Jacknapes on the premise

jackanapes

\ JAK-uh-neyps \  , noun;

1. An impertinent, presumptuous person, especially a young man; whippersnapper.

2. An impudent, mischievous child.

3. Archaic . An ape or monkey.

 

I'm not going to write a lot about this word tonight, mostly because I'm in the midst of writing a paper for my geography class, but let's just say that this word perfectly describes a young man in one of my classes.  That's what we'll call him... a young man.

 

While douchebag is a bit harsh a synonym for this word, it's what comes to mind whenever this guy sits down next to me.  Don't you just hate assigned seats?  I thought that kind of thing would end in high school, but there are profs out there who want to know your name, and punish you for it by making you sit in one spot for 12 weeks.  The horror.

 

Anyway, I won't relay any specific instances in case he happens to wander onto the blog sections of Google one day, but let's just say that everyone knows that jackanapes that thinks he's hilarious, and thinks that every word out his mouth should be heard by all of humanity... or at least the girls who sit next to him.  I didn't think it was possible to talk to the person sitting three inches away from you at such a level that you can't even hear the teacher, but today I was proved wrong, very wrong.  Okay, now I need to go finish my essay.  Y'all get the gist of it right?

Not a Photograph...

I've decided to "extend my horizons" per say by posting an image per day rather than a photo per day...

Anyways I recently photoshopped this thing. I think it's quite self explanatory as to what it exactly is. I never really mentioned this before, but I'm a student blogger for a website called MyMajors. Every month, I post about a given topic. February's topic happened to be preparing for the SAT/ACT, so I thought I'd represent my ten cents of the topic through an infographic.

I know my graphic design skills are nowhere near proficient. But, I'm learning... I hope I get better and better with more practice.

Wellaway. That is all.

wellaway

\ WEL-uh-WEY \  , interjection;

1. (Used to express sorrow.)

 

I couldn't believe it either.  First of all, I've never ever heard this word in my life, it sounds 19th century and there's no way I was able to use it with other people around.  Although, it does have a much more tame element to it...

 

Think about it, how many times have we accidentally tripped, messed up, or found ourselves in compromising situations?  It's at these times that we often (or maybe it's just me, though I highly doubt it) find ourselves shouting interjections like, "crap!" or "shit!" or "dammit!"  If yelling these words to the open air for all to hear is a crime, then I plead guilty.  Because if you really think about it, these are just 1-2 syllable words expressing what's going on in my head, which are typically things like: 

 

-"OH WOW people did not just see me do that!"

-"The frustration!  The horror!  THE AGONY!"

-"Shout to make them think you're in control!"

 

Yes, we're all guilty of this one.  Therefore I propose a challenge to all of you loyal readers: do not shout these mindless words that end up on television and in the movies.  Scream no more the profanity you wouldn't want your grandmother and baby cousin to hear.  Instead, shout "WELLAWAY!" as loudly as you can.  Dictionary.com suggested these as examples:

 

Quotes:

She entered under the dome weeping and wailing, “ Wellaway !"

-- edited by Leonard Charles Smither, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night

" Wellaway . My little son so dear!" So sad he was that no one could cheer up at all…

-- Marijane Osborn, Romancing the Goddess

Origin:

Wellaway  is related to the contemporary word woe . It came from the Old English phrase wā lā wā  meaning "woe! lo! woe!"

 

I used this very word tonight (in the privacy of my own room) while playing a rigorous game of Song Pop.  I was in the midst of guessing random songs, when I lost a round to someone I really should not have lost to.  In a heated moment of angst and frustration, I shouted, "WELLAWAY DAMMIT!"

 

So there, I completed half of the challenge I pose to you.  We will clean up public profanity by introducing old words that will probably end up being used as profanity in the end.  But for now it's just our little challenge.  ;) 

 

Questioning My Choices

I think as children we were taught a lot about what is "right" and what is "wrong." The world seemed much more black and white than it actually is. These values are (presumably) instilled in us from a very young age, and as we grow older we either rebel against what we were always taught was "right" or be those good little angels we were brought up to be.

