So, this is my senior year as an undergraduate at college. There is a wonderful Travel Study program that my school offers, that goes fantastical places, within the US as well as internationally. I've thought about going on a few of them, but the most I have ever done was a day trip to D.C. for the Cherry Festival. I got to visit some of the Smithsonians and explore with friends, and had lots of fun! That was about two years ago, I believe.
As expected, though, the Travel Study opportunities cost money. The day-trip was probably about $50. Those are obscure enough that I haven't found them advertised on the main website, only on our special student-portals. And they are usually during school days, so I have not done more than the one.
But then there are the big trips: Ireland, England, New York City, Costa Rica, Italy... These are the trips that last from a few days to a few weeks. They offer the chance to explore a new culture, participate in a new tradition, see the beauty of a new world. And I plan on finally taking advantage of this chance.
There is a Travel Study trip to Dublin, Ireland during Spring Break 2015, lasting a total of about a week. (Two of those days will actually be plane travel, though, so more like 5 days; but that's still pretty awesome!) It is a chance I have to explore the wonders of Dublin with trusted friends, and see Ireland for myself. Plus, it is a chance to finally get to Europe! The only time I have left the continental U.S. was for the Puerto Rico Spanish trip at the end of high school. That was a fantastical experience, and I'd love to take the chance to do it again.
In Ireland, we will be traveling to a number of different locations: Trinity College (and seeing the Book of Kells), Blarney Castle & Cork, the Cliffs of Moher, Kilkenny Castle, and the Rock of Cashel. We'll also have some free time after the trips to explore around Dublin. There are so many things that I will be able to participate in while there!
Because I have at least 56 credit hours at SVU, I have a Travel Study voucher for $400. I have put that towards the $1850 this Ireland trip costs. However, I still have to come up with the other $1450.
Being a student, that is a bit difficult. So I am reaching out and asking for some help. I have started an online fundraiser at YouCaring.com for my trip here. I know that not everyone has the current ability to donate, but spreading the word is another way to help out. Please share this campaign with those around you, and encourage them to share as well! If it reaches enough people, I'm sure that the goal can be reached. Even a small donation would be truly, greatly appreciated!
Thank you~
Monday, November 17, 2014
November
Halloween! It happened! And I dressed up as Anna from Frozen~ Twas fun!
I also had fun helping with makeup for my friend Bev, but you can see those pics on my Facebook. :3
Yay for Goodwill's supplies! And family who also find things for me~
(gosh my hair is getting so long... glad I can braid more effectively now!)
In the meantime, life has been... um... hectic? I say that questionably because I am generally unsure where I am at the moment, so it's just safe to assume I have a number of things due that I've not had time to work on... Crud, I'm remembering them now. There's a test in Statistics on Friday, as well as a project for the class. Not to mention a project/paper due in Family Process. Good news about that latter one: a portion of it is already pretty much done; he's based it off of previous assignments and built it off of them. However, the unfortunate part of that is that he hasn't gotten all of those previous assignments back to us yet... I think I have enough to do the essay portion, but it would be nice to have the rest of it. We'll probably get it on Wednesday, our next class period. Guess I know what I'll be doing Thursday.
But The Review is holding together~ The lit mag's deadline date has passed, so now we get on to the more fun part of actually rating the submissions! Now, just to do it when we can all actually get together... *sigh*
Also, Bev is getting married/sealed on Dec. 16th. O_o It's coming up quick! I won't be able to stay for the actual thing, unfortunately, as school is ending the previous week and dorms close up (and airline tickets are expensive). But I'll be at the reception in January when we return~
For the next bit of news, I'll be updating shortly. It's rather exciting, actually~
Stay tuned!
<3
Monday, October 20, 2014
October. It's here.
Wow. That was quick. And October is actually over half-over. DB Graaaahh.
Good news: I have a costume idea! A few, actually. But, because of time constraints, and money, I'll be attempting to create an Anna costume from Frozen! Because it's easy enough, and I've got the hair for it. (and temporary hair-color-spray) :3 I'll take pictures when I actually have more things together for it, but I've got some pieces that I think will work so far~
With school... I am really doing a lot. I am attempting to streamline some things so that next semester won't be so hectic, but for this semester, some times it's calmer than others. But I'm seriously enjoying it. Except for math. But that's mostly because we're moving at breakneck speed in Statistics. I like the application ideas, and the experiment incorporation, but I barely have time to sort-of grasp the ideas before we're learning something new. Again. *sigh*
But writing is fantastic! As is editing/sharing! I'm actually doing more editing than just for my class, as friends are working on stories as well. But it's really so much fun, I love helping out so much.
And clubs are making progress. Not as much as anticipated, but progress period is good. Lovely. Hopeful.
And Institute is wonderfully helpful. I'm taking Teachings of the Living Prophets, where we go over the most recent General Conference addresses (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints keeps the website updated very nicely!). Before the most recent conference, we used talks from last Fall. Pretty much all of them have been helpful and timed really well, but then again, I suppose that I should expect that if I actually put effort into my studies. XD Especially spiritually-related.
And thank heavens for that. Because college life certainly isn't conducive to me getting the sleep I should need to appropriately deal with life. :D But I'm working with it! And ballet is helping me keep a reality check going.
As is job hunting. Er, rather, job/internship hunting is an additional task that I'm working with, and ballet and stuff are helping me not feel overwhelmed about it. Because I'm looking in the publishing industry, but I've not got the slightest how to get a foot in the door. *sigh* Thankfully, there's a wonderful site called bookjobs.com where there are lists/profiles of different publishers and such. And I've located a number of very intriguing-sounding companies, including one called Paper Lantern Lit. So I've been doing much research there. I'm thinking I perhaps ought to also get more work done on my senior paper, too... But I'm just a bit paranoid.
On the good side, I finally have some books for my paper analysis: To Kill a Mockingbird & Jane Eyre.
I look forward to getting to compare them, in terms of the portrayal of mental illness~ (now if only I could make the time...)
And interestingly enough, I feel like I have more time out of classes this semester, or at least not as spread all over the place, but when combined with homework and meetings and research, I probably have about the same amount of time as usual. I think. I've not had time to analyze that. <w<'
*sigh* Yep. Lots of prayer this semester. And faith.
