I went to the circus today!!!
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. It was a lot of fun. I'm not quite willing to affirm that it is the greatest show on Earth, but it was darn good. There were tons of people and we ended up getting seats just about as far up as you can get, but that's what happens when you get tickets five minutes before the show. The ring-leader had that awesome stereotypical ring-leader voice telling us about how "Crazy Wilson will now be performing a stunt never before attempted, never before seen. Watch as he attempts the death-defying double summersault on the pendulum of pain while it revolves a hundred feet above the ground. Twice the danger!! And all without the safety of a net!!!" I saw all the things you're supposed to see when you go to the circus. There were elephants standing on their heads, flying feats on the trapeze, a lion tamer sticking his head in the lion's mouth, some tight like Sprite tight-rope walkers, and a tiny clown car holding a never ending supply of clowns. There was also this one clown that did some sketches with people from the audience. The first time, he pulled a young couple from the audience and sent the man into a cage. He proceeded to lock the cage, put a cover over it and try to romance the wife. When it didn't work, he gave the wife a chance to get the husband back, but when she threw the magic dust at the cage...the cover blew off and her husband was turned into a goat. Oh well.
I wish Madi could've come with me cuz they had some really awesome tricks with four motorcyclists in a small circular cage. Some of the tricks people did were so scary. We saw a few people slip or mess up when they tried to do a stunt. Unfortunately, there were no super-exciting serious injuries, but it was reassuring to see them falter a little cuz it shows just how difficult, dangerous, and real these things are. All and all, a good time.
I had a good time at Allison's engagement party too. I found out that I could make a living by creating stories for people buying rings for engagements and weddings to tell others about the symbolism and history behind the design of the ring. There were a bunch of people there so there was a lot of visiting and Allison and Benji taught us how to do some bachata. I really like Allison (she went to Chile the semester before me, by the way) and Benji (the African prince) is really funny too. And he hates to bring too much attention on himself so it was interesting to watch him at a party all about him. Marriage, agh!!
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Mom's a Year Older
Wednesday: 1/26/05
· First of all...Happy Birthday Mom!! Yesterday was my mom’s birthday and I think there was some celebrating, family, cake, gift-giving, and a big Kings win to mark off another year of life. I only wish I could’ve been there. Although, yesterday was such a nice day here. Sunny and warm– what a concept!! And I could already feel the new cold front pulling through as it started off pretty warm in the morning and got colder and colder as the day went on. This weekend I not only got certified in CPR and first aid (I saw some of the most disgusting images ever of burns, amputations, etc.), but I also saw the movie Garden State. At first I was doubting its goodness, but by the end I really liked it. This is an especially good thing because I bought the movie for my sister and her husband without really knowing what is was like or what it was about. I’ve been really bad at doing my homework this week which isn’t very good because it is having a negative impact on my already negatively impacted sleep patterns. I’ll get used to being in school one of these years. I’ve started going to one of my practica where I’m working with this totally cute first grader named Raul. Cuteness is a huge motivator for making teachers want to teach is what I’ve decided. It’s probably the main factor in making me consider teaching some of the really early grades. He’s from El Salvador and has some problems in reading and so I’m helping him catch up. In our first meeting I read him a Shel Silverstein poem “The Homework Machine” and when I saw him today he said he found the book in the library and tried to read the poem himself. So cute, right? Now our first goal will be for him to be able to read the poem fluently, aloud, and by himself. Tomorrow I start my practicum where I teach math/sci. I’m gonna be in a sixth grade class at an arts magnet middle school. I’m excited to see how they integrate the arts into the classroom and stuff. Oh! A further update on Allison (whom I mentioned in the 1/14 entry): on Friday I’m going to her engagement party. But it’s not just any engagement; she’s engaged to an African prince!! An African prince who just so happens to attend Vandy. Some girls have all the luck. No one else get engaged soon, though, cuz it makes me feel old and a little sad.
· p.s. Don’t forget to tell me how you’re doing sometime...
· And Mom: keep fighting, keep smiling, and keep your spirits up!! I love you and hopefully I’ll be seeing you in about a month.