I (and most people I know) consider myself a "goody-goody" for obvious reasons. I don't drink underage nor do I party nor smoke nor anything that we were taught as "bad." But I also know people who've tried it once or twice on occasion. Now why did they do it when all our lives we were taught that this was wrong? Did the adults I look up to overhype the dangers of "bad" things? Is it better to try things out and judge for yourself what is right and wrong?

If you think about it, the health risks of all this is no better than eating lots of fast food junk. Not that I actually do eat tons of unhealthy food, but the purpose of this argument the hypothetical situation stands. The brain damaging effects of alcohol could also be through sucking helium balloons for that high chipmunk voice instead.

I'm not saying that I'm going to change my lifestyle. Rather, I'd like to identify the reasons for my choices and justify them--- because no longer is the world black and white. "Because I know it is wrong" no longer is an excuse. Because nothing is entirely wrong nor is anything entirely right.

Plotzing from too much internet

This may surprise many of you, but I used today's Word of the Day while talking to none other than... ASHLEY!  After spending much too much time on the Internet today, we've decided that when it comes to using random girl names in YouTube videos, the name Ashley takes the cake.  I'll explain.

plotz

\ plots \  , verb;

1. To collapse or faint, as from surprise, excitement, or exhaustion.

 

I'm going to be very delicate with this, because today's anecdote involves someone who may not be very happy or forgiving if she found out that she was mentioned this way in a blog.  So to protect the innocent, I'm going to change more than just names.  It's THAT legit.  

 

So Ashley has this class, where she's required to have this partner, and cannot switch for the whole year.  She sees her a lot and there's no getting away from her until the day we move out.  Well this partner of Ashley's is very closed off and set in her ways.  Not saying it's a bad thing, but it makes interacting with this girl very awkward.  By the way we are going to call this girl Nancy.  

 

Anyway, in spite of the fact that Ashley lives about 30 steps from my room, we were chatting over Skype (messaging not video chat, wow we're not that lazy) about Nancy and the various times she's whined about other people in this class over Twitter.  She is bugged by the littlest things considering how big the class is.  I then told Ashley, "If she were to start a convo with anyone in that class I'd plotz from surprise!"

 

It was here that Ashley inquired into the definition of plotz because it is so innovative and intelligent sounding that she did not know the meaning.  But, because it was so innovative and intelligent, she knew right away that is was the WoD.  I'm just obvious like that. 

Studying in the Library

Today was the first day I stepped foot in my school's library. No joke. Somehow I was able to avoid the library the entirety of first semester. To be honest my motivation wasn't really studying at all. I just needed a place to kill time before class without stepping out into the pouring rain.

Strangely enough, the library was nothing like I thought it was going to be. There were a lot of people there. Especially on the floors with more study tables, it was animated and lively, not the quiet serene place I had imagined the library to be. It was fairly difficult to hunt for a quiet place alone with a table to myself... I eventually found a lonely table and got to studying.

Despite the background noise where the tables and computer labs are situated, the endless rows of books were quite amazing. Maybe it's been too long since I've been in a large library, but running up and down the stairs to find floors and floors of book was more amusing than it should've been.

The word-hoards of Pride and Prejudice

There seems to be an evident pattern in my life, as today's WoD was used to describe the film "Pride and Prejudice".

word-hoard

\ WURD-hawrd \  , noun;

1. A person's vocabulary.

 

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen.  For those of you who have not read the book, or seen one of the movies, or even watched The Lizzie Bennet Diaries after I personally recommended them... change that status.  Immediately.  In fact I'll be so bold as to make a gushy fan-girl statement and say that today's episode of The LBD is my favorite so far.  Plots become so much more pleasant to watch when the characters get along.

 

But because we are hopeless fans when it comes to P&P, Ashley and I decided to mark this momentous date by watching the 2005 film P&P with Keira Knightly.  Honestly one of my favorite movies, I'm absolutely head over heels for the guy who plays Darcy.  I used today's WoD during the scene of the first ball, when we are first introduced to Darcy, Bingly, and Bingly's sister.  I was, of course, impressed with the vast vocabulary in the film (it was written in a time when vocab was the thing to know), and I said to Ashley, "They have excellent word-hoard in this film."  She agreed with me.