But now, sleep. Because I don't get enough of that anyway.
Talk to ya later~
Good news: I have a costume idea! A few, actually. But, because of time constraints, and money, I'll be attempting to create an Anna costume from Frozen! Because it's easy enough, and I've got the hair for it. (and temporary hair-color-spray) :3 I'll take pictures when I actually have more things together for it, but I've got some pieces that I think will work so far~
With school... I am really doing a lot. I am attempting to streamline some things so that next semester won't be so hectic, but for this semester, some times it's calmer than others. But I'm seriously enjoying it. Except for math. But that's mostly because we're moving at breakneck speed in Statistics. I like the application ideas, and the experiment incorporation, but I barely have time to sort-of grasp the ideas before we're learning something new. Again. *sigh*
But writing is fantastic! As is editing/sharing! I'm actually doing more editing than just for my class, as friends are working on stories as well. But it's really so much fun, I love helping out so much.
And clubs are making progress. Not as much as anticipated, but progress period is good. Lovely. Hopeful.
And Institute is wonderfully helpful. I'm taking Teachings of the Living Prophets, where we go over the most recent General Conference addresses (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints keeps the website updated very nicely!). Before the most recent conference, we used talks from last Fall. Pretty much all of them have been helpful and timed really well, but then again, I suppose that I should expect that if I actually put effort into my studies. XD Especially spiritually-related.
And thank heavens for that. Because college life certainly isn't conducive to me getting the sleep I should need to appropriately deal with life. :D But I'm working with it! And ballet is helping me keep a reality check going.
As is job hunting. Er, rather, job/internship hunting is an additional task that I'm working with, and ballet and stuff are helping me not feel overwhelmed about it. Because I'm looking in the publishing industry, but I've not got the slightest how to get a foot in the door. *sigh* Thankfully, there's a wonderful site called bookjobs.com where there are lists/profiles of different publishers and such. And I've located a number of very intriguing-sounding companies, including one called Paper Lantern Lit. So I've been doing much research there. I'm thinking I perhaps ought to also get more work done on my senior paper, too... But I'm just a bit paranoid.
On the good side, I finally have some books for my paper analysis: To Kill a Mockingbird & Jane Eyre.
I look forward to getting to compare them, in terms of the portrayal of mental illness~ (now if only I could make the time...)
And interestingly enough, I feel like I have more time out of classes this semester, or at least not as spread all over the place, but when combined with homework and meetings and research, I probably have about the same amount of time as usual. I think. I've not had time to analyze that. <w<'
*sigh* Yep. Lots of prayer this semester. And faith.
But now, sleep. Because I don't get enough of that anyway.
Talk to ya later~
Friday, August 29, 2014
Fall Semester Starts
Fall 2014. My last fall semester as an undergrad. Craziness I say.
But! I've not got the time to think about that! Because I've got three clubs to keep going as well as my classload to uphold. Yaaaaay~
Random point of interest: I have my first smart phone. Received about a month or so ago. Still learning ins and outs, and it will by no means replace my laptop. But even within the first week of school, I am appreciating its versatility and usefulness. Like a calendar! And alarms! And a slew of sticky-notes! (I used to paste them all over my computer. Now I have an app for that. XD) And email access!! I can get into my school email and send emails to professors and staff and people while not at my laptop! Like between classes! It's fantastic. (now if only you could log/sign off on Android... But once you're on, you're on unless you take the entire account off the device. XP)
Good news: there are tons of incoming freshman who seem to be enthusiastic about a number of things! Here's hoping that extracurriculars are some of them!
I know that the Doctor Who Club has gotten a great influx of members, our last meeting with the president of the club was proof enough of that. (being the premiere of the new season probably helped) Alas, our president is heading to China for the semester, so I'll be looking out for all that, but there are plenty of people actually interested in positions, so there will be delegation occurring! 8D Hoorah!
The Underground, creative writing club, hasn't met yet, but first week of school is a bit hectic for that. We'll be getting together the following Saturday afternoon, though. Hopefully there's a good turnout there too.
And finally The Review! Literary magazine! I'm editor-in-chief again this year~ Buuut most of our staff has graduated/travel studied/left. So here's hoping for a good turnout there too! We're having interest meetings this and next Thursday, for general interest and staff. *crosses fingers for much staff too*
The Paladin, the school newspaper, needs recruits too. I'm trying to send people their way too, because over half their staff graduated or left. :/ And they publish every two weeks or so.
As such, I have already mad quite a few posters and ads of different sorts. :3 Such is the extracurricular route. Get to learn with Photoshop again.
(maybe we'll have enough people to have an actual specified PR person do this kind of thing... not that I don't enjoy it! But... I have a lot of other things to get done too. -w-' )
And let's hear it for actual classes too!
I'm taking about 6 classes: Intermediate Ballet, Writing Popular Fiction, Contemporary Issues, Statistics, Senior Paper Research, and Family Process. Also an Institute course: Teachings of the Living Prophets, where we go over the most recent General Conference talks (or at least some of them). So far, they are all interesting! I was most intimidated by Statistics, and although I'm still going to be wary because of online components and such, I think that I'll be able to grasp everything readily enough. Family Process is actually likely to be the one more challenging this year. It's with the same teacher I had Marriage & Family with last year, and while it was a fun course, it was definitely a challenging one.
My senior paper research class may end up being a mix of research and actual writing, for a number of reasons. For one, I generally like writing and researching simultaneously, although of course there's always re-writes an edits, etc. But also, I believe I already have a topic picked out. Our first class meeting and I seemed to get it approved; but now I feel like I need a deeper thesis... (or even a thesis period)
My intended topic is the portrayal of mental illness in To Kill A Mockingbird vs. Jane Eyre. Without even starting to write, I can list of nuuumerous qualities and points of interest and such. I've even got a little area for notes in my phone on the ideas. But... I don't feel like simply close analysis is going to be good enough. Sure, I can do the 20 page paper simply on comparing and contrasting the two portrayals, pointing out how they differ and what that conveys. But... Why is that important? Yes, it's intriguing and fun and speaks volumes about the popular/general view of mental illness in society at the time... but I want to make it applicable today. Somehow. *sigh* That's what this 'research' period is for, I suppose.