· First of all...Happy Birthday Mom!! Yesterday was my mom’s birthday and I think there was some celebrating, family, cake, gift-giving, and a big Kings win to mark off another year of life. I only wish I could’ve been there. Although, yesterday was such a nice day here. Sunny and warm– what a concept!! And I could already feel the new cold front pulling through as it started off pretty warm in the morning and got colder and colder as the day went on. This weekend I not only got certified in CPR and first aid (I saw some of the most disgusting images ever of burns, amputations, etc.), but I also saw the movie Garden State. At first I was doubting its goodness, but by the end I really liked it. This is an especially good thing because I bought the movie for my sister and her husband without really knowing what is was like or what it was about. I’ve been really bad at doing my homework this week which isn’t very good because it is having a negative impact on my already negatively impacted sleep patterns. I’ll get used to being in school one of these years. I’ve started going to one of my practica where I’m working with this totally cute first grader named Raul. Cuteness is a huge motivator for making teachers want to teach is what I’ve decided. It’s probably the main factor in making me consider teaching some of the really early grades. He’s from El Salvador and has some problems in reading and so I’m helping him catch up. In our first meeting I read him a Shel Silverstein poem “The Homework Machine” and when I saw him today he said he found the book in the library and tried to read the poem himself. So cute, right? Now our first goal will be for him to be able to read the poem fluently, aloud, and by himself. Tomorrow I start my practicum where I teach math/sci. I’m gonna be in a sixth grade class at an arts magnet middle school. I’m excited to see how they integrate the arts into the classroom and stuff. Oh! A further update on Allison (whom I mentioned in the 1/14 entry): on Friday I’m going to her engagement party. But it’s not just any engagement; she’s engaged to an African prince!! An African prince who just so happens to attend Vandy. Some girls have all the luck. No one else get engaged soon, though, cuz it makes me feel old and a little sad.
· p.s. Don’t forget to tell me how you’re doing sometime...
· And Mom: keep fighting, keep smiling, and keep your spirits up!! I love you and hopefully I’ll be seeing you in about a month.
Friday, January 21, 2005
Worst Time Driving Ever!!
Friday: 1/21/05
· Okay, so I’m always so exhausted by the time Friday rolls around. And tomorrow I have an early CPR class to be excited about. NOT!! Isn’t that so 90s. Oh, by the way, weather has returned to reasonable. No need to be alarmed. Speaking of alarms. You know what’s alarming? This whole tsunami relief thing. I mean, I think it’s great that people are so compassionate about all the Asians who lost their homes, BUT at the same time can you imagine what the billions of dollars we’ve raised to send of their could do for us here. We could solve our own homeless problem, balance the budget, give a more decent education to our kids (and a more decent wage to our teachers…) It doesn’t make me sad that we’re being so generous and caring about the tragedy of the tsunami, it’s just that people won’t give that sort of money to help take care of our domestic problems (heaven forbid we raise taxes—let’s cut Medicaid instead). And besides that political note, Wed. was Ronnie’s 21st birthday and what better way to celebrate it than at…US Border Cantina!! Yeah, nothing says a 21st birthday better than cheap Mexicans (I mean Mexican food), margaritas, and a birthday shot of tequila. It was fun though, but it makes me feel hella young. By the way, I’ve had to translate the phrase “hella dayz” twice from Californian to normal talk. And speaking of hell, I had the driving experience from hell yesterday. In this tiny VW bug through rush hour and multiple accident traffic, I thought I was going to die. It was so stressful and on top of it all I didn’t really know where I was going– which was proven when I realized I was lost and, upon consulting a map, I was already off the map. “Luckily, I can just turn around and go back the way I came and be cool,” I thought to myself. This plan was thwarted by a diesel that decided to explode and close down the freeway. So, with a few random turns I made it to a street that, by the grace of God, took me back to town. I made it to my first appointment 25min. after it was over and everyone went home. I did a better job making it to the next place cuz 1) I consulted a map first, 2) there wasn’t as much traffic and 3) I’m not stupid. Overall, I saw 4 accidents (not counting the exploding diesel) and it wasn’t even raining or anything. Stupid Nashville. But, I went to a meeting about this program I’m working with where I hang out with latino high-schoolers and their families and try to help them out with all the issues that come with immigration. It is gonna be sooo awesome!! I kinda let the first meeting cuz I was the only one who spoke Spanish well. We talked with the kids about the problems they have at school (classes, English, gangs, fights, peer pressure) and at home (culture clashes, etc.) and played some games. I can’t wait. We each get our own family to mentor and so I’ll really get to know my family well.