 

So this blog post is hereby dedicated to Jane Austen, who gave us the very first chick-lit that has not only taught us what we should ask for in a relationship, but what we can do to improve it.  And how opening ourselves to change may be the best decision we ever make.

 

 

Dear 21 year old me,

About a month ago, I was curiously looking through some old blog posts of mine when I came across an entry written two years ago titled "Dear 18 year old me." As a current 18 year old, I was particularly excited to read an entry that summed up my life's aspirations leading up to today in a nutshell. Not only was I surprised that I had no recollection of writing this post, I was stunned that I actually completed what I had set out to do. Some of the goals included making life-long friends in college while keeping the old ones close, finishing a project for once in my life (which I did), and finding something that I'm truly passionate about. The last request from 16 year old me (other than "Stay awesome.") was this: "Look back. Reminisce. Evaluate how things turned out. Look forward. Make plans for the future."

Hence, my letter to you, 21 year old Ashley, is my way of setting goals and making plans for the future.

1. By the time you are 21, I hope you've failed to achieve something you wanted. Let's face it, life came just too easy for you. You've gotten everything you've ever wanted for the most part. I'm not saying that you should drop your life's aspirations and live a vegetable life; I want you to try your best, and then fail. No great man ever lived without having a door shut in his face from time to time. The act of rejection is so infuriating, it pushed him even further to succeed. Whether it be an internship you really wanted or a summer job, I hope they reject you. Thanks to them, you'll be stronger and you'll be great.
2. Please, learn to at least catch a spider. Grow up a bit, why don't you? Don't be so dependent on other people.
3. Did you graduate yet? I know at the time being, the plan is to be in and out of here in 3 years, saving a year's worth of tuition and making good use of all those stressful years of high school AP tests. But I also know that plans change. Maybe you decided to take up 2 minors... or maybe you decided to double major! Maybe you decided to spend a semester abroad... Are you in grad school right now? Working? Whatever decision you make, I hope you've thought it through. I hope it's the best decision you make in the next 3 years.
4. Try new experiences. Travel. Eat weird things. Don't be afraid of the vibrant world around you.
5. Stop obsessing over categorizing yourself and other people. I know... personality tests are intriguing, but they're also addicting. Stop trying to put yourself under a label. Stop questioning your actions and trying to name them because you already know the answer: it doesn't matter what "type" of person you are. You are you. That's what counts. Labeling only justifies your faults, and you know faults are faults. Fix them, don't excuse them.
6. Don't spread yourself too thin. Knowing your enthusiasm, I bet you're willing to play the superwoman role, trying to do everything and anything possible. But remember: quality, not quantity.
7. You've never really been vocal about your opinions. I respect that. Just don't let your opinions change because the vocal people don't agree, unless you have good reason to change your views.  Don't doubt your judgement.  You're old enough. An adult. Form your own opinions. Be skeptical. Make your own decisions.
8. Be rational. Be cautious. Talk things out with people if you need help.
9. Despite condemning you to failing at something you want, I don't want you to be a failure. I hope you've made some commendable achievements in the past 3 years!
10. Look back. Reminisce. Evaluate how things turned out. Look forward. Make plans for the future.

Love,

18 year old Ashley

P.S. Enclosed I have posted a silly picture of me... so 3 years from now, you'll definitely be better looking. Look. I even have the black and white effect on for it to look like "the past."

"Who Am I?"

These pictures aren't new. In fact, I dug them up from the depths of my computer files. I found them under 2007/2008 Pictures and in a file titled "Who am I?"

I remember I took a video production class in my first semester of 8th grade where we were told to create a "Who Am I?" project using iMovie (or similar software of the sort). In all honesty, I don't remember what my project what my slideshow was about. I just remember I had one CD at the time so I had very limited choice/knowledge of what to put as background music that wasn't lame and that I took these pictures of my friends.

Looking back at these pictures, I've learned two things:

1) I sucked at taking pictures. Most of them are blurry.
2) I can't even name some of these people. That's just sad.

This goes to say that I've changed quite a bit since middle school... I understand drifting apart means you might not talk to your old friends anymore, but how could I just forget their names? Just like that? It's kind of strange...

But who am I? Not the person I was 5 years ago...

