy had been diagnosed with cancer. I was devastated. But she taught me to have hope, and I refused to believe she would be anything other than okay. Such a strong person simply couldn't lose to something as little as cancer! She was going to beat it, I was sure, and so I sent her encouraging emails and kept up to date on her progress while she was in the hospital. By January 2010 she was on her way into remission and even had the strength to visit my youth group on the Confirmation retreat I was facilitating at a camp in the hills near our town.
Not long after her visit the emails stopped. I assumed she was doing much better and was the taking time to be with her family, and so I thought nothing of it.
This evening, just before Mass, I got a text from my high school youth pastor:
"Wendy lost her battle with cancer. She passed away this morning."
I was shocked. I asked my choir director if I could go outside for a moment and he asked if I could wait just a moment and run through the Recessional with them. I said no and walked out. Before the door had fully closed behind me I was on the floor sobbing. This couldn't be happening! She was so healthy and full of life, it just wasn't fair, or possible, or...fair!
The rest of Mass, and really this evening, passed in a blur.
I spent this weekend at a retreat with my college youth group, learning how to let go and let God and live for Him. But nothing puts life in perspective like the death of someone you care about.
RIP Wendy Havner, loving mentor and friend.
Things aren't always what they seem.
You're only seeing part of me.
There's more than you could ever know
Behind the scenes.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
You wanna know more, more, more about me?
Gotta know reverse psychology.
I'm the reason why you can't get to sleep.
I'm the girl you never get just quite what you see.
I've had today's song stuck in my head for at least two weeks now. It's called Tangled Up in Me by Skye Sweetnam, and I've made the executive decision to make it the theme song of my life.
Theme songs are wonderfully handy for a number of reasons.
First of all, meeting people suddenly becomes a lot more interesting. Your peers pull out business cards; you get to break out the karaoke machine.
Secondly, anybody who's anybody has a theme song. Darth Vadar, the Power Rangers, heck, even Obama has Pomp and Circumstance.
And finally, remember that time you were up at four am trying to finish the paper your English-teacher-from-the-second-century-BC assigned? When the words started to blur together and your trashcan was filled with 17 empty cups of Starbucks? Revisit that unhappy moment, adding in your theme song strategically. All of a sudden it's worth it, right? You are mighty! You are powerful! You are no longer drooling on your keyboard! You are student, hear you roar!
Seriously though, you might want to look into getting some help for that Starbucks habit...
You wanna know more, more, more about me?
I'm the girl who's kicking the coke machine.
I'm the one that's honking at you 'cuz I left late again...
Hey, hey!
Get tangled up in me.
Got any cool ideas for your own theme song? Leave it in the comments below!
I'm the reason why you can't get to sleep.
I'm the girl you never get just quite what you see.
I've had today's song stuck in my head for at least two weeks now. It's called Tangled Up in Me by Skye Sweetnam, and I've made the executive decision to make it the theme song of my life.
Theme songs are wonderfully handy for a number of reasons.
First of all, meeting people suddenly becomes a lot more interesting. Your peers pull out business cards; you get to break out the karaoke machine.
Secondly, anybody who's anybody has a theme song. Darth Vadar, the Power Rangers, heck, even Obama has Pomp and Circumstance.
And finally, remember that time you were up at four am trying to finish the paper your English-teacher-from-the-second-century-BC assigned? When the words started to blur together and your trashcan was filled with 17 empty cups of Starbucks? Revisit that unhappy moment, adding in your theme song strategically. All of a sudden it's worth it, right? You are mighty! You are powerful! You are no longer drooling on your keyboard! You are student, hear you roar!
Seriously though, you might want to look into getting some help for that Starbucks habit...
You wanna know more, more, more about me?
I'm the girl who's kicking the coke machine.
I'm the one that's honking at you 'cuz I left late again...
Hey, hey!
Get tangled up in me.