In other news, I got approval from my Contemporary Issues professor to use psychiactrictimes.com as a source! 8D He asked us to find a reputable news-type site for information regarding issues today. I've been a part of PsychiactricTimes for at least a year or so now, and they always have tons of interesting articles. I'm sure that it'll be a great resource for this semester. >3 *excited*
And! Friends all over are getting mission calls! And my roomie/friend just got engaged! And stories are making progress, for myself and for many others I know!
That reminds me: the Writing Popular Fiction course is just once a week, for a three hour block. But it will totally be worth it. And it's with Orson Scott Card. So yes, I'm looking forward to learning how to write better, and to help others as well. It seems like it's going to be like a workshop type class, so this will definitely be interesting. And fun. Because writing is always exciting. CB (yes, even those papers that I procrastinate and feel I could do without.)
So! I'm going to go off and do some homework, possibly. Or just read an awesome essay on fairies/fairy stories by Tolkien a friend pointed out to me. Or maybe I should finish cleaning around my desk... Hm. Well, the TARDISes there will be staying until the club meeting tomorrow night at the earliest...
Ah well. I'll figure it out.
Talk to ya again!
But! I've not got the time to think about that! Because I've got three clubs to keep going as well as my classload to uphold. Yaaaaay~
Random point of interest: I have my first smart phone. Received about a month or so ago. Still learning ins and outs, and it will by no means replace my laptop. But even within the first week of school, I am appreciating its versatility and usefulness. Like a calendar! And alarms! And a slew of sticky-notes! (I used to paste them all over my computer. Now I have an app for that. XD) And email access!! I can get into my school email and send emails to professors and staff and people while not at my laptop! Like between classes! It's fantastic. (now if only you could log/sign off on Android... But once you're on, you're on unless you take the entire account off the device. XP)
Good news: there are tons of incoming freshman who seem to be enthusiastic about a number of things! Here's hoping that extracurriculars are some of them!
I know that the Doctor Who Club has gotten a great influx of members, our last meeting with the president of the club was proof enough of that. (being the premiere of the new season probably helped) Alas, our president is heading to China for the semester, so I'll be looking out for all that, but there are plenty of people actually interested in positions, so there will be delegation occurring! 8D Hoorah!
The Underground, creative writing club, hasn't met yet, but first week of school is a bit hectic for that. We'll be getting together the following Saturday afternoon, though. Hopefully there's a good turnout there too.
And finally The Review! Literary magazine! I'm editor-in-chief again this year~ Buuut most of our staff has graduated/travel studied/left. So here's hoping for a good turnout there too! We're having interest meetings this and next Thursday, for general interest and staff. *crosses fingers for much staff too*
The Paladin, the school newspaper, needs recruits too. I'm trying to send people their way too, because over half their staff graduated or left. :/ And they publish every two weeks or so.
As such, I have already mad quite a few posters and ads of different sorts. :3 Such is the extracurricular route. Get to learn with Photoshop again.
And let's hear it for actual classes too!
I'm taking about 6 classes: Intermediate Ballet, Writing Popular Fiction, Contemporary Issues, Statistics, Senior Paper Research, and Family Process. Also an Institute course: Teachings of the Living Prophets, where we go over the most recent General Conference talks (or at least some of them). So far, they are all interesting! I was most intimidated by Statistics, and although I'm still going to be wary because of online components and such, I think that I'll be able to grasp everything readily enough. Family Process is actually likely to be the one more challenging this year. It's with the same teacher I had Marriage & Family with last year, and while it was a fun course, it was definitely a challenging one.
My senior paper research class may end up being a mix of research and actual writing, for a number of reasons. For one, I generally like writing and researching simultaneously, although of course there's always re-writes an edits, etc. But also, I believe I already have a topic picked out. Our first class meeting and I seemed to get it approved; but now I feel like I need a deeper thesis... (or even a thesis period)
My intended topic is the portrayal of mental illness in To Kill A Mockingbird vs. Jane Eyre. Without even starting to write, I can list of nuuumerous qualities and points of interest and such. I've even got a little area for notes in my phone on the ideas. But... I don't feel like simply close analysis is going to be good enough. Sure, I can do the 20 page paper simply on comparing and contrasting the two portrayals, pointing out how they differ and what that conveys. But... Why is that important? Yes, it's intriguing and fun and speaks volumes about the popular/general view of mental illness in society at the time... but I want to make it applicable today. Somehow. *sigh* That's what this 'research' period is for, I suppose.
In other news, I got approval from my Contemporary Issues professor to use psychiactrictimes.com as a source! 8D He asked us to find a reputable news-type site for information regarding issues today. I've been a part of PsychiactricTimes for at least a year or so now, and they always have tons of interesting articles. I'm sure that it'll be a great resource for this semester. >3 *excited*
And! Friends all over are getting mission calls! And my roomie/friend just got engaged! And stories are making progress, for myself and for many others I know!
That reminds me: the Writing Popular Fiction course is just once a week, for a three hour block. But it will totally be worth it. And it's with Orson Scott Card. So yes, I'm looking forward to learning how to write better, and to help others as well. It seems like it's going to be like a workshop type class, so this will definitely be interesting. And fun. Because writing is always exciting. CB (yes, even those papers that I procrastinate and feel I could do without.)
So! I'm going to go off and do some homework, possibly. Or just read an awesome essay on fairies/fairy stories by Tolkien a friend pointed out to me. Or maybe I should finish cleaning around my desk... Hm. Well, the TARDISes there will be staying until the club meeting tomorrow night at the earliest...
Ah well. I'll figure it out.
Talk to ya again!
Monday, August 18, 2014
SO Soon
And yet again, I am off to Virginia for school! However, this is my last year of school as an undergraduate. O_o Wow. Three years has gone by super-fast! Gah!
Not sure if I'm ready for this... But it will work out. I hope. Mrah.