The not-so intemerate game

Today's Word of the Day was used to describe something quite unexpected for the subject.

intemerate

\ in-TEM-er-it \  , adjective;

1. Inviolate; undefiled; unsullied; pure.

 

The WoD was used in conversation with a very good friend of mine from back home.  I was doing some homework in one of my favorite buildings on campus (Newhouse ftw) when, having received a very rambly, off-topic voice mail (who uses voice mail anymore?) I decided to call my friend back.  To protect the innocent, let's call her Marylin Monroe.  

 

After an invigorating discussion about how difficult we both found algebra in school, the conversation took a turn towards the game Words with Friends.  For those of you unaware (which is all of you), WWF is my second favorite app game (after Temple Run, evern though I'm the last person on Earth to still play it).  If you want to play me, my username is calgal235.

 

Anyway, MM and I were discussing how it's kind of a bullshit game given that more than half of the words you can use aren't real words at all.  I mean xi?  Za?  Fenny?  Quates?  It's more a game of placement than vocabulary.  It was on this topic that I told MM, "Yeah, it's not exactly an intemerate game".  She didn't really respond, mostly just agreed.  That's because it's true.  But it's a bullshit game that I happen to love. 

Trying to not be antipathetic to change. That was a double negative.

I know I'm a terrible person-- it's after midnight and I'm completing this post.  But hey, it's still yesterday on the west coast, if you think about it.

antipathetic

\ an-ti-puh-THET-ik \  , adjective;

1. Opposed, averse, or contrary; having or showing antipathy: They were antipathetic to many of the proposed changes .

2. Causing or likely to cause antipathy: The new management was antipathetic to all of us . 

 

When I first read this definition, I was a bit perplexed as to how I was going to use it.  It's literally anti+pathetic.  I didn't manage to use it in conversation today, but it does somewhat relate to an event (or lack thereof) in my life.  

 

I am a self declared creature of habit.  I wake up, go to class, come home, chill, do homework, chill some more.  And the weekends are no better, I wake up at 11 and figure out the day after that.  Oftentimes I'm so bored I actually do homework on Saturdays.  Since the end of last semester, I've wanted things to change.  I want to get out, see things, meet people, and become a part of something.  

 

That's kind of hard to do when you're inside watching reruns of Doctor Who on Netflix.  But I've decided that I need to stop being antipathetic to change.  I need to take control of my social and academic life in a way that makes me thrive in all sorts of ways as a person.  College is the perfect place to figure out who I am going to be  want to become, and more importantly, how I'm going to achieve it.

Snowtubing

Today we tried snowtubing for the first time ever! It wasn't quite what I expected... Somehow I figured that it'd be a waterslide but with ice. A more accurate depiction would be a giant hill that you sled down in a circular pool floaty type thing. Lots of fun, but my hands felt frozen!

Speaking of frozen, we were also daring enough to walk across a frozen solid stream. This act would be considered stupid had the ice cracked and we had fallen in, BUT IT DIDN'T!

Birthdays

They happen every year. However, I don't think I've ever seen anything that screams, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" quite like this; imagine having to unwrap yourself to start your birthday. It's quite a surprise.

It's funny how people's attitudes towards birthdays change. Typically birthdays are something to look forward to, but in reality, it's just another day. You'd think that after decades of living, your birthday, something you used to consider a "holiday" (or so it should've been in the calendar), is nothing special.

Many years ago, my mom once told me that birthdays are fun until you hit your twenties... then you realize you're just getting old. However, whenever celebrities die in their 50's or 60's, the response is, "That's so sad... he was so young." That makes the age range between 30-70 too old to have much to look forward to, and yet too young to consider death.

Here's a "fun" question: Do you estimate the age you'll live up to, then calculate the percentage to see how much of your life is over/yet to come? I do.

Brabbling about the unknown

Today's word was used while talking to my best friend from home about her nervousness for tomorrow.

brabble

\ BRAB-uhl \  , verb;

1. To argue stubbornly about trifles; wrangle.

noun:

1. Noisy, quarrelsome chatter.

 

She shall just be known as BFF.  She called me earlier tonight because, in her quest to become a successful journalist (which will surely happen) she is auditioning for talk shows at her university.  In a panic (which happens more than you might imagine (side note: love you BFF!)) she called me to ask my opinion on what she should do tomorrow for her impromptu interview.