Got any cool ideas for your own theme song? Leave it in the comments below!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Love of Life Fill Us...
Rain outside my window
sings me a morning song.
Oh, if I were a raindrop
how I would sing along!
It's been raining steadily here since about noon. It's wonderful! To be warm and comfortable when it's so dreary outside is one of the great joys of life. ABC's Castle and Jesus are on that list too. But not in that order!
Add some yummy snacks, great music, and a clean room and you've got the recipe for a great afternoon. I recommend:
Hot Chocolate that's gone Bananas:
Make some hot chocolate. Eat a banana. Chop up some of the banana and put it in your hot chocolate, if that's your fancy. Seriously, it's like the classic frozen banana dipped in chocolate, but fresh and warm.
90s music:
Maybe it's just me, but the Backstreet Boys had some pretty awesome songs. And who doesn't like a trip down memory lane!
Your vacuum:
It makes a great dance partner for when you're blasting Slammin' Kind of Love and consuming your choice of chocolatey deliciousness, and it cleans for you to boot!
Or go out and splash in the big puddles outside your house. You know you want to; nothing complements a rainy day like being a kid!
sings me a morning song.
Oh, if I were a raindrop
how I would sing along!
It's been raining steadily here since about noon. It's wonderful! To be warm and comfortable when it's so dreary outside is one of the great joys of life. ABC's Castle and Jesus are on that list too. But not in that order!
Add some yummy snacks, great music, and a clean room and you've got the recipe for a great afternoon. I recommend:
Hot Chocolate that's gone Bananas:
Make some hot chocolate. Eat a banana. Chop up some of the banana and put it in your hot chocolate, if that's your fancy. Seriously, it's like the classic frozen banana dipped in chocolate, but fresh and warm.
90s music:
Maybe it's just me, but the Backstreet Boys had some pretty awesome songs. And who doesn't like a trip down memory lane!
Your vacuum:
It makes a great dance partner for when you're blasting Slammin' Kind of Love and consuming your choice of chocolatey deliciousness, and it cleans for you to boot!
Or go out and splash in the big puddles outside your house. You know you want to; nothing complements a rainy day like being a kid!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
I need you to slow me down
Sometimes I fear that I might disappear
In the blur of fast forward I falter again.
Forgetting to breathe, I need to sleep
I'm getting nowhere.
Yesterday marked eleven months of being eighteen. One left.
A week ago marked the halfway point of my first college semester. Seven and a half left.
Every milestone I hit draws me closer to my future. As a pre-Major with interests in everything from how time is affected by gravity to the culture of the Middle Ages to singing, that's a scary prospect. Exactly what is my future?
A few weeks ago I was walking back to my dorm after class and passed by a young mother with two little children reading on the lawn in front of Ed Landreth Auditorium. They didn't notice me and as I walked by the little girl, reading like her mom, and the little boy, playing with his trucks, a sense of calm came over me that I hadn't felt in a long time. I felt peaceful, and sure; it was almost like God somehow sensed my fear and unease and showed me a glimpse of how things will be, if only I could trust Him.
College this far has provided me with wonderful friends and growing experiences (Stereotypical pink laundry? Undercooked ramen? Check and check), and some hard lessons in life. And to say anything less than that I love it would be a gross misunderstanding. But when I start to write
7:06 am - Brush teeth
and
5:19 pm - Start laundry
in my planner, it's a safe bet to say that the stress is getting to me, and I'm literally running place to place in the effort to fit everything in.
This weekend is homecoming for my college, which equates to two things: three days of solid commitments, and zero sleep. My goal is to take an hour sometime before then and do absolutely nothing productive. Maybe I'll take my weather-worn copy of A Little Princess to the swing in front of Jarvis and enjoy the breeze. Or maybe I'll blast Broadway tunes while I paint my long-neglected nails in seven different colors. I might just take a nap. And for a college student, that may be the best of all.
All that I've missed I see in the reflection,
Passed me while I wasn't paying attention.