· My mom is doing fairly well from what I hear. She’s really tired and has daily radiation treatments to go to, but it’s working out okay so far. I’m looking into a time in Feb. when I can go home for a while/escape the cold weather here.
· HOW AM I GONNA SURVIVE WITHOUT A CAR THIS SEMESTER????!!!! This is a major concern I’m dealing with now.
· Okay, so I’m always so exhausted by the time Friday rolls around. And tomorrow I have an early CPR class to be excited about. NOT!! Isn’t that so 90s. Oh, by the way, weather has returned to reasonable. No need to be alarmed. Speaking of alarms. You know what’s alarming? This whole tsunami relief thing. I mean, I think it’s great that people are so compassionate about all the Asians who lost their homes, BUT at the same time can you imagine what the billions of dollars we’ve raised to send of their could do for us here. We could solve our own homeless problem, balance the budget, give a more decent education to our kids (and a more decent wage to our teachers…) It doesn’t make me sad that we’re being so generous and caring about the tragedy of the tsunami, it’s just that people won’t give that sort of money to help take care of our domestic problems (heaven forbid we raise taxes—let’s cut Medicaid instead). And besides that political note, Wed. was Ronnie’s 21st birthday and what better way to celebrate it than at…US Border Cantina!! Yeah, nothing says a 21st birthday better than cheap Mexicans (I mean Mexican food), margaritas, and a birthday shot of tequila. It was fun though, but it makes me feel hella young. By the way, I’ve had to translate the phrase “hella dayz” twice from Californian to normal talk. And speaking of hell, I had the driving experience from hell yesterday. In this tiny VW bug through rush hour and multiple accident traffic, I thought I was going to die. It was so stressful and on top of it all I didn’t really know where I was going– which was proven when I realized I was lost and, upon consulting a map, I was already off the map. “Luckily, I can just turn around and go back the way I came and be cool,” I thought to myself. This plan was thwarted by a diesel that decided to explode and close down the freeway. So, with a few random turns I made it to a street that, by the grace of God, took me back to town. I made it to my first appointment 25min. after it was over and everyone went home. I did a better job making it to the next place cuz 1) I consulted a map first, 2) there wasn’t as much traffic and 3) I’m not stupid. Overall, I saw 4 accidents (not counting the exploding diesel) and it wasn’t even raining or anything. Stupid Nashville. But, I went to a meeting about this program I’m working with where I hang out with latino high-schoolers and their families and try to help them out with all the issues that come with immigration. It is gonna be sooo awesome!! I kinda let the first meeting cuz I was the only one who spoke Spanish well. We talked with the kids about the problems they have at school (classes, English, gangs, fights, peer pressure) and at home (culture clashes, etc.) and played some games. I can’t wait. We each get our own family to mentor and so I’ll really get to know my family well.
· My mom is doing fairly well from what I hear. She’s really tired and has daily radiation treatments to go to, but it’s working out okay so far. I’m looking into a time in Feb. when I can go home for a while/escape the cold weather here.
· HOW AM I GONNA SURVIVE WITHOUT A CAR THIS SEMESTER????!!!! This is a major concern I’m dealing with now.
Monday, January 17, 2005
Super China!!
Monday: 1/17/05
· Good morning, Nashville! We’ve got some bring blue skies moving into our area bringing in a trough of frigidity which will accompany the California sunshine with plenty of chilliness. That’s right, folks, paradise conditions appear just outside your window, but outside your door lurks Jack Frost. So bundle up and waddle to a park to enjoy the rays of this beautiful. Expect more of the same tomorrow…
· It was 12 degrees when I left for school at 7:00 in the morning after already battling sleeplessness last night. I nearly retreated to my room after a minute in the cold and then remembered that it probably would not be best to skip 8 hrs of class time because of chilly temps. So I trudged on and after being out and about for nearly 12 hrs, I returned and unwittingly fell asleep on my bed when I was trying to read. It was a little rough getting through today, but I found out that I ended up enrolling in the coolest class ever! My “Cultural Diversity in American Education” class is going to be so fun and we’re going to look at all sorts of weird cultural phenomena that happen in schools like who the “okay” sign might offend, why southerners eat chitlins, and why black kids sometimes don’t perform to the best of their abilities cuz they don’t want to look “white” to their peers. So, that’ll be motivation to go to that class from 4-7 even when it’s freezing.