 

I, knowing both everything and nothing about her situation, helped by being an impromptu (and nonexistent) interviewee.  I came up with scenarios, characters (which I am quite proud of by the way) that would help her draw the right answers out of my character.

 

In the process, at a moment of slight disagreement over my constructive criticism, I told her, "We can't just be brabbling about on the screen!"  To which she replied, "Brabbling?"

 

So for those of you tired of words like babbling, jabbering, rambling, yammering--there is hope out there.  The brabbling for the right word has ended. 

Computer kibitzer (but not really)

kibitzer

\ KIB-it-ser \  , noun;

1. A giver of uninvited or unwanted advice.

2. A spectator at a card game who looks at the players' cards over their shoulders, especially one who gives unsolicited advice.

3. A person who jokes, chitchats, or makes wisecracks, especially while others are trying to work or to discuss something seriously.

 

I don't have much to say on this word today, partly because it's kinda late, and partly because I'm kinda tired from evacuating my building twice in one night.  Yeah, I'm mostly tired from the latter.

 

But I did think of some form of kibitzer without actually using it in conversation today.  I had to go to a lab today for a communications class, it's called COM117.  In that class, we have a TA, we'll call her Daisy.  Now, she's very sweet, and very soft spoken naturally, and her job for today was to teach us how to use FinalCut Pro.  She did, and in the process walked around looking at our computer screens to give us advice.  

 

I understand that "kibitzer" has a kind of negative connotation, but it reminded me just a little of the second definition that dictionary.com gives us.  Except we absolutely wanted her advice, especially people like me, who are rejected by technology.  So really she was a kindly kibitzer whose advice was 100% solicited.  Daisy's going to have to help me with many more projects.

The Studio

This semester is the first semester I get to take a class in my major. HOORAY!! I'M MOSTLY DONE WITH GENERAL EDUCATION! Point is, today I learned how to use some equipment in the production studio.

The class I'm taking, BDJ 265, is a studio production class. We combine with the senior level BDJ 465 class to form a mock news crew. My class is in charge of operating the cameras/audio/lighting/etc. while the seniors collect and broadcast the news stories. Together we form a 4:00pm and a 4:40pm news broadcast every Thursday.

I shouldn't be all that amazed at the studio. After all, what else was I expecting? Yet, seeing the cameras, the green screen, the teleprompter, and the microphones all in action at once... and knowing this cool technology is operated by my fellow classmates--- I felt pretty legit.

Today we learned our role, as every week afterward will be putting on a show. Each person in my class is assigned a position in this mock crew. I play the mighty role of "Assistant Director!" The position isn't as fancy as it sounds... I just sit in the control room and keep the clock running. I set the timers, answer the Skype calls, and push some buttons so that the teleprompter shows what is on the green screen when the weatherman does his weather report. Nonetheless, I'm pretty psyched about this class. Starting now, I learn the rules of the trade :)

En règle is TOO French

It's really my occasional social awkwardness that keeps me from using the Word of the Day in my classes and when I talk to people other than Ashley.  That, and I have a tendency to forget the WoD as soon as I log off my email.  I was especially happy to see dictionary.com's surprise for me today:

en règle

\ ahn RE-gluh \  , adjective;

1. In order; according to the rules; correct.

 

I used this word while talking to Ashley today actually.  It was in a Facebook message, talking about this blog and how we've noticed more views popping up here and there.  My message went as follows: "it's cause we have dynamic, not so en règle ideas ;)"

 

To be honest, I think I have the same problem as 90% of college students: I want to be special, and I like to think I'm special,  but the truth of it is, what do I have to show for it?  Among my former high school classmates, I like to think I'm special because I'm one of the few who came all the way to the east coast for college.  At home, I like to think I'm special because I'm not living in Rancho Cucamonga like everyone else.  But outside of that, what exactly is my niche in the world?