Tired of rushing, racing and running
I'm falling apart.
In the blur of fast forward I falter again.
Forgetting to breathe, I need to sleep
I'm getting nowhere.
Yesterday marked eleven months of being eighteen. One left.
A week ago marked the halfway point of my first college semester. Seven and a half left.
Every milestone I hit draws me closer to my future. As a pre-Major with interests in everything from how time is affected by gravity to the culture of the Middle Ages to singing, that's a scary prospect. Exactly what is my future?
A few weeks ago I was walking back to my dorm after class and passed by a young mother with two little children reading on the lawn in front of Ed Landreth Auditorium. They didn't notice me and as I walked by the little girl, reading like her mom, and the little boy, playing with his trucks, a sense of calm came over me that I hadn't felt in a long time. I felt peaceful, and sure; it was almost like God somehow sensed my fear and unease and showed me a glimpse of how things will be, if only I could trust Him.
College this far has provided me with wonderful friends and growing experiences (Stereotypical pink laundry? Undercooked ramen? Check and check), and some hard lessons in life. And to say anything less than that I love it would be a gross misunderstanding. But when I start to write
7:06 am - Brush teeth
and
5:19 pm - Start laundry
in my planner, it's a safe bet to say that the stress is getting to me, and I'm literally running place to place in the effort to fit everything in.
This weekend is homecoming for my college, which equates to two things: three days of solid commitments, and zero sleep. My goal is to take an hour sometime before then and do absolutely nothing productive. Maybe I'll take my weather-worn copy of A Little Princess to the swing in front of Jarvis and enjoy the breeze. Or maybe I'll blast Broadway tunes while I paint my long-neglected nails in seven different colors. I might just take a nap. And for a college student, that may be the best of all.
All that I've missed I see in the reflection,
Passed me while I wasn't paying attention.
Tired of rushing, racing and running
I'm falling apart.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Let's go back...
Back to the beginning...
'Cause trying to fit a square into a circle was no life.
Five months ago Amanda and I set out to grow in faith and as individuals, inspired by our up and coming freedom from high school. We started strong, attending Mass at my Catholic church and planning to attend her church the following week.
However...
We both found ourselves pulled in completely different directions by travel, family, and preparation for college. It was entirely worth it, but prioritizing our time left at home forced us to put The Project on hold indefinately.
Both she and I agree that we still want to do this. We also both agree that now is not the right time. We just entered our freshman year of college and are already busier than we've ever been in our lives. So until future notice, The Project will continue to be suspended.
In the meantime, I will continue to use this blog to talk about the whole freshman experience. There will be owl muffins, parties, road trips, and a whole lot of free T-shirts, so take off those training wheels and grab your helmets. It's about to get a little crazy!
'Cause trying to fit a square into a circle was no life.
Five months ago Amanda and I set out to grow in faith and as individuals, inspired by our up and coming freedom from high school. We started strong, attending Mass at my Catholic church and planning to attend her church the following week.
However...
We both found ourselves pulled in completely different directions by travel, family, and preparation for college. It was entirely worth it, but prioritizing our time left at home forced us to put The Project on hold indefinately.
Both she and I agree that we still want to do this. We also both agree that now is not the right time. We just entered our freshman year of college and are already busier than we've ever been in our lives. So until future notice, The Project will continue to be suspended.
In the meantime, I will continue to use this blog to talk about the whole freshman experience. There will be owl muffins, parties, road trips, and a whole lot of free T-shirts, so take off those training wheels and grab your helmets. It's about to get a little crazy!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Why don't you come on and join us?
Take your nose off the grindstone,
oh, oh oh!
Take, take your hands off the keyboard
and put down your iPhone!
My friend Amanda and I are always teasing each other about our religions. I'm a devout Catholic, born and raised, and she is Assemblies of God (although she leans towards a more Calvinistic point of view). While joking around a while back we realized that beyond the stereotypical jokes that society offers for each belief system we really knew nothing about the doctrinal position each had to offer. We made a pact to visit each other's place of worship, if only for perspective reasons.