I did an online course over the summer, entitled "Personal and Family Finance." I finally finished the last exam the other day, and now I have to wait for it to get graded, but it's done now. GAH. Overall, the course was fine, and I learned a lot of great information. But the last chapter had to be on investing. Stocks and bonds, retirement... I am so barking paranoid now about getting a Roth IRA, but I don't even have a steady job yet, so I am holding off. Anxiously. XP But other than paranoia, the most annoying thing has been the delivering method of the exams. It's an online course, self-paced, and the quizzes and practice tests were online/downloadable. I was asked to go to the nearest test facility to take exams, which I understand and didn't mind accommodating, despite it being about 45 minutes' drive away. (I've been making the trip fairly frequently this summer anyway, explained later) But the tests have to be physically mailed. From Utah. So after I complete the necessary requirements and such, I order the test online, and have to wait around a week for the test to come in. Sure, gives me plenty of study time, but I wanted to get this class over before the summer was done! And there was a lot of work to be done! So I usually ended up moving on after a few days of taking the practice tests... This last test. I wasn't sure if it would get here in time before I left for school. But hallelujah that it did! I've done it, done the best I can, logically guessed on what I was unsure about, and it's sent off. *throws hands in the air*
Speaking of going to Alpine frequently, I was able to find a wonderful dance studio to work out with during the summer! Cynthia's been a great teacher, and really helping me improve (and not lose whatever I had before XD). The other ladies in the classes were always lots of fun, too. It was fantastic to see them still working on keeping in shape, even though most of them are retired or close thereto. I enjoyed having class with all of them, and look forward to seeing them again at some point~ (possibly when I come back for Christmas?)
Also got to see a few friends in town after class. The Currys are a wonderful family, and it's been fun to hang out with them for a few hours twice a week. Yes, we would have liked a bit more time... But I had classwork, and some of them had jobs. So it worked out. Had lots of fun with the time we did have, though! One of the girls was recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, but they're all catching on pretty quick what that means and will entail. So I'm glad that they have support for that, and that it's getting taken care of now rather than discovered later. Yay medicine! (and advice, and magazines, and recipes, and seminars, and...)
Oh, and if anyone is interested, here is a link to my Princess Tutu fanfiction! I've been posting the chapters, and I'm up to 40. Just 5 more to go, and the whole thing will be up! I'll probably finish posting next week, though, as this one I'll be traveling/moving. :/ But that will give you some time to catch up to the rest of it, if you want. XD
And I also started an analysis blog called TuTuTV, wherein I post an analyze Princess Tutu music videos, because there are so many wonderful ones, and I just can't go too long without analyzing something. :D It's quite fun.
Well I best get back to packing! I'll try to update again once I'm at school. Give a rundown of my classes and such. It's my last year... <w< SO there's a senior paper to be writing. (got to get it approved first)
Not sure if I'm ready for this... But it will work out. I hope. Mrah.
I did an online course over the summer, entitled "Personal and Family Finance." I finally finished the last exam the other day, and now I have to wait for it to get graded, but it's done now. GAH. Overall, the course was fine, and I learned a lot of great information. But the last chapter had to be on investing. Stocks and bonds, retirement... I am so barking paranoid now about getting a Roth IRA, but I don't even have a steady job yet, so I am holding off. Anxiously. XP But other than paranoia, the most annoying thing has been the delivering method of the exams. It's an online course, self-paced, and the quizzes and practice tests were online/downloadable. I was asked to go to the nearest test facility to take exams, which I understand and didn't mind accommodating, despite it being about 45 minutes' drive away. (I've been making the trip fairly frequently this summer anyway, explained later) But the tests have to be physically mailed. From Utah. So after I complete the necessary requirements and such, I order the test online, and have to wait around a week for the test to come in. Sure, gives me plenty of study time, but I wanted to get this class over before the summer was done! And there was a lot of work to be done! So I usually ended up moving on after a few days of taking the practice tests... This last test. I wasn't sure if it would get here in time before I left for school. But hallelujah that it did! I've done it, done the best I can, logically guessed on what I was unsure about, and it's sent off. *throws hands in the air*
Speaking of going to Alpine frequently, I was able to find a wonderful dance studio to work out with during the summer! Cynthia's been a great teacher, and really helping me improve (and not lose whatever I had before XD). The other ladies in the classes were always lots of fun, too. It was fantastic to see them still working on keeping in shape, even though most of them are retired or close thereto. I enjoyed having class with all of them, and look forward to seeing them again at some point~ (possibly when I come back for Christmas?)
Also got to see a few friends in town after class. The Currys are a wonderful family, and it's been fun to hang out with them for a few hours twice a week. Yes, we would have liked a bit more time... But I had classwork, and some of them had jobs. So it worked out. Had lots of fun with the time we did have, though! One of the girls was recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, but they're all catching on pretty quick what that means and will entail. So I'm glad that they have support for that, and that it's getting taken care of now rather than discovered later. Yay medicine! (and advice, and magazines, and recipes, and seminars, and...)
Oh, and if anyone is interested, here is a link to my Princess Tutu fanfiction! I've been posting the chapters, and I'm up to 40. Just 5 more to go, and the whole thing will be up! I'll probably finish posting next week, though, as this one I'll be traveling/moving. :/ But that will give you some time to catch up to the rest of it, if you want. XD
And I also started an analysis blog called TuTuTV, wherein I post an analyze Princess Tutu music videos, because there are so many wonderful ones, and I just can't go too long without analyzing something. :D It's quite fun.
Well I best get back to packing! I'll try to update again once I'm at school. Give a rundown of my classes and such. It's my last year... <w< SO there's a senior paper to be writing. (got to get it approved first)
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Updating. It's a Thing.
Alas, tis usually a thing I tend to forget about. :p
But I'm trying to get better! Hence, this will probably be short, but it'll be existing~
It's nearing the end of June. O_o Yeesh. Ok, technically there's still a full week left, but still! *sigh*
Anyway, I've been working on an online personal & family finances class for a couple weeks now, and I've made good progress. It's not excessively new, but I'm definitely learning. And have more patience/respect for bank people. I'm sure there's computer programs to help them do it all, but they still have to be sure about it, and double check, and fix things when there's screw-ups... I'm making it through the practice and test problems, but only after redoing them about three times for putting something in wrong. XP But at least I'm catching most things before I finish! Or at least close thereunto.
Now, a friend of mine has written the first part of an epic series called "The Book of Brothers" - the first part is "Children of Cain" and is available for about a dollar via Amazon Kindle! 8D It's a fantastic story about family and siblings, involving sacrifice, dirt, and death (or lack thereof). Also an interesting preacher. And out of body experiences. Sort-of. There are usually bodies involved. Erm... You can read some of it for free in the preview mode, it'll give you some ideas. XD Anyway, it's totally worth the buy!