· I kicked this weekend off with a Donkey Kong tournament with one of my roommates. I’m telling you, having a Super Nintendo is awesome, but probably the last thing I needed to have in this house. I also had dinner at Super China!! It wasn’t that super, but I did get some frog legs and I did have an embarrassing moment squirting crab juice at the people next to me. Then I went bowling without bumpers for the first time in years. I was beaten in both games and it wasn’t pretty. The first game, Ashley, used a patented ‘twinkle toes’ technique involving 2 parts running and one part flicking, bested me by 12. Then, Lan, who used a more standard ‘drop the ball on the lane and see where it goes’ technique somehow coaxed the ball right down the middle the second time to come from behind and beat me by 2. Not that I’m bitter, but I did deserve to win. Still, I bowled a strike in the second round and came in second both times showing that I was the most consistent and, therefore, the most skilled. I rounded out the weekend with a trip to see my first women’s basketball game as we lost (big surprise) to Tennessee who were the ugliest orange sherbet color and deserve to die from coming behind in the final half to end up trouncing us by 14. Still, I managed to return to my room and be productive enough to enjoy watching the snow from the comforts of my own room and try to go to bed early (which I did) so I could sleep (which I did not). Try again tonight...wait! Homework? Oh me...
· Good morning, Nashville! We’ve got some bring blue skies moving into our area bringing in a trough of frigidity which will accompany the California sunshine with plenty of chilliness. That’s right, folks, paradise conditions appear just outside your window, but outside your door lurks Jack Frost. So bundle up and waddle to a park to enjoy the rays of this beautiful. Expect more of the same tomorrow…
· It was 12 degrees when I left for school at 7:00 in the morning after already battling sleeplessness last night. I nearly retreated to my room after a minute in the cold and then remembered that it probably would not be best to skip 8 hrs of class time because of chilly temps. So I trudged on and after being out and about for nearly 12 hrs, I returned and unwittingly fell asleep on my bed when I was trying to read. It was a little rough getting through today, but I found out that I ended up enrolling in the coolest class ever! My “Cultural Diversity in American Education” class is going to be so fun and we’re going to look at all sorts of weird cultural phenomena that happen in schools like who the “okay” sign might offend, why southerners eat chitlins, and why black kids sometimes don’t perform to the best of their abilities cuz they don’t want to look “white” to their peers. So, that’ll be motivation to go to that class from 4-7 even when it’s freezing.
· I kicked this weekend off with a Donkey Kong tournament with one of my roommates. I’m telling you, having a Super Nintendo is awesome, but probably the last thing I needed to have in this house. I also had dinner at Super China!! It wasn’t that super, but I did get some frog legs and I did have an embarrassing moment squirting crab juice at the people next to me. Then I went bowling without bumpers for the first time in years. I was beaten in both games and it wasn’t pretty. The first game, Ashley, used a patented ‘twinkle toes’ technique involving 2 parts running and one part flicking, bested me by 12. Then, Lan, who used a more standard ‘drop the ball on the lane and see where it goes’ technique somehow coaxed the ball right down the middle the second time to come from behind and beat me by 2. Not that I’m bitter, but I did deserve to win. Still, I bowled a strike in the second round and came in second both times showing that I was the most consistent and, therefore, the most skilled. I rounded out the weekend with a trip to see my first women’s basketball game as we lost (big surprise) to Tennessee who were the ugliest orange sherbet color and deserve to die from coming behind in the final half to end up trouncing us by 14. Still, I managed to return to my room and be productive enough to enjoy watching the snow from the comforts of my own room and try to go to bed early (which I did) so I could sleep (which I did not). Try again tonight...wait! Homework? Oh me...