 

Am I part nerd?  Part blonde?  Part writer?  Part Newhouse student?  Part yellow-light runner?  Part movie quoter?  I'm all of those, and I'm starting to think that finding your niche in life is more than just finding a category to fit into.  Finding your niche, I like to think, means finding the things in life that make you happy and unhappy, successful and unsuccessful, better and worse.  The key is to figure out which ones to follow, and which ones to avoid.  So yeah, I'm that girl who tries Dunkin' Donuts six months after moving to New York.  But I'm also that 19-year-old girl who's trying to get out of the dorms, into the classroom, and onto a life that's en règle just for me.

 

Art takes courage.

Current work in progress.

I learned that today. If you don't know me, I've been drawing and taking art classes since I was about 7 when my parents saw how entertained I was with drawing on paper tablecloths at restaurants. Since then, I went to class once a week for about an hour up until my junior year in high school. I thought I would keep up with art on my own after quitting classes. However, when I stopped class, I seemed to stop art.

I knew to some extent that I loved art. I always enjoyed painting in class and seriously considered majoring in art when applying for college. But only creating when in class led me to question my supposed "passion." If I really loved art so much, wouldn't I devote my free time to it? I can't seem to make myself pick up a pencil for a quick sketch unless I am in a classroom.

I looked towards my friends with specific hobbies they loved doing. My friend who is an aspiring author seems to write day and night, and he has the short stories and the novels to prove it. Another friend of mine loves making 3D sculptures out of small magnetic balls. He makes money off of YouTube videos that show off his creations. Funny thing is, both of these friends ask me quite often, "What have you made recently? Have you done any new paintings?"

Today I've been promoting a YouTube video that my cousin entered in a scholarship contest. My cousin talks about how art is something powerful that expresses one's views without compromise. I thought about what she said, and I think I've found what my problem is.

To express one's views without compromise takes courage. When you create something and put it out there, you subject yourself to judgements and criticism. More so than outside judgements, you judge yourself. We all know that you are your worst critic. This is where I seem to go wrong.

I don't make art outside of class because I'm afraid that my art without a teacher's guidance is always just crap. I've become dependent on someone else's reassurance that the work I've done is good, and if it isn't, my critics have advice to offer so I can change and make it "good." To be honest, my recent teachers never really have anything to say to me. Everything is always good because art is subjective and my interpretation is my own. Making art on my own takes courage. And now that I've identified the problem, hopefully I can fix it.

Gorgonized in front of Netflix

gorgonize

\ GAWR-guh-nahyz \  , verb;

1. To affect as a Gorgon; hypnotize; petrify.

 

If you've seen any movie that has ever had to do with the Greek gods, then you have a pretty good idea of what gorgonizing is.  Those wretched sister from Disney's Hercules?  That's them, the ones that turn anyone who looks at them into stone.  Season three of Doctor Who has done just that to me.

 

I am gorgonized.  Mostly by this face.

 

  For those of you who are not Whovians, I suggest that you give the show a try.  I only really heard of the series a few years ago, and didn't start watching it until summer 2012.  I am now hooked on it especially the David Tennant episodes.  So.  Much.  Swag.

 

I am selfishly using this post as a fangirl/nerdy entry, but I know that there are those out there who will thank me, once you too are gorganized by the show.  Danke! 

Why do anything at all?

As I grow older and learn more about the world around me, I look back and reflect on the person I was. I always come to the conclusion that I was stupid, ignorant, and embarrassing. The funny thing is, the cycle never stops. I grow older. I look back. My views have changed, and I feel ashamed of the younger version of me once again. This cycle leads me to question the views I have now and whether or not I’ll regret them in the future. The fact that I will never know everything in the world leads me to question whether or not I should ever take a stance on anything without knowing all there is to know about a subject (which brings us back to point A: I will never know everything about the world anyways).

So why do or say anything at all? Why should I subject myself to opinions and decisions when it only results in torn out journal pages and erased blogs and whatnot because I came to the conclusion that I was an idiot without a strong enough argument or with misinformation in the first place?

I suppose one could argue that people learn from their mistakes. But how many mistakes can you make before you reach something truly right? If you’re just going to make mistake after mistake, why don’t you just shut your trap for now and let the idea simmer before diving in? Why does a mistake need to be made in order to learn? More importantly, why do I keep on asking questions in my text posts that I never find an answer to? What’s the point of questions without finding answers? :P

Watching Sports

For the longest time, I did not understand sport fanatics. Watching sports was (and still is) watching other people have fun. And where's the fun in watching other people be active and having the time of their life? How is it entertaining if you are not experiencing the sport? You're merely an observer.