Also, you get to see some of my art! She asked me to create a cover image for the story, and I managed to put something together in photoshop~ Learned a lot about how to make digital stained glass windows. (Hopefully some of it sticks.) I'm actually rather happy with how the whole thing turned out myself, and she seemed pretty happy with it~ (I mean, she used it as the cover, so... XD)
She's also got a pretty awesome anthology of poetry and shorts for sale, digital or paperback, called "Odd Ends." It involves bits from a screenwriting project concerning Greek & Nose gods involved in a war, a one-act play concerning some Shakespearean characters awaiting judgement in Dante's Inferno (it's quite entertaining, really), and some bits extracted from The Book of Brothers (more than in Children of Cain). Slightly more expensive, still definitely worth the cost. (~$3 electronic, still less than $10 paperpack. I mean seriously!)
In other news, I finally finished the long story I've been working on, and even got through one edit of my own! I'm having a friend look over it before I start posting online, because I can only catch so much. :p It's currently at 79,000-ish words. 43 chapters. Yep. Did not expect that. <w<'
But hey! I'm pretty darn happy with it. It's a Princess Tutu fanfiction, and I've learned tons about the writing process, and arrangement, and planning, and replanning, and... yes. It's been an awesome experience, and I can't wait to get it up! (and I think I've been learning even more because it's also a story about writing... Oh metafiction~ X3)
I'll put up a link once I start posting so you can keep up if you'd like, I've tried to keep the chapters at manageable lengths, but I would seriously suggest watching the show beforehand. It's set post-series, so I reference quite a few things that happen in the series. And it's only 26 episodes long! 13 hours! A weekend marathon! (of strange, sweet, and weird wonderfulness) (with darkness injected everywhere behind the scenes. And then it leaks through them. And then it breaks them. And then the characters have to deal with the pieces.)
:D
Ok, I've probably rambled more than I need to. I've got a part-time job at the Observatory helping as a Telescope Operator at the Visitors' Center, and I'm also taking a ballet class about 45 minutes away. Going awesomely. The finances class I already talked about. Still need to organize things.
Mom is sick, but getting better. Dad's back and forth as usual with lightning fires and other calls. But at least nothing too crazy has happened yet. (knock on wood) And the rains are finally coming too! Yay water!
Aaaand that's about all I can think of for now. <w<'
(man I still have so much to do... ONWARDS)
But I'm trying to get better! Hence, this will probably be short, but it'll be existing~
It's nearing the end of June. O_o Yeesh. Ok, technically there's still a full week left, but still! *sigh*
Anyway, I've been working on an online personal & family finances class for a couple weeks now, and I've made good progress. It's not excessively new, but I'm definitely learning. And have more patience/respect for bank people. I'm sure there's computer programs to help them do it all, but they still have to be sure about it, and double check, and fix things when there's screw-ups... I'm making it through the practice and test problems, but only after redoing them about three times for putting something in wrong. XP But at least I'm catching most things before I finish! Or at least close thereunto.
Now, a friend of mine has written the first part of an epic series called "The Book of Brothers" - the first part is "Children of Cain" and is available for about a dollar via Amazon Kindle! 8D It's a fantastic story about family and siblings, involving sacrifice, dirt, and death (or lack thereof). Also an interesting preacher. And out of body experiences. Sort-of. There are usually bodies involved. Erm... You can read some of it for free in the preview mode, it'll give you some ideas. XD Anyway, it's totally worth the buy!
Also, you get to see some of my art! She asked me to create a cover image for the story, and I managed to put something together in photoshop~ Learned a lot about how to make digital stained glass windows. (Hopefully some of it sticks.) I'm actually rather happy with how the whole thing turned out myself, and she seemed pretty happy with it~ (I mean, she used it as the cover, so... XD)
She's also got a pretty awesome anthology of poetry and shorts for sale, digital or paperback, called "Odd Ends." It involves bits from a screenwriting project concerning Greek & Nose gods involved in a war, a one-act play concerning some Shakespearean characters awaiting judgement in Dante's Inferno (it's quite entertaining, really), and some bits extracted from The Book of Brothers (more than in Children of Cain). Slightly more expensive, still definitely worth the cost. (~$3 electronic, still less than $10 paperpack. I mean seriously!)
In other news, I finally finished the long story I've been working on, and even got through one edit of my own! I'm having a friend look over it before I start posting online, because I can only catch so much. :p It's currently at 79,000-ish words. 43 chapters. Yep. Did not expect that. <w<'
But hey! I'm pretty darn happy with it. It's a Princess Tutu fanfiction, and I've learned tons about the writing process, and arrangement, and planning, and replanning, and... yes. It's been an awesome experience, and I can't wait to get it up! (and I think I've been learning even more because it's also a story about writing... Oh metafiction~ X3)
I'll put up a link once I start posting so you can keep up if you'd like, I've tried to keep the chapters at manageable lengths, but I would seriously suggest watching the show beforehand. It's set post-series, so I reference quite a few things that happen in the series. And it's only 26 episodes long! 13 hours! A weekend marathon! (of strange, sweet, and weird wonderfulness) (with darkness injected everywhere behind the scenes. And then it leaks through them. And then it breaks them. And then the characters have to deal with the pieces.)
:D
Ok, I've probably rambled more than I need to. I've got a part-time job at the Observatory helping as a Telescope Operator at the Visitors' Center, and I'm also taking a ballet class about 45 minutes away. Going awesomely. The finances class I already talked about. Still need to organize things.
Mom is sick, but getting better. Dad's back and forth as usual with lightning fires and other calls. But at least nothing too crazy has happened yet. (knock on wood) And the rains are finally coming too! Yay water!
Aaaand that's about all I can think of for now. <w<'
(man I still have so much to do... ONWARDS)
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Back to TX
So! Another year at school has come and gone, and my wonderful car has survived another cross-country trip. There were times when I was a bit unsure this time around, but she's held together, and when a bit of smoke has come up it's just been really hot under the hood; no warning temps on the gauges or anything. :3 So I can still drive around for a while yet!