Friday, January 14, 2005
Sincerity
Friday: 1/14/05
· So it is frigid today. We went from a high of 68 to a high of 40 today. That can only be topped by Chicago who went from 71 to 2. Or so I’ve been told… So, I’m hating the winter and all alone grumbling about it. Both of my roommates took off on me, so I’m expecting a pretty ‘chill’ night. Hahaha. I’m so witty!
· Anyways, I started classes and have realized it is going to be nearly impossible to make it through this semester without a car, seeing as I have to go to 4 different school sites a few times a week throughout the week and all. I haven’t gone to any of them yet, so I don’t know how crazy it’s going to be, but I’m sure I’ll find out shortly. My schedule is still in the midst of changes after the first week of classes, I hope no one realizes that though. My professors seem very willing to accommodate for me as much as possible if I need to go home or something, which is cool. Although, I still haven’t had 3 of my classes yet. School stuff, work, and random visits have been my life the past few days, but maybe the weekend holds something unforeseen in store….
· And my mom is doing fairly well after her chemo. She even made fudge the next day. I didn’t see any of it [grumble, grumble], but this is what I’ve heard. So, happy thoughts for her and she has a lot of them if all the people you told me that they would think her happy thoughts or pray for her are actually doing so. This one girl, Allison, who I know through a friend and have hung out with a few times, was such a ho today. We happened to pass by each other walking to class and I really like her so I didn’t use any avoidal tactics or anything. I always wonder what I should say when people ask me how my break was. I really hate the question “How are you?” because I seriously start to examine how my day was and give an honest answer and half the time people haven’t even stopped walking to talk to me and are already 15 ft away and counting by the time I blurt out “Fine…” So, today, because Alison actually stopped to talk to me, I decided to reply “Actually, it wasn’t so great. I found out that my mom has lung cancer that is already stage four and spread through her body.” And the way her eyes look and the silence and the way she hugged me and whatever she said, I can’t even remember, almost brought me to tears– in the middle of campus on a cold day. And I haven’t even cried about it for like a week, but her sincerity was almost too much. Gosh. It’s weird. And she now has a new place in my heart. But, I wish my mom could hear some of the things people say to me when I tell them.
· So it is frigid today. We went from a high of 68 to a high of 40 today. That can only be topped by Chicago who went from 71 to 2. Or so I’ve been told… So, I’m hating the winter and all alone grumbling about it. Both of my roommates took off on me, so I’m expecting a pretty ‘chill’ night. Hahaha. I’m so witty!
· Anyways, I started classes and have realized it is going to be nearly impossible to make it through this semester without a car, seeing as I have to go to 4 different school sites a few times a week throughout the week and all. I haven’t gone to any of them yet, so I don’t know how crazy it’s going to be, but I’m sure I’ll find out shortly. My schedule is still in the midst of changes after the first week of classes, I hope no one realizes that though. My professors seem very willing to accommodate for me as much as possible if I need to go home or something, which is cool. Although, I still haven’t had 3 of my classes yet. School stuff, work, and random visits have been my life the past few days, but maybe the weekend holds something unforeseen in store….