Amanda came to me a few weeks ago with an even better idea. In addition to our own religions, why not look into other beliefs represented in our community to try and dispel the myths that surround them?
It's called The Project.
Or rather, it's nicknamed The Project. An Investigation Into the Fundamental Similarities and Differences in the Various Christian Denominations and (If We Have Time), the Three Major Western Religions was too long.
We hit the library and made a basic plan of action. Starting with the more traditional religions and moving on to the 'American' and sectarian beliefs, we will attend at least one place of worship every week and hopefully be allowed to speak with the priest/minister/leader of each place to present our plan and ask our questions. If we have time before the end of the summer, we will also try to attend a mosque and a synagogue. After each service we will blog about our experiences and observations regarding each religion.
Before anyone gets any strange ideas about this I'd like to make a few things clear:
1. We are in this only for ourselves. This isn't a school project, it isn't set up by our own churches. We are simply curious.
2. We are not trying to gain converts, nor are we trying to convert. Both of us are firmly grounded in our own faith and seek only to understand and accept the various belief systems without prejudice.
3. We aren't trying to prove or disprove anything. Everything we post here will be simply from our own observations and not directed towards attacking any doctrines or convincing any people.
4. Despite all that, we do hope that you learn something during The Project. Whether it simply be factually or something a little deeper, we'd love to hear your thoughts about what we're doing.
That's it! We start this Sunday with my home religion, Catholicism, at the nine o'clock Mass. At the same time, I'm being initiated as a communion minister within my church. It should be interesting, so stay tuned!
Hey, hey, oh, oh!
We're not getting caught in the undertow...
We're never gonna follow...
That's how we roll!
oh, oh oh!
Take, take your hands off the keyboard
and put down your iPhone!
My friend Amanda and I are always teasing each other about our religions. I'm a devout Catholic, born and raised, and she is Assemblies of God (although she leans towards a more Calvinistic point of view). While joking around a while back we realized that beyond the stereotypical jokes that society offers for each belief system we really knew nothing about the doctrinal position each had to offer. We made a pact to visit each other's place of worship, if only for perspective reasons.
Amanda came to me a few weeks ago with an even better idea. In addition to our own religions, why not look into other beliefs represented in our community to try and dispel the myths that surround them?
It's called The Project.
Or rather, it's nicknamed The Project. An Investigation Into the Fundamental Similarities and Differences in the Various Christian Denominations and (If We Have Time), the Three Major Western Religions was too long.
We hit the library and made a basic plan of action. Starting with the more traditional religions and moving on to the 'American' and sectarian beliefs, we will attend at least one place of worship every week and hopefully be allowed to speak with the priest/minister/leader of each place to present our plan and ask our questions. If we have time before the end of the summer, we will also try to attend a mosque and a synagogue. After each service we will blog about our experiences and observations regarding each religion.
Before anyone gets any strange ideas about this I'd like to make a few things clear:
1. We are in this only for ourselves. This isn't a school project, it isn't set up by our own churches. We are simply curious.
2. We are not trying to gain converts, nor are we trying to convert. Both of us are firmly grounded in our own faith and seek only to understand and accept the various belief systems without prejudice.
3. We aren't trying to prove or disprove anything. Everything we post here will be simply from our own observations and not directed towards attacking any doctrines or convincing any people.
4. Despite all that, we do hope that you learn something during The Project. Whether it simply be factually or something a little deeper, we'd love to hear your thoughts about what we're doing.
That's it! We start this Sunday with my home religion, Catholicism, at the nine o'clock Mass. At the same time, I'm being initiated as a communion minister within my church. It should be interesting, so stay tuned!
Hey, hey, oh, oh!
We're not getting caught in the undertow...
We're never gonna follow...
That's how we roll!
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