Also, happy Mother's Day to moms of the world, especially my own awesome mom who drove all the way back from VA with me! There were some trying times, but we survived~ <3
For this past semester, I am happy to say that I got As in at least two of my classes!! 8D The other two are still waiting to put everything in... the grade says WIP, so I've got to chew my fingers about that for a while yet. But my audited class is on my transcript, so I must have done well enough in the class! (I don't have a grade, but it's there) It was fun, I'm glad I took it. I wish the book would have been cheaper to keep, but even the rental was a bit expensive so I had to let it go. I did keep a few other books, though, partially because I could and partially because I wanted them for further reference in the future! There are some very useful books, indeed~ (and fun ones)
Now that summer is officially here for me, I have about three months to get a job, write, do an online class, and keep up with ballet. Also try to update the notes I've taken over the school year to my notes on my computer, organize them, and prepare for classes in the fall! And read things that have been on an ever-growing list. And talk with friends more often. Yeah. Three months. Got this. (I hope)
Good news: I believe I already have a part-time job for the summer! Still working on the details, but I've been told that it's pretty certain that I have it.
Regarding the online class, if I want to complete my Family & Child Development (FCD) minor, I'm about one class short if I do one per semester over the next two semesters. So, I'm going to do an equivalent online with BYU Independent Study (because I've gotten their programs approved by the coordinator at my school) before school starts again.
Reminds me: next year I'm going to be a senior!! O_o Wow. Time. It moves fast.
That also means I need to get more work done researching a graduate program/school. Yeesh. If anyone knows of good psychology programs or schools, let me know in comments or something! I'm more looking into Research Methodology-ish, I think, but with a psych focus. Hm. We'll see how that works.
And I'm going to be writing like mad. I want to finish that fanfiction I mentioned before. I've been able to work on it about once a week during the semester, but especially not so much near the end of the semester. So close!! And, of course, I've gotten at least three different ideas for short stories during just the last few weeks of classes. (bursts of inspiration always seem to come at the busiest times, don't they?) So... we'll see how those develop. If they do. Because I do have other things that need more development themselves. <w<'
Anyway! That's pretty much what's happening recently. Still have yet to unpack everything because we just got back last night, but we got back before dark this time! I'll unpack later.
Right. More to organize. Got this!
(I hope)
Also, happy Mother's Day to moms of the world, especially my own awesome mom who drove all the way back from VA with me! There were some trying times, but we survived~ <3
For this past semester, I am happy to say that I got As in at least two of my classes!! 8D The other two are still waiting to put everything in... the grade says WIP, so I've got to chew my fingers about that for a while yet. But my audited class is on my transcript, so I must have done well enough in the class! (I don't have a grade, but it's there) It was fun, I'm glad I took it. I wish the book would have been cheaper to keep, but even the rental was a bit expensive so I had to let it go. I did keep a few other books, though, partially because I could and partially because I wanted them for further reference in the future! There are some very useful books, indeed~ (and fun ones)
Now that summer is officially here for me, I have about three months to get a job, write, do an online class, and keep up with ballet. Also try to update the notes I've taken over the school year to my notes on my computer, organize them, and prepare for classes in the fall! And read things that have been on an ever-growing list. And talk with friends more often. Yeah. Three months. Got this. (I hope)
Good news: I believe I already have a part-time job for the summer! Still working on the details, but I've been told that it's pretty certain that I have it.
Regarding the online class, if I want to complete my Family & Child Development (FCD) minor, I'm about one class short if I do one per semester over the next two semesters. So, I'm going to do an equivalent online with BYU Independent Study (because I've gotten their programs approved by the coordinator at my school) before school starts again.
Reminds me: next year I'm going to be a senior!! O_o Wow. Time. It moves fast.
That also means I need to get more work done researching a graduate program/school. Yeesh. If anyone knows of good psychology programs or schools, let me know in comments or something! I'm more looking into Research Methodology-ish, I think, but with a psych focus. Hm. We'll see how that works.
And I'm going to be writing like mad. I want to finish that fanfiction I mentioned before. I've been able to work on it about once a week during the semester, but especially not so much near the end of the semester. So close!! And, of course, I've gotten at least three different ideas for short stories during just the last few weeks of classes. (bursts of inspiration always seem to come at the busiest times, don't they?) So... we'll see how those develop. If they do. Because I do have other things that need more development themselves. <w<'
Anyway! That's pretty much what's happening recently. Still have yet to unpack everything because we just got back last night, but we got back before dark this time! I'll unpack later.
Right. More to organize. Got this!
(I hope)
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Maaaaarch
The mid-semester point has passed, and I am starting into the headlong rush to get through the end of the semester! (Ok, maybe not quite 'headlong', but it can sure seem crazy at times!)
Being Editor-in-Chief of The Review (the literary magazine here at school) has been quite intensive! But I think we've made awesome progress: we had a rather successful poetry reading night even last semester (as in people came; it's the first one the magazine has held), and this semester we're having a fundraising event of dinner and poetry reading together! It's been a bit crazy trying to plan it around the tons of concerts and other school events (I love them all, but space gets crowded!), and we're still hammering out details. But I hope and pray that we have finally got a date and time set, and that people will come! Another wonderful thing about this year: our layout looks awesome! Our previous years looked nice, but this year we had a layout editor who was able to put more time into everything, and I'm really grateful to be able to work with her and the professor who heads the project. And the staff! Staff that come to meetings and are involved! It's fantastic.
So, aside from my rant concerning that... I've really been enjoying going to a Mythology course!! I got into Greek & Roman Mythology, which is the first time I've actually seen the course offered. I was unsure if I'd be able to get in, but I just started going to classes at the beginning of the year anyway, and while I have to cut out a little early once a week to get to another class, thanks to the awesome voice recorder my uncle gave me over the Christmas break, I don't have to actually miss what he says! It's really intriguing~
The class I have to skip out to catch is Endocrinology. I am actually auditing the course, or simply taking it for informational purposes and not getting credit for it. I'm not taking the tests either, though, so there's that! It's a 300-level Biology course, about hormones and their roles throughout the body. I figured it would be good for me to have at least some knowledge about that if I'm interested in psychology. It's not quite the course I was imagining, since we're not talking about neurohormones/transmitters at all really, but it's still interesting information! It's also a small class, so that helps me understand things better. I don't get absolutely everything we talk about, since I haven't but taken two other Biology courses here, but it's still cool. Wish I had more time to read, though.