· And my mom is doing fairly well after her chemo. She even made fudge the next day. I didn’t see any of it [grumble, grumble], but this is what I’ve heard. So, happy thoughts for her and she has a lot of them if all the people you told me that they would think her happy thoughts or pray for her are actually doing so. This one girl, Allison, who I know through a friend and have hung out with a few times, was such a ho today. We happened to pass by each other walking to class and I really like her so I didn’t use any avoidal tactics or anything. I always wonder what I should say when people ask me how my break was. I really hate the question “How are you?” because I seriously start to examine how my day was and give an honest answer and half the time people haven’t even stopped walking to talk to me and are already 15 ft away and counting by the time I blurt out “Fine…” So, today, because Alison actually stopped to talk to me, I decided to reply “Actually, it wasn’t so great. I found out that my mom has lung cancer that is already stage four and spread through her body.” And the way her eyes look and the silence and the way she hugged me and whatever she said, I can’t even remember, almost brought me to tears– in the middle of campus on a cold day. And I haven’t even cried about it for like a week, but her sincerity was almost too much. Gosh. It’s weird. And she now has a new place in my heart. But, I wish my mom could hear some of the things people say to me when I tell them.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Tennessee Movie-Going Adventures
Tuesday: 1/11/05
· I want to start off with the story of my adventure trying to watch a movie in Tennessee today. So, my friends and I take off to find a movie theater (a Regal Cinema nonetheless) that we had never been to. Not knowing where this place might be, someone had the brilliant idea of calling the cinema to get directions. The guy makes it seem so easy to find. After being lost for a good ten minutes, we finally call back only to find out that the guy had told us to turn left when we should have turned right. Finally pulling into the lot we realize that there are only five other cars in the whole lot. Maybe there were a bunch of people lost because they turned left instead of right, I think to myself. As we walk up, the two men smoking a cigarette outside waltz back in just in front of us. Turns out that they work there, and are the only two people that work there. Are two of the five cars theirs? I wonder. As we try to buy tickets for Ray, we are informed that we can’t be given tickets for the movie because they have a policy where if no one is in the theater to see a movie by 10 minutes after show time, it can’t be started. We were 15 minutes late. When we explained that the reason we were late was due to one of the guys giving us bad directions. They decided to call some magical lady who decided to override the policy and play the movie for us. If that hadn’t worked, my next try would have been to point out that they could probably use the business. Tickets cost $6, by the way. Good movie, too.
· Okay, so I had a rough break. But, despite it all, it was full of a lot of goodness and happiness. I loved all the time I was able to spend with friends and family. I feel a whole lot better about all that’s happened thanks to the diversion and support I’ve received from them and continue to receive now that I’m back on campus. I love you all. If you don’t know, my mom has been diagnosed with a stage four lung cancer. The cancer has spread through her body and it will be difficult to fight it. Despite the adversity, my mom has chosen to fight it as much as possible and go through radiation and chemotherapy. It is hard for me to be out here right now, but I feel like it’s what I need to be doing right now. I’m planning on returning home to see her a few times during the semester and I’m looking forward to that. She went through her first round of chemo yesterday and after a while of nausea, she was feeling pretty good today. I’ll be keeping updates of her as well on here.
· I want to start off with the story of my adventure trying to watch a movie in Tennessee today. So, my friends and I take off to find a movie theater (a Regal Cinema nonetheless) that we had never been to. Not knowing where this place might be, someone had the brilliant idea of calling the cinema to get directions. The guy makes it seem so easy to find. After being lost for a good ten minutes, we finally call back only to find out that the guy had told us to turn left when we should have turned right. Finally pulling into the lot we realize that there are only five other cars in the whole lot. Maybe there were a bunch of people lost because they turned left instead of right, I think to myself. As we walk up, the two men smoking a cigarette outside waltz back in just in front of us. Turns out that they work there, and are the only two people that work there. Are two of the five cars theirs? I wonder. As we try to buy tickets for Ray, we are informed that we can’t be given tickets for the movie because they have a policy where if no one is in the theater to see a movie by 10 minutes after show time, it can’t be started. We were 15 minutes late. When we explained that the reason we were late was due to one of the guys giving us bad directions. They decided to call some magical lady who decided to override the policy and play the movie for us. If that hadn’t worked, my next try would have been to point out that they could probably use the business. Tickets cost $6, by the way. Good movie, too.
· Okay, so I had a rough break. But, despite it all, it was full of a lot of goodness and happiness. I loved all the time I was able to spend with friends and family. I feel a whole lot better about all that’s happened thanks to the diversion and support I’ve received from them and continue to receive now that I’m back on campus. I love you all. If you don’t know, my mom has been diagnosed with a stage four lung cancer. The cancer has spread through her body and it will be difficult to fight it. Despite the adversity, my mom has chosen to fight it as much as possible and go through radiation and chemotherapy. It is hard for me to be out here right now, but I feel like it’s what I need to be doing right now. I’m planning on returning home to see her a few times during the semester and I’m looking forward to that. She went through her first round of chemo yesterday and after a while of nausea, she was feeling pretty good today. I’ll be keeping updates of her as well on here.
Saturday, January 01, 2005
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