Rambling

 Sometimes my posts have a purpose. Sometimes that purpose is serious; sometimes it's meant to bring a smile to your lips as you read it (or to mine as I write it). But sometimes I write just because I need to think things through and somehow the process of typing things out helps me.
So here are my current thoughts. . .

1. It's October. I love October because I love fall. October has some totally wonderful things in it including my dad's birthday and my parent's anniversary. Also, I got to wear a sweater today while I had candles lit in my room, and I didn't start sweating two minutes after putting the sweater on. Score. Oh, and apparently, fall is the most romantic season (at least this is what my boyfriend tells me he heard somewhere). Don't know how it won out over winter which has Christmas and practically screams for curling up on a couch in front of a fire, but I'm okay with it. I'd be more okay with it if said boyfriend wasn't two hours away . . . which reminds me, can it be December now?

2. My iTunes keeps skipping. My brother tells me I should back up my files lest my computer crashes. Oh joy.

3. Homework is depressing. Homework is depressing because I never want to do it. It is depressing because by the time I've complete all the reading and writing it entails, I rarely have any desire to do two of the things I enjoy most--reading and writing. But even more depressing than this fact is the realization that even if I had no homework to do, I wouldn't have anything better to occupy my time. Oh what an exciting life I lead.

4. Last night I skyped with one of my good friends. We haven't talked like that in about 8 months which is far too long. There are few things that would have made me happier than that chat. One would be the chance to skype with my boyfriend, but his computer is dead so that's not happening anytime soon.

5. I just had to read statements on the egalitarian and complementarian views of male/female relationships for my Christian Thought class. One I though of quoting as my Facebook status; one I though of tearing up and throwing out my window. Can you guess which is which?

6. Before reading the above statements, I was reading an article for my Writing Theory class about how good writers manipulate the rules of punctuation in order to add emphasis. The author's intentional misuse of semicolons and dashes certainly added emphasis. It also made me even more emphatic that I hate it when people overuse semicolons and dashes. I had to take a break hence the reading of the above statements and the writing of this blog post.

I think that's it. And as you can see, three out of seven of my current trains of thought have to do with homework. *sigh*

Sincerely,

Music Makes Happy

When the rain
Is blowing in your face
And the whole world
Is on your case
I could offer you
A warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows
And the stars appear
And there is no - one there
To dry your tears
I could hold you
For a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you
Haven't made
Your mind up yet
But I would never
Do you wrong
I've known it
From the moment
That we met
No doubt in my mind
Where you belong

I'd go hungry
I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling
Down the avenue
No, there's nothing
That I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging
On the rolling sea
And on the highway of regret
Though winds of change
Are blowing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing
Like me yet

I could make you happy
Make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends
Of the Earth for you
To make you feel my love, To make you feel my love

 

I made a habit
Of never making promises
That aren't easy to keep
And there you have it
But now I'll make you one that is
To keep you here with me

But as every second that goes by
I feel it's just a waste of time
If I'm not with you

If home is where the heart is
Then my home is where you are (my home is where you are)
But it's getting oh so hard
To spend these days
Without my heart

So I'm taking you with me
Anywhere that I
Could ever wanna be
For the rest of my life
I want you there with me
And if there ever comes a time
When I should have to leave
I hope you know that I
I'm taking you with me

And so I'm trying
To hold it all together and
Make it through the day
When I'm just dyin'
To drop it all and take your hand
So we can run away
from all the miles and the hours
That seem to endlessly devour

The time that I could be with you

If home is where the heart is
Then my home is where you are (my home is where you are)
It's getting oh so hard
To spend these days
Without my heart

So I'm taking you with me
Anywhere that I
Could ever wanna be
For the rest of my life
I want you there with me
And if there ever comes a time
Where I should have to leave
I hope you know that I
I'm taking you with me

Every second that goes by
Is one more second of my life
And it couldn't be more clear
That I would die without you here
And every second that goes by
Is one more second of my life
And it couldn't be more clear
I'm dying without you here
Yeah every second that goes by (yeah every second that goes by)

So I'm taking you with me
Anywhere that I
Could ever wanna be
For the rest of my life
I want you there with me
And if there ever comes a time
Where I should have to leave
I hope you know that I
I'm taking you with me
 

Sincerely,

I Love Fall: Episode 2

Fall is wonderful because it's the perfect season for hot apple cider! It's as if Dunkin Donuts is trying to feed my obsession.