The other classes I'm in are Marriage & Family, Child & Adolescent Development, and Physics Fundamentals. The Physics course is more of a summary/overview course for the main points of physics in our world, and the people who contributed, like Newton and Kepler. (learned that Tycho had a silver nose, too) The first two are Family & Child Development courses. I am learning a lot about the growth of humans in general. (I hope I remember these things when I have kids...)
I'm also attending a ballet class at a local studio~! The teacher also does classes on my school's campus, but very few, and I don't have the schedule to accommodate those. So she suggested I go to the others, and I've really been enjoying it! The class is intermediate level, and aimed at slightly younger level/age group, which is really more my level, honestly. I'm learning so much about ballet, and instead of just rushing along with it, I'm retaining a good bit of it! And it's rather helped my balance outside the studio, too! XD
My hair has been getting longer, and I need to keep it up during practice. So my wonderful roommate usually does my hair for me! She says it's fun~ Here are some of her results:
Yeah. I didn't know my hair could do some of that either. XD
In other news, I have been applying for scholarships, and searching for internship possibilities, and going to career fairs... I feel like I'm not doing enough, yet when I sit down and list things, it is a lot. And yet I don't feel much closer to figuring things out. XP Probably just my natural indecision-ness being annoying.
And in what extra time Idon't have, I've been writing! I'm using a new program a generous friend helped me get a discount on called Scrivener, and it's really cool. I haven't used all of is capacities, of course, because it's kind-of like Photoshop: there is always something new. But the current project I'm using it for is going rather well! I shortened the chapter length so that getting a chapter done is more attainable for me (usually I write ~6000 words/chapter, this time I'm trying to keep it under 2500). It's exciting actually seeing progress!
It's a Princess Tutu fanfiction, and it's something totally new for me because I'm doing a frame story. For those unaware, a frame story is a story within a story. Like books that start off "The man went to the fireside and told his children, "This is a story that took place long ago..."" The Princess Bride would be a frame story. But I'm trying to actually involve the frame part of the story, so it doesn't seem pointless and just tacked on. I think it's working, but it is difficult! Especially when I don't really have time to think about it frequently. But I am really happy to be getting it done.
Also, I don't remember which night it was, but I apparently needed to do something with my hands. So I took about an hour or so and made a collage for the back of our room door.
The lighting isn't the best, but we don't have the best lighting. :p
I used old calenders, scissors, and tape. :) I'm rather happy with how it turned out~ I keep old calenders around anyway for impromptu birthday gift wrapping. (cheaper and easier to store than actual wrapping paper, too)
I'll try to keep this place a bit more updated. Until then!
Being Editor-in-Chief of The Review (the literary magazine here at school) has been quite intensive! But I think we've made awesome progress: we had a rather successful poetry reading night even last semester (as in people came; it's the first one the magazine has held), and this semester we're having a fundraising event of dinner and poetry reading together! It's been a bit crazy trying to plan it around the tons of concerts and other school events (I love them all, but space gets crowded!), and we're still hammering out details. But I hope and pray that we have finally got a date and time set, and that people will come! Another wonderful thing about this year: our layout looks awesome! Our previous years looked nice, but this year we had a layout editor who was able to put more time into everything, and I'm really grateful to be able to work with her and the professor who heads the project. And the staff! Staff that come to meetings and are involved! It's fantastic.
So, aside from my rant concerning that... I've really been enjoying going to a Mythology course!! I got into Greek & Roman Mythology, which is the first time I've actually seen the course offered. I was unsure if I'd be able to get in, but I just started going to classes at the beginning of the year anyway, and while I have to cut out a little early once a week to get to another class, thanks to the awesome voice recorder my uncle gave me over the Christmas break, I don't have to actually miss what he says! It's really intriguing~
The class I have to skip out to catch is Endocrinology. I am actually auditing the course, or simply taking it for informational purposes and not getting credit for it. I'm not taking the tests either, though, so there's that! It's a 300-level Biology course, about hormones and their roles throughout the body. I figured it would be good for me to have at least some knowledge about that if I'm interested in psychology. It's not quite the course I was imagining, since we're not talking about neurohormones/transmitters at all really, but it's still interesting information! It's also a small class, so that helps me understand things better. I don't get absolutely everything we talk about, since I haven't but taken two other Biology courses here, but it's still cool. Wish I had more time to read, though.
The other classes I'm in are Marriage & Family, Child & Adolescent Development, and Physics Fundamentals. The Physics course is more of a summary/overview course for the main points of physics in our world, and the people who contributed, like Newton and Kepler. (learned that Tycho had a silver nose, too) The first two are Family & Child Development courses. I am learning a lot about the growth of humans in general. (I hope I remember these things when I have kids...)
I'm also attending a ballet class at a local studio~! The teacher also does classes on my school's campus, but very few, and I don't have the schedule to accommodate those. So she suggested I go to the others, and I've really been enjoying it! The class is intermediate level, and aimed at slightly younger level/age group, which is really more my level, honestly. I'm learning so much about ballet, and instead of just rushing along with it, I'm retaining a good bit of it! And it's rather helped my balance outside the studio, too! XD
My hair has been getting longer, and I need to keep it up during practice. So my wonderful roommate usually does my hair for me! She says it's fun~ Here are some of her results:
In other news, I have been applying for scholarships, and searching for internship possibilities, and going to career fairs... I feel like I'm not doing enough, yet when I sit down and list things, it is a lot. And yet I don't feel much closer to figuring things out. XP Probably just my natural indecision-ness being annoying.
And in what extra time I
It's a Princess Tutu fanfiction, and it's something totally new for me because I'm doing a frame story. For those unaware, a frame story is a story within a story. Like books that start off "The man went to the fireside and told his children, "This is a story that took place long ago..."" The Princess Bride would be a frame story. But I'm trying to actually involve the frame part of the story, so it doesn't seem pointless and just tacked on. I think it's working, but it is difficult! Especially when I don't really have time to think about it frequently. But I am really happy to be getting it done.
Also, I don't remember which night it was, but I apparently needed to do something with my hands. So I took about an hour or so and made a collage for the back of our room door.