From an objective standpoint, I could make this argument about anything really. A more relatable experience would be watching dances at dance competitions because I used to be a dancer. Watching dances on YouTube and at competitions like So You Think You Can Dance are intriguing, yet one could argue I am watching other people have fun performing their art. Same with watching dramas in a theater! Watching sports like basketball and football are almost the same thing. One could critique the plays and technique like one would critique the musicality, the acting, and the emotion in dance and theater.

Despite thinking that I could not relate to people who watch sports, the line between watching art and watching action almost nonexistent! However, I do see a major difference between rowdy college sports fans who cheer and scream whenever the team succeeds (often hurting neighbors with their flailing limbs that accidentally miss the air and hit the skull) and an audience in the theater that keeps quiet unless a scene has ended followed by applause.

I prefer art. Just saying.

Obama's allocution

I didn't use today's Word of the Way in conversation per se, but I did think of it while watching today's inauguration address.

allocution \al-uh-KYOO-shuhn\, noun:

1. A formal speech, especially one of an incontrovertible or hortatory nature.
2. A pronouncement delivered by the pope to a secret consistory, especially on a matter of policy or of general importance.

President Barack Obama, who was sworn in today made quite a dramatic allocution regarding America's status, as well as his hopes for the future for this country.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch much of it.  It is surprising since there were no classes today, but I found myself in a whirlwind of school spirit as I got ready to see my very first Syracuse basketball game ever.  Which, for those of you who are unaware, is a pretty big deal.

I won't bore you with the details of my day as I prepared for the big game against Cincinnati (which we won by the way, 57-55 by a few second margin, we're now ranked 3rd in the country thank you very much) but it was a very exciting day.  Well, it was exciting up until the point when I had to gravitate towards reality and do my homework, which for tonight, includes reading Oedipus Rex.  Now there's a guy who can make a helluvan allocution.

My small yet jubliarian event

Dictionary.com gave me a rather appropriate word today, as I actually have a small accomplishment to celebrate.

jubilarian

\ joo-buh-LAIR-ee-uhn \  , noun;

1. A person who celebrates or has celebrated a jubilee, as a nun observing 25 or more years of religious life.

 

I'm normally not one of those people who comments on YouTube a lot.  Actually, most of my online socialization takes place on Facebook and Twitter.  However, as previously mentioned in a post, I am obsessed with The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and today I finally mustered up the courage to comment on one of the videos.  I didn't, by the way, use the WoD in my comment, but it does describe how I felt a few hours after my post.

 

I'll post the link below, no guarantees that it will always be the top comment, but it's in an episode that uses a very profound word: verisimilitude.  For all of you good-looking guys out there, I'm a sucker for a good vocabulary.  No joke, when the character Darcy does his little speech in the middle (you'll watch it, I know you will) I swoon just a little bit.  Anyway, my comment was this, "Verisimilitude: BOOM!  Pregnant!" and after a few hours, it was the top comment on the video!  TOP COMMENT! 

 

It was the first comment I've ever made on YouTube and it's top dog!  Kinda.  Anyway, later that day I told Ashley and said, "I'm as happy as a jubilarian!"

 

And I still am.  I hope to GOD that the guy who plays Darcy (Daniel Vincent Gorhd) reads that comment.  And then finds my blog.  And then finds me.  And we can have profoundly deep vocabulary discussions together.  Or something fun...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ambbh_61wAw&list=UUXfbQAimgtbk4RAUHtIAUww&index=2 

"Living Independently"

College. It's a golden opportunity to become an independent individual (or so they say).

I find it quite amusing to receive this letter that says one should, "help your student adjust to living independently with Syracuse University's endorsed laundry service"... because everyone knows in the real world you have laundry services like Lazybones to help you with your dirty clothes.

I find it quite funny how ads like these probably work in the real world. Despite how ridiculous I find this, someone must use Lazybones' services to keep them in business, right?

Dining Hall Food

All throughout elementary, middle, and high school, I thought crappy cafeteria food was a myth. Sure it wasn't the best quality food around. It definitely wasn't a 5 star restaurant, but it served it's purpose and was edible. Then came college.