It is cheaper than a latte, cheaper than iced coffee, and no more expensive than regular coffee. Yum. Apple flavored things in fall are excellent. Now if only I had no homework, a good movie to watch, and a snuggle buddy. Now that would make it truly fall.


Sincerely,
 

P.S. Notice the totally cool new Macs we have in the Ed lab at Nyack Manhattan?? Fantastic.

Voices

I think we are quick to forget the power of voices. We argue often over whether the written or face-to-face communication is better. In support of the face-to-face communication goes the statistic that something like 90% of communication is through body language. In support of the written word is the idea that writing allows for revision – erasing the poorly formed thoughts and sentences – allowing us to put our “best” self forward. But we have forgotten voice. If I can see you speak, but can't hear the tone, if I can read your words but not hear your voice, I have lost something.

           Last year on 9/11, I wrote about how seemingly pointless is was to me for the name of every life lost on that day to be read year after year. By the time I thought through completely, I came to an understanding of why some might find it helpful, but I still did not. As a New Yorker, 9/11 recollections haunt my life throughout September. It was a tragedy, but I was nine. And to be honest that probably contributes greatly to fact that the reading of those names stirs very little emotion in my heart. It’s not that I don’t care. I just couldn’t properly understand and therefore couldn’t be fully affected by what happened ten years ago. I was nine.

            I’m nineteen now, almost twenty. I understand more fully now what happened on 9/11 than I did ten years ago. But my memories will never be as emotional or haunting as the memories of those who understood it as they lived it. But the voices are haunting. The tapes of those in control towers who frantically attempted to understand why planes weren’t responding, why they were crashing into buildings. The voices. . .

            Voices have power. Your voice has power. Whether you’re writing or speaking, the emotion conveyed through your voice is powerful. Be careful how you use it.

Sincerely,

Learn from Them

One of the hardest parts of “growing up” is realizing that your parents aren’t perfect. As a child growing up in a relatively stable home, your parents may tell you something you don’t want to hear, but you don’t think of them as sinful. However the truth of the matter is they are. Every human is. This is not the place (and there really isn’t an appropriate place) to compose a list of my parents failings. But I know they exist. This knowledge presents me with two options: dwell on their failings and become bitter and jaded or be aware of their failings to guard against them in my own life.

            I have this dream of what my future life will be, and it involves me being perfect. Talk about an unattainable goal.

But I can by the grace of God, be better than my ancestors. I can learn from the past. Yet I will not live out this learning in my adult out-on-my-own life if I don’t begin and practice now.

            So I will strive to be perfect. I will never get there on this earth, but I am called to try. God commands us to “be holy for I am holy.” In life and faith, we have a tendency to put things off. This calling shouldn’t wait till Monday, a new month, a new year, or the beginning of adulthood. It must start now.
Sincerely,

The One In Which I Lament My Lack of Photography Skills

 It's been raining all week. Everyone around me seems to be complaining about it even if they don't have a flooded house. I personally think rain is beautiful. I just wish a had the mad photography skills I would require to properly photograph the beauty that is rain. Still, I will enjoy it today.

Today is the first official day of classes for me. I only have one tonight, but work before that. My class tonight is Writing Theory and I'm super excited because I love the professor and am friends with most of the people I know are in the class. Plus there's only 12 students in the class. I love small classes.

This semester I have two online classes. I never wanted to take online classes and now I'm taking two, and I'll have to take another one next semester. One of the classes is called Christian Thought. The first assignment: post a theological question you've always wanted answered. . . Already I'm stuck. I'm the kind person that when a question of that import crosses my mind I answer/have it answered to my satisfaction asap (act swiftly, awesome pachyderm). I have no idea what to ask. What would you ask if this was your assignment??

Sincerely,

In Which I Question the Holidayness of Labor Day

I'm a huge fan of holidays, but I've got to admit that Labor Day is kind of lame. I feel like it's Memorial Day Part 2. Only as part two, it's less exciting and more depressing. I mean, Memorial Day is like a summer kick off holiday. Labor Day? Buh-bye summer. Since I LOVE fall, you wouldn't think I'd care so much, but it also means back to school. It's just sorta like holiday non grata in my book. It's a little like groundhog day. (Though this summer I met a friend whose family actually celebrates Groundhog Day with a cake and everything. Epic? I think so.)

But it does mean that I get some family time. That's a plus. Oh, and this morning we're going for breakfast with my best friend and her cousin who is also my friend. I'm excited for this.

Sincerely,