I used old calenders, scissors, and tape. :) I'm rather happy with how it turned out~ I keep old calenders around anyway for impromptu birthday gift wrapping. (cheaper and easier to store than actual wrapping paper, too)
I'll try to keep this place a bit more updated. Until then!
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Been A While
Soo... It's now 2014! Yay! 8D
... Let's move past the awkward 'I forgot this existed' phrases, and just get to summarizing what's been happening, eh? X3'
So this past semester I took an Abnormal Psychology course, which I loved, Intermediate Ballet, also loved, Epistemology, which was rather fun if confusing at times, Approaches to Literature, which I enjoyed, and another semester of Intermediate Creative Writing! Which, of course, was fun~ I took Teachings of the Living Prophets as my Institute course, and we discussed the past spring's General Conference. It's crazy what you can gain when you re-read things! I mean, I've known that for a while, but still; it still amazes me at times~
Midterms and finals came and went, along with the associated stress, and apparently it paid off! I've managed to pull off As in all my classes!! That made me rather excited~
For Halloween, I dressed up as a woodland fairy of some kind~
Over the semester, I also managed to watch some movies with friends, and make progress on watching a few animes: Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Princess Tutu. Yes, they sound very strange together, but they are both epic and beautiful!! Princess Tutu is much better than it sounds, and even I was put off by the name, but perseverance pays off~ Tis a wonderful story of stories, fairy tales actually, and ballet, and about the author who is still affecting it after his death. And Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood is just plainly epic. It is so intricate, and crazy, and well-planned! Note though: tis also long. I and my friends have gotten to season... 4? 5? Something like that. And there's still another yet to go. But it will be worth it~
On the other side, Princess Tutu only has 26 episodes in all! And they're not even a full half-hour each. Really. It's a great watch, I highly suggest it~!
In fact, here; have a nice little video of it that's not really spoilery (really it highlights the dancing, actually; but the story is just as beautiful):
A better representation of the crazy story is this video, but warning! It has spoilers!
Anyway, this Christmas break, we got three whole weeks! It's crazy, but I'm rather happy with it. I worked back at the Observatory for a while, and we put up Christmas stuff together~ Like our tree!
Then this past weekend we traveled to AZ to visit my grandma and uncle again~ Twas just a quick visit, but I'm happy we got to go!
Mexican Train is always fun~ At the end, dad helped clean up in his own way.
Another wonderful thing: I have finally been catching up with Doctor Who!! I have finally seen pretty much all the released episodes, I do believe. There's just the extras of looking back over things meta-production wise that I want to see~ But regarding the show itself, I don't think there's any show that has made me cry and get excited so much, sometimes within the very same episode! It's so wonderfuuuul~
So, this next semester (aka next week) I'll be taking a few classes for Family and Child Development, as that's the route closest to Psychology that my school offers. Then, there's research ahead for graduate schools/programs... I want to go into research, so it'll be a bit of a different focus than if I were going to be a practitioner or clinician. But it will still require lots-o-schooling, so I really should get looking. Especially since this is the second semester of my junior year! Next year I'm a senior, and I need to have applications in before that's over. *sigh* The search for funds and programs never ends~
Which reminds me! A friend is selling a book of short stories and poems to fund a Travel Study trip she wants to take this summer. She is a great writer, and it doesn't cost very much, so if you're interested, here's the link.
Until next time! <3
... Let's move past the awkward 'I forgot this existed' phrases, and just get to summarizing what's been happening, eh? X3'
So this past semester I took an Abnormal Psychology course, which I loved, Intermediate Ballet, also loved, Epistemology, which was rather fun if confusing at times, Approaches to Literature, which I enjoyed, and another semester of Intermediate Creative Writing! Which, of course, was fun~ I took Teachings of the Living Prophets as my Institute course, and we discussed the past spring's General Conference. It's crazy what you can gain when you re-read things! I mean, I've known that for a while, but still; it still amazes me at times~
Midterms and finals came and went, along with the associated stress, and apparently it paid off! I've managed to pull off As in all my classes!! That made me rather excited~
For Halloween, I dressed up as a woodland fairy of some kind~
I got to help a friend dress up as a Kyoshi Warrior, as well! It's amazing what friends, fabric, and facepaint can do!
Over the semester, I also managed to watch some movies with friends, and make progress on watching a few animes: Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Princess Tutu. Yes, they sound very strange together, but they are both epic and beautiful!! Princess Tutu is much better than it sounds, and even I was put off by the name, but perseverance pays off~ Tis a wonderful story of stories, fairy tales actually, and ballet, and about the author who is still affecting it after his death. And Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood is just plainly epic. It is so intricate, and crazy, and well-planned! Note though: tis also long. I and my friends have gotten to season... 4? 5? Something like that. And there's still another yet to go. But it will be worth it~
On the other side, Princess Tutu only has 26 episodes in all! And they're not even a full half-hour each. Really. It's a great watch, I highly suggest it~!
In fact, here; have a nice little video of it that's not really spoilery (really it highlights the dancing, actually; but the story is just as beautiful):
Anyway, this Christmas break, we got three whole weeks! It's crazy, but I'm rather happy with it. I worked back at the Observatory for a while, and we put up Christmas stuff together~ Like our tree!
Another wonderful thing: I have finally been catching up with Doctor Who!! I have finally seen pretty much all the released episodes, I do believe. There's just the extras of looking back over things meta-production wise that I want to see~ But regarding the show itself, I don't think there's any show that has made me cry and get excited so much, sometimes within the very same episode! It's so wonderfuuuul~
So, this next semester (aka next week) I'll be taking a few classes for Family and Child Development, as that's the route closest to Psychology that my school offers. Then, there's research ahead for graduate schools/programs... I want to go into research, so it'll be a bit of a different focus than if I were going to be a practitioner or clinician. But it will still require lots-o-schooling, so I really should get looking. Especially since this is the second semester of my junior year! Next year I'm a senior, and I need to have applications in before that's over. *sigh* The search for funds and programs never ends~
Which reminds me! A friend is selling a book of short stories and poems to fund a Travel Study trip she wants to take this summer. She is a great writer, and it doesn't cost very much, so if you're interested, here's the link.
Until next time! <3
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