Maybe I've just been oblivious to the quality of cafeteria food because I was never subjected to it almost 24/7, but now I do see the horrible qualities of cafeteria food. Why does cafeteria food suck?

Schools need money for food [I have no idea why my tuition/housing money for an expensive private institution does not pay for better quality food, but that's beside the point]. And because they don't have the funding, we get starch. Potatoes are always served in some form. Seriously, the cafeteria just serves starch to fill up the stomach whether it be potatoes or pasta. The meat is dry. The only clear side dish of vegetable is the salad bar which gets old after a while or a small bowl almost empty of peas and carrots. The freshness of fruit varies from day to day. Finding a combination of delicious and healthy is almost impossible.

Homework has a way of putting a shindy in your day

Many people refer to me as a beacon of academia and intelligence.  Others think that I am God's gift to the literary world.  Who are these people you may ask?  My overinflated ego when I'm able to use the WoD in academic context.  I finally got the opportunity today.

shindy

\ SHIN-dee \  , noun;

1. A row; rumpus.

2. A shindig.

Now, I'm slightly nervous about telling you how I quoted this word, because it was in a written paper that I sent to my professor using turnitin.com.  For those of you who've never heard of turnitin.com, it's a ploy teachers use to know when their students are plagiarizing papers.  I actually have nothing against it since I don't cheat, but it's still nice to rant about how lame teachers are by trying to catch students in the act of doing something wrong or unlawful.  Anyway, chances are when my prof reads my paper, it will show me getting that quote off of this blog, and unless she takes the time to read this entry (which probably won't happen) she might think that I copied it off this blog.  Which I did, technically.  But technically I'm the one who wrote it.

What I wrote today was for my COM101 class, also known as "Grammar Slammer".  I just needed to send in a writing sample about my experience with and perception of grammar.  The WoD was used in my thesis statement: "

-->Learning the rules and details of grammar threw a real shindy in my perception of grammar."

  

Basically I was saying that elementary school grammar is a lot easier than learning all that crap about conjugations, direct objects, pronouns, etc.  If you're reading this now though, Professor Deppa, I don't think it's crap.  I think it's wonderful and I love your class and Lolly is the cutest name I've ever heard for a dog in my whole life.   

Ice Skating

*Disclaimer* My thoughts are a bit scatterbrained today-- brainfried from the first week of school I suppose. I apologize for this incoherent thing that I have just written.

There are few truly kind people out there in the world. I'd say one of them is Leslie Walters (top right). She's just one of those people who don't seem to have flaws... I mean sure, she probably doesn't think herself perfect, but she's as close as humankind will ever get.

I wouldn't say I know Leslie well. If I did, maybe I'd find the flaws past the charisma, the friendliness, and the intelligence, but the fact that I don't know Leslie well makes this outing all the more special. I admire her openness and willingness to meet new people. It shows you can have fun with people you don't necessarily know well.

The charm is this: Leslie's got a way with people to make them feel included in this society.

Just remember, a simple invitation and a compliment can go a long way.

Not really a Camelot of a restaurant

Camelot

\ KAM-uh-lot \  , noun;

1. Any idyllic place or period, especially one of great happiness.

2. The legendary site of King Arthur's palace and court, possibly near Exeter, England.

3. The glamorous ambience of Washington, D.C., during the administration of President John F. Kennedy, 1961–63.

 

At first I couldn't actually believe that this was the WoD, mostly because I was completely familiar with it.  However I really like the context I got to use it in earlier this evening:

 

Ashley and I were enjoying a lovely dinner in the somewhat empty, somewhat agoraphobic restaurant called Panda West on Marshall Street.  The thing about this restaurant is, it's really not that well decorated.  Seriously.  There are some fancy mirrors on the walls, a dew ficus hanging from the ceiling, and decorative china on the tables.  Seriously.

 

Because of the lack of fancy, oriental decor on the walls and tables, I noted to my partner in crime that, "This isn't exactly the Camelot of Chinese restaurants."  Of course, the context is completely off due to the occidental nature associated with Camelot, but I like to think that it was a nice place to eat.  You know, after England was established and